Friday Favorites, Memorial Day Weekend edition.

Happy Friday to you!!!  I cannot tell you how excited I am about the weekend.  As cheesy as it is, I am so excited to hang out with my family as a married couple.  This week has seemed extra long so a long weekend is just what I need.  Here are my Friday Favorites that are inspired by the beginning of summer beginning this weekend (at least in my mind).

Favorite Dessert to Share:  I pinned this dessert and immediately after I pinned it not only did my Momma re-pin it, but my sister re-pinned it, too.  I’m pretty sure that’s a sign that the Bell women need to find a way to prepare this dessert for the group this weekend.

Strawberry Crunch Cake

Favorite Bag:  So summery, so beachy, so me.

Betsey Johnson flamingo tote

Favorite Cocktail:  I can’t pick just one.  But I can promise you that at least one of these will be tasted this weekend.  Mark my word.

First up, Coconut Creamsicle Margarita.  I can taste it now…

Coconut + Creamsicle

Second option, a Sparkling Grapefruit Sangria.  I’m almost 100% sure I’m mixing this up for the ladies of my family to sip on Sunday.  It sounds so refreshing, and who doesn’t love a sangria?

pour me a glass now

And my final option, a mojito!  But not a traditional one, add in some orange and basil to make this one special.

so many decisions!

Favorite Motto:  Oh, Big Guy is going to get so tired of me…

amen.

Favorite Outdoor Space:  I wonder if someone can make this happen before this evening…

I would never leave.

Favorite Bite:  How perfect are these for a pre-dinner taste?  Watermelon, strawberry, basil and goat cheese - ahhh-mazing.

try to eat just one

Favorite Dinner Idea:  This chicken dish looks not only figure-friendly, but is also looks delicious.  I’d use chicken thighs instead of breasts to bump up the flavor even more.

yum!

Favorite Cover-Up:  I only wish my hair looked this fantastic after sitting in the sand and sun (and wind) for the day…

bright and bold

I hope you have a wonderfully beautiful and safe Memorial Day weekend filled with loved ones, laughter and delicious food!

Open-Faced Pastrami Omelet Sandwich

Don’t go running away yet….

I thought an omelet sandwich sounded a little weird, too.  And so did Big Guy.  But it’s delicious.  And ready in about 20 minutes.  Trust me.

Big Guy isn’t a lover of eggs – he does like scrambled eggs – and he thought that the quiche was the fluffiest thing ever.  He doesn’t believe I didn’t use any milk.  Nope, no secret ingredients here.

Simply eggs, pastrami, green onions, dill, salt and pepper.  But don’t leave off the cucumber salad.  It takes this ordinarily weird sandwich to an extremely delicious weird sandwich.

pastrami omelet

p.s. my new cookware does amazing things.

The recipe called for the omelet to be served on pumpernickel, which sounds incredible, but my stomach would rather the gluten-free variety.  So I went with what I had – regular gluten-free bread from TJs.

I toasted the bread, topped it with my portion of the omelet and then finished the open-faced sandwich off with cucumbers.

open-face to the face

All the flavors of a deli find without all the calories.  I loved the notes of horseradish and mustard that the cucumbers brought to the plate.  Big Guy added a sprinkling of provolone to his omelet since he’s a cheese-with-my-eggs kind of guy.

I know it seems weird but it is fantastically perfect.

Try it for yourself.

Charlotte, Baby Haines and Fruit Salsa

Like that for a title?  Well that’s pretty much what consumed my Saturday.  I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, squeezed in a trip to the gym and then headed to Charlotte.  As much as I need a weekend at home, I can’t turn down a weekend with my parents and my sister plus brother-in-law and baby Haines.  Can I just say, Baby Haines isn’t much of a baby any more.  She’s growing and becoming so stinkin’ smart.

she’s a mess!

I love that little girl so much my heart could explode!  She’s so full of personality and really understands a lot.  She’s also rather vocal.  When she says “yes” or “no” – everyone in the room knows her answer.

Despite the rain on Saturday, we were able to grill.  We also had a cider tasting.  I had a pear cider a few months ago and it was one of the most delicious things ever.  I was determined to find “it” so that my Momma could try it since she’s obsessed with pear jelly belly’s.

three strikes, I’m out.

I bought every pear cider I could get my hands on and none of those are “the one.”  Boo hiss.  Oh well, we had fun tasting.

grill masters

Maggie and Brad were in charge of the grilling.  Momma had brought over some chicken thighs that had marinated in a mojito lime marinade from McCormick.  You could taste notes of mint and lime but it wasn’t overpowering at all!  And it paired perfectly with a fruit salsa that Momma had whipped up.  I don’t think she followed a recipe but I know that there were strawberries, red onion, lime juice, cilantro and a smidge of EVOO in the mix.

my plate

On the side, grilled asparagus and red onion.  Maggie also made some crock-pot mac ‘n cheese that I heard was awesome…it’s her new “go-to” dish as decided by Brad.

Such a great evening with the family!  I can’t wait to see my sweet family again this weekend.

sweet girl

Penne with Herbs, Tomatoes and Peas

One of my favorite parts of Spring and Summer is the availability of fresh herbs (and vegetables) in our garden.  The vegetables won’t be ready to harvest for a while but thankfully, I was able to snip a few fresh herbs last night for a super simple, healthy and light meatless-Monday pasta dish.  To make the Penne with Herbs, Tomatoes and Peas gluten-free, I simply used corn pasta (from Trader Joes) instead of regular wheat pasta.  Of course, fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes would be amazing in this dish but unfortunately, those aren’t ready yet.

pasta night

In order to get this pasta dish on the table in around 30 minutes, get your pasta water on the stove top on high heat while you prep the rest of the ingredients.  Once it’s boiling, dump in the pasta and then begin making the “sauce.”  Honestly, waiting for the water to boil is the most challenging part of putting together this meal.  The recipe called for 3 tablespoons of olive oil and I cut that down to 2 tablespoons.  Other than that, no other major changes.

summer fresh

Feel free to play around with the vegetables that you use in this dish – I think that zucchini or squash would work wonderfully and if you don’t have basil or parsley, try using a different herb that you have on hand.  The possibilities are endless – just use the recipe as a guide for the basics.

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

What’s not to love about a stir-fry?  First of all, a stir-fry cooks super fast which means dinner is on the table in no time.  Secondly, you can combine your protein, veggies, and carbs in one dish and it’s healthy.  Thirdly, clean-up is usually a breeze.  And finally, you get to use chop sticks.

chop stix

Let’s be honest, the chop sticks are my favorite reason.  Big Guy has been super jealous of my purple chop sticks for years and his new mother-in-law hooked him up with his own set.  Nothing says “Welcome to the family” like connected chop sticks with a giraffe on top.

This stir fry is my absolute favorite stir fry ever because we got to use our new dishes!  It’s the small things, folks.

But in all seriousness, the sauce in the Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry is so delicious.  And the best part about this dish, I only had to grab three things at the store:  shrimp, broccoli and green onions.  You could use any protein you want, I would imagine and I’m sure you could use another veggie, perhaps some bell pepper or asparagus.  But don’t change the sauce.  Don’t change a thing.  Ginger, garlic, soy sauce (or tamari), rice vinegar, honey and a few red pepper flakes do amazing things when combined.

Make sure to serve the stir-fry over some rice (I used brown) so that you don’t lose a drop of the sauce.

all about the sauce

Did I mention I really loved the sauce?

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

During the warm weather seasons I find myself craving light dinners.  But I don’t want to sacrifice taste in order for it to be light.  (Just to note – this is probably why I’m in love with Cooking Light magazine.)  I don’t want funky, expensive ingredients.  I want real food.  Delicious food.  Spicy Thai Basil Chicken is 100% real and 100% delicious.  \

I didn’t change up this recipe much or make many substitutions but I did forget to grab a serrano chili so I ended up using some spicy chile garlic sauce.  It worked like a charm – Big Guy was sweating (he’s a light weight, so don’t be scared of the recipe).  You could honestly leave the heat out if you like milder dishes and it would simply be Thai Basil Chicken.  But don’t leave out the basil, please!!!  The freshness of the herb gives so much flavor and brightness to this spicy, salty dish.  And the lettuce wraps provide some crunch while also taming the heat.

spicy thai basil chicken

Don’t add in the basil too soon or let it remain on the heated stove top – that will make it wilt a little too much and it actually may brown from the heat.  Also, when purchasing ground chicken, be sure to look 93% lean or less.  If you’re not careful, ground chicken can be more fattening than ground beef.

lettuce wraps

Light, fresh, delicious and 100% real.  That’s the name of the game around here.

Pork and Sweet Pepper Kebabs

One word I can never spell right:  ”kebabs” – I always want to make it “keBOBS.”  Moving on…this dinner recipe from the most recent Cooking Light magazine is not only delicious and easy but it’s easy on the wallet, too. You probably have everything on hand except the pork tenderloin and bell peppers.  Or you may have it all tucked away in your fridge.  I’m sure you could substitute in any protein (beef or chicken) but I really loved the pork since it’s not something I eat and/or cook every week.

The pork was cut into 1-inch pieces about an an hour before I wanted to eat and marinated in a super delicious soy-based mixture.  Other ingredients:  lemon juice, ketchup, brown sugar, crushed red pepper and lots of garlic.  When I was ready to eat – we simply arranged the pork on skewers and threaded the veggies on separate skewers.  I used regular ole bell peppers – taste the same – and I added in some red onion that I needed to use.  I kept it simple with the veggies, just a sprinkling of salt.

kebabs

The pork was cooked perfectly (way to go, Big Guy!) and was perfectly paired with the grilled veggies on top of rice.  The rice soaked up the flavor of the pork – the bites with rice were my favorite.

Simple, healthy and delicious.  Can’t beat that!

Spring Stir-Fry

This week it’s all about quick dinners.  And this stir-fry is no exception.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute in what you have on hand.  I made my portion vegetarian with edamame while Big Guy enjoyed the addition of chicken.  Additionally, instead of carrots I went with sliced red bell pepper.  If you don’t use the chicken, dinner will be ready in under 15 minutes.  I served our Spring Stir-Fry over white rice.

 

I almost didn’t get green onions at the store but I’m so glad I did!  The freshness really brightens up the dish.  Also, I didn’t come armed with an intense grocery list.  Who knew I was out of soy sauce (tamari)?  I sure didn’t.  Fish sauce came to the rescue.  Seriously – don’t freak out if you’re missing an ingredient.  There is almost always a substitution.  Have fun in the kitchen!  Don’t make cooking dinner a chore.

 

The calorie count is rather low for this dish (without the rice) as a dinner – so if you’re not into rice, you might want to double your portion or add another starch.

 

Smoothie Debate

Juicing seems to be “the in thing” right now.  Everyone is drinking green juice and getting their greens.  Except me.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m still getting my greens and sometimes drinking green things but it’s not juice.  I don’t get the whole “juice” thing.  I’m more of a blender.  Smoothies are more my thing.

smooooothie

Lately I’ve been drinking a smoothie or two a day.  I was inspired by the book “The Body Reset Diet.”  But please, please, please note – I am not following this diet.  I am simply being inspired by some of his words and points (valid points) that he brings up in the book.  There is no way on Earth I could survive off 3 smoothies a day for 5 days straight.

You see, on “The Body Reset Diet” there are three phases, I won’t go into too much detail because that’s why he is selling the book.  In the first varies phases you drink smoothies, eat snacks and walk.  Walking is the only exercise he recommends during phase one and well, that’s not me.  I enjoy my time at the gym.  I enjoy lifting weights.  I enjoy spinning.

And besides, diets don’t work.  Moderation works.

So why smoothies over juice.  Well, for one, my smoothies contain the calories of a meal with a balance of carbs, fat and protein.  All three of those components are necessary and vital to our health.  Juice contains one of those components – carbs (in the form of sugar, yes, natural sugar, but still sugar).  Juice is not a meal.  Secondly, when you juice, you remove all the GOOD stuff and it gets left behind to go into the trash or compost.  That “trash” is fiber.  Which is so, so, so important.  Most American’s don’t get the recommended 25 grams of fiber each day.  When you juice an apple, you’re left with just the juice.  But when you blend an apple, you get all the nutrients, including the fiber that’s find throughout the fruit and mostly in the skin.  Also, you can blend protein and fat.  You can’t juice protein and fat.

A typical smoothie for me includes a protein (almond milk with Greek yogurt or protein powder), carbs (apples, bananas, grapes, berries – pretty much any fruit you can think of) and fat (nut butters, flax, chia seed, avocado).  I also like to add green to my diet.  Up until this week, the green was spinach.  Spinach is tasteless.  I promise!  But I branched out this week and tried baby kale.  Love!  But I would recommend starting with the spinach.  Without one of those components it’s just not a complete meal.  Smoothies run you at about 300 to 350 calories.  So if I’m drinking smoothies, I am snacking more to make sure I’m getting enough calories.  Also, sometimes I’ll leave the fat out of the smoothie and eat that on the side.

Am I trying to lose weight?  No.  The number that appears on the scale doesn’t matter to me at all.  But I do feel lighter this week.  Is it something that I’ll do for the rest of time?  Nope.  I probably won’t drink a smoothie this weekend or over the honeymoon (but I will be drinking pina coladas).

So there you have it.  That’s why I’m drinking smoothies.  And that’s why I’m not drinking juice.

 

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro

I love a good purging of a closet.  Call it Spring cleaning, call it organizing.  Whatever you want to call it, I did just that on Sunday.  Closets were emptied, piles were made and only the things I have used and/or worn in the past year (at most) were put back.  Only stopping for a quick lunchtime smoothie, I wanted a comforting,  yet light, dinner on Sunday night.

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro is a quick and easy dinner yet full of flavor.  Shrimp is cooked in a coconut-tomato broth that is brightened up with cilantro and lime juice.  The plump shrimp and broth were served over white basmati rice to soak up all the deliciousness.

Don’t be afraid of the coconut milk.  It’s super light and the tomatoes and garlic balance the sweetness.  If you’re not a fan of shrimp, chicken would be fantastic.  Simply brown your chicken first since it takes longer to cook.  Or you could keep it vegetarian by using chickpeas.  That would really cut down on the cooking time.

But whatever you do, don’t leave out the garlic and cilantro.

 

The most difficult part of this dinner, deciding if using a fork or spoon was easier…