Huskey Basketball with Salmon & Artichokes

Good morning!

If you are here looking for a great recipe...you might be new.


I am a spoiled woman whose husband cooks and bakes.  I make a mean salad and a great brown bag lunch.  He makes me mimosas and protein pancakes on the weekends.

Yup, that is the face of Yoda you see above.  And a teddy bear with a lingon-berry tummy.  I am well-loved, folks.

Protein pancakes = the way to my heart

We just finished going through a sermon series on marriage at our church, and one of the sermons focused on being a servant to your spouse.  This starts with an attitude/heart change of recognizing Jesus as the Great Servant and being willing to do menial or thankless tasks out of love for your spouse.  This can also be going out of your comfort zone to do something they would appreciate.

So a few weeks ago, I decided to encourage Jared to watch the Husky game instead of making dinner, and I would make dinner and bring it over to him.  I got his advice on what to do with the salmon, and put together the following meal:

Cheese is important at any meal, I think

This stuff is a life-saver!

My childhood fave veggie

Tada!!!

I packed up all the pieces to take dinner to the clubhouse where Jared was watching the game.  (Yes, as I may have mentioned, we live in the dark ages and don't have TV in our apartment.  We do archaic things like reading and talking.)  Somehow I managed not to spill or ruin anything!

I panicked when I realized I'd gotten all the way up the hill without the beer opener thing.  (Big technical words R Us.)  But with Jared's resourcefulness and a set of keys, we got it taken care of.

Success!

You tell me: What is something you've done lately to let someone know you appreciate them?  Do you find it easier to serve or to be served?  Do you microwave artichokes?

Love List

Clockwise from top left: 

• Scrubs season 8 - Jared and I have been laughing our way through Scrubs for a few months.  Yes, we live in the dark ages and don't have TV.  Perks: no commercials, unbounded hilarity (particularly the My Muscial episode a few seasons back), and getting to unwind together after work.
• Endangered Species All-Natural Extreme Dark Chocolate - Jared bought me this a while back, and now I'm hooked.  I'm a dark chocolate gal by nature, but after this 88% pure gold, almost everything else tastes like milk chocolate (read: dirt) to me.  Perks: antioxidants, very low sugar content, and seratonin boost.  Mmm.
• Nike Game On tee - I bought this last week on a shopping trip to Sports Authority that officially was for Jared to get a padded shooting sleeve for basketball.  Somehow I ended up with this tee, new Nike capris to match, and a long-sleeve Nike therma-fit shirt for running.  Perks: cuteness, sweat-wicking properties, and minimal to zero buyer's remorse.
• Real Marriage book - We attend Mars Hill church and are currently going through the Real Marriage series, to which this book and the study guide are companions.  This book has been astoundingly controversial to people of all opinions and beliefs.  We personally have found it incredibly helpful...but if you don't like it, don't read it.  It ain't the Bible, folks.  Perks: learning how to be a better friend to your spouse, going on date nights as required homework, and getting some honest advice from a humble couple.
• Basketball @ The SJCC - Basketball is totally my favorite sport.  It moves fast and I actually understand some of the rules and most of the scoring.  I really love getting to watch the hubby hit some threes...even if I get kinda stressed when we're losing.
• KIND Healthy Grains - Generally, I'm not a huge cereal/granola kinda gal...but these are pretty much amazing.  We're currently enjoying Vanilla Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds, Maple Walnut Clusters with Chia and Quinoa, and Oats & Honey Clusters with Toasted Coconut.  Perks: low sugar, amazing taste, and perfect way to upgrade Greek yogurt into a parfait.
• nuun Lemon Tea: I first started using nuun when training for a half marathon...did the trick to keep me hydrated, but didn't really wow me.  But I think maybe I just hadn't found the right flavor until I tried Lemon Tea!!!  I drop a tab in a water bottle full of...water (genius, right?), let it mix up, freeze it overnight, and take it with me to hot yoga.  LOVE IN A BOTTLE.
• ToneItUp.com: I first saw Katrina and Karena in a copy of Self I'd picked up from the library...I was so impressed with their workout that I made a photocopy to keep in my health and fitness binder!  I've done it several times, and it requires minimal equipment and kicks my butt.  A few weeks ago, I realized they have their own website/mini fitness empire!  They are super inspiring and offer a TON of resources for free on YouTube.  Their Valentine's Day workout is absolutely adorable.

You tell me:  What are you loving these days?  Do YOU have a favorite brand of dark chocolate?  Do you get a kick out of watching your spouse/friend/sibling/random stranger do something they love?