A Chinese Valentine's Day! {Sushi Included!}

Hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day! <3

Whether you were able to spend it with a special significant other
or celebrate with close family and friends, I hope you were
able to enjoy a holiday devoted to expressing love for those
who mean the most to us in life! :)

For Valentine's Day, Joshua and I decided to go with a Chinese theme!
I guess I have kind of been in a Chinese food mood.
First with the Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, and now with sushi
(thanks to my pregnancy cravings)!

Joshua and I have been wanting to try making our own sushi for a while now
but I am going to admit, it seemed like such a daunting task!
For some reason, I thought making sushi would be really hard.

All our yummy sushi fillings!

Well, I feel silly...because it is probably one of the easiest things I have ever made!
And it is so rewarding to make a dish that looks so pretty and tastes just like you
got it from your local sushi joint!

I found this great tutorial and recipe for sushi from Minimalist Baker.
I LOVE her recipes. They are all super healthy and very simple.
As the name states, she uses the minimal and most natural ingredients for her recipes.

We filled our sushi with:

Cucumber
Red Peppers
Carrots
Avocados
Shrimp

They were super good. And made even better with chopsticks!
All Chinese food tastes better when eaten with chopsticks. ;)

The sushi making process...

Ready to be cut!

The finished product! Delish!

Kaiya LOVED the sushi! We were pleasantly surprised.
She knows good food, that's for sure. ;)
It always baffles me, though, that it doesn't seem like she chews her food at all.
She just shoves it down! Haha.

Joshua and I enjoyed our sushi, ate some amazing ice cream, and watched Mulan.
It was wonderful and I cherish the fun memories we made!

How did you celebrate your Valentine's Day? 

Life Lately: McGlothin Family Updates

Life can be a little crazy sometimes.

I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.

Between a 20-hour work week, 15 school credits, and family responsibilities,
I sometimes barely rememeber what I did 20 minutes ago, let alone one day ago.

When people ask me how my weekend was, I usually say something like,
"That's a really good question..." or "What did I do?!"

I guess what I am saying is that I am exhausted!
But it is SO worth it because I graduate in April. Yay!

Recently, Joshua and I have been pretty busy with school and work.
Most of the time we get to spend together is in the evenings
after Joshua gets home from school.

Dishes pile up in the sink for a couple days because we are so busy
and Kaiya's toys end up everywhere...
the shower, trashcan, bookshelf, drawers, dryer, and other random places
throughout the house.

Joshua and I celebrated my birthday at the beginning of the month with some dinner
at a Thai restaurant in Provo that was delicious! We love Thai food and have
set a goal to visit every Thai restaurant in Provo before we leave next year!
(We'll see how that goes...) :)
We also got some ice cream from Coldstone!
Seriously, every time I go there, I tell myself I will try a new Creation flavor...
but I always end up getting the Founder's Favorite ice cream.
It's filled with addicting sweet cream ice cream, brownie chunks,
pecans, chocolate syrup and caramel syrup.
Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is...

 Now is your mouth watering?!

For date night last Friday, Joshua and I went to the Provo temple
and just enjoyed sitting outside of it, reading together,
and enjoying the peaceful evening.
We even got to cuddle a bit because it was chilly. ;)

Anyways, Kaiya is showing interest in helping me "clean,"
meaning she will hold on to the broom as I try to sweep the floor
and pushes the vacuum with me. She's such a great little helper!

Not too long ago, Kaiya reached into the refrigerator and pulled down a bowl
of beans that spilled all over the floor.
She immediately looked over at me to see what I would do.
I just smiled at her and said, "Whoops! Let's clean it up!"
She smiled and picked up each bean, individually, and placed it
on the bottom shelf of the fridge. 

That didn't last long...because then she started grabbing handfuls of the
beans she had already put away and threw them back on the ground!
Close Kaiya...but not quite. :)

And for those not keeping track, Kaiya is now 14 months old!
Unbelievable, right?

Kaiya 14-month update:

• Favorite foods: everything...except cranberry sauce (can't blame her, right?)
• Favorite words: baby (most things are "baby"), bye-bye, duck, dad
• Favorite activities: looking at things upside down (with her head between her legs), playing tag, making friends, playing in dirt and rocks, playing with daddy, going to the duck pond
• Favorite person/people: Mommy and Daddy of course! ;) And anyone else who plays with her...
• Favorite book: Back in My Arms

Playing with rocks...one of her favorite things!

Well, I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

Choco-holics

So, Joshua and I are are what many would call
...choco-holics...
Yep, you heard me right.
We love our chocolate.

And I want to share with you a couple of our favorite, FAVORITE chocolate recipes:

**Brownie Batter Pancakes**
**Chocolate Cake-in-a-Cup**

First thing's first...

Brownie Batter Pancakes!!!!

(This photograph is NOT MINE...I can't make food look that good.)

Source

Joshua and I LOVE these!
In fact, Joshua specifically requested them for his birthday breakfast...

The first time I heard of them was while browsing
the Skinny Taste website and I just could not believe
that pancakes that look so sinfully delicious can actually be HEALTHY!

Nutrition Facts as given in original recipe post:

Brownie Batter Pancakes
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 1 • Size: 6-8 silver-dollar pancakes • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 172 • Fat: 2.4 g • Carb: 32 g • Fiber: 6.7 g • Protein: 5.3 g • Sugar: 4.7
Sodium: 241.7 (without salt)

What?! Only 172 calories for all that decadence?!
I was sold.
(The ones I made ended up with more calories, sugar, fat, etc. because I HAD to add some chocolate chips)

I made them, somewhat skeptical that these could really taste that good...
But they did!

And now I'm hooked. And so is Joshua.
(Kaiya will be too, haha)

 Here's my version of the Skinny Taste recipe:

(This IS my photo...obviously, haha)

Brownie Batter Pancakes
Servings: 1 • Size: 6-8 silver-dollar pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. Hershey’s Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. for extra sweetness; you can also use 2 Tbsp. of regular granulated sugar instead)
• pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 5 1/2 Tbsp. 1% milk (or whatever dairy or non-dairy milk you prefer)
• 1 handful of chocolate chips (we love the Hershey dark chocolate morsels in our pancakes!)

**I often double the recipe for two people**

Directions:

• Mix dry ingredients very well, then add wet. 
• Make pancakes on a griddle or large skillet over medium heat.

In addition, I like to spread Adam's Creamy Natural Peanut Butter between the pancake layers.
Chocolate + Peanut Butter = HEAVEN!

Note:
*Joshua and I usually don't have to add any syrup to these pancakes because we like how sweet they are already.
*But if you like more sweetness, feel free to add some regular (or chocolate) syrup!
Just remember, if you add more "stuff" to them, they won't be as healthy. :)


Now for...
Chocolate Cake-in-a-Cup!!!!

Joshua and I have a fun story behind this recipe.
Starting within the past couple of months, Joshua and I have made it a tradition
to make cake in a cup on Sunday evenings after putting Kaiya to bed.

We make our own little individual cake in a cup and snuggle on the couch or bed while watching
an episode of Studio C or Granite Flats (or both?!) on BYUTV.

Oh my gosh!!! So good! I like to break up pieces of a Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate Square
and put it in my cake in a cup...along with a "healthy" amount of Hershey Dark Chocolate Morsels.

Yeah. Chocolate crazed.

But Joshua and I love it.
It's our own little tradition that brings us closer together.

Here's my recipe...

Chocolate Cake-in-a-Cup
 Servings: 1

Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp. King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour (you can use regular all-purpose flour)
• 2 Tbsp. Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or honey (or 2 Tbsp. sugar)
• 1 egg (large or medium should work fine), well beaten
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil (I actually like to use 2 Tbsp. applesauce instead of oil - less fat and calories!)

(Joshua and I have also recently started using coconut oil in our cake in a cup and it is AMAZING! Instead of 2 Tbsp. oil, use 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. coconut oil. The coconut oil is pretty solid, so when you mix everything together, you have to use a fork to break the coconut oil apart.)

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or a tad more if you'd like!)
• as many chocolate chips as you'd like! (or whatever chocolate you have around the house...remember, I like using Ghirardelli!)

 Directions:

•  In a large mug, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and sugar (if not using agave or honey).
• Stir in the egg, milk, oil (or applesauce), vanilla, and agave or honey (if not using sugar). 
• When well combined, stir in the chocolate chunks. 
• Microwave somewhere between 50 and 60 seconds. The time really depends on the strength of your microwave. It may take a bit of experimentation to get it just right.
• Enjoy!And keep a glass of milk nearby. :)

("Just right" for my cake in a cup is about 54 seconds.)


** Here's the recipe that inspired my spin on cake in a cup.


Hope you enjoy these chocolate recipes! Joshua and I certainly do.
Try them out and let me know what you think! :)

To Eternity and Beyond: A Weekend of Weddings

This past weekend was filled with family, friends, fun...
and TWO weddings!

Two of Joshua's siblings were married last weekend.
One on Friday (Allie and Nate)

 and the other on Saturday (Jake and Mary).

Photo Source

Don't they all look amazing?!
Both brides were glowing and the grooms were grinning from ear to ear.
The joy and excitement were tangible.

It reminded me of my own wedding almost 2 years ago.
I can't believe so much time has gone by already!

Seriously, I love love love weddings!
They make me so happy.
I love seeing the love radiating from the bride and groom
as they look forward to their life together.

They particularly make me happy because of the eternal nature of marriage.
In the LDS Church, we believe that a temple marriage enables
a man and a woman to be together in their mortal lives and eternally.
(More info on that here.)
How great is that?! Eternity with your best friend!

Anyways, we had so much fun celebrating the marriages of these two couples!

And I just have to give a HUGE recommendation to the
 two photographers who photographed the weddings.
They were phenomenal!

Brianna Yardley photographed Jake and Mary's wedding day.
Here's her Facebook page: Photography by Brianna Yardley
She's amazing, right?!

Jessica Drew photographed Jake and Mary's bridals and Allie and Nate's bridals and reception.
Her photos of Jake and Mary can be found here. Photos of Allie and Nate are here.
Equally beautiful and amazing!
And I will just share a few of the photos she took of Jake and Mary's wedding in this post.
You can view the rest on her website. Take a look!

Aren't those all amazing?! They are quite the beautiful/photogenic/model couple, huh?

I also took some pictures of our fun weekend with my phone's camera.
(I know, I forgot to bring my good camera! Fail! Oh well...)
Here are some moments I captured:

Allie & Nate's luncheon after the wedding

Getting ready to cut the cake!

Beautiful bridesmaids!

Hannah :)

Bridesmaid flowers

Allie & Nate's reception decor. Isn't it beautiful?!

Table centerpieces.

I didn't get any pictures of Jake and Mary's reception,
but it was just as amazing and beautiful as Allie and Nate's!

Joshua and I had lots of fun together:

Love.

And we had a blast with Kaiya:

Loving the double chin, there. Haha.

She has the cutest clothes in the whole world!

Kaiya and daddy:

Um, gangsta?

Precious.

Dress up in the air, of course.

Apparently, I have two babies...haha!

Love these two.

Kaiya and mommy:

I love Kaiya's infectious smile!

Kaiya's cute self:

Kaiya loves airplanes. :)

And the McG family:

My family brings so much meaning to my life.
I love them to pieces,
And I'm glad I have them for eternity.