Dinner Last Night: Salmon with Crispy Kale and Coconut Rice

I've had this recipe pinned for a while now and now that school's out, I have zero excuses left.  I was pleasantly surprised that this dish ended up being quick and easy to make - for real!  

Preheating the oven aside and prep time included, it took just 15 minutes start to finish.  In addition, it's  healthy, dairy-free, and Paleo too (just in case anyone was keeping track).  The recipe calls for sweet potatoes but I didn't have any on hand, and honestly the rice, kale, and salmon still made for such a filling, complete meal, I don't think the sweet potatoes were even necessary.  We ended up pouring the extra sauce few tablespoons of sauce/marinade over the salmon after baking which added a satisfying Sriracha-sesame oil kick to the fish.  

YUM!


School's Out For Summer!

Today is officially my first day of summer vacation…and it's wonderful!  The sun is shining, the sky is bright blue dotted with fluffy white clouds, and I get to spend all day with my baby (on repeat).  Cue the happy song!

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Salad Savvy: Fig, Feta, and Mint Salad

With her latest favorite food is feta cheese - naturally I had to use the extra abundance of feta on hand for a salad for mom too.  Enter my new favorite foodie blog, French Foodie Baby, which conveniently had a simple, bright spring salad - Fig, Feta, and Mint salad.  In a word - refreshing!  The kick of the feta really complements the sweetness of the figs and the mint adds that pop of lovely color and freshness for spring.  Will definitely be making this again!

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Thank You Very Much!

This article sums up a pet peeve of mine -  people who don't write thank you notes!  While it may be old fashioned, I always notice when a friend or relative sends a thank you note.  Of course, many things don't merit a thank you note, but the gesture is always appreciated in my book. Perhaps I feel so strongly about this because mom instilled this habit early on.  Even before we could write, she'd ask us "sign" a thank you card with a fantastic scribble.

Anyway, THANK YOU Huffington Post for a last ditch effort to revive this lost art of etiquette.  

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Dinner Last Night: Roasted Spring Vegetables with Goat Cheese Toasts

Man, I am on a roll!  2 for 2 from this Real Simple article, sweet! This was another winner.  Of course I didn't have all the vegetables on hand, so I substituted a little, but ultimately it came together in one delicious vegetarian dish.  YUM!

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Dinner Last Night: Salmon with Asparagus, Swiss Chard, and Red Pepper Almond Sauce

This is the first meal I've made in a while - with my husband traveling as frequently as he has been, weeknight dinners seem to fall low on the priority totem pole.  However, he was home over Memorial Day weekend which was an occasion in itself - calling for a special occasion meal.  Thus, salmon steaks with asparagus, swiss chard, and red pepper almond sauce.  YUM!  This red pepper almond sauce is definitely a recipe to keep in your back pocket for say…anything!  

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Work Out Songs

I'm starting to kickstart my exercise post baby (yes, it took this long…, what can I say, my husband's been traveling non stop for work) and need some inspiring, pump-me-up songs for my workout playlist.  Any suggestions?