Hello everyone!

We recently went to northern Michigan for a wedding weekend which was a lot of fun! The weather and sunshine were amazing!

How has your summer been going?? (Any time post-Memorial Day is summer in my opinion!). I hope you have been able to get outside!

Also, in case you missed it, my services are now uploaded to my work with me page!

Onto the delicious eats!

Before the wedding, we had Saturday brunch with my family at Maple + Batter in Bay Harbor. I had avocado toast on sourdough with arugula, pickled red onion, cherry tom, poached eggs, feta, truffle oil, and a balsamic drizzle. I would definitely get this again! Whenever I see truffle oil on a menu, I figure it is bound to be good!

I made the creamiest batch of guacamole for a taco bar we had with a group of friends.

This mango salsa was also a featured topping. I made some crockpot chicken tacos to serve as the base.

Horchata for sipping before the tacos. Have you ever tried horchata?? If not, you are certainly missing out! It is a Latin American rice/almond milk-based sweet cinnamon drink. I used this recipe. So tasty!

Simple dinner of creamy scrambled eggs with goat cheese, roasted veggies, homemade sourdough, and salad. The trick to making the creamiest scrambled eggs is to cook slowly on a low temp! Also add a bit of milk to the egg mix!

Amazing French toast using leftover sourdough for Saturday breakfast. Can you believe that I had never made French toast until now?? What was I doing all this time?! Will definitely be using leftover sourdough for French toast more often going forward!

Favorite blueberry date salad with a side of pretzels. I have been very into pretzels lately – maybe it’s the saltiness with the warmer weather!

More mango salsa, this time on top of baked mahi-mahi seasoned with a homemade Jerk seasoning. Served over coconut rice – the best! To make the coconut rice, I simply pour a can of full-fat coconut milk into a pot, then use the same can to add a can of white rice, then add half a can of water. Add a bit of salt and cook the rice as you would normally. Carefully season further with salt if needed to really bring out the coconut flavor. As far as the mahi-mahi goes, this was the first time I had tried the wild caught frozen mahi-mahi from Costco – it was excellent and exceeded expectations!!

Leftover black bean soup that I had previously frozen for a quick weeknight dinner. Topped with some shredded cheddar and tortilla chips.

The BEST broccoli salad with dried cranberries, grapes, red onion, and slivered almonds with a creamy maple cashew dressing. Made x3 for a church picnic.

Lastly… homemade Twix bars! Even better than the real thing!

What delicious treats have you been enjoying lately?? I’m excited to try these lemon coconut shortbread cookies this weekend.

Everyday Enjoyment: 

Morning routines: The very beginning of the day is my favorite time of day – when it is quiet, when my mind is most fresh, and when I can ease into the day with a snack, bible reading, getting outside, making our lunches, eventually getting to my breakfast, etc. I especially love this time of year when it is light out earlier! I wish it could be this light this early in the morning all year round!

More space in the evenings: It is SO nice to be done with school and my internship and not have assignments or studying that I “have” to do in the evenings/weekends. Yes, I am putting a lot of energy into getting my business going, but I am in control of when and how much I will work on that. I have been realizing more and more how much I don’t like to have a lot of ongoing/standing plans in the evenings, so have been trying to free up my schedule more to allow for more flexibility, spontaneity, connection with Alec/myself/others, and rest in the evenings.

Family calendar: In keeping with the theme of “time,” I recently bought this personalized family calendar for our kitchen wall. I really like that we can both easily write on it, update it, and see the month at a glance all in one place! Also, if you are in need of a new planner for the upcoming start to the academic calendar year, this is my favorite personal planner which I will be buying again soon!

Enjoy the rest of your week!