Lately I’ve been at a loss of what meals to prepare…trying to eat healthier, but keep the menu exciting.
I also haven’t been spending a lot of time on Pinterest, but remembered that I have oodles of recipes just waiting to be tested. I clicked around and was reminded of two which I made this weekend ~ both yummy and on the healthier side. Win. Win. At least in my book!
I served it on a little chopped romaine and garden tomato salad with this spiiiicy sauce as a dressing. If you can handle heat and you want a lo-cal dip, dressing or condiment, you need to make this. I’ve had the Pioneer Woman version {made with full mayo}, the reduced guilt version that I attempted {half mayo, half light sour cream and the juice of 2-3 limes} and Julie’s brilliant concoction {fat free greek yogurt and lime juice…and the chipotles in adobo, too, of course!}. I can tell you that I cannot tell the difference AT ALL in all three versions. Julie is a genius and did the math on the calorie count for us and all you need to know is go with GREEK!
This sauce can go on anything that you want to spice up ~ baked potatoes, sandwiches, eggs, tacos, burritos, salads, fresh veggies, nachos, fish, burgers, etc.
Make some….it really is awesome at 7 calories a tablespoon.
My Mom/Gramma celebrated her 70th birthday over Labor Day weekend.
We knew all along, obviously, that we wanted to do something extra special to celebrate and toyed with the idea of a surprise party, a gathering at a fun Mexican restaurant overlooking Lake Hodges, a formal dinner party or appetizers at sunset. We decided {just 2 weeks before the party} that it would be a beachy brunch.
I sprung into action and set out to find all things turquoise, blue and green! I picked up these simple seashell notecards at Michael’s for just 75¢ a pack, quickly drafted up the inside, printed them and popped them in the mail.
The same day I found the invites, I also picked up four colored glass bottles at Ross on clearance for $2.49 each…
You can see a couple of them in the pic above ~ the other two were perched on the mantel and in the entry way. I also found a cute, beachy sign that said “Sands Of Time” that I leaned up again the bottle that greeted the guests at the front door {unfortunately no pic, but that was also just $2.49}. The turquoise branches were recycled from Elliott’s party in May.
The tablecloth was just a huge piece of burlap that I bought at Home Depot thanks to the idea from my good friend and fellow party planner, Lisa! It was less than $4 and fit the table perfectly. I liked the fact that it was rustic and wrinkled and gave the impression of sand on the beach.
I tried to keep the menu easy and delicious, of course. I chose to do a couple of the breakfast casseroles that can be prepared the night before and taken from the fridge to the oven the next morning for stress-free entertaining. I did one with sourdough, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and feta adapted from here. Then I did one with the hash browns, sausage, onions, red peppers and cheddar. {see how it comes together in the link above} They were both a huge hit. I named the menu items after San Diego beaches ~ Coronado Breakfast Casserole, Wind N Sea Breakfast Casserole, Fiesta Island Fruit Salad and Mission Beach Monkey Bread.
We sipped on champagne drinks ~ mimosas {OJ} and hibiscus {cranberry juice}
For desserts I made the cake batter blondies, picked up some mini cupcakes and a mini new york cheesecake…
I used some coordinating ribbon {75¢/roll} and made some little picks for the desserts.
It was great to see so many friends from throughout the years…
{Playing “Happy Birthday” on the maracas!}
Singing, making a wish and blowing out the candles…
*****
I really did enjoy throwing this together at the {last minute}. I did what I could here at home like make the paint chip buntings, plan the menu, make the blondies and shop for a few decorations. I made my grocery list, shopped in San Diego and knocked that out the afternoon before the party via Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s. What I love about brunch is that it is extremely affordable ~ all the groceries for about 40 people were approximately $75. I decorated and prepped the casseroles the night before so all I had to do before the party {started at 11am} was put together the fruit salad {bought pre-chopped melon and added grapes} in the glass jar, make the monkey bread and plate the desserts.
Invites, paper plates, napkins, utensils, cups and decor were about $30…everything else I already had or utilized from my mom’s already beachy house!
It was the easiest, breeziest {to-go} party and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
Mom/Gramma, we hope you enjoyed visiting with all your precious friends and neighbors. Here’s to a wonderful, fresh new year ahead for you! We love you very much and are fortunate to have you in our lives.
*****
I could never stay long enough on the shore, the tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought. ~ Hellen Keller
The sea, once it casts it’s spell, holds one in it’s net of wonder forever. ~ Jacques Cousteau
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
