This weeks food highlights

Good Morning! 
I thought today I would get back to sharing some of my favorite meals from this past week with you!

Veggie Stir Fry with Homemade Peanut Sauce & Baked Spring Rolls - I bought Egg roll wrappers in the refrigerated  section at Superstore and filled them with sautéed cabbage, carrots, green onion  & water chestnuts. Seriously yummy!

Okay I bought ANOTHER new cookbook - 'Oh She Glows' is an amazing Vegan cookbook - she also has a great blog! I made this yummy Apple Pie Oatmeal the other morning

Greek Salad & Oil Free Baked Falafel Bites from the Oh She Glows cookbook

A favorite around our house - Homemade Pizza! I love my cast iron pizza pan

Danielle

The perfect veggie burger...

I am determined to find the perfect veggie burger recipe! I have tried many different recipes and have yet to find a go to recipe - there is always something missing.  My brother Chris and friend Aislinn came over last week and we made 3 different recipes at once so we could compare them.  Here are a few pictures from our recipe trial.  Aislinn is vegan so we opted to make the burgers vegan!

Recipes:
1) Our Perfect Veggie Burger - Oh She Glows
2)  Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers - Love & Lemons
3) Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers - Running on Real Food

All the burgers were yummy but I still haven't found "The One!" I will keep experimenting and putting my own spin on recipes and I will let you know when I have perfected it! 

Danielle

Green Smoothie

I have been drinking green smoothies for about a year now and they have become a daily staple breakfast item for both Kevin and I. 

I have always loved fruit smoothies…I mean who doesn't?! So refreshing and delicious! I started drinking fruit smoothies with protein powder in them for breakfast a few years ago and really enjoyed the simplicity.  Wake up, make a smoothie, take it with me to work and sip on it throughout the morning.  Adding protein powder to my smoothie makes it more filling and allows me to just have a smoothie for breakfast and feel full until lunch time.  

My Mom got onto to Green Smoothies through my cousin Katie.  She purchased a Blend Tec and started making them part of her daily routine.  Safe to say they have changed her life and improved her energy levels! Slowly but surely I got more inventive with my morning smoothie and started adding more greens and viola the green smoothie was born into our house.  I couldn't image my life without this green stuff! I love working out and then coming home and having my smoothie - its delicious, satisfying, healthy and makes me feel so amazing! Having 5+ servings of fruit and veggies before lunch is an amazing way to kick start your day.

We don't stick to a recipe we use what we have - these are our typical smoothie items

Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder

Chia Seeds

Frozen Fruit (I prefer mango or pineapple)

Banana

Spinach

Kale

Fresh Ginger 

Lemon (1/4 of lemon for a blender full)

We sometimes will add pear, apple, cucumber, avocado or celery - just depends on what we have and feel like! Oh and cinnamon is a delicious addition as well.

Do you like smoothies?

Danielle

Whoops where has the time gone?!

Hello there!
I have gotten out of doing my regular posts since our kitchen renos - whoops! Also Kevin and I were away for a 3 night x-country ski getaway to Maplelag Resort in Callaway, Minnesota to ring in his 30th Birthday last week! 

Here are a few pics from the past week…

This Carrot Ginger Soup from my Joyous Health Cookbook was phenomenal and so easy!

Maplelag Resort! An amazing x-country ski getaway! They take care of all the meals and dishes you just have to show up! Days went like this….Wake up, Eat breakfast, Ski, Eat lunch, Ski, Afternoon relaxation including drinks and cards, Dinner, Drinks and relax in steam room and sauna, go to bed and repeat! Also we almost completed an 1000 piece puzzle while we were there. It was great to getaway for a few nights and relax! 

Kevin at the top of his favorite hill at the end of the Twin Lakes Trail

Bottomless cookie jars = trouble! 

We slept in a caboose!

My handsome hubby!

Beautiful winter decorations in the lodge

Entrance to the lodge

Fun on the trails!

I will hopefully be back to my regular posting this week. Have a great weekend!

Bye for now

Danielle

Week Recap & 11 Days without a sink

Oh hello there! Well what is my excuse for not posting since last Tuesday?

1) The Olympics distracted me
2) We have been installing our kitchen counter tops and I haven't had a sink for 11 days so I haven't been making any exciting food to share with you!

Most of the week consisted of counter top cutting, fitting, sanding, staining etc. Here is a little insight into how my kitchen looked this past week. I don't mind temporary chaos is our house because it means stuff is getting done! Everything from kitchen counter tops was on the dining room table.

Kevin doing dishes in our bathroom sink! Thank goodness we have a dishwasher as well!

Managed to soak up some sun with a x-country ski on the only warm day last week (+6)

All dinners last week were consumed on the couch, in front of the TV, while watching the Olympics!
I love the Olympics and cheering on all the athletes.  Sad it is over!

Waiting in line at Festival de Voyageur! Waited 3 hours in the freezing cold and still didn't get in to see Royal Canoe - oh well! We had fun times with friends.

Finished counter tops, new sink and faucet! 100% worth the wait.  My husband is one
hard working and talented man!

Danielle

This weeks food highlights - Week 7 & Lovers Day!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Currently our kitchen is ripped apart as we are installing new counter tops, sink and faucet.  I will hopefully have a kitchen sink again by tomorrow or Thursday! Safe to say I won't be making anything to exciting for food in the next few days as I am trying to minimize dishes. For now it is washing dishes in the bathroom sink (and the dishwasher!)  I am okay with living through this chaos in order to get things done around the house. I will post some kitchen progress pictures soon.

Here are the food highlights from this past week:

Top Left: Steak & Veggie Panini's with Tomato, Mozzarella Basil Salad Top Right: Moroccan Chicken & Chickpea Bowl with Goat Cheese (I adapted this recipe a bit…I used Quinoa instead of couscous and omitted the pistachios & dates Bottom Left: Almond Butter Cocoa Truffles (a very yummy snack to satisfy your sweet tooth :) Bottom Right: Veggie Burrito Bowl

3 Years ago on February 13th Kevin proposed to me in our living room! We have made it a tradition to celebrate what I like to call 'Lovers Day' every year on this day! Of course we try to celebrate our love everyday but it is fun to make a fancier dinner, drink a nice bottle of wine oh and dress up :) We took a couple pics to commemorate the occasion! 

February 13, 2014

February 13, 2014

February 13, 2011 (Picture taken in the same spot - our house has changed just a little bit…:) )

We enjoyed a delicious bottle of wine that I purchased while wine touring in Napa Valley, CA with my Mom and sister in November 

Steak with sautéed onions, garlic & mushrooms & Caesar Salad with homemade dressing and garlic croutons

Lovers Day Dessert - Full post to come on this soon

Danielle

5 Ingredient Healthy Granola Bars

Dates
Oats
Nut Butter
Honey or Maple Syrup or Agave
Almonds

5 ingredients, super simple, quick, healthy, delicious.

Perfect snack to store in your fridge or freezer and grab as your rush out the door!

Healthy 5 Ingredient Granola Bars - Recipe ℅ Minimalist Baker

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)*
• 1/4 cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
• 1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
• optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw – I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn’t necessary.

NOTES

*If your dates don’t feel sticky and moist, soak them in water for 10 minutes then drain before processing. This will ultimately help hold the bars together better.

Danielle