Meatless Monday: Basil-Lime Pesto Quinoa

Hello Darlings!

I love anything I can just pop in my rice cooker and leave alone- rice, oatmeal, and especially quinoa. Quinoa is a grain that I normally use as a base for a dish, so it’s very rarely the highlight. This week’s Meatless Monday From A-Z’s creation, however, is different. Often I add pesto to a simple dish to amp up its flavor (like these Pestoed-Mushroom Stuffed Baked Avocados).  By adding a basil-lime pesto to quinoa, I brought a delicious herb-y brightness to the generally not-particularly-flavorful grain. Add a hint of citrus and the whole dish is transformed!

Autumn Drink Series: Cardamom-Clove Gin and Tonic

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I had so much fun doing my Summer Drink Series that I decided to continue the cocktail fun through the fall! While this time around I’ve decided to post every other week instead of every week, the drinks will still be season appropriate and very fun! To kick off the autumn series I’ve shared a cocktail that showcases two of my favorite spicy fall flavors, Cardamom and Clove.

Autumn To-Do List: 2013

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A while back I wrote out a Summer To-Do list, which, although I didn’t check off everything on the list was really fun! Now that it is officially fall I thought I would make an Autumn to-do list and share all of my fall adventures!

Lemon Thyme Kabocha by The Smart Kitchen

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Now that the Autumn Equinox was yesterday I am officially allowed to get obsessed with fall flavors! Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) is one of those flavors. As you might have seen in last week’s Meatless Monday recipe, you can turn the sweet squash into a dessert. But this week for the ‘cook’ portion of Meatless Monday from A-Z I recreated (exactly for once- go me!) the darling Sarah from The Smart Kitchen’s Lemon Thyme Kabocha which was delicious!

Summer Drink Series: Pomegranate Champagne

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I can’t believe it is almost fall! The Autumn Equinox is on Sunday so this week is the finale of my Summer Drink Series! I thought it was appropriate to have a celebratory glass of champagne spiced up with a bit of pomegranate juice (seriously, what doesn’t go well with Pom juice?!) Super simple, this drink is made with a grand total of three ingredients because, really you don’t need much to make a simple (mini in my case) bottle of champagne to taste fabulous!

Mix My Own Healthy Breakfast

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I adore breakfast; however I am not a morning person. Seriously, if you ask me to stay up until six am? I can do it no problem- wake me up at 6 am? I might try to bite your head off. So trying to get me to function enough to cook up a healthy breakfast is a challenge. And then in waltzes MixMyOwn, which is healthy, filling, and no cooking necessary! Heaven.

Meatless Monday: Twice Baked Kabocha

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I refuse to believe that it is fall. I know that the Autumn Equinox is next week and that Starbucks had their Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the menu, but I am such a summer kid and I just don’t want it to be true. However, apparently my stomach feels otherwise, because when debating on what to do with a Kabocha Squash for Meatless Mondays from A-Z I somehow came up with a baked squash that tastes quite a bit like a pumpkin pie. Whoops.

Summer Drink Series: Blackberry-Orange Gin and Tonic

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Blackberry just screams ‘summer.’ Add a splash of orange and you have a really refreshing combination. Take that one more step and add gin and you have a perfect summer party cocktail! This Blackberry-Orange Gin and Tonic is one of those drinks that you can just throw together from items you already have on hand in your liquor cabinet, and it takes just seconds to make! Plus, you can’t beat the gorgeous jewel tones of blackberry in sparkling tonic, making it a drink that is as gorgeous as it is tasty.

Co-Hosting the Get Inspired Pinning Party!

Welcome to Week #7 of the Get Inspired Hop! We have been RE-BRANDED as a Pinning Party!! And we want to see your DIY projects, recipes, decorating projects, kid's crafts...ANYTHING that's inspiring! Featured PIN's will be a REQUIRED re-pin in order to link-up the following week! That means, if you are Featured, and we have 60 link-up's that weekend, your PIN will be RE-PINNED 66 times including the hosts & co-hosts. LOTS AND LOTS of exposure for your blog. What do you all think about that?

Here's more on what's changing!

1. You can now link-up ANY pin that you'd like with the exception of Giveaways.
2. This hop will now be featured on 6 blogs!We have added 3 WEEKLY co-host spots.
3. The weekly co-hosts will be selecting the FEATURED PINS at each week's party.
4. Every week, each FEATURED PINNER will be given the option to co-host the FOLLOWING week's party! :)

Yes, we're making it MORE FUN to Link-up with us :)

What’s In My Travel Bag: Healthy Living Blogger

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I am a very curious person. I absolutely adore people watching, which is probably why I really enjoy watching vloggers on YouTube, a bit of a guilty pleasure. One of my favorite types of videos is the ‘what’s in my handbag’ tag, where vloggers, usually in the ‘beauty’ camp, empty out their pocketbooks and show you what’s inside. I love that rather intimate peek into someone else’s life, and thought it would be fun to share one of my own.

Meatless Monday: Farmer's Market Frittata

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I am the kind of person that tends to go a bit overboard at farmer’s markets. Everything looks so pretty and fresh that I end up buying entirely too much produce for a girl with no roommates (except Tink of course). So after I hit up a market, I have to find ways to creatively use my extra produce. This usually means  (not so subtly) sneaking it into my breakfast, which usually has the least produce of my daily meals. Often I throw together a frittata an awesome breakfast staple that is incredibly customizable. Super simple and super delicious it is always a hit whether alone or with breakfast guests!

Summer Drink Series: Kiwi-Lime Martini

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Happy Friday! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you might know I’m a bit of a texture freak. Were talking about having to take the skin off garbanzo beans for a smoother product freak. So when I was mixing up this Kiwi-Lime Martini I was debating whether to leave the seeds in for a super cool looking drink or sieving them out for a smoother sip that looked like a green highlighter came undone in my vodka bottle. Aesthetics won and I am super pleased with the result! Simple and fresh with a bit of zing from fresh lime juice, this martini is perfect for a warm summer night.

Yogi Clothing Review and Giveaway! (closed)

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I feel like just yesterday I announced that I was going to start my Yoga Teacher Training course in the fall. All of the sudden I start next week, which, quite frankly, is equal parts exciting and terrifying. However, one thing I do know is that I will certainly look the part! 

When the darlings at Yogi Clothing dropped me a line and I popped over to their website I was, in a word, ecstatic. I may have even done my little happy dance that is usually reserved for particularly delicious food. Everything on their site looked both fashionable and suitable for the yoga studio! After much deliberation, I decided to try out the Shirred Long Sleeve Pullover, the Print WB Pant, and the Rollover Yoga Pant.

I'm Wearing the Shirred Long Sleeve Pullover and the Print WB Pant

Meatless Monday: Baked Portobello Heirloom Caprese

Hello Darlings!

That name is a mouthful isn’t it? (Lame pun intended.) I wanted to create something super simple for this Labor Day that you could throw together in no time flat, (seriously, ten minutes of prep and then just pop it in the oven for 20) but was still interesting and delicious. And as you might have seen in my Spiked Basil Lemonade post, I have an over abundance of basil at the moment! Enter my Baked Portobello Heirloom Caprese! While I’m more flexitarian than vegetarian, I still love when there are veggie options at cookouts when my body doesn’t feel like meat. A favorite meat alternative of mine is portobello mushrooms, which are a great as they have the texture and savory ‘oomph’ of a meat-laden meal! Plus, you can’t beat a great course of only five ingredients!

Diamond Candles: Review and Giveaway! (Closed)

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In general, I am a fan of things that smell good, sparkle, or are good for the environment. Add all of these together and I am going to be a very happy camper. The folks over at Diamond Candles did just that with their rather extensive line of candles; so when they reached out after seeing my love for soy wax in my DIY: Citronella Candles post I may have let out a very excited ‘whoop’ or two.