It has been raining since Sunday and the sun finallllyyyyyy came out yesterday evening for the first day of summer! Summertime means it's officially ice cream season, even though I kind of feel like ice cream should be enjoyed all year long! Who's with me? Speaking of ice cream, when we were in Hawaii we ate at an amazing gelato spot (two nights in a row) and had a seriously delicious toasted coconut flavor that I haven't been able to get out of my head since we returned! Naturally, I had to recreate this flavor at home and the result was amazing! My chocolate coated toasted coconut ice cream might have just earned a spot as my most favorite ice cream I've ever made!
If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times, weeknight meals have to be quick and easy at my house! No one has time for a dinner that takes more than thirty minutes on any given weeknight with everything else going on throughout the day! I love a meal that even when I am exhausted doesn't take too much effort and tastes delicious too! Fried rice has always been one of my favorite meals to whip up on a busy day, and until now I have never really been a fan of cauliflower rice! BUT my Easy Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice changed my mind and I have a feeling if you have been hesitant to get on the cauliflower bandwagon, it will change your mind too!
I use our grill about 90% of the time during the summer months. I find myself cooking just about anything and everything on it from meats to veggies to pizzas! I love not having to turn on my oven and the flavor that a grill gives food is hard to beat! Skewers are one of those things that you can make out of any ingredients you have in your fridge and are a great way to use up some of your favorite summer vegetables! My grilled lemon and thyme chicken sausage and veggie skewers are so perfect for any night of the week and your whole family will love them too!
Summer isn't officially here, but I feel like it has already made it's way to Texas! Blazing hot days have me craving all of the light dishes I can get my hands on! Fresh salads, fruits, and smoothies are on repeat around our house lately because the thought of turning my oven on just sounds like a bad idea! I love making recipes that I can have on hand to eat on throughout the week that are ready to go in the fridge for easy and healthy lunches! My peach and fennel chicken salad is my new favorite lunch that makes for a great sandwich or lettuce wrap any day of the week!
Have you ever had a guava? I had my first one in Costa Rica almost ten years ago and fell in love with their unique flavor, that is hard to describe until you taste one! While we were in Hawaii a couple of weeks go, my love for the fruit reawakened with all of the guava that was readily available to us wherever we went! I knew I needed to find some when we returned home! While it is hard to find the pink variety here in Texas, I was able to find the white flesh variety at my local grocery store! Both are delicious by the way, so I snagged a bag of them! I used them to create my guava caipirinhas, which is a twist on one of my favorite Brazilian cocktails!
Since coming home from Hawaii, I can't help but remember some of my favorite flavors that I experienced on the island. One of the reasons that I love traveling so much is because of the inspiration I always get from the food that I eat! We ate breakfast at a little spot on the water one morning and before our main entrees came, they served us macadamia nut banana muffins that were out of this world! If you didn't already know, macadamia nuts are everywhere in Hawaii and so they use them in tons of dishes ranging from salads to baked goods! I gave the muffin a healthy spin and added a little coconut for even more of a tropical feel! My healthy macadamia and coconut banana muffins are so good AND so good for you, that they will be your new favorite go-to breakfast!
