exes and ohs

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

2014-05-07T15:12:00.001-07:00

Summer is right around the corner! Unless you live here in Las Vegas, then Summer started about two weeks ago. Ugh.

This is, of course, the time of year when everyone starts worrying more about their diet and working out so they can fit into that itty bitty bikini (which I know nothing about, you'll find me in a full length poncho at the pool). However, I do like to feel really good this time of year and kick up my health routine since it's not as easy to cover up a bad weekend with a cozy sweatshirt when it's 100 degrees outside, although I've tried.

I found this recipe on one of the many blogs I follow (simplyrealhealth.com) and my first time making it was a total disaster. I thought I could substitute wax paper for parchment paper (you can't, so don't), the smoke alarm was going off because the wax paper was literally burning in the oven, I couldn't get the pizza off of the wax paper so we were forced to eat a little with almost every bite, and I didn't cook it long enough at all.. To make a long story short, it fell apart, I was pissed off, threw a temper tantrum, possibly cried a little ... all while my amazing husband choked down every waxy bite and kept saying "it's not that bad babe!". What a guy. :)
Side note: I totally realize that I may have overreacted a little. Leave me alone about it. #roughday

My second time making it was much more successful. I made sure to use parchment paper and kept it in the oven for about 5 minutes longer. We were thrilled with the results! My point? If you fail the first time, get back on the cow and try again ... or something like that.

This is definitely a new staple in the Hiatt household.

Bonus points: it's gluten free! But that only matters if you have celiac disease. Seriously.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Makes approx 2 servings

Notes: You will need a clean dish towel to make this crust, as well as a powerful blender or food processor. If you don’t have one, no problem—just boil the cauliflower florets before you blend them.

Crust:

1 medium head cauliflower, with the base stem and leaves removed (just the florets and some smaller stems needed)

½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 TB almond flour (or brown rice flour - I used brown rice flour because almond flour is much more expensive)

1 egg

1 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp pepper

*A pinch of dried oregano, red pepper flakes, or basil if desired! I use all three.

To top:

Clean ingredient tomato sauce (I love the Delallo brand but there are a lot of good options), homemade tomato sauce or clean pesto.

Other toppings of your choice: roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes, pre-cooked organic sausage, organic mozzarella, parmesan, feta or goat cheese, olives, etc. Using all pre-cooked toppings will keep the cooking time shorter.

*For the pizza in the photo, I used roasted red peppers, all natural/organic turkey sausage, fresh parmesan cheese and a little fresh goat cheese.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER!). In a powerful blender or food processor, add cauliflower florets and blend until smooth. Don’t over process it, but blend enough so that you no longer have any big pieces visible.

Place the pulsed cauliflower in the middle of a clean dish towel. Wrap it up, and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can. There will be a lot! *The more moisture you can squeeze out the better, it may take a few minutes so just be patient. It also helps to do little bits of the cauliflower at a time.

Then, open the towel and place the cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Add parmesan, almond flour, egg and spices and mix together. Combine it into a ball. With your hands, flatten into an even crust on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 min (depending on your oven), until it starts to brown.

Remove from heat, add your sauce and toppings, and place back in the oven until done (approx 5 minutes if you pick topping that are already pre-cooked). Broil at the end to brown the cheese for a great presentation.

*While this is definitely a pizza, I find that this is better eaten with a fork. The crust is absolutely delicious but it does fall apart easier than regular pizza crust.

Serve with a delicious side salad and you're ready to go!

*Recipe by simplyrealhealth.com - I won't lie, I was to lazy to retype this recipe so these are her words, I just added in a few of my own tips and favorite ingredients!

our wedding video

2014-04-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

This video is everything. We are so excited about it and feel so blessed to be able to share it with all of you. It's something we will always truly treasure. Enjoy!

Xo

Hiatt Wedding from DunnRite Productions on Vimeo.

life lately.

2014-02-24T13:29:00.001-08:00

Hi all,

This blog post is coming to you from a place of peace. After what has easily been the most chaotic, awful, and heartbreaking couple of months of my life so far, I can finally say that things are looking up and the dust is finally settling.

As most of you know, I lost my Grandma last month. This is the first time in my life that I've dealt with the loss of someone I was so close to. It shook me in a way that I wasn't prepared for (I can't imagine anyone is ever prepared for something like that) and I've had a hard time readjusting. I feel that there are moments in life that redefine who we are and losing my Grandma has been one of those moments for me.

Now that I've found some peace with everything that has happened, I've really enjoyed diving back into wedding plans and projects. It definitely keeps me busy. :) I thought I would be really stressed out at this point in the planning process but I'm not stressed out at all. Honestly, I'm just ready to say "I do" to the most amazing guy I know and be surrounded by all of our friends and family that will be there to celebrate with us. It's just going to be such a special weekend! I know that my Grandma will be right there cheering us on with the biggest smile on her face.

The hardest wedding decision for us to make so far has been choosing a song for our first dance. Just when we think we've got it figured out, we find five more songs that we like. Oy vey. I guess we are just trying to find a song that is both original and meaningful without being super cheesy. Maybe we will just rock out to Kesha for our first dance. I mean, Timber is my theme song ...

We also need to figure out where we are going on our honeymoon. We are seriously considering a California coast road trip, but since we aren't going on our honeymoon until May, we don't know for sure. If you have any recommendations, please feel free to share them with me!

trial run for wedding hair + makeup - both done by the amazing Colie Hall.

Anyway, thank you for sitting through this little update. :)
I hope Monday is treating you well.

Xo

a nice little collection of group photos

2014-01-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hi loves.

While I was going through all of the pictures that the lovely Katie Manoun sent me from Christmas, our shower in KC, and my bachelorette weekend, I realized that she made sure to get a lot of really great group shots! Anyway, since this made me so happy, I decided it was worth sharing and have included some of my favorites! Here ya go, people. Enjoy!

hiatt familia. christmas 2013.

all of my favorite gals being beachy on my bachelorette trip.

a lovely shot of everyone who came to our kansas wedding shower! such a blast.

christmas eve with the wonderful rash family. this one ^ definitely belongs in a frame. :)

with the besties in KC. love you guys!

a group shot of some cozy feet. yes, this counts as a group photo.

another little groupie of my ladies in san diego!

26

2014-01-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hello friends.

This last weekend Joel and I headed back to San Diego to escape a little and celebrate my 26th birthday. :)

Just like every other birthday I've celebrated since being with Joel, he did an amazing job making me feel incredibly special and loved. I'm very excited about being 26, I think it's going to be my best year yet!

We spent the weekend cruising through some of our favorite San Diego neighborhoods, enjoying the beautiful/glorious/stunning sunsets at the beach, consuming a ridiculous amount of carbs, sampling a few new craft beers, and getting some much needed r&r.

Now that the holidays are over, my bachelorette weekend has come and gone, and Joel and I won't be taking another trip until May, I'm officially in wedding mode. I can't believe our big day is only two months away! I feel completely overwhelmed but ridiculously excited! Here's to hoping I get everything done ... :)

(p.s. for those of you who are invited, your invite will be arriving soon, we may have had a little mishap with the RSVP cards ... #oops)

Have a wonderful rest of your night, everyone.

my bachelorette bash!

2014-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

As most of you know by now (due to the explosion of photos on both facebook and instagram) this last weekend I was in San Diego for my bachelorette party! It was easily one of the best weekends of my life and I owe it all to the amazing ladies who showed up and made me feel so incredibly special. :) I especially need to thank Mrs. Lauren Finley and Mrs. Katie Hiatt for going above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. You girls are just the best. Thank you so so soo much!

Now for even more pictures ... :)

The entire weekend was jam packed with an abundance of belly laughs, sick dance moves, champagne, sunshine, love, and begging every DJ we came across to play Timber (it's just so catchy!). It was so wonderful to see all of my best friends get along so well and just have so much fun together! I hate that it went by so quickly but I'm so excited to see everyone again in March for our big day!

Xo

songs for mama

2013-12-05T19:36:00.001-08:00

via

I spent the greater part of today trying to decide on some of the music for our wedding.

Unfortunately, not many decisions were made and I just ended up dancing around to Tay Swift.

When Joel got home I asked him to put a list together of possible songs for the mother/son dance.

This is where we are at with that so far ..

1. Boyz II Men - A Song For Mama

2. Spice Girls - Mama

3. Tupac - Dear Mama

4. Backstreet Boys - The Perfect Fan

5. Dido - Thank You

....

Clearly, we are making a lot of progress with this wedding project.

let me tell you about my weekend.

2013-12-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday weekend.

Our weekend was filled with snuggles, full bellies, thankful hearts and pie. Lots and lots of pie.

This was my sixth Thanksgiving with Joel and our fourth Thanksgiving with Monk.

Words simply cannot describe how blessed I feel having these babes in my life.

Being the domestic little lady that I am, I decided I wanted to go out for Thanksgiving dinner.

It was delicious and I didn't have to do any dishes afterward.

I baked/bought two pies, one cherry and one pumpkin.

I ate half of the cherry pie in about 20 minutes.

The other half was gone by the next morning.
The pumpkin was finished shortly after.
#ilovepie

Other than that we listened to Bette Midler and hosted a dinner party to celebrate a dear friend.

It was pretty perfect.

119 days

2013-11-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

In exactly four months from today, I will be married to Joel.

Holy moly.

Guys, this engagement has flown by. I can't believe we only have a few more months left of being a little engaged couple!

To everyone who will be there on March 21st to celebrate with us, we can't wait to see you!

links

2013-11-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hey, here are some links. Feel free to click on them. Happy Tuesday!

A Week of Groceries Around the World. - Perspective.

Cotton Ball Diet. - Horrific. Definitely something to watch for if you have young children. #teachselflove

Things Hangry People Do. This is so applicable to my real life. I am the hangriest person i know. I sincerely apologize to all of those who have been effected by my hangry tendencies.

While Their Kids Were Sleeping ... This has been making it's way around facebook so chances are you've already seen it. However, i just had to include it because it's so. stinkin'. cute.

Dining Habits & What They Say About You. Couldn't agree more.

Style Me Pretty: 2013 Fashion and Beauty E-Mag. Congratulations to the lovely, Sam Rosen. Her stunning "all that glitters" wedding is featured! Absolutely gorgeous.

weekend recap: 'twas a cozy one.

2013-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend ended up being a rather festive couple of days. For all of you who absolutely hate any sign of Christmas before Thanksgiving, you may want to stop reading this little recap now. :) We spent Sunday jamming out to Christmas music, busting out our Christmas decorations, and putting up our beloved Christmas tree.

We are officially Christmas ready! Boom.

Besides basking in all of our holiday cheer, we also did a little wedding prep this weekend. Tuxes for the men? Officially picked out. We decided on a very classic black and white tux. I don't think there is anything more glorious than a man in a well fitted, classic tux. I know all of the guys, especially the groom, will look great in them!

The rest of the weekend was spent watching Breaking Bad (we are almost finished, which is both thrilling and deeply tragic), enjoying a few happy hour brews, and listening to Joel explain the many, many reasons we absolutely have. to. get. the new Xbox One ... .... .... :)

On a scale of one to ten, this weekend was pretty great.

Hope you're enjoying your Monday!

weekend in salem

2013-11-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some of the pictures from my weekend in Salem. Most of them are, of course, of my nephews. Being away from them is so hard on me. I hate that I'm missing out on so much, so when I'm home I make sure to spend as much time with them as possible. :)

Besides goofing around with a couple of cute three-year-olds all weekend, I also got to watch my oldest nephew, Quintin, play in one of his football games. It was so awesome to see him in his element. He is such an incredible athlete. I have no idea who he gets it from so I will just pretend that he gets it from me. ;)

I also made sure to eat as much seafood as I could possibly get my hands on, dragged my family to brunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Salem (Word of Mouth Cafe), had a little day date with one of my best friends and her papa, and spent some quality time catching up and hanging out with my wonderful parents.

Overall, it was a pretty fantastic weekend.

The next time I see my family will be at my wedding, which is kind of weird but also really, really exciting!

oregon bridal shower

2013-11-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I was lucky enough to head home to Oregon for a few days and spend some quality time with my family and closest friends. I love this time of year in Oregon and I made sure to soak up as much fall goodness as possible. From admiring the colors of the leaves to filling up on apple cider donuts, I was in heaven.

The main reason for my trip was to attend my first bridal shower! My little sister was nice enough to host it in her adorable new home and both her and my mom went above and beyond to get everything we needed. From the decor to the food to the wonderful guests, everything was perfect! It was so nice to see all of my friends that I just don't get to see enough. Everyone made me feel so special. It was a great party!

I will be posting the rest of the pictures from my weekend in Oregon later this week.

*for the rest of my shower pictures, check out my facebook page. :)

wedding bubble

2013-10-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I've even thought about writing a blog post. In my last couple of posts I wrote about being inspired and ready to start writing again, but clearly I was just trying to convince myself of something I knew wasn't true. Truth be told, I've been desperately trying to limit my time in front of the computer.

I decided I needed to just live a little and not worry about documenting everything.
It has been wonderful.

Now that I've established some balance in my life, I've decided I want to update everyone on the latest happenings. Oh and for anyone who hasn't seen them on facebook, I've posted a few of our engagement photos at the end of this post. I hope everyone loves them as much as I do. It was such a fun shoot and I am obsessed with the way they turned out!

Anyway, we have only five short months before the big day! It's so strange how one day can consume so much of your life. Besides school and taking care of Monk (and Joel, let's be honest), my whole life is about this wedding. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love planning it and I'm having so much fun but I can't help but feel like I'm in some sort of weird bubble. What will my friends and family talk to me about once the wedding is over? :)

Luckily, I haven't been too stressed out about anything so far. That's mostly because I have an amazing fiance who has been so involved with the planning process and an amazing team of bridesmaids who are kicking ass and going above and beyond to help. Love you, gals. #dreamteam

Xo

Now, here are those pictures I promised. Check out my facebook page for all of them.

dirty dozen vs. clean fifteen

2013-07-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

As we all know, buying organic foods can still be relatively expensive. Not everyone has the extra cash to pay for an organic label. It can also be frustrating. Knowing which foods are more harmful and contain more pesticides (when they aren't organic) is essential. Luckily, it isn't necessary to purchase every fruit and vegetable in organic form. I'm hoping these two lists clear things up for some of you and make it easier for you to navigate the world of organic foods!

Weekend Recap + Five Foods Nutritionists Won't Eat

2013-07-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, sugs.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!

For us, this weekend was all about relaxing, catching up with friends who were in town, and enjoying a few good movies. The 4th of July was a rough day/night in our house. Turns out Monk absolutely hates fireworks and goes absolutely ballistic every time one goes off. We did our best to comfort him, keep the TV turned up ridiculously loud in hopes of drowning out the constant BOOMS, and continuously promise him that everything was going to be okay ... but our efforts were all for not. He was not having it. Honestly, I'm just glad it's over.

Now that the holiday weekend is over and it's back to the grind of reality, I'm all about getting a meal plan for the week worked out and getting back into a normal (healthy) routine. My favorite part of every weekend is sitting down on Sunday, researching a couple new recipes to try for the week, and making my grocery list. Seriously, it's like weekly therapy for me. Love it!

As I was making my list this week I stumbled upon a very interesting article from Healthy Bitch Daily. The article, titled "5 Foods Nutritionist Won't Eat", talks about just that ... 5 foods nutritionists won't eat. I thought it was pretty interesting and definitely worth sharing.

The list includes the following 5 foods:

1. Canned Tomatoes: for those of you who don't know, canned tomatoes are the absolute worst food to buy in a can. Tomatoes contain very high levels of acidity and most cans contain BPA (a very harmful chemical). The acidity from the tomatoes causes the BPA to leach from the lining of the can. To avoid this, be sure to purchase your tomatoes and tomato sauces in glass jars.

2. Microwave Popcorn: I won't lie. This one surprised me. I had never really thought about microwave popcorn being harmful to my health. Boy was I wrong. According to Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for Environmental Working Group, "chemicals in the lining of microwave popcorn bags, which include perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), are linked to infertility and possibly even certain cancers. When you pop the kernels in the microwave these chemicals are released and end up in the food." Yikes.

*According to the article, the proposed year for removal of these chemicals is 2015. Until then, avoid this stuff like the plague and/or pop your popcorn the old fashioned way.

3. Non-Organic Potatoes: I don't eat a whole-lotta potatoes, but after reading this, when I do eat my next tater you better believe it will be of the organic variety. Here's what the article had to say ...

"Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, confirms that potatoes get their nutrients directly through the skin – they’re roots, after all. This makes them prime targets for soaking up any and all toxic chemicals that come down their food and water pipeline.

Moyer, who is also Farm Director at Rodale Institute (publishers of Prevention magazine) goes on to say, 'I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.'"

4. Farm Raised Salmon: farm raised salmon are confined to extremely small, crowded spaces and fed a bunch of crap they would never normally eat. This disgusting list includes: chicken poop, soy, and hydrolyzed feather. GAG. BARF. YUCK. The article also touches on the fact that not only are they high in mercury but farm raised salmon also contain high levels of PCBs, brominated flame retardants, carcinogens and pesticides like dioxin and DDT. Unfortunately, the majority of salmon sold in restaurants is this very kind.

My advice? Make sure you are buying wild caught salmon from a reputable source.

*“You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every five months without increasing your risk of cancer,” says David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany.*

5. Conventional Apples: apparently, out of all of the fall fruits, apples are the most pesticide-laden (by far). According to the article, this is because they have a much harder time naturally resisting pests. Because they are so heavily saturated in pesticides, it's a really good idea to pay a little extra for organic.

--------

I believe it's vital to know and understand where your food is coming from and what it might contain. I hope this list shed some light on a few foods you may not have had on your radar. I know it did for me!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday!
xo

*for the entire article - click here!

a rant about the weather.

2013-06-26T12:41:00.001-07:00

Summertime in the desert is awful.

While the rest of the country is celebrating the arrival of summer, having picnics in the park, and doing whatever they can to be outside as much as possible; we are shutting our blinds, overworking our air conditioners and doing whatever we can to AVOID going outside.

However, in the spirit of keeping a positive attitude, the upside to living in the desert is the privilege of enjoying beautiful weather for most of the other nine months of the year.

But whatever, this post is about Summer in the desert and Summertime in the desert is AWFUL. Especially this week. Triple digit temps are nothing new to Las Vegas, but 116?! 117?!

That's ridonkulous.

Besides having to go to class tomorrow and Friday, I am going to do everything in my power to not leave the house very much this weekend. I have serious nightmares about breaking down on the side of the road in this kind of heat!

If you need me I will be hanging out with my ac and eating lots of popsicles. :)

Continuing on this Adventure

2013-06-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!
So obviously I haven't blogged in a while. It became very clear to me a few months ago that my blog was suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. I wasn't feeling inspired at all and every time I would sit down to write I would just end up frustrated.
Because of this, I decided that it was time to take a little break.
Luckily, my little break worked and I'm finally feeling inspired and excited about writing again!

Now for the quick update portion of this post:
Joel and I have been extremely busy lately, but in a really good way!
We've been tackling a few big home projects, Joel's parents were just in town, I recently spent a weekend in Lake Chelan celebrating my best friend's bachelorette weekend, my summer class is in full swing, and we are finally making some progress with our wedding plans!
Life is really, really good.

Two. More. Weeks.

2013-05-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

^I know ... this is such a great picture of Joel. <3^

Hi all! I'm back! Er ... Kinda.

Next week is finals week so I'm super stressed and have been ripping out what's left of my hair. However, I've missed my little blogging world so I've decided that on top of all of the other crap I have to do, I will be squeezing in a few posts. Feel free to pop open a bottle of bubbly to celebrate, because I sure can't. #stupidcollege

Anyway, I've been a bit of a mess lately. Seriously.

I've gained 5 pounds, haven't worked out at all, become a raging iced coffee addict, and my house looks like something out of a hoarders episode.

This semester has clearly gotten the best of me. :)

The good news? It's almost over.

On a more positive note, Joel and I had a lovely little weekend!

I chugged about 4 margaritas on my night off to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, rented and finally watched Silver Linings Playbook (absolutely loved it), spent a couple of hours touring model homes before church on Sunday morning (just for fun, although we found a few homes we would love to move right into!), and then spent an hour at church pleading with God to give me the motivation needed to get through the next couple of weeks with passing grades!

Not too shabby.

Okay well I have to get back to studying now.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

xox

Five Years

2013-04-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That’s what I hope to give you forever."

the notebook

Happy anniversary, my love!

Thank you for simply being the best.

Every day I love you more.

Tasty Tuesday: Salmon with Homemade Sriracha + Lime

2013-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I picked up Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, It's All Good.

So far it's totally living up to it's name. I highly recommend it!

Today I not only whipped up a batch of her homemade sriracha, I also gave her salmon with sriracha and lime recipe a whirl. Both were excellent!

That's all I really have to say about it. :)

SRIRACHA

::ingredients::

- 1 1/4 cups peeled garlic cloves

- 1 lb red jalapenos (stemmed and sliced into thin rings - for a milder sauce, remove some of the seeds)

- 2 1/4 cups rice wine vinegar

- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp brown rice syrup

- 2 tbsp coarse sea salt

- 1 tbsp arrowroot (or cornstarch)

- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or fish sauce)

::instructions::

- Put the garlic cloves in a small saucepan and add cold water just to cover. Bring to a boil, immediately drain, cool the garlic under running water, and return it to the saucepan. Cover with cold water and repeat the blanching process. Thinly slice the blanched garlic and combine with the jalapenos and vinegar in a larger pot. Bring to a boil, cook for 3 minutes, and remove from heat. Add the brown rice syrup and salt and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 1 hour to steep and cool.

- Whiz the mixture in a powerful blender until smooth (it's okay if all the seeds don't blend in). Return the pureed sauce to the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, skimming off any foam, until the sauce is slightly reduced and has some body.

- In a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot (or cornstarch) with 1 tablespoon of lukewarm/cool water. Whisk into the simmering sauce and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the sauce is nicely thickened (it should be slightly thinner than ketchup). Remove the sauce from the heat, let it cool slightly, and stir in the soy sauce (or fish sauce). Store in a screw-top jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

SALMON WITH SRIRACHA+LIME

serves 4

::ingredients::

- Zest of 1/2 lime

- 1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

- 1 1/2 tbsp homemade sriracha

- 1 tbsp good-quality maple syrup

- Coarse sea salt

- 1 1/4 lbs salmon fillet (or just use as many fillets as you need - I used 2 medium fillets)

- 2 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro

::instructions::

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

- Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, sriracha, and maple syrup along with a pinch of sea salt. Line a baking dish with parchment paper, place the salmon on top, and pour the mixture over it. Roast until the salmon is done to your liking - I cooked mine for about 22 minutes and it was perfect.

- Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

My Favorite Green Juice

2013-04-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

*please disregard my naked finger nails. because of my cooking class i cant paint them. sad, i know.

Happy Monday, folks.

As you may or may not have noticed, I only blogged once last week.
Since school is nutso right now, that will probably be the case for the next few weeks.
Bummer, I know.
Anyway, lets reflect on the weekend.
This weekend was awesome!
Joel and I were able to fit in a lot in just two short days and had a lot of fun together!
We spent some time outside playing tennis and basketball, did a little shopping, won some money playing craps, and ate (...and drank) like kings.
Now that it's Monday again and I have a million things to do this week, I am making sure to detox so I have lots of energy and motivation to get everything done!
Eating super clean and juicing at least once a day is the plan.

Here's today's juice:
- 5 large leaves of kale (ribs discarded)
- 2 celery ribs
- 2 large apples
- 1 lemon (zest and pith removed)
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 1 sprig of fresh mint
(and yes, I put ice in my juices. it's weird, i know)

xo

Weekend Recap

2013-04-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend was perfect.

It was so wonderful having my parents here and I already miss them terribly.

I was so excited to show them our wedding venue and they loved it!

We managed to fit in a lot of running around this weekend but we were also able to spend a lot of quality time together just laughing and catching up.

Tonight Joel and I are cuddled up on the couch with plans of going to bed early. :) We're exhausted.

I hope everyone had a good Monday!

Grocery Guide: Eating Clean

2013-04-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Eating clean isn't always easy. I get it. However, it's also not that hard.

I find that if I keep my kitchen stocked with good, clean, nutritious food - I will eat good, clean, nutritious food!

I've been asked a few times lately about what I usually pick up at the grocery store.

Because of this, I put together a little list of staples for you guys!

These are the things you can almost always find in my kitchen.

Tasty Tuesday: Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa and Cilantro Lime Ranch

2013-04-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hey-o!

I apologize ahead of time if this post seems a little rushed and sloppy. My parents are flying in from Oregon on Thursday and I'm desperately trying to get caught up on everything before they get here - including blogging!

Anyway, lets talk tacos.

Taco night is a staple in our home. We have some kind of taco night at least once a week!

I've had fish tacos at many different restaurants and I've tried a lot of different recipes, but I'm always left disappointed.

Until now.

I can honestly say that these are the BEST fish tacos I've EVER had.

Oh and since I made them, go me! :)

Since all of the components are made from scratch (except for the tortillas, but feel free to make that from scratch as well!), it might seem a little overwhelming at first when you look at all of the recipes.

It's not though, I pinky promise. Easy peasy.

My advice would be to whip up the cilantro lime ranch and corn salsa before you even start the salmon.

Enjoy!

Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa and Cilantro Lime Ranch

makes: 4-6 tacos

::ingredients::

BLACKENED SALMON TACOS

- 2 (6 oz) salmon fillets

- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided

- 2 tbs all-purpose flour

- 2 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp packed brown sugar

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

- Flour or corn tortillas, warmed

CORN SALSA

- 2/3 cup frozen corn, warmed

- 1 medium roma tomato, diced

- 1 small avocado, diced

- 2 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion

- 2 tsp lime juice

- 1 dash garlic powder

- Salt and pepper to taste

CILANTRO LIME RANCH

- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp mayo

- 1/4 cup sour cream

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning mix

- 1/4 cup cilantro (small handful)

- 1 small clove garlic

- Juice of 1/2 to 1 full lime

::instructions::

BLACKENED SALMON

- In a shallow mixing bowl or plate, using fork, combine flour, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Baste salmon fillets with 1/2 tsp olive oil on each side and sip salmon into spice mixture and generously coat each side.

- Place coated salmon in preheated skillet and cook 3-4 minutes per side until outside is lightly blackened and center of fillet is cook through and opaque.

- Flake salmon using a fork. Assemble tacos by dividing salmon among tortillas, top with lettuce, corn salsa, cheese, fresh jalapenos and anything else your little heart desires. Drizzle with Cilantro Lime Ranch. Serve immediately.

CORN SALSA

- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl!

CILANTRO LIME RANCH

- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until all ingredients are finely chopped.

- Store in refrigerator.

*To make this dish even lighter, skip the tortilla and make it a salad!

Have a wonderful rest of your day, everyone!

*recipe adapted from cookingclassy