March 9, 2015

Blood Orange & Avocado Salad

It’s Monday. I’m back from weekend getaway with my husband where we ate truffle fries twice. We also had doughnuts…monkey bread…and tacos. I wore elastic waist pants because I am good at thinking ahead.

Needless to say… I need a RESET BUTTON SALAD like WHOA.

This one was based on what we had in our fridge. Butter lettuce, spicy radishes, ripe/tender avocados, juicy blood oranges, and cilantro. Sesame seeds and slivered almonds are in there for crunch. The dressing is a rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, blood orange number that’s sweet and tangy. It’s a satisfying salad with a lot of flavor. My favorite part? The blood orange. The tang of the dressing brings out their sweetness. I might add a few little slivers of red onion next time for an extra kick. This is the kind of salad that makes you remember how good it feels to eat healthy….so you can have doughnuts and fries…soon.

Inspiration

March 8, 2015

And I Quote:

Been having a fun time painting with Cooper this past week.

I got us each a Sakura traveling watercolor kit and we take it on the go with a few jars of water.

my everyday life, Photography

March 7, 2015

My Everyday Life: Week 10

Here’s what this past week looked like:

Blossoms remind me of our wedding day.

I love how they litter the street. It’s like confetti.

A good cloud day.

This morning.

I really miss the afternoon light in our old house and after we trimmed some trees, I found it in our new house.

It makes happy hour even happier.

We ventured into the city to meet family for dinner in China Town.

It was Cooper’s first time.

March 6, 2015

I love lists, Friday!

I know a Mama who…
Speaking of Mom! I loved reading this piece about working moms.
All of these photos were taken on an iPhone!
People being lazy. I’m totally guilty of #3
A funny ad campaign to remind people to lock up their guns.
I like watching their eyeballs in this commercial.
Wasting less in the kitchen is just smart economics.
Missed Connections— for a-holes.
Currently Reading: Yes Please
That’s it. I need me some tourmaline.
You may have already guessed this…but I love dark houses.
This really does look like the ultimate waffle grilled sandwich!
A recipe that will fuel my love for marzipan.
Did you ever notice all the Blue & Yellow in House of Cards?
7 Steps to Living a Bill Murray Life
Mmmm. I want this for breakfast.
I see 39 colors. So weird that people can’t see that many!
Messy Box— I need a subscription!
Reese Witherspoon makes me want a trampoline.
Motivational Posters for Sarcastic Parents
BTW– I see the dress as white & gold. Here’s the whole story behind it.

out & about, sponsored

March 5, 2015

Out to Eat: Portland Dining

Two of my closest friends from college live up in Oregon (we all met at the University of Oregon!) and before we had kids, we would plan 1-2 yearly trips where we would see each other. Life has gotten in the way and we haven’t been able to make our yearly visits. It had been something like 4 years since the three of us hung out. I was contacted by Travel Portland to do a post on dining in Portland because March is Portland Dining Month and I jumped at the chance. We FINALLY got a chance to make a girls weekend happen and it was geared around food- which we all LOVE. If you have two and half days (which is not enough!) in Portland, here are a few great places to check out:

featured, recipes

March 4, 2015

Roasted Carrots with Yogurt & Cilantro Sauce

What’s the quickest way to get you to consume TWO pounds of carrots?!!

Make Roasted Carrots with Yogurt & Cilantro Sauce

I figured it out…

Roast them with cinnamon, salt & pepper.

Drizzle roasted carrots with a cilantro pesto, toasted pepitas and finish it with a creamy sriracha yogurt sauce.

Salty/ sweet/ smokey/ spicy/ tangy/ herby/ tender carrots!

Sorry/not sorry you ate 2 lb. bag of carrots!

recipes

March 2, 2015

Sausage Mushroom Pizza Bowls

A few of you may remember me talking about my 3+ year stint of being low carb in college. I knowwwww, I even shocked myself. I lived off of a lot of chicken, creamed spinach, salad and these Sausage Mushroom Pizza Bowls helped me get through some rough times. Rough times…as in OMG EVERYONE IS EATING PIZZA AND I WANT SOME, times. The low carb thing worked for me though…sometimes I consider going back but then there’s TOAST and I just can’t commit to a life without toast.

This recipe is super adaptable. If you’re not a fan of sausage & mushroom (that’s my preferred topping combination) then you can substitute whatever toppings your heart desires. Also! Throw some fresh spinach in the mixture too. Just sauté it at the very end with the sausage. The idea is that we take 8 oz. ramekins and create something like a little lasagna (sans the noodles) with them. I break this recipe up into four ramekins so you can freeze some or spread out your servings throughout the week.

Cheese, sausage, mushrooms, red pepper flakes and marinara combine forces and give you THE PIZZA BOWL. The only thing missing is the crust…but if you feel so inclined, serve with garlic bread or garlic twists. If you opt out of the carb game then you’ve got yourself a totally gluten free dinner option.

If you have to live without pizza, at least you can eat the toppings.