Hi friends,

I hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend! Mine was packed with activities – two good friends became engaged on Saturday and we had the privilege of being apart of their special day with the rest of their friends and family. Earlier today, we were off to my best friend’s birthday brunch at a great restaurant downtown. So much happiness and fun in two days, but I’m definitely happy to be settling down and having a low-key Sunday night with a few stacks of homework. So, this post will be short and sweet as I’m sure you want to get back to your Sunday evening too!

I have some new beverage obsessions this week, and I’m excited to share them with you! I’ve been drinking more tea lately, which is surprising because I’m not usually a huge tea fan. BUT when you find a great flavor like this non-caffeinated Bengal spice from Celestial Seasonings, mix in a splash or two of almond milk and a little stevia, what’s not to love? It’s creamy, sweet and completely guilt free.

I’ve tried this little concoction with chai and black tea as well, and it turned out fantastic.

I’m also hopping on the La Croix bandwagon this week. I know, I’m like a year late on this, and I’m sad it’s taken me so long to give it a try. But now I’m hooked! Think naturally flavored sparkling water, so no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. The grapefruit flavor is my favorite, and Safeway had a 2-for-$8 deal, so…

…we stocked up at the house. Rolo the pup approves of this purchase.

In other news, we’re entering Week 5 of the CrossFit Livermore Weight Loss Challenge and I wanted to share some of my favorite Cave Girl Culture recipes with the participants as well as my readers. These particular recipes always leave me feeling good about my food choices and fueled for my workouts throughout the week.

Back at the end of 2014, I posted this recipe for my Kalamata Turkey Meatballs, which can be served as an appetizer, or as an entree with potatoes. The olives really give these meatballs an extra zing in the flavor department. I love ’em so much that I wanted to reshare them with you!

Another fantastic lunch and/or dinner option from 2014 is this one here for my Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Boats. I’m actually cooking up a batch of this tonight to tie me over for the first part of the week, woo-woo!

If you’re in a time pinch, you can use a store-bought marinara sauce instead of making one from scratch. Just make sure to check those labels, because food manufacturers just love to sneak in a bunch of extra sugar and fillers. Trader Joe’s has a pretty clean organic marinara sauce, that has just a trace amount of organic cane sugar in it. I use it when I need to cut some corners in the kitchen and I really like it. It’s always good to have a plan B for when you’re in a time crunch!

Well, I hope you get a chance to try some of my favorite meals, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Brand new recipes will be posted next weekend, so make sure you stay tuned for that. Have a great week everyone!

Happy Eating,