Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Rice

So it's time to get my act together.  I have been cheating (a lot) on my gluten free eating lately.  And I have been paying dearly for it.  Extremely fatigued, achy, stomach ache- just generally feeling yucky.  So in an attempt to get back on track with gluten-free eating and to save money by menu planning in advance, I compiled 2 weeks worth of dinners that I will be sharing along the way. 

I got my recipes from 2 main sites.  One of my favorites is a website called Gina's skinny Recipes.  I learned about it from a friend and while the recipes aren't labeled "gluten-free" a lot of them are.  And a bonus is all the recipes here are super healthy AND have the Weight Watchers points calculated along with all the nutritional values if you are watching your weight.  The other website I pulled recipes from was the famous "E-mealz."  I heard about it from my friend, Julie.  Basically, you subscribe for a small fee and it gives you budget-friendly meal plans along with prices for grocery stores for each item you'll need to make it.  Wes and I are considering doing it, but I wanted to try some of the meals first to see if it would be something we would like.  So I took the sample menus they had available and tweaked them to make them gluten-free. By the way, they do have a gluten-free E-mealz plan so if we decide to join, that will make things even easier!

So without further adieu, I present to you our first recipe of the week from Gina's Skinny Recipes:

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Rice

Just as delicious as it looks!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 6 oz • Points: 4 pts
Calories: 197.3 • Fat: 4.1g • Protein: 35.9 g • Carb: 2.4 g • Fiber: 0.1 g

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 lb shrimp, shelled and deviened
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime
• salt and pepper

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan, when hot add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp is cooked on one side, about 2 minutes, turn over and add garlic. Sauté another minute or two until shrimp is cooked, careful not to overcook. Remove from heat. Squeeze lime all over shrimp and toss with cilantro. Serve hot.

Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice Copycat Recipe

I have never eaten at Chipotle's but this rice was amazing!!

Chipotle's "Skinny" Cilantro Lime Rice
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 4 • Size: 3/4 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 201.0 • Fat: 3.4 • Carbs: 37.4 • Fiber: 0 • Protein: 4.0 g

• 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
• 1/2 lime, juice of
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 tsp vegetable oil

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.

The Verdict:

We absolutely LOVED this recipe.  It was cheap, healthy, and tasted delicious.  And it was super easy.  The most time consuming part was the rice.  I also sliced fresh yellow squash/zucchini which I steamed and drizzled with honey and salt/cracked pepper.  Needless to say, there were NO leftovers and will definitely be at the top of our recipe list.

Think Before You Speak

If what other people say or do don't matter, then why do they?

Maybe I should rephrase that.  If what other people say or do isn't supposed to matter, then why does it?

This is something that I have fallen victim to more times in my life then I would like to count.  And yet it still happens to me today as a 30 year old.  The only thing that seems to change is the subject matter.  Things like, "why does my friend talk about me behind my back?" or "why did that kid look at me that way" turn into bigger things like "why did they say that about my child?" or "why do they get to stay at home and raise their family and I don't?"  I think I have probably heard "it doesn't matter what other people think"  or "who cares what everyone else is doing" about a million times in my life.  So if it is that important to learn that, then why is it so hard to get into my thick skull?

That is what I want to learn to master in my life.  How to stop caring so much about everyone else and what they are doing or saying.  Whether it is about me personally, or just what they are doing in their own lives that compel me to compare myself and my life. The only things that really matter or that I really need to remember is this:

1)  God loves me exactly the way I am.  In fact, I am the way that I am because that is exactly who He planned for me to be.

2)  I have been blessed beyond measure and in many ways that few people get to experience in life.  I should ALWAYS be thankful for what I have because I have been given so much more than I deserve anyway.

3)  Other people's opinions of me and my family are just that- opinions.  And most of the time those opinions come from a negative place to begin with and from people who really have no insight into having those opinions at all.  In other words, people talk without having any room to talk!  I myself have been so guilty of this before and wish so much I would NEVER be that way again!  Chances are I will fail again but, boy, am I trying so hard not to!  Thank goodness we have a Savior who forgives us when we are wrong and points us in the right direction.

I think the reason that it is so hard to let go of what others say and do is because we are human.  And we get our feelings hurt.  Words can linger and hurt even when they weren't even intended to.  That is why the saying
"think before you speak" is so important.  We may not mean any harm by what comes out of our mouth but we have no idea what it may mean to someone else.  We all go through struggles and down times in our lives so it is important to remember that when we feel the need to run our mouths.  We need to remember to put ourselves in others shoes and realize that we probably don't even have a right to open our mouths in the first place. On days when we wake up and see the sun shining brightly, someone else might see nothing but rain.

I want to be a blessing in someone's life every single day in some way.  Anyone.  Whoever God puts in my path and gives me the opportunity to.  Maybe by just a smile.  Or opening a door.  Or asking "how are you?" and actually caring about the answer.  Whatever it is, I am going to strive to always be a blessing, not the cause of someone's hurt.

Virtual Honeymoon

In celebration of my one month anniversary as a newlywed, I thought I'd take you on a little virtual tour of our honeymoon.

We wanted to go somewhere warm with a beach. That's about all we knew in deciding where to go.  My cousin Jennifer and her husband Neal went to a place in Florida called Siesta Key for their honeymoon and a few other times too and I always thought it sounded so beautiful and fun.  And since it met our criteria for warm and beachy, we decided we would go there.  Not to mention we had so many good suggestions on where to go and what to see, and more importantly, what to EAT!

I will have to say that we had the BEST FOOD EVER while in Siesta Key.  Breakfast was our favorite meal of the day and we bounced back and forth between 2 places that we wish we could've taken home with us.  Seriously, we didn't have a bad meal while we were there.  And looking at all these photos makes me want to burst into tears and catch the first plane back.  Wearing a bib, of course.

It was still dark when we arrived at the airport that morning to leave, so when we saw these, we had to take a pic out of the airplane window!

Welcome to Siesta Key, Florida!

Here is a pic of the first breakfast we had at the Broken Egg Restaurant.  They had the most unbelievable breakfast hashbrown casserole EVER!!!!! And Wes insisted we try the world's largest blueberry pancake.  Which I happily obliged, even though it was full o' gluten :)

That first day was the sunniest day of our trip (we had a lot of rain and clouds) and we stopped to take some pics of the beautiful water.

We went to dinner at a place called "The Old Salty Dog" that was highly recommended to us AND also featured on Man Vs. Food.  I wanted the seafood and Wes, on the other hand, got the SALTY DOG.  But not only did he just order the Salty Dog, but he ordered the works.   Now before I explain what that means, be prepared to have a heart attack just reading what is on it:  8 slices of cheese, sauerkraut, mushrooms, and bacon all on a beer battered fried hot dog.  With fries in case that other stuff didn't clog up your arteries enough.  We also tried mussels for the first time which I didn't care for and Wes licked the bowl :)

For breakfast the next day, we decided to try Jenny and Neal's favorite spot called the Sungarden Cafe.  We loved this place too!  I had a breakfast casserole that was AMAZING and Wes got a ham croissant that was as big as my son's head.  Seriously.  And we also tried a waffle with bacon and pecans baked in because, hey, we were on vacation!

This day was pretty gloomy off and on, but we wanted to at least visit the beach.  We walked around a nearly empty beach and came across this awesome sand sculpture.

Our last day in Siesta Key we spent at a beach right by our resort called Turtle Beach.  It was not as crowded but the waves were so much fun!!

I wish we had taken more pictures, but we were so busy most of the time we just flat out forgot to bring the camera along.  I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our trip.  I am actually kind of depressed realizing that most of our pictures were of food :)  Oh, well.  Contrary to what you might think, we actually did not come back with an extra 5 pounds.  Thank goodness we walked almost everywhere! :)

You Love Me Anyway

 I heard this song for the first time driving to work today.  It was so beautiful and spoke to me so much.  It is perfect to share for this Easter weekend.  Please listen!

You Love Me Anyway

 The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly little lie

It didn't mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind

Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly

But the future's so far
My heart is so frail
I think I'd rather stay inside

But You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life
That I've ever known
Yes You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How you love me

It took all of my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find

The reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And Why do loved ones have to die?

But You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life
That I've ever known
Yes You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

I am the thorn in your crown
But You love me anyway

I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway

I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway

I am Judas' kiss
But You love me anyway

See now I am the man who yelled out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then I turned away with a smile on my face
With this sin in my heart, tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night I still call out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway
Oh God, how You love me
Yes You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life
That I've ever known
Yes You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

You love me 
How You love me 

I Love Being Domestic!

I love being married!!  It has been so wonderful to have a family of my own!  Based on the world's standards, we are kinda boring, but I am loving every second of it :)

The best part about being married is our evenings together as a family.  Coming home from work used to be so different.  I'd make dinner, play with Brian, bathe him, and by the time he went down for bed, I had just about an hour or so to myself before bed.  Now, I get to come home and cook dinner with my husband (who is an amazing cook and LOVES cooking!) and since I am not doing everything by myself anymore, we have plenty of time to do things together.  One thing we've been enjoying is going to my inlaws neighborhood and walking around their "yake" as Brian calls it (translation: "lake").

Last weekend was our first as a married couple with Brian gone to his dad's house.  We had a lovely date night on Friday which included going out to dinner and driving around just talking.  We actually started out by our house and kept driving until we ended up by Pop's.  Not sure how that happened, but we got some good sodas!

On Saturday, we did some yard work and some stuff around the house.  When we got back from our honeymoon, we ordered double park season passes to Frontier City/White Water with some of the leftover money from our trip.  Saturday was opening day at Frontier City for the season so we were hoping to get our passes in the mail- and sure enough, there they were!  So we spent the entire evening riding every ride there.  And some more than once.  Let's just say that my husband is more adventurous than I am.  But I rode the scary ones anyway.  Sometimes you do things to make the people you love happy, huh? :) I pretty much complained about every single ride.  You know you are a grown up when you start saying things like "this doesn't look very safe"  or "this seatbelt doesn't fit tight enough" or "this ride looks 100 years old."  Yes, I am guilty of saying all of these and more, but the truth is I had a blast.  We were starving when we left so we headed to Big Truck Tacos and it was DE-LICIOUS!

Sunday was a great day of church and lunch with our parents (minus my stepdad).  And that evening we spent with our Lifegroup.  It was a pretty great weekend, even though our little guy wasn't with us.  But we have PLENTY planned for our upcoming weekend with him.  Redhawks game on Friday night and Frontier City on Saturday. 

I keep forgetting to load my honeymoon pics from my camera and some pics from Sesame Street Live too.  I will try to remember to do that tomorrow!

Have a great week!  GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!!

Sometimes You Surprise Yourself

Today I learned that I can really surprise myself.  Actually, the more accurate thing to say is that God working in me has really surprised me.

I am the QUEEN of taking a potential situation in my life and making it the most negative, awful, terrible thing EVER- all before it even happens.  most of the time, the terrible, awful thing never even happens!!  So I spend so much precious time worrying and working myself up over nothing.  Please tell me I'm not alone on this??

Anyway, since my divorce I have worked myself up over Brian having a potential stepmother someday.  In my mind, nothing about the word STEPMOTHER was ANYTHING good.  From day one of thinking of this possibility someday, I immediately began thinking things like "she won't be good to my son" or "we won't get along" or "she'll try to replace me." NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE.  Did I really have a reason for thinking any of this?  No way!  The situation hadn't even occurred yet!  But, true to my sometimes overly negative self, I already began approaching this in the wrong way.  Sure, I prayed for God to bring a wonderful man into Brian's and my life, but it never occurred to me to pray for a wonderful woman to come into his life because I had already become so negative about it anyway.

Well, 3 years later and now Brian has a new stepfather.  Who is wonderful! And now Brian also has a new woman in his life that could maybe one day become his stepmother.  And you know what?  God has shown me that the word STEPMOTHER doesn't have to be bad.  Although I don't know this woman at all on a personal level yet, she has already shown me that she is good to my son.  How do I know this from someone I haven't met yet?  Well, for one, sometimes Brian talks about her.  And he always seems excited about it.  And she does special things with him when he's with his dad.  Bottom line, her being good to my son and making him happy makes this mama happy.  And that gives me so much respect for her.  I am sure it isn't easy to be in a relationship with someone who has a child with someone else.  I have respect for those who are. And you and I both know that it can result in one of two things:  1) There is jealousy, bitterness and not really a relationship with the child or 2) a bond, although not Mommy or Daddy, that is special in its own way. I have a feeling that Brian is going to get lucky and get a 2 for 2 on the step parent thing.

What I'm trying to say is that I all but prepared myself for nearly THREE YEARS to despise someone I had never even met!  And what God has slowly been showing me and REALLY brought to my attention today is that I should have trusted HIM with this.  That He is ALWAYS going to have Brian's best interest in mind and is ALWAYS going to make sure He is taken care of and loved.  Wow.  Talk about feeling about an inch tall!  I wish I had trusted Him more all along.  I had faith that I would find someone who loved my son, but regretfully didn't give much thought of his dad doing the same.  Needless to say, I am glad that God is working things out for our good even when we are stubborn and narrow minded.  And I am thankful that he allows us to learn from our mistakes and grow because of them.

Some Wedding Pics

I haven't got to see all of our wedding pics yet, but you can go to our friend Melissa Brown's website to see a few of the beautiful pics she took as well as read the sweet note she wrote about our wedding.  Thank you, Melissa for doing such a wonderful job!  Melissa's husband, David, is also the one who did our ceremony.  He did an amazing job too!  The day was just perfect!

Click here for Jessica and Wesley's Wedding Pics!

My maid of honor and cousin, Jennifer also took some great pics of Brian and me before the wedding.  She and her daughter Addison (Brian's best buddy) came over to help us get ready.  We had such a great time.  She is my cousin, but in my heart she is my sister.  Thank you, Jenny!