Misc.

Loving Lately

September 19, 2013 by Erica

Loving Lately // Coffee & Quinoa

My new kitchen. It is small but pretty! This is a “before” picture, taken when we signed the lease. Will it ever be organized enough to show you “after” pictures? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime…

Loving Lately // Coffee & Quinoa

This cafe table that I trash-picked for our apartment during a walk at lunchtime yesterday. Not even kidding. One minute I was walking past a hotel near our office, drafting a blog post in my head (yep), the next I was racing my car back over to load this puppy into the back. It might not be the most beautiful, but we’ve been having a really hard time finding something small enough for our space. This table is 30 inches across. Perfect! Now to find an upgrade for those lovely folding IKEA chairs…

23 Signs You’re Secretly An Introvert. Um, all of these. But especially 7, 8, 11, 13, 14… OK yeah, all of them. I think this is why I like blogging.

These apple cider cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing. Whoa. I wish I had the patience to make cinnamon rolls.

Loving Lately // Coffee & Quinoa

MixMyOwn muesli and granola mixes. I ordered a few of these recently to tide Nate over until my next batch of granola. You choose from all their healthy ingredients and build your own custom cereal! Pictured above is one of their premixes, the Antioxidant Mix. Love! Check them out.

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May According To Instagram

May 31, 2013 by Erica

This month has flown by! OK, lame, I say that every month. But this month it’s especially true, because I’ve been traveling so much. Here is what I’ve been up to, through the X-Pro II filter:

Running early in the morning.

coffee & quinoa

Being wicked strong thanks to t-shirts from Dad.

coffee & quinoa

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April According To Instagram

April 30, 2013 by Erica

What I’ve been up to this month, according to my Instagram feed:

Eating lunch at one of my favorite sushi bars, Takashi. Who knew that I could have multiple favorite sushi bars in Salt Lake?

Getting locked out of our building, before work, in the rain. But still thinking that the view from our front door is pretty beautiful.

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Pantry Cookin’

April 8, 2013 by Erica

Pantry Cookin'

Let’s talk pantries.

Let’s talk meal planning.

Let’s talk bulk bins.

I am a total sucker for the Whole Foods bulk bins. They are such a magical place. Three colors of quinoa, five types of lentils, chocolate covered everything, and amaaaazing trail mixes that I inevitably eat out of the bag on the way home – don’t mind if I do. On a given day, I can convince myself to buy almost any of it in the name of keeping a well-stocked pantry or trying something new.

Well, guess what? I don’t even have a pantry. (Does anyone in their 20s have an actual pantry? If so, don’t tell me about it; I’ll be super jealous.) What I have is two kitchen cabinets dedicated to pantry items. Aaaand they are bursting at the seams. Not to mention the freezer drawers I’ve packed with frozen fruits and veggies never to be heard from again.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Pantry Cookin'

The reason is that I like to follow recipes. Trying something new is all well and good, but I usually follow a recipe while I’m doing it, whether it’s someone else’s or one I’ve cobbled together ahead of time myself. And after I’ve made that delicious salad that calls for 2 tablespoons of goji berries, the other 2 cups that I bought often sit there for… a long time. Because who would buy just 2 tablespoons of something from a bulk bin? Not this girl. Come on – they’re called “bulk” for a reason.

I’m always envious of the bloggers that seem to throw together flavorful meals based on what they have lying around, but I’m a planner by nature. And I just haven’t been able to let go of the planning enough to use up what I have in my pantry.

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Friday Favorites

February 22, 2013 by Erica

Zion National Park

Breeeeeathe out. It’s Friday.

Thank goodness. It’s been a whirlwind of a week, and I am sooo ready for a weekend of kicking back, sleeping in, and concocting some new recipes! No 6 AM treadmill workouts, no stressful presentations, just me in my slippers making a big ol’ mess in my kitchen. Yessss please.

In the meantime, here are some of the things I’ve been loving this week.

1. This Penner-Ash pinot noir. Penner-Ash was one of the wineries we visited in October, and Nate got us this bottle for Valentine’s Day! It was deeeeelicious.

2. Susan Cain’s TED talk on the power of introverts. In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. I heard this on NPR the other morning and identified with it so much!

3. These roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato quinoa bowls from one of my new favorite blogs, A Farmer in the Dell. (How awesome is she?!) I made these twice this week!

Sweet Potatoes

4. Sweet potatoes every which way, in fact. I’m really wanting to make this stuffed curry sweet potato and these stuffed sweet potatoes with white beans and kale.

5. Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I got these for Nate for Valentine’s Day, and I think he’s managed to eat 1. The container is almost empty. Oops.

6. Flossing. Random, right? But a good thing, given the peanut butter cups. I used to be much better at flossing, but I’m embarrassed to say how long it’s been since I flossed regularly. Back on the wagon!

7. Getting nominated for Employee of the Year at work. On Tuesday I had to give a presentation to our executive team on why I deserve to win, and it was NERVE-RACKING. (See number 2…) The winner gets a week-long trip for 2 to anywhere in the world paid for! We find out the winner in about a month – eek!

8. This vegan bouillabaisse from Post Punk Kitchen. How good does that look?! I really need to make a few more soups before winter ends…

9. Thrift Shop by Macklemore. Am I behind the times? I’m finding this song so hilarious.

10. Coconut butter in my morning oatmeal. Mmmmmm.

Well that’s all for now. Enjoy your weekend! Recipes coming up next week, promise :)