Summer Fun!

I adore the summertime for the fact that you can always find something to do! If its a hot day (like it has been the last couple of days) you can head to water! If its a nice day out you can walk on trails or play outside. So many options makes it hard to say that you have nothing to do!

Yesterday we planned on going to the pool but I got busy with things and we ended up just using the a blow up one at my parents house. Avery loved it and the backyard is shaded nicely so I wasnt sitting in the sun durning the heat of the day.

This is the first picture in a long time where Avery actually asked for me to take one! She likes to take pictures but not have them taken of her. I was pretty darn excited for her to actually ask! 

On the days where you dont see a blog post, we are probably enjoying the outdoor weather! I promise to try and keep up!

I love this Salad!!

I think this is now my new favorite salad. I made this steak for dinner one night and ended up eating the salad everyday at lunch until it was all gone! I just loved the flavor of the salad dressing and how great it tasted when it melded together with the steak. I am hooked and it will not be a regular since I try not to eat too much meat but this a keeper for the days I am craving a steak!

Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak (from of your homebased mom!) from Emeril Lagasse

8 cloves of garlic, sliced in half lengthwise (I minced mine)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme ( I didn't have so I left out)

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

1/2 C sherry vinegar (I used marsala vinegar)

One 1 1/4 to 2 lb. skirt steak

1 Tbsp kosher salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine the halved garlic cloves, rosemary, sage, and thyme in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the olive oil and sherry vinegar, and process to combine.

Season the skirt steak with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place it in a resealable plastic bag and add the garlic-herb marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat a grill to medium high

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Remove the steak from the marinade (discard the marinade), and wipe any excess marinade off the steak with paper towels. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Rotate the steak 45 degrees and cook for another 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook for 4-6 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 4-7 minutes before slicing.

When ready to serve, thinly slice the steak across the grain. Enjoy!

Salad Dressing From Pioneer Woman (this is now my favorite dressing!!)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 generous tablespoon fresh ginger, minced ( I keep on ginger frozen in my freeze an just grind off what i need for each meal it is needed in)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Combine dressing ingredients in a small glass jar, shake it up and pour on salad and sliced steak! (i used romaine because it was in the CSA box!) Enjoy!

Green Smoothies are Working For Me!!

I have a friend who is a raw foodie and I truly love talking with her. She totally understands getting flack for a way of eating, and I can always ask her for advice on many things. One thing that we drank for breakfast on a regular basis was fruit smoothies.  Thanks to my friend I have started adding greens to my smoothies and loving the energy that they seem to be giving me.  The taste is pretty much the same as the old smoothies I drank, but the benefits are so much more!

The reason I started drinking green smoothies was mainly for energy. I seemed to feel very low on energy even though I get plenty of sleep (thanks to my perfect sleeping baby!) and exercise on a regular basis. One area I failed at over and over again was breakfast. As much effort as I put into planning them out, I just didn't want to wake up in the morning. I needed something easy to make and really packed a punch. The green smoothies so far have done just that. I get the nutrients and proteins that are needed for a healthy balanced breakfast. I also don't have to fight with myself to get my daily fruits and veggies in. It now is much easier to get most of my servings before lunch time! So not only does it taste great, but I get energy, proteins, an easy morning breakfast solution and my daily fruits and veggies! It totally works for me!

You can find tons of smoothie recipes on the internet or even get a book about them. I know that the thought of greens can make some people sick but really you don't taste them at all. It really tastes just like a normal smoothie so give them a try! My blender is fairly good but not great so you will see I still have very small pieces of spinach in the glass. It didn't bother me anymore than strawberry seeds do! Give them a try they might actually work for you too!!

Energy Packed Green Smoothie

Spinach (fresh from the CSA Garden)

Blackberries

Banana

Strawberry

1 tablespoon Flax Seed Oil

1/2 cup water

1 scoop vanilla whey protein (I only added this because I was about to workout, you can omit this)

Add Spinach to blender (about a 40% ratio) Add the fruits (60% ratio), add flax seed oil, water and protein. Blend on high until you are able to breakdown as much as the juice as you can. Pour in glass and enjoy!

Beware energy will soon hit you, you might actually want to clean the bathroom and mop the floors!! Check out all the other great Works For Me Wednesday Post at We are THAT Family!