4th of July weekend Recap

Hope you had a relaxing 4th of July weekend! Mine was busy lots of long days on the boat - but I loved every minute of it...

Fireworks.

Friends.

Family.

Sunshine. On the Boat. In the water.

I especially love that the work week is half over. Happy hump day!

What I have been up to...

Enjoying lots of summer sunets on the lake on my new...

Boat! :)

I currently live about .5 miles from 3 lakes and figured I would get a lot of use out of a boat... I haven't even had it for a week yet and we have been on it like crazy!!!

I have wanted a boat for quite some time and have been looking the past 2 summers here and there at boats on craigslist. Now that I am living so close to the lakes and have more room to store it - I jumped on the first great deal that I found.... and I am in love with soaking up the sun, family and friend time and everything else that comes along with having a boat.

I have been terribly sore from tubing for 2 days straight.... so sore I can barely lift up my arms. That has really put a damper on my work outs :(

Garden is in and doing fairly well - my camera is still MISSING so please excuse the cell phone pictures!

Dealing with a sick puppy (his eyes were swollen)... I think he had an allergic reaction to a bug, possibly a spider or bee that he ate? He loves to eat bugs... silly little pup.

Stayed at Hotel Rome in the Wisconsin Dells, and enjoyed some R & R rollercoasters, wave pools, and go karts for 2 days straight. I was more tired when I got home from the mini vacay.

Margarita's on the rocks always hit the spot after a long day or sunbathing :)

Kujo is better now and after a vet visit and some meds - he is back to his old self :)

Kaiya is my tanning buddy - she loves to lay in the sun and soak it up right next to me! :)

Hope you are enjoying your summer!!!

Giving into cravings.

I have been looking forward to Spinach + Strawberry salads all winter long. I am finally enjoying them daily. nightly.. for lunch + dinner to be more specific.

The real craving hit when I was at Good Harvest Market and I saw goat cheese... how wonderful would that be with my spinach + strawberry salad = it was phenom. :)

I also have been wanting to make some BBQ tofu for awhile.... I have some I needed to use up before my trip out of town this weekend, so use it up I did.

BBQ Tofu in the upper left hand of plate. I used a bottle of Annie's Organics Smoked Maple BBQ Sauce to marinate after pressing the tofu overnight. I sliced 1/2 small sweet onion and placed it on some foil along with the tofu and cooked on top the grill for about 10 minutes on each side or so.

It turned out delightful. Hit the spot! Speaking of using the produce up in my fridge I made some zucchini noodles and mushrooms with marinara sauce. This was fabulous and a very healthy option if you wanted to give into your craving of spaghetti!

I sliced my mushrooms and spiralized my zucchini.

Tossed it into a pan coated with 1 T of olive oil and 1/2 sweet onion.

Cook on med-high stirring often. I didn't want the "pasta" to get mushy - I wanted a bit of warmth but not hot.

I added in 1/2 jar of leftover marinara sauce to the mix and cooked a couple minutes until warm.

Top with a little NOOCH and serve! I really enjoyed this and see myself making it this summer quite a bit. I think I am going to try a raw version as well... should be interesting. :)

Friday is almost here! :)

Nichole

Milwaukee Brewers in First Place!!!!

I know this isn't a sports blog. I have to show my home team's some support!! The Green Bay Packers won the superbowl and now my Milwaukee Brewers are in first place with the Cardinals sweep! I was happy to be able to go to the Saturday game this weekend and root for my home team!

Too many beers/long island's might make you cut your friends out of your pictures.

Just sayin'.

Let's keep it up Brew Crew!!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was wonderful... lots of dancing, sport watching and eating. My weekends are meant for play. Sometimes I forgot about the workouts. Dancing counts though, right?

This was my super scrumptious dinner yesterday evening. I had a grilled veggie burger with sauteed onions and mushrooms (in vegetable broth) + spinach and strawberry salad with sliced almonds. Light, fresh and filling. Perfection on a summer night!!! I love using my grill.

Fashion for today:

Express shirt and skirt

Fergilicious heels

Have a great Tuesday!

I am looking forward to updating you on my garden progress!!

Nichole

Catching Up

Sorry I have been so M.I.A. lately. I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. I was SO busy getting ready for our Memorial Day party last weekend that I didn't post and then a whole week went by!

I STILL haven't gotten my garden planted because the tiller I had on hand is not working. Bummer. A couple of my green bean plants are wilting but I still have quite a few to work with at least. I am hoping the BF gets the tiller working soon because we don't have much time left at all. :(

So what have I been up to? I spent a lovely and hot Saturday boating with my mother :)

We soaked up some sun and maybe some Bicardi ;)

((See that lovely necklace my mom is wearing? She hand makes the beads & makes the necklaces herself. She has a ton right now and I am trying to get her going on selling them because they are amazing))

And I may have lost my waterproof point + shoot camera...unless the boat ate it -- which then I am hoping we still find it somewhere :(

Saturday night I ventured out on the town with some friends..

I didn't last very long... I was so tired from boating all day (and no nap in between... waaaahhh) that I just couldn't hang like my normal self. I stayed out until about 11pm and then headed home for some much needed rest.

Sunday I went back to Roots Restaurant for brunch ~ I reviewed the dinner I had back in April here.

So sorrrrry... but I forgot to bust out the camera phone. They had a lovely Cream of Asparagus Soup... simply delish. I ordered a tofu scramble, which had tofu + asparagus and some other fixings - it was good but not as good as their dinner. The bloody mary I had was phenom.

After the lovely brunch,  I visited my aunt to see her new house she just bought a couple weeks ago and while on that side of town and before venturing back towards home I stopped at Outpost Natural Foods --  I so miss this place! I used to have one 5 minutes from my old house :( sad face. I stocked up on a lot of goodies!!! I got home around 5pm and it was still gorgeous - I played with the pups outside, opened up all the windows to air out the house and started cooking up Emily's awesomely delicious recipe for Mexican Quinoa.

I even ate leftovers for lunch today :) So much protein and I am fulllllllllllllllll. :)

I enjoyed this while watching the MTV Movie Awards... anyone else watch?? Anyone else sick of Twilight winning in every category? Don't get me wrong, I loved the books, enjoyed the movies but don't think the acting is THAT great.... Robert Pattinson is awkard in real life he is no Edward... I prefer some werewolf Taylor Lautner instead. Yup.

Seksi.

What I have been loving lately:

Chia Seed Pudding w/ Blondie Bar

I honestly could drink chia seed pudding with vanilla almond milk after letting it sit for only 5 minutes... love Love LOVE <3!!!!!!!!!!

Massaged Kale Salad

Ever since seeing this on Jessica's blog I have seriously been obsessed. Perfect summer salad - just make sure it make it fresh - since avacado tends to go back quickly and that can make a yucky salad :P

I may know from experience :/

Cheers to a fantastic and warm weather week!!!

** Please pray for me... that my mom finds my camera in her boat... ***sigh****

xoxo

Nichole

Tofu Tacos & Tofu Cream

Hi friends! Happy Hump Day! Hope your week is flying by at this point. I have some fun recipes to share with you today. :)

Ever since I saw Alicia Silverstone's Clean, Mean Burritos in the Kind Life book, I was intrigued. Not by the burritos but mainly because of the "tofu cream". Seemed easy enough to make. Only 4 ingredients!

Tofu Cream

Recipe from The Kind Life

1-1 1/2 T Umebosi Plum Paste (I found this at whole foods)

6 T lemon juice

3 T Vegenaise

1 package of firm tofu (pressed)

Place tofu in a pot and steam over boiling water for 3-5 minutes.

Let cool.

In a food processor add in remaining ingredients with tofu and blend until creamy.

Chill for an hour then serve.

The results? I think a little too lemony for my liking... next time I will add more vegenaise and less lemon juice.  Maybe I can re-blend with more vegenaise to remove from the of lemon flavor.

I did try it on a bean burrito I made last night, and the tofu cream really wasn't my thing. It didn't mesh well with the burrito.

In this burrito: Pinto & black beans, spinach, cilantro, radishes, carrots & tofu cream.

The next burrito I had did not have tofu cream but avacado instead!!!

I have a whole container of this stuff left and not sure what to do with it now....

any ideas?

...............................

On another note I made tofu burrito/tacos on Cinco De Mayo and never posted about them.

They were quite delicious and a nice way to switch up the mexican food fare!

Tofu Tacos

1 package of firm tofu (pressed + cubed)

Taco Seasoning (or create your own like I did)

1 small onion

1 T olive oil

1-2 cloves fresh garlic

Taco Seasoning

1 T chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1-2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

In a large pan let your olive oil get warm, add in your onion and garlic.

Let cook for 30 seconds or so and add in your cubed tofu.

Add in taco seasonings right after your tofu. Add water if tofu is sticking to the pan.

To be  honest with you I don't really measure how much seasonings I put into it. I know which ones I like and add more. I love to sprinkle on the top of the tofu until it's coated.

Cook until browned, turning over every couple minutes. Total cooking time approx. 10-15 minutes depending on the amount of heat you are using.

Serve Tofu in warmed tortilla and serve with other toppings (whatever you would normally eat on tacos or burritos).

Enjoy!

Question:

Have you ever tried Tofu Cream? Do you know what it WOULD taste better with?

Enjoy the rest of the HUMP day!

Nichole

How Does Your Garden Grow - Tuesdays! Week 3

I love the idea of sharing the progress of my garden every week! Thanks Cara for the idea on sharing HDYGG (How does your garden grow)! I have not yet planted my garden outside but should be doing that this weekend - yay!

Green beans are growing like crazy!

Check out my other garden posts here and here.

I planted those seeds on May 9th. Most of the seeds say to plant outside within 4-6 weeks - I am pretty much on schedule even though I might have been a week or two late when planting the seeds.... hopefully everything grows and flourishes!

Some lovely smelling lilacs I picked from my mother's house this weekend have brightened up my counter tops and let my time in the kitchen be much more enjoyable!

I am making some Massaged Kale Salad that I saw on Jessica's blog Dishin' About Nutrition.

She recently made the Green Goddess Soup that I posted about, check out her post here.

Massaged Kale Salad

Adapted from Dishin' About Nutrition

1 bunch of Kale washed, dry and cut into bite size pieces

1 small or 1/2 large avacado

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt

Toppings such as: cucumbers, onion, bell peppers, tomatoes - whatever you have - any raw veggies are fine!

Cut avacado into pieces toss in large bowl with kale, lemon juice and a dash of salt.

Massage into kale with your hands until avacado is mashed completely and then lick your hands clean!

Add toppings and devour and feel like a Goddess when you are done! :)

I did a 30 minute kettleball workout with Jillian Michaels tonight & another 30 minutes on my eliptical. Kicking my butt! ;)

Fashion over the weekend:

Top: Express

Tank top: Forever 21

Jeans: Express

Shoes: Baker's wedges

 Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday! Muah! xo

Nichole

Sweet Tooth

Good morning! I am so happy about the gorgeous weather we have coming this weekend! I have a couple outings with friends planned so excited to hang out in the sun!

As I was catching up on my blog reading I came across Katie's Genius Blondies. A blondie made with chickpeas? Yes, please! I had a sweet craving and decided to make these since I had everything on hand.


Genius Blondies

Recipe from Chocolate-Covered Katie

1 can of chickpeas
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 teaspon baking soda
1/8 teaspon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used 1 tsp of vanilla stevia)
1/4 cup flax seed powder
1/4 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients until very smooth. Mix in any add-ins at this time (I used carob chips) and scoop into greased 8x8 pan, I used a bread pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

I tried mixing all the ingredients with my food processor, but that was not working. After 10 minutes it still wasn't smooth.

I had enough of that and transferred it to my Vita-Mix. Less than a minute and I have what I am looking for.

I mixed in my carob chips but since the "dough" was so warm from the vita, they melted right away.

(bad picture late at night)

They didn't turn out as pretty as Katie's but they did taste good. I enjoyed with almond milk since they were a little dry, I think I might want to add protein powder next time!

I will be enjoying these for a healthy snack this weekend! I used Stevia and I didn't think they tasted like soap at all (Katie mentioned her friends thought the stevia batch tasted like soap)! I think if you are used to stevia it is hardly recognizable in this recipe.

Have a great weekend and I hope you enjoy some sunshine!

Nichole