Sharing a recap of the best places to eat in Waikiki and why we love them so much!

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you’re having a wonderful morning so far and that you enjoyed the weekend! It was a good one over here. Liv and I got to work on a voluteenr project together, I met up with a friend for brunch and took hoy yoga.

This is the first week that I feel like we’re finally back in the swing of things after our glorious trip to Hawaii straight into school starting. This week. the kids have a full week at school, I actually meal-prepped and grocery shopped, and my schedule is packed with podcast interviews and coaching calls.

For today’s post, I wanted to share a recap of our favorite places in Waikiki and why we love them so much! We also visited Waikiki a couple of years ago, so we were pumped to return to some favorites and also explore some new spots. I’ll have a post up next week with a recap of our time at Aulani, too!

The best restaurants in Waikiki

Best poke bowl: Poke Fix

We had SO much sushi and poke bowls while we were there, but our very favorite is Poke Fix. The menu changes based on what’s caught fresh each day, and the seasoned selections are marinated to perfection. They truly treat poke like a work of art; it’s by far the best poke bowl of my life.

Best Acai bowl: ALO Cafe

Everything is made fresh in house, including their peanut butter. I love these acai bowls because the base isn’t too sweet, they have gluten-free granola, and the ratio of acai to toppings is ideal. They also have wonderful smoothies!

Best date night or fancier dinner spot: A House Without a Key

This is probably in my top 10 resturants ever, including all of the places we’ve traveled. Everything is fresh, vibrant, and you can’t beat the scenery. You’re outdoors, facing the ocean and an exquisite sprawling tree, which provides a bit of shade for the live music and hula dancers.

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Easy 30 Minute Grilled Chicken Tacos [+Video]

Looking for a delicious and nutritious meal option? Try these grilled chicken tacos, packed with lean protein and fresh pico de gallo, for a satisfying and healthy meal that will leave your taste buds and body happy.

A simple marinade tenderizes and flavors the chicken, and then we grill it to add that smoky bbq flavor. Warm up some Vista brand corn tortillas (these are our FAVORITE), add the grilled chicken and then top with homemade pico de gallo. So easy!

Watch How to Make Chicken Tacos

I grew up on tacos, but when I say that we have to take it with a grain of salt because my mother was raised on a farm in Idaho, which means not only was it always ground beef, flour tortillas, and shredded iceberg lettuce with occasional tomatoes or cheese, but the ground beef for sure 100% had potatoes grated into it, I’m not kidding. We call them Idaho tacos!

Once I was married, my world really started to expand in the world of tacos, but it’s kind of harder than you think when you start off cooking for yourself you want all the flavor, but you’re just not totally sure how everyone achieves it. You can find all sorts of crazy ingredients and marinating times out there, but I’ve found that simplicity is the answer and that’s exactly what these tacos are what you want for dinner tonight.

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Tacos Recipe

You’ll need just a few ingredients to make the marinade, and you’ll have most of the items in the pantry already. Here is everything you will need:

• Chicken Breasts: Marinate and grill the chicken whole and then chop it into bite-size pieces right before serving.
• Garlic: Adds flavor.
• Lime Juice: Fresh is best of course, and it helps tenderize the chicken and adds flavor.
• Olive Oil: Adds flavor and moisture to the meat and helps tenderize it.
• Seasonings: Chili Powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, and Salt
• Corn Tortillas: We don’t use anything but Vista brand tortillas these days, but you can use whatever brand you love.
• Pico De Gallo: Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Limes, Garlic, Red Onion, Salt, Pepper and Cilantro

The measurements for each ingredient

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Sean and I spent the past week on an Alaskan cruise and I’m feeling rested and refreshed as we head home today. (But first, we get to spend time with a precious friend here in Vancouver!)

I’ve gifted myself the last weeks of our summer work-free – and I’m pretty excited about it. I’ll be back with new recipes to share in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, there are thousands of recipes already on the websites – check them out and find something new to try!

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Not a single new thing from me, but my friends have been sharing all kinds of deliciousness. Check these recipes out for inspiration this week!

Holly’s Cherry Tomato Pasta is a terrific example of the way that the simplest ingredients can come together to make the best meals.

Rebecca’s Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce is exactly my speed as we head home from a week of vacation. And it gets bonus points for making the house smell amazing all afternoon.

Nicole’s Vietnamese Spring Rolls need to happen soon. With crisp vegetables, tender grilled pork, and perfectly cooked shrimp, all wrapped up in a rice paper wrapper – I can’t wait to try them.

Courtney’s copycat recipe for Olive Garden’s iconic salad is the perfect combination of crispy lettuce, tomatoes, tangy pepperoncini, black olives, crunchy croutons, tossed in a homemade zesty creamy dressing – it’s a favorite with everyone.

Gina’s Jalapeño Chicken is right up our alley. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are pan-fried until crispy and cooked with spicy slices of jalapeño peppers and finished in a sweet, salty and sticky sauce.

Jennifer’s Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs with Gravy are as easy can be to make and I am willing to bet my boys would love them. 

Donna’s Lemon Butter Chicken Bites is a great 20-minute meal. With a side of pasta or potatoes and some steamed vegetables, you can have dinner on the table fast. 

Shawn’s quick and easy Spicy Air Fryer Salmon is coated in a creamy and spicy mayo sauce then cooked to perfection in about 10 minutes.

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Asian Sticky Slow Cooker Ribs [+ Video]

Looking for a delicious and easy rib recipe? Look no further than these Asian sticky slow cooker ribs, complete with a helpful video tutorial. Perfect for a family dinner or entertaining guests.

These Asian-style slow cooker ribs fall off the bone as you eat them. They’re seasoned with a homemade dry rub and a sticky glaze that’s impossible to beat! Make a batch of simple white rice and fresh Asian cucumber salad, and you have a flavor-packed dinner.

The Best Slow Cooker Ribs

We’ve had a slow cooker for a few years now, and yet I really don’t ever use it for slow cooker baby back ribs. I use it for everything else though, like breakfast, meats, soups, vegetables, casseroles, dips, and even dessert, but I haven’t really played around with ribs too much. They always seem a little intimidating as I’ve eaten many a dry rib in my day, and no one wants to be chewing on meat for an hour. 

Cade does his fall off the bone ribs, but that recipe is made in the oven and it’s a little more of a process. Not too much, they are still awesome, but I wanted some good and sticky pork ribs that I didn’t have to think about. I feel like this sticky Asian ribs recipe is one of those recipes I want to shout from the rooftops, it’s honestly that good. The sauce is just killer. I’m so excited to be working with McCormick to share this recipe!

Ribs Recipe in Our First Cookbook

This recipe appears in our first cookbook, Our Sweet Basil Cookbook, and has been a reader favorite for years. If you’d like to have this recipe in cookbook form, you can grab it on Amazon. That cookbook is loaded with so many of our family favorites! You’ll love it!

High Quality Spices

One of the things that I get asked a lot is what ingredients do you buy, which brand is your favorite, and what ingredients do you stick with the most?

Well butter, cheese, and eggs for sure as those basics can totally change a recipe, but spices are another big one. Stop buying the cheapest ingredients at the store. If you want cheap long grain rice, go for it. I’m sure you’ll survive,

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I’m meeting up with a friend for brunch, Liv and I have a volunteer event, P is back to basketball, and we’re back in the school/homework shuffle. I’m hoping I can get in a hot yoga class, too.

I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend ahead. It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below!

(Pics from our Diamond Head hike last week!)

7.26 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

This nail polish. I’ve been giving my nails a break from dip since my favorite nail girl has been away for a couple of months, and decided to give this a try after Julie recommended it. It smoothes out the surface of your nails (which is helpful if they’ve been drilled a bit for dip and gel) and gives a nice, neutral shade.

July reader Faves! It’s always fun to go back through analytics and see which products you enjoyed the most that I shared here on the blog.

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