Happy Friday! I'm very much looking forward to the weekend, because later today my hubby and I are heading out on a little weekend getaway. It's a place just a few hours away from home that we've never been to before.... Palm Springs! Just a couple of days full of what will hopefully be fun: relaxation, hiking, good food and exploring a new area. But first, onto today's recipe! This recipe will provide you with a good dose of produce. It's vegan, gluten free, nutritious, and simple to throw together. Call me a nut, but it seems kind of fancy to me because it involves scooping the salad mixture back into the avocado skins. And speaking of nuts, recently Blue Diamond sent me a few boxes of their Almond Nut Thins to play around with. They're gluten free nut & rice ... [Read More]
salad
Strawberry, Cashew & Apricot Salad with Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette
Hi friends! Hope you that you had a great weekend. Mine was pretty low-key: did some schoolwork (got 100% on my second test!) and stuff around/for the house, went hiking, got some beach time in and just enjoyed the summertime weather. And speaking of summer, today's recipe is most definitely seasonally appropriate. I came up with this salad after having recently eaten a strawberry basil Greek yogurt. I loved the flavor combo, and when I picked up strawberries during my next grocery store run, I started thinking about pairing local strawberries with basil from my backyard for a dish. In general, I like to switch things up in the kitchen, but this just isn't the case when it comes to salad dressings. My go-to dressing mix is extra virgin olive oil + fresh lemon juice + balsamic ... [Read More]
Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan & Cherry Tomatoes
Hi there! Whew, Monday came so quick. The weekend just whizzed by for me! A lot of time over my weekend was spent doing house stuff, including buying a pool vacuum - it took us a few weeks to get the pool in order but now we're all good! - and looking for patio furniture that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I also spent Sunday evening on the beach with this little maniac cutie.... ...and had my first tennis workout in quite awhile! My hubby is making fun of me because I'm so sore today since I hadn't played in awhile. I always get sore when I do an unusual workout, and my forearm, hand, obliques, and back are certainly achy today! I'd like to play tennis more often now that we live down the street from some pretty decent courts. I'm in no way a great tennis player, but I find it to be a ... [Read More]
Quinoa Green Bean Salad with Marcona Almonds
Hi friends! Happy Hump Day! Hope you're having a good one. I'm taking a little lunch break to blog today. I ran across this awesome quote earlier: Well isn't that a good healthy living rule of thumb?! And speaking of plants, I have quite a nutritious, delicious recipe to share today: It all started when I happened to see a recipe with marcona almonds somewhere. It reminded me how much I love them, and all of a sudden I was on a mission to nab marcona almonds and create a recipe that incorporates them. Once I decided that I'd make a quinoa salad, ingredient ideas just started dancing in my head. I have a fresh mint plant that I've barely used recently. The other day I got a whiff of the plant while watering it. I love the smell of fresh mint, and I started thinking that I need to ... [Read More]
Fruity Kale Salad with Pistachios
Up until recently, I was not a fan of kale. I was turned off by its bitterness and coarse texture. But once I began making green juices and getting used to them, I began to not dislike kale so much. It started to not be quite as scary to me, and I wound up ordering a couple of kale salads out at restaurants...and really enjoying them. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse. It provides you with tons of antioxidants and vitamins and is high in fiber. And while I wouldn't say that I'm in love with it, I certainly am finding ways to incorporate it into my diet more often. Enter this colorful salad: One of the things I'm trying to do when I experiment with kale is find ways to make it not quite so bitter, so that I can reap the benefits of the veggie AND actually kind of like eating it too. One ... [Read More]
A Simple & Healthy Summer Salad
Volunteering at the SD Humane Society tonight included a lot of puppy playtime! Here are a few of my favorites that I met: The reason why there were so many puppies there is because earlier this year, the SD Humane Society, along with the SD Dept. of Animal Services and SDPD, raided three pet stores that were treating their animals inhumanely. They confiscated over 100 animals, many of which were puppies. This past weekend, these animals became adoptable, hence why it's puppy galore there right now! If you live in the SD area and are interested in getting a young dog, I suggest going to check them out ASAP! Today's Eats Moving onto food, here is a recap of my eats today... My breakfast included Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt with Kashi Go Lean Cinnamon Crumble cereal on ... [Read More]