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Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
This is the place where I share about our lives, what I'm currently loving, books I'm reading, plus-size style, beauty recommendations, health + fitness endeavors and anything else I'm finding interesting at the moment.
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Category Archives: Food
Spicy Taco Brunch Skillet
Ole!
I woke up last Saturday morning wanting to have a fun brunch with Garrett and specifically thinking about Juli’s recipe for a Mexican Hash Egg Bake.
I wanted to make something that would look pretty (I love the way baked eggs look!) but also be seriously delicious since we were skipping the bacon with all of this Whole 30 business going on. I was too lazy to actually look up Juli’s recipe and follow it, but since I make up a huge batch of sweet potato hash just about every week, I used that as inspiration and got to work.
The result was completely satisfying nutritionally, but it also seemed decadent which made it feel a little special.
| Spicy Taco Brunch Skillet |
Ingredients
- 1 TBS Coconut Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Bell Pepper (any color), diced
- 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, diced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (more if you’re SPICY!)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning (to taste)
- 8 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large heavy bottomed oven proof skillet, melt coconut oil over medium/medium high heat.
- Add diced yellow onions and bell pepper. Saute for 5-10 minutes until softened.
- Add diced sweet potatoes and all seasonings through cayenne pepper and saute until those are softened as well, about another 15 minutes. Be careful to stir often so nothing burns, but the potatoes get some color.
- In the meantime, in a separate pan, crumble up and brown at least 1/2 lb ground beef (I usually cook up a big batch and use the leftovers for Taco Salad!
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning per 1/2 lb, or to taste.
- When Sweet Potatoes are mostly cooked, add your taco meat into the oven-proof skilled.
- Crack 8 eggs over the top of the potato/onion/meat mixture
- Bake for 6-9 minutes, depending on desired egg done-ness. Keep in mind there will be some carryover cooking once you pull it out of the oven.
- Salt and Pepper your eggs to taste once the baking is finished, garnish with an avocado and enjoy!
Santa Maria Style Steak Rub
Oh friends, we need to talk about meat. You see, I enjoy it obviously — it is a staple in our diet — and finding creative ways to prepare it are basically always on my mind. What? Your brain isn’t a hamster wheel of meat prep ideas? Huh. Weird.
As a person with a full schedule, I am somemwhat partial to marinades because they always impart good flavor, can gussy up a tough cut of meat and they do all the seasoning work just sitting there in the fridge while you are out living life and GETTING THINGS DONE! As such, one of the chinks in my clean-eating armor is store bought marinade. Listen, we just can’t all be perfect all the time.
I love a good store bought marinade, alright. CONFESSED. I will take my lashings. But first, to add insult to injury, do you know what my favorite one is? Here is where you will really just let me have it: The pre-marinated Guy Fieri (OMG! I KNOW!) Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip they sell at Costco. I mean we all vote with our dollars when we buy are food, and I am voting (loudly) for irresponsible bleaching, hair gel, and sunglasses worn ON THE BACKS OF HEADS! My dollars shouldn’t even have the right to vote when I make decisions like that. But it is so convenient. So delicious. Oh, Guy I wish I knew how to quit you!
Oh hey wait, now I do.
You see when we started the Whole 30, I knew that this little habit would have to come to an end for at least 30 days (seed oils, preservatives, yada yada — Guy Fieri is not on the approved list. ha.) I was kind of hoping I could find a few good staple preparations that would leave my store bought marinade habit (along with my store bought dressing habit) in the dust, but it’s not like I hadn’t tried before. If you google Santa Maria style seasoning a million recipes pop up, and I promise I’ve tried many. But none really made my heart sing the way Guy Fieri did, until I read this post over on Simply Recipes.
But wait, that’s a recipe for how to cook Pork Shoulder on a gas grill, Holly. Are you crazy?
Nestled in that discussion of pork is a tiny little hint of a Santa Maria style seasoning. And one that I hadn’t tried! So I omitted the sugar and tested it out one night and HOLY HECK I broke up with Guy Fieri that very same night! My life? Instantly bleach-free! Well, until the next episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I have a soft spot for that show. Ok, ok and a soft spot for Guy Fieri — stupid sunglasses and all. He’s a Nor-Cal celebrity. I can’t help it. Can we still be friends?
Anyway, speaking of Nor-Cal celebrities — Elise and Simply Recipes has changed my life. The rub was amazing, and is now a staple in our house, and full of so many easy ingredients that I insist you mix up your own batch! Heck, it would probably be great on chicken or grilled vegetables too. So darn delicious! And even better — clean as a whistle, and completely Whole 30 compliant.
| Santa Maria Style Steak Rub |
Author:
Makes enough to rub on 4-5 lbs of meat. Prep it in a container and it’ll keep for weeks!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp finely ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like more heat)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Instructions
- Mix everything together
- Sprinkle liberally on steaks
- Massage into meat (ah! meat hands!)
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes
- Spray steaks with a little olive oil or grease your grill
- Grill those suckers!
- Enjoy life with out preservatives, weird stuff, or the judging looks of others considering how much money you spend supporting the Guy Fieri empire.
Check it out already, would ya?
Two Days of Turquoise
Last weekend was oddly busy.
Obviously there was lots of beer and wine to drink and cheese to eat pre-Whole 30, but also in the span of 48 hours we watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies while partaking in British Themed Menu, attempted to attend a wedding where the groom rode in on a horse, worked our asses off in the gym – partly, of course, to work off that British Themed Menu (I did so many overhead squats MY ABS ARE SORE. That’s a lot of squats. 50 to be exact!), drank beer at one of our favorite breweries while watching Beach Volleyball right before enjoying basil gimlets at a swanky restaurant, watched an awesome fashion show, listened to DJ Shadow and lamented our aging, danced like crazy people while watching Chromeo perform, cooked a lot of Whole 30 approved food, and helped friends christen their newly remodeled kitchen. Honestly, I’m tired just writing about it, but it was a damn good time.
Friday started with basically all of the brown and yellow food.
Delicious food, but still. Can I get some chives up in here to dress that up or something? I made a Paleo version of this Shepherd’s Pie recipe and served it along side some of Mel’s delicious Paleo Scotch Eggs. AMAZING, all of it, but I totally should have made a salad. What did you think of the Opening Ceremonies? I liked that it was whacky and centered around music, but I know it got panned by a lot of folks.
Saturday I did the following workout and then wanted to die:
Run 800 m
200 double unders
150 sit ups
50 Overhead Squats @ 65lbs
Run 400 m
No pictures of that. Just imagine a giant pile of sweat and spandex. That’s what I looked like. 🙂
I did take pictures of my Saturday night outfit and my Sunday afternoon outfits though…
On the left: Pants: Gap Always Skinny Skimmer (cropped) in Turquoise, Tank: scored at Ross. Some weird brand. Shoes: Merona. (old) Love you Target! Earrings: Target (old)
On the Right: Tank: Old Navy (old) Skirt: Gap Outlet (old) Shoes: Mossimo Target
I guess I was in a turquoise mood this weekend! Not a surprise, it is basically my favorite color. Saturday night we went to an event called Launch that was a giant festival of fashion/music/art. We went out to support Garrett’s friend Nicole who designs pretty amazing clothing with her main squeeze Justin. I figured if there was any night that I could get away with wearing skin tight turquoise pants, it was at a fashion event, right? Check out some of the FREAKING AWESOME looks:
photos courtesy of Shannon Schureman
Creative people make me happy.
After the fashion show DJ Shadow and Chromeo were performing which was just an absolutely fun combo. The people watching during DJ Shadow was ON. POINT. Lots of girls in way-too-short skirts gyrating with men wearing jeans that were just a little too skinny. It was funny. We felt old. But then Chromeo came out and we were back in our element. I do not have a single running mix on my ipod that does not include Chromeo. They are hilarious and great workout music. Highly recommend!
Sunday I went to Costco to get Whole 30 ready. Check out this overflowing grocery cart!
We’re as ready as we’ll ever be, I think.
Then in the afternoon we went to a Kitchen-warming party. Wait, wait…a what??? Friends of ours just remodeled their kitchen so they threw a BBQ to test out the new digs. Lots of good sangria, good people and good food. Also? BOCCE BALL. Which is seriously super fun and totally not a random senior citizen game as I may have previously thought. 🙂
I can’t believe we crammed all of that in to our weekend. But I guess it’s good since we have managed to orchestrate a pretty calm August. I’m planning to sleep a lot, workout a lot, cook a lot, and watch a loooooooooooooooooooooooot of TV. (Guilty Pleasure Goal! What???)
Holy crap, you guys…AUGUST IS TOMORROW. I don’t know where the time goes!
Thirsty Thursday: Wishful Drinking
My Whole 30 starts in exactly 6 days and I will not be drinking for the entire duration. Even though I don’t drink very much anymore (maybe twice a month?) I ALWAYS enjoy a good cocktail, a cup of red wine, or a glass of beer from my favorite liquor store, and I’m going to be completely honest the thought of NOT HAVING THE OPTION TO DRINK for 30 days does get the low-grade anxiety pumping. But I’ll do it, and I’ll deal with it and I’m sure I will survive, but this weekend — I may have to mix up a last cocktail hurrah. 🙂
Perhaps you might like to also? If so, here is some inspiration:
1. The Salty Chihuahua
Have I ever told you about the drink that changed my life? It was a Greyhound made at a random bar in San Francisco called Lion Pub. Well, perhaps it also had to do with the fact that instead of a random bowl of beer nuts they had an awesome cheese tray. That helped too.
This looks like that delicious greyhound mixed with a little margarita action. I feel we’re doing SOMETHING healthy for ourselves even though we are drinking, right? (sigh!) I’m a complete sucker for drinks made with fresh squeezed juice, plus I love the mix of sweet and salty. Such a good flavor combo! And giant bags of grapefruit are so cheap at Coscto right now. Tempting.
2. Ruby Red Cherry Citrus Sangria
Hello lover!
It’s no secret that I love a good sangria, and we probably do not need to beat the dead horse that is my love for stone fruit. This is obviously right up my alley!
To be honest, this one might actually get made this weekend if I can figure out what the hell “Cherry Herring” is. In case it doesn’t can someone make a batch and drink it for me in August? You know, pour one out for your homie? Come on!
3. Creamsicle Mimosas
I have an entire bottle of champagne leftover from our Bodega Bay Weekend. I am as shocked as you are. While I don’t have Marshmallow Vodka, I do have a bottle of Whipped Cream Vodka that may make a nice substitute. Perhaps we will have a fancy breakfast cocktail this weekend.
Man, I’m just envisioning a drunken weekend all of a sudden. That is not the point of this at all. It is tempting though…very tempting! 🙂
As strongly advised by the authorities to never drink and drive. If in case that you are involved in an accident and get charged with dui, take note that you are entitled to have an attorney.
******
I’m being a little bit dramatic and I certainly don’t intend to binge on alcohol or crap food prior to our Whole 30 experience, but I am definitely giving some thought to the things that I think I *will* be missing and trying to devise some strategies to change my perspective or help myself ignore the issue altogether.
Have you ever given up alcohol — or anything you really enjoy — for an extended period of time? I would love to hear how you did it!
Christmas in July
I’m going to make a pretty bold statement and I invite you to agree or disagree: It feels harder to eat healthy in the summer than it does over the holidays. This sounds sort of counterintuitive I realize, but hear me out for a minute.
Yes, Thanksgiving is a food centered holiday and the month between that day and Christmas are often filled with excessive foodie/boozie opportunities to party with friends. I definitely see treats around my cubicle filled office, and everyone seems to want to show their love for each other with baked goods and See’s Candy. The season is stressful, and I get it. At times we want to “reward ourselves” with a delicious taste of something. We want to “let loose and celebrate” with the people we love. And I do agree that this can pose some challenges. I am not made of wood, people — the holidays are certainly a temptation. But let’s talk a little bit about summer.
First of all summer is THREE MONTHS LONG. I’m not talking four or five weeks of forced decadence, I’m talking an entire quarter of the year where deliciousness abounds and everyone acts like “Oh Hey — No big whoop!” You’ve got 12 weeks of BBQs, Birthday Parties, Weekends Away, and Legitimate Long Vacations where you feel determined to Treat Yo Self! It is the reason that Cobbler and Fresh Whipped Cream were invented. And all of this goes on all summer long! And don’t even get me started about the appropriate ratio of summer nights to summer cocktails. OY! I can’t even go there or I will want to pour myself a drink.
Oh wait, I just did. You see what I’m saying?
While fall and winter lend themselves to cabbage-dense soups and roasted vegetables, summer is filled with ALL OF THE BEST FRUIT IMAGINABLE. I realize this is not a complete tragedy, but as someone who tries to keep the sugar they eat low (usually I have *maybe* 1 serving of fruit per day), I am definitely struggling right now to not eat ALL OF THE PEACHES DAILY. There is an entire box on my counter top and it basically sings to me all day long.
I know you think Christmas parties are bad, but seriously I can only eat so many cheese filled appetizers or iterations of white chocolate desserts. But if you left me alone with this box of peaches right now, you would come back only to find me covered in a puddle of sticky fruit juice, laying on my kitchen floor in a diabetic coma. Luckily summer also has lots of amazing vegetables and great weather that leaves no excuse not to get outside and be active, but I’m sticking to my hypothesis here. Summer is nuts. Right now I am freely admitting that I am roaming around being a poster child for this movement:
Speaking of that 20%, last night there was a Food Truck Festival in the Whole Foods parking lot behind my house. Please don’t get Portland PTSD on my behalf, we made it out alive! I had actually totally forgotten about it and then I opened up our windows and heard the DJ in the parking lot. Hello, siren song. Sing to me…
We headed out just to see what they had to offer, and hopefully find a few mostly-Paleo options.
Instead, the first truck we saw was a Belgian Waffle Truck, which of course instantly made us nostalgic for our Portland Appetizer Waffle and we needed to recreate that experience by splitting one immediately. Nice rationalizing right? So the night started off with a Nutella and Whip Cream covered BANG! (OHMYGOD)
We waited in line at the slider truck hoping to score some burgers on a bed of lettuce to kind of make up for bathing in Nutella, but as we were in line THEY SOLD OUT OF FOOD. The Universe was clearly not on our side. So we headed over to Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen where they were serving…SANDWICHES.
And that’s where this night sort of went of the rails. We ordered The Mustang with some Sweet Potato Fries (doing what we can here! Sweet potatoes! ha!) and let me tell you, it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Korean Braised BBQ Beef shredded to tender perfection, Kimchi with a touch of spice (Hey look! I’m eating fermented food! Points, right?), Shredded Daikon, SRIRACHA-WASABI AIOLI, and aged Havarti all served grilled cheese style.
Oh you guys…I’m sorry I’m not sorry.
Since we had split everything, we decided it was only right to get a tiny little mix of Vanilla Bean + Nutella gelato to wash it all down. Ok that is a bold face lie. I wanted the gelato, Garrett said “Holly this is a terrible idea and you will regret it.”
I did not, in the moment. Shortly thereafter my tummy was telling another story. I hate it when Garrett is right.
In conclusion, Summer is haaaaaaaaard. But this is probably as good of a time as any to mention the following:
On August 1st Garrett and I are starting our first Whole 30!
Hey — how crazy do I sound juxtaposing pictures of me eating a sandwich with basically the strictest 30 day Paleo challenge ever? HA! Probably pretty crazy. But we are actually really excited about it and have been contemplating it since May. June and July weren’t really going to work since we were traveling so much, but we have decided to get back to our Happy Place during the month of August and embark on probably our biggest nutritional challenge together since we started exploring Paleo. We’re knee deep into planning, prepping and strategizing for a really eye-opening month. I can’t wait!
As usual, I am happy to document my food exploits for your benefit so riddle me this, folks:
*What elements would you like to see surrounding this Whole 30? Recipes? Pictures of Food? Our reasoning behind doing it? Strategies? Resources? Nothing at all, shut up about what you are eating already, Holly?
and then tell me this…
*YOU would have opted for post sandwich gelato too, wouldn’t you?
I knew I liked you. 🙂
School Night Social: 5 Tips For Hosting a Weeknight Dinner Party
Last night we had some friends over for dinner. ON A MONDAY? ARE YOU CRAZY?
(Maybe. But that is not the point today.)
The occasion was our Book Club Meeting (discussing: Unbroken and choosing our next book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society) and while it would have been just as easy to meet on the weekends, with 3 couples, 6 work schedules and summer in full swing it seemed like a daunting task to find a weekend evening that would work. So we picked a Monday, and Garrett and I volunteered to host.
IT WAS AWESOME.
Weeknights are actually some of my favorite days to entertain, and especially these days because I am more committed than ever to keeping my weekends low maintenance. But since weeknights (and Monday’s especially) certainly are not without their challenges, I thought I’d share my top 5 tips for how to have an awesome mid-week meet-up.
1. Keep the Guest List Intimate + Crowdsource
Monday night is not the night to invite over your phone’s entire contact list. (Sidebar: I just wrote “your entire Rolodex.” Then it dawned on me that there are people in this world who have never even seen a Rolodex. Then I felt old. Sigh.) Anyway, the point: Keep the guest list minimal so that you can focus on the good cheer, not the catering. This will also help you easily dial in any food accommodations you will need to make. Have portland ac maintenance done days before the party to keep your guests comfortable.
Because the list is going to be small, have one (set of) guest(s) bring an appetizer and one bring a dessert. No one ever shows up to a dinner party empty handed, right? (If they do, maybe they shouldn’t be on the invite list in the first place!) Use this to lighten your load a little when someone asks “What can I bring?”.
2. Keep the Recipes Simple
Weeknight Parties are for make ahead meals or quick and easy cooking, not a seven course meals. Grill a simple combo of meat and veggies. Make a one pot meal. Bonus points if you create a menu around something that your guests actually assemble themselves -Taco Bar! Chili Cookout with fixins! That way there is minimal food prep when your guests actually arrive.
3. But Definitely Find A WOW Factor
Convenience is awesome and what you are going for, but the idea of inviting everyone over to hover around a Crock Pot doesn’t sound very Martha Stewart Entertaining, right? This is where you insert wow factor. Take a simple idea and elevate it. Want to impress your guests? Try a Spit roaster hire. Want to grill vegetables because it’s simple? Add an herbed vinaigrette to spice it up a bit. We decided early on to do a Taco Bar for our Book Club dinner — Easy, right? Prep toppings before hand. Guests assemble themselves, just get the food on the table and you’re good to go. But to give it a bit of a wow factor we decided that instead of just browning ground beef we would use grilled tri-tip. Buying the best dinnerware sets uk can also enhance your dining experience at home.
Tri Tip Tacos: YUM!
Still super convenient, but slightly more exciting than your average taco bar.
4. Prep Everything You Can Beforehand
I don’t just mean chop your toppings. Determining your table set up, setting out your serve ware, make sure you have enough serving spoons, bust out the beverage tub, do you have enough ice? All of that little stuff takes time! Get it all done the night before so that you only have to tend to the necessities when your friends come over. If you have the space, set everything up in your serve ware dishes in the fridge, then just assemble your table when it’s tame.
5. Clean Up That Night NO MATTER WHAT
This is the hardest, but also the most necessary. Consider this the entertaining equivalent to “Always wash your face at the end of the night no matter how drunk you are.”
YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Yep, you might be tired after glass clinking and good conversation. Full bellies are never eager to wash dishes, I know. But harness that last bit of energy and sprint to the finish line. It will be much more gratifying to wake up to a clean house the next day than it will be to immediately go to bed and ignore the mess. You can visit this site right here to opt your concerns relating to cleanliness at your house.
It’s also worth getting House Washing in Woodbridge VA the day after. You can get air duct cleaning Minneapolis as well to do the cleaning tasks done in one day. And for the safety of your family and guests, if your home’s fire alarm system or water-based fire protection system is not functional, then it’s required to implement a fire watch with the help of a professional Fire Watch Security in Coral Springs.
******
In the end it’s a total win — you get to see friends and still keep your weekends free! What’s not to love?
Any tips you’ve got in your back pocket? Go-To Menus? Favorite one pot dishes? Share! Share! Share!
Life Changing Kitchen Tips – Volume 2
Pssst…You can see Volume 1 right here.
*****
With the advent of Pinterest I am surprised there are any kitchen tips left. But somehow these have showed up on my radar lately and they are new to me, so I thought I’d pass them on. If you want to learn more kitchen tips, this is for you.
1. Spiral Cut Your Sausages
You guys you must watch this! – We grill A LOT of sausages around our house and I can’t believe I’ve NEVER even thought to do this. Life Changing!
2. Blender + Water + Cauliflower = Rice
I was skeptical when I watched this video about prepping to rice your cauliflower in a blender with water. I felt like it would be fussy and make more dishes and not really be all that helpful.
I was COMPLETELY WRONG.
It is totally convenient, no mess in comparison, and the uniform texture of the cauliflower made my final dish AWESOME, also using the right blender for this is essential, as you can find some great options in the market for example the one in this Ninja blender review.
3. 2 Minute Matchstick Zucchini
I don’t know about you but when my garden gets rolling, we can’t GIVE the zucchini away fast enough. I’m always looking for good ways to cook it and Chow’s tip to cut it into matchsticks has never even crossed my mind. I’m mostly a “slice it into rounds” kind of gal. Can’t wait to try this just to switch things up a bit.
*****
Any Life Changing Kitchen Tips on YOUR radar lately?
Weekend Wedding + Attitude Adjustment
Thanks for the encouraging words Friday, y’all. Couple that with a productive (and celebratory) weekend and I feel like I’m getting my head back on straight!
I had Friday off from work and it was nice to just get some stuff done around the house and then officially start the weekend. Sarah and I enjoyed a little Happy Hour action over at de Vere’s Irish Pub. I like the vibe there and their fried pickles are always on point. We had closed out our tab when we overheard the bartender mention that the tacos of the day were Pork Belly. You know that is the secret password around here, right? OBVIOUSLY we had to immediately open a tab back up and order some. In the end, we were both convinced that those tacos were chicken, which was quite a sad situation for a pork belly enthusiast like myself, but the company and the libations were fantastic! And I guess I should have gone in with low expectations — I mean, tacos at an Irish bar?
After being at the bar, all my friends decided to go to a show of male strippers nyc and it was amazing!
The Black and Tans, on the other hand, were FABULOUS.
Saturday was a big day as wedding bells were ringing for my cousin Jim and his fiance Gina. Garrett, my mom and I packed up early and headed out for a day in Sonoma to watch them get hitched over at the Jack London Lodge. If you have been around here long, you know trips to Sonoma involve some customary food-related Traditions:
Glarifees at Swisshotel and Sandwiches and the Cheese Factory
(I explain the Glarifee here. Definitely worth a try if you are in the area!)
After that little indulgence, we headed over to the wedding which was, in a word: emotional. I am a crazy wedding cryer. You might want to read more about wedding and wedding rings to learn more! I can be completely composed before the wedding but the second it starts it’s just WATERWORKS!
I am surprised I don’t look like a raccoon in every photography I am in. They hired an excellent clipping path service company located in Bangladesh. I was so proud of my cousin Jim standing up there with his lovely bride and their ceremony and vows were personal and beautiful and you just couldn’t help but feel the love!
Those who are planning a wedding may consider hiring an event management company to help organize the whole event. There is also an ultimate wedding planning service that has a professional similar to an event planner in Washington DC who can customize whatever you desire for your wedding! The catch is that you must be a couple who loves to have fun, loves creativity, and loves creating unique experiences for you and your guests. If you’re looking for your best wedding venue, you can choose from one of the best Raleigh wedding venues here that are both affordable and luxurious!
At the reception, my 10 year old cousin Olivia gave us a lesson in how to be fierce and my 2 year old cousin Chelsea schooled ALL OF US on the dance floor! Oh also, there were Samoa flavored cupcakes. No one can resist those! It was coconut cake FILLED with chocolate. Aaaaaah, delicious! A good time was had and memories were made, and that was just what I needed on Saturday.
Sunday I woke up and felt determined to get things back on track! My mom and I hit up the Farmers Market, I cooked some breakfast, prepped for the week and ran out to the garden to pick some zucchini.
Whoops!
Guess I neglected them for a a day or two. YIKES! Regardless, after a month of boozing it up and enjoy some crap food liberally, I’m ready to get things back on track. My fridge is stocked with healthy food and even though I have no idea What’s For Dinner beyond tonight (Uh, I was serious about Zucchini Boats), I’m getting there.
It’s a new week, a new month and I woke up this morning and consciously put on a new attitude. I’m ready to see how this all unfolds.
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POSTED IN: Farmers Market, Glarifee, Jack London Lodge, Sonoma, Sonoma Cheese Factory, Wedding, Zucchini
POSTED IN: Farmers Market, Glarifee, Jack London Lodge, Sonoma, Sonoma Cheese Factory, Wedding, Zucchini
Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade 3 Ways
Since I added it to my Summer Bucket List I’ve been itching to make some homemade lemonade. It’s such a delicious drink to enjoy outside at the end of a long day and it actually used be a staple sitting in my fridge. But here’s the thing – my old recipe? Began with 2 Cups of Sugar. Another secret is I use the best juicer in my opinion for making all juice recipes.
Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing! But I’m not really in the habit anymore of consuming 2 cups of white sugar at the end of a long day. That’s not to say I never indulge (obviously) but now when I do I feel like it’s got to be worth it. And to me, a simple beverage seems like more of a necessity and less like an indulgence, you know? So I wanted to find a way to still enjoy the ritual of a cup of lemonade on occasion, without having it be such a crazy nutritional gut bomb.
Amber left me a comment on my bucket list that initially inspired this recipe. (Yoga friends especially, check out her awesome website — she’s pretty amazing!) I then tinkered with it to make a larger batch, and of course made some variations (including one of the Adult Beverage variety.) The recipe does call for honey (local and raw if you’ve got it – might as well do yourself a favor), but it’s nowhere close to 2 cups of sugar anymore. It skews a bit on the tart side, which is my personal preference, so if you like it a bit sweeter feel free to adjust to taste!
| Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade |
Serves: 1 Small Pitcher
A lower sugar alternative to the traditional pitcher of summer refreshment.
Ingredients
-
- 16 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 8 lemons)
-
- 1/2 Cup Honey (this is what I recommend, start here and adjust to your preference)
-
- 4 TBS Hot Water
- 32 oz Cold Water
Instructions
-
- Juice your lemons. I used Meyer Lemons which tend to be a little sweeter.
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- In a small bowl mix your honey + hot water until the honey dissolves and you are left with a honey simple syrup. It’s ok to add more hot water if your honey is particularly thick.
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- Mix lemon juice, simple syrup and cold water
- Serve plain or with one of the following variations
For Strawberry Lemonade
Blend 8-10 fresh or frozen strawberries with 2 TBS Water and 1 TBS honey to make a chunky puree. Add to the bottom of the glass, pour in honey lemonade.
For an adult beverage: Add a splash of Mandarin Orange Vodka for a twist!
For Iced Tea Lemonade
For a pitcher, brew a 16 oz of double strength iced tea (get as creative as you want with the flavor of your iced tea, or just use plain.) I used 4 black tea bags and steeped them in hot water for 4 minutes. Let the tea cool and mix with lemonade
For an adult beverage: Add a splash of vodka to spice up the night!
Then kick back, put your feet up and enjoy a little (lower sugar!) relaxation in a glass!
Bison Sweet Potato Chili
I realize I have been asking a lot of you lately. I mean first I try and make you love chicken thighs and now I am throwing bison at you? Man, I am just pushing all the scary meat on you lately, aren’t I?
Roll with me for a second though, because remember as part of my 2012 goals I am trying to eat more game.
Here’s the thing about bison though? Is is kind of awesome. It’s ground beef’s leaner and more iron-rich brother. Bison typically graze on grass and most of the time they aren’t fed commercial grains. It is super protein dense and contains tons of nutrients, but the caloric density is lower than beef and even pork. You know I hate counting calories, but I don’t pass up a good caloric bargain when I see it, so bison is a total WIN!
Let’s just say if ground beef is Donnie Wahlberg (who I love, of course, NKOTB forever!), then bison is Mark Wahlberg during the Calvin Klein underwear years.
Have I sold you yet? WHAT MORE CONVINCING COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED?
If you are interested in having shirtless Mark Wahlberg over bison for dinner it but still a little bit scared, might I suggest trying it in chili? You can’t really go wrong trying a new meat in chili since there are so many other flavors going on, right? I especially like this chili because it is complex and full of vegetables. I originally saw a Bison Sweet Potato chili over on Paleo Girl and that really got my wheels turning. I decided to meld her recipe with my favorite-ever Damn Good Chili and thus, this recipe was born!
| Bison Sweet Potato Chili |
Serves: 4 Adults
Ingredients
- 1 TBS Coconut Oil
- 1 lb Ground Bison
- 1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed (small-ish bite sized!)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 scallions, diced
- 2 small zucchini, diced
- 2 small yellow squash, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced (leave the seeds in if you like it HOT!)
- 1 4 oz can green chiles
- 2 TBS Cumin
- 1 TBS Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1 Cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 Cup of Beef Broth
- 1 Bell Pepper (color is your choice) diced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt Coconut Oil in a large heavy bottomed pot (I used my 7 qt Dutch Oven)
- Add your onions, scallions, zucchini, squash and sweet potato and cook until vegetables have some color (about 10 minutes)
- Season layer with salt and pepper
- Add the bison, break up with your spoon and brown meat until it is no longer pink
- Add the garlic, jalapeno and green chiles and cook for another minute or two
- Season layer with salt and pepper and then dump in all your spices
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beef broth and mix it all together
- Bring pot up to a boil and then lower to a simmer
- Simmer pot for 30 minutes, covered
- Uncover, add in diced Bell Pepper and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until desired consistency is reached. (I like a thick chili)
- Dish up and top with scallions, or any other desired toppings
- Enjoy!
See…that doesn’t look too scary, does it?
