Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Revamping a childhood favorite

It took everything I had yesterday to actually do my pure barre workout. I thought of every excuse in the book. Finally I decided that if I just knocked it out, I would treat myself to some wine with dinner. 
knocking it out

One of my favorite meals as a kid was Kraft Mac& Cheese with cut up hot dogs and peas mixed in. When I found this recipe online, I couldn't stop craving it. Of course making a few tweeks to help make it "healthier"
I followed the directions for this Greek yogurt Mac and Cheese. This was my first time to ever make mac and cheese that didn't come out of a blue box. Of course I was hesitant at first, because lets be honest, the kraft kind is pretty amazing, but this was absolutely delicious!!! 

click for recipe

serves 4-6
    • 8 oz. (about 2 cups) elbow pasta (I used whole wheat)
    • 8 oz. (about 2 cups) shredded cheese (a sharp cheddar is great)
    • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I love Chobani)
    • 2 cups fresh spinach
    • salt & pepper, to taste
    • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
    • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Cook the macaroni according to the package's instructions (about 8-10 minutes), until al dente.

Place the spinach leaves in the bottom of a strainer, and pour the pasta over top to drain and wilt the spinach.  Save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Return the cooked macaroni and wilted spinach to the pot.

Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot, and stir in the cheese until melted.  Stir in the greek yogurt, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, until smooth and creamy.  Stir in the remaining pasta water to thin, if necessary.  Serve immediately. 


I sauteed some spicy chicken sausage and heated up some peas to throw on top.

yummm. 
As I'm writing this all I can think about is how excited I am to go home and eat the leftovers for dinner :) 
Hope yall enjoy. xo. 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Lazy Weekend

I got to spend a total of 36 hours with Chris this weekend before he headed back out for more training. We We started out our day with  pumpkin pancakes
yummy. 
Besides running one not so quick errand to target- we spent the rest of the day lounging on the couch, watching football and napping. 
someone thinks hes a lap dog

I'm not sure if I told yall, but one of my friends from Memphis has recently moved up to Seattle! We used to work together at both Chili's and Ridgeway Country Club back in high school. Its so great having a friend from home so close :). Well- she invited me to go to the Sounders game Sunday with her friend Sophie and brother who were both visiting. We of course started off at Pyramid for some beers and dinner before, and ended at sluggers after. Sounders ended their season in a tie against the Galaxy- but as always- it was a blast. 
Go Sounders
xoxo. 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Friday, October 18, 2013

Birch & Pumpkin


My obsessions this week have been 1. my October Birchbox and 2. all things Pumpkin.

Lets start with1.

My Oct. birchbox was A-MAZING. 

LOVE.
I'll never use another chapstick...




Lets start at the top-
1. Miss Jessie's Creme de la creme conditioner- I was skeptical to even try this at first because I have very thin/straight hair and some conditioners leave it feeling super greasy. I'm glad i tested it out because it did the exact opposite- my hair had so much more shine and bounce to it. Not to mention it smelled amazing the entire day
2. Joie Folle de Joie parfum - It was different than what I normally wear, in a good way. Its a mix of citrus and woodsy floral. Very interesting.
3. Chapstick Hydration Lock - Anyone who knows me, knows I apply chapstick 100 times a day. I have the worst dry lips. This honestly does last for 8 hours and works as a great primer for the POP aqua lacquer
4. Liz & Earle Cleanse Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit- The cleanse (which you massage on dry skin) got rid of all my make up and the polishing cloth left my skin feeling silky smooth and looking more vibrant
5. POP Beauty Aqua Lacquer - the Floating Rose color I got was perfect for me. When I first used it, I didn't use the Chapstick primer before, so it was a little sticky. But when you apply after using the primer it was perfect :)

Now onto #2. The pumpkin selection at Trader Joe's is fantastic. I apologize in advance to my friends and family who do not live one. 

deliciousness 
So far, each of these has yet to disappoint. The pumpkin yogurt would have to be my favorite. They also have a pumpkin ice cream I've been eyeing, but I know I wont have any control and it will all be gone way too soon

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend :)xo. 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Wednesday Wine Night

Last night Jen and I hit up downtown for Seattle for some wine...and eventually dinner!  We started at the Tasting Room.
Flight of "stormy reds" 
The tasting room closed at 8, so after our flight we were on to stop #2. We decided to stop in at the White Horse Trading Co. 

This little hole in the wall is a true gem!! No food, no crazy cocktails, just good quality wine and beer. The atmosphere was very dark and cozy.  Bookcases lined the walls, stocked full of good books, and couches all around to sit on while you enjoy your book and wine. The owner (who was also the bartender) brought out his Great Dane to walk around once the bar started to clear out.  I wish I had gotten a picture, because the dog was about as big as Jen and I. 

Finally we were on to dinner- on our way we walked through bubblegum alley- 

lots of gum...

We decided to dine at ZigZag cafe

If you have a chance to go- order a Crying Bryan - its a mixture of champagne  and  st. germain. The drink isn't on the menu, but luckily Jen had the in and knew all about it.

I cant wait till the next girls night- I have a feeling Jen is going to open my eyes to all that Seattle has to offer :)

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

#blogitlikeyoucookedit

Last night, Nate had us all over for dinner to say goodbye to Tory and Katie who are moving to Birmingham next week. We all contributed a little something and it made for one delicious meal.
Nate: Steak, rolls, and asparagus
Elisha- Mashed potatoes (amazing)
Me: Greek salad
Katie made a banana pudding, but I was way to busy stuffing my face with it to take a picture.

so I'm not the best at candid shots... 

The girls.
There was one point in the night we noticed the girls were talking SEC football while the guys were chatting about sightseeing in Utah... kinda seems like that should have been the other way around, but when sitting with 2 Bama fans, obviously football will come up! 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful hump day!

xox

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Burgers

So I decided while Chris is training, I'm going to get back to making new recipes! Of course there is only one spot to find all the best recipes- pintrest. This recipe is from Shape. I really thought it was going to just look better than it tasted, but I was wrong - they were delicious and very filling. The recipe says it makes 3, however I was able to get 4 good sized patties out of the mixture. I also cheated on the guac and just used some that trader joes had made then topped with some premade salsa from whole foods, but i made up for that by going bun less! 

They were also just as good heated up for lunch :)


Ingredients:

  • For burger:
  • 1/3 cup quinoa
  • 2/3 cup filtered water
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • 3 sprouted grain hamburger buns 

  • For crunchy guacamole:
  • 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons salsa or pico de gallo
  • 2 tablespoons raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

1. In small pot, combine quinoa and water over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let quinoa cook for 10 to 15 minutes until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, cook sweet potato in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes until soft and mashable. When potatoes are finished cooking, combine with white beans in a mixing bowl and smash with a potato masher until well mashed but still retaining a little texture from beans. Add tahini (if using), salt, and spices. Mix well, then add quinoa and fold in with a spatula.
3. Heat a medium-sized pan on the stove to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Form quinoa-sweet potato mixture into three patties, coat with panko, and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side until a nice crispy golden brown outer shell is reached.
4. While burgers cook, make guacamole by mashing all ingredients together.
5. To assemble, place burger patty on bottom half of bun and top with guacamole and bun top.

Click here to take you to the Shape website for more details


Enjoy!! xoxo. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Moving weekend part 2

Friday the movers finally came to move us in 
boxes on boxes on boxes
Looking at this- I was a bit overwhelmed so I decided to get the essentials for mimosas before starting
the only way to tackle this
Chris and I worked non stop till Saturday afternoon we were pretty much all done
Living and dining room
It was a GORGEOUS weekend in Seattle so we enjoyed some much needed outdoor time
took this on the bridge to Bellevue

pretty sunset view

Afternoon walk at Discovery Park (thanks Chris for this awesome pic)

Chester enjoying the sun while he dried off from his bath

xoxo

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Hip Hip HOORAY





MY FAMILY IS COMING TO VISIT IN DECEMBER!!! 

Best news this weekend- They are coming Dec 12-15th :) The perfect time to celebrate my sister birthday and an early Christmas :)

Cant wait!