Whats up, pals and fellow house cooks!
That is my Saturday publication that features 7 weeknight meals + 3 wholesome salads (for the week of August 4-10, 2024) + enjoyable life replace on the backside (I went on a crusing journey this week within the British Virgin Islands).
7 weeknight meals + 3 wholesome salads
DAY 1: Parmesan Zucchini Tomato Hen Spaghetti with Basil Pesto
DAY 2: Salmon Tacos with Mango Peach Salsa and Cilantro-Lime Crema
DAY 3: Pesto Shrimp Mushroom Pasta
DAY 4: Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples
DAY 5: Hen and Corn Pasta Salad with Bell Pepper, Bacon, and Creamy Basil Pesto Dressing
DAY 6: Italian Sausage Gnocchi with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Tomato Sauce (30-Minute, One-Pan Meal)
DAY 7: Creamy Hen Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach (30-Minutes, ONE-PAN)
SALAD 1: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Feta Cheese, and Poppy Seed Honey-Lemon Dressing
SALAD 2: Mango & Blueberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese
SALAD 3: Apricot Spinach Salad with Cherries, Pecans, and Balsamic Drizzle
Life Replace
Virtually precisely per week in the past, I hopped on a aircraft from Colorado and flew all the way in which to Tortola (which is the biggest of the British Virgin Islands within the Caribbean and is the gateway to just about all of the islands within the BVI). As a result of I stay in such a small city, it took me about 24 hours to get there together with lengthy layovers, but it surely was value it! Halfway by way of, I met up with my husband Kevin, and we set off on a 7-day crusing journey on a 46-foot catamaran, simply the 2 of us. He was the captain, and I used to be the primary (and solely!) mate. I ought to point out that I had by no means manned a ship earlier than, and my first crusing expertise (as a vacationer, not as first mate) was simply 3 weeks in the past—I discuss all about it right here.
After spending 7 days crusing, I’ve to say, that being the primary mate is way more demanding and bodily than being the captain (not less than in my husband’s case, lol).
I dealt with all of the bodily work—tying and untying ropes to the mooring balls, anchoring, elevating and reducing the sails, docking, and extra. I used to be consistently shifting between the three ranges (decks) of the catamaran to safe every thing and guarantee nothing would break throughout tough crusing, in addition to managing the dinghy. It was quite a lot of bodily work, and I really feel like I acquired so much stronger bodily throughout this journey.
Beneath, I’ll share among the highlights from our journey. Since we packed a lot into our journey, this shall be half 1. I’ll cowl the remaining in my subsequent publication, the place I am going to “dive” into half 2 of our BVI crusing journey.
Anegada Island
We began our journey by spending 2 days on Anegada Island, the northernmost and second largest of the British Virgin Islands, with a inhabitants of solely about 350. In contrast to the remainder of the British Virgin Islands that are mountainous, Anegada is flat. It is well-known for its beautiful white sand seashores and turquoise waters, paying homage to Turks and Caicos however a lot much less commercialized. In comparison with the opposite British Virgin Islands, Anegada is way farther from Tortola, the biggest and most populated island with the primary airport serving the BVI. Tortola acts because the gateway to just about all of the islands within the British Virgin Islands.
Since Anegada is farther from Tortola and takes a number of hours to achieve by boat, it does not see as many vacationers as the opposite British Virgin Islands. As a result of we visited throughout the low season, there have been only a few boats and hardly any vacationers round.
Whereas we have been on Anegada Island, Kevin (my husband) determined to lease mopeds. I can not consider I let myself get talked into it—they did not appear very secure with these tiny wheels! I am simply glad I made it out alive. Fortunately, it was the low season, so there have been hardly any individuals, and no vehicles, and we have been the one ones using the mopeds. We did see quite a lot of cute goats, although. Cow Wreck Seashore was beautiful, and we had all of it to ourselves. Loblolly Seashore was one other implausible spot.
We had dinner on the Lobster Lure and Sid’s eating places. Anegada Island is known for its scrumptious giant lobsters, so that is what we ordered. Sid’s had essentially the most superb lobster tacos! One other great spot to eat is Anegada Seashore Membership.
Kevin rescued a stingray!
One thing unbelievable occurred throughout our two-day keep in Anegada: my husband rescued a stingray! I captured the entire occasion on video (you may see it under). One evening, simply as I used to be preparing for mattress on the boat, I heard unusual noises exterior round 11:30 PM. After I stepped out, I noticed a small stingray flopping round in our dinghy. The poor factor was respiratory actually arduous and regarded prefer it was begging for assist. Someway, it had jumped into the dinghy, trapping himself there. Stingrays breathe through the use of gills to extract oxygen from water, and so they cannot survive in open air for too lengthy. I known as my husband and he heroically (or stupidly) determined to hop into the dinghy along with the stingray and save this unimaginable sea creature by tossing it out of the boat utilizing a towel. The primary couple of tries have been unsuccessful, because the stingray thrashed round and was too slippery to grip, even with the towel. However on the third try, the stingray calmed down, permitting Kevin to seize maintain of it and efficiently launch it again into the water. He weighed about 20 kilos. We have been relieved to see it swim away vigorously, realizing we saved it simply in time! After all, our pals later reminded us that Kevin is lucky to not have met the identical destiny because the well-known Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, who tragically died after being struck by a stingray’s barb.
After some analysis, I consider it was a noticed eagle ray, which is frequent within the Caribbean and has a particular look. These stingrays are usually not aggressive however do have a pointy, venomous barb close to the bottom of their tail as a protection mechanism. Fortuitously, each Kevin and the stingray made it alive and with out accidents out of this case. Right here is the rescue video:
Different actions within the BVI
Except for that, we spent our time paddle-boarding, snorkeling, leaping off the boat, swimming, and simply stress-free and having fun with the ocean. The water coloration within the BVI is unimaginable and modifications with every island you go to. The sunsets are serene and exquisite. Take pleasure in extra photographs from our journey (under) and keep tuned for half 2 of our journey in subsequent week’s publication. Have you ever ever been to the British Virgin Islands? We have met quite a lot of Individuals and Europeans on this journey. Though it is the British Virgin Islands, they really use the US greenback as its official foreign money.
