Am I running again?

Falmouth Road Race is a beautiful 7 mile race in August, on Cape Cod.

I am the team captain for Dogs for Better Lives – through the number for nonprofits program.

I was NOT planning to run this race.

I have an idea though, if I raise $820, the minimum we require our runners to raise – I will run the race too. (Team captains can do that without taking a bib from our allotment)

If you want me to run, vote with your dollars!

Danielle’s Falmouth Road Race fundraising page https://raceroster.com/events/2022/56070/the-2022-asics-falmouth-road-race/pledge/participant/13624186

Dogs for Better Lives places hearing and Autism assistance dogs – at NO COST to the client.
That’s where my job fundraising comes in. The funds I raise keep client costs to $0.

Boston Business Women

If you know me in real life, you know I’m someone who loves being a connector.

Join Boston Business Women with my link https://bostonbusinesswomen.com/?via=danielle

One of the best networking groups I’ve found in MA is Boston Business Women

Before the pandemic, I’ve enjoyed their networking meals.

Here’s some of the BBW table when they met in Quincy!

With the pandemic, a ton of their training moved online and I appreciate that.

Women who have their own business have found customers through meetings and the huge Facebook group – Over 34,000 members!

Join Boston Business Women

I have used BBW for growing my fundraising consulting business, but also promoting the nonprofit I work in fundraising for, Dogs for Better Lives.

You know I love a good women’s network – but I will not recommend them unless they are welcoming.

Let me know if you have any questions!

If you join, please use my affiliate link, so they know I referred you.

Cooking with Satisfy Cookbook

Satisfy by Mona Dolgov

Last week I was bored and wanted to do something different for dinner.

I’d been mailed a copy of the Satisfy cookbook to try out some recipes but time warped in the pandemic.

I knew what protein we had in the fridge, so I used the by protein index to find a chicken recipe that we had the ingredients for (well, nearly all).

Dinner for the evening would be Apricot Chicken!

We improvised a little with what ingredients we had but it was delicious!

Here’s while cooking:

Love one pan meals

The final product was delicious but if I were cooking for just me, I would have left out the pepper flakes. My taste buds are weird and don’t handle spice well.

Yummy!

I definitely will be trying out some more recipes with planning ahead so I have all the ingredients needed

Here’s some information on the cookbook and the author from her press release:

Nutritionist and culinary expert Mona Dolgov has the perfect holiday gift – a cookbook that has solved the longtime challenge of maintaining healthy eating habits and being gluten-free. Her newest cookbook, satisfy, does just this by focusing on plant-forward meals, gluten-free options, kitchen confidence, and more importantly, realistic portions. Finally, a cookbook that allows you to eat well and build healthy habits into 2022.

“It’s been an interesting year and many of us have either created healthy habits that are going to get tested by a return to old routines or are looking to get back into healthy habits we’ve neglected a bit,” Dolgov said. “My goal is to develop cookbooks with healthy, easy recipes that help you feel full and satisfied. That’s important. Behavioral research shows that if you feel like you’re sacrificing too much, or things are unrealistic, you’re not going to stick with and build those healthy habits. If you can learn some new and simple recipes, culinary tricks and nutritional swaps, you become empowered and excited to share with family and friends. You’ll feel great from the inside out. And those habits will stick.”

satisfy (978-0-578-71699-2, $29.99), is based on creating balanced meals from minimally processed ingredients that provide generous and satisfying portions. Each recipe is gluten-free and includes at least 2 cups of vegetables, making every meal nutrient dense while also staying under 500 calories. Recipes are quick and easy and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. “I use a variety of spice blends, secret sauces, dressings and marinades in mindful portions that can provide a lot of variety, even with your own recipes,” Dolgov explains. To help reinforce the skills and techniques outlined in the book, Dolgov will also be teaching virtual cooking classes. You can find more information and sign up at her website, http://www.monadolgov.com.

Photo Blogging Challenge – Happy

The theme for the July photo blogging challenge was “Happy”

Boy do I have a lot of options to choose from with July photos!

In non photo news, I have a new job fundraising for an organization who trains service dogs for Deaf adults and Autistic children. I’m 2 weeks into the job and am loving it, but that delayed blogging. Oops.

Fried clams after walking on Wollaston Beach make me happy!

This is the toy my daughter got for registering for the kids summer reading challenge

Dandy Lion made both me & my daughter happy.

On July 4th weekend we went to the Springfield Museum complex – all 3 of us were happy
Here’s my daughter building in the Dr. Seuss Museum

Street art makes me happy
I discovered this mural in Quincy, MA when I was walking to the farmers market

My family went to the Barnstable County Fair and the only reason I wanted to go was to see the dog show! It made me so happy.

So there are my July submissions with 1 bonus photo.

Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s photo challenge posts & hopefully being more timely in September with my August photo post.

America’s Farmer – Farmer’s Market In A Box

In a pleasant surprise, I received a complementary box of produce from America’s Farmer.

The slight problem with the surprise delivery though was that it sat for a few days before I realized it was there. (I didn’t check my mail room at the condo with the Thanksgiving holiday.)

But, what we were able to salvage has been delicious and I would recommend their box delivery.

My 2 year old daughter loves the yellow pepper slices:

We also received a lemon, cucumber, red green and orange peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, apples, pears, and a butternut squash.

This seems like a perfect service for when you can’t get to a local farmers market because they’re during working hours.

My daughter Elise and I were regular attendees at Quincy Farmers Market this year and we love getting direct from the farm produce.

Photo Blogging Challenge – Whatcha eatin’?

The November photo blogging challenge was “Whatcha eatin’?”

It’s great to be back participating in the monthly photo blogging challenge!

My daughter Elise is 23 months old so her trying new foods is a huge thing right now.

Her favorite food is apples:

Her second favorite is green beans:

Here’s her eating the fruit off my salad while we wait for lunch at a restaurant (Thanks Nanie and Grandpa for lunch!)

Uncle God Dad, did you say pie and ice cream?!!!

And of course, Thanksgiving turkey with Grandpa Tony showing my daughter what’s cooking on the stove

Looking forward to seeing everyone’s posts!

This monthly photo blogging challenge is facilitated by PJ of the Northeast Bloggers Network.

Ladies Night Out at University Station

Last week, I attended a fun women bloggers night out at University Station in Westwood.

First, we got manicures at Miniluxe.

I’m a huge fan of Miniluxe and when I lived in Boston I had my nails done at their Newbury Street location nearly weekly. It’s great to see them have a location closer to me on the South Shore.

Next we visited Nordstrom Rack, where the manager pulled some clothes to show us examples of the brand names at discounted prices available at their store. I bought myself a new pair of flats.

Finally, we headed over to Not Your Average Joe’s for some appetizers and met with their executive chef for the whole chain. It’s a different space for Not Your Average Joe’s – but in a good way. The restaurant was packed even though it was a Wednesday night.

I’m a Not Your Average Joe’s fan – since I love that their cooking is from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. You can usually find me at the Randolph location though – so this was a nice change of pace.

Thanks to Miniluxe, Nordstrom Rack, Not Your Average Joe’s, and University Station for hosting us!

The Perfect Portion Cookbook

“Getting fit” is not about working out alone.

The saying “You can’t out exercise a bad diet” is true.

I was given a review copy of The Perfect Portion Cookbook.

I like the concept of healthy makeovers of comfort foods – that have 100 calorie portions.

For a snack during the Super Bowl, my husband and I made the Spinach & Artichoke Dip recipe from the book.

It tasted wonderful! My husband said, “This doesn’t even taste like a ‘healthy’ food! We can totally make this next time we go to a party.”

Above is our dip. I like that it isn’t picture perfect! It shows we actually cooked it. 🙂

I’m looking forward to trying other recipes from The Perfect Portion Cookbook. 

I recommend it to anyone trying to eat healthier food without sacrificing taste.

Just Add Cooking

A few weeks ago, my husband & I were asked to try out Just Add Cooking – in exchange for reviewing it on my blog.

Just Add Cooking delivers ingredients and recipes to your house, and you “add cooking” to make the meals.

Just Add Cooking is based in Boston and they source their ingredients locally, using local farmers, vendors, and purveyors. They use seasonal ingredients whenever possible. They deliver throughout Eastern Massachusetts.

Because Just Add Cooking sources locally, they pack and deliver via courier the same day. No FedEx means less packaging – everything but the freezer bag is biodegradable. This process also helps ensure freshness and lower food miles for the ingredients.

Just Add Cooking provides seven recipes to choose from each week. Typically there is a poultry, seafood, pork and beef option along with 3 vegetarian options. You make a selection by 12 pm on Wed and get delivery on Sunday or Monday depending on your area. Just Add Cooking also has designated gluten-free meals, which have been evaluated by a dietitian and are clearly labeled as such.

If you do not pick meals on a week you’re scheduled to receive a shipment, the meals will be picked for you. They do have an option to “skip” weeks though.

Full disclosure: I do not like cooking. I don’t think that any product or service will change that about me, but I’m working on expanding my skills beyond grilling frozen chicken on a George Foreman grill.

My husband made the meals we tried, and I helped with prep work.

We prepared 2 meals & we’re not quite sure why the one marked easy was a harder recipe for us than the one marked hard. (Chicken meal & pork chop meal.)

We froze the ingredients for the 3rd meal because we had a busy week with after work activities and couldn’t fit in cooking a 3rd meal.

Breaded pork chops and kidney beans are a success & delicious!

Thanks to Staying Square in MA, my husband David, for putting up with my lack of cooking skills.

I don’t think I have time to make Just Add Cooking, or any ingredient delivery service fit in my life, but I highly recommend them if you’re someone who likes to cook and has time to!

We kept the recipe for the breaded pork chops and kidney beans so we can make it again on our own.

Just Add Cooking is offering boxes starting at $39 for a 2-person, 3-meal box (normally $69) and $69 for a 4-person, 3-meal box (normally $109). This is for the first box for new customers and the price will be automatically applied to their first purchase if they visit www.justaddcooking.com and register by clicking “Get Cooking.”

Just Add Cooking is working with with the Greater Boston Food Bank this December. Just Add Cooking will be donating $1 per box delivered this week and next week to GBFB. Every dollar donated provides three meals for people in need right here in the Boston area, and this is part of Just Add Cooking’s commitment to the local food economy and community.

The donation is automatic, but it’s only good for orders placed before next week’s cut-off of Wed., Dec. 9 at noon.

Good luck & happy cooking!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve had an experience with meal delivery services.

Progressive Blogger Dinner at Bel Ari and Les Zygomates

Thanks to Blog & Tweet Boston, I attended a complementary progressive dinner at Bel Ari and Les Zygomates in the South Station/Leather District are of Boston in early October.

Both restaurants are owned by Mark Tosi, President of Pastene Co. (The only tomatoes that my family buys for sauce are always Pastene.) Mark was there to greet us and stayed to intro the meals at both locations. It was a real treat for me to meet him, since my family is loyal fans of Pastene brand products.

Mark and I at Les Zygomates

Decor at Bel Ari

There were delicious menus just for us offered at both restaurants.

At Bel Ari, I tried both appetizers, Whipped Ricotta with honey, pistachio, sunflower cranberry bread (amazing!), Arancini vand an entree of Shrimp & Lobster Gnocchi. I’d order all the items again! I’d never had ricotta and honey before, so that was a tasty discovery! (I’m a sweet & savory fan.)

Arancini

Shrimp & Lobster Gnocchi

Table photo at Les Zygomates

At Les Zygomates, I ate the pistachio crusted sea bass and apple Napoleon.

pistachio crusted sea bass

apple Napoleon

There was a live jazz band playing at Les Zygomates as well, that added to the atmosphere.

Huge thank you to Bel Ari and Les Zygomates for hosting us and Blog & Tweet Boston for organizing the night out!