Thursday, March 31, 2016

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon with Green Beans and Oranges & Spicy Cauliflower Stir Fry

We had a fabulous meal last night, and I couldn't wait to share it here! It's seriously one of the best I've ever made...and even better news: it was simple. So...delicious, healthy, easy, and pretty? Yes please.
 

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The salmon cooked perfectly, and the flavors were the best. A little sweet and a little tangy. And I loved that you had a side dish already prepared right along side the fish.
 
 
Honey Soy Glazed Salmon with Green Beans and Oranges
{Southern Living}
 
4 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 pound fresh medium asparagus
8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
1 small orange, cut into 1/4- to 1/2- inch slices
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (5 to 6 ounce) fresh salmon filets
Garnish: toasted sesame seeds
 
Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Whisk together honey and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl.
 
Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Place asparagus, green beans, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat.
 
Place salmon in center of a heavy-duty aluminum foil-lined sheet pan. Brush salmon with about 2 Tablespoons honey mixture. Spread veggie mixture around salmon.
 
Broil 4 minutes; remove from oven, and brush salmon with about 2 Tablespoons honey mixture. Return to oven and broil 4 minutes more. Remove from oven and brush salmon with remaining honey mixture. Return to oven and broil 2 minutes more. Serve immediately.
 
**My edits: I didn't use asparagus (it's just not my favorite) and instead doubled the amount of the green beans. Our salmon filets were about 8 ounces, so I adjusted the glaze and cooking time accordingly. I didn't use sesame seeds because I honestly forgot, but I'll add them next time. I think it'd be pretty!**
 
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Confession: I have never been a fan of cauliflower. But I wanted to try something new, and the spicy part of this recipe sold me enough to give it a try. And once I tasted it I became converted. A cauliflower convert. That's what I am.
 
This makes a great side dish, but I honestly wanted to eat the whole bowl. It was that good...kind of addictive if I'm being honest. I loved the spice and the crunch of the cauliflower.
 
Spicy Cauliflower Stir Fry
{The Pioneer Woman}
 
1 whole head cauliflower
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 whole lime (or sub a splash of rice wine vinegar)
2 whole green onions, sliced
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
Lime wedges for serving
 
Break up the cauliflower into large florets, then, using your hands, break into very small florets.
 
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil then the cauliflower and garlic. Stir, allowing the cauliflower to get very brown in some areas. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn heat to low. Add soy sauce, squeeze in the juice of the lime, and add most of the sliced green onion, reserving the rest for serving. Stir and allow to cook for 1 minute, then squeeze the hot sauce over the cauliflower. Stir until the hot sauce has been incorporated. Add a little more hot sauce if you want a deeper color and flavor.
 
Serve hot in a bowl. Sprinkle extra sliced green onions on top and serve with a lime wedge.
 
**My edits: I used the juice of a lime and a splash (or two) of rice wine vinegar...because I'm cray, that's why.**
 
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Hope everyone has a happy day.
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Loving Lately

A few things I'm loving lately...
 
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Love everything about these jeans...the color, the flare, and the higher waist. The reviews are great for tall gals like me!
 
 
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I own another tee by this brand, and the quality is great. It's thin but not sheer, and I adore the longer length in the back.
 
 
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This crossbody is so cool. I think it'd work well year-round.
 
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The colors in this blouse are my fave...so summery and looks perfect with white denim!
 
 
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I am all about the pineapple craze. Side note: how do trends come about? I can just see some executives sitting in a boardroom and one of them says, "I think the next big thing is the pineapple." Is that how it came to be? Anywho...this tote is too cute. As a mom I kind of feel like I can never have too many tote bags.
 
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This dress is adorable and is only $20. I love the loose feel, the embroidery along the neck, and the tassel tie.
 
 
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These sandals are perfection in my book. I like the chunky heel, and they'd look just as good with jeans as they would a casual dress.
 
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Finding a good pair of denim shorts is kind of like finding the perfect tee. When you find it, you want to tell everyone about it. Denim shorts can be hard. I don't want them to be too short where I look like I'm trying to hard, but I don't want to wear board shorts either. The length on these is just right, and I love the cuff.
 
 
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Me and my slip-on sneaker obsession. Here I go again. But really, these are my favorite. Leopard + slip-on sneaker. Yes, please.
 
 
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These sunnies are so cute. I love the purple lens (duh), and they're only $15 right now. I have another pair from Loft, and the quality is great. 
 
 
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That's all I've got...what are some things y'all are loving lately? Hope everyone has a happy hump day! :)
 


Monday, March 28, 2016

Weekend Update

I hope everyone had a happy Easter! The Easter bunny visited our house yesterday morning, and the girls had so much fun going through their baskets and hunting eggs. We went to the early church service and then had lunch and more egg hunting at my parents' house. It was a really good day!
 
And today the girls don't have school, so we plan to spend most of it outside, soaking up this lovely spring weather...and burning off some energy from the no-doubt large amounts of Easter candy that will be consumed! Picture overload below...
 
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What did the Easter bunny do before the dollar section at Target? I had so much fun putting together the girls' baskets.

 
 
Showing off her Peppa Pig T-shirt. This is their newest obsession.
 
 
 
Don't you love the matching Christmas pajamas on Easter?
 
 
 
 The kaleidoscope was a hit!
 
 
 
A Shimmer and Shine coloring book evokes a lot of joy from this one...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Walking into church holding hands...
 
 
Telling one of the sweet greeters what the Easter bunny brought.
 

It's nearly impossible to get a picture of the two of them looking at the camera! But I thought these were cute! Hadley is making her "cheese" face...and I thought their matching dresses from Gap were so pretty. Lily's sandals are from Gap, and Hadley's are from Old Navy.
 





 
Finally, the most beautiful Easter truth...
 
 
I hope everyone has a happy Monday...hope to see you tomorrow! :)

Friday, March 25, 2016

Life Lately

I have not felt great this week but am starting to round the corner, I think...shouldn't there be a law somewhere stating that moms shouldn't get sick? I'm reminded of what a good friend of my Dad's says: "Sometimes you've just got to play hurt." Truth.
 
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Do any of y'all watch the show Flipping Out on Bravo? It's one of my favorite reality TV shows...Jeff Lewis and his team can do no wrong in my book. I follow his assistant, Jenni Pullos, on Instagram, and I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that she had liked two of my photos this week! Day/week/month/year made!!
 
 
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The weather here has been really nice, except for a patch of rain yesterday. The girls and I spent so much time outside this week, which is always good for my soul.
 



 
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This week has been all about Easter. Our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt on Tuesday night, and it was so much fun! We feel so fortunate to live in a neighborhood that has such a sense of community. Sweet Hadley found zero eggs, so one of the older little boys gave her two of his. I loved that.
 
Hadley's class had their Easter party on Wednesday, and I brought some Easter cookies. I thought they turned out pretty...you can find the simple sugar cookie icing recipe here.


Lily's class had their egg hunt and party yesterday. Even the Easter bunny showed up! Lily: "Mommy, I don't think it was really the Easter bunny because I saw some skin under the fur." Me: "Umm...ugh...argh...I think the Easter bunny has helpers who come down before Easter to help him do his job." Lily: "I think so too." Me: "Phew." ;)




 
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Lily had a speech evaluation yesterday and qualifies for speech therapy...so that will start next week. She speaks beautifully but has some trouble with some word blends. Hadley starts speech therapy next week as well (two times a week!), so I'm planning on going back to school to become a speech pathologist. Not really. But maybe I should. I mean, our girls were doomed from the get-go. Rob and I both had to have speech therapy when we were younger! I guess it's in our genes.
 
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I saw these lamps at TJ Maxx earlier in the week and am kind of kicking myself now that I didn't get them. They'd look really pretty on the buffet on our dining room. What do you think? Should I go back and keep my fingers crossed that they're still there?

 
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I love the way the morning light comes in our windows.


 
 I've almost finished up this little corner in our keeping room. All that's missing now are some curtains. I'm thinking a white linen just mainly to add some texture. I probably have enough color going on, huh? ;) #colorholic #colorholicsanonymous


 
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I'm working tomorrow, then Sunday we'll go to church to celebrate Easter. Afterwards we're having lunch with my parents and will do another egg hunt at their house. I'm thankful today (Good Friday) and every day for the Easter season and what it means. God's grace is an amazing thing.


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I hope all of you have a happy weekend and a lovely Easter with your family and friends. See y'all back here on Monday.