Pinterest Dinner Week!

So, this week I decided to make a bunch of the recipes I've pinned on Pinterest. There are so many good ones, but I picked a few of my favorites & made up a menu. Not only did a menu make grocery shopping MUCH easier, but it was nice to get home from work & know exactly what I was going to make. Plus, I think the husband is pretty excited about all these new dishes! ;)

 

Cilantro Lime Shrimp & Rice

This was probably my favorite meal of the week. I love cilantro so that was an easy win, & the lime isn't overpowering at all so it's a nice compliment to it. The rice is actually their version of Chipotle's rice, & I think it tastes pretty similar. It's pretty easy to make & I'll definitely be making it again.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Cilantro Lime Rice

Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken with Roasted Green Beans

 

Tuesday, I made this chicken & green bean dinner. It's baked, not fried, so it's healthier for you! I loved the chicken, but be careful if you try to make it - it takes longer than 15 minutes to cook. It had great flavor & I'll definitely make it again. The green beans left something to be desired, but maybe with a little tweaking it could be better. If you find something that works, let me know! ;)

Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken

Roasted Green Beans

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Asparagus Parmesan

 

Wednesday night brought Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Asparagus Parmesan. Again, not thrilled with the side dish. I definitely won't make that again, but I hope to find a really good asparagus recipe soon! The tilapia on the other hand, was really good! It didn't take any time at all to cook and it was awesome.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Asparagus Parmesan

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Thursday night I got home late from work so I was happy to see that this didn't take a lot of time to put together. I hated the idea of ruining my week streak of Pinterest dinners - haha! This was pretty good, but not what I expected. First off, it's definitely spicy. I love spicy food, & this had quite a kick. I also put extra crushed red pepper on mine, which added a lot of the spicy flavor. I probably wouldn't make this again, or if I did, I'd tweak it a little. I will say too though, that my picture doesn't look like the picture on the website. I followed the recipe perfectly (except we left out peas), but their picture looks a little more creamy alfredo where mine looks more marina based.  

 

                                      Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

& now I blog...

Alright, I've jumped on the bandwagon...now I blog! I've seen a few of my friends pick up blogging and I enjoy reading what they have to say. I thought it could be sort of "therapeutic" to have a place to vent, to share, and to throw ideas out there.

It's the beginning of a new year, so why not start something new? It's not a resolution, it's a new idea. I don't like the idea of "resolutions". First off, as soon as you tell someone your new year's resolution is to...., they tend to lose a little bit of belief that you'll actually stick with it. Resolutions got a bad reputation and now people don't take them seriously. I think it's a good time to get your priorities straight, because a new year feels like a new slate. Wipe the old one clean and start over. It's a good way to re-evaluate your life and what really matters to you.

I've decided to re-evaluate the time I spend with the people who matter most to me. I know that life gets hectic and crazy. I know that plans get made and things come up. I know that as we get older, our lives change and not everyone is on the same page. We need to make time for what and who is important to us. I want more coffee catch-up dates with old friends. I want more dinner (or sweet frog!) dates with my best friend. I want more "just us" dates with my husband. I want to spend more time with my family, and with his.

I'm going to get back into church. When I was younger, it was Sunday School, Church, Youth Group, Acteens, etc. Now that I'm an adult, I can't even set aside 1.5 hours a week for church? Give me a break. I've been making excuses to myself for almost 5 years, but I'm done.

I kinda like the feeling of this already...writing it all down for whoever to see. It makes me feel like I'm one step closer to making it happen. I don't know how often I'll write, but I think it'll turn into something I enjoy doing. Thanks for reading!