31st Birthday.

31!!!

I'm officially 31. 

Definitely starting to feel old. haha

Last weekend we celebrated my Birthday at home since Italy is still on Lockdown.

It made me a little sad that we can't go anywhere.

But, Hubby made my birthday amazing.

..And the important thing is we are together, happy and healthy. 

that's what all matters.

I had an excuse to play dress up and put on my make up.

It felt so nice.

If you are also going to celebrate your birthday on a lockdown..

Don't feel bad for doing something good for yourself. 

Birthday only happens only once a year, it may be just another day

but it's YOUR day. 

Celebrate YOU even if it's just for a day.

I'm so grateful for these 3. 

They prepared everything for my day.

To decor, food, drinks and everything.

We had a dinner in the Backyard.

I'm glad the weather is cooperating this year. 

Every April here in Italy is always raining.

Hubby grilled some Lobster and Steaks. 

It was a Surf and Turf dinner.

If you noticed I love that kind of dinner. 

It was my request!

It was amazing!!!

It was such a perfect day with my loves. 

xoxo

-Jen

31

31 never felt so good. :)

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad

This week has been awesome.

Hubby didn't work all week and it felt like we are more active than usual during this lockdown.

We've been doing good with our own workouts, tomorrow we are going to workout together 

and this afternoon we played Badminton and it felt amazing!

We took a few days off from Homeschooling since its Spring Break.

So doing something different this week was amazing. 

...And with eating.

I think we are doing good too!

Today we let go a little bit and had a Chocolate Chip Cookies Ice cream!

Yummmmm

It's all about balance, right?

Anyways, I made this Salad tonight!

It's only a side though.

It's perfect for side or if you want to make it a main meal, It would

be good to add more protein to it. 

Whatever you prefer. 

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 1 bag of fresh, organic spinach
• 1 carton of organic strawberries
• 2 large Hass avocados, sliced into cubes
• 1/3 cup of raw walnuts or slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup of crumbled goat feta or goat cheese
• 1 tsp of sumac to season

   Use your favorite Dressing or this:

 Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup of good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp of tamari sauce (GF soy-sauce)
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

So light, so fresh, so good.

Enjoy!!!

xoxo

-Jen

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

Me and hubby loves Chinese food so much.

But, this Beef and Broccoli Lo mein that I've been making is our favorite.

It's definitely been a while since we had a good Chinese food.

It's good that I can make these when we are craving for some.

This was not hard to make.

The noodles was optional, you can eat it with rice. 

Taste as awesome with noodles. 

Let me know what you guys think!

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

Ingredients:
For the marinate:

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
-1 tsp sugar 
-1 tbsp cornstarch 
-1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 
-1 tbsp water 
-2 tbsp vegetable oil 
-1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips 

Other ingredients:

-1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
-2 tbsp brown sugar 
-4 cloves garlic,minced 
-2 tbsp flour 
-1 tbsp sherry (optional) 
-3 tbsp vegetable oil 

-8 oz dried egg noodles (cooked according to package)

-2 heads broccoli, crowns only 

-1 Red bell pepper, chopped

-1 cup mushrooms, chopped

Directions: 

-Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. 

Toss the steak with the marinate to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

-In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour, and sherry until smooth. Set aside

-Meanwhile, cook the Egg noodles according to package, set aside.

 -In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the broccoli, red bell pepper, mushroom and saute for 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to a plate. 

-Reduce the heat to medium-high. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan, Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the noodles, the vegetables and remaining sauce. 

Saute 1 minute more and serve. Enjoy!:)

Enjoy!!!

xo

Don't stop...

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go,

As long as you don't stop."

Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa

Who else is ready for Summer??!!

It's definitely been so nice to have a nice weather these days and even though 

we can't do anything else outside other than being in the backyard.

Cooking something fresh and good like these makes me so happy. 

We always grill meat and for a change we grilled seafood!

Adding the Mango Salsa to it just makes it perfect. 

I highly recommend it!

Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa

• Salmon:
• 
  
• 4 (6 oz) skinless salmon fillets
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for grill
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mango Salsa:

• 2 Mangos, diced (ripe)
• 1/2 small Red Onion, diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeño, de-seeded and membranes removed, diced
• 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• juice from one Lime, (small)

Directions:

For Salmon:

1. -In an 11x7-inch baking dish whisk together olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste (a fair amount of each). 
2. 
   
   -Place salmon in baking dish, cover and allow to marinate in refrigerator 15 - 30 minutes, then flip salmon to opposite side and allow to marinate 15 - 30 minutes longer. 
   
   
   -Preheat a grill over medium-high heat during last 10 minutes of marinating.
3. Brush grill grates with oil. Place salmon on grill and grill about 3 minutes per side or until just cooked through (turn carefully as the salmon will be fragile)

For Mango Salsa:

1. Combine the mango, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and cilantro in a medium size bowl.
2. Sprinkle with salt, and the lime juice. (start with juice from 1/2 a lime first, then taste and add more lime juice as desired).
3. Stir to combine.
4. Allow the salsa to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to serving, this gives time for the flavors to blend and the fruit and peppers to soften in the lime juice.
5. Store covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Every bite was sooo good guys.

Let me know if you tried it!

xoxo

-Jen

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pretzel Cookies

Happy Monday Friends!

How was your weekend?

Back to Homeschooling day!

I love having a ready treats for us at home. 

I miss being able to buy fresh pastries at the bakery by our house.

I guess for now I have to make homemade ones for a little while.

Remember this awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe? ( Chocolate Chip Cookies )

I added a twist to it an its so amazing!

The crunch that added to it makes it even better.

Let me know what you guys think!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pretzel Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cups pretzels (chopped)
• 1 1/2 cups pecans (chopped)
• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

• Cream butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Refrigerate it for 3 hours or overnight (This Is what makes it perfect)
• Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.
  
  
  
  

Have a great week ahead!

xoxo

-Jen

Inhale Hope...

"Inhale Hope

Exhale Fear."

Weekend Eats (Appetizer food)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Another weekend is over. 

One more week and we will see if the lockdown will be over.

...Or extended.

How did your weekend go?

For us, well..

Like always, Food is probably the highlight.

We decided to have Finger food/Appetizer food kind of weekend!

I love it when we do this. 

Perfect for drinking days and movie days!

Our favorite Cheese board.

Last Christmas I bought a bigger Cheese board. 

Hubby wasn't home that time so I decided to make some again.

He helped me make it and it was such a fun time!

There is so many inspiration in Pinterest, Google if you are looking for one. 

I love how it makes you creative with these boards. 

Then, I also made a few dish to add. 

This awesome Crostini was so good.

We never had one with Pesto so I thought this was very interesting.

It was soo good!

Tomato Pesto Cream Cheese Crostini

Ingredients:

• 1 large French baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• Oil spray
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1/2 cup high-quality pesto
• 2 cans RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, well drained
• 2 tablespoons parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bread with oil spray to lightly coat. Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake in the oven for 8 minutes until breads are toasted.
2. Remove from oven and spread with cream cheese, then pesto. 

         3  Mix together tomatoes and parsley and spoon onto toasts. 

         4. Optional: breads can be eaten cold or heated in the oven for about 5 minutes to warm      

          ingredients.

And of course, You have to have some dip for Appetizer day. 

I have mangoes in the fridge all the time now so this is the easiest one to make.

So good guys, It did not disappoint.

So easy to make!!!

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 Mangos, diced (ripe)
• 1/2 small Red Onion, diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeño, de-seeded and membranes removed, diced
• 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• juice from one Lime, (small)

Directions:

1. Combine the mango, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and cilantro in a medium size bowl.
2. Sprinkle with salt, and the lime juice. (start with juice from 1/2 a lime first, then taste and add more lime juice as desired).
3. Stir to combine.
4. Allow the salsa to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to serving, this gives time for the flavors to blend and the fruit and peppers to soften in the lime juice.
5. Store covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These are also perfect for days when you have friends at home.

It was such an amazing dinner. 

Hubby definitely has the best ideas ever. 

Let me know if you tried it!!!

xoxo

-Jen

Spinach and Artichoke Gnocchi

Hello friends!

How's your week going?

Made another special dish tonight...

Yup, I'm on a roll.

To be honest, this does feel good.

To be able to cook a lot more like the old times back in the US.

I love cooking, it feels so therapeutic to me.

Anyways, Today's dish is another Gnocchi dish.

Well, since my husband does most of the food shopping.

He shops so different to me.

I like to be exact with my recipe because I don't want anything to go waste.

Well him... He buys double most of the ingredients so here we are.

I have to make another Gnocchi dish. 

That's not a bad thing though.

The boys love Gnocchi, I do too!

Too bad my husband didn't get to taste this because the boys loved it too much. haha!!

This Gnocchi dish is made with Spinach and Artichoke.

I like sneaking some vegetable on my dish so the boys will get to have some veggies on 

their dish.

They didn't even to notice it! haha

Spinach and Artichoke Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 (8.8 ounce/250g) block of cream cheese softened
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken or veg broth
• 1 pound potato gnocchi
• 1 (14 fluid ounce) can artichokes (packed in water) drained and chopped
• 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. I suggest letting the cream cheese sit on the counter for a while - it's much easier to work with when it's softened. Roughly chop your artichokes. 
2. Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cream cheese until it's melty.
3. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about a minute.
4. Add the chicken broth and stir the sauce until it's smooth.
5. Add the gnocchi and artichokes. Give it a good stir. 
6. Add the spinach to the pan. I just let it sit on top.
7. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the cheese and let the gnocchi cook uncovered for another couple of minutes until it's cooked through. 
9. Season gnocchi with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately. 

By the way, This dish is pretty rich.

I suggest having it for a side than a main dish.

The Gnocchi cooks with the sauce so you don't need to pre-cook it.

It doesn't take long!

I think the boys loved it!

Let me know what you guys think!

xoxo

-Jen

It's Okay...

"It's okay...
If the only thing
you did
today
was breath."

Mango Float

The weather last week was really nice, It felt like Summer is almost here and 

it made me crave for some Tropical Dessert.

Even though today's weather is back to cold/windy day again.

I still went ahead and made this awesome dessert. 

Also, my cravings for fruits and veggies have been crazy. 

So I have been getting more fresh produce when I get a chance to go to the 

Grocery store.

...And every time I get mangoes, it has been so good!!!!

I couldn't stop thinking about making this so I just did. 

This is probably the first dessert I have ever learned to make.

I mean.... It's not that hard!

I made it extra special, because these days cooking is probably one of the way I can be creative at. 

Let me know what you guys think!!!

Mango Float

Ingredients

• 2 half pints (236 ml each) whipping or heavy Cream, chilled
• 1/2-2/3 cup sweetened condensed Milk, or to taste (adjust to your preferred sweetness)1
• 1 cup Mango puree, from fresh mangoes if possible
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Honey, to taste (optional)
• 3-4 Mangoes, ripe and thinly sliced (use soft or tender Mangoes for easier slicing)
• 1 pack Graham Crackers
• 6 tbsp Sliced Almonds, divided into three parts (2 tbsp each)
• Maraschino Cherries, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a mixer beat the cream on high speed until the volume increases and the mixturethickens about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and gently stir in the condensed milk. Add the vanilla extract and mango puree and gently stir just until mixed in. Adding a small amount of Honey is optional. I added it because the mangoes I had were sweet-tart so to balance it out I mixed some honey. I believe the small amount of honey made a difference in the taste, too. If your mango is already sweet it may not be necessary. Taste the cream and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
2. Assemble the Graham Crackers on the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish (has to be freezer-safe). Fill in the gaps with smaller pieces.
3. Spread 1/3 of the cream mixture on top of the Graham crackers. Arrange the mango slices on top of the cream. You can arrange them however you want to. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the sliced Almonds.
4. Repeat the process twice. For the third layer you can add some Maraschino Cherries for garnish. You can add as many Mango slices as you have available. Sprinkle with the remaining sliced Almonds.

   
   
5. The next step is very important. Whether you are serving it in a few hours or the next day – you need to chill it properly. Immediately after assembling the dish, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for at least an hour – preferably 2 hours. This will help set the cream. Transfer to the fridge and chill for another 1-2 hours and then serve. If serving it the next day then, after freezing it, just place it in the refrigerator overnight and take out and serve when needed. It should come out perfect and easy to slice and will not disintegrate.

Enjoy!!!

xo

-Jen