Hello friends! I hope you are having a nice week! We are getting ready to head to Florida with Alec’s side of the family on Saturday and will be there for all of next week, and then will be heading back to Michigan to go to my grandparents’ for the 4th (also will have lots of cousins/extended family there). Looking forward to the time away and all of the family time! On to some delicious eats from the past couple of weeks!

Absolutely delicious sun-dried tomato pesto pasta. Roasted veggies included white onion, yellow squash, zucchini, and red bell pepper. The pesto was phenomenal!

Caprese salad lunch – mixed greens topped with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, chopped basil, mozzarella, toasted walnuts, and white beans. Drizzled with dark balsamic dressing. I love this salad when tomatoes are in season! Also served alongside a fresh roll (that my uncle had made for Father’s Day and my aunt kindly gave us to take home) – was amazingly soft and tasty!

Dinner of baked chicken thighs (with a Greek inspired marinade of lemon juice, seasoning, and garlic), baked potato, sautéed summer veggies, and side salad. I have been doing more chicken marinades lately which has been making it much juicier/tastier!

Baked salmon over a curry sautéed cabbage mix (with curry spices, coconut milk, onion, bell peppers, and peas). I liked this different twist as a new way compared to how I usually serve salmon!

Usual breakfast of reheated overnight steel-cut oats topped with flax seeds, almond butter, honey, and fresh berries. Served with an iced coffee with almond milk!

One of my favorite summer salad combos – mixed greens topped with blueberries, cucumbers, red onion, feta, pistachios, and chopped dates. Topped with dark balsamic. I love how the flavors come together in this salad! Don’t skip the red onions or the dates!

Dinner of spring veggie frittata (I use asparagus, red onion, and goat cheese for this combo – also added some peas), roasted potatoes, and a side salad with homemade raspberry vinaigrette. The potatoes are roasted in the oven and tossed beforehand with avocado oil, salt, pepper, Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning, and a clove or two of garlic!

One of my favorite Juicy Kitchen specials of tarragon chicken salad… so good!! Belgian endives for scooping!

Another delicious post-work lunch of mixed greens topped with quinoa, goat cheese, fresh fruit, fennel, toasted walnuts, and grilled chicken. White balsamic for the dressing!

THIS SANDWICH… was seriously one of the best sandwiches I have ever had and it was so simple! I made some homemade sourdough and then… fresh out of the oven… added some JK sun-dried tomato hummus, avocado, sharp cheddar, and greens… and this beauty was born! Wish I could eat this fresh/tasty of a sandwich everyday!

Beef and lentil stew served with salad and more homemade sourdough. I like this recipe as a more unique way to get in some red meat!

One of my favorite ways to prepare salmon – baked in the oven and topped with homemade avocado basil pesto. Served over coconut quinoa and with a side of broccoli.

Preparing one of our key snacks for the week… Every two weeks I whip up a bunch of these chocolate energy bites and keep half in the fridge and half in the freezer for the next week. Flavors include a major variety (lol) of chocolate, chocolate peppermint, and chocolate almond (all using the same date-sweetened base. I will have to post the recipe soon!). I eat one every morning before I workout and Alec likes to take a couple to work each day.

Afternoon snack of a quick smoothie – into this blend went frozen blueberries, yogurt, a couple dates, PB, and almond milk – so refreshing!

I tried crockpot shredded chicken tacos for the first time, and these did not disappoint!! Will post a recipe soon. Simple toppings of shredded cheddar, salsa, and sour cream. Served alongside a big Mexican-inspired salad with homemade cilantro lime dressing.

My favorite chocolate chip zucchini cake. I love this dessert and love to make it a couple times a summer! Super easy to make!

Simple and satisfying dinner of sunny eggs, peas, and JK potato salad that was leftover from work. This delish weeknight dinner came together in minutes!

I bought these air-locking lids for making fermented veggies since I am trying to eat more fermented foods more regularly to help with my acne and any gut microbiome imbalances. I started out with some fermented carrots which I have been adding to my dinner side salads. These were so easy to make! I plan to do this regularly with carrots, radishes, cabbage, etc. and will add them to salads in the evening. This and the probiotic I take have been helping my skin issues improve already. There is a huge connection between our gut health and our skin that is becoming even more apparent to me!

For Father’s Day, it is tradition in our family to have coconut cream pie since that is my Dad and Grandpa’s favorite! I made a couple over the weekend for everyone to enjoy.

However, I happen to not be a big coconut cream pie fan, so I also made some lemon bars as an alternative! I like to use this recipe.

EVERYDAY ENJOYMENT

Three positives/things I am grateful for lately!

Getting a new phone: I am grateful for getting a new iPhone yesterday, as mine was having all sorts of issues the past few months! Unfortunately there was a hardwire issue that couldn’t be fixed, which was causing it to shut down when I would use the internet. I also didn’t have any service a good amount of the time. To make matters worse, I also dropped my old phone and cracked the screen last week. Let’s just say my old phone wasn’t doing too well at that point, and I am very grateful to have a new one now!

Getting my ears pierced: I didn’t have my ears pierced until a couple weeks ago, making it my first piercing ever at age 27! I almost backed out at the last minute (since it seemed like such a drastic change at this point, lol) but am happy that I didn’t! Here’s the new look!

Longer daylight hours: I have been enjoying the longer amount of daylight and getting outside early for runs/walks. It’s crazy how the amount of daylight makes the days feel so much longer!

What’s something delicious you ate or something you are grateful for this week? 

Enjoy the rest of your week!