Tag Archives: delicious

Mexican Sunday Dinner

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Mexican Sunday Dinner

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. So during the week at my household, we eat easy to prepare dinners – pasta, pizza, stir fry, and the likes. But over the weekends, my mom and I go hard when it comes to cooking an evening feast – soups, homemade pizzas, pasta salads, bread, frittatas, and oh so much more. This Sunday, I prepared a meal that I was particularly proud of that I just had to share on here. Seriously, it was that delicious.

My family loves Mexican food and as a primarily vegetarian household, it is always something that all of us can eat and enjoy. And enjoy, we did. For Sunday dinner I prepared homemade guacamole paired with vegetarian black bean enchiladas compliments of the fantastic website Cookie + Kate. Kate’s website specializes in vegetarian cuisine while her pup, Cookie, cheers from the sidelines. My mom actually found that website and was instantly drawn in by the delicious recipes but most importantly, that it was in some ways dog related (lol). Anyways, here’s the finished product:

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For the enchiladas, I followed the recipe pretty closely because I had never made it before but I did change a few things up to accommodate my cooking style:

  • I added a healthy amount of chili powder and cayenne pepper to the dish.
  • I added cilantro into the mixture as opposed to just using it to garnish.
  • I lessened the amount of broccoli in the recipe as a family preference.
  • I squirted fresh lime juice into the mixture and topped the finished product with it.
  • I used store bought enchilada sauce instead of making it myself because ain’t nobody got time for that.

* If you’re not hip to vegetarian eating, then I would recommend sauteing stripes of chicken, steak, or shrimp (or all three!) in a mixture of olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chili powder (you could also go crazy and add in some lime juice and a tablespoon or two of enchilada sauce). Then, you could add it into the enchiladas or just eat it on the side.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much my dish looked like the pictures that Kate posted on her website but most importantly, my entire family loved it. For an additional topping, I free-styled some guacamole and here’s what I used in my makeshift recipe:

  • 1 large avocado
  • 6 cloves of minced garlic
  • About 3 tbsp of super finely chopped red onion
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • Cilantro!!
  • A couple shakes of cayenne pepper
  • Black pepper
  • Morton Kosher salt
  • 3-4 tbsp of small tomato chunks that I wish I added but forgot to get from the grocery store!

I really really love guac and I thought that the above concoction turned out amazing. It was bold and flavorful and although it turned out chunkier than what I normally like, I think that it just added to the deliciousness considering you could eat it by the forkful – which we did!

My mom described my Mexican Sunday Dinner as “going out to eat in our own house” which I thought was super precious and we will definitely be making the above recipes again! What is your favorite meal for Sunday dinner? What kinds of food do you love to cook? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Tasty Recipes That Can Help You Stick To Your New Year’s Fitness Resolution

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Tasty Recipes That Can Help You Stick To Your New Year’s Fitness Resolution

Are you planning on getting fit and losing some weight as part of your new year’s resolution? If so, you might already be worried about being tempted by some of your favorite foods! So how exactly do you change your diet without feeling so hungry all the time? It’s easy really; you just need to start making homemade versions of your favorite dishes. Here are some super easy recipes that will show you healthy alternatives aren’t too hard at all:

Cauliflower-Topped Shepherd’s Pie: Do you love hearty comfort food during the winter, such as shepherd’s pie? Comfort food is the Achilles heel for many people when it comes to dieting. Thankfully, there is a way that you can enjoy a delicious shepherd’s pie without worrying about piling on lots of extra pounds. You just need to swap the potato topping for one made from cauliflower! That way, you are cutting down on a lot of carbs. This is very easy to do, you just need to boil the cauliflower until it is super soft. Then mash it up with an egg. It should now be the consistency of mashed potato! Top your shepherd’s pie with this, and you will forget that you didn’t make it the original way!

Spiralized Pasta: Spiralizers were a very big deal in 2016 and they are set to be even bigger next year! These cool contraptions allow you to make spaghetti and noodles out of hard vegetables, such as courgettes and sweet potatoes. You simply attach the vegetable to one end of the spiralizer, turn the handle, and watch the noodles and spaghetti form before your very eyes! This is a great low-carb alternative to regular pasta. Then all you need to do is boil the spaghetti or noodles much like you would regular pasta and serve it with your favorite pasta sauce!

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 Pixabay Image

Spelt Bread: Are you thinking of going gluten-free next year? Well, one way to cut out so much gluten from your diet is to start eating spelt bread. This is a lot healthier than bread that is made from wheat. Spelt contains no gluten and is a carbohydrate that our body can easily digest. Unlike wheat! Spelt bread can be very expensive in the supermarket so you may prefer to make your own. This isn’t too difficult to do, even for beginners. If you want to make things even easier for yourself, you could treat yourself to a bread maker: breadmachinemom.com.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse: Did you think that eating healthy meant that you could no longer enjoy some of your favorite foods? Nope, that’s not the case! In fact, you can still tuck into chocolate mousse! Just make sure that it is made from avocado, though. Avocado is packed full of essential minerals, and you won’t be able to taste it once you add all the yummy chocolate!!!! There are plenty of recipes for this quirky dish online, including this one: chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/10/15/avocado-chocolate-mousse-vegan-healthy/

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 Looove avocado!

Looks like you will be able to have a delicious 2017 and still lose weight! Here’s to the New Year!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Three Techniques Every Home Cook Should Know

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Three Techniques Every Home Cook Should Know

All the best chefs in the world have their own unique style of doing things. From dicing an onion to roasting potatoes and making a popular sauce, there are always little nuances and tricks which set the pros aside from us amateurs. However, long before these masters found their own style, they were learning some of those basic techniques which are essential for countless dishes. Here are some of the big ones every cook should know:

Blanching Vegetables: This is a method of cooking veggies quickly in boiling water, then plunging them into ice cold water to halt the cooking process and lock in all that vibrant color. The trick to good blanching is using a lot of salty water in the first boiling pot. Use about one cup. If it smells like the ocean, that’s great. Don’t worry – it won’t taste like that!

To blanch, say, one pound of green beans to serve four, prepare a bowl of ice water, keep it near your cooker, and then bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add beans to the boiling water in small batches and cook them for three to four minutes. Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the ice water bowl until all the beans are thoroughly cooked and cooled. Drain the beans, glaze with a little butter and olive oil, and dig in.

Sear a Steak: This is a method that happens in restaurants every day, all over the world. There’s a good reason for this, so try to bring it into your kitchen! If you know that your steak cooking game is a little below-par, you should start practicing using high heat under a pan. The pros sear their steaks in a heavy, scorching hot skillet over a high flame.

To serve two, you’ll need to start with about a pound of skirt steak. Slice it into sizes of your choice and cook them two at a time. Once they’re looking done, leave them for around 15 minutes to let the juices really soak through the meat. Then, slice the pieces again, this time against the grain, and serve in a good pan sauce. Searing may call for a good steak knife if your steaks have been coming out nearly black so far, so check out some reviews on a blog like Cut it Fine.

Dice an Onion: This is one of the basic steps in so many different recipes, so make sure you’re not stumped by it! After peeling the onion, halve it through the root and set the two halves flat-side down on a chopping board. Then, keeping the root end intact, make a series of cuts parallel to the root, roughly a quarter of an inch apart. After this, hold it by the root end, turn it ninety degrees, and make another series of cuts cross-hatching the cuts that you already made. You may not get it right the first time, but stick at it and soon you’ll be able to get those perfect little cubes on demand!

What is your favorite meal to cook at home? What are some of your cooking pro tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Joy Of Garlic

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Joy Of Garlic

I am sure that you guys gathered by now that I love food. I feel like I am constantly talking about cooking, baking, eating, or Taco Bell to someone! But one thing that I really love is garlic. I remember the first time that I had a super garlic-y food. My mom made my brother a snack of spaghetti and pesto when he came home from work about ten years ago and after trying a taste of the garlic filled sauce, I was hooked.

After my revelation of how freaking amazing garlic is, I began seeking out foods and recipes that would be filled with the stuff. When I cook, I use no less than an entire bulb of garlic in my meals despite the recipes only calling for about three cloves! When it comes to garlic, I mean bid-ness so when I was at a farmers market in Asheville, North Carolina at the beginning of summer and discovered the Joy Of Garlic stand, I truly believe that I died and went to heaven.

The Joy Of Garlic boasts, sauces, dressings, salsas, and spreads that are all dedicated to giving you the biggest blast of garlic imaginable. Their salsa is superb but after taste testing their Chipotle and sun dried tomato spread, I had discovered what it means to be alive – they are that good. Take a look on their website and you’ll see what I mean!

Upon returning to Asheville in October, my family bought three of each of our favorite spread flavors which will probably last about a month at most considering we put it on everything! Sandwiches, pizza, French bread, crackers, pretzels, you name it. The reason why it dawned on me to even write this post to begin with is because I had some for lunch today over top a microwave pizza! This spread literally transforms everything that you put on it and it turned my somewhat crappy pizza into instant deliciousness.

I also did promise the lovely woman who sold my family our garlic spreads both times that I would write a post about it on my blog. So if you’re reading this: THANK YOU!!

You can shop online for all things garlic at the Joy Of Garlic’s website and you can also learn how to sell the products in your area! If there are any local farmers markets in your neck of the woods, I cannot recommend starting a stand enough because I one hundred and ten percent believe that it would be a hit!

Thank you so much to the Joy Of Garlic for introducing me to my new favorite topping for literally any food and for also helping me keep vampires away with my breath! What is your favorite topping to put on your meals? Is anyone else super obsessed with garlic like me? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Bath & Body Works August Freebie

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Bath & Body Works August Freebie

Hey everyone and happy Monday! So I know I just recently wrote about my July Bath & Body Works Freebie but they have been hooking it up with their coupons lately so I already got to cash in on two free products for the month of August. I received another free full sized item coupon as well as a free travel sized product and I was eager to put them to good use! Take a look at my freebie picks for this month and then let’s discuss:

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As you guys already know, Love & Sunshine is one of my B&BW favorites. Since I have wrote about it so frequently before, I don’t plan on saying anything else about it other than that it’s fabulous! Instead, I’m here today to talk about the deliciousness that is their Summer Marshmallow scent from their Beach Nights collection. I decided on this scent on a whim and I am so glad I did because I am simply gaga over it.

While browsing the beautiful, newly remodeled B&BW in my area, I thought I knew what I wanted for my free full sized item. I planned on going for their Limoncello lotion because last month I was debating on getting it but settled for a full sized Pretty As A Peach cream instead. I had the bottle of Limoncello lotion in hand and decided to spend a few more minutes perusing the store to get an idea of what scent I want for next month’s freebie.

This is when I stumbled on the Summer Marshmallow fragrance. As soon as I read the label, I immediately thought to myself, “ew”. I hate marshmallows so I made the assumption that this lotion was going to smell nasty. WRONG. I took one whiff of Summer Marshmallow and instantly put the Limoncello lotion back to its proper place on the shelf. This. Lotion. Smelled. AMAZING!

The Summer Marshmallow cream smelled nothing like the sugary scent that I had in mind, thank god! This lotion smelled like toasted vanilla, the salty ocean breeze, and a campfire that is lightly smoldering after a huge bonfire. All you had to do was take one sniff of the fragrance and you could tell exactly what they were trying to do with this scent. B&BW created the aroma of an ideal Beach Night in a bottle. A night under the stars, with a warm and gooey s’more in hand, and the ocean waves lapping in the distance. It is just perfect.

Normally, I never go for a scent like what I described (even though I made it sound delicious!) because I am such a lover of fruity fragrances. But obviously, B&BW’s Summer Marshmallow is the exception. I one hundred and fifty percent recommend this fragrance to everyone. If you are in need of ideas for future presents, I suggest making a gift basket with this Bath & Body Works fragrance along with all of the fixings to make a fresh batch of s’mores.

You can shop the Beach Nights collection in stores and online, just make sure to include your email address so you can snag Bath & Body Works freebie coupons, too! What is your favorite B&BW scent? What is your must have summer fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Pretty please check out my MyLikes page and help me get paid! THANKS. 🙂

Perfect Summer Drinks

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Perfect Summer Drinks

Hello everyone and welcome to part two of this weekend’s guest posts by my darling friend, Zeighn, at oneselementblog! Yesterday featured some of Zeighn’s favorite healthy summer picnic food recipes and today will showcase some sweet drinks to wash it down with. Zeighn linked me to a Cranberry & Ginger Tea Punch that sounds fabulous and will be teaching us how to make a yummy smoothie and mango based beverage below. Cheers!

Peach & Oat Smoothie:

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe peaches, quartered, pits removed
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 frozen banana (peeled before freezing)
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • Optional: 1 tbsp agave, maple syrup, or Stevia for added sweetness. (Or honey for non-Vegan.)

Instructions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and let set for 5-10 minutes so the oats and chia seeds can soak. Then blend until smooth.
  2. To thicken, add another quarter or half of a frozen banana. To thin, add more almond milk or OJ.
  3. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. I added a touch of agave.
  4. Serve immediately.

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Super-Spiced Mango Ice:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped, frozen mangoes (or 1 fresh mango)
  • 1 heaping teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 pinch of chili powder
  • Optional: 1 tbsp honey
  • Ice cube tray (Not that you can eat that!)

Instructions:

  1. Thaw the mango for about 30 seconds in the microwave. It’s easier to chop if it’s still partly frozen. Alternatively, chop up a fresh mango. Chop into small cubes, about 1/4 of an inch, and divide evenly into the ice cube tray.
  2. Zest orange and sprinkle into each cube.
  3. Sprinkle chili powder into each cube.
  4. Optional: Squirt a dollop of honey into each cube.
  5. Fill a small cup with water and pour carefully over the tray to cover the fruit. Place in freezer over night.

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Thank you so much again to Zeighn for sharing her favorite recipes with us for a perfect summer picnic! If you want more from my lovely guest blogger, check out her blog at oneselementblog or follow her on Instagram. Happy summer! Much love. -Sarah

Perfect Picnic Food

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Perfect Picnic Food

Hi everyone and happy weekend! Today and Sunday are going to be kind of special here on lifewithlilred because both days will be featuring a guest post from my sweet friend, Zeighn, over at oneselementblog. When Zeighn first contacted me, she mentioned that she’s a total fashionista and lives a healthy lifestyle through Veganism and daily yoga.

Initially, my first thoughts were “Great, because I love to eat” so I asked Zeighn if she could create a post with some of her favorite recipes for summer time snacks and drinks. Today will feature some food perfect for a picnic while tomorrow will show you some mouthwatering beverages to wash it down with. Take a look at the post that Zeighn created special for my readers and please be sure to give her page some love:

Perfect Picnic Food

Pack up these delicious meals and head outdoors for a refreshing outing. Best part? Everything is healthy and Vegan! All recipes will be linked down below. 🙂

Make sure not to forget your picnic blanket! A picnic is not complete without a blanket, basket, and lots of fun!

^^^ Omg. Can you say YUM?! All of Zeighn’s favorite recipes sound amazing! If you want more from my lovely guest blogger this weekend, check out her blog or follow her on Instagram. Thanks again, beautiful!

My birthday party at the end of the month is going to be of a garden party theme so now I need everyone’s opinions. What recipe listed above should I attempt to make for my guests? What recipes do you plan on trying? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Really Good Scones Edition

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Monday Update: Really Good Scones Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new week here on lifewithlilred! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend. If there’s one thing that Lil Red loves, its cooking and baking. I could spend all day in the kitchen whipping up new meals and treats and have the time of my life. Recently, my mom acquired a new recipe from Today’s Kitchen in Wooster, Ohio to make Raspberry White Chocolate Scones and they are just as amazing as they sound. These scones are one of my favorite things to make and I just had to share the recipe with all of you since I made a fresh batch this weekend. They were delicious, if I do say so myself, so take a look at my finished product and then stick around for the recipe:

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Raspberry White Chocolate Scones:

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I use 1 tsp)
  • 1/4 cup raspberries (I use 22 raspberries on the dot)
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

The Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla powder (I use 1 tsp)
  • 3 tbsp cream or milk

Directions:

  1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2.  Whisk sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in butter until it is in small pieces. With a spatula stir in 3/4 cup cream, extract, berries, and white chocolate chips. Add more flour if dough is too wet. (Dough should form a relatively smooth, firm ball.)
  3.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead gently. (I usually have a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour handy because the dough will still be pretty wet.) Press or roll out into a 6 to 8 inch circle and cut into eight wedges. Place the wedges, not touching, on baking sheet. Bake scones for 20 minutes or until golden and slightly firm when pressed. (I bake mine for 12 minutes because my oven sucks.)
  4.  Cool on a wire rack and then coat with glaze.

These scones are simply to die for and I hope all of you enjoy them as much as my family and I do! Thank you so much again to Today’s Kitchen in Wooster, Ohio for the divine recipe!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Really Good Scones Edition! What is your favorite thing to cook or bake? Has anyone had any kitchen disasters lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

TJMaxx Trip

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TJMaxx Trip

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Over the weekend my mom and I had our monthly TJMaxx Trip and returned home with a huge bath and body care haul. Let’s be honest, when you’re out shopping, sometimes it’s much easier to just browse through the things that you don’t have to try on. My mom and I were both feeling ambivalent about clothes shopping so when we stumbled upon the shelf of marked down bath and body care goods, we just couldn’t tear ourselves away. Take a look at some of our new goodies:

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The Haul:

  • Pure & Basic Creme Brulee scented lotion: $6
  • The Body Shop Honeymania shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Argon Oil shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Olive shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit jumbo body butter: $10
  • The Body Shop Smoky Poppy body butter: $4.50

In Store Value:

  • Approximately $130!!!!

For less than fifty dollars at TJs, my mom and I scored a major haul full of goodies from The Body Shop. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the bath and body care goods from TBS. However, I would never ever pay thirty dollars for a jumbo sized body butter. Or twenty bucks for their mega shower gel. It all just seems so ridiculous to me. I do use their skin care products, which I am willing to shell out the cash for. But to pay so much for lotions and body wash seems like pure insanity. Having said that, I have absolutely no problem buying them super marked down at TJs…Obviously.

The great thing about this TJs haul is that it gave me the opportunity to try new TBS scents. The only product that we got that I’ve used before was the Pink Grapefruit butter so I’m looking forward to giving the Smoky Poppy, Honeymania, and Argon Oil a go. The Olive scent is a good fragrance for men so we got that shower gel to spoil my dad and brother a little! I also can’t wait to try out the super delicious smelling Creme Brulee lotion from Pure & Basic. It seriously smells like a rich vanilla and caramel cake so I’m kind of obsessed!

When you’re in a slump and don’t feel like clothes shopping you literally can’t go wrong with browsing the shoes, bath and body care, and home goods sections of TJMaxx. My mom and I walked away with new towels, makeup, shower gels, lotions, and a new pot and bird feeder for our garden. Our April TJMaxx Trip was an obvious success and I can’t wait to do it again in May!

So there you have it, my latest TJMaxx Trip! What is the best item that you’ve scored at a discount store? What was one of your favorite finds at TJMaxx? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Akron Zoo Date

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Akron Zoo Date

Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! Last Friday my boyfriend, Kyle, and I had the most fantastic date day. We went out to lunch at my favorite restaurant and then we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Akron Zoo. Kyle wanted this post to be called “No Bears? No Problem. A Day At The Zoo With My Boyfriend” but that title was way too long so we’ll just stick with Akron Zoo Date for now! Read up on our lovely day together and be sure to check out all of our zoo pictures, compliments of my beau:

For lunch, Kyle and I went to my favorite restaurant which just so happens to be right down the street from me. It’s called the Saffron Patch and it’s seriously the best Indian food I’ve ever had. I recently got Kyle hooked on Indian food when we went to an Indian buffet on Valentine’s Day and I’ve also been craving it something fierce. So when I got to pick where we were going for lunch, I knew exactly where I wanted to go!

The Saffron Patch has such a great atmosphere and the inside of the restaurant is so beautiful. We had a gigantic and insanely delicious meal fit for royalty. Malai Kofta for me and Tandoori Chicken for Kyle along with Naan and jasmine rice for us to share. We ate until we were stuffed silly and were fearful that we might be too full to walk around at the zoo! However, we were dedicated to our idea of exploring the nearby zoo in my neck of the woods so despite our full bellies, we ventured to the Akron Zoo after lunch.

Here are some of the many pictures that Kyle snapped during our visit:

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The rest of our afternoon was spent saying hello to all of the beautiful animals at the Akron Zoo… Except for the bears, who were all out of their exhibits. Hence the meaning of Kyle’s wannabe title “No Bears? No Problem.” Although we didn’t get to see the grizzly and sloth bears, we still got to see so many amazing animal friends. Friday was slightly overcast in good ol’ Akron, Ohio which made the day even better because it was like having the whole zoo to ourselves.

Some of our favorite exhibits that we saw were the penguins, otters, and the lemurs! The lemurs were so active when we were there and Kyle and I spent a solid fifteen minutes watching them jump about and interact with each other. We liked watching them so much that we went back to visit them again before we left! As you can see in the picture of the lemurs, one of them made it into his little tree house and was observing all of the action that was going on with his friends. This made us laugh so hard because one of our favorite phrases, compliments of Borat, is “king of the castle” and this little lemur was definitely king of the castle/tree house!

One of our other fan favorites were the red wolves who were insanely active! While one ran about, the other was busy chasing his tail. The wolf went around and around so many times and then he would change the direction that he was running in to try and catch that darn tail! The wolves were also howling away at the coyotes that were housed next door which was cool to hear! When the coyotes weren’t too busy howling at their neighbors, they spent their time having a race around the exhibit. They were neck and neck and seemed to be having so much fun! It was so cute. :*)

Kyle and I spent close to two hours walking around the zoo and giving “window love”, as Kyle calls it, to all of the precious animals. We explored until it was almost closing time and then we headed back to my house for some R&R. Our evening was spent watching Horrible Bosses and a few episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm before Kyle made his way back home for the night. Our entire day was so perfect. We got to go out and do something that we normally wouldn’t do and make lots of fun new memories. Great success!

Our Akron Zoo Date was such a blast and I can’t wait to have another date day with my beau soon! Where is your favorite place to go on a date? What was one of the best dates that you’ve ever been on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah