Hi friends! Another weekend has flown by, and it was a good one for me. I kicked off my weekend with a much needed massage at the student massage school near me, San Jose National Holistic Institute. The students perform whatever massage they've been working on in school, and this time it was a Swedish massage. The masseuse did a good job of working on all of my achy muscles for an hour -- for $20. Needless to say, it was awesome! Afterwards I headed over to the mall to spoil myself a little, and I picked up a new Athleta workout top and some beauty loot from LUSH and Benefit Cosmetics. I'm kind of in love with LUSH. I spent some time in there playing around with things and wound up nabbing a facial cleanser and seaweed mask that I tested out and loved this weekend. I don't go shopping ... [Read More]
recipes
Sweet ‘n Salty Roasted Chickpeas
Hi friends! Hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day weekend. My V Day was nice and low key. I made tomato basil soup and asparagus risotto for a cozy dinner at home, and we drank a bottle of California zinfandel from Cline Cellars.... ...and we enjoyed strawberries, chocolate and port for dessert. My hubby got me gorgeous pink roses that I've been staring at all weekend, and I surprised him by booking a getaway to Lake Tahoe for this weekend. Adam has been there for work and raved about how beautiful it is, and I've never been there, so I thought it'd be an awesome spot to spend a long weekend. It's actually totally coincidental that I booked the trip right around V Day, but we're definitely looking forward to it! Other yummy highlights of my weekend were a Mexican salad.... ... [Read More]
Avocado Walnut Pesto Tofu Salad
When I was younger, I didn't eat nuts -- no cashews, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, nada. I can't decide which came first: me deciding that my tastebuds weren't a fan, or me putting them on my silly can't-eat-because-of-the-high-fat-content-list. Well my friends, I've gotten older and wiser, and now am a firm believer in including heart-healthy fats in my diet on a daily basis. Nuts (and most definitely nut butters!) are a frequent part of my eats. I'll throw a half-serving on top of my yogurt, or eat a serving as a snack here and there. So when California Walnuts contacted me asking if I'd like to try a bag of their walnuts to play around with in the kitchen, I gladly accepted. The nuts came in a kind of earthy feeling burlap sack, which I thought was a cute touch. To check out some of ... [Read More]
Zucchini Puree with Oregano Cream
Happy weekend everyone! My Saturday so far has been lovely. I put my juicer to work for breakfast, finished up this week's IIN lecture, took Harley for a long walk, and visited the Morgan Hill farmers' market and health food store. Today was the first time I'd been to my town's farmers' market in awhile, and I forgot how much I love just walking around markets picking up local food. There's a certain energy at a market filled with locally grown food and the happy farmers and workers who sell it. My market picks: All of the apples I've been getting at food stores have been browning quickly and aren't as crisp. It's amazing how much crisper and fresh the apple is that I'm eating at the moment, along with some strawberries (Strawberries in January? Sure why not!) while sitting on my ... [Read More]
Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal Flaxseed Pancakes
Hi there! Before I get to my awesome pancake recipe today, I have a few random things to share with you: 1.) This week I officially started school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! I'm really excited about the class and connecting with other students. I just feel like everything I've read, seen, and heard so far at IIN resonates with me so much and makes me feel so motivated. I'll definitely be sharing some concepts and ideas of the course that I find interesting throughout the year, so stay tuned! 2.) I'm in love with ordering canvas prints of neat photos I've taken. The above canvas is my latest order, which I got for $20 via a Groupon deal. The picture is from my trip to Livermore Valley last year during harvest season, and I'm pretty much in love with it. 3.) My giveaway ... [Read More]
Old Bay Potato Chips with French Onion Dip
Happy 2014 friends!! Check out my party animal puppy ringing in the New Year.... Just kidding, she's actually quite the party pooper and looked like this by 9 PM: My hubby and I had a super low key New Year's Eve night, which was totally fine with both of us. We ate and drank, played Scrabble, and enjoyed our Christmas decor and tree for one more night before I took it all down today. Since I had the time, I fooled around in the kitchen last night and came up with some yummy eats and drinks.... Today I'm sharing the recipes for homemade Old Bay potato chips and French onion dip. Both are easyyyy peezy to make, and so scrumptious to pick on while kicking ass in playing Scrabble. They don't necessarily have to be paired together, but they make one delicious appetizer combo. Homemade ... [Read More]