Fighting Boredom with Healthy Food + Creative Living
Vegetable platters are beautiful, healthy and easy to prepare. However, it isn’t the tasty, creamy dip full of fat and calories that is feared at social gatherings. Nope, I’m talking about something much more insidious – the flu, or worse!
I have several friends who subscribe to dinner kit delivery services that offer pre-measured ingredients with recipe instruction. The meals are relatively easy to prepare. Often some of the time consuming items are already premade, such as dough and ramen noodles. However, chefs-to-be still need…
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I recently received some samples of avocado oil and decided it was time to play with it in the kitchen. Avocados are typically pricey, so as a cooking oil, my concern is always health first, but secondly – can I afford it? (more…)
I love Valentine’s Day! It’s not only a day to celebrate my cherished relationship with my husband, but it’s also a ‘month’ whereby I celebrate my great friends. Here’s a super easy dinner to prepare for friends to say ‘thank you’, and best of all…
I love the thought of using natural based beauty products that are also cruetly-free, but do they work? I’ve taken the following products for a spin to see if they really work. I’ve also broken down beauty ingredient basics as to which ingredients to look…
I’m all about resolutions and self-improvement, but when January rolls around, life starts to feel like a chore. This year, I’ve taken the whole resolution thing off my plate, but have added natural products and easy ideas to help improve my life, but without major effort. These are easy fixes from beauty to time savers. (more…)
This savory caramelized onion tart is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, perfect for potlucks and parties. It’s made with a simple flour crust (or use your favorite store-bought gluten-free crust) filled with sweet and caramelized onions. Feel free to add feta cheese for an extra flavor boost,…
The holidays are all about spending time with friends and family and enjoying special treats. One of my most favorite holiday traditions is having a Cookie Exchange Party.
Square Peg Winery – Dry Farmed Pinot Noir from the Russian Valley. Need I say more? This family owned winery is located up in the Russian River area and produces lovely pinot noirs from bright with berries, to earthy and deep. The owner’s wife is also an artist, so when you go to visit, you may enjoy quality wines and be surrounded by gorgeous art! Definitely on my list of stops next time I’m up in the Russian River Valley.
San Luis Obispo had a big showing this year with a large educational tent including foods, wines and spirits from the area. As a Cal Poly SLO Alum, I was so proud to see so many quality offerings come out of this area.
Tablas Creek / Paso Robles – French style whites and rhone blends. The Tablas Espirt Blanc was refreshing, creamy yet light and was a perfect fit for a warm event day.
ReFind / Paso Robles – Brandy from grapes? Yes, please. Re:Find Distillery has the luxury of starting with a premium base fruit, ripe red-wine grapes, which affords us the ability to craft superior spirits.
If you’re planning a trip to the Central Coast, make sure to stop off in Paso Robles to this amazing little distillery located in the stunning Adelaida region.
Harmony Lavender Farm – Not only was great food and wine represented for the San Luis Obispo area, but samples of dried lavender were offered up.
This wonderful lavender farm had a self-fill sachel display showcasing the fragrant lavender flowers that come from the San Luis Obispo area. This farm offers tours and other fun activities throughout the year. Make sure to stop here (great for kids as well) on a trip up through the Central Coast.
Finally, Preston + Parker wines from San Diego (but using Paso Robles area grapes) is one of our local favorites. They just launched ‘Dreamer” a new lovely white wine blend that is perfect for a crispy fall day and paired well with the rich restaurant offerings.
Sarah, one of the owners, also does a fabulous wine pour pose!
Korean BBQ Jackfruit from FireFly at Dana Point
Jackfruit is so in and all I can say is ‘finally!’ This fruit can shapeshift into any meaty lookalike and it’s awesome. Firefly did a great job with their Korean Bulgogi interpretation.
Hamachi bites from Marina Kitchen on a seaweed cracker. Fresh and delicious. Great appetizer bite!
Il Fornaio presented seared tuna on hearty artisan bread with a light Italian olive mixture. The tuna was perfectly cooked and was a delicious and satisfying bite, especially with all of the drink sampling for the day! I could have eaten these all day. Il Fornaio of Coronado never disappoints!
Magic Bullet – Hangover Helper. Geez, where was this BEFORE the start of the event? I was assured it wasn’t too late and I quickly downed a shot glass of this.
Magic Bullet is a tasty, nutritional, healthy beverage that is designed to support and accelerate your body’s own process of eliminating alcohol toxins, helping ensure you are fresh the next morning. Here’s the kicker, you can actually mix it WITH Vodka. Oh, my.
Chosen Foods Avocado Mayonaise – Love mayonaise but hate the bad fats that go with this? This new avocado mayo is a great alternative and creative combo flavors as well!
Chosen Foods avocado oil mayo is made with our pure avocado oil instead of genetically modified, industrial seed oils like soy, corn & canola. They offer great varieties such as Black Garlic and Harrissa.
Another great year in America’s FInest City! Can’t wait to see what 2017 has in order for us all.
Gratuitous Puppy picture from the event. Because, puppy.
This morning I was looking through my emails and saw that many retailers are already having Black Friday sales. What? It’s only November 2nd! With that sentiment however, I was reminded that the Holiday season is almost upon us. With sales and shopping and cooking,…
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and feasting. But hosting this holiday can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to help you navigate the planning, cooking, and entertaining, ensuring a stress-free and enjoyable Thanksgiving:
Make sure your pumpkin surface is clean and dry. Arrange your moss on top of the pumpkin before gluing, so you can have a game plan. After you are satisfied with your moss selection, start hot gluing down little patches.
When the moss base is secure, take little clippings of succulents and start poking them into the moss pad. Use a little hot glue on the side of a succulent clipping to secure if needed.
Arrange the succulents like you would a flower arrangement. Taller succulents often look best in the middle while lanky vine types look better off the sides.
That’s it! Make sure to pour a nice glass of wine while working with your friends! This is a creative, fun project that is relaxing and creative.
Look at what my neighbor did with this cute basket!
Mist succulents with a spray bottle every other day. Make sure the pumpkin doesn’t sit in standing water, or it will start to rot.
Once the pumpkin starts to soften on the bottom, remove the succulents from the top of your pumpkin and replant into your garden or pots. They will replant themselves!
