lent spring rolls

We are always looking for new recipe ideas. I thought spring rolls would be a great way to eat our veggies and some shrimp at the same time!

1/2lb small shrimp

1T evoo

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

1 carrot, grated

1c purple rice, cooked & refrigerated

1 tomato, diced

12 rice spring roll papers

 

Cook shrimp in evoo and garlic. Set aside. Cut veggies.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. One at a time, place rice paper in bowl to soften for 10 seconds. Place on a clean dry surface, fill with 1/12th of shrimp, veggies, and rice. Roll and set aside. Repeat for all 12 rolls. Enjoy with plum sauce, hoisin sauce, or sweet thai chili sauce!

 

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InstaFriday

Happy Friday! This week went by too quick. I think we only have 4 weeks of class left, that's crazy! Here are some highlights from my week:

1. I have been feeling very black, white, & grey lately. I am not sure why I am obsessed with this combo but I cannot get enough!

2. Kale ceasar salad with sautéed crawfish on top! This was delicious.

3. My running buddy aka B has been keeping me going lately. Never let's me miss a day and sometimes even requests I run twice in a day so he can have someone to run with!

4. My couch to 5k app along with Rock My Run remixes keep me going. I like having an app to tell me when to run or walk while listening to my fave tunes. I highly recommend both!

Have a great weekend. I do not really have any plans so hopefully I find something to keep me busy!

 

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loft

How has your week been so far? Mine has been productive. One of those productive things was a trip to LOFT. I fell in love with so many things but knew I should wait for the new releases to go on sale... well it took a whole 24 hours but the whole store is 40% off. Good things come to those who wait. Here's are some of my faves:

embellished sweatshirt - waffle sweatshirt - skinny jeans - lace dress - white jeans

I love the short sleeve sweat shirt. I feel like it would be a great addition to my closet for cool summer evenings or places with the air conditioning turned way up. The lace dress is beautiful but unfortunately the wrong color for summer weddings. Will I finally take the plunge and buy white jeans? I'll have to go try these ones on to see what I think.

 

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asparagus taqitos

Just another Mexican inspired dish that was created in my kitchen! We had these for Sunday bunch but they could be served any time of day.

6 corn tortillas

6 asparagus spears

1T evoo

dash of pepper

4 eggs

red pepper flakes

1c grated cheese

6 drops Mexican hot sauce

Preheat oven to 425. Toss asparagus in evoo and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. In a bowl, beat together eggs and red pepper flakes. Scramble eggs. Warm tortillas in microwave. Fill each tortilla with 1/6 of scrambled eggs, 1/6c grated cheese, 1 asparagus spear, & 1 drop of hot sauce. Roll tightly and place in a baking dish. Bake for 14 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly crispy. Serve warm.

 

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running

We are still running for lent!

It is going surprisingly well. I feel like I am able to run further and faster without getting tired. Last week I ran 2 miles on the treadmill one evening. This past week there has been lots of running outside since it has been so nice out. My C25K app has been doing its job telling me when to run and when to walk. I have been slowly increasing my time during my outdoor runs. Hopefully by Easter I will be able to run 5k outside! I'll be honest, running is way better than sitting on the couch. I know you are supposed to give up something for lent... so I gave up sitting on th couch. I can always find 30 minutes of my time to lace up my shoes and go for a run now that it is light until past 7pm!

How is your Lenten sacrifice going?

 

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double banana gluten free oat muffins

These muffins were delicious... but keep them in the fridge as ours went bad sooner that I had hoped!

1c almond flour

1c gluten free oats

1T Mexican cinnamon

1t baking powder

pinch of sea salt

2 eggs

1T coconut oil

2T honey

1T brown sugar

1t lemon juice

1t Mexican vanilla

1 banana (1/2 mashed, 1/2 cut into slices)

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with parchment liners. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder & sea salt. Mix well and set aside. Beat together eggs, coconut oil, honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and mashed banana. Mix together wet and dry ingredients until combined. Fill muffin liners (my recipes only made 8). Top with banana slices. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Eat immediately or refrigerate/freeze.

 

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InstaFriday

Happy Friday! Better late than never, right? After this week I am happy to have a weekend to relax. Here are some highlights from last week:

1. We went to the St. Patrick's Day parade last weeknd. It was lots of fun, so much fun I had to have a 2 hour nap in the afternoon after all the bead catching.

2. B has been trying new smoothie recipes this week. The best was chocolate pb banana!

3. I have a good friend who is moving north for school. I made her one of my scarves as a going away gift!

4. I made gluten free double banana oat muffins this week. I shall share the recipe on Monday so come back!

Have a great weekend! Hopefully mine will be filled with yoga, naps, and relaxation. Everything a weekend should be filled with.

 

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avocado torta

Is this actually called a torta or did I make that up? This was the most delicious Mexican inspired egg dish I have made in a while.

2 corn tortillas

1 avocado

1T tomatillo salsa

1 small bunch basil, cut chiffonade style

4 eggs, cooked sunny side up (or poached)

1/3c shaved manchego

 

Toast tortillas in frying pan until slightly crispy on both sides. In a small bowl, mash together avocado and salsa. Spread over tortillas. Top with chiffonade cut basil. Add 2 sunny side up eggs to each tortilla then top with shaved manchego. Enjoy immediately. Serves 2.

 

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fall in to the gap

Oops! Forgot to his publish this morning!

I have been loving The Gap lately. I do not usually shop there but I have been enjoying some of their basics online so I thought I would go in and try a few things on. Here are my three most recent purchases:

maxi dress - striped tee - denim shorts

I had to size down in all three items so either I am losing weight or they have changed their sizes. I'll go with the former. The straps on the maxi are too long but I can shorten those easily and considering I only paid $20 I thought I could get a ton of wear out of it this summer. I am also so excited to have denim shorts. I have a feeling these will be getting a ton of wear this summer! And we all know I always need more striped clothing.

Have a great evening!

 

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spicy sausage, kale & whole wheat pasta soup

We love soup. There is something about a warm bowl of soup on a chilly evening that just makes my day. We made this soup over a week ago and I forgot to share the recipe! I put in too much pasta because I was not paying attention so it was a tad thicker than I wanted but it was still delicious!

2T evoo

1 yellow onion, diced

salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

6 cloves garlic, minced

6c low sodium chicken or veggie stock

1 pound lean pork chorizo

1c whole wheat pasta

6c kale, torn into pieces with stems removed

1/4c grated manchego

 

In a large saucepan, heat evoo. Sautée onions until translucent. Add herbs and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, cook chorizo until cooked through. Set aside on a paper towel covered plate to collect any excess fat.

Add whole wheat pasta to broth. Cook 8 minutes. Stir in kale, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in cheese and sausage and serve!

 

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InstaFriday

Happy Friday once again! I had a good week, nothing too exciting but overall enjoyable. I worked, I taught, I ran, I did pilates. Here are some highlights:

1. I have been running all week for Lent. On Monday I surprised myself and ran 2 miles straight on the treadmill! I was not fast by any means but I did it. I took it one minute at a time, finished a mile and decided I could do another!

2. My taste buds have been loving new foods. I have really been into stuffed green olives and mini pickles lately. No, I am not pregnant. I had wine with my pickles.

3. My husband knows me so well. Who does not love big hair and poodles? Clearly when my hair is big I am closer to heaven.

4. My yearly birthday flowers from my parents! It's always so fun to have flowers delivered on your birthday!

Have a great weekend! We plan to go to the St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday, run (of course), and find some time to relax too!

 

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bed frame: old to new

I have wanted a new bed frame for a while. I was not happy with our old one so I wanted to invest in a new one that was better quality and would last for years. I am in the process of selling the old one and the new one from West Elm is scheduled to be delivered on Monday!

I got a great deal on the new one... it was on sale and I got another 15% off with my student discount!

 

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neutral at home

When you have a small home, decorating can be difficult. I like to keep things simple since I know we will not live here forever. I love neutral colors with interesting textures. To me neutral does not mean boring at all! I really love this hamper and may need to make it ours someday soon!

mugs - hamper - lamp - jars - art

 

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denim obsessed

Right now I am obsessed with denim. Maybe it is because I grew up in the 90s or maybe it is because it is everywhere right now. A few things I have on my current wish list include a denim jacket, shorts, and white jeans! I have never owned white jeans but maybe this is the year. Or maybe I should transition straight to white shorts since summer in Louisiana will be here sooner than I think.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

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kalesidilla

Best quesadilla ever. Seriously. We are obsessed with kale so it only makes sense to add it to everything we eat. Here are our new fave:

4 small tortillas

4c kale, stems removed

1T evoo

salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

1c grated manchego

Preheat oven to 400. Toss kale in evoo and spices. Roast in oven for 12 minutes. In a pan, crisp one side of each tortilla, flip, then add 1/4c cheese to each tortilla. Let melt. Add 1/2 of kale to 2 tortillas, cover with cheese tortilla. Slice and serve.

 

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InstaFriday

Happy Friday! I was thinking this week went by really fast but then I realized it was a 3 day week. It was a productive week so I enjoyed that too. Here are some highlights:

1. I went to a mat pilates class put on by Lululemon and Studio7. I always forget how difficult mat pilates is until I actually participate in a full class.

2. A great hair day deserved a selfie. I still love my new haircut!

3. Brrrr. Enought said.

4. It's official, all one year old girls need a pink tutu for their first birthday party. So cute!

5. I love stripes, navy and my NB runners. Why not combine all 3?

6. I really like shopping at The Container Store. Truly, I just love organization and this place has everything I could ever dream of when it comes to keeping things in their place.

7. The Tasting Room is definitely one of my fave places to get wine. I really love that I can sample everything before I make a choice.

8. Running for lent has been successful thus far. 2/40 days are complete!

Do you have any big weekend plans? I am going to mat pilates on Saturday then out to dinner as it happens to be my birthday weekend! I am not sure where we are going but it will be nice to have a night out in BTR. Have a great weekend!

 

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Houston recap

I thought I would share some highlights from our houston trip with you. I had a 6 hours pilates course so most of the weekend was spent shopping, going to our fave resturants, trying some new places, and relaxing.

Nimblefingers yarn shop

we stumbled upon Vine Wine Room

the most amazing chicken dish at Backstreet Cafe

a stop for brunch at Tiny Boxwoods, of course

wine and the Oscars at The Tasting Room

grocery shopping at Central Market

 

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honey mustard crusted chicken strips

I tried out a new recipe last night and we really enjoyed it. It was simple enough for a week day but flavorful enough to want to make it again very soon.

1/2c mustard

1/2c honey

8 drops hot sauce

2 large chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 egg

2c panko

1/8c sesame seeds

pepper

 

Preheat oven to 375. Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine honey, mustard, and hot sauce in a bowl. Set aside half then combine the other half with an egg in a shallow dish. Mix well. In another bowl, combine panko, sesame seeds, and pepper. Dip each chicken strip in egg mixture then panko mixture before placing on cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with reserved honey mustard sauce. We also served ours over green beans for our green vegetable of choice.

I really hope the days start to get longer soon, my kitchen lighting does not do this dish any justice.

 

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fat tuesday

Happy Tuesday! In Louisiana it is a state holiday so we get a day off from teaching/ work! Though we do not plan to take in any Mardi Gras festivities, we have a busy day planned. I am booked in to take a fitness class at Tread BR, need to get some groceries, and have some errands to run. Speaking of running... what are you giving up for lent? Instead of giving up something this year we decided we are going to add something that we know if good for us: run!

We decided that for the next 40 days we are going to run everyday. It does not always need to be a long run but I will run everyday. I can run outside, inside on the treadmill, or at a fitness class.

Do you plan to give up something or take up something new for lent?

 

 

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