Loves

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day.  I don’t get too caught up in the hype, and definitely don’t expect an extravagant gift or day.  It is always a good reminder to show the one you love just how much you care though. Like a lot of holidays, my husband and I choose to keep things simple and small, and usually a card or a small gift is what we do.  I got a very sweet card, a big box of yummy chocolates, and some Hershey's raspberry hugs.  They taste like raspberry cheesecake!

We had a nice time making dinner together on Saturday night, since he was going to be busy on Sunday.  We made Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai – a favorite of mine.  I always use this recipe from Liz at Savory Spicy Sweet.  My modifications are only 4 T of fish sauce and no bean sprouts or cilantro.  Neither of us really like bean sprouts and hubs doesn't care for cilantro.

I did a rough calculation of the nutrition facts a long time ago, and scribbled it on the recipe page, and it looks like my bad handwriting said 2200 for the whole recipe.  It makes A LOT of food, so divided out into 4-5 servings, it isn’t too bad.  I didn’t figure out the exact macros, but sometimes I don’t need to know.  This is one of those meals we don’t make often, but have fun cooking together and savor the time and the food. 

Also in honor of Valentines Day, I thought I would list a few other food items I am loving lately:

1. Dates.  I probably shouldn’t be buying these anymore, because I have a hard time eating only a few of  these little guys.  I just eat ‘em plain!  They fit into that something sweet craving just perfectly.  Gotta be better then candy, right?

2. POM Wonderful.  I add a splash to some Sierra Mist or Sprite Zero for a fun drink. 

3. Tempeh.  I have been making the Tempeh Curry recipe on my recipe page a lot lately.  I am guessing that the type of tempeh you get matters much like tofu.  I get the Lifelight brand (I think that’s the name) from Whole Foods and love it.

4. Sensible Portions Pita Crackers.  We bought these a while back with a coupon at Costco.  Little did I know how great they would be!  I bought another box last time we were there.  Unfortunately, I am wondering if Costco replaced Stacy’s Pita Chips with these.  Although these are good, I like Stacy’s way better. Please bring them back Costco!

5. MaraNatha Almond Butter.  Another awesome Costco buy.  I had been buying Trader Joe’s almond butter, and once I was out of the few jars I had, I made the switch to MaraNatha.  You can’t beat the price when you get it at Costco.