Friday afternoon I was so excited to come home and see that our new patio chair came in! Molly's boyfriend Charlie was hanging out with us for the weekend, so we spent the afternoon enjoying the new furniture and the HOT Los Angeles day.
Friday night we attended the engagement party of my co-worker Tracey and her new fiance Andrew. The party was hosted by her Aunt Nancy in their gorgeous Beverly Hills home. We thoroughly enjoyed these yummy apps, wine, and celebrating the newly engaged couple! Excited to be helping Tracey plan the wedding of her dreams :)
Like every other girl photo, we took at least five to get one we liked. I went to upload it and Google put them all together! How funny is this??
Saturday we did a lot of couch sitting! These cute beagles hung out with me while I watched a ton of basketball. Saturday evening we went over to Culver City to have dinner with AJ's cousin, Stephanie, and check out her art. We purchased our first piece of original artwork form her! I'm thinking it will be added to the couch collage.
Sunday morning I jumped back on the exercise wagon. Last year, I was working out 5 days a week at 5:00am and I just reached a point of exhaustion. With all the traveling we did during the holidays, I REALLY slacked off and quit working out completely. I have been feeling a little "soft" as I like to put it, so I started back running yesterday. (So sore today!) As I was walking back inside, the dew caught my eye - I thought it was a great for Palm Sunday!
We tried out Brentwood Presbyterian this week and really liked it! Neither one of us had ever been to a Presbyterian church before, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. It was a great mixture of the structure like Episcopal with some contemporary music thrown it. We will definitely be giving this one a second try! Sunday afternoon I did some Easter baking, which I will share with you tomorrow! Post Lemonade lunch selfie..
After dinner, Age did a little guitar playing for his favorite girls. I have not been as happy as I was in this moment in a really long time. The move to California has been rough, particularly on me. Things are getting easier, this place is growing on me, and I am incredibly blessed to have such a supportive husband making this journey worth the ride.
Dinner Menu 3/30/15
Sunday: Fish Tacos
Any kind of tacos are quick and easy, but I love doing ours with fish to make them healthier. AJ made a quick spice rub and blackened the tilapia in the cast iron skillet. We paired the fish with sour cream, lettuce and his infamous mango salsa.
Monday: Black Bean Cakes
We always try to do a meatless Monday (or some day of the week) for cost and calorie savings. One of my favorites that we recycle pretty often, are black bean cakes. They are served best with a dollop of sour cream and mango salsa (leftover from last night - save and re-use for cost savings!)
AJ's Mango Salsa Recipe
1 mango diced
Juice of 3 limes
1/2 of red onion diced
1 tblsp of sugar
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
Tuesday: Caprese Chicken
I have been reading up on growing basil in an effort to keep these plants alive! Apparently, I need to prune them often. So a recipe involving basil (AKA pesto, my FAVORITE!) had to be on the menu this week. We take boneless/skinless chicken breasts and sear them, then throw them in a casserole dish with cherry tomatoes, AJ's homemade pesto, Parmesan cheese and bake until the chicken is cooked through.
Wednesday: Nut Crusted Cod and Asparagus
I usually plan the menu with recycled recipes and Pryor staples, but leave a day or two for AJ to try something new. He has been wanting to try his hand at nut crusted fish for quite awhile, so I grabbed some cod fillets that were on sale and we plan to pair them with asparagus.
Thursday: Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas
When we have tacos on the menu, I always find an additional recipe that uses tortillas to not let the leftovers go to waste. This is one of my favorite Pinterest recipes I have found - how they are skinny is beyond me! You can find the recipe
HERE. It makes a ton, so I put this on Thursday so AJ can have quick leftovers when I go to Georgia this weekend!
Our groceries for the week are usually around $70.. this includes breakfast and lunch for the week for AJ, dinner for the both of us for five nights, and any household items we are running low on. As you can see, a little meal planning, and thinking ahead can save money and not let food go to waste! I am planning another post to dive deeper on money saving tips we use to be able to afford the crazy cost of living in Los Angeles.
xoxo,
