5 On Friday

Hooray, hooray we made it to Friday! Anyone else feel like this week flew by a little bit? Maybe it’s because I had a ton of work on my plate, so I kept my head down and focused on my computer for many more hours than usual, or maybe it’s just that I am SO looking forward to the weekend. Who knows?! Either way – it’s here and we made it. Is anyone doing anything fun? I am working on a really cool project with one of my absolute favorite magazines that requires a little bar research, so Dane and I will be in Waikiki taking one for the team and trying cocktails. I know – such a difficult assignment 😉 We also have plans to take the dogs to the beach and just generally relax!

But before any of that can happen, let’s talk weekly details in this week’s edition of 5 on Friday. Psst! It’s been a minute since I did one of these, so buckle up!

1. Has anyone else been watching “The Handmaid’s Tale” this season? Dane and I got hooked on the last season, because I had read the book. The first season sucked me in like a vortex, but admittedly, this season felt a little bit ho-hum for the initial few episodes. Maybe it’s because this entire second season was never covered in the book? I’m not sure…In any case, this week’s episode had my heart racing and my entire body clenched. If you’ve watched it, then you’ll know why. I mean honestly, if Elisabeth Moss doesn’t win all the awards for that episode alone I won’t trust award show panelists for a very long time…

2. I am struggling to believe that next week is the 4th of July. Where did 2018 go? We are halfway done, people! I’m not one to wish away entire years, but gosh darn, I can’t even tell you how fast it feels like time is flying. If you’re planning a patriotic party, be sure to whip up a few of these Flirty Firecrackers. They are quick and easy, yet totally impressive to guests given their layered color appearance 🙂

3. We’ve been trying out new recipes left and right over here and we’ve had a few dinner winners that I can confidently say will be added to our rotation! My favorite thing to do when meal planning is to scour Pinterest for all the fun recipes I’ve saved and haven’t gotten around to taste testing. I’ll gather up what I need from the store and then get to work in the kitchen. You can follow me here if you want to see all that I’m pinning to make!

One that I actually remembered to snap a photo of was  Spicy Cauliflower Rice Plantain Slaw Bowls from Paleo Gluten Free Eats. Her photos blow my quick iPhone snap outta the water, but we both really liked this and it was my very first time cooking plantains. The plantains make this bowl hearty, so don’t even consider for a millisecond about skipping them! I also ditched the cilantro in all aspects because..gross!

Because I had never really cooked or eaten plantains before, I just assumed they were like bananas, which is why I was so apt to can them from the recipe. Turns out, they don’t taste like bananas at all (at least they didn’t to me) and when I cooked them up, they were crunchy and more like a potato. GOSH – SO DANG GOOD! Anyway, I snapped this photo at the store of them, because I knew I wasn’t nuts…they look like bananas! My friend Heather has a great recipe on her blog for cooking them up as a side dish. You can find it here.

4. I was looking for a few very specific photos the other day that required me opening up my external hard drive to really dig and stumbled across puppy photos from when Bill was just a little baby. My heart burst into multiple pieces seeing this chunky little sweetheart!

5. And speaking of dogs, I just have to brag on mine for a second. More specifically, brag on the new harnesses we got them within the last month or two. Do you remember this post where I was chattering on about dog harnesses and how we hoped it would MAYBE help their chaotic walks? Well, two months in and I can confidently tell you that those harnesses have changed our lives. ALL OF OUR LIVES.

For starters, Judy wants to go on walks with Bill again, because he isn’t head butting her off the sidewalk or trying to jockey into position. Dane likes the harnesses, because the dogs aren’t pulling his arm sockets out. I like the harnesses, because it allows me to walk both dogs at the same time — something I truly thought was impossible! And Bill likes the harnesses, because I’m more inclined to walk more with him since I know he can be a good boy when he wears it! You can purchase the harness here.

And on that note…I’m off! I hope you all have the very best weekend 🙂

Linking up with 5 On Friday, A Little Bit of Everything & High 5 For Friday