Hey lovelies! TGIF! Today started off on an active note with a morning hike in the heat and ended with some fantastic food.
Before hitting the hills, Kyle and I got breakfast at Starbucks. I had a regular Americano with a morning bun and banana. The morning bun was delicious! Sweet, but not overly so. I would definitely recommend it! Kyle had a ham and swiss sandwich that exceeded our expectations as well 
Since we’re really smart, we thought of turning on our runkeeper apps to see the elevation changes and distance hiked AFTER being halfway done, but we’re guessing that we covered a little over 4 miles. It was a sweaty, sweaty, sweaty one! We started off with shirts on, but as soon as it was time to trek back up hill, we were ready to rip em off and get our tan on. We live in a really unique area with a chaparral environment. It almost a savannah-like feel to it but the ocean is just a half mile away or so. The trails can take you all around the area, even down to the beach, so Kyle and I are planning on spending a half day or so exploring within the next couple of weeks.
Let me tell you, there’s nothing better after a long hike than a glass of ice cold water! Next time we’ll remember to bring some with us, hopefully.
Now, let’s talk FOOD!
I’ve been eating this garlic lemon shrimp orzo for the past two days and am in love with it’s simple yet delicious flavors. The lemon and garlic work together fantastically and the dish comes together quickly- perfect for busy weeknights!
It’s also man approved by Kyle, who says that he could eat this all day long! I love finding recipes that are simple, healthy, and genuinely tasty!
The simple flavors really shine and the garlic mellows out after being cooked. If you’re a big garlic lover like me and aren’t planning on kissing anyone soon, go ahead and add some garlic salt to the mix as well!
Let me know if you try it out! xoxo Christine
Nice recipe! I just saw orzo in our local grocery store and I have some nice small shrimp that would do lovely in this
Thanks! Let me know if you end up trying it out
Sooo…I’m totally jealous that you live in an area where you can hike. Also, you’re beautiful. And considering it’s Friday night and my brain doesn’t exist…that will have to be my comment for the day.
COME HIKE WITH ME!! Southern California is a beautiful place :). D’awwww Beth, you’re making me blush!
Looks like a wonderful hike! I think that Lemon Pasta sounds amazing
It was such great fun! We’ll be hiking those paths again soon
That hike looks gorgeous!
It was beautiful!
What a beautiful hike! If you have trouble remembering to bring/drink water on hikes, I recommend buying a camelback backpack. Since they have a straw, I find myself drinking on the whole hike!
That’s a great tip! Kyle has done a ton of hiking in the past and I’m sure he has one :). We’ll make sure to bring it with us next time!
Ooooo I kinda want a morning bun now…Does breakfast for lunch still count?? Haha!
Of course!! 😉
That hike looked so much fun! I live in a really flat area so no good hiking spots :-(. The shrimp & orzo recipes looks really quick and easy. I may have to try it soon!
Bummer! At least you must have a great area for running! The hills here are pretty killer so running is no bueno
I love hiking! It’s one of christian and my favorite things to do together!
how lucky are we to both have guys like that?!
Hah! They’re the lucky ones to have fabulous girls like us ;). Just kiddin’ we both so are! I love having an active boyfriend!
Mmmm the orzo looks so yummy! And you’re making me want to go hiking 😀
It was delish!
Mmmm! I really want to make that recipe, but don’t want to print out the whole post. Is there a printer friendly button that I’m not seeing? thanks!
It’s so delicious, I highly reccomend it for a healthy meal :). I looked into getting the plugin that allows for it, but I have to become self hosted first (I’m planning on doing that soon)! If you give me your email, I can email the recipe to you, which would make it much easier to print out :). Thanks for commenting girlie! I love it when a reader posts!
Could I use brown rice or whole wheat noodles instead of orzo?
I think both options would work great! I personally am not a fan of whole wheat noodles, but if you like them, they would be a good substitute. If you’re using brown rice, you might want to reduce the lemon juice or the dish might be too strong. I think the rice would not need as much flavoring to achieve the same taste as pasta would!
I bought orzo for the first time a few weeks ago and I love it! It is quick to make and I literally just throw it into soups, chilis, etc. Such a tasty pasta! This recipe looks great.
yum i LOVE orzo now! Made this for supper last night and substituted the shrimp for chicken (shrimp/meat is sooo pricey here
) but mmm is was still delicious! So delicious in fact, that I had seconds and was incredibly stuffed for the rest of the night! 