You know how people sometimes say that the little things are the big things? Well I'm a big believer that little things can make a huge difference when it comes to recipes. Take garlic for instance: Use too much of it and it totally kills the dish for me (and the entire 24 hours afterwards when I'm burping up garlic!), don't use any and it might taste like it's missing something. Another good example is herbs: Using fresh ones can make all the difference in the world, and you don't even need to use a lot to make it pop in a dish, because herbs are fragrant and awesome in tiny quantities. Two of my favorite herbs are basil and mint. I use basil all the time because it's fabulous in so many dishes, and mint is great for an extra flavor oomph when paired with the right ingredients. The ... [Read More]
Archives for August 2015
Happiness Happens // Things That Have Been Making Me Happy
Can you guys believe that August is already coming to an end?! I hope that all of you living in the midst of the summertime have been taking advantage of all of the seasonal fun that your area has to offer. In celebration of the summer season and August being deemed the Happiness Happens month, today I want to talk about some of the summery things, big and small, that have been making me happy and putting a smile on my face lately. Let’s get to it! Time at the beach: From relaxing and soaking up the sun, yoga on the beach, and watching the sunset from the shores, to beach picnics and trying out SUP for the first time, my summer has had no shortage of beach time. We only live about 10 minutes from the ocean, so it'd be a crime not head over for some fun at the shore as often ... [Read More]
Salted Caramel Banana Pancakes
The other day I overheard a debate over a very important topic: what the best meal of the day is. One person said that dinner is their favorite because there are so many options, while another woman said that breakfast is the best because you can't beat omelets, toast and hash browns. The guy in the group said that brunch is the best because you can pick if you're more in the mood for breakfast or lunch/dinner food, and it's also an acceptable situation to drink alcohol before noon. Touché. For me, it's a toss-up between a tapas dinner - since I love little plates and taking a few bites of many things - or breakfast. If you've read this blog much at all, you probably already know that pancakes are this girl's favorite breakfast of choice (and sometimes for lunch or dinner too). Have I ... [Read More]
Week 3 Workout Recap: Excited to Get Back Outdoors!
Hi there! How was your weekend? I’m back home in Cali, and spent most of the weekend recovering from my travels (hey jet lag!), getting settled back in, and spending time with my Harley girl. 3 weeks without my canine sidekick felt like awhile, and I definitely missed her a lot. My Marine has been away for training and came home last night, soYAY for being reunited with him after a couple of weeks apart! Let’s rewind back to last week for my last recap of my workouts while I was visiting loved ones in New Jersey. I definitely have not been as active as I usually am in my normal life at home, but I kept up with daily workouts whenever I could fit them in. I worked out Sunday with my mom. We did a 30 minute Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Inferno workout + 30 minutes of Ripped in ... [Read More]
NYC Ladies’ Night: Blossom on Carmine & The Butcher’s Daughter Vegan Dining
Hello, and Happy Friday! Growing up in New Jersey, I lived an hour from the wonder that it New York City. The ladies in my family love(d) heading into the city for Broadway shows (Les Miserables is my all-time favorite!) and dinner together. In my early college years, I would take public transportation into NYC with friends to do some underage drinking at bars we knew would take our fake ID's. NYC holds a special place in my heart for the memories I've made there throughout my life and simply because it is such a cool city, and on this trip to the east coast, my friend Danielle and I spent time there doing a few of the things we do best: eating and exploring. We stayed overnight at the Hilton Fashion District. We had stayed there once before together a few years ago, and we ... [Read More]
Chocolate Thin Mint Protein Smoothie
Happy Hump Day! I'm still on the east coast, and it has been nice and toasty in Jersey with temperatures in the low to mid 90s. So naturally today I want to talk about smoothies - more specifically, what has been probably my favorite smoothie for all of 2015 thus far. I first came up with this Chocolate "Thin Mint" Smoothie when it was Girl Scout cookie season and I kept craving chocolate + mint. Since then I've made it countless times - minimum once a week all year long. It's the perfect post-nighttime workout meal because it doubles as a healthy dose of protein and goodness plus dessert in one.... and we all know that I'm all about things that taste like dessert but are secretly healthy. ... [Read More]
