Friday Favorites

Happy Mother's Day weekend! What are you up to this weekend? My husband has a few things up his sleeve so I am not sure what we are doing this weekend.  Whatever it is, as long as I am with him and Luna, I will be complete.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and here are this week's favorites...

Favorite Quote: Be the person that makes others feel special.  Be known for your kindness and grace.-via Pinterest

Favorite Beauty: MyChelle Hydrating Mist -via Amazon.  I tested this out at my local Sprouts and it made my face feel amazing.  

Favorite Wanderlust: Lake + a book -via Landetliv. Looks dreamy to me! 

Favorite Recipe to Try: Paleo Jicama Tacos -via The Paleo Paparazzi.  These spicy sausage tacos look so good.  They remind me of these at Lolo in San Francisco.  

Favorite Accessory: Horoscope Pin Set -via The Loft

Favorite Thrift store Find: Bailey's vintage sugar bowl (set) -via VestedInterest. I found the cute sugar bowl below at my local thrift store for 99 cents, and I cannot wait to plant a little succulent. 

Favorite Song of the Week: Until the end of time by Justin Timberlake

Top 5 Pinterest Recipes

Since there are a ton of delicious recipes on Pinterest, and many of you ask about our meals, I thought I would share my top five no-fail Pinterest recipes.  

Baked Salmon with Zucchini Noodles -via Eat Spin Run Repeat 

This recipe is done with a creamy dill sauce which is tasty, but if you are pressed for time you can simply sauté your zucchini noodles with olive oil, a dash of lemon juice and sea salt. 

Slow Cooker Green Chile Shredded Beef Cabbage Bowl -via Kalyn's Kitchen

This slow cooker shredded beef is so easy to make.  If you do not have cabbage or time to make the dressing, simply serve it over broccoli slaw with a dollop of your favorite salsa, in lettuce wrapped tacos, or over cauliflower rice. Here's my version. 

Pesto Salmon and Italian Veggies in Foil -via Cooking Classy

I love making these foil wraps, though in my case I prefer to skip on the tomatoes and instead add chili flakes like I did here. You can also substitute the green beans for asparagus or zucchini.   

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash -via Closet Cooking

I used this recipe as my inspiration, and have yet to follow it as indicated, but I am certain it is mouthwatering!  If you have time to make your own enchilada sauce do it, but if you do not, don't feel bad use your favorite store bought enchilada sauce.  No judgement here.  Here is my version.   

Broccoli Slaw Breakfast -via Popsugar Fitness

Last but not least, my absolute favorite easy meal always involves broccoli slaw.  It is a staple in our home, and I cannot live without it.  I love it like this, but I also like to sauté it, add it soups or to any meal that needs a little crunch. I think it is super versatile and underutilized.   

If you are interested in creating a menu using Pinterest check out this post as well. Once you master your few favorites, it becomes much easier to mix it up and make any recipe your own.        

Do you have a favorite no-fail Pinterest recipe? I would love to hear what it is, please share. 

Egg Roll minus the Roll

This is the easiest dinner recipe ever, and especially if you are craving Chinese food, but need a healthier option. 

Egg Roll minus the roll

1 bag of Shredded Cabbage (Coleslaw)

4-5 stalks of celery

1 bunch of Green Onions

*Sesame oil

Chinese Five Spice

Granulated Garlic

*Chicken Breast chopped

The first thing I prepare is whatever protein I want to add.  Last week, I grilled up some *chicken breasts.  I have also prepared this meal with ground turkey and with shrimp which are equally delicious.  

First cook your protein of choice.  I grilled two chicken breasts, chopped them and set them aside.  

Next, sauté the celery with a dash of sesame oil (if you do not have sesame oil or prefer not to use it, you can use any other oil and merely amp up your spices).  

Once your celery is translucent, add all of the cabbage and about 2 tbsp of sesame oil, 1/4 tbsp of Chinese Five Spice, 1/4 tbsp of granulated garlic and any other spices you would like to add (i.e. onion powder, ginger or chili flakes).  I keep ours pretty simple because my daughter Luna likes it too.  When the mixture is almost all the way softened, add the green onions. 

Once the mixture is done I add the grilled chicken, ground turkey or shrimp.  My husband and I both enjoy this dish topped with Sriracha. For my toddler, I served hers on its own with a side of chopped apples.

Enjoy!

Tuesday Tip: Menu Planning

I recently started creating our weekly menu using Pinterest.  I know this is not a new idea for many of you, but for those that pin recipes and never actually try out them out this may help (this used to be me!). 

Every Thursday I plan our meals for the following week in order to have our grocery list updated before shopping and it ensures our weekend meals are included. I do not know about you guys, but if I do not plan our weekend meals, we end up eating out or ordering takeout which is not good for the belly or the budget!

My first tip is to stick to the same schedule every week.  For instance, our schedule is as follows:

I know this may sound crazy, but I promise it works! Of course there are days when we go off schedule depending on what we have going on, but it helps big time.  It limits those "what are we going to eat" days. You can switch it up with spices or putting a spin on it like "Taco Tuesday" or "Breakfast for Dinner" so your family does not get bored. For us, if we have no big plans, then Saturdays are great for new recipes or to make something more time consuming.  On Sundays, I like to make green soup with the older vegetables and it is the perfect way to make up for any treats the day before (ahem...wine or extra piece of cauliflower pizza!).

My next tip is to create a board for meals that really appeal to you for cooking dinner at home. Start with easy go-to meals to add to your arsenal.  I use my Healthy/Paleo board to see what meals stand out to me, and keep in mind what protein I have in the freezer or what protein we are craving.  

After selecting the recipes, I re-pin them into my Weekly Menu board, and label them by day of the week.  Keep in mind the meals/recipes you select for your weekly menu do not have to be followed as indicated. It is okay to use Pinterest recipes as inspiration which is usually what I do.  For instance, I pinned Balsamic Glazed Salmon, and I didn't even look at the recipe because I had no time for that on Monday. I basically added balsamic vinegar, parsley, lemon and spices, then let the salmon marinade and baked it. It was balsamic inspired!  

Once our weekly menu is finalized, I check our pantry and fridge and add what we need to our grocery list on our Wunderlist app. If you haven't tried Wunderlist, you are missing out! I am able to share the list with my husband and we both have the app on our phones, so if he ends up hitting the grocery store on his way home from work, we both have updated access to our grocery list at all times. 

At the end of the week, I delete the meals in my weekly menu and add the new ones for the following week and so on. This method has kept us on point with our budget, healthy lifestyle and it helps inspire me to try out new recipes (like this turmeric chicken or this whole grilled fish!). 

If you have any tips to add, please let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts and also any Pinterest recipes you have tried and love. 

Hope you are all having a great week so far...Keep Swimming!