Siracha Lime Salmon

This recipe is originally from Self Magazine, but I found it on Pinterest (along with everything else in my life). It is one of Gwenyth Paltrow's recipes, and if you have seen Gwenyth Paltrow lately, you'll want to give it a shot. It was SO yummy! I will definitely be making this multiple times this summer and will have the husband throw it on the grill next time.

Siracha Lime Salmon (from here)

1 1/4 lbs pounds salmon fillet, skin removed (I kept the skin on and it was just fine)
Juice and zest of 1/2 lime (I actually used a whole lime- LOVE lime!)
1 tbsp maple syrup 
1 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt 
2 tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions
Heat oven to 425°. In a bowl, whisk together juice, zest, syrup, sriracha and salt. Place salmon in a baking dish lined with parchment paper; pour lime-maple mixture over top. Roast salmon until cooked through and flaky, about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro; serve. I served it with grilled corn on the cob and a fresh salad- so good!

 

Six and Thirty

May 12. We meet again. Apparently I've been using the term birthiversary so long that my phone's autocorrect recognizes it- as if to say "here you go stupid, you're the only one who actually means to write this non-word so I'll save you some time". Regardless, here we are. Today is our 6th anniversary and the husband's 30th that's 3-0 birthday. It's easy to say the cliche time has flown by so fast. Which is mostly true. Most days and weeks have flown by way too quickly, but then there are days that haven't. We've been blessed by 6 years of smiles and laughter and random dance parties just because it's Thursday. We've also had the bottom drop out on us and feel as though we couldn't possibly make it through one more day. On days that felt too hard to even pray, we have thanked God for each other. That through it all, we weren't doing life alone. So here's to 6 years and 76 more of morning cups of coffee, evening walks, spontaneous beach trips, movie nights with homemade pizza and random dance parties just because it's Monday. There is no one else I'd rather do life with.

Of course, I can't end this post without recognizing the fact that the husband has hit the triple decade mark... though he was mistaken for a 16 year old student on Tuesday. Last weekend, his family was in town to celebrate and last night we had some friends over to our house for little cookout (which I am now realizing I didn't take a single picture last night). Here are some pictures of the festivities last weekend.

Mother's Day

I've had a different outlook on Mother's Day for the past two years. Mother's Day 2011, I was pregnant for the first time and bursting with joy. By Mother's Day 2012, I had two miscarriages and didn't really want to acknowledge the day. Four miscarriages later, here we are at Mother's Day 2013 and I have a bit of a different view.  It is a day to celebrate Mothers, each and every kind of mother. While I'm not up all night with round the clock feedings or chasing a toddler around the house, I have experienced some of the most real emotions that a mother can. Mother's Day this year also falls on our anniversary (and the husband's birthday). I got a necklace that serves as a visual representation of our story and also allows me to carry our little ones around with us at all times. The silver mom charm is self explanatory. I have three Heavenly babies waiting on me. The gold leaf charm is actually called the grow charm. This is because I am confident that God is still growing us and shaping us throughout all of this. The bird charm is because all of our babies left to be with their Heavenly Father. The cross serves as the reason we can still have hope. We serve a God who knows our pain and loves us through it. Because of the cross, we can rest assured that the best is yet to come and death truly has not won. Lastly, there are three little birthstones. January for baby 1, August for baby 2 and October for baby 3. I had a hard time deciding on whether I should get 3 or 4 given that medically, I've had four miscarriages. The third one was a chemical pregnancy at 4.5 weeks, so we never got an ultrasound, saw a heartbeat or had a due date. Because of this, I chose three. I may change my mind down the road, but this seemed right for now. I fully expect to get comments and questions about it from strangers who don't know our story and will ask me about my children. I haven't prepared the perfect response to give in the Publix checkout line or to well-intentioned coworkers, but will answer honestly as the questions come. While I don't have pictures of my kids on my phone or in my wallet (does anyone honestly still do that?), I can wear this and feel as though they are still a part of me.

All of the charms except the bird are from Stella and Dot. If you need a stylist, I can recommend Amanda Luton. She is a former coworker of mine and is the best :)

Basic Banana Bread

I really love banana bread. Simple, traditional, without-all-of-the-extras banana bread. It's the perfect option when you have ripe bananas that you don't want to throw out. This recipe is just that. It's super easy and you most likely already have all of the ingredients.

Basic Banana Bread (adapted from here)
- 3 ripe bananas peeled
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour
*Obviously, you can add walnuts, chocolate chips, cranberries, blueberries, or whatever else your heart desires. This recipe is perfect by itself or to use as a starter recipe.

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 and mix bananas, butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended (leaving a few lumps).

2. Mix in the egg, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well blended.

3. Gradually mix in the flour until everything is thoroughly mixed.

4. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 45 min to an hour (depending on your oven). The original recipe called for an hour, but mine was perfect after 45 min.

Enjoy with a great cup of coffee!