our favorite green smoothie

place ingredients in order in to a high speed blender. i always quarter the apple, but the rest i just throw in. the spiciness of the ginger is in your hands. i usually just slice off a chunk and throw it in. i love it.

i have tried a million variations of this green smoothie. this one wins. hands down. there have been a couple i couldn't get down. i crushed this bad boy.

green smoothies are a great way to sneak vegetables in to little ones (or big ones for that matter). there are amazing health benefits from each ingredient in this smoothie:

water. nuff said.

kale - loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory

banana - potassium, healthy digestion, lowers blood pressure

granny smith apple - full of fiber, cardiovascular benefits, granny smith have a lower glycemic index than other apples

raw honey - alkalizes, provides energy, counteracts indigestion

ginger - cancer fighting, aids relieving menstrual cramping. helps ease nausea, heart burn, migrains, and more

green smoothies are a perfect breakfast. this drink will give you an energy boost when you need it most. be sure and make plenty of slime jokes in the morning, laughing is good for you.

dear diary,

aren't these just the prettiest?

last night sam started a fire for me and i burned approximately 15 years worth of diaries. i read through a lot of them and just felt bummed. i had some really sad times as a young person and still have sad times but in a totally free moment where i wanted to just be present i burned those times. i sad buh-bye to ex-boyfriends, mean "friends," insecurities, painfully private thoughts that i would be mortified if anyone read. it.felt.so.good.

i want to write a letter to myself at each age that i began keeping a journal while the entries are still fresh in my mind. that's my intention this week. i want matilda to be able to read them as she goes through those painfully awkward times in life. i challenge you to write your 15 year old self a note.

speaking of being 15. i found the journal where i originally did the artist's way and i can't wait to compare my answers now to how i felt then. progress.

speaking of advice... i've been loving yours.

falling for these...

1. 2. 3. 4.

some recent inspiration for some fall designs for tiny fete.

i've had a little bit of blogger's block this week, but i've been feeling extra inspired to sew (yay!). i love all of these looks. on top of looking for fantastic, creative kids clothes i've been on the hunt for ideas for matilda's third birthday party (what?) and i'm extra excited about redoing her room. we've been potty training (eek-stickers were purchased today for motivation), talking about giving away her pacifier (i know, i know) and will be moving her in to a twin soon. totally open to tricks + tips for all of the above.

have a GREAT weekend. i will be going out tonight thanks to ma mere!

the artist's way

get the book here/ wish these gorgeous notebooks were available!

i mentioned on monday that i was starting the artist's way again (inspired after seeing an instagram from meghan). this book was one of my favorite tools that i learned to use in high school and has served me well time and again. basically the book is done in weekly assignments, with the expectation that you will do morning pages (similar to downloading) daily. morning pages consist of brain dumping for a total of three pages. yesterday i had lots to say: "i need to clean my bathroom" "it really hurts me when soandso says this.", today not as much. verbalize that you don't have anything to say. write it repeatedly, but fill up three pages.

this week is all about "recovering a sense of safety." some of the things that i am looking forward to:

-an artist date (a date with you and only you) where i pick out gold shiny stars for each successful step i take. what is it about gold stars? love them.

-create a monster hall of fame where i list out the people in my life who've, let's face it, sucked.

-list five imaginary lives that i would like to lead... #1: break dancer.

these actions boost creativity and help open your heart to bigger and better. i'm excited.

*also can't wait for my bible study that begins tonight: communication in marriage. helpful? yes.

strawberry coffee cake

my favorite thing about this coffee cake is the unexpected use of fresh herbs. the berries mixed with the rosemary in particular made me feel incredibly cozy and happy. rustic and simple.

last week i made my first pilgrimage to the dekalb farmer's market. having put off such an occasion out of fear for the unknown, i went in a bit hesitantly. the place is daunting. a big open warehouse is full of people, unfamiliarity but also lots of surprises. i was able to score my organic raw nuts for a fraction of the price i normally pay. i also came home with some fun new things to try like chia seeds and spelt flour.

when i got home with my hodge podge of cheap wine, nuts, etc i had no idea what i was going to do with some of it. i researched recipes with spelt flour and found this one:

strawberry coffee cake
slightly adapted from 101 cookbook's maple huckleberry coffee cake

yields: 12 - 16 modest slices.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or spelt flour)
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup maple syrup, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk (i used half + half)
1 1/3 cups fresh wild huckleberries (i used chopped strawberries), well picked over

Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup maple sugar (i drizzled maple syrup over the crumble)
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 cup chopped pecans

special equipment: a 1-pound loaf pan

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, rack in the middle. Butter a 1-pound loaf pan, and line with parchment paper. Alternately, you could just butter and flour the pan, but I've found that lining the pan with parchment makes removing the cake from the pan after baking no problem.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, thyme, and rosemary. Set aside. In a separate large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer or by hand - until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the maple syrup and beat until well incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times along the way. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, scraping the sides again. Add half of the flour, stir just a bit, now add a splash of the buttermilk, stir again, but not too much. Add the rest of the flour and stir a bit, and now the rest of the buttermilk. Stir until everything barely comes together and then very gently fold in one cup of the huckleberries. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan and set aside.

To make the streusel topping, place the flour, butter, maple sugar, thyme and pecans in a food processor and pulse 20-30 times or until the topping is a bit beyond sandy/crumbly. It should be moist-looking - on its way to being slightly doughy. Crumble 2/3 of it over the cake batter, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup huckleberries on top of that, and then add the last of the crumble. Barely pat in place with your fingertips.

Place the coffee cake in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for five minutes and then remove it from the pan to cool on a rack (this way the cake won't steam in the pan as it's cooling.

recipe + instructions from 101 cookbooks

***

i ended up eating practically the entire cake alone. again, why i should not bake when matilda's napping and i'm left to my own devices. the cake was so crumbly and perfect with just enough maple goodness to make it sweet. pair with ethiopian organic coffee and a good friend. perfect sunday brunch food.

horses gonna horse

my friends got this print for their baby girl's nursery and i just wish i had found it first. i love it.

lately i have been surrounded by a lot of negativity and it's times like these where i can feel God calling me to more quiet time with Him. i can sense the need to shut my mouth, to quiet any defensive spirit, to put away my pride. i think i word vomited a hundred times over the last several days. cringe. when i get nervous i always say things i don't mean. it's embarrassing. i'm starting to think i had it coming. pretty sure i set myself up.

i'm going to be diving back in to this book. i really enjoyed journaling my way through it in high school and even after college. i think this would be the perfect place to put my thoughts.

how are you?

blue moon pizza

when it comes to vacation meals, sam and i don't really hold back. one of our favorite things in the world is pizza. i have been dying to try blue moon pizza for months after my friend paul recommended it. so freaking good. the bbq chicken pizza left me craving more. seriously. the server said we'd have leftovers... not so much.

plus they bring out "kid dough" for small people right when you sit down. not that matilda liked it, but it was a nice distraction for five seconds. i'll let you in on a little something. if we want to have dinner out...

cinderella comes too.
what's your guilty pleasure? have a relaxing, sun on your face, time to read a book, eat too much pizza, kind of weekend.

super bars

the other day my sweet neighbor katie who is an insanely good cook (remember my favorite chili?) came over with some melt-in-your-mouth bars for me to try. she totally brought me in to the light when it comes to making your own treats that taste like these. i've seen lots of posts like this one and this one but hadn't actually tasted them for myself. let's just say this batch didn't make it. i think matilda and sam had about 2 a piece. there are so many super foods in these bars like coconut and cacao that i've dubbed them...

super bars

makes approx. 12 small bars

1/2 cup raw hazelnuts (you could also use almonds)
1 1/2 cup chopped dates (or 10-15 whole pitted dates)
1 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1 T cacao powder
3 T coconut oil
1 t honey

method:
i started grinding the nuts first in my vitamix (a food processor would also work), then i added in the dates one by one. i used 10 total. about half way through grinding up the dates i added the coconut oil. now that everything is starting to gel i added in the rest of the ingredients until the mixture is fully saturated and could be rolled in to balls.

remove mixture from blender and use your fingers to work the batter in to a small glass baking dish. flatten.

chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. you will then be able to cut the mix in to bars. enjoy!

getting motivated

i really loved this post from lululemon on transitioning from day wear to yoga/running/en route-to-class wear. i am committing to doing yoga at least twice this week. my stiff body has been craving it. i've found that if i sleep in my yoga clothes or put them on first thing in the morning i double my chances of practicing.

what motivates you to sweat?

(tip: go outside for 5 seconds in this boiling heat. that was not a complaint, just an observation.)

summer beet salad

talk about farm to table! these beets were grown in our raised bed. i can think of little else that is as satisfying as growing your own food. i bought these pink beauties at our favorite plant sale in early spring. the first time i ever experienced beets was at our staple house dinner. ryan made a golden beet salad which was phenomenal. my only other beet reference was out of the can at thanksgiving (vomit). i wanted to try my hand at my own salad. something summery and fresh. i created this using a few different recipes. i love the sweetness of the peaches with the savory greens and earthy beets. it's like a party in your mouth.

summer beet salad

makes one large salad

for the salad:

bunch of beets

1/2 a red onion

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic

mixed greens

toppings:

1 peach (an orange would also be lovely)

cacao nibs to taste

raw walnuts

dressing:

taken from my new roots

½ clove garlic, minced
juice of ½ lime
1 tsp. raw honey
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt

preheat oven to 350

remove greens from beets and set aside. scrub the beets like crazy then rub them down with olive oil and salt and pepper. wrap them in tin foil and then place them on a baking sheet. let cook for 45 minutes or until the beets can be sliced easily with a knife. let cool.

meanwhile wash the beet greens. cut in to smaller pieces. chop the onion and mince the garlic. then saute them with coconut oil until they start to brown. add the greens and stir occasionally until wilted.

in a small bowl whisk together dressing.

assemble salad with mixed greens first, then greens, then beets plus toppings (peaches, walnuts, cacao nibs). cover with dressing and enjoy (outside preferably)!

speaking of beets. this video/recipe is so beautiful. i've watched it five times.

apron dress

dress: tiny fete / shoes: morgan and milo

over the weekend i worked on a custom order for a little girl's second birthday. the party theme is hello kitty and rainbows (best theme ever!). they're going to be doing arts and crafts so an apron dress was requested. i have never made one before but after looking at a dozen different kinds and wanting to come up with my own... here it is! i wanted this dress to be girly and fun. i added bias tape around the arms and flutter sleeves in a complimentary fabric. the ruffled apron is connected to the dress and ties in the back, making it completely adjustable. the elastic neck provides comfort and easy on/off. i hope that this little girl loves the dress. mine certainly did. luckily matilda is around the same age so she served as my fit model!

if you are interested in a custom dress check out my shop!

hello monday!

i know we all feel a little like this when the week starts over and we're back to the grind. however, it is of my opinion that i have way too much to be thankful for. this week i'm going to focus on obsessing over how cute matilda is, spending more time outside reading in my hammock, creating pretty things, and no time at all whining. my goal is to try and not complain all week. wish me luck!

citrus margarita

when sam and i want a really refreshing adult beverage, this is our drink of choice. citrusy, tart and tangy. not overly sweet like your typical margarita. the fruit alone serve as the mix. because this drink is full of acidic fruit you also reap the benefits of lots of great vitamin c. enjoy!

citrus margarita
adapted from this recipe

yields 4 margaritas.

1 lemon/ halved + peeled + seeded

1 lime/ halved + peeled

1 orange/ halved + peeled

1 oz grand marnier

3 oz tequila (preferably clear)

1 oz triple sec

1 oz water

3 cups ice

blend to creamy perfection.

makes a tart margarita. can be sweetened with stevia or frozen strawberries.

+also try substituting coconut milk for the liquor. would make a dreamy smoothie.

totes

behold, two totes that i've made for two special ladies over the last month. i made the gray tote for my dear friend jen who is super chic and loves neutrals, but also appreciates a crazy print. i used organic gray canvas for the outside and a yellow elephant print in upholstery fabric for the interior.

i made the chevron beach bag for jessie's 30th birthday. she loves color and when i found this fabric it screamed jessie. the pocket fabric is in one of my all-time favorite prints by michael miller. i made the pocket the perfect size for their phones plus sunscreen and chapstick or in jen's case: plenty of pens and a tiny notebook for jotting down to-dos.

i had a little help from this great tutorial!

berries & cream pops!

ever since i made this frozen cheesecake, my head has been spinning with possible popsicle combinations. the options are really limitless. i wanted to whip up something with berries since they are loaded with antioxidants. i added the greek yogurt (full fat, full of protein) to pose as the "cream." together you've got yourself something tasty + healthy on a stick. rachel gave me these popsicle molds years ago and i'm ashamed to say this is the first time said rocket-awesomeness has been experienced!

i made them originally for our fourth of july party, which sadly got rained out. one of my favorite girl friends christy and her son jack came over yesterday morning. after a few hours of catching up and the on-set of tiny attention spans fading, i broke out the rocket pops! matilda and jack loved the frozen goodness and we didn't have any trouble finishing ours either.

i'll never forget sitting on christy's porch pre-motherhood and talking about babies and baby names. here we are six years later with two babies of our own sitting on my front porch eating popsicles.

berries & cream pops

recipe yields 6 popsicles

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen blackberries

1/8 cup maple syrup

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 cup fage total greek yogurt

blend berries with syrup and lemon juice until well blended. add yogurt and blend until smooth. pour all the way to the top of your popsicle mold. freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

eat more vegetables

grilled portabello mushrooms

this week i plan on packing each day full of vegetables. fruits too, but mainly going vegetarian for the week. i'm also working on eating raw at least two meals a day. so far i have made these raw tacos and these raw brownies. they were both unbelievably delicious. it amazing how awesome nuts are. i would much rather eat nuts disguised as meat than soy which is so often full of c-r-a-p (i'm even spelling out cuss words on the internet). oh and i'm allergic to it too. my lips swell up like large balloons.

over the weekend sam and i made these portabello burgers for dinner with my sister rachel. grilled peaches might be my new favorite thing. so. good.

please share, i would love to hear your go-to vegetarian meals...

i was a vegetarian for about two years, but was more like a carbatarian. cheese quesadilla? yes please. i could easily eat like a healthy vegetarian now but sam loves him some meat. trying to find a way to "meet" in the middle.

happy fourth!

i went to my first parade this morning.
it was awesome.
we sat with our neighbors at the end of the street. next year we'll bring chairs.
we're going to try and catch the fireworks tonight.
they're way after a certain someone's bedtime. this will require careful planning.
looking forward to grilling out, lighting sparklers, and having an adult drink or two.

leelee

photos by garance dore