weeknight wonders: mediterranean salmon

Sometimes, the best outfits are those little dresses you just throw on and walk out the door.  You look great and it's no fuss.  Do you have one of those dresses?  I hope you do.  They can certainly get you out of a jam... Or, sometimes, the best friends are the ones that can come over for dinner and spend the whole evening just talking over drinks and dessert.  No games, no event, no movie, no need for entertainment... Conversation rules the day.  Sometimes, a thing doesn't have to be complicated or over thought to be fabulous. 

Broiled salmon is one of those things.  Elegant, savory, and fresh, this dish only takes about 30 minutes to get on the table.  Salmon filets, seasoned with rosemary, thyme, garlic, and oregano, are broiled for a mere 12 minutes. Then, served with quinoa or rice and topped with roasted tomatoes and onions.  Simple can be quite elegant.  The real prep work for this dish happens about 8 hours before... In the morning before work, I whisk up the marinade and pour it over the salmon, onions, and tomatoes.  Let all the goodness soak in and when I get home from work, I put some quinoa on, broil the salmon, and steam some veggies in the microwave.  It's the perfect meal for nights when we have plans after dinner because cooking it is a breeze.  We can eat and be out the door on time, but we still get a healthy, sit down dinner. Meals like that tend to be a little breathe of fresh air in the midst of an otherwise crazy schedule and a reminder that practical can still be classy.   

Click to read more ...

Coffee Date

If we were having coffee this morning, I give you a giant cup of French press and a big bowl of lemon-berry baked oatmeal before we settled down to catch up.  I'd ask all about your summer... What vacations are you taking?  What projects are you working on?  Any thing you're obsessed with this summer?  Are you even ready for summer?  I'm ready for warmer weather, sure.  Childbirth not so much. 

If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that the Lord is stripping away the excess in my life and taking me back to the basics.  Him. His gospel, His kingdom, and my part in furthering it.  I've been reading through Paul's letters to the early church and Paul is just so clear.  Our lives don't belong to us.  "For I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. " (Gal. 2:20, ESV)  It's all truth I've heard before, but I feel like reading this book ripped the calluses off my heart and let that truth seep deeper.  If my life isn't mine, but Christ's, why don't I actually live like that and what needs to change to live that out... I can get so caught up in my day-to-day that I lose sight of what actually matters.  What does that mean for my marriage, my baby, my friendships, my church, my community? I certainly don't have any of that sorted out.  I don't have answers, but I have a great God who is slowly removing my blinders. 

If we were having coffee this morning, I'd tell you that my little sister, Emily Faye, graduates later this month.  Everything about that sentence seems completely ridiculous, but it's real and it's happening.  She's growing up and turning into one of the funniest, godliest, smartest young women I know.  We did her senior shoot last weekend and it turned out GREAT.  Mostly, cause she is a cutie, but as I was editing the pics I had to fight back tears.  Isn't she still supposed to be like five and carrying her cat around dressed in American Girl Doll clothes? 

Click to read more ...

almond butter chocolate chip bars

I am so excited about these cookie bars.  These are some pretty sneaky cookies. I wanted to make a semi-healthy dessert last weekend, but I didn't really want it to taste healthy.  (I consider any dish that is healthy that other folks don't consider a health food to be a tinsy victory.)

Soft, chewy and chocolate-y, these almond butter chocolate chip bars are now one of my new go-to recipes. The oats give them just the right amount of crunch while the almond butter balances that out, keeping the bars soft and chewy.  Plus almonds have tons of protein and calcium, oats add fiber, and there is even a little bit of flax seed tossed in. Oh, and they are gluten free. Naturally.

Still, sometimes I wonder if my opinion of a recipe are the ravings of a sugar deprived crazy person.  These have sugar and I don't eat sugar all that much plus I'm pregnant so everything sugar-y just tastes amazing. So, they needed to be tested.  My sister, Em, tried some and loved them. Then, Jason and I inhaled them warm with vanilla ice cream.  Let me tell you, a la mode is a definitely the way to go with these babies.  Finally, I took the leftovers into the office. The true test... Plenty of non-gluten free folks there to ignore my offering if it really did lack luster. The bars disappeared well before lunch and several people asked for the recipe.  Success. I think this healthy little cookie had everyone snowed.

Click to read more ...