April 3, 2014

Peanut Butter Banana Roll-ups

Is this indulgent or healthy? I’m not quite sure!

What we have here is a flour tortilla with a good/even smear of chunky (or die!) peanut butter. We add a banana to the top and roll it up to make a burrito. Then we cut the roll-up into pieces and move ourselves to the couch and watch really bad/indulgent TV. Say Yes to the Dress? Maybe? (She should have picked the beaded bodice!) Add some nutella to the mix or COOKIE BUTTER and we’re on Team INDULGENT. You might as well put on the Housewives. We’re going in for a marathon.

But then maybe you’re in the mood for it to be healthy? Fiiiiiine. Use a whole wheat tortilla or better yet-make it SPROUTED and we’ll watch Man vs. Wild or some other Discovery Channel program. Put some chia seeds in there already! It’s vegan, gosh.

featured, recipes

April 2, 2014

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

When I was little I was always so curious as to why my grandparents couldn’t eat a lot of foods. I just thought you ate what you liked and that was that. Going out to dinner with my grandparents went something like this, “So, Grandma isn’t eating meat tonight? So we can’t have burgers? Wait. She already had meat this week? Now she’s not eating dairy? It gave her indigestion last week?!”

And on and on…

FLASH FORWARD a few decades and I see what my grandma meant about the dairy. Oof. Getting older has meant there are certain things I have to start avoiding and milk is one of those things. Fortunately a little bit in my coffee doesn’t slay me (thank GOD as I CANNOT put another milk in my coffee for the life of me). But I haven’t really been able to eat a bowl of cereal with milk for a few years. Ice cream? Whew! Through the years I’ve grown an aversion to the taste of milk. Perhaps it’s motherhood…and having to clean it up off the floor ALL THE TIME. Or maybe it’s trauma from cleaning out that sippy cup that was left in my car for a month? I digress…

I’ve been making my own Vanilla Almond Milk for the past month and am LOVING IT. It’s been a really great/easy addition to my Meal Prep for the week. I make one batch-sometimes two each week. And if I have a little leftover, I add it to Cooper’s smoothies; it’s a great base. It’s light and slightly sweet. Sometimes I just drink it plain if I wanna little something something. I love it.

recipes

March 31, 2014

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

One of my tricks to getting through the work week is to make gigantic quinoa salads to dig into all week for lunches & dinners. This Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad is perfect for leftovers because it gets better with age. The flavors develop & meld like whoa!

Eat it on its own or add avocado and cucumber on top. Throw some in a pita with lettuce & tahini. Mix it into your regular salad and make a super salad from it! Freshen it up with more lemon juice or a splash of red wine vinegar. Serve it with some grilled chicken or sausage. I told you it was versatile…

And BTW- It’s vegan (although I wouldn’t mind if you put feta on top of it!). It’s also gluten free, HEALTHY and I’m obsessed with it. There’s a smokiness, a tang, a sweetness, and an herbaceous kick! You’re gonna want to make this every week. It’s a lifesaver.

my everyday life, Photography

March 29, 2014

My Everyday Life: Week 13

Here’s what this past week looked like:

“So when we miss each other, we both know that we feel the same way.” (his idea)

March 28, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

A new parenting study has just been released!! HA
Love this DIY stenciling–instant faux wallpaper!
Traveling alone to feel lonely. I totally get it.
At what point do you know that you’ve grown up? (word!)
I enjoyed reading this other POV of the Paltrow/Martin “uncoupling”
Unforgettable Philip Seymour Hoffman Moments (I forgot about Along Came Polly!)
I’m kind of freaking out over these Crispy Peanut Butter Balls.
A great way to think about time. A nice way to flip that switch!
Chai Banana Cake??! You had me at CHAI.
Also…you had me at BOURBON!
What STYLE means to 50 Celebrities.
Cooper has never had a pop tart…it’s time to make them from scratch!
I’ve never been a streamer/garland person…until now!
These flatbreads look AMAZING.
For the Arrested Development lover in you..
How to peel eggs using a spoon? Gotta make a batch and I’m gonna try it.
If you need a good kick in the pants, this post will help!
This turkey burger situation looks super satisfying. Maybe it’s the avocado…
I adore this bathroom remodel. It’s so bright & cheery and pleases my graphic eye!
These stars are all the same age. This blows my mind.

My friends Kasey & Matt from Turntable Kitchen put out a SUPER COOL Cookbook in a Box! I contributed three recipes to the collection! It makes a great gift. Check it out here.

In the Mixing Bowl blew my mind with my Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Domestocrat made my Sausage & Kale Stuffed Shells

Victoria Sponge, Pease Pudding adapted my Chocolate Chip Cookie Energy Bars

recipes

March 27, 2014

Apples + Cinnamon

Hi friends! I’m rolling out a new feature here. It’s all about SNACKS! Every Thursday I hope to share one of my favorite snacks with you. They’ll be either Healthy or Indulgent. Or maybe a combo of the both 🙂 I love snacks and want to give you some ideas to help you shake up your snack routine.

Today I’m featuring one of my favorite healthy snacks. It’s simply sliced apples with a few dashes of ground cinnamon. That’s it! It makes a great afternoon pick-me-up when you really want to reach for a candy bar. The best part is that there’s no need for sugar. This combo will surely keep your sugar cravings at bay. Hope you like it!

recipes

March 26, 2014

Lemon Ginger Zinger

Sometimes I forget how much I love to eat healthy foods. I usually get the itch for green things after I’ve come out of a carb hangover. After the weekend I had, I NEED green. I like to give my system a nice reboot with something like this Lemon Ginger Zinger drink.

Talk about palate cleansing!

This “slushy” is tangy, spicy, herbaceous and slightly sweet. I battled with the voice in my head who kept telling me this would taste great with vodka. The voice of reason drank it for breakfast the other day and was super satisfied. The boozy voice in my head was onto something though… After 3PM, WATCH OUT.