Hello my friends and Happy Presidents day!

How was your weekend? Did you get your fill of Olympic viewing like we did? My hubs has a serious love for the Olympics and his enthusiasm is rubbing off on me. I am loving it!

So, the last time we touched base I was trying to decide on my Valentine’s Day menu. I had asked for your help in my decision-making process and after much consideration I decided on coconut shrimp, parmesan baked fries, artichokes, and banana almond chocolate squares!! The whole dinner prep process took us about an hour and a half, but it was so worth it!

Check it out…

Coconut shrimp with recipe inspiration from Skinny Taste.

My modifications to Coconut Shrimp

• 3/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeled)
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flake
• pinch of salt
• olive oil to coat pan

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• a dash of cayenne pepper

We followed Skinny Taste’s recipe instructions here: Coconut Shrimp Instructions although we had to broil ours for a while towards the end because they weren’t crisping up. End product… Baked parmesan fries: recipe from 101cookingfortwo. We didn’t change a darn thing except instead of mixing the fries with the oil and cheese in the bowl, I just coated the pan with olive oil, coated the top of the fries with olive oil, and sprinkled the parmesan cheese over the tops, along with some salt. Steamed artichokes!     Banana Chocolate Almond Squares from PopSugar

I am obsessed with these babies! They are gooey and chocolatey, banana-y, perfectly sweet and just so darn delicious! I keep them in the freezer and cut off a square or two everyday. So there you have it. Valentine’s dinner was a success!

Did you have any special treats on Valentine’s Day?