Weekend Link Love

+ chic American flag sandals for the 4th

+ my kind of dessert

+ darling, dollface umbrella


+ perfecting the perfect stack: I want this cookbook

+ want to try this highlighting product

+ Zoolander needs this shirt!

+ back when I can drink again, I'm trying this


+ got the grill fever? A BBQ in a box at your service

+ croissant + donut = cronut...YUM!

+ cute striped dress for summer

+ stocking up on my newborn survival tips

+ superman socks...hilarious!


image/weheartit

Salad Savvy

Yesterday I made "Frankies-Esque Beet Salad" from Gwenyth Paltrow's, It's All Good cookbook for lunch.  Apparently this recipe earned its name because it's based on one of her favorite beet salads, served at a NYC restaurant, Frankie's in the West Village.  This recipe has few ingredients, making for easy prep, in addition to being refreshing and delicious.  The avocado adds a creamy element that with the dressing really compliments the beets. 

Frankies-Esque Beet Salad
Serves 4.  Vegan.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white white vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound steamed or roasted beets, peeled and roughly diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
3 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced.

Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, and olive oil in a large bowl and season to taste ith salt and pepper.  Add the beets to the dressing and gently stir to combine.  Transfer the beets to a serving platter and scatter the avocado and scallions over the top.

image/myphotos

June 27th

June 27th is a special day for us.  It is the day we met. 5 years ago today.  
It started off like any ordinary day. Being on summer vacation, I ran my errands as per usual, sat in bumper to bumper Capitol Hill traffic, and finagled my way into a minor fender bender on my way home.  Traffic accidents are not my norm, and my blunder definitely clouded my mood for the day (and almost kept me from going out to a celebrate a friend's birthday), but luckily I changed my mind and ended up venturing out in spite of my traffic faux pas.  And I can't even imagine how life would be had I not gone out.  That dive bar birthday turned into one memorable evening - because I met you.  Who knew that this was the night I'd meet my future husband.  

This June 27th is extra special this year because it also marks the 2-month countdown until our baby's due date.  What a journey these past 5 years just the two of us, and now we're bringing a new life into our little world, which will be a new adventure to take on together.  It has been the best 5 years, living, laughing, and loving you.  I can't wait for many, many more to come.
I love you to the moon.



Good Things

1. Finishing my pro cert (for all you non-teachers out there, you have to get re-certified every couple of years to be a teacher...it's this long, arduous process with a 3 Entry portfolio, yadda yadda, anyway it's submitted.  woohoo!)

2. Seeing the warm glow of pink light illuminate our baby's room.  I just bought this pretty pink lampshade for our touch lamp this weekend, now resting on the baby's dresser/changing table.  It casts a glow of soft warm light across the room, it makes me smile as I can just imagine her little body wriggling on the changing pad underneath.

3. Croissants on the weekend (and weekdays if especially desired now that school's out).  One of my favorite weekend rituals at our cozy little neighborhood bakery.

4. My sweet cat Jenga cuddling up on my husband's lap last night - the first time she's remotely acted like her old self in weeks.  Hoping and praying this most recent blast of antibiotics and immunosuppressants works this time around.

5. Being able to hear our baby's heartbeat more often (since Week 29, we now we go every 2 weeks instead of every month). The whoosh, whoosh, whoosh just never gets old.

6. These banana crumb muffins I made last weekend. I wholeheartedly meant to do a blog post about them, but literally ate almost all of them before I could snap a photo...for real.

7. Looking ahead to next weekend, for fun in the sun in Sonoma with my girlfriends for my bestie's bachelorette party.  As the pregnant matron of honor, I'm volunteering my services as "designated driver" solely for the bachelorette's benefit :)

8. Lucking out finding Rainier cherries for the meager price of $2.99 a pound at my local Asian market!!  This may seem pricy to some, but considering these sweet gems are usually priced upwards of $6 a pound, I thought this was quite the steal!

9. Finding myself inspired by Jora and contemplating hosting a "pantry party" like this to encourage post-baby visiting with friends.

10. A new ritual of reading to our baby in bed. We started this last night, my husband picked out two books we received as gifts and we took turns reading aloud to her.  Last night's reads: My First Book of Sushi and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  After the caterpillar gorges himself on junk and then feels relief after eating a leaf, my husband quipped, "Moral of the story is eat organic," a comment that made me laugh out loud, perfect for a guy who thinks North-westerners take their organic foods a little too seriously.  But yes, I'd say that moral is true.  

image/mrsbliss

Dinner Last Night: Summer Squash & White Bean Sauté

Last night, I made this summer squash and white bean sauté, thanks for the recipe recommendation Carly!  This sauté was quite flavorful and best of all - super easy to make!  The mix of veggies makes for a vibrant pop of summer color, and the lace of parmesan really ties all the flavors together.  I also added roasted red potatoes to add to the mix, and served over quinoa (but any grain would do).  I'll definitely make this again!

image/myphotos


Quote of the Week

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” 
~ Simone Weil

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Cookbook Crush

It's All Good finally came up on my queue at the library, and let me tell you, this is a good cookbook!  Even in this day and age where recipes are perpetually available via the internet, there's just something about reading a recipe out of a cookbook that I prefer.  Call me old fashioned, I guess.

Gwyneth's cookbook focuses on returning to whole foods, eliminating processed foods, and creating a diet that is clean, healthy, and packed with proteins and leafy greens.  Basically, every page looks utterly healthy yet simultaneously delicious!  

While I enjoy homecooking, and enjoy trying out new recipes, but unless I have a specific recipe to follow point by point, I don't have a lot of memorized staples in my repertoire.  Particularly in regards to vegetables, which I typically prefer anyway as an entree to chicken or beef.  That's where I think this cookbook prevails; with recipes that seem easy enough to make, eventually memorize, and master without the need of skimming a cookbook page at every turn.  

A few recipes I've got my eye on...
+ grilled asparagus + portobellos with shallots + soy dressing
+ broccoli rabe with garlic + red chili
+ simple beet salad
+ carrots with black sesame + ginger
+ charred corn with chimichurri
+ roasted cauliflower + chickpeas with mustard + parsley

image/amazon