happy friday

this week flew by. because it is fake friday for j and i, we don't have huge plans for the weekend. our town got a new sauna, which is big news. we are going to check it out. and i am leaving for las vegas in 16 days, and dreaming of the beautiful hotel pool.

loving lately + almond butter

(coconut hot chocolate) 

(homemade almond butter) 

(spinach in my smoothie) 

(a huge new glass apothecary jar for my beach finds) 

(avocado toast with honey and black pepper)

almond butter:

roast 2 cups of raw almonds at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until dark and fragrant (in my oven it took 15 minutes)

let cool, then blend in the food processor until smooth (it took me about 2-3 minutes with some scraping  once in a while)

so simple, so good. i think it would be even better to add a little honey, but i usually just drizzle honey on top on my toast 

engagement picture

j and i were talking about engagement photo sessions while walking around gander yesterday (it is actually getting spring-like!). planned photos are not really our thing, so we took this picture right then and decided it could be our engagement photo.

scenes from easter weekend

(harley getting his weekly bath) 

(j and lou lounging) 

(little lucy after a cold walk) 

 (boys playing makeshift golf)

 (foils while drinking fresh fruit cocktails and browsing for wedding dresses)

(a typical scene at my parent's house-some type of dancing game) 

(little lou- snow covered) 

(j and emma on easter sunday) 

(tiny commuter plane from fredericton)

we really enjoyed a super relaxing weekend at my parent's place in burton. we had so much amazing food, and got to hang out with friends and family we rarely see. we did some major wedding planning as well

highlights:

visit to the market for fresh orange juice and running into old friends

cocktails made from coconut vodka and frozen strawberries (very strong)

practicing our short game in the backyard (i was on the golf team in grade 9 :)

a reunion with a high school friend i hadn't seen in 10+ years

hanging with the pups (we wish we had our own)

salon treatment in my mother's kitchen (my stylist sister is a pro)

3 ingredient macaroons

the other day i was about to buy j his fav store-bought, individually-wrapped macaroons. when i looked at the ingredients i realized there were only 3: coconut, honey, egg whites. i figured i could make them at home, and i did, and j loved them. they are toasty on the outside, and moist and chewy on the inside, just like the store bought ones.

simple macaroons:
1 and a half cups finely shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons honey

1. beat the egg whites on high in a super clean bowl until they get frothy, then super stiff so you could flip the bowl over and the egg whites would not move
2. beat in the honey on low speed
3. fold in the coconut, starting with one cup, then adding a little more until the mixture is wet, but not too wet
4. drop the mixture by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet with oiled parchment paper
5. place in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, but check on them every 5 minutes to make sure they are not too dark
6. when they are golden browned, take them out and take them off the parchment paper right away to cool.