sweet&salty

There's something so satisfying about a contrasting experience.

Sweet & salty.

Heat blasting, car windows down.

Or in the case of this weekend: Las Vegas to Colorado.

After three days of total stimulation during my first trip to Vegas, capping it off with a long weekend in Denver and letting the fresh air, big sky and mountain views wash over me was the perfect sweet&salty way to travel.

Of course, the sweetest of all of it was having Court and Ash alongside me. It was such a great way to kick start the holiday season. We  spent lots of time outside, with walks and trips to the park, made great food, got the very rare Biber-sister manicure (nail care doesn't come easy to this group), indulged in Starbucks holiday drinks, expolored Ash's new town, Littleton, and all-in-all, just had an amazing time together.

 

Thank you, Ash and Jose, for being amazing hosts! I cannot wait to visit again soon!

ah ha, bluebird.

So I didn't just binge organize last weekend. I also crossed #9 off my bucket list: breakfast at Ria's Bluebird.

I've heard mixed reviews about the place when it comes to the experience altogether - slow service, attitude from the waiters - but the one thing I've never heard people waiver on is the quality of the food. And the people are right; the food was phenomenal.

I went with three friends, Christina, Taylor and Phi, and it's safe to say we were all wildly satisfied. I had eggs benedict with a squash cake and it was amazing. Also, our waitress was really sweet, so no complaints there either :)

Now just a few bajillion bucket list itmes to go. Let's do this ATL...

Happy Friday!

image via my instagram

unveganed // veganed

Remember in July when I confessed I'd been living vegan? Well, here we are again.

 

Only this time it's the opposite: I'm unvegan. I called it off a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't quite getting me where I'd hoped and I also just couldn't get my protein fix. You can only eat so many almonds, nahmean?

 

Also, my body just wants eggs like every day. Meat and cheese were actually easier to steer clear of than I expected. But eggs. Man oh man. A tofu scramble isn't scrambled eggs and there's no two ways about it.

 

I did, however, learn a lot of positive things from the adventure. I used to always need meat for a meal to feel complete, but now I can be satisfied with beans as my base. I have also fallen madly in love with vegan pancakes and like them even more than regular pancakes.

 

So, if you're looking to dabble in a little veganism, enjoy:

 

Mix:

1 cup almond milk

2 t. apple cider vinegar

4 T ground flax

1.5 cup flour or oats

3.5 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 T honey

.5 cup water

3 T canola oil

.5 t vanilla

 

I tried subbing pumpkin for the oil a few times and actually preferred them that way. However, it makes them a lot more dense and less pancakey.

 

 

Also, I'm a chef's worst nightmare, because I don't follow recipes at all. Those are the recommended measurements, but I was pretty liberal with the oats. The only thing you really need to follow are the vinegar and salt ratios, because those give it the pancake taste.

 

I topped with raw almond butter and honey, then ate them for breakfast almost exclusively for the last five months. I'd make a big batch on the weekend, then freeze and toast throughout the week.

 

Oh the joys of being vegan! Happy health, all!

 

image and image

::order::

This weekend I binged in the best way possible. 

On organization. 

Lately I've been feeling a little out of control, mainly because I haven't been able to workout as I'd like to. And so, after going to yoga and spinning last week and tasting that bit of control I so deeply crave, I suddenly needed order in every way: my closet, under my bed, desk drawers, nightstand, dresser drawers, the bench at the end of my bed, kitchen cabinets, under the sink, in the bathroom...

I couldn't stop. And I didn't want to. 

I didn't intend for it to fall exactly between Nourish and Order, Weeks 6 and 7 of the Wellness Challenge, but it undoubtedly fulfilled both. I felt so relaxed and at ease by the fact that every inch of my space was in order. It was the perfect way to leave things before two crazy weeks of traveling. 

I can't wait to get back to my happy house tomorrow and see things still neatly arranged. Spring cleaning may get all the attention, but there's something to be said for going into the winter with everything in order, too.

Happy Wednesday!

image via my instagram