Labor Day Weekend Recap

Hey y'all!

How was your weekend? Relaxing and full of good food, I hope!

As I'm gathering up some pictures for this weekend recap post, it seems like this weekend was forever long. 

For example, we went on the boat on Saturday and it feels like that was last week. Well, technically it was but it feels more like a week ago rather than 3 days ago. 

I guess that's a good thing?

Friday night we went over to the in-laws house. Angelo's mom is 100% Venezuelan and his father is 100% Italian; so no matter which one is cooking, it's always incredible! 

Friday's meal was Pabellón criollo: a traditional Venezuelan dish with rice, beans, and shredded beef. 

Saturday we finally got a boat day and headed out to Caladesi Island in Clearwater. The weather was almost perfectly cloudy so it wasn't scorching hot. 

Sunday we had a dear friend's birthday brunch at Ella's Americana Folkart Cafe in Seminole Heights. On Sunday's their menu is Soul Food style! Think BBQ and Fried Chicken with Waffles. This is where I regretfully didn't take any pictures. 

We were at a table with 30 other people and I had Penelope on my lap. Once I got my phone out of my purse, Sophia had already chowed down on the chicken, and Angelo scarfed down half the fried pickles. I got nervous and dug in so I could get a taste before it was gone! ;) Anyone else get nervous around fast eaters!? Story of my life...

Game of Throne cake with CakePopsByLu

Monday, Labor Day, was a day of laundry, grocery shopping, and finally a cook out with the family!

We tore down the Summer Tower Garden, preparing to start all the others this month! 

We have tons of dill, parsely, and basil to use up this week! 

 This is where half the dill went - Homemade pickles! Hopefully they turn out good! 


 Mom made her famous ribs. I'm not kidding when I say she makes THE BEST ribs around. 

Then, feeling guilty for stuffing ourselves, we did some core workouts before bed. ;)

Some exciting this going on this week! 

• Sophia starts her first dance class as a 4 year old, that means she got to move up a class to Ballet II! 
• I have a race entry giveaway coming up on Thursday!
• New recipes! That's always exciting! :)

Have a great Tuesday!

XOXO

Recipe: Garlic Pesto Shrimp Linguine

Hello! Happy Monday!

How was everyone's weekend? I hope wonderful!! 

I bring you presents on this Monday...a recipe!

A simple, delicious, and elegant recipe to add to your week's dinner menu!  

I really enjoyed this recipe! It reminded me of something you would order at a restaurant and the dinner table fell silent when everyone was twirling pasta on their forks and eating. Silence at the dinner table is like angels singing to a cook's ears. :)

Garlic Pesto Shrimp Linguine

What you’ll need:

1 lb. shrimp. Cleaned, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup dry white wine
3.5 oz. pesto sauce
1 package whole wheat linguine
1 tbsp. salt

What you do:
Bring  water to a boil in a large pasta pot over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt and pasta. Let pasta cook until al dente, according to package instructions.
While pasta is cooking:
In a large skillet, heat butter and garlic over medium heat until garlic is golden.
Add shrimp to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the white wine and pesto to skillet and cook with shrimp for another 2 minutes until shrimp is cooked through. Turn off heat.

Once pasta is done cooking, drain and put back into large pot.
Top pasta with the shrimp mixture and toss to combine.
Serve & Enjoy

XOXO

The Trendy Acai Bowl

Food trends are giving fashion trends a run for their money. I love that organic, locally sourced foods, vegetables, and all around healthier foods are "trending" right now, but my ultimate favorite food trends are the "mash ups" because they're fun and sometimes will make you say "umm what?!" Most famous of these mash ups are the cronut (crossiant-donut), the hamburger with a donut as the bun, and the hamburger served on a griddled ramen noodle bun. 

Also in the food trend group, is the Acai bowl. My sister-in-law introduced me to them a couple years ago at the Fit2Run Cafe in Tampa, and I've been hooked every since. I also used to get them at TheJuiceSpot in Miami, you know, the one Lebron's wife opened...the only reason my husband HAD to go there. 

So what is an Acai Bowl and what is acai? How do you even say acai? All questions I had at first.
Acai (pronounced ah-sign-ee) is considered a "superfood" from Brazil. It's a dark purple, berrylike fruit. 

An acai bowl is basically a really thick smoothie made from acai puree, topped with various toppings like granola, shredded coconut, and fruit. Very easy to make your own at home! :) 

This is the frozen puree I use. Look for it in your grocery store's frozen fruit aisle. 

Acai Bowl

What you’ll need:

1 package of frozen acai puree
1 frozen banana
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 cup almond milk (or coconut)
1 tbsp honey
½ cup frozen berries

What you do:

Place everything in blender and give it a whirl!
Top with whatever your heart desires!
I topped mine with BackToNature Almond Vanilla Granola, unsweetened shredded coconut, and chopped strawberries.

ENJOY!

XOXO