It’s Margarita Monday, better yet it’s Cinco de Mayo! Let’s shake it up a little with a Skinny Pomegranate Margarita that is sure to make you do a little cha cha after your first sip! Hey, did I mention I LOVE margaritas? If you don’t know that already, it is my favorite adult beverage. I love that they are the perfect combos of salt and sweet, and I love them fresh….no sweet and sour mix for this girl.
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Sara, happy birthday to you!!! Oh my friends, you don’t know how much I appreciate my co-author and dear friend Sara! Today is her birthday, and we are going to celebrate with one of her favorite recipes, Tres Leches Cupcakes. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without my partner in crime. She balances our Simply Happenstance in ways you don’t see. We created Simply as a place to share our favorite things {food+family+lovelies}. It has grown because of our lovely readers and it keeps chugging away because of our partnership. I am so very grateful for Sara. I hope today turns out to be a relaxing and special with family. Soon Sara, we will have some Tres Leches together, maybe at Cafe Rio {wink}. Happy birthday my friend!!! [Read more…]
I don’t know about you….but life has a way getting us stuck in a cooking rut. Everyone is so busy these days that it truly gets harder day-by-day to create a simple and easy weeknight meal. That being said I decided I needed to pull out all of my easy stops and go back to the basics. Tacos yes tacos! They are usually are easy and you can fill them with what ever you want. Generally speaking the taco filling is usually the star of the show, so why not make this star a cinch by cooking it up in the Crock Pot. All it takes is 3 main ingredients for this Easy Green Chile Chicken, add in the tortillas, avocado, and sour cream and we will tip the scales at 6. Come on you can do this! [Read more…]
Mmmm! Creamy cold, almond milk! Do you drink it at your house? If not… it’s definitely worth a taste! Even better, try making it from scratch! The task always seemed daunting, in my opinion… which is why I never made it in the past. However, we go through cartons and cartons of almond milk each week… so I thought it was worth a try to make a batch of it homemade. Everything is better fresh, right?!!
About five years ago… maybe even longer, we stopped buying traditional dairy milk in our house. We started using almond milk in its place {since everyone is lactose intolerant in our family}. When my youngest little guy, Finn, stopped nursing at 14 months old, I started giving him almond milk, as well. Did you know that one serving of almond milk has 50% more calcium than regular milk? Amazing! Well, my little guy is now three… and still LOVES his daily cups of almond milk!
The key to making this smooth, creamy milk is soaking the raw almonds in water! Simply place the almonds in a bowl, and cover with about an inch of water. {They will plump as they absorb water.} Let stand overnight, or up to 2 days.
Once your almonds have been adequately soaked, make sure you rinse them with fresh water, and drain, so they are ready to use. Put your almonds into a blender with 3.5 cups of water {less water, will equal a stronger flavor, overall}.
{gluten-free}
Let’s talk about this Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf… Nicole and I have already posted several of our favorite banana muffin and bread recipes; however, this one is PERFECT for those of you on a wheat- or gluten-free diet!
As some of you may already know, I have been experimenting with a wheat-free lifestyle since the beginning of January. I have really noticed a difference in my body and my overall headaches, which is a great breakthrough for me. I have spent the last three months eating primarily wheat-free and then… our trip to Maui happened. I purposely let my eating plan go out the window; embracing the warm sunshine, salty sea air, and banana macadamia nut pancakes topped with fresh whipped cream {Haha}! It was wonderful… but upon coming home, I knew my body needed a little detox from my vacation eating! I chose to start the Whole30 the day after we came home from our trip. Smart? Umm… perhaps not! My poor body was forced to deal with the time difference, high altitude {we live a mile above sea level}, and elimination of carbs AND my beloved morning coffee! Sugar, dairy, grains, lentils/beans, and anything processed was removed abruptly! {Yikes!}
Well… as of today, I am 1/3 of the way through my 3o days. I had horrendous headaches day 2 and 3, but have been feeling fairly good and energetic since. I really haven’t had any cravings for sugar or coffee since then, but I will say… it has taken quite a bit of self-control when we are out. Yesterday we went to a minor league baseball game with the kids. I was surrounded by all of that deliciously junky baseball field food! I stuck with a Larabar and water! {Victory!} [Read more…]
{gluten-free}
Hello, everyone! I feel like it’s been ages since I last posted! I took last week off from blogging to thoroughly enjoy my Maui vacation with my handsome man! Our trip was AMAZING! Truly… just what we needed! {I will share some photos and highlights of our trip soon!}
So… on to this delectable dish! I have been making this tasty pasta for the past few years {adapted from the fabulous Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network}. The original recipe was completely delicious… however, I added the juice of a fresh lemon, and grated parmesan to jazz things up a bit! Since I’m not currently eating wheat… I also made it gluten-free by using quinoa pasta! It was so good… and a great alternative to using rice pasta {also a gluten-free choice}.
I love how fresh this pasta dish is! It uses only the finest, simple ingredients… asparagus, basil, prosciutto, garlic, creamy smoked mozzarella, grated parmesan, and tangy lemon. {Yum! Such a lovely Spring or Summer dish!} [Read more…]
