The Little Things Newsletter #484 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m spending this morning meal prepping in the kitchen, and then I’ll be headed out for a walk this afternoon to soak up more of the awesome pre-fall weather.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Pizza and salad might sound like total opposites, one’s cheesy, gooey, and indulgent, while the other is light, crisp, and refreshing. But put them together? You’ve got the best of both worlds in this pizza salad.

Smoked salmon pasta feels like spring or summer in a bowl. It’s light and lemony with a great balance of flavors. The lemon cuts through the creaminess, the salmon brings that slightly smoky depth, and the pine nuts add just the right crunch.

Let’s just get this out of the way now, I am obsessed with this vegetable confetti. For about 15 years now, I’ve kept a ready-to-eat vegetable box in our fridge, and we pull it out several times a day for snacking.

This confetti, on the other hand? It’s perfect for tossing with crunchy greens for a lightning-fast salad, or simply sauteing a bit of the mix to add to some scrambled eggs or add some to a bit of ground beef for quick tacos.

If you’re looking for a dinner that’s full of flavor, super simple to prep, and practically effortless to cook, air fryer Italian chicken is going to be your new go-to.

Crustless coconut pie is a simple custard pie filled to the brim with sweet bites of coconut. Best of all, it’s so easy to make, the kids can stir it together in about 5 minutes.

This is the cookies and cream ice cream of my childhood dreams. Frosted circus animal cookies dance through every bite of this animal cookie ice cream.

What I’m CRAVING: Rebecca shared these Greek yogurt brownies last week, and oh my word, they look incredible! No eggs AND no butter required, the Greek yogurt does all the heavy lifting to create these ultra-rich brownies. They are surely calling my name today. So, you can bet I’ll be trying them asap.

My FAVORITE THING this week is the new Guilty Pleasure Hitster game! If you’ve been playing Hitster and loving it anywhere near as much as we have over the past year, you need this expansion game. It’s a whole new 300+ songs that aren’t included in the original set. We’ve played through it twice already and are enjoying it every bit as much as the original.

What I’m LISTENING to: Colton Dixon on repeat. I stumbled on his music via my Forrest Frank playlist, and he’s been a favorite for the past week or two. My son plays his song Up + Up just about every time we’re in the car together. 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

Wishing you a beautiful week filled with little things that make you smile!

Mary