Scenes From Our Weekend

Can y'all believe that September starts this week??  Oh my gosh, I am having major anxiety over how fast this year is flying by!!  It is going to be Christmas in the blink of eye.  Truth be told we had a really low key weekend, not one single plan.  It honestly was nice, sometimes you need a weekend with nothing to do. 

Thursday night we enjoyed some time out on our patio while we waited for pizza to be delivered.  I am wearing the gray jeans I blogged about Friday.  I just love the light color. 

Crossbody | Sandals | Sunglasses | Jeans | Bracelets

Friday after school I took the kids to Jeni's ice cream.  I had been promising them ice cream all week.  I have been trying to not eat many sweets but I just could not resist.  I had the Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks and it was simply amazing.

Friday night OOTD.  my tee shirt is now on sale 40% off and only $21 now:)

Tee Shirt | Necklace | Shorts | Purse

Saturday morning the boys went to the beach to look for shark's teeth so Frances and I went to the gym and ran a few errands.  I let her wear her Princess costume and she was so excited.  I love her infectious smile.  These pictures just make me happy every time I look at them.

Saturday night we made our favorite Cauliflower Tacos but with lettuce instead of shells.  I didn't even miss the shell.

Saturdays OOTD.  This tee shirt dress has my go-to dress this Summer and it is now on sale!  I am wearing a size 1 for reference, I would equate that to a size small.

Dress (on sale) | Flip Flops | Purse | Necklace

This book has blown me away.  I finished it in 3 days and I swear I am about to read it again, it's that good.

Sunday was a church and pool day. 

Cover-Up/Dress  also here on sale | Hat | Sandals | Tote

We stopped by CVS to get a few things and all the Halloween stuff was out.  We had a little fun with the masks:)

This chopped salad is my new go-to salad.  

Chopped spinach + cherry tomatoes + cucumber + red bell pepper + kalamata olives + hearts of palm + pepperoncinis + red onion.  Then I mix olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper for the dressing.

Who would think a pool float is more fun inside than at the pool?  These two love to play with the floats inside.

Bedtime snuggles.  I honestly cant get over how big Sterling is getting.  He is about to be taller than me soon! 

Have a great start to your week!

Thoughts For Friday

TGIF.  This weekend we have lots of fun stuff going on.  My parents are in town, Matt is in a fishing tournament and we have a party Saturday afternoon.  

On Tuesday night we had our girl's supper club.  We usually rotate houses but decided during the Summer just to meet out somewhere.  We tried out Barsa and loved it.  All the tapas were delicious and this was the best paella I have ever had.  A great spot for wine and nibbles.  I loved their outdoor patio area where we ate.

They also had a very tasty cheese and meat platter where you choose what cheeses and meats you prefer.

What I wore:

Dress | Necklace | Sandals

Who else is hooked to the Bachelorette?  I love JoJo and think she is so cute.  Her hair always looks so perfect. 

Who are y'all pulling for Robbie or Jordan.  I feel pretty sure she will chose Jordan he has seemed like her favorite from the beginning.  I feel like if she chooses him though it won't last.

I found the cutest red dress at Madewell now on sale.  Size down as it runs on the large side, I am in a size XS.  It is a great dress for now and into Fall.  

Available  HERE and HERE

The kids and I hit up Citadel Mall this week.  Every time I go there I am amazed it is still open, it is the saddest mall ever.  I still don't understand why Charleston doesn't have a good mall.  The only redeeming aspect is the photo booth.  We had a blast taking pictures.

Last night we had dinner over at my parent's place since they were in town.  We love the deck at their condo.  The marsh view is so pretty.

Outfit Details: 

My off shoulder blouse is currently 40% off, no code needed.  I am wearing a size small.

Off Shoulder Blouse | Shorts | Sandals 

I have been very diligent about my diet all week.  I have been working on post where I will share a sample menu of what I have been eating.  The main things I have tried to avoid are processed foods and carbs.  Last night we made our favorite cauliflower tacos and used lettuce instead of flour shells.  They were actually so good wrapped in lettuce I didn't even miss the shells.

Next I want to try out cauliflower nachos.  These look amazing.

Nachos

I have been on a major reading kick lately.  Below are a few books I have read over the past few months.  For the most part they are all pretty light and easy Summer reads. The Nightingale was heavy but such a good story.  Any recommendations of what to read next?

800 Grapes | First Comes Love | The Singles Game | After You | Love and Lemons

Then Came You | The Nightingale | The Weekenders | The Nest | Summer Secrets

I have been kind of obsessed with taking videos of the kids lately.  I feel like they are growing up so fast and I want to remember these sweet ages.  Lately Frances Moon keeps telling me she is not a baby and I had to record it.

Don't miss out on the Serena and Lily Tent Sale!  Everything is 40-75% off.  Scroll through to see my favorites.  There are some really awesome deals on bedding especially.

Have a great weekend!

Roasted Squash and Zucchini Enchiladas + OOTD $15 Tee Shirt

Since Matt has become a pescatarian it has really inspired me in the cooking department.  He is coming up on one year of being meat free at the end of this month.  I am really proud of him he has changed his diet so much in the past year and I think he feels much better because of that.   As I have mentioned before I am not a vegetarian but I do prefer to eat mainly plant based meals.  I still eat meat I just don't cook with it that often.  Matt chose not to eat meat because of ethical reasons and the treatment of animals and I don't eat much meat because I honestly just prefer veggie based meals.  I love any and all veggies and I physically feel better when I don't eat much meat.  So at home I cook mostly meat free meals.  Now I do still sometimes cook meat for the kids.  They still eat plenty of chicken and Sterling always wants red meat so occasionally I cook him beef.  

Cooking meat free meals that are filling and taste good can be such a challenge but I have really enjoyed trying out new recipes and creating some of my own.  I always anxiously await Matt's approval after the first bite, hoping it is a winner.  We have had many flops but also found lots of great recipes that we now cook on rotation. 

Mexican food to me is an easy genre to cook filling vegetarian meals.   The cauliflower tacos I shared last week were so good I knew it would be hard to come up with something that delicious but these enchiladas sure come close!  They are full of so many amazing flavors and they are actually filling too.  Now if you wanted to add meat I think shredded chicken would be great added to these but they really are amazing without the meat.

Enjoy!

|| R O A S T E D   S Q U A S H +  Z U C C H I N I   E N C H I L A D A S ||

- 2 small yellow squash

- 2 small zucchini

- 1 can black beans 

- 1 cup refried beans with chiles

- 1/2 cup diced white onion

- 1 teaspoon chili powder

- 1 tablespoon cumin

- 1 tablespoon hot sauce

- salt and pepper

- 2 containers red enchilada sauce (I love the Frontera brand)

- 1/2 cup cour cream

- 2 packages shredded quesadilla cheese

- small flour shells

- salsa, jalapeno, avocado, and sour cream for topping

Slice the squash and zucchini in half and then slice those halves again and dice up the pieces.  Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  The set aside. 

In a bowl combine the black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 cup refried beans with green chiles, 1/2 cup diced onion,  1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin,  and 1 tablespoon hot sauce.   Add in the roasted zucchini and squash and one package of the quesadilla cheese and mix all together.  

In a baking dish pour one container of the enchilada sauce on the bottom.  I reserved just a little of the enchilada sauce and added it to the squash/bean mixture.  Take a flour shell and fill it with the squash and bean mixture.  Roll ii up and place it in baking dish.  Repeat until the squash mixture is gone.  It should make about 8 enchiladas.  

Take the remaining package of enchilada sauce and mix it with 1/2 cup sour cream.  Then pour this over the top of the enchiladas.  Cover with the remaining bag of shredded cheese.  

Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes until bubbly. 

Serve with salsa, sour cream, avocado, and jalapenos. 

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Yesterday's OOTD.

I ordered this tee shirt on a whim with my other sale items because well it was $15.  I was pleasantly surprised, I love the loose fit, longer sleeves and it so soft.  I had a stiff itchy tee shirt.  This one is so incredibly soft.  It comes in 6 other colors too.  I am wearing a size small for reference.  

My hat is also on sale for only $19.  I have just recently become a hat person.  I love them especially on bad hair days!  The hat also comes in gray and black.

Tee shirt | Hat | Shorts | Sandals

Cauliflower Tacos + My New Favorite Cookbook

Meet my new taco obsession, Cauliflower Tacos.  My sister and brother in law had been raving about these tacos for awhile now.  My sister said they eat them at least once a week, so last week on our beach trip they made them for us and I was blown away.  For a meat free taco these are amazing.   They are a bit spicy which I love.  The cauliflower gets a little caramelized and crispy and trust me you won't be able to stop eating it. The spicy cauliflower paired with sweet fresh corn, and creamy avocado is just the best flavor combo.  The cauliflower is delicious on its on too.  I gobbled up our leftovers over quinoa the next night.   I think this may just become a weekly meal for us too!  

Enjoy!

|| C A U L I F L O W E R   T A C O S ||

recipe via BuzzFeed

1 head cauliflower

1/4 cup hot sauce

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 ears corn

flour shells

refried black beans

avocado

queso fresco crumbled

sour cream + hot sauce

jalapenos (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces.  Mix together the hot sauce, melted butter, garlic powder, and salt and then pour over the cauliflower and mix well- I usually do this in a large bowl and then transfer to a baking sheet.  Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, after 20 minutes stir the cauliflower once.  

While the cauliflower is cooking, boil the corn.  I usually boil it for about 10-5 minutes just to slightly cook it and soften the kernels.  Once it is done cut off the kernels and place in a bowl.  

Mix sour cream with hot sauce (we love cholula and valentina) 

Dice the avocado and sprinkle with salt and drizzle with lime or lemon juice

Assemble tacos!  Layer a flour shell with black beans, cauliflower, corn, avocado, sour cream, cheese and jalapenos

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As many of you know I am cookbook obsessed.  I get so excited when I find a new cookbook.  Well I had a few readers recommend the Love and Lemons Cookbook and I have to say it may just be one of my favorite cookbooks ever.  Now keep in mind I have only made one recipe (the Quinoa Salad Radicchio cups, see picture below) and it was beyond delicious.  I can just tell the rest of the recipes will be just as good.  I judge a cookbook by its layout and the recipe content.  This cookbook is beautiful and it has a picture of every recipe.  I love pictures, it helps me visualize the recipe.  The cookbook is divided into categories by vegetable which I love.  I seriously took it to bed with two nights just to read and devour the recipes.  It is a vegetarian cookbook so if you are looking for meat free recipes, I highly recommend this cookbook!

Love and Lemons Cookbook

Mealtime How I Do It + Favorite Easy Meals

One of the number one questions I get is, how do you have the time to cook for your family and does Sterling eat what you cook. Here is the low down. 

Cooking is my passion, it makes me happy, so I make time for it in my life.  I most certainly do not cook every night but I would say 2-3 nights a week I try and whip up something tasty.  On the weekends we usually order pizza one night and then Matt helps cook something the other night, usually grilling out etc.   My happy place is in the kitchen whipping up something delicious and sipping a glass of wine.  Its how I unwind plus it gives me sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I create a really awesome meal.

GROCERY SHOPPING AND MEAL PLANNING

 I am lucky because Sterling is in school everyday from 9:45-12:45.  Usually after I drop him off I take Frances and we head to the grocery store.  I still have not mastered the whole meal planning thing and truth be told I actually enjoy going to the grocery store.  It gets me out of the house and I love browsing.  We go almost everyday depending on what I need for our meal that night.  This week I actually cooked all four nights, but that was rare.   Usually I don't cook that many nights in a row but I was bringing a friend food who had a baby so I doubled it for us.

On the menu this week:
Monday- Gwyneth's Siriachia Lime Salmon + Quinoa, Mushrooms and Arugula + Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Tuesday- Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs + Arugula Salad
Wednesday- Ground Beef Tacos
Thursday- Simple Baked Lasagna + Arugula Salad

You may wonder about leftovers.  If there is any type of meat leftovers Matt takes them for his lunch the next day. He eats lunch in his office everyday and welcomes the leftovers.  The salad stuff I eat, for example I had the quinoa and roasted cauliflower the next two days for lunch.  I also usually always make a batch of Tuscan Kale Salads for my lunch during the week.  If you need a quick easy salad we just toss arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  Then we add fresh Parmesan.  It is a simple light salad we make often.

WHAT DOES STERLING EAT
As for Sterling, I do not cook him separate meals any more,  and yes he is a picky eater.  That being said on the nights I don't cook sometimes he will eat chicken nuggets, cereal, or whatever I have in the freezer.  We try every night to sit down together as a family.  This is hard because Matt doesn't get home til about 7 or later most nights. We usually wait and eat with him unless he is going to be later than 7:30.  I think family meals are are so incredibly important.   It is a time where we all sit down with no interruptions and I think as Sterling and Frances get older these dinners will be even more important.  Sterling must take one bite of everything on his plate,  after that if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat it,  but he is not getting anything different to eat.  If he eats well he gets to choose a dessert.  There are many nights he takes two bites of something tells us he hates it and goes to bed hungry.  Eating is a struggle but I do feel like slowly this approach is working as he is starting to eat more things than he used to.  I give him a multi-vitamin and probiotic everyday to help with nutrients.

WHEN I COOK
I wish Matt had one of those jobs where he got home at 5-5:30 and could help with the kids while I cook but that is not the case.  I am in charge of dinner and bath which can be tricky (not to mention exhausting).  I usually try and make meals that can be prepped early and then just popped into the oven or stove.  Luckily for me Sterling still naps most days and if he doesn't he still has to sit in his room quietly and play with the ipad or read.  Most of the time nap time is when I get down to business.  I do laundry, get our meal started, straighten the house, and work on my blog.  I cram alot into 2-3 hours.  The morning time when he is at school is usually spent running errands and hopefully soon working out again!   While Sterling naps I will get dinner at least started and do most of the prep work so when he wakes I can spend some time with him,    Around 6 I will start to finish up our meal.  This is when I allow Sterling to turn on the TV and watch a show or two while I finish up dinner (and drink a big ole glass of wine). I usually put Frances in her swing during this time.  While dinner is cooking we will go do a quick bath although lately Sterling has been showering in the mornings with one of us which opens up some time in the evening.  This way since Matt gets home later, when he gets home dinner is ready so we can sit down and eat and the kids are ready for bed.


EASY MEALS
I wanted to highlight a few of our favorite go to meals.  They are all relatively easy to prepare in advance or quickly.   I try and make at least one new recipe a week for blog purposes and because I love testing new things but these are tried and true favorites!

|| MEXICAN RICE BOWLS ||
You can precook your rice and have all the toppings pre-diced so all you have to do at dinner is cook the meat or you can go totally vegetarian and leave off the meat.

|| SPICY BLACK BEAN, GREEN CHILE + MANCHEGO ENCHILADAS ||
You can assemble this whole dish pretty quickly since nothing has to be cooked.  I assemble at nap time then just pop in oven to cook.

|| ROASTED SALMON WITH TOMATO BASIL RELISH ||
All you have to do for this is pre- make the relish, it is better the longer it sits anyways.  Then just cook your salmon.  Under a 20 min meal.  Sterling loves salmon or as he calls it pink fish- although we serve his without the relish.

|| CHOPPED GREEK SALAD WITH SHRIMP ||
Such a quick easy salad and the shrimp only take 5 mins to cook.

|| VEGGIE RANCH PIZZA ||
You can pre-chop all the veggies and then just assemble at dinner time.  Sterling loves this pizza, it is one of the only ways I can get him to eat broccoli and cauliflower.

 || SLOPPY JOES ||
These really only take 30 mins max to whip together,  best sloppy joes ever.  We serve with box mac and cheese for an easy weeknight dinner.

|| SIMPLE BAKED LASANGA ||
I actually just made this this week for my friend who had the baby.  As far as lasagnas go it is fairly quick to whip together because you use no bake noodles and only make one sauce and it is so good.  This can be made at nap time and just popped in the oven.

|| CHOPPED MEXICAN SALAD ||
Another easy salad you can per-assemble and put in fridge like this and then just toss together and add meat at dinner time.

|| BUTTERNUT SQUASH, ARUGULA + BACON QUICHE ||
I love any variation of a quiche they are always a quick dinner and one that Sterling will eat too.

I would love to know any favorite weeknight meals you have!
Have a fabulous weekend.
xoxo