Fantabulous Friday

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Yesterday was my wonderful hubby's 50th birthday.  What did we do?  WE didn't do anything.  HE took off work and headed up to his momma's in Camptonville to spend the weekend fishing (His most favorite thing to do).  WE will be celebrating his birthday in a few weeks.  I'm taking him on a surprise outing.  I'm so excited, I can't wait.  I'm not going to tell you what it is, just in case someone slips up and spills the beans to him.  So it will be a surprise for you too.

Mark at Caples Lake

Today is Justice's last Brownie meeting for the season.  Actually it's her last Brownie meeting forever, as next September she becomes a Junior Girl Scout.  I'm so proud of her.  She loves being a Girl Scout and has talked to me about how long can she be a Girl Scout, I told her forever.  For their meeting today they are going to use some of the cookie sales money to go to the movies and dinner.  I will be going with her.  We are going to see Rio.  Now there is a catch.  She had a fever yesterday, but it went down last night.  She had a little fever this morning, but she is determined to go, so she went to school.  We'll see if she lasts.  Poor baby.  She doesn't want to miss this!!

Tomorrow I am going for an early morning run, then I have a Sacramento Mondern Quilt Guild meeting where I will "enter" my doll quilt in the Doll Quilt Challenge.  I don't have a pic to share yet, but I'll share the pic in tomorrow's blog.  Then I'm going road bike shopping.  The only way I can get a road bike is if I can get it financed, and it's my understanding that Folsom Bike offers 1 year free financing, so that's where I'm going.  I'm excited.  I'll actually be able to go on bike rides with my roadie friends and be able to keep up with them.  My other goal for this bike will be to start riding to work.  With the price of gas, I need to do what I can.  So I figure, what I save on gas, will go to purchase this bike.  Plus I'll be doing my part to help the environment.  A win-win!!

I have no plans for Sunday, other than to go for a bike ride to my work.  Find my path.  If I'm not able to get a bike, I may still do the ride to work on my mountain bike.  It will be a tough workout, but I need to start biking to work at least 2 days a week (when I don't have something going on after work).

I have another recipe to share - Chunky Artichoke and Chickpea Salad.  I've made this several times and love it!  I use it primarily as a spread/dip for celery.  But it's great on sandwiches too.  Since this is my first official day of no packaged foods and no gluten, I won't be having it as a sandwich (although I found a recipe for Whole Grain Gluten-Free Bread that I may try to make this weekend).

The recipe can be modified to your liking, as long as you stick with the 2 main ingredients of artichoke hearts and chickpeas.  Now, even though I'm going package free this week, there are the exceptions, like I mentioned yesterday.  As long as what you are buying in a package is PURE with no added crap, then get it!  Artichoke hearts in water is one! 

The modifications I've made to this recipe are:
Cooked onions or no onions (I don't care for raw onions)
Pickle relish instead of chopping up the pickles (now I'll have to chop up pickles)
Only used a tablespoon of the Veganaise (it doesn't need much, you're already making it creamy with blending the chickpeas
No Olive Oil (again, doesn't need it)
No capers (Not a fan)
No seafood seasoning

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think. 

So I'll ask again, what are you doing fantabulous this weekend???