Hello, friends and fellow home cooks!
This is my Saturday newsletter that includes 7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads (for the week of August 11-17, 2024) + fun life update at the bottom (PART 2 of my sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands). You can read PART 1 here.
7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads
DAY 1: Creamy Orzo with Green Peas and Crispy Prosciutto
DAY 2: Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice with Chickpeas, Spinach, Grape Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese
DAY 3: Pan-Seared Trout (or Salmon) with Garlic Lemon Butter Garlic Herb Sauce
DAY 4: One-Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies (Cherry Tomatoes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Asparagus)
DAY 5: Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon with Fig Spread (30-Minute ONE-PAN)
DAY 6: 30-Minute Cilantro-Lime Chicken Tacos with Peach Salsa and Creamy Sauce
DAY 7: Mexican Ground Beef (30-Minutes, One-Pan)
SALAD 1: Berry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Feta, Crispy Prosciutto, and Balsamic Glaze
SALAD 2: Spinach Salad with Cooked Apples, Pecans, Spinach, and Maple-Lime Dressing
SALAD 3: Beet and Burrata Salad with Pine Nuts and Balsamic Dressing
Life Update
In my last newsletter, I shared part 1 of our sailing trip through the British Virgin Islands from two weeks ago, and now it's time for part 2. I’ll be sharing our experience of sailing the boat with just the two of us—my husband and I; spending 3 days at Guana Island (one of the few privately owned islands in that part of the world); our experience with amazing sailing community; lots of photos; and a sneak peek at my 2024 swimsuit collection, lol!
The Boat
2 weeks ago my husband Kevin and I embarked on a new adventure we'd never done before. We sailed together on a Bali Cat Space catamaran in the British Virgin Islands for a week. He was captaining the boat while I handled the physical tasks—hoisting the sails up and lowering them, managing the mainsheet, the main halyard, and the jib (lots of terminology to learn, I am sure I confused a few things). He guided me through the process, as I would have no clue what to do otherwise (it's my second time on the boat ever!). Things like the timing or which sail to raise first, when to release the main halyard, and so on.
When you're on the boat, everything needs to be done quickly and with precise timing due to the direction of the wind and other factors, so sailing is definitely at least a two-person job. The biggest challenge for me wasn’t hoisting the sails up and down, though, but tying the boat to a mooring buoy. With so many other sailboats nearby, the space to maneuver is tight, and you have to get it done quickly and correctly, which was quite difficult. But I have to say, by the end of the trip, I got really good at it.
This is the boat we sailed - isn't she beautiful? I took this photo at Guana Island (one of my favorite islands in the BVI).
I love the sight of a sailboat under full sail:
And yes, there's even a grill on the boat. As a food blogger, I find the sight of a grill set against the stunning backdrop of nature and water especially fascinating, lol.
Guana Island
Guana Island is a privately-owned, 850-acre island in the British Virgin Islands. It is known as one of the few remaining truly "virgin" islands largely untouched by massive tourism. The island offers everything you'd dream of: pristine white sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, lush tropical landscapes, mountainous terrain, dozens of hiking trails, and even flamingos. With no public bars, marinas, or other commercial businesses, Guana Island is a truly unspoiled gem. The island's private owners are deeply committed to restoring and protecting its flora and fauna, working to reintroduce species that were once common here.
There is a small, family-owned resort on the island that houses only 35 guests across 18 rooms. If you stay there, you'll have access to everything you'd want for a perfect ocean vacation: pristine beaches, snorkeling gear, paddle-boarding, numerous hiking trails, and farm-to-table dining from the resort's own sustainable garden. If you’ve ever dreamed of being stranded on a deserted island, this is as close as it gets! Can you tell I’m in love with this island?
Though we didn’t stay at the resort, we parked our boat near Guana Island, stayed on the boat for 3 days, and enjoyed the crystal-clear waters, paddleboarding, swimming, and simply relaxing - all of these activities were more than enough for our 3-day stay, and we didn't want to leave, lol. But I definitely want to return someday, and stay at the resort on the island (not on the boat), explore the hiking trails, their farm-to-table dining, all of their beaches, and the whole island! They source all their food (fruits, vegetables, meats) for their restaurants from their sustainable gardens and agriculture, which, as a food blogger, I find very exciting.
We did talk extensively to one of the managers of the resort (I think his name was Jason) and that's how I know so much about this island. Being parked on the boat close to the island it was clear how beautiful it was even from the distance. We honestly did not want to leave.
My Summer 2024 Swimsuit Collection (LOL)
I'm not sure if you're aware, but I've mentioned on my Facebook page and in previous newsletters that I'm an avid hiker and love using hiking as exercise. However, as is often the case with runners and hikers, the legs become strong while other muscles can get overlooked. Recently, in the past few months, I've started focusing on strengthening my upper body, particularly my arms and abs, and I'm pleased with the progress so far, though there's still a lot more strength to build. Maintaining muscle as we age is important (and difficult!), so I'm working towards that goal. By the way, which swimsuit do you like the most? Let me know, and I'll share my favorite from this trip.
Amazing sailing community
I want to mention something about the sailing community. Because my husband and I are newbies at sailing, there were numerous occasions when we asked for help from nearby boats, and everyone was so friendly and willingly helped. It was incredible! Here are just 2 examples, I'm so thankful to these people:
One evening, after dark, we arrived at a local restaurant by water, traveling in our dinghy from the boat for dinner. After we were seated and ordered our food, my husband, Kevin, decided to head back to the boat in the dinghy to grab some limes, which should have taken no more than 15 minutes. He left his cell phone with me. But he was gone for an hour, and I became so worried that I started asking people around for help. A group of tourists was there, and their captain kindly offered to take me back to our boat in his dinghy. As we approached, I saw Kevin, soaking wet, just climbing onto our boat.
It turned out that when he went to get the limes, he hadn’t tied the dinghy properly, and it got carried away by a strong current. Kevin decided to jump into the water and swim after it in the dark. He’s a strong swimmer, but as he swam, he quickly realized the current was too powerful to keep up with. He swam back to a nearby boat and asked two guys for help. All three of them jumped into their dinghy, finally caught up with ours, and brought it back to our boat. That’s why Kevin was gone for an hour. At least he got a good workout right before dinner, swimming in the dark for 30 minutes.
Another time was when it was one of my first times attaching the boat to a mooring buoy. I made the mistake of leaving the ropes too loose. During the two windy days, we stayed in that spot, the boat bounced around and over the buoy, giving both of our ropes plenty of time to get thoroughly tangled at the base (unbeknownst to us). When it was time to leave, both ropes were so tangled and caught up at the base of the buoy, it was impossible to untie them. We asked a nearby boat for help, and two guys came over to assist us. One of them worked from a dinghy, while the other used snorkeling gear to untangle the ropes underwater, where the entanglement had occurred. It was quite a project, it took a long time, and it would not have been possible without the snorkeling gear.
There were many other examples of people helping us, I'm so thankful to all these people. I will pay it forward.
You look beautiful, it looks like you both had a lot of fun! I love making your recipes!!
Thank you, Carol, I appreciate it. 🙂
Love your recipe ideas, not interested in your swimsuits. Sorry
No worries. I'm also much more interested in recipes than swimsuits. Glad you're here and glad you enjoy my recipes! 🙂
My late husband and I used to sail. We've been to the BVI. Wonder if Willy T is still there.
Yes, Willy T is still there! And people are still jumping off the back!
I’ve been making your recipes for about a year now, and my husband and I a new one every week, especially now that we grow our own vegetables. I love how you incorporate so many veggies, and love your one-pan meals!
I am so happy to hear that, Patricia! One-pan meals are the best. I'm working on more recipes as we speak. 🙂
We took the day trip to Virgin Gorda from St. John a year ago. The Baths were awesome. We did a small hike, crawling through caves, tight spaces, and stairways that seemed a little sketchy! Not for the faint of heart! We went to the bar at the top, ordered painkiller cocktails and some food and hung out in the pool while waiting for our food. As I remember, the view from the deck was incredible!
Hi Anne, we've done all of that too! Virgin Gorda is one of my favorite islands in the BVI. The Baths, the caves, and the huge boulders were amazing sight, for sure!
Hello Julia: Gordon Fraser here. I am 92 years old and live alone. As such, a big food problem has developed. I have been forced to do my own cooking which has resulted in a lot of food spoilage. Perhaps you are aware that published recipes are suitable for 2 or 4 up to infinity. Whenever I make one of these, the leftovers last for weeks and obviously will go bad in time. I have resorted to Chinese cooking with a WOK because I can easily limit the number and size of ingredients and make some wild meals using materials not native to me. You have mentioned you make BALANCED meals. I can do a better job of balancing on one foot without holding on than I can balancing a meal.
Now comes the reason for this epistle. Your recipes look great and probably taste the same, but I am loathe to try them because of the volume involved. Do you have any sane method of dealing with my problem? Further, do you use pressure cooking in any of your cooking? This is the second time I have tried to ask for your help and I hope it gets to you.
Hi Gordon, I remember responding to you! You can easily scale down all my recipes (except for desserts) from my usual 4 servings to 1. You can do this in the recipe card by clicking the number of servings (usually 4), and sliding the slider all the way to the left.
This way the ingredients re-calculate automatically. I would recommend just halving the recipe (move the slider to 2 servings) because you can always have leftovers that way for next day.