Must Try for July: Rosemary Gin Fizz

Happy July 1st! Otherwise commonly known 'round these parts as my birthday month. Since I'm not quite 30 just yet, I'm still claiming the right to have a birthday month, and not just week (or, heaven forbid, a mere day). Too bad I have nothing planned just yet.. pout.

But anyway, seeing as it's the beginning of July, it is also the official start of the 30 Day Blog Challenge - which I think calls for a cocktail. Don't you agree?!

See, my fantastic husband decided that he really loves gardening - a hobby that I 100% support. He started with a small indoor garden at our old place two years ago (which, honestly, with the grow lights,  made it look like we had a certain operation going on inside the house) (which we didn't, just to be clear). Once we moved to our current duplex - one with a beautiful yard that we know we will be at for at least a few years - he decided to build a more permanent garden outside.

Needless to say, it has grown immensely in the past couple of months. I'm actually kind of impressed at his green thumb.. Lord knows I certainly don't posses this trait.

There's zucchini, cucumbers (for pickling!), tomatoes, corn, lettuce, broccoli, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, and.. a whole lotta of rosemary.

We've been using it here and there, but tend to veer more towards our fresh basil as herb of choice for most dishes. After contemplating our rosemary-related options with a few friends, we came up with the (genius) idea to use it as an accent to a delicious summery cocktail, a la an infused simple syrup. Hence, the Rosemary Gin Fizz was born.

If you like gin.. and you like rosemary.. this is a must try for July!

What other herbs do you think would make good cocktail mixers??

Start Before You're Ready

Well, hey there. I'm back!! After another long hiatus. But I have a good reason (or twenty of them).. I swear!! But for starters, my lovely friend Sara of Fit For A Bride blog mentioned a 30 Day Blog Challenge that her and few other ladies are taking part in over the month of July, which sounds like just the kick I need to get my butt back in action.

To be honest, a lot of pretty great things have happened over the past few months, the biggest of which being that I left my old job and started my own massage & health coaching business.

*Gulp*

So.. was I ready for it? Not entirely. Did I need to do this, for my sanity and my career goals? Definitely. Was I terrified? Abso-freaking-lutely. Has it been worth it? Heck, yea!

All I knew was that I wasn't happy in my old job - where while I was an independent contractor, I was treated much more along the lines of an employee. I had a lot of responsibilities that I loved in one way, but hated in another - I learned that environment and managers can have a lot to do with workplace happiness (or lack there of). I had put three years of time and wonky hours into this place, and I finally felt that I had enough of a base to branch out and start my own thing. The way I saw it, if I have a career where I can make my own hours and be okay doing my own thing - which not everyone has the luxury of - why wouldn't I do that?

So I did. I didn't know exactly how, or even where to start. But let me tell you, Pinterest is amazing when it comes to inspirational words and mantras. (No, really!) I kid you not, this little saying below really struck a chord with me when I saw it.

If I just waited around until I was ready.. it never would have happened. So here I am, operating my own massage therapy & health coaching business, while simultaneously pretty much running and expanding the winery I mentioned a while back. I have the steady paycheck + the ability to work on my own thing on the side.. and it's pretty great.

But yea.. I'd say that's kept me (obnoxiously) busy over the past few months. Forgive my absence? =D

On the flip side, I have so many great ideas and different things that I can't wait to talk/blog about over the next month.. and beyond! And only some of them involve wine.  (Okay, maybe like, half.) (But you can't blame me, it's delicious.)

weekend recap + BB brownies

I don't do a lot of weekend recaps.. mostly because my weekends have been a bit boring and work-filled lately.. but this past one was definitely deserves a few words! Well, Friday at least.

I started off the day with a hot power yoga class - which is always my favorite way to start a Friday morning. My fave local studio features $5 Friday's, so when I can squeeze in a cheap class and grab a few more Goûter tonics? It's a good day.

The next stop of the day was to see our tattoo guy, Chris, at Low Tide Tattoos for my newest ink - a cat paw. Something I haven't talked much about here just yet is about the passing of my sweet kitty, Tully, back in December. The reader's digest version is that he developed lymphoma last year, and it was just a matter of time before it took over his body. We had to put him to sleep just after Thanksgiving, and god help me, it was one of the hardest things I've had to do. I still think about him everyday.

When he started getting sicker, I decided that I wanted to eventually "commemorate" him with a tattoo of his paw print. The interesting part was actually getting the print, but after several tries (and lots of wet food as incentive), I was able to get a few decent ones. It took me a few months to actually schedule an appointment, but I was feeling especially inspired last week and set something up for midday Friday.

I sent Chris two of the best paw prints - and seeing as he's also done five out of my seven tattoos - I trusted him completely with it. And guys? It's beautiful.

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!!