Friday Favorites

The excitement is starting to set in!  One week and I’ll be getting ready for an epic “hen party” with 8 of my favorite ladies.  And in three weeks I’ll be getting ready for a bridesmaid luncheon and a weekend full of wedding bliss.  I honestly can’t focus on many things without my mind wandering to something wedding-related. But can you blame me?  It seems like yesterday we were 6 months away..

Here are some of my [random] favorites of the week!

Favorite DYI project:  Like I said, I have my upcoming girl’s weekend on my mind.  How awesome is this glittered champagne bottle?  I’ve gotta find a reason to do this.

pop the bubbly

Favorite non-Big Guy dinner:  Big Guy might not like salmon but I adore it.  I’ve seen this salmon recipe in my Self magazine, on Pinterest and a friend posted it on Instagram.  Basically, I gotta try Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime.

Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime

Favorite Stripes:  This dress is summer perfection.

s-t-r-i-p-e-s

Favorite Grilled Cheese:  In case you aren’t aware, it’s National Grilled Cheese month.  The thought of a grilled goat cheese sandwich with honey-roasted grapes and walnuts makes my mouth water.

grilled cheese, please!

Favorite Wear to Work:  I’m loving these red pants and stripes.  And that gold chunky necklace?  Amazingly perfect.

red + stripes + gold

Favorite Date-Night Idea:  Create a food passport!  Write down all the restaurants you want to visit  in a small notebook.  Throughout the year, when you can’t decide what to do, visit one of the restaurants and write down the date you went.

food passport

Favorite Honeymoon Essential:  I’ve pretty much bought/gotten everything I need for our honeymoon.  But how gorgeous is this bathing suit?

bathing beauty

Favorite Cocktails:  Every edition of “Friday Favorites” needs a cocktail…How about Pear & Bubbles?

pear&bubbles

Favorite Bedtime Ritual:  These face wipes are the best!  Not only do they take off all my makeup but their affordable (cheap) and easy to find!  Oh, and they smell amazing.

essential

Favorite Salad:  So light, so refreshing, so…avocados are involved!

Grilled Shrimp Avocado Fennel and Orange Salad

Happy Friday!  I hope the weather is warming up wherever you are so that you can enjoy the weekend outside!  I’ll be on the hunt for a LWD all day Saturday…wish me luck!

Lost in the shuffle.

The past few weeks have been a blur!  Between wedding planning (who’s getting married?) and well, life, I haven’t had a chance to share everything!  So here’s a run down of things that have gotten lost in the shuffle.

pizza and wine

Sometimes frozen pizza is necessary.  A few weeks back, one of those times happened.  This was my first time trying Trader Joe’s 3-Cheese Gluten Pizza and I must say it was awesome.  This will be purchased again.  And the wine?  It was a red wine blend that somehow appeared in our wine rack.  Though I don’t consider myself a “red wine drinker” this was actually rather tasty.

frozen dinner

With the frozen pizza, I served frozen green beans.  What can I say, it was a Betty (not Martha) kind of night.  But I did doctor up the green beans with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar.

jam bars

I baked!  My Momma mentioned jam bars she made using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman and it made me excited to try Jenna’s Jam Crumb Bars.  I used strawberry jam and Big Guy loved ‘em.

green pizza

St. Patty’s Day seems like moons ago, but I can’t help but show you our creation.  Corned Beef and Potato Pizza.  I made a few changes to the recipe – using a gluten-free pizza dough mix, less creme fraiche and a “real” potato instead of frozen mashed potatoes.  Big Guy also cooked up some corned beef to chop up.  The pesto guoda is where it’s at, though!  It is an insanely weird color but it is insanely delicious.  But honestly, can you go wrong with pesto infused cheese?  It was available in limited amounts at Trader Joe’s.

Can you believe it’s the last week of March?

 

Salad Beast

On average, I eat a salad every single day.  It’s my go-to lunch to pack up to take to lunch.  People thing salads are boring and boy, do I disagree!  But then again, I’ll throw anything on top of lettuce (or even without lettuce) and call it a salad.  A typical salad for me includes beans, feta or goat cheese, avocado or nuts and a light dressing.  Sometimes I’ll add fruit, like strawberries.  And sometimes I’ll add in hummus instead of beans.  Like I said, if it’s in the fridge, it can go on a salad.

Last week I add a salad of sorts not only for lunch every day but for dinner twice.  I’m a salad beast.  The bigger the salad the better.

On Tuesday night, I made the salad beast of my dreams.  A bed of lettuce was topped with candied pecans (Trader Joe’s makes some of the best ever!), dried cranberries (or you could use raisins) and feta (goat would be awesome, too!).

I always forget how much I loved dried fruit and pecans on a salad.  A combo that needs to be on a regular rotation!

And then on Wednesday night, I made Pistachio Cinnamon Chicken Salad.  I totally didn’t mean to feed my Momma two cold dinners in February but it’s just how things work out (I promised her a hot meal tonight! – yep, she’s back!). When I first came across this recipe I just knew it would be made in my kitchen.  I love pistachios and well, cinnamon is an underused spice, in my opinion.  So many people think cinnamon is just for sweet things – but I think it can be super savory, too.  The only change I made to the recipe was omitting the basil – I just didn’t want to waste buying an entire plant for 4 leaves when I knew it didn’t fit into the meal plan the rest of the week.

I used a rotisserie chicken from Harris Teeter’s deli to make the chicken salad.  I served a small salad with the most scrumptious strawberries on the side and some Nut Thins to scoop up the chicken salad.  This plate screams warm weather.  Bring.it.on.  So light and refreshing!

I am a salad beast.  No salad is too big for me.

Monday Confessions.

1.  I wrote this post on Friday.  (The weekends are just too precious to be blogging, folks!)  So you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to hear about my weekend…unless you follow me on Instagram.

2.  I made an Apple-Stuffed Strata weeks ago when my family was visiting.

 

3.  This breakfast bake is the perfect lazy Sunday breakfast because you make it the night before.

4.  I didn’t eat the breakfast bake because it had good ole bread in it.  But it did smell incredible in the oven.  Just what I wanted my guests to wake up to.

5.  I don’t normally make Big Guy breakfast in the mornings.

6.  He doesn’t really like breakfast.  Though he’s digging Chobani lately.

7.  Big Guy pronounces Chobani differently every time he says it.

8.  Don’t get him started on trying to pronounce Fage.

9.  According to Big Guy, Chobani > Fage.

10. It’s only Monday and I’m wishing it was Friday.

Delicioso

Remember how last week was so crazy?  Well these Cuban-inspired black beans saved the day last Monday night.  I had a meeting after work so Big Guy was in charge of dinner.  I picked this recipe knowing he was going to have to fully execute getting dinner on the table – which will only take you about 20 minutes.

This dish is not lacking in flavor!  Garlic, onion, cumin, oregano and a bay leaf lends tons of flavor to the black beans (that you actually don’t rinse – a rarity).  I forgot to grab some cilantro at the store so we went without.  Thankfully the guac that we topped it all with had a hint of cilantro shining through.  We served the black beans on a bed of jasmine rice.  These black beans only get better with time as all the flavors mesh.

 

On top, a dollop massive amount of guac.  This guacamole is actually the reduced-guilt version of guac that I picked up at Trader Joe’s.  Don’t get me wrong, I love some full-fat guacamole but I’m also a sucker for trying something new that I see whenever I get to TJ’s.  This guacamole is made with a base of guacamole added to Greek yogurt – so you get a huge punch of protein.  You could taste a large amount of lime flavor but I’m sure that was to keep the guac from browning.

Quick, easy, finished in 20 minutes and delicioso.  What more could you want?

 

Doctor it up.

I don’t buy a lot of pre-packaged dinners.  It’s just not my thing.  I’d rather get in the kitchen and make a mess with fresh ingredients.  But I am guilty of buying new items I run across in Trader Joes.  What can I say, I have a weakness for the Joe.

One of my most recent purchases was the Butternut Squash Soup.  I’m head over heels in love with the Roasted Red Pepper Tomato soup so I had to give the butternut a chance.  I ate it one night when I had to have dinner on my own and I wasn’t a fan, to be honest.

I also hate wasting food.  So I doctored up the boxed soup and called it dinner.

 

On top of the creamy soup, crisped bacon, Greek yogurt and green onions.  It became a totally different soup with the addition of these three ingredients.

On the side, another “must try” – gluten-free graham crackers.  Cinnamon goodness, I tell you.

 

But let’s be honest, bacon makes anything better.

The mess was worth it.

Sometimes you want a quick and easy dinner.  As in, on the table in 15 minutes (like the Greek Dip Platter).  This Chicken Enchilada Casserole isn’t one of those.    I was in the kitchen for more than an hour preparing this but it was totally worth it.  It helps that I love being in the kitchen.  It’s my way of relaxing.

So if you like relaxing in the kitchen, throw on some music in the background and get to cooking.  This dinner is super comforting and so delicious.  It was hard to believe it was under 400 calories a serving.

I think it was so delicious because chicken thighs were used – not the breast.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, thigh > breasts.  All day, every day.

I also used fire-roasted frozen corn from Trader Joes…a little more flavor than regular frozen corn.  It was a little spicy from the ground red pepper and the salsa verde (I used Trader Joes) but super creamy from the light cream cheese.  The cream cheese is key!

Excuse the ugly pictures, they don’t come close to showing you how delicious this was.

Friday Favorites, TJ Style

Oh, this is gonna be fun!  On Wednesday I made a trip to Trader Joe;s after work to load up on groceries and a few staples.

Buggy full of goodies!

For this trip I went with a list of pretty specific things that I needed.  But there were a few wild cards thrown in.  (P.S. My sister questioned my sanity when it came to the sardines – they’re fantastic, healthy and have a very similar, if not better, taste to tuna when mixed with a little Greek yogurt, mustard and relish.)

So…what are some of my Trader Joe’s staples?

• Almond butter with sea salt (creamy…always creamy)
• Hummus (my favorite is the cilantro-jalapeno variety)
• Almond milk (for use in cereal and some recipes)
• oats
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Gluten-free WAFFLES!!!! (they’re amazing!!!!!!)
• Wine.  duh.
• Cheese (especially goat cheese)

That’s a short list.  I usually load up on veggies when I go to Trader Joe’s, too.  This time around I also grabbed some chicken thighs and pork chops.  They have a good selection of gluten-free breads to that I keep stocked up in my fridge.  They also have some great roasted frozen corn that I actually bought for a recipe I made Thursday.

There are always a few “impulse” buys.  AKA – I see them and suddenly I have to have them.  This trip was no exception.

I see a coconut trend…

I didn’t realize until I got home that 3 of the 4 impulse buys contained coconut.

First off, the body butter is amazing!  It smells just glorious.  I can’t wait to dig into that chocolate bar!!!!!  (I think the flamingo on the package caused this purchase.)  And I saw another blogger rave about the coconut chips so those will be fun to try.  Maybe a homemade trail mix?!?!?!  And I think the butternut squash soup will be great when I need a quick dinner on a cold night.

What are your TJ staples?

Harvest Pizza

We’re on  pizza kick and I don’t see it going away.  This pizza screams fall.  Warm and comforting.  And completely delicious.

I made a few changes from the original recipe but the concept is the same.  Instead of making my own sage pesto (which I would imagine is amazing), I used up some remaining basil pesto (I just hate throwing away food!).  I also used two mini gluten-free Rudi’s pizza crusts.  They’re fantastic for gluten-lovers and gluten-avoiders.  And instead of prosciutto  I used bacon.

There are a few steps involved but it’s worth it.  First, dice the butternut squash into tiny cubes.  Saute in a tablespoon of butter with nutmeg, salt and pepper for about 10 minutes, covered.  Remove from the pan and throw in another 1/2 tablespoon of butter and the onions.  Caramelize those bad boys for about 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cook a few slices of bacon.  Now let’s assemble the pizza!

First, spread a little pesto over the crust.  Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan.  Next, pile on the butternut squash, onions and bacon crumbles.  Top with goat cheese!  Bake!

I only used about 2 ounces of goat cheese which I thought was plenty.

On the sides, some roasted green beans that were simply tossed with olive oil and seasoning salt.

 

What pizza creation will come out of our kitchen next?

Brown Butter End-of-Summer Pasta Skillet

I will admit that I am loving the cooler weather.  But I’m not going to miss summer vegetables.  A few of my favorites:  corn and zucchini.  So before summer fades away, pull together a few of your favorite summer vegetables, drizzle them with brown butter and bake them with cheese.  It’ll make the end of summer a little more tolerable.

 

While your pasta water is coming to a boil, begin to saute your onions and zucchini in a smidge of olive oil (I used about half a tablespoon).  Saute for about 5 minutes and then throw your pasta (2 cups dry) into the boiling water (I used gluten-free corn pasta from TJs and it takes about 8 minutes to cook).  Also, add your corn and tomatoes into the skillet with the zucchini and onion.

Cook for about 10 more minutes.  While all that is going on, yes your stove-top will be busy, brown your butter.  I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons.  Simply melt in a small skillet over medium heat and whisk constantly until bubbly and brown bits begin to form.

 

Drain the pasta and add it to the vegetables (turn off all heat on the stovetop) and then drizzle with the brown butter and add in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.  Combine and top with provolone (I used a provolone mozzarella mixture because I live in a small town where you can’t find provolone – it’s ridiculous).  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

 

Brown Butter Garden Vegetable Pasta Skillet!

 

The original recipe contained double the amount of cheese and butter that I used but this “lightened” version was still awesome.  Dig in and enjoy the end of summer.