Can you guys believe that we're in the last full week of August? I'm starting to get a twinge of excitement for all things autumn - including everything pumpkin, weather that's a bit cooler, and football season getting underway. I have my Fantasy Football draft in a couple weeks, and I just love spending weekend mornings at home watching games. And I miss going on longer hikes with my pup! In the summertime it's too toasty for my furry friend to go on any inland hikes, so I'll be happy to head back to our favorite spots and discover a few new ones in a month or two. BUT I also don't like to get ahead of myself and try to enjoy what's happening now, so I'm enjoying the summer summer summertimeeeee. I've been doing beach yoga, this weekend I'm going paddle boarding, and I've been noshing on ... [Read More]
pistachios
Chocolate Pistachio Energy Bites [gluten free]
I'm such a sucker for any kind of place where high-quality food is the focus. Farmers' markets. Gourmet food shops. Italian markets. Bakeries. I love it all. It's no secret that I love experimenting in the kitchen, and finding new foods and ingredients gives me inspiration to try new recipes... plus I just love eating food, obviously. A few weeks ago, I was walking to a Starbucks to work for awhile before meeting a friend for dinner, when I passed by a spice shop. I've seen it before when it was closed for the day, but this time it was open. Naturally, I walked in the shop and moseyed around smelling and tasting things. I wound up leaving with some goodies - all that were new to me, with the exception of local cinnamon infused honey (I pretty much buy that whenever I see ... [Read More]
Cherry Pistachio Energy Balls [vegan, gf]
Hi friends! Today we're talking about nuts and balls! ;-) Everyone has their go-to favorite foods that they're constantly eating, and for me, one of those categories is nuts + nut butters. I usually eat a serving of one on the daily. Healthy fats like nuts keep my belly happy & satisfied. Almond butter and peanut butter are my all-time favorites, and I was pretty into cashews & cashew butter for awhile there. Somehow I tend to forget that I like pistachios too. Recently I was about to whip up a batch of energy balls, and instead of using my go-to nuts of choice, I decided to switch it up and break open a bag of pistachios. ... [Read More]
Pistachio Pesto [Brown Rice] Noodle Salad
Hi there! Sunday night has come so quickly! My weekend was filled with things like running errands, hiking, cleaning and Apple tech support. My Mac was acting crazy the past couple of weeks, and since I rely on it for so much - including my full-time job, blogging, freelance writing work, plus all of the typical social media and Internet browsing nonsense - I was having a bit of a heart attack that my computer would conk out and I'd lose all of my files. I was debating whether or not to get another Mac or go with a cheaper option, but in the end, off to the Apple store I went to get a new MacBook. I'm an Apple brat now and I suppose there's no turning back. ;-) There was something very anticlimactic about getting a new computer that looked exactly like my old computer, but hopefully this ... [Read More]
Chocolate Bark with Pistachios & Dried Cranberries
Hi friends! This Friday night in my household is totally relaxed. I am still under the weather with an upper respiratory thing, and my hubby had a tooth pulled earlier today, so we both felt like being couch potatoes. Our evening has consisted of me making us a dinner of homemade tomato soup, getting some fro yo, and now we're currently watching a college football game. Even Harley's joining in on the laziness and has been snoozing. Between a workout first thing this AM, work, a long walk with Harley, and physical therapy while feeling crappy, I think I've earned some chill time tonight! ;-) Before officially moving forward from the holidays, I want to share one final dessert I made during Christmastime - chocolate bark with pistachios and dried cranberries: I found the recipe on ... [Read More]