Menu Plan Monday

The work travel picks up for me this week, so I will leave B to fend for himself more than most weeks (nothing that he can't handle).  Attempting to use up some things we have had in the pantry or freezer for a while.  Also trying to incorporate at least one vegetarian dish per week - both health and cost savings in mind.  How "green" of us!


Monday:  Mushroom Risotto & Salad 
Tuedsay:  Leftovers for hubby
Wednesday:  Stuffed Chicken, quinoa & zuchinni
Thursday:  Fish Tacos & Black Beans
Friday:  Date night!  Pre-valentines date! :)

Girls Weekend!

This weekend we have quite the celebration in store for my dear friend Catherine.  We are going to live in up in Austin all because....

.....this beautiful lady is marrying this handsome gentleman in just a few short weeks. 

A group of Catherine's closest friends are coming to Austin to take over the Parrish house in hopes of a weekend that will go down in the books, celebrating one of her last nights as a single lady.  I have a feeling there will be lots of vino, laughter, yummy food, dancing, some embarassment for the bride and that crazy high that girls seem to get on once they are around each other. 

I have so many awesome memories with Catherine and I'm so happy to celebrate her this weekend!  I can't wait, together with all of her friends, to make it a special time for her to look back on.

Catherine and I have experienced so much together.  We have some incredible memories as friends.  From traveling Europe for a month together to being roomates our senior year (next door our Freshman year).  We watched our Longhorns win a National Championship from Pasadena, celebrated 21st birthdays, shared a graduation party, graduated from the business school together, stood up in Aleigh's wedding together, had her as a part of my wedding and now get to be a part of hers!  (Just to name a few). 

She's a dear friend to me and one that I hope to keep for a lifetime! 

C - can't wait for you to get here and get the party started!  Yay for the bride!

Today I'm thankful for...

A heater that is pumping warmth into our house!
A warm jacket and boots
Seat heaters
A satisfying bowl of corn chowder to warm your insides
Not having to be at an airport or traveling this week
A disciplined, hard working husband
An encouraging evening with girlfriends
A comfy bed to crawl into at the end of the day

Simple things.  All things that the Lord has provided.  I am thankful. 

Reunited!

This weekend we headed to Dallas to visit the Kersey family.  It was so great to be with our sweet friends, we've missed them!

Us with the Kerseys (brand new baby Adi) the night we got engaged!

Kristi and Michael were some of our closest friends at our church in Scottsdale.  Coincidentally, they are also from Texas and have since moved to Dallas from Arizona.  It's so nice to be close enough to drive to see each other for the weekend.  It had been way too long!  They were such a blessing to us in Arizona.  We loved spending date nights out with them, listening to their experience on marriage as newlyweds/ an engaged couple and talking about Jesus together.  We spent a couple new year's eves with them as well and they threw us a WONDERFUL Texas themed shower in their backyard last spring.  They are dear friends to us. 

We were so happy  to see their kids, Trevin and Adilyn.  They are such awesome kiddos and we had a blast playing with them and getting to know them all over again.  So excited for Baby Kersey #3 on the way in 8 weeks.  The next time we seem them, they will be a Party of 5!

We got in late on Friday night and stayed up chatting and catching up.  It was fun to see their home in Texas and hear how life had been the last couple months.  We both have experienced quite a bit of transition.  Interesting how so much of the challenges and blessings of that time were similar for each of us. 

The next morning we got up and made breakfast panini sandwiches.  The kids were a little shy at first, but quickly warmed up once they were awake and alert.  Trevin gave us the tour of his playroom and bedroom.  It was so fun to play with them.  I also loved watching B with them, he's going to be such a great dad someday.  (Don't get any ideas people :) )  We headed to the park later that morning.  It was a gorgeous day! We loved enjoying a picnic lunch outside.  So nice to not be cold or rainy.  Beautiful days like that make me really miss AZ, where the weather is like that more than 6 months out of the year.  I even fell asleep outside on their swing later that afternoon!

Trevin and Adilyn were going to spend their first night at their Grandma's house that evening so we all could have a night out.  We headed to the Uptown area and had a really yummy dinner at Villa-O.  I had a seafood risotto with a spicy tomato sauce.  It was so decadent, but I ate the whole dish!  I really enjoyed the uptown area.  Looks like there are a ton of cute shops and fun restaurants in that neighborhood.  We finished our night with some ice cream and headed to bed.

Sunday AM, the guys went to go pick up the kids and Kristi and I met them at church.  We were excited to be able to go to the Village with them.  We've heard so many great things about this church and it was fun to see where they worship each week.  Loved worshiping together again with them!  The Lord is really working in and through this church.  It's exciting. 

We ended our time together over brunch and then got back on the road after hugs.  So blessed by our time together.  It really was a fun, relaxing weekend and awesome to be together with them. 

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures while we were there, but hopefully the recap can help you imagine all the fun we had! Can't wait to visit again soon after Baby arrives!

Winner Winner Chicken (Salmon) Dinner: Herb Crusted Salmon and Creamed Spinach

Our favorite dinner this week was our Herb Crusted Salmon with Creamed Spinach.  Both of these recipes are the kind that just kind of "sit" in my head and I don't really have them on paper or have specifics on how I make them again and again (I know, not helpful at all).  That said, I think I'll take a stab and putting these recipes down here.  Kinda fun that I actually get to claim them as my own! 

Disclaimer:  If you give these a try and they don't turn out....I'm sorry!  They are more of a little of this, a little of that type creations!  So, good luck!

Herb Crusted Salmon
I make this salmon by creating a herb paste in a small prep bowl.  I start with a large amount of dried dill (maybe 1.5 T), add in some garlic (1 clove fresh), 1/4 t of oragano, 1/4 t of garlic, 1 pinch of red pepper flakes or a couple shakes of Tabasco, 1/4 onion salt, some freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of sea salt.  I then add enough olive oil to turn this into a paste.  I also add about (depending on how much you like mustard) a spoonful of dijon mustard.  Spread this paste over the top of your fish.  Line a baking dish with foil (much easier clean up!) and bake at 375 to your desired temperature.  When I start seeing the white fat ooze out of the fish, it's usually close to being done and still moist enough too.  This usually takes about 20-25 minutes. 

Easy (and fairly healthy) Creamed Spinach
Sometimes I just want a little more indulgence to my veggies.  This is a great way to get the nutrients from fresh, green veggies and still have a satisfying, warm side dish.

Take 1/2 bag of fresh spinach (I sometimes incorporate about 1/2 a bag of defrosted chopped frozen spinach) and julliane the leaves.  Finely dice 1/2 yellow onion and throw both veggies into a mixing bowl.  Add in 1/2 cup light sour cream, a small handful of grated parmesean, salt, pepper and 1-2 cloves of garlic.  Stir together to form a mixture that is moist, but not overly wet.  Spray a shallow baking dish with Pam and spread in mixture to the dish.  Top with small amount of sprinkled parmesan and some panko breadcrumbs if you desire.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 until the spinach is hot all the way through and the cheese is melted on top.  Serve hot. 

Are these recipes helpful?  Is anyone trying these?  Should I keep going down this path with the blog? Would love your feedback!