Hey friends! Hope that you had a fabulous weekend. A highlight of my last few days included meeting up with my friend Trish and her little pup for a hiking doggie date.... Temperatures were in the 80s on Saturday, but it didn't feel too hot because it was nice and breezy. Harley wasn't slowed down by the warm weather and was her usual maniac, super friendly self. Another fun thing I did over the weekend was volunteer with a group called CropSwap. The organization is dedicated to harvesting produce from farms, which would have otherwise gone to waste, and getting it to people who can't afford to buy fresh fruit and veggies. As a health coach whose passionate about the importance of nutrition and eating a healthy diet full of whole foods, I wanted to get involved because I ... [Read More]
recipes
Apple Pie Smoothie
While I like to get creative with my meals, there are certain foods/types of meals I eat almost daily. This list includes some type of protein/granola bar, Greek yogurt and smoothies. While my smoothies have for the most part been very summery lately (like watermelon smoothies every other day!), recently I was craving more of an autumn-ish type of flavor with my smoothie meal of the day. Call me crazy, but sometimes on a dreary summer day - or even on a perfect sunny day for that matter - fall flavors are just what I'm craving. Enter this guy: In case you're wondering, I know that the above image is a completely autumn themed photo and it's July, but I'm taking a Photoshop class for work and brush strokes - including the above leaf one - was one of my recent lessons. You see, I'm being a ... [Read More]
Veggie Pappardelle Bolognese
This lovely Friday marks what would have been my grandma's 80th birthday. Before last month, I had never lost a person I was really close with. On one hand, I feel blessed to have lived nearly 27 years before experiencing the loss of a person that was so dear to my heart. I'm grateful that when I did lose a person so important to my life, it was one who had led a pretty long, happy life. But on the other hand, it still hasn't been easy by any stretch. As anyone whose lost someone close to them can probably relate, I think it may be the worst feeling in the world to have this aching that can never be satisfied, a hole in your heart because someone you loved has passed away. You wish you could talk to them and just hear their voice again. I look for signs of her everywhere, ... [Read More]
[Virgin] Bananas Foster Waffles
If you read this blog at all regularly, you know by now that I love pancakes. I usually whip them up a couple times a week, but once in awhile, I'm more in the mood for waffles than pancakes. This was the case a couple of weekends back, and so I broke out my waffle maker. But I wanted to make not just any waffles -- I wanted to make decadent-weekend-treat-for-breakfast waffles. In staring at my fruit basket, the idea of bananas foster came to my head. I haven't had the scrumptious dessert of vanilla ice cream topped with bananas cooked in rum, banana liqueur, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in quite a long time -- too long I would argue! -- and so I decided to recreate the dessert with waffles as a most definitely delicious, kinda sorta acceptable breakfast (we can pretend ... [Read More]
Matcha Love: Morning Fruity Matcha Shot + Vanilla Yogurt Matcha Pancakes
There are millions of devoted coffee drinkers in the world....but I, my friends, am not one of them. Instead of the caffeine from coffee giving me energy, it gives me headaches. It actually has a bit of an opposite effect on me. Case in point: Last week I had my first (iced) coffee in quite awhile because I was near a Dunkin Donuts in New Jersey, which are a rarity here in California, and I felt so tired an hour later that I took a nap. And I'm not a big nap taker. Tea on the other hand, is my coffee shop/hot bev/lazy weekend morning drink of choice. Green tea is my favorite. It doesn't make me feel zingy, and it also doesn't make me sleepy or headachy. It's just nice and soothing. So when Kiss Me Organics recently contacted me asking if I'd like to try their matcha green tea powder, I ... [Read More]
Kale Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese & Almonds
"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life." The 10 days that I've spent in Jersey have been extremely tough for my family and me. My grandma passed away last Friday. To be honest, at the moment I don't feel like writing about my heart aching. I'd rather talk about cute babies, my wonderful family, and a yummy kale salad, so that is what I'm sharing with you today. On a positive note, going through this has reminded me what an amazing family I have. I am so grateful and lucky to have my wonderful family and to be close with them. Given the reason I flew to the east coast, I spent a lot of time at the hospital and hanging out with family members, and the quality time I got to spend with them was ... [Read More]