Simple Citrus Kale Salad

Happy Monday! I apologize for my absence - I was traveling the last half of last week and was too busy to sit down and write, but I'm back! Hope you had a great weekend; mine was pretty busy, but relaxing as well.

As you know, one of my new year's resolutions is to get back to eating clean - so far, so good. Over the weekend, I made a simple kale salad that turned out to be delicious, so I had to share it with you all today. This would be a great salad to have on-hand the entire week. Even if you don't think you like kale, you should give this a try...you might surprise yourself!

this photo doesn't really do the salad justice

Ingredients: 

1 bunch kale

1 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice (I used the juice from 2 small limes)

1 orange, squeezed 

1 tbs olive oil

1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbs blue agave 

salt - I used about 1/4 tsp

pinch of cayenne pepper 

craisins/raisins/nuts/other veggies or fruit - whatever you prefer (I wanted to keep mine pretty simple, so I just used craisins) 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and 'massage' them together for at least 2 minutes (this is very important for taste)

Place in fridge, and let marinate 30 minutes + before enjoying

Do you have a favorite salad I should know about? 

(the most delish) crockpot enchiladas

I love Mexican food. Really, I could eat it every day if given the option. My favorite recipe? Chicken enchiladas. I have been using the same recipe for the past 6 years, and I love it - but it was so time consuming with cooking the chicken, shredding the chicken, putting it all in pan to saute together, etc...so I decided to utilize my favorite kitchen appliance - the crockpot. This recipe went from taking 1 hr 15 minutes to a total (working) time of 20 minutes! These enchiladas are a major crowd pleaser, and make great leftovers!

I like to top mine with avocado instead of sour cream

Ready to pop into the oven

Ingredients:
- chicken breasts (I use 2 large for hubby & I)
- salt & pepper
- cumin
- garlic powder
- mexican spice blend
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can corn
- 1 can green chiles, seeded and chopped
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can stewed tomatoes
- 1 can (6oz) tomato paste
- corn tortillas
- enchilada sauce
- cheese, avocado, sour cream (for toppings)

Directions:
- put chicken & stewed tomatoes in crockpot, cook on low for 7 hours
- add salt & pepper, cumin, garlic powder, corn, green chiles, beans, and tomato paste to crockpot, stir and continue cooking for 30 minutes - 1 hour
- preheat oven to 350 degrees
- saute onion & garlic in olive oil, add to crockpot and mix all ingredients together
- shred chicken in crockpot (should be very easy at this point)
- microwave tortillas for 15 seconds or so until soft
- coat bottom of a baking dish with enchilada sauce
- using a shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce, covering both sides
- spoon 1/4 cup of enchilada mixture into tortillas, fold over, and place into baking dish
- continue until baking dish is full, then top with remaining enchilada sauce and and cheese
- bake for 15 minutes at 350

My Weekend & Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Ours was busy, busy, busy as we are trying to get as much as possible done in the new house before my due date (NEXT WEEKEND!). Our kitchen is finally up and running (not completely finished yet, so I am going to hold off on sharing it with you all)...but finished enough for me to cook - thank goodness! After 2 weeks of eating out for every meal, I am so excited to get back in the kitchen.

I made a delicious (and vegan - for those of you who are) chili recipe I came across on Pinterest. I am not vegan, but this was to-die-for! My hubs enjoyed it so much, he ate the leftovers for lunch on Saturday. It's a great recipe for fall, super simple, and sure to impress - not to mention extra healthy!

I used half cannellini beans and half black beans (recipe calls for all black), because I wanted to have more than one variety...plus black beans aren't my favorite after a bad experience in Costa Rica (that's a story for another time). If you wanted to add meat to your dish, shredded chicken would be a great! You can find the full recipe here.

Here is a (extremely low quality - sorry) "39 Weeks" photo...I'll try to take another this week that is a bit better. Any day now! For the most part, I am feeling great...the most annoying thing at this point is trying to find 'what to wear.' I am so sick of my dresses...can't wait to wear normal clothes again! Anyone else ever feel that way? 

We purchased a few new items for our home this weekend...

My new desk (!) - on sale at Pottery Barn right now...(looks much larger in person than online) 

These pillows I randomly spotted at IKEA - always a great deal, and the fabric is very thick with a nice, zipped closure. Impressive for IKEA...the worst store on the planet (if your husband refuses to go with you, and you are 39 weeks pregnant - lol). It has been requested that I return 90% of the items I found...great. 

Remember when I posted about an upholstered headboard? We decided to BUY - and I couldn't be happier about that decision. I really do not feel like taking on a project of that size (we have a king) is a great idea right now (or ever). It may be fun for a kid's room or guest room in the future, but for now...I've left it to the professionals. We ended up going with the Raleigh bed from Pottery Barn - we had to special order the fabric, so now...it's a waiting game. I can't wait to see the finished product! 

Did you do anything exciting this weekend? 

Quinoa & Pesto Wrap

One Chicago lunch spot that I dearly miss is the Protein Bar. They specialize in juices, delicious 'bar-ritos,' bowls, and yummy salads for busy people on the go (everyone living downtown Chicago).

I decided to try my own (veggie) version of the Ivy, and it was so delicious! I will be making this on a regular basis, and for those of you meat lovers - it would be great with chicken as well! (That is not my wrap below...I forgot to take a photo of the final product...and before I knew it, it was gone!) 

Ingredients:
Quinoa
Spinach
Pesto
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Sundried Tomato Tortilla

Happy Thursday!

My Weekend + a Recipe

Happy Monday! I can't believe it's already JULY - can you? This year seems to be flying by, and we have so many exciting things happening in the next few months. I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend; mine was spent relaxing, running errands, and taking care of my sick husband. Did you do anything exciting? 

a '32 week' photo...I am loving my hat collection lately!

lunching at Whole Foods 

enjoying summer fruit from Trader Joe's 

 an evening on the patio

a breakfast of waffles and fresh berries

 a beautiful Sunday spent at the pool

And I'll leave you with the easiest, most delicious summer lemonade recipe. Remember the recipe I found on Pinterest last week? I decided to alter it to make it simpler and a bit healthier (I didn't want to use an entire cup of sugar). 

watermelon & strawberry lemonade 

You will need:

- 1-2 cups Simply Lemonade (depending on how much you want to make)

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

- 1-2 cups of watermelon

- blender

Combine lemonade, frozen strawberries, and watermelon in the blender and blend until smooth (I know...writing a 'recipe' isn't even necessary...but I just had to share how simple it was!). The frozen strawberries make the lemonade a little 'slushy,' and it seems like more of a treat. My husband couldn't believe how delicious it was only using these 3 ingredients...he thought I made it from scratch! This is a great 4th of July recipe, and is sure to please! 

Have a great Monday, ladies! 

My Weekend in Photos

Good Morning, welcome to Monday! How was your weekend? Mine was filled with food (see below), friends, and fun! 

mother's day brunch at capital grille/ flowers @ farmer's market/ avocado & tomato sandwich/ tomatoes

loving the farmer's market and the warm weather

gigantic (delish) chocolate covered strawberries/ mother's day flowers & cards/ brooke cherries/ amazing african baskets

mother's market juice bar/ dessert at the cannery/ mother's day church service

farmer's market goodness 

flowers for a friend/ juice bar/ mother's day outfit/ pineapple

vintage shot with my mama 

My Weekend

Hello - Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty relaxing and low-key, here are a few snapshots from my camera roll...

  

the hubbs returned from a week-long business trip to Seattle with a new sleep-shirt for me (score!) - this was the longest we have been apart since we met - it was great to have him home

recent forever 21 purchase (less than $20) - old h&m jacket

his cinco de mayo...

...and my cinco de mayo

delicious watermelon

cute campanula from my mama

1/2 caf coffee -- a new indulgence 

heart-shaped yam

beautiful kendra scott earrings from my mama

loving the feel of this room - open house outing

Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie ((recipe))

It's no secret...I love the kitchen. Cooking, baking, creating, and eating -- all loves of my life. Today, I will be sharing my most adored kitchen gadget for Kate's link party, as well as my favorite smoothie recipe. This PBBD (peanut butter banana delight) is healthy, quick, and packed with nutrients (vitamins, calcium, protein, potassium, iron). I make this before workouts, as a quick snack, or even if I'm heading out the door to run errands -- it's that easy!

But first, let's start with the gadget - my Vitamix! This is the best piece of kitchen equipment I have invested in (it's not cheap, but it's WORTH it), and I use this blender every day. What's so great about a blender? The Vitamix is more like a "dream machine," as it can create a bajillion different items from smoothies, to steaming hot soups, and ice cream! You might remember the squash and tomato bisque I made last week, and guess what? I used my Vitamix to puree, and heat the ingredients...SO much easier than pureeing, transferring, THEN heating. This little baby can chop ice, blend frozen fruit, and even create peanut butter (solely using peanuts) no problem. I used to loathe blenders because they simply did not work -- i.e. ice would not completely blend, and I'd be left with a million different pieces to clean. I could go on and on, but those are a few of the reasons I simply adore my Vitamix.

On to the recipe! 


YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 c milk (I used coconut milk, but any milk will do)
- 1 frozen banana (or fresh -- if you use a fresh banana, add a handful of ice cubes)
- 2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter (I like to use powdered PB for my smoothies, but any kind will do)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Simply place all 3 (or 4) items in the blender, blend until smooth, and viola! You have a nutrient-packed snack in less than 3 minutes! Enjoy!

*check out many other delish Vitamix recipes here

Super Bowl Bites

Is everyone getting excited for the Super Bowl on Sunday? Who are you rooting for? One of my favorite things about the Super Bowl is all of the delicious eats! I've decided to share some of my favorite recipes for this year's big game...enjoy! xo

mini burger bites

ingredients:

16 large frozen french-fried waffle-cut potatoes 

1 pound ground beef or turkey

2 - 2 teaspoons grilling seasoning blend

slices cheddar cheese, cut into quarters

cherry tomatoes, sliced

mustard, ketchup, pickles, etc.

directions:

preheat oven to 400 degrees F

bake potato fries for 18 to 20 minutes or until crisp; remove from oven

meanwhile, combine meat and seasoning; form into sixteen 1-ounce mini burgers (about 2 tablespoons)

in a skillet, cook burgers, uncovered, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, turning burgers once halfway through cooking

top each potato with a burger, cheese quarter, and tomato slice

broil 4 - 5 inches from heat for 1 - 2 minutes or until cheese has melted 

Velveeta Cheese Dip

ingredients:

1 lb velveeta cheese block

1 can rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles - undrained

ground beef (optional)

directions:

combine ingredients in crock pot (or microwaveable bowl)

turn crock pot and low and stir (or microwave on high for 5 minutes)

party pinwheels

ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix

2 green onions, minced

4 (12 inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup diced celery

1 (2 oz) can sliced black olives

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions:

in medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch mix, and green onions

spread this mixture on each tortilla

sprinkle red pepper, celery, black olives, and cheese over cream cheese mixture

roll up the tortillas, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil

chill 2 hours or overnight; cut off ends of the rolls, and slice the chilled rolls into 1 inch slices 

brown sugar smokies

ingredients:

1 pound bacon

1 (16 oz) package of little smokies

1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage

place the wrapped sausages on wooden skewers

arrange the skewers on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with brown sugar

bake until bacon is crisp and brown sugar is melted 

...and a few self-explanatory desserts for fun

Chicken Tacos

It's time for one of my favorite recipes...slow-cooker chicken tacos. These little babies are super simple, not to mention delicious! Throw the chicken in the crock pot before you head to work, and voila! Dinner is ready by the time you get home...almost! 

Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts - I use 2 for the hubby and I
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1 can green chiles - diced and seeded
- Tortillas
- Any toppings you may enjoy - avocado, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, parsley, tomatoes...etc.

Directions:
- Pour one can of diced tomatoes into the slow cooker
- Place chicken breasts in next
- Top chicken breasts with 2nd can of tomatoes and green chiles
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours
- Shred chicken while still in slow cooker (allows chicken to soak up flavor of sauce)
- Serve on tortillas and add toppings

Enjoy!

For The Lovers

Valentine's Day is just around the corner...whether you'll be hosting a fun-loving party for kids, or just looking to spread the LOVE on this fab day, here are some great DIY ideas...enjoy!

all imagies via Pintrest