{Recipe Files}: Baked Foil Packet Pesto Salmon

I promised you a couple of weeks ago I'd share my Salmon Pesto recipe with you and it is SUPER simple! Perfect for those easy back-to-school meals that you can pull together quickly!

What You Need:

~1.5-2 lbs salmon filets (I usually cut mine into smaller filets if they're larger to make cooking through easier)

~pesto of your choice (we used the brand from Costco because it's delicious!)

~Shredded parmesan cheese

~tin foil

*We served ours with a side of orzo (12 ounces from the box) and added 2+ Tbsp of pesto sauce to the orzo to make it extra flavorful

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, then lay out pieces of tin foil for each filet of salmon, and place one filet on each 

**If you wanted to make asparagus with this meal, you could add it to the foil first, then add the salmon on top and it will cook everything together**

2. Add 1 Tbsp of pesto to each filet and spread it evenly across the top (and sides) of the filet.

3. Fold the two sides of the foil in, then pull the top and bottom of the foil up, and roll the ends together, making a tent above the salmon (it should NOT be flat against the filets). This helps bake the salmon by giving the air room to circulate in there.

4. Bake for 20-28 minutes (depending on the size of the filet), then remove from the oven. Open up the foil and top each filet with desired amount of parmesan cheese. Devour.

Super simple, fool proof and delicious!

The Beach, A Blate and Bye-Bye Summer Vacay

And the end of summer vacation is now officially here. The start of another school year is upon us, and I already have a crazy parent meeting on Tuesday morning. Nothing like jumping back in full swing, eh?

On the other side of all of that were the highlights of my last weekend of summer vacation, at the beach, which included:

~An easy drive up on Thursday afternoon where we arrived, dropped our bags, and then immediately left for a fishing boat adventure with my MIL, FIL, and one SIL and her two kids and husband

~We all tried our hand at fishing, but when that was proving fruitless my MIL, SIL and I sat back and enjoyed catching up while the sun was setting around us on the water

~We got back to the house, had dinner all together, and celebrated my in-laws' anniversary and played cards with my MIL and FIL and MG

~Friday we woke up to my other SIL and her family's arrival, so the gang was all together again.

~It was hot hot hot, even on the beach and lots of time was spent huddled under the umbrella to try and beat the heat

~Ordered Prep's pizza, ate mint chocolate chip water ice for dessert (sooooo good) and then later in the night, re-watched a couple episodes of Stranger Things since our family had just gotten started on it before we got there and were obsessed (still good).

~Saturday morning was a beach blate with Stephanie! After missing each other the first week we were at the shore, I was glad we were able to get together for some coffee and donuts, and lots of chatting! And of course we took photos!

It was so fun to finally meet in person! I can't wait for next summer's blog-date :)

~Saturday's temps were WAY more pleasant than Friday's so we got to the beach right after lunch and stayed for several hours, enjoying the beach while reading and enjoying the breeze and the last beach day of the season for us.

~We cooked up crabs for dinner that my BIL and the nieces caught earlier that day on a crabbing trip!

~That night my one SIL and I went to the boardwalk with the kids and watched them on the rides (I went out with no make up and whatever humidity that was in the air, made its way to my hair so forgive that here):

~We came back to the house and watched Serendipity with my MIL, SIL and niece since none of them had seen it #travesty

~Sunday it was up early to pack up and hit the road to beat traffic and we scooped Coop up on our way home, ran into a friend while getting our groceries then headed home to unpack, do laundry and get ready for the new school year.

~We finally got HBO back and started watching the rest of the last season of Game of Thrones to get caught up, and had those yummy jalapeño monterrey jack cheese burgers made on the grill at home again

~Watched some RHONJ and then got ready for bed....

...and today starts my 10th year working in the schools--where the heck has time gone to?? Hoping this year is the best one yet!

Hope your weekend was fun and relaxing like ours was!

One Friday Fave!

Happy Friday, lovies! Hopefully your week has been quick and easy. If you need me, I'll be relaxing at the beach, celebrating my in-laws anniversary, and enjoying the last few moments of summer vacation before it's back to the four letter word on Monday....WORK!

{via}

Hope your weekend is fun-filled!

Thursday Thoughts and Hashtags

Happy Thursday friends! I'm back, blogging for two days in a row (insert shocked gasps here)! Sharing some thoughts this Thursday!

~There's a man in my neighborhood (I think he lives here anyway) and I've encountered him twice on my walks with Cooper. Both times, he's felt it appropriate to tell me "that thing is so small it barely counts for a dog". Thank you, random gentleman, for not only insulting me and my dog once, but feeling it appropriate to do so twice. Also, it wasn't funny the first time, and it still wasn't the second time. Maybe get a new schtick because the rude one ain't working for ya! "Good day sir. I said GOOD DAY!" #rudedude

{via}

~Cooper is over 7.5 years old now and his vet sent me an email saying he needed to come in for his "senior wellness check up". Um, what? Cooper is NOT a senior citizen. He hasn't gotten his AARP card in the mail, and he's not on Medicare. What the heck?!?! I still call Cooper my puppy, and he always will be. #cooperisntold

~The weather here has been SO nice lately. The humidity has been almost non existant, and the temps have been in the 80s. I walk Coop in the morning and it's actually chilly. I'll take it after so many sweltering days, because it made it not fun to do anything outside. #adioshumidity

{via}

~School starts for me on Monday (the district decided to make our first contract day Friday for some reason this year but I took it off--because nothing boosts morale like ruining the last weekend of summer vacation) and I can't believe that summer vacation is coming to a close. We did a lot this summer, but I feel like the last month has been consumed by IVF stuff. I'm thankful I had the time off to get that done though #byebyesummervacay

{via}

~Since MG and I got back from Greece in mid July I've seen SO MANY celebs making their way there (a lot of them my Bravo-lebrities; Bethenny Frankel and Fredrik Eklund are there right now)  and it just makes me wish I was there again, too. It would have been cool to run into one of them while we'd been there, but I'd settle for the views again! #Greece'dLightning

~Did any of you Bachelor in Paradise fans notice that the convo between Caila and Ashley on Tuesday night (the confrontation where Caila says she wonders when Jared will trust her over Ashley--the one where I pointed out Caila's bad mani lol) was totally taken from last week? Way to reuse footage, ABC....#lame

~On the BIP front, I watch the Live After Show on Tuesdays and I enjoy it, but it is SO awkward how they talk about the people who are sitting RIGHT THERE. There are so many awkward moments on the after show. I still like it though #bringontheawkwardness

That's it for me today--what are you thinkin'?

WHW {#55}: Currently

Hi friends--sorry for my absence. I've been keeping low key at home after some complications after my egg retrieval last week so I took a blog break. But I'm back today because it's Wednesday and you know what that means: time to talk about what's hap-"pinning"!

Reading ...
All the books! Ok, not all of them, but I've spent a lot of my last few days of Summer reading a bunch. Most recent was a recommendation from my friend Trish called The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes which has been awesome! That review, and ones from the others I've been reading coming soon!

{via}

Watching ...
Bachelor in Paradise (love that dramatic show), and RHOC. I have to admit, it was interesting seeing Meghan's IVF journey as it coincided a lot with my own (as it airs anyway). I will also say that Jim Edmonds' reaction (and lack of participation in ANY part of the process) on Monday night at Shannon's dinner when Meghan said she was hopefully carrying two babies, and he put a finger-gun to his head...was appalling. I wanted to crawl through the screen and smack him. This process is difficult to go through on every level. I can't imagine going through it virtually alone, and with an a-hole by my side. Ew, just ew.

Eating....
This weekend MG and I went out to dinner with a friend of ours and tried out a new restaurant near us. I had the MAXX burger which has their special sauce, some delicious pickles (something was different about them) and onion rings on top. When I tell you this burger was mouth-wateringly delicious, it's an understatement. SO good!

Looking forward to ... 

Spending my last weekend of freedom at the beach house with MG and the fam. Give me my last dose of Vitamin D, Vitamin Sea, and Vitamin Beach :)

Wishing...
I could take Cooper and his little snuggly self back to work with me next week. I'm not sure how either of us will make it through the day without all of the cuddles!

Enjoying ...
the cooler weather we've been getting around here. And by cooler I mean the 80's and low to no humidity. I've spent two afternoons just reading on the deck in our zero gravity chairs, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. It's perfection.

Drinking...
last week, it was ALLLLLL the Gatorade I could get in my body. After my egg retrieval I had some mild-moderate symptoms of hyper stimulation which caused a lot of fluid build up in my stomach area. I was so bloated that the skin around my stomach was stretched and hurt, and it hurt for me to walk. Luckily the symptoms subsided into the weekend with my Gatorade and protein attack, but it was not a pleasant time.

Loving....
all of my friends for checking in on me with every step of our IVF process. And the friends who noticed my absence and sent me messages checking to make sure that I was ok! I've said it a million times and I'll say it again...I wouldn't have been able to get through this without the support of friends and family.

Wanting ... 
lots of positivity in the coming weeks!

Wearing ...
I'll show you my cool-kid outfit pre-egg retrieval last week. I've decided that blue hair caps are the new thing, and will be sporting mine all the time ;)

Add caption

Grateful For...
signs from my dad that he's around. It's been a while since I've really felt the pull that it's him, but when I was on the deck on Monday, I stopped reading and looked up at the sky and started thinking about my dad. When I looked away and looked back, there was a solid heart shape in the clouds. I tried getting a picture of it, but it started to dissipate by the time I unlocked my phone. 

Following that was another cloud that legit looked like an angel. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I truly feel like it was my dad's way of letting me know he's here and looking over me.

Now it's your turn to share what's hap-"pinning" with you! Remember, it can be about anything, it doesn't have to be from Pinterest!

Thursday Thoughts

It's Thursday and that means it's time for one of my favorite posts of the week--a brain dump of all the random thoughts rattling around in my brain, mixed with some confessions!

~My biggest thought today is to thank all of you for your well wishes on Tuesday! It was so nice to read them before my procedure, and then afterwards. Everything went really well and I'm feeling back to myself today. Keep us (and our growing embryos) in your thoughts and prayers for a few days more if you have room!

~I can't watch The Goldbergs anymore because the youngest brother's voice drives me absolutely insane. Does he actually talk like that or is it for the show? Either way, it's like nails on a chalkboard to me.

{via}

~Watching the after show of Bachelor in Paradise, I finally figured out one way that Caila isn't perfect.

Those nails, girl! Oh my gosh it looks like a blind person did them!

I'll still take her hair though :)

~Speaking of reality tv, Kelly on RHOC is a nut job. I really think she is unbalanced and/or has some kind of MAJOR emotional thing going on. And she drinks too much. She and her husband have quite the past, too.

{via}

~I cry after anesthesia. It happened when I was 16, and it happened on Tuesday. I have no idea why but apparently I'm not the only one since my nurse said she calls them "anesthesia tears" lol

~I love the USA Gymnastics team girls. They are just so darn adorable! In general, and also did you see their reaction when Zac Efron surprised them?? (Check this out) These girls just seem so down to Earth and I just adore them.

{via}

That's it! A quick one for this Thursday!

WHW {#54}: Beach Edition

Happy Wednesday! It's time to link up with Jessi and I and share What's Hap-"Pinning" with you!!

Today I wanted to share some of the events and photos from our week down the shore in OC New Jersey!

We made it to OC Sunday afternoon after having a doc appointment. We went down to the beach for a little bit that afternoon and then got ready to go out to dinner for my MIL's birthday.

Before that, though, one of my SIL's best friends was having their family reunion at a local outside bar, La Costa, so we went to meet up with them for a bit before dinner. We all partook in the Titos Lemonade drinks served in mason jars, listened to the live band, and had a great time!

We went to dinner at a BYOB place...so we obviously showed up with two coolers filled with beer and wine. (I love how my in-laws roll lol). We all had delicious dinners, and celebrated my MIL with some cake.

yes, that's cake on her nose, courtesy of my niece

We had a LOT of laughs this night :)

It only rained on Monday morning for a little while. The rest of the week was really nice and perfect beach weather. The mornings were filled with lots of laziness, coffee on the lower deck, shopping, and some mornings going out for breakfast.

The afternoons were spent on the beach. We had pizza taste tests with the family (Manco&Manco versus Preps). Afternoon iced coffees from the boardwalk.

MG and I made the Baked Queso Tacos for the group which were a HUGE hit (and so was the leftover taco filling in the next days)! 
And the sunsets...

My one niece decided to use her phone projector to project a movie on the side of the shore house, so one night we sat on the top deck and watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, outside!

Some nights had funnel cakes...delicious gourmet-like funnel cakes.

And some nights involved a trip to the arcade for some air hockey and skee-ball!

And every day and night was filled with kid shenanigans that kept us all laughing:

meet baby squash, in a wheel chair....lol

and baby squash at the beach! 

All in all, the days went by way too fast, as always. Hoping to get back there the last weekend before school starts for one last hurrah with everyone!

Now it's your turn to share what's hap-"pinning" with you, below!