Sunset Cruising & Miss Lily Love!

Happy Monday!! I hope you all had a great weekend! Mr Tan Lines and I had a much needed relaxed and lazy weekend! As I mentioned on Friday we went sunset cruising and it was a blast! The weather ended up clearing up and we got to see a gorgeous sunset. The water was a little chilly because of the heavy rains we’ve been having, but it helped that it was still 90+ degrees out! I ended up making a cheese and meat platter from Publix and we snacked on that while we cruised! Here are some pictures!

I loved sunset cruising for a lot of reasons but first and foremost because it was the perfect way to end a busy work week. The water was calm, the weather was perfect and it felt great to be out there and enjoy the music and each other’s company. We cannot wait to do it again soon!

And here are some pictures of the gorgeous sunset!

Saturday we spent the day laying around and snuggling with Miss Lily, we took her to the dog park Saturday evening and boy was she worn out! We then had a low key dinner, homemade pizzas! I bought the freshly made dough from Publix along with our favorite toppings! My half had fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, green peppers, onions and some shredded mozzarella! Mr Tans Lines had fresh mozzarella, ham and pineapple! We have very different tastes when it comes to pizza so I always have to make them split like this :) They turned out so delicious that I'm making them again tonight, we had so many toppings left over...can't let them go to waste right?!

I also used our new pizza stone which we love! We got it as a wedding gift from Williams Sonoma and it’s been great! You can use it in the oven or on the grill to cook your pizza! Once it cools down a bit we’ll definitely try it out on the grill!

Here are all of the pictures of Miss Lily being a cutie pie this weekend! The zebra blanket is not part of our normal decor, it was drizzling all day and of course she was in and out so we wanted to make sure she stayed nice and warm! 

This was right after we got home from the dog park!

Unleashing her inner cat!

The Best Salmon Salad You'll Ever Make!

Happy happy Friday everyone! I am so looking forward to the weekend because we have no plans and I cannot wait to just sit back and relax! We are going boating tonight for a little sunset cruise, so hopefully the clouds go away and I can post some pictures on Monday!

Last night I made the most delicious salmon salad so I had to share it with you guys. I made it on Tuesday but forgot to take pictures, so naturally I had to make it again! :) Mr Tan Lines is quite in love with it, looks like I’ll be making this one about once a week!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 salmon filets (4-5 oz each)

Adobo all-purpose seasoning

1 lemon

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp fresh goat cheese (optional)

4 cups mixed greens (I use 2 cups per salad)

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 cucumber

1/2 chopped red onion

For the salmon filets: I seasoned each side with about a tsp of the Adobo all-purpose seasoning. Put 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and heat to medium-high. Place salmon in hot pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side. I like my salmon well-done and Mr Tan Lines prefers his medium so you have to gauge the thickness of each piece to determine what kind of wellness you want. Set aside to cool.

For the dressing: combine the extra virgin olive oil, pepper, Dijon and juice from 1 lemon in a bowl and stir. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion. Pour 3-4 tablespoons into the bowl of the dressing and mix well. I hate over dressed salads, so use however much you like. 3-4 tablespoons will lightly coat everything. You can also use your dressing on the side if you want!

Split the salad into two large bowls. Place the salmon filets in the center of your salad. Crumble the fresh goat cheese on top, I for one love goat cheese so I have a heavy hand; just use however much like. You can also use fresh blue cheese if you prefer. Voila! That’s it. I put pictures below of the finished product and my dressing on the side in a small bowl. This is truly one of the best salads that I have ever had; I hope you’ll try it out!

Here are two pictures of Miss Lily yesterday lounging and enjoying herself! Isn’t she the most adorable puppy! I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Thursday Recipe Fun!

Happy Thursday! Yay one more day until Friday!

So today I have two new, healthy recipes I wanted to share with ya’ll! I made one for dinner last night and then one for lunch today, I hope you try them both out because they are delicious! Here is a picture of me from last night cooking with my girl Ina! Please excuse my bad hair, this was after my late afternoon kick boxing class that really kicked my butt!

The first one is super easy AND healthy…it’s sloppy joe’s!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/2 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup diced zucchini

1/4 cup diced carrots

1/2 tsp oregano

6 turns of fresh cracked black pepper

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp dry mustard

A few sprinkles of chili powder (depends on how much heat you want)

1 can of diced tomatoes with no salt added

1 small can of tomato sauce

Here’s what I did:

Brown the turkey meat in a skillet, add everything from the list above into the skillet and simmer for 20 minutes. ENJOY. I know, it really is that simple. I serve them in mini whole-wheat pita pockets but you can also scoop it onto whole wheat hamburger buns for the real sloppy joe effect. Either way, you’ll really love them!  Ready for the next one?!

Next up is lighter chicken fajita lunch wraps. Because I used two small chicken pieces I simply sprinkled a little bit of each condiment on each one. For a more accurately measured homemade taco seasoning refer to my older posts!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Two thin sliced chicken breasts (or two 4-5 oz pieces)

1/2 of a green pepper sliced

1/2 of a large onion sliced

Garlic salt

Onion powder

Oregano

Fresh cracked black pepper

Salt

Cumin

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Sour cream (I used a light kind)

Whole grain tortillas

Mexican cheese (I used a reduced fat kind)

Here’s what I did:

Season your chicken with the condiments and place into a sauté pan with 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. The thin sliced chicken only takes about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the heat and set aside to cool. In the same pan place your sliced white onion and green peppers, sauté on medium for about 10 minutes until the onions are just starting to caramelize. Lay your tortillas on flat surface, spread a tablespoon of sour cream on each one. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of cheese on top of the sour cream. Slice your chicken and place on top of the cheese, top with the onion and green peppers, wrap up and enjoy! This is a great on-the-go meal that takes no time to prepare and is delicious to eat the next day!

I wanted to end today’s post with some pictures of Miss Lily. She had a very relaxing day yesterday, can't you tell?!

Top Ten Favorite Scary Movies!

It’s hump day! Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great week! I know I am! Mr Tan Lines brought me home flowers last night just because :) My favorite, pink roses! Aren’t they beautiful!? I also got this cute little sign at a local boutique, I know they’re pretty popular but I finally decided to purchase one, I thought it looked perfect in our wine corner!

So today I wanted to do a top ten list I decided to share my top 10 favorite scary movies. Being a scary movie enthusiast I have seen my fair share, I picked the ones that I can watch over and over again yet they give me chills every time I watch them. It was really hard coming up with the list and even harder to rank them, but here they are!

     1. Sinister

     2. The entire Saw series

     3. Dawn of the Dead

     4. 28 Days Later

     5. The Hills Have Eyes

     6. The Woman In Black

     7. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

     8. The Mothman Prophecies

     9. Pet Cemetery

     10. House of Wax

Happy Wednesday! :)

Brew At The Zoo & Gamecox's Bachelorette Party!

Doesn’t it just feel like your weekends fly by sometimes?! I know I feel that way at least! I had a fabulous weekend and I hope ya’ll did too! We started out with a something unique and fun to the area, at little event called Brew at the Zoo! The local zoo invites local breweries to set up tents and sample out their latest and greatest! There were over 40+ vendors there with samples spread throughout the entire zoo! There were also some food tents and a live band. It was a sold out event but the crowds didn’t seem too big! We walked around and re-visited a few of the animals and sampled beers as we went. It is such a neat concept and we have a great time, can’t wait to do it again next year :)

On Saturday I headed to Charlotte, NC with Gamecox and her bridesmaids to celebrate her bachelorette party! It was a short drive and we arrived in Charlotte around 3pm. We hung around the room and got ready then a make-up artist came and dolled us all up! It was great to have someone do our make up for us, definitely added to the night. We then headed to a nice dinner uptown and then we hit Howl at the Moon, Charlotte’s very own dueling piano bar! We had a VIP table reserved for us and it was so much fun dancing and singing along to the band! Here is picture of the beautiful bride to be and then a selfie of us both!

I headed back Sunday morning and Mr Tan Lines and I decided to take the boat out with Captain Lily. It was her first time on a center console but she did really great. It went a lot faster than the tritoon boats so we were a little worried, but once again Captain Lily surprised us all! She had a great time playing in the sand and even got in the water a little further this time!

Last week I tried two different and new wines that I wanted to share with you! The first was suggested by Clam to me, it was a Primitivo from Grifone that I purchased from Trader Joe’s. It was delicious! Primitivo is also known as a Zifandel and is a variety of a black-skinned wine grape. The grape was primarily found in the Puglia region (the “heel” of Italy) until the 19th century when it made its way to the states.  It’s usually a very robust red wine but that always depends on the ripeness of the grapes.  I paired it with a small piece of sirloin and some asparagus and it was just fabulous, it had great blackberry and pepper notes that I enjoyed.

The second was a Malbec from one of my favorite brands Trapiche. I have tried several of their varietals but never the Malbec and I can say that I very much enjoyed it! I actually cooled this one for about 20 minutes in the freezer before popping it open. I don’t know if it was the hot weather but it tasted absolutely delicious and smooth and was so refreshing being that it was chilled. I also wanted to show off the cute wine dress M&M got for Mr Tan Lines and I from their recent trip to Turkey! Isn’t it so cute!

I don’t know about you but I am SO excited for Bachelor in Paradise tonight! Looks like all of the train wrecks from previous seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelorette that we love to hate are back to bring some joy and entertainment to our lives! Can’t wait to see what have in store for them! 

And lastly, here is the cutest picture of Miss Lily after a fun day at the dog park!

Until next time! :)