Things I'm Loving

As far as the work week goes, Sunday is actually my Monday. Yet for some reason, Monday's are still so.. Monday-ish. I think it's just one of those things that's unavoidable, especially since the creation of the fabulosity that is Office Space. A case of the Monday's, indeed.

On another note, I'm sure we're all familiar with the Five Things for Friday and What I'm Loving Wednesday posts that are popular among the blogosphere.. and I firmly believe they are trendy for a reason. I personally love reading these posts, and often discover a few new things that I now love as a result. So why not start the week off with a bang, and do a Things I'm Loving post on a Monday?

Here goes:

- the Nature line from red flower

First off, red flower is a skincare line that I hadn't even heard of until late last year, when the wellness studio I work at started carrying their products. As the main office admin and senior massage therapist, I had a big part in bringing this line on and getting to know the products - one of which was a sampler kit for their Nature line. And ZOMG I fell in love.

This line is not only good for both body and face, but it's almost entirely organic and is made up of just generally "good for you" stuff like white peat and omega-3 berry oil. Sounds fun right? It totally is. (It's also not the cheapest stuff in the world, but hey.. staff discount!)

I especially love it because it has made my face so much more even and glowy.. and doesn't cause my super sensitive skin to break out. I've finally been able to ditch the Clinique Acne Solutions - which was more a preventative measure than anything else - and go to this much gentler, much more hydrating, and WAY more natural line.. and I'm now obsessed!

- monday night yoga class

I'll be completely honest: I don't always have the motivation to go to a 7:15pm class after a 9+ hour workday, but I always, always, always feel better after I go. Plus, my favorite teacher instructs this class - she's a former gymnast and also went to the same nutrition school that I did, just a few years earlier. I think of her as a great mentor, and I just love the classes she gives. Definitely perks up my Monday's!

P.S. I also super love my new lululemon yoga mat! Splurge? Yes. Worth is? Yes!

- warm days to (sort of) distract from this heinous winter

Weather around the country has been nuts this winter.. unless you're one of those lucky folk who live in LA. In which case, I'm incredibly jealous of you and we are not friends anymore.

But for anyone else, it's been cray. For example, here in the DC area, we had a decent snow storm a bit over a week ago that had schools and the government shutting down before a flake even hit the ground. To be fair, we did end up getting around 16 inches, which is the equivalent of Armageddon around here. Except half of it melted the next day, seeing as the temperature shot up to a balmy 55 degrees and I didn't even need a coat.

We also had a burst of warm air this weekend - I think it got as high as 62 yesterday - which was perfect for working at the farm. Even though it's going to be something dumb like 15 degrees in a few days, it's these little warm glimpses that give me hope that spring might possibly sort of be close by!

Tell me, what are you loving lately?

good start: blueberry kale smoothie

Green smoothies are all the rage right now, as I'm sure you well know. And why shouldn't they be? Depending on what you throw in there, green smoothies are:

1. packed with healthy nutrients, vitamins, and minerals
2. an easy and yummy way to up your daily dose of fruits & veggies (which can help prevent cancer and other diseases!)
3. great for a natural energy boost
4. I could go on and on.. or you could hop over here to read a bit more!

Those all sound like pretty good reasons to try one today, right?

Right!

Which is exactly what I did this morning. I have a full day of wine-pouring to do over at the farm today, and what better way to get an energetic, healthy start than with a yummy blueberry kale smoothie?

First up: the ingredients.

I have to admit that I'm a huge almond milk lover. Next on my list is making my own (to avoid all the extra and unnecessary add-ins you find in most popular brands), but for now, Almond Breeze works. I like to cut the amount of milk I use with a bit of water, as well.

One of my personal "secret" ingredients, as you may notice up there on the left, is pumpkin. I often use this in place of yogurt or tofu in smoothie recipes - it adds a great substance and creamy texture, doesn't have that "pumpkin" flavor you think of (that's mostly in the spices you add, actually!), and is incredibly good for you. Another yummy, and more green option, would be avocado!

But enough chit-chat. Let's get our green on!

blueberry kale green* smoothie

*green tends to become a bit bluish in nature when you blend kale and blueberries!

1 banana (I use half frozen, half regular)

1/4c frozen mango chunks

1/3c frozen blueberries

1 large kale leaf, chopped

1/4c pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp ground flax

1/2 Tbsp natural almond butter (or any other nut butter!)

water + almond milk as needed - less for a thicker smoothie, more for more liquify

Add all ingredients into blender*, mix well, and enjoy!

*I tend to use either my Magic Bullet or Oster MyBlend - I'm hoping to get a NutriBullet for my birthday this year!!

Do you have a favorite green smoothie recipe? Do share!

Wine.

A while back, I was rambling about new opportunities coming my way - and to be a bit more specific, I was talking about a potential position at a local winery. Back then, I wasn't quite sure if or how any of it would work out, but here I am, months later, excited to tell y'all that it clearly did.

(I've been to Texas, so I'm allowed to say y'all now. Right..?)

Anyway, I'm happy as a peach to say that I've expanded my resume a bit and am currently an official team member of Great Shoals Winery. It may seem a little odd.. a massage therapist and health coach who moonlights at a winery.. but guys? If you haven't guessed.. I love wine. Like, love-love. And I whole-heartedly believe that I can be all health-guru-ish, but still enjoy some libations when my little heart desires.

Now WHO wants a backstory?!

Quinoa Buffalo Chicken Bites

One of the things that gets me super amped is when I'm able to whip something up from the ingredients we have laying around the house. Usually when I feel inspired or find a recipe on Pinterest that I just have to make, I'm missing half the ingredients.

Like the other day, I thought "I should make falafel for dinner - we have tomatoes and lettuce already!" But what we didn't have included chickpeas, onion, tzatziki, olives, cucumbers... basically, all the things you need for a decent Greek-inspired falafel dinner. Resulting in a trip to the store. Which is fine, except when that store is always Whole Foods and I'm always spending more than I should, and I end up doing this three times a week.

So when I got in the mood to make something with quinoa the other day, I was excited that I actually had quinoa. And I worked a bit backwards from there, (which is probably normal for most), by finding recipes I had already pinned, that I actually had all the ingredients for. Which led me to my new most-favorite recipe of the moment: Quinoa Buffalo Chicken Bites!

One bite of these scrumptious little balls of spicy heaven and I knew they would be the perfect sort-of-lighter dish to bring to our friends Super Bowl party. Except I got completely distracted by my mom being in town and totally forgot to make them. Oops.

However! To be fair, Scot and I were both incredibly busy making chili for our local farm & winery's Chili Day. I stuck with my theme-of-the-week and made Quinoa Sweet Potato Chili, while Scot made his 12-hour smoked brisket chili.

I won't lie, I'm pretty sure Scot's ended up being the bigger hit. (Apparently people want meat in their chili. Whatever.) But at least the people had options!

And so, my lovely friends were never able to taste my yum-tastic quinoa buffalo bites, but that's ok. I made another batch just for Scot & I the next day.. and we didn't have to share!

Quinoa Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 cup shredded chicken

- hot sauce of choosing (I use Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce)

- 1 cup cooked quinoa

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup panko (I used gluten-free)

- 2 Tbsp flour (Used gluten-free, again!)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350F & lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. For scrumptious shredded chicken: marinate & simmer chicken and hot sauce in a covered sauce pot over low to medium heat on stove. The chicken should be mostly covered by the hot sauce sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. Shred chicken either in the pot, or place on cutting board to shred, then return to pot.

*I typically end up using 2 forks to shred - you want to make sure you don't over cook the chicken, or else it won't shred quite so easily! I like to keep it in the sauce, since that is really my only spice/flavoring for the dish.

3. While chicken is cooking, cook quinoa according to directions. (Typically, 1c water/broth to 1/2c quoina. Cover, boil, reduce heat, and let simmer until quinoa is soft and sprouted.)

4. Once chicken & quinoa are cooked - combine 1c chicken with 1c quinoa. Add egg, panko, and flour. Mix well.

5. Scoop 1-2" balls onto baking sheet - you should have about 12.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crispy and brown on the outside.

7. Add celery and blue cheese (or sauce of your choosing) and ENJOY!!