Happy Monday to you!

Let’s call the past weekend a somewhat productive weekend around the house.  I was able to get the garage set up and cleaned.  It is looking better all the time and I even got to use the pressure washer on the floor which I love to do.  We finally inked the deal and got a second car.  That was exciting.  We bought a used Mazda Protege 5 and so far are loving it.  We were also successful in sourcing a Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit plus.  My sides and arms are killing me as we speak from boxing just a little too much and perhaps a little to intensely.  But oh my it is FUN.

Let’s start this week off with a simple shrimp recipe that you can do all year round and really impress your taste buds.  Shrimp is really easy to cook, takes hardly anytime and are good for you.  I chose to flavor them today with really two simple flavors; coconut and lime.

Do note that I did eat a lot more shrimp than in the picture.  I was having problems getting a decent picture so I zoomed in on one lonely shrimp so you could see the grilling detail.  With the coconut milk they will get nice and charred if you are not careful.

The flavors compliment each other with the sweet of the coconut and the sharp burst flavor of the lime.  I paired these shrimp with just a simple green salad and fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 20 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
• 1 Lime
• Salt
• Pepper
• Coconut Milk

Method

1. Place shrimp in a large seal-able baggie. Add the garlic, coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper to the bag.
2. Toss to coat shrimp evenly with marinade ingredients. Place bag in refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat grill to high heat 475°F – 500°F (245°C-260°C). Oil grill to prevent sticking.
4. Place shrimp directly on the grill and cook for 1 minute per side or until nicely charred and opaque.
5. Remove shrimp from the grill. Serve hot with a drizzle of fresh lime.
6. Serve over salad
7. ENJOY!
   

Zesty Tip: Be careful not to over cook the shrimp.  I have said this numerous times before but it really is the key to success.  Also for an extra kick you could use a little bit of jalapeno pepper to enhance the flavor and make it a bit spicy.

Zest’s To Do List

Today is a bit of a crazy day but I had a pretty good enough of sleep and are ready to go.  On top of normal everyday events that happen at the office I have a ton of blog stuff to get caught up on.

1. Meet with Open Sky about sourcing
2. Work on finishing up the makeover for Mardi at Eat Live  Travel Write.
3. Multiple Logo designs on the go for numerous foodies including FoodForLa, ANutritionisteats.com and BrainGutsHands just to name a few.
4. Complete the free Makeover for Adi at Oatonomy who was the lucky Giveaway winner.
5. Work on the face lift and relaunch of Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful

A Shot of the New Second Hand Car

So there you have it… pretty much a day in the life of zesty couple with a lot of eating, a lot of water and a whole lot of smiles.  I hope you have a great day and I will talk to you later.  The announcement I spoke about is official and I will be talking about it on Thursday.

Take care

zesty

Another Monday gone and Tuesday begins.  I hope you had a great day yesterday.  It seems like the days are flying by even faster with the time change on the weekend.  It is getting dark so early.

I want to talk about a couple of things… one being about a killer fruit salad with a honey lime dressing and the other topic being the house.  The fruit salad is simple yet so refreshing.  I am always trying to find nice fruit all year around but it gets tougher as the season comes closer to winter.  This recipe will give you a great idea for a  breakfast/lunch addition or just something to have on hand at all times for both kids and adults.

As for the house, it is coming along quite well ( minus the window issue ).  The painters started yesterday and rolling on the primer like there is no tomorrow.  We hope to have the whole house primed and painted one coat by Thursday.

Before the update I have a funny story.  Last night we drove out to the house after work to take some new pictures on the progress thus far.  We were rushing as it was getting late so we ran up to the front door, turned the knob and looked at each other – uh oh it was locked.  We started to laugh as we both knew there was no key for the door knobs as they were just old knobs the builders had hanging around at their house.  We ran to the side door…. locked.  Back door…. locked.  Windows…. locked.  Oh dear the only reason I went to the house was to get pictures for you.  I then realized that the tiny little basement window was left open for the hoses to run outside so I crawled in there and jumped down.  All in all… too funny.

Ingredients

• Any fruit you want  ( cut into cubes)
• 1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 Cup honey
• 1 Tsp. grated lime peel

Method

1. Peel and prepare all the fruit in a large mixing bowl
2. Mix the lime juice and honey and add the lime peel at the end.
3. Toss, let rest and serve
4. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The acid in the lime juice will prevent the fruit from bruising and becoming brown in color.

House Update

As promised, some interior shots after the drywall, seam filling and now some painting.  The picture quality is not great due lack of lighting.

Upstairs Hallway

Bonus Room

Family Room

Kitchen

Interior Doors (just delivered)

Awaken your Senses Reminder

Here’s how to vote for me:

1. Go to www.youtube.com/quakertalk. Click on the VOTE tab. Click on my video entitled “Autumn Medley.”

2. Click on the BIG GREEN THUMBS UP to cast your vote. Voting closes Friday, November 6th.

3. Please tell your family and friends and pretty much everyone you know to vote too!