Lentil & Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

August 15, 2020

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I gave you a sneak peek at these little delights yesterday. I was first exposed to these during a cooking class I took (for school) this past spring. I modified the recipe to accomodate more ingredients that I liked and I love the results. I am almost embarassed to admit that this is my first time buying and cooking lentils at home. I have ordered lentil soups or wraps at restaurants, but I was always intimidated to make them at home. I’m very happy to report that my first time cooking with lentils was a success and they will definitely make a return to my kitchen in the future.

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Lentil & Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

  • Black beans (12 oz)
  • Lentils, raw (1 cup)
  • Garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
  • Cilantro, fresh, minced (1 tablespoon)
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • Salt (1/2 teaspoon)
  • Olive oil (2 tablespoons)
  • Red bell pepper, diced (1/2 pepper)
  • Carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
  • Romaine lettuce (leaves)

Directions:

1. Cook lentils in 2 cups of simmering water for about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain the lentils and place in a bowl with the black beans.

2. In a new bowl, whisk together the garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil.

3. Combine the mixture with the lentils and black beans. Add in the chopped red pepper and mix evenly.

4. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

5. Line serving plate with lettuce leaves and arrange small piles of the mixture on top. Sprinkle grated carrots on top and serve.

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Going Back to Cali

August 14, 2020

I’m excited to hit the road with my two favorite boys today for a relaxing long weekend at the beach. I will be reminiscing about Seth Cohen & Marissa Cooper on my favorite teenage show The OC as we travel to the Newport/ Laguna beach area.

Monday I spent most of the day relaxing and preparing for our trip. I even treated myself to a pedicure (which rarely happens) in anticipation. Our annual California trip always seems to fall right around Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Therefore, I will not be doing much swimming while we are there (plus the Pacific ocean is too cold for my liking). But you better believe I will spend plenty of time laying on the beach (duh). I’m also looking forward to the fresh seafood that I always have to have anytime I’m near an ocean (it’s mandatory).

Here is a little look into how my Monday went:

 [discovered this wonderful juice this weekend and can't stop drinking it]

 [scrambled eggs with spinach, avocado, & pico de gallo]

[afternoon pick me up in the form of a refreshing iced coffee]

[ate almost an entire pineapple in a 24 hour period...should I be proud?]

[more of this trail mix]

[lentil & black bean lettuce wraps]

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Healthy Roadtrip Snacks

August 13, 2020

Since we are leaving for California in a short while, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my favorite travel snacks. I am no stranger to roadtrips, my family would take one every summer to the beach in North or South Carolina and I always loved enjoying my snacks along the way.

There is nothing worse than being in the car in the middle of nowhere when you’re starving with no healthy food in sight. Since most of our drive will be through the desert, I plan on stocking a small cooler full of water, some carrot sticks, and fruit. I also love packing dry snacks like trail mix (currently loving this berry bounty mix I found at Whole Foods), kind bars (duh), and pretzels.

Not only are these snacks great for the road, but they are also great for the hotel room in between meals. Admit it, eating out for every meal gets old (and expensive) so keeping your hotel room stocked with snacks helps.

This will be our first time taking Dexter on a roadtrip (longer than 2 hours). Wish me luck as I try to relax and eat my carrot sticks without him stealing any (he loves carrots). Good thing he’s so darn cute.

What are your favorite roadtrip snacks?

Make Your Own Granola

August 12, 2020

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I finally got back into the kitchen this weekend. I had so many ideas for recipes that it was hard for me to narrow down which ones to even make. #cookingproblems

Last fall I made a really delicious pumpkin granola recipe (which I plan to make again when the weather cools off) and I was in the mood for something like that again. I decided to skip the flavoring and just made a simple baked cinnamon granola and tossed in some raisins in the end.

It smelled like heaven when it was baking in the oven so I had high expectations for this recipe. I sort of underestimated just how much it would make, but now I have two mason jars full of granola to snack on for the week. Not complaining one bit!

Most granola recipes call for the use of vegetable or canola oil. Well apparently I ran out of that a while back and forgot to buy more so I improvised and used olive oil. I was a bit hesitant to do this because I wasn’t sure if it would alter the taste but it didn’t in the slightest.

The best part about this? It costs me next to nothing to make. I had most of the ingredients on hand, except I had to pick up some brown sugar and shredded coconut at the store beforehand. Normally I have this already but I just so happened to be out, otherwise this wouldn’t have cost me a dime!

I ate this dry as a snack and in a bowl with almond milk and it really hit the spot. I’m thinking it would be fabulous on top of a bowl of greek yogurt with fruit. Can’t wait!

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Homemade Granola with Olive Oil (adapted from this recipe)

Makes about 4-5 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup raisins

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon and stir well.

2. Evenly spread the mixture onto a non-stick cookie sheet onto an even layer and bake for 45 minutes; stir every 10 minutes until golden brown.

3. Transfer the baked granola to a mixing bowl, add raisins, and stir.

4. Let cool 5-10 minutes and serve over yogurt or alone in a bowl with milk of choice.

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Thank you for all of your sweet comments about my new site design. I’m really happy with it, and I’m glad you all like it!

 

Introducing: New Site Design

August 9, 2020

I’ve been hinting at how there were going to be some changes around here and I’m excited to finally be able to share my new design! This has been a work in progress over the past couple weeks and it’s been hard to keep it a secret.

I was satisfied with my old design but I didn’t love it. Design has never been an issue for me, but I didn’t know how to implement it. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my artwork and design, and my blog is no exception. I just couldn’t live with a website that I “sorta liked”. Total design OCD. I’m crazy, I know. (I blame genetics for this, I definitely inherited my creative side from my mother).

I knew exactly what I wanted my site to look like, but I don’t know anything about coding. This is where the fabulous Blair at Leap Marketing & Design came into the picture. She creates the most beautiful and sophisticated designs and is a genius when it comes to coding. After taking a look at her portfolio, I knew she was the perfect person to help me out. Plus she has an adorable blog that has some great style tips.

You will find that the new design is more simple and easy to navigate, with the addition of an archives page at the top. I hope you love the new site as much as I do!

Have a great weekend