The Zoe and Silas Show

8/10/14: Derek was off today so we wanted to get organized for the week, as well as get out to enjoy the gorgeous weather. We hit the gym in the morning and then came home for lunch as well as to do some weekly food prep. I made salmon croquettes for the kids while Derek grilled up a couple of chicken breasts. I made a batch of Lentil & Spinach Masala  and rice for the week, and we made big salads for dinner. We headed to Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA in the late afternoon. The water is really warm there so we had a lot of fun jumping waves! I have found Sunday evenings at the beach to be the best way to rejuvenate before the work madness begins on Monday morning! Who's taller now?! The kids had a lot of fun digging and running in the sand. It was a great night all around!

I welcomed a "normal" day today like a breath of fresh air. We went to the Y this morning, and then Derek headed out to do food shopping and I took the kids to Hale for a picnic lunch. After lunch S&Z tried to catch fish with their nets. It was pretty funny to watch them scare all the little sunfish away! Just a relaxing, mellow summer Sunday. I'll take it! ***** Cook's Notes : Tonight for dinner I made Chicken Tostadas with Summer Vegetables . I used corn tortillas instead of flour, and elevated the dish by topping them with chopped arugula and crumbled feta cheese before baking. They were a hit with all of us, and I'm already thinking of ways to make these a seasonal favorite (roasted veg in the fall, etc.). A recipe I forgot to post last night in my catch-up notes was for the White Refried Beans that we made on Friday night along with chicken tacos. We slathered the tortillas with the beans before loading up the taco wi...

It was a little cold and windy at the beach so we decided to take our picnic lunch someplace warmer. One of us had the brilliant idea to check for local wineries. After a quick search on my phone I found one whose website described an outdoor tasting room that overlooks the vineyard. It sounded perfect, so we headed to Coastal Vineyards in South Dartmouth. We weren't sure we were in the right place because the road was marked private and everything seemed very residential and rural. When the GPS showed us as arriving at the right address, sure enough there was a Coastal Vineyards mailbox and a small sign pointing to the tasting room. We walked behind what looked to be someone's house with an expansive backyard. It turns out the winemaker lives here, growing grapes in his backyard and bottling and selling wine in the basement! We were over the moon when we discovered that we were the only people in this beautiful setting!  We enjoyed a pri...

The sun and warm(er) weather finally arrived today! We had plans with Teresa, Tim, Josie & Theo so we decided to meet up at Hale Reservation for a picnic. Upon arrival at North Beach the kids discovered 3 huge piles of sand - the beaches are probably getting spruced up for the start of summer camps in the next few weeks. These sand piles were perfect for kid climbing, and sliding! Everyone had a great time playing by the water too. For lunch I made a Weelicious  tuna pasta salad and Teresa made a fruit salad. Unfortunately the air temps didn't get as warm as we hoped and there were pretty high winds, so everyone was COLD for the picnic!  After lunch we packed up and headed back into the woods. When I asked the kids at bedtime what their favorite part of today was, they replied "sand mountains!!!"