Good afternoon! Congrats again to our Athleta Contest winner, Halie!

 

Today has been a productive day.  Usually it takes me a while to mentally get back into the swing of things, but I’ve been chugging along fabulously!

 

Around 9:30, I had the last of my Z-bar stash (very sad to see it go!).  I definitely prefer Chocolate Chip the most!

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Lunch – Polenta Lasagna

 

I discovered a polenta log in the back of my fridge this AM and since it desperately needed to be used, I decided to make Polenta Lasagna for such.  This is a really easy recipe and is much less labor-intensive than regular lasagna!

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Ingredients (for 1 serving):

 

  • 1 serving of polenta log, cut into 6 thin slices
  • Several leaves of fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup pasta sauce
  • Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon grated cheddar cheese

 

Preparation:

 

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease two cupcake tins.
  • Layer each cupcake tin as follows: slice of polenta, scoop of pasta sauce, scoop of cottage cheese, sprinkle of pepper, second slice of polenta scoop of pasta sauce, scoop of cottage cheese, sprinkle of pepper, third slice of polenta, and scoop of pasta sauce.
  • Cook polenta lasagna for 35 minutes.  Remove, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and bake for an additional 2 minutes.
  • Let stand for two minutes, scoop from cupcake tin, plate, and enjoy!

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On the side, I had a bunch of freshly steamed broc.

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Mid-Afternoon Snack #1

 

I had my first mid-afternoon snack around 1 PM.  I had 1/2 cup of Grape Nuts and skim skim.

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Wedding Details:  Hotel Guest Welcome Bags

 

Because we just moved from Pennsylvania 1 and 1/2 year ago and Future Husband is originally from England, I’d say about 75% of our guest list is from outside Florida.

 

We made our out of town guests Welcome Bags to make them feel comfortable.

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I bought the plain white paper bags from Target for 99 cents, and the tissue paper was only 99 cents per 8 sheets.

 

The "Thank You" tags were actually regular Thank You cards, which I cut in half to create a tag.

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On the back of the Thank You tags, we printed a personalized message to our guests and signed it "The Future Mr. and Mrs."! Yay!

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Inside the Welcome Bags are two bottle of water, a bag of candy and mints, and brochures to local attractions like Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios.

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Last, but not least, I prepared a Wedding Brochure reminding guests what time the ceremony begins (personal details have been blurred for privacy).  It also includes taxi cab phone numbers, directions to the wedding site, a list of our favorite places in Orlando to eat and party, and a list of fun things to do in downtown Orlando, including a description of my favorite running path.

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I hope this makes our out-of-town guests feel more comfortable! 

 

Back to work! See you for a sweaty workout later. 🙂

{ 44 comments }

 

  • Laura November 3, 2008, 11:57 am

    The bags are beautiful! 🙂 I’m sure your guests will love them.

    Your lunch looks great too!

  • Melissa November 3, 2008, 12:03 pm

    Beautiful bags! Just wanted to caution you on packing the mints with chocolate – their flavor seems to taint other candies.

  • Meghann November 3, 2008, 12:07 pm

    Those bags look great. You did a great job designing them!

    Is this one of the things we will be piecing together this weekend?

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 12:10 pm

    melissa – ooo thanks for the warning. i’ll separate them for the rest of the bags!

    meghann – yes! that and the favors and the programs.

  • Samantha November 3, 2008, 12:11 pm

    Polenta lasagna sounds fun and looks yummy!

    Where in PA are you from? I’m about an hour NW of Philly.

  • Anonymous November 3, 2008, 12:13 pm

    The bags look great and so creative with the thank you card. Brings back memories of almost 5 years ago when we had our wedding. I actually took off all the labels on the water bottles and using the mailing lables from Office Depot and printed our names and the date and a little wedding cake picture and said thanks for being a part of our special day!

    I love love love the yellow!

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 12:13 pm

    samantha – im from miami, but we went to college at U PITT! 🙂 future husband was very excited about the phillies. 🙂

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 12:17 pm

    anon – thanks! your wine bottle favors sound lovely. 🙂 and i LOVE having yellow as our color. it is so bright and chipper!

  • wholefoodswholeme November 3, 2008, 12:21 pm

    what a fantastic welcome pack! i especially love that you included the description of your favourite running path – such a great personal touch. which part of england is your husband originally from?

  • Krista November 3, 2008, 12:22 pm

    What a great idea! I’m sure your guests will aprreciate the gesture!

  • amy. November 3, 2008, 12:23 pm

    that is such a lovely little bag, filled with just the right things. beautiful packaging/design too 😀

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 12:25 pm

    wholefoods – he’s from reading but he lived in london for a few years. i love it there!

  • Sharney November 3, 2008, 12:31 pm

    Hi Caitlin,
    I'm glad your Monday is moving along & that you have been so productive. That is such a great feeling, huh?!
    I definitely agree that chocolate chip z-bars are their best flavor!

    I bought a log of polenta about a week ago and now I know what I'm gonna make 🙂

    Your thank you bags are AWESOME! What a sweet gesture and you guys were so creative with them as well. I would definitely appreciate getting one of those if I were a guest!

    Have a great workout later 🙂

  • Runeatrepeat November 3, 2008, 12:33 pm

    I love that you added a description of your running path. The bags are very cute.

  • Oh She Glows November 3, 2008, 12:36 pm

    Ohhh Caitlin- your guests bags are out of this world beautiful! What a thoughtful touch to your wedding! 😀 I’m sure everyone will LOVE it.

  • Kimberly November 3, 2008, 12:36 pm

    Those bags are such a great idea! You must be getting SO excited. I don’t know if any children will be coming in for the wedding, but IMO the Orlando Science Center is one of the area’s best attractions for kids — heck, I just went there last summer at age 26 😉

  • therunningaddict November 3, 2008, 12:40 pm

    Your bags look great! Way to go on putting your favourite running path!

  • VeggieGirl November 3, 2008, 12:50 pm

    LOOOVE the polenta, broccoli, cereal snack.. yum!!

    Fabulous bags!!! Nice choice!!

  • Matt November 3, 2008, 12:58 pm

    hey i was wondering what brand of glucosamine/chondrotin that you use…??? i wanna buy some but there are so many different kinds! i thought you might be the right person to ask!

  • Jenngirl November 3, 2008, 1:03 pm

    What an adorable little bag! Your guests will definitely feel welcome 🙂

    Good to know that Chocolate Chip is your favorite Z-bar, i doubt I will EVER find Apple cinnamon, s’mores, or blueberry around here, sigh…

    Have a great Monday!

  • Anonymous November 3, 2008, 1:08 pm

    Um, what happened to that spinach in your lasagna? It seems to be missing from the recipe. 😛

  • Halie November 3, 2008, 1:22 pm

    I am SOOO trying Polenta Lasanga! Great idea with the bags and the cool brochure! So attentive you are to your guests!

    Oh and another thanks!

  • Melissa November 3, 2008, 1:39 pm

    The polenta lasagna in cupcake tins is brilliant!!!
    I love the welcome bags. I have been to a million weddings and no one has ever done that. Such a good idea!

  • Lauren November 3, 2008, 2:07 pm

    I gotta try the polenta lasagna.

    Beautiful welcome bags, you did such a great job! love it!

  • Neesha and Dustin November 3, 2008, 2:11 pm

    Yay, how fun! I, too, will be making those baggies. What’re you doing for your britdesmais???

  • Lyss November 3, 2008, 2:18 pm

    Awesome. I will definitely be remembering your ideas. I love that you included information on the wedding times and cab info. Our wedding is going to be here in Minnesota but my fiancee’s family all lives in Illinois so we’ll have alot of out-of-town guests. I know I’ll need to include information on the closest bars, knowing our guests!

  • BOBBI McCORMICK November 3, 2008, 2:20 pm

    we did these(I used beach sand bucket thingys, because we live in Cali) and our guest loved them!!! Good JOB!

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 2:20 pm

    neesha – check out “bridesmaid gifts” under “Wedding Details” on the left side of the blog!

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 2:34 pm

    matt- my future husband and his father, who is a holistic doctor, are launching an online supplement store NEXT WEEK! i take standard process gluocosamine, which is only available through a licensed health care provider. you’ll be able to buy it on our website. i recommend waiting until our website launches and getting it from us! 🙂

  • emily November 3, 2008, 2:48 pm

    Hello!
    First time commenter ~ Just wanted to say how motivating I am finding your blog and also what a great idea your bags are! Our friends did that for us when we came over from the UK for their wedding, and it was so nice to have! Your presentation of them is beautiful.
    Have a good day 🙂

  • Balance, Joy and Delicias! November 3, 2008, 3:00 pm

    so yummy the polenta lasagna and so healthy as well.
    I like the color of the welcome bag, so cute! ^_^

  • imadedinner November 3, 2008, 3:30 pm

    I just found your website, and I’m adding you to my google reader list! I’m a new blogger too…I”m getting married next November, and am trying to get into better shape for the wedding…

    I love the OOT bags!

  • Bridget November 3, 2008, 3:35 pm

    LOVE the bags! Haven’t decided if we are going to do those yet, I love the idea but we arent have too many out of towners. Those contest entries were hilarious!!

  • Kath November 3, 2008, 4:43 pm

    I LOVEEEEEEEE the green thank you tags!!! We did a green paisley theme and I wish I’d had those 🙂

  • ModelBehavior November 3, 2008, 5:11 pm

    My work did something to the computers so I can’t see any of the pics only read the descriptions…stupid work! It sounds amazing though 😀

  • loveofoats.com November 3, 2008, 6:03 pm

    that polenta lasagna looks amazing – i have to try it 🙂 i had polenta for the first time this weekend in the form of “croutons” and it was amazing 🙂

  • Erin of Care to Eat November 3, 2008, 6:07 pm

    Those are gorgeous! I love them! Can I come? 😉
    I SO wish I’d read this post before I made dinner tonight! I have polenta to use up too.

  • HangryPants November 3, 2008, 6:21 pm

    As a person who frequently attends out of town weddings, I can tell you I love getting a welcome bag. It makes me feel like the bride and groom appreciate my travel! You’re the best Caitlin!

  • Meg November 3, 2008, 6:28 pm

    Love the guest bags! What a great wasy to use polenta!

  • Caitlin (see bride run) November 3, 2008, 6:48 pm

    emily – hi! welcome to the blog!

    immadeadinner – hi there! congrats on your upcoming wedding!

    heather – its nice to know the bags will be appreciated!

  • just me November 3, 2008, 7:56 pm

    what beautiful bags!!! your guests are def going to like them!

  • Live.Love.Eat November 4, 2008, 10:21 am

    Hi there. I came over from Megan’s Munchies. I am in Winter Garden so I had to say hello to a neighbor. This polenta lasagna looks awesome as do your welcome bags! I’ll definitely come back to peek around more.

  • Catherine November 4, 2008, 12:51 pm

    Those bags look so great! My sister did something similar for her wedding last October and they went over very well. Especially those bottles of water when your the maid of honor and feel it's your duty to party with the bride & groom into the wee hours and then look fresh for the brunch the next day 🙂

  • Aggie November 11, 2008, 7:06 pm

    I was browsing your blog and saw this yummy polenta lasagna, love it! I can’t wait to try it!

    Your wedding sounds beautiful, I love the colors.

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