Welcome to our Garden: Part 1

Hello Everyone!

I have been anxiously awaiting Spring this year, because it is the first one I will have in our home!  Last year, we moved in on June 24th and were planning our wedding, so I did not have a chance to do any gardening or yard decor.  This year I am so excited for the finished look of our backyard. In the pictures below, you can see how our backyard currently looks.  We have not added any plants or trees, so it is really amazing to see what our yard looks like natrually.  I cannot wait to work with what we already have and add in great outdoor decorations, flowers, and plants!

I am so in love with our house, and it has been so fun prepping the yard for the beautiful weather!  In about a month, I hope to be mostly done with our garden and yard, so check back soon to see the progress!  Are any of you into gardening?  If so, let me know below!  I'd love to hear and see what yours looks like :)

- Courtney

Courtney Cooks: Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Hello Everyone!

Last night I finally tried out Mama Karen Parker's Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe and we were not disappointed!  For those of you who do not know who Mama Karen Parker is, she is not a chef nor food blogger, but is the mother of country singer, Jessie James Decker.  When Jessie got married a few years back her mom made a recipe book for her as a gift with all her recipes.  She did not want this cookbook to be shared with anyone as it was very special and meaningful to their family.  Recently she has decided to post a few of the family's secret recipes to her blog, Leaving Louisiana.  I have seen tons of different people recreate her Cajun Shrimp Recipe on Instagram, so after buying some shrimp from Trader Joe's, I decided to whip it up for my pasta and shrimp loving husband.  It only took around 30 minutes to fully prepare and serve, so that was great!  On top of how quick and easy it was it actually tasted DELICIOUS! This is definitely something I will be making again! :)

The Food Journal
A SCRAPBOOK FOR FOOD LOVERS

This food journal is great for someone who want to create their very own cookbook.  I find this particular one really great because it does not have any templates or pre-made formats, each page is blank.  This allows you to write the recipes in the format that you most prefer.  This is super important for someone like me who writes lists and notes very specifically! ;)

 

Here is my version of Mama Karen Parker's recipe.  I was missing a few spices from hers, so I used salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder.  I definitely think it could have been more "Cajun" tasting, so next time I am going to pick up the seasoning Karen uses Tony's Seasoning!

Here is the finished meal! 
It looks just as good as it tasted :)

I recommend anyone who enjoys pasta to give this recipe a try.  This is not something I foresee myself making regularly, so I am not worried about substituting the pasta noodles out for a veggie alternative (i.e. spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles).  Let me know if you have tried this recipe out, and if so tag me in a picture on Instagram @locococobean ;)

Also, do any of you have a special way of writing down and organizing your recipes?  I know my mom has tons of different recipe cards, index cards, and notebook paper scattered in one of ou kitchen drawers.  I have a few in my email, so each time I make one of them or another special recipe I will be writing it down in my scrapbook cookbook and maybe even share it with you all!

Feel free to share your favorite recipe below :)

- Courtney

Trader Joe's Grocery Haul

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all doing wonderful!  I have been so inspired lately in regards to my health, so I thought I would show you some of the healthy food I purchased yesterday from Trader Joe's!  I normally do not shop their because it is not as convenient as other stores closer to me, but I really wanted to try Ezekiel bread and cauliflower rice, and I knew they had both, so I set up a shopping trip!

Pretty flowers the associates gave me because it was my birthday :)

Veggie Staples:
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Avocados
- Baby Spinach
- Peppers
-Tomatoes

Fruit Favorites:
- Bananas
- Blackberries
- Cantaloupe
- Raspberries
- Strawberries

Meat:
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Steak (for my birthday dinner!)
- Shrimp

The reason for the trip.... Ezekiel bread!  I gave it a try this morning with some avocado in it, and it is not bad.  My first impression is that it is much crunchier than regular bread, but I am not sure if this is because I toasted it a bit or not.  Either way it was not bad for a healthier bread alternative.

Snack Foods:
- Edamame
- Cauliflower Rice
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges
- Inner Peas
 

Have any of you tried Ezekiel bread of cauliflower rice?  Let me know in the comments below!

- Courtney

Haul in my Head - Part 2

Hello Everyone!

 

I am feeling a bit spendy at the moment, but am trying to make all of my purchases strategically!  Below I have a list of 5 things I have been wanting for quite some time now, and will slowly but surely be in the process of purchasing for our home!

Kenmore Double Oven

 

White Distressed Chandelier

KitchenAid Spiralizer Attachment

 

Blue Plaid Curtains

French Press

Do you have or want any of the items mentioned?  Let me know in the comments below :)
- Courtney

Workout Wednesday: Butts and Guts

Hello Everyone!

Today was a super gloomy day filled with tons and tons of rain.  It is safe to say I had no motivation to leave the house.... this meant not getting to go for a long walk or make it to the gym.  I did not want to let the weather get in the way of a workout, so if I didn't want to go outside, I would workout inside.  Many of you may know that three years ago I taught group exercises classes as a part of my job.  One of my favorite classes I taught was a "Butts and Guts" class every Friday.  I checked my old emails and found a class plan and got ready for my workout!  I am so happy I found this as I got an incredible workout from this old plan and had a really great time doing it.  I think was in major part that it takes only 25-30 minutes to complete!

If you are looking for a fun, modifiable, and quick leg and core workout, then I strongly encourage you to give this workout a shot!

Butts and Guts

• Warm-up - 5 minutes
• Lower Body
• Squat down for 2, up for 2 - 15x
• Squat down for 3, up for 1 - 15x
• Squat pulses - 15 seconds
Repeat 3x
• Lunges down for 2, up for 2 - 15x
• Lunges down for 3, up for 1 - 15x
• Lunge pulses - 15 seconds
  Repeat 2x on each leg
 
• Bridges - 25x
• Bridge hold - 25 seconds
  Repeat 3x
• Core 
• Russian twists - 1 minute (3x)
• Frog sit-ups - 1 minute (3x)
• Plank holds - 1 minute (3x)
• Cool Down / Stretch - 3-5 minutes

Let me know if you completed this work out and your thoughts!  As I mentioned before please feel free to modify as you see fit.  You can do this by adding weights, adjusting the repititions, or times.  Enjoy :)

- Courtney