What's for Dinner?

 I fix dinner about 6 nights a week and wanted to share some of our family favorites/EASY recipes with you that we've eaten this month.  I didn't try many new recipes this month and stuck to our tried and true recipes.  I have been pinning lots of new recipes to try so maybe in February I'll have some new favorites to share with you.

1. Chicken Veggie Lo Mein

shredded chicken

1 pk of chicken ramen noodles per person

tons of veggies

(carrots, edamame, green beans, broccoli, sweet peppers squash & onions)

hoisin sauce to cook chicken and veggies in & soy sauce to top it off

2. Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos

2 cans of shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning

refried beans, sauteed peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos, taco sauce & cheese

all wrapped up in your favorite tortilla shell

3. Southern Comfort Food

sauteed okra

sweet potato chips

popcorn chicken

& raspberry/pecan/Parmesan vinaigrette salad

4. Homemade Lasagna - recipe here

5. Chicken Chimichangas - recipe here

6. 10 Layer Baked Nacho Dip - recipe here

Linking up with Momfessionals

Coastal Eating

I always look forward to trying new restaurants when we are out of town.  Kevin had a conference in Gulfport back in the Fall so he had a few places he was eager to recommend.  We got in town around 8:00pm and decided to try going out to dinner.  Olive's normally in bed at 7:30, but we were feeling brave and hoping she'd be hungry and happy to be out of the car.

We headed to Shagy's and it was really fun.  It's right on the water, they have a big menu for seafood lovers and not and the staff was really friendly.  They also gave the kids chalkboards and chalk to entertain them at their seats.  Olive was in heaven.

The food was tasty and they have very large portions.  I got grilled chicken nachos and shared with Olive.  Kevin got fish and fries.  Both were yummy.

They had TVs, fires going and it was a great little restaurant.

We also tried McElroys after several people recommended it to us.  The restaurant sits very high above the water and has wonderful views.  We went for breakfast and I had to order beignets (been-yays) to give them a try.  They seem so southern so I didn't want to miss out on these biscuit/donut deep fried covered in powered sugar deliciousness.  Our food was good, the views were great and it was a nice breakfast spot.  Olive did lots of coloring and we walked out on the deck to enjoy the view after we ate.

 One biscuit here = 3 regular sized biscuits

We also did some easy, chain restaurant meals - pizza picnic from Papa Johns & drive through McDonald's for breakfast.  

Biloxi Bound

We realized a few weeks ago that we had a free weekend coming up and decided to make the most of it.  We planned to head down to the Mississippi coast and enjoy the sunshine.  We stayed in Biloxi and originally just booked one night and then added a second night on as the trip got closer.  We had a great time, enjoyed the sunshine and loved exploring our new state.

We stayed at The Four Points (very nice, clean, new, updated and super comfy king bed) the first night and The Quality Inn the second night (great beach access, not as new, not as clean and not as nice as our first night).  I loved our first hotel and wish we had stayed both nights there.  Noted for future trips to the coast.

 We stopped in the lovely visitor's center to plan out our day.  Everything was decorated for Mardi Gras and Olive loved seeing all the decorations.  Homes had Mardi Gras wreaths on the doors, all the restaurants were decked out in the colors and they seemed ready for the big celebration in just a few weeks.

 We explored the whole place, got into some mischief and headed across the street to see the cast iron light house and walk out to the ocean.  Olive enjoyed pushing buttons, climbing stairs and hearing her squeaker shoes echo throughout the place.  It's not the most kid friendly place so we didn't stay long.

 We walked up and down the beach and Olive took a little nap in her stroller.  It was windy, temps near 60 and all the locals were dressed as though it was going to snow at any minute. 

Nap time was before our check in time so we opted to go for a scenic drive along the coast.  I picked out several dream homes, we admired the big trees and took in the sights.  It was amazing to see how much rebuilding was still taking place after hurricane Katrina came through town.  I did not realize how much damage occurred in Mississippi.  We did a bit of shopping and walking around after Olive's nap.  Grabbed a quick bite to eat and then got ready for some more fun.

 We went back to the hotel, put our stuff in the room and then walked across the street to the beach.  The sand was pretty packed down and the water was chilly, but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful time.  Olive was confused as to why we wouldn't let her get in the water and we eventually caved letting her stick her feet in.  We played in the sand and visited with all the families/puppies that strolled by.

 We were standing in front of our hotel and enjoying the view.  The trees were really spectacular and the views were amazing.  The beach was right across the street!!

 It's crazy to me that we are only 2.5 hours from the beach and we have vowed to take advantage of that fact.  It was an easy road trip especially when we are used to our regular 8.5 hour trips.  I'm looking forward to heading back to the coast in the near future because there are several things we didn't get to do on our first visit.

We made it home Sunday afternoon just in time to squeeze in a fun walk and play in our backyard.  January in Mississippi has been really lovely.