MITM!

Made it through Monday!

MITM is the new TGIF. I’m sure of it.

Mother Nature finally threw Central Iowa a bone this week, and it could not have been a more beautiful spring day. I bypassed the gym in favor of a trip to the trail. 4.8 miles under a cloudless sky and through a gentle, cool breeze. Perfect outdoor exercising conditions, resulting in an epic run.

Every four months or so I snag a run where my legs seem to move without my mind telling them to. They get into a rhythm of their own, and I find myself just along for the ride. I LOVE it when that happens!

I made sure to hydrate all day today, so I wouldn’t have another mind meltdown on the trail, but I still took a spray bottle of water with me just in case. Yeah, a spray bottle!

Travel-sized bottles are perfect for bringing with on a run. They hold just the right amount of water, and fit snugly in the palm of my hand. I usually use a squeeze bottle, but the spray bottle is a favorite too. Great for when you just need a little mist.

I went through YogaDownload.com’s 20 Minute Core Yoga when I got home, then got right to work on dinner. I was HUNGry, and Prosciutto wrapped Caprese Chicken Fingers came together in only 30 minutes!

Summertime flavors like tomato, basil and mozzarella all wrapped up in a yummy little package.

I started the cigars by making an assembly line of my ingredients.

Starting with La Quercia Proscuitto.

La Quercia prosciutto is made locally and is ah-mazing. The second I opened the package I could tell it was different than the other brands I’ve been buying. Much more fresh smelling. Locals: I bought this at Hy-Vee, but I think it’s also sold at Dahl’s.

I was so tickled a couple weeks ago to see La Quercia’s prosciutto on the menus of Emeril’s restaurants in Las Vegas. Represeeent!

Next to the prosciutto was mozzarella string cheese, divided in half,

sundried tomatoes,

and fresh basil.

For me, I cut a chicken breast in half, then pounded each breast flat. I put half a mozzarella stick, a few basil leaves, some sundried tomato and salt & pepper in the middle,

then wrapped it all up with prosciutto. Prosciutto naturally sticks to itself, which makes it perfect for tying up loose ingredients.

I made Ben a hubby-sized stuffed chicken breast, muwahaha!

It needed FIVE slices of prosciutto to close!

When everything was wrapped, it was ready to roll.

20 minutes in a 425 degree oven for the tenders, 30 minutes for the big breast.

Plated on a bed of torn baby spinach and steamed green beans, then drizzled with a teaspoon of Tuscan Herb Olive Oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with more sundried tomatoes.

Grown up chicken fingers, people!

The salty prosciutto was crispy on the outside, but chewy on the inside and the burst of flavor from the balsamic vinegar brought out the flavors of ALL the ingredients. Loved these guys!

Plus, aren’t stuffed and wrapped things better than…not stuffed and wrapped things?! Oooo, like Cannolis! Ugh I would kill for a fresh cannoli right now…

At any rate, I realized while looking around the fridge this evening that I may have gotten a wee bit carried away at the grocery store. Ben and I are going to be out of town this weekend, and I have more fruit than I could ever eat in 4 days!

I’m doing my part to deplete the stash by enjoying fresh sliced strawberries and the sweetest pineapple ever, for dessert. I don’t even miss the fluffy angel food cake that would go perfectly underneath all that juicy fruit…

Ok, maybe just a little…

Have a great night!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite day of the week?

I like Wednesday’s. For me it means only one more day until the weekend, and it’s also the day that Ben and I usually get out for walks together in the evening!