Spring Things – Page 20 – Life as Lauren

Before we begin, I need to tell you some important things.

My energy level is VERY low today. I know it’s Friday and I should have weekend energy but I’m just TIRED.
Joey surprised me with coffee from Little Owl this morning and I love that man so much.
I saw baby radish sprouts in our garden this morning and I should have just skipped my workout because those teensy green leaves got me more amped than any running endorphins did.
It’s my little sister’s birthday today! Though I refuse to believe EITHER of us are over 24 🙂

Okay, back to the subject at hand.

I was making quick mental note of which recipes I wanted to share next in this “Make This Now” series and they all happened to have the word “creamy” in the title. Is that a coincidence or do my tastebuds just gravitate towards that word and I’ve never noticed until now? I’ll ponder that on my own later, but you should make and eat these creamy things (maybe even this weekend!) and be the happiest version of yourself.

Dijon-Herb Crusted Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce + Warm Buttered Radish and Edamame Salad

Spring is all about fresh herbs, spicy radishes and bright flavors so this meal IS spring. If you’ve never sautéed radishes before, they get almost potato-like in flavor and texture and you’ll probably want to drizzle that dill sauce over everything from now on. So good!

Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry

Joey and I have three well-loved curry recipes in our arsenal but if this was a Goldilocks story, Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry is “just right!” More of a challenge than our 5-Ingredient Coconut Curry but easier than our Ginger Cashew Chicken Curry and most importantly, it’s crazy flavorful. I keep a jar of this homemade Easy Thai Yellow Curry Paste in the freezer just for this meal. It’s very worth making!

Creamy Carrot and Herb Linguine

I thought I’d sworn against zoodles for life but then I saw this recipe which was only PART-zoodle and still had actual pasta and now that I’ve tasted zoodles, I’ll admit they’re good. Still not going to forego pasta entirely for spiralized vegetables, but recipes like this seem like a good compromise. And the sauce on this one is drinkably good. Shoutout to my fellow tarragon lovers who will love that licorice-y garnish on top.

P.S. Yes, I know the recipe calls for carrot noodles (carroodles? coodles?) but I can’t ever find those, so zoodles it is!

Cashew Ice Cream

I kind of want to try every recipe in this post Cassie wrote about cashew cream, but I started with the cashew ice cream recipe and was majorly impressed. I don’t have an actual reason to not just eat real deal ice cream (THANK GOD!), but I volunteered to bring Easter dessert for my half-GF/DF family because I like a challenge? Have a thing for vegan recipes? Just want everyone to be able to eat/enjoy dessert together, even if it means the gluten/dairy lovers have to conform? Who knows! I just know this ice cream was just slightly icy but otherwise SO CREAMY, SO RICH AND SO DELICIOUS. I’d totally make it again!

P.S. Totally wanted to tell you to make these Creamy Mushroom and Kale Quesadillas, but I apparently already told you that.

Sometimes you go to the gym and yoga in the same day, then stay up late watching the Rockies beat the Giants (West Coast games are BRUTAL) and feel zombie-like come Friday, but you put on the Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats station and find the energy to get you through the workday.

Sometimes your weekend is busy busy so you make the very adult-like decision to go to the grocery on Friday so your Saturday/Sunday don’t seem so slammed with obligations. But while you’re there you grab the makings of guac and pizza and invite your best friends over because it’s 75° on a Friday night in April and life is too happy to be true.

Sometimes you promise yourself you’ll sleep in but then Saturday morning rolls around and the thought of coffee, pancakes and a full day in the garden is too exciting to sleep through. Apparently all it takes to make me fully and genuinely happy is planting seeds in our garden beds.

Sometimes your Saturday night consists of baking a cake, making cashew ice cream, pickling/dying eggs, watching Jimmy Fallon on SNL and being in bed by 11. Wild and crazy night, you guys. But seriously, my heart was so happy for that entire day.

Sometimes you start your Sunday with (another) 5 mile run in a city that’s still sleepy and quiet and peaceful and perfect. (That Bolder Boulder 10K always sneaks up on me but I’m getting myself in gear, I think!) And then you’re rewarded with surprise iced coffee from your husband afterwards 🙂

Sometimes you think Easter Sunday is going to feel busy and full but it turns out to be nice and calm and not rushed at all. I’ll take it! We spent the afternoon with Joey’s side and the evening with mine and I managed to eat deviled eggs at both plus three different kinds of meat, so I’m feeling pretty accomplished.

Hope you all had a great weekend!