Meal Pinning Monday

This week we are with a van full of teenagers in Tennessee for youth camp so I am not cooking one bit! However, I decided that this week I would just share some of my favorite Pinterest recipes that I've made for us several times. 

I recently wrote an article for 5 Minutes for Mom (I'm an intern there right now!) called Using Pinterest to Meal Plan, I'd love for y'all to check it out. 

[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]

MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

There you have it, 7 recipes idea for this week. None of which I am actually making, all of which I'd prefer to eat over what I am probably going to eat this week.

Be sure to link up and let me know what you're making, if you do and I use your recipe I'll be sure and link back to your blog!

High Five 4 Friday

It's finally Friday and I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for High 5 for Friday!

I'd be saying yay for Friday except the fact that there is a lot of packing left to be done and we leave for youth camp in two days. Holy Packing Fail Batman! But lets review this week and forget the packing failures.

1. This past Saturday we took the littlest Cater to the zoo. Y'all it is far to hot to be doing such an adventure without getting soaking wet in the splash park then walking around. It was fun to take him despite the heat considering we hadn't been since his momma was just barely older than he is now.

2. We've been working on getting water cut on as well as other living needs. Jeremy has been in charge of calling and swapping things around while I've been in charge of staring at boxes and randomly packing things with no real need or order. We seriously move in two weeks, and one of those weeks we won't even be in the state. This is all moving way to fast for my brain.

3. Along with hot summer heat the also common summer nausea has set in. I randomly get nauseous between being in the car, being way to hot, and being on the computer...so Sea Bands are my best friend. I highly suggest them over ever taking the pill form of anti nausea meds.

4. Jeremy let me go play golf with the guys for the first time, I started out okay for myself but the harder it rained the worse I got. Then it really rained, like soaked through to your undies rained, and we had to high tail it to the car. Fun but wet. We went back yesterday and I couldn't hit the ball to save my life.

5. Green Apple Icees are okay, but someone really needs to bring back the Pink Lemonade flavor I always got in high school. Sadly I think I've hit a spot in this heat filled LA summer that nothing can soothe, not even an Icee.

Now tell me | What were you favorite moments from the past week? 

4th Anniversay Recap :: Cafe Du Monde & Emeril's

I wish I could say we went out and did something crazy for our anniversary, I can't. With the upcoming move that Jeremy has compared to hemorrhaging money, decided to play it low key.

Also with this being our last anniversary living so close to New Orleans I thought we should head into town and try out a restaurant I've wanted to sink my teeth into for well over a decade... nearly two. 

So after a little convincing of Jeremy, I made our lunch reservations at Emeril's. 

I highly suggest you make lunch reservations at places if you are looking to check it out, get a good taste of what they are about, and not blow your whole wallet on one meal. I also wasn't in the mood to spend the whole day in the city so lunch was a good way to get in and out quickly.

Our first stop of the day was Cafe Du Monde, and in true Emily & Jeremy style we hit up one in Kenner so we could skip the crowds in the Quarter. I just wanted my frozen Cafe Au Lait, no reason to pay for parking.

Parking by Emeril's is tricky, just give in and take the valet if you go. I just love the first pic in this set, the sky was absolutely beautiful and it wasn't so crazy hot in NOLA just yet.

Now for Emeril's food. I have wanted to come here for years and just now got around to it. He was one of the first chefs I really like and made recipes from, Emeril Live was probably my favorite show growing up.

To start we got the BBQ Shrinp for an app. It was divine, I could have eaten a dozen of those little rosemary biscuits. Jeremy got the salmon with an andouille hash, I'm not a salmon gal but I can tell you that the hash was divine.

Speaking of rosemary, my plant has bit the dust. I need to look up how to plant from a stem so I can regrow this poor plant.

I on the other hand was super indecisive about what I wanted and the server suggest the chicken & waffles out of the long list of ideas I thew at him. I just couldn't make up my mind to save my life, lucky for me it was a great choice.

For dessert we got the Banana Cream Pie, if you go you have got to get this. I'm not a big banana cream pie person, but this is the dessert they are known for. It was absolutely heavenly, I would love to know what was in it to make at home.

Now tell me :: What are your favorite restaurants for special occasions? 

Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday!

I really have a Pinterest problem, then again considering how many new recipes I've tried and DIY projects I've undertaken it may not really be that big of an issue. Here are just a few of my favorite pins from the past week. 

Clean Eating Green Pancakes

I love carbs. Pancakes are heavenly.

You may have seen my original clean pancake post, but after awhile I decided I wasn't getting enough veggies in my breakfast and started playing with the recipe. I stuck with the base, but just played like crazy from that point.

Clean Eating Green Pancakes 

serves 1

Ingredients::

1 banana

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

dash of cinnamon

1 cup fresh spinach

1 tbsp milled flaxseed

Optional add-ins - protein powder, peanut butter or PB2, chia seed. Try not to add liquid or it will make them super thin and very hard to flip over. 

Directions :: 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy and combined well. You could also use an immersion blender. Pour (roughly) 1/4 cup of mixture into a greased skillet heated to medium. Flip when the top bubbles and begins to look dry. Continue until the pancake batter is used up. It should make about 6-7 pancakes. 

While I have only a cup listed in the ingredients, I tend to add more spinach. Especially if the bananas are ripe, it then needs a drier ingredient to thicken the batter up. I literally just pack in spinach, blend, add in more and keep going until I get a consistency that I like.

If you want to add peanut butter I would suggest the powdered PB2, if you are doing a Whole 30 or Paleo just toss in some almond butter and add more spinach to thicken it up. You really can't taste the spinach at all, it's like a Green Monster smoothie without the almond milk and eggs added in.

What is one of your favorite healthy swaps for a usually unhealthy food? 

Meal Pinning Monday

This week I am definitely breaking away from what I've been hooked on recently and decided to go with some oldie-but-goodie recipes. If you have any questions about substitutions I am using this week just comment and I'll let you know.

I recently wrote an article for 5 Minutes for Mom (I'm an intern there right now!) called Using Pinterest to Meal Plan, I'd love for y'all to check it out.

[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]

MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Shallots

Tuesday - Dijon Penne with Chives

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday - Tamale Pie

Friday - Date Night

Saturday - Thursday Leftovers

Sunday - Eating out after church (or cleaning out what is in the fridge before we are gone for a week of youth camp)

High 5 for Friday

I couldn't be happier that it's Friday, then again everyday might as well be Friday for the next few weeks since school is out. Then again I almost want to retract that statement since the Civic Center when I can walk/run in the AC for free is closed on the weekends.

But let's get on to what was great about this week.

1. I got my Influenster Spring Fever Voxbox in and have been testing it out for a few days now. Any box that comes in the mail containing a Tastykake is to die for though.

2. Sunday we got together with some friends and had crawfish, it was an adventure getting it... but it was so worth it. It was my first and last little mini crab boiled crustaceans for the season. There really is nothing better than time spent with close friends where you can just be yourself and have fun.

3. 5 Minutes for Mom announced their interns for the summer! Guess what? I managed to get a spot, how, I'll never know. I am super excited to learn more about everything blog world this summer. We are already a few meetings in and I feel like my brain could burst with information. What does that mean for this blog? Only that it could get better haha. I will be busting my butt to keep up here while getting my work done over at 5 Minutes for Mom in the next three months.

4. Ellie pulled her not-so-usual-but-she-does-it-to-prove-a-point stunt yesterday. Time apparently lapsed in my head and the dogs had been out playing for an hour or so. They usually scratch or bark at the back door when they want in or out, and I hadn't heard a peep so I completely forgot and was sucked further into the show Arrested Development. Next thing I know I hear Ellie barking at the front door. Realize this, to get to our front door from the backyard home girl had to get through a sugarcane field. She definitely looked the part once I opened the door for her, she was covered in mud. She just pranced her happy self in and plopped down under the kitchen table. Where was Rudy in this scenario?  Still in the backyard. That little skunk has no desire to explore, while Ellie is constantly looking to see what she can get into. Funny thing is she never runs off, she just comes to the front door when she gets out.

5. Jeremy randomly decided he wanted to go play golf with me this week. Since it's never happened I quit cooking dinner and jumped in the car quite happily. Funny thing is I haven't touched a club in 6 years and the guys I hung out with in college never let me play a full game with them. With that I hit about one more than Jeremy at every hole, score! He seriously thought I'd be hitting it all over creation and turns out my drive is actually pretty straight, and slightly better than his. He can putt way better than I can though, that's where he beat me. Now I definitely know what out go to date will be for a long time, I'd much rather be outside doing something that at the movies or just eating any day.

Now tell me, what were your favorite moments from the week?