When real life happens to you, you become that person you said you never would.

The girl with the over-sized canvas bag with coffee stains all over it because you never seem to remember to throw it in the laundry and besides, the bag is busy holding all your crap, it doesn’t have time for the spin cycle.

Continue reading: Roasted Sweet Potato Pesto Salad

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There is a maaaaajor pip in my step today and it’s because I’m guest posting over at Natural Sweet Recipes! Have you sauntered through their site before? Feasted your eyes on their creative and delicious recipes that are all naturally sweetened?

Continue reading: Easy Vegan Chocolate Truffles (guest post!)

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I often ask the manacle (get it? Bah-de-haaa!) what he thinks and feels about specific recipes I make. What a loaded question, right? I typically ask this question when I’ve had too much wine and am having difficulty scrounging around for words to spitter spackle together a blog post.

And this is no exception.

Continue reading: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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Caution: do not consume lamb burgers with mint pesto while operating a vehicle, lest you forget where you are and accidentally listen to Nickelback on the radio for a full two minutes before realizing those are two minutes of your life that you will never get back. Waaaait, who eats a lamb burger with mint pesto while driving, anyway? Get. real.

The point is, this hussy of a lamb burger is a true attention stealer. It will make you weak in the knees…bring your belly butterflies…make your skin all tingly. In a new relationship way, not a stomach flu way. Warning: consumption of this burger will likely result in feelings of jubilation whilst the taste of butter melts in your mouth and illicits pleasaaaaaaa.

Continue reading: Lamb Burgers with Mint Pesto

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There’s a complicated reason why avoiding frozen yogurt shops is a priority of mine. Hear me. Proper utilization of empty space is a thing for me. Empty or un-used rooms must have a purpose. What about a guest room, you ask? Malarkey! It must double as an office, yoga room, glass blowing studio….Must. Fill. Space. Efficiently.

Writing large enough in a birthday card to fill up the whole blank part is required and gives the appearance of caring. Even if filling up the card means writing as large as a second grader.  The page where the Hallmark writing is also needs a stick figure caricature of the things that define our (our meaning you and me, you being the person receiving the card) relationship. This is optional but is good practice.

Empty bowl? Must fill er up. No matter how large the dern thing is. This is exactly why going out to frozen yogurt is the worst idea on the planet for me. Have you seen the fro yo bowls? They can fit a pound and a half of yogurt, I’d know.  This is why I avoid fancy fro yo shops in spite of their delicious splendor.

Continue reading: Vanilla Bean & Honey Frozen Yogurt (+ a giveaway!)

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Hey Mom,

Happy Mother’s Day! I wish I was enjoying the day with you in person, but since I’m not, I figured I’d write you a letter broadcasting how much I la-de-dove you.  Right now, you’re in the mountains hiking around, enjoying nature with Carlo and having a relaxing day. You’re far from the intranet, and that’s awesome, so you’ll get to read this when you’re home and all tuckered out.

Mother. You’ve given everything you have to your family.

Every morning in high school, you made me my favorite smoothie and toast with the perfect amount of butter (about half a stick). You made me turkey pitas for lunch and even though those got reeeeeal old after a while, you made sure I always had healthy food to fuel my developing brain. You drove me to school at 6:30am to get tutored by my physics teacher. You raised a family while owning a business. You. are. a. powerhouse!

Continue reading: Banana Walnut Muffins for My Mom on Mother’s Day

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Cheap bottles of wine and box mix brownies got me through most of college. All-night battleship laptop sessions with business school buddies typing up 25-page papers about the Fed’s involvement in the Great Depression? Snooze. Brownies. Upset that the latest squeeze didn’t text back at 2:30am? Mmmmmbrownies. Busy going from class to class and forgot to eat all day? Broooownies.

Continue reading: Blackberry Brownies

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The man cake and I do this thing. It’s a waiting game and it involves avoidance behavior with a hint of laziness and a competitive edge. This is how it works: we each procrastinate completing tasks that need to be done to see if we can hold out just long enough so that the other person does it. This is really romantic.

Continue reading: Southwest Kale Salad with Cumin Ginger Sage Dressing

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Yes, it is 85 degrees in Cal town. Yes, winter has been over since it began. Yes, I sweated buuuuullets while eating this soup and melted on the ground afterwards and muttered incoherently, “I’m soooo hoooooot” over and over while the boyfriend rolled his eyes. Yes, I’m jealous of how impeccable Adam Levine’s posture is. Wha Whaaaat? As I slouch on my couch tip typing away while watching The Voice, I wish I had another pot of this kale and artichoke soup to enjoy as a bloggy snack.

Continue reading: Kale & Artichoke Soup

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Saddle up your sitting spot with your cozy hand-knit afghan and mug of coffee cause this one’s gonna be a long’un!  Being as May 1 marked 3 months until my cookbook is due, I figured you all could use a little update. And being as I’ve discovered an insane-o delicioso superfood smoothie that rivals all superfood smoothies (I have my ego cap on today…just let it ride), I figured you all could use that as well. WhaBAM!

Continue reading: Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie + A Cookbook Update!

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