Happy New Year Peeps! I’m back with a new recipe! Vegan butternut squash soup! We’re day two into this new year and I have to tell you that I’m feeling excited, grateful and hopeful! I’m also feeling like I can do anything I set my intention and heart to! I turned 50 this past summer and realized there are a lot of things that I want to do in these next 50 plus years. I want to PLAY more, SHARE more, SPREAD more JOY and POSITIVITY!
I just had to post this farro salad because I’m literally making it ALL the time, (obsessed) and the kids and I are devouring it. It’s SO simple to make and pairs with just about anything, chicken, steak, fish, you name it. It’s even awesome on its own, and makes the perfect salad to bring to your next picnic or potluck.
Avocado toast is the BOMB, and one of the simplest and tastiest ways to dress up a slice of toast. I mean it’s literally toasted bread with an avocado smashed on it, you can’t get any simpler than that.
A good grilled cheese sandwich is a bit like life. It not always pretty, it can be messy, fall apart and be all over place, and sometimes the inner components don’t hold together well, but in the end with that first bite, everything comes together. The flavors meld, the messiness is forgotten and thus balance is created, as the inner components compliment and come together to create this beautiful satisfying sandwich.
This is a BIG year for Marin mama! I’m going to be finishing up Natural Chef school in March, and I therefore need to figure out my next career move before I finish school, YIKES! It’s super scary, but exciting at the same time, but a little more on the scary side, as I’m not sure what’s out there for little old me. I’m going to be spending the next few months researching, networking and getting a feel for what’s out there career-wise for me. I have some ideas brewing, but I’m not entirely sure yet what’s the best path, so I’m just going to keep following my heart, intuition and gut and see where it leads me. I will be sure to keep you all updated on where I’m heading.
I’m SO crazy for these wraps, like totally insanely crazy for these, and I’ve been making them non-stop for the past 3 weeks. Marin mama might need to be committed! They’re honestly my new favorite lunch and/or dinner, and the bonus is that Zoe loves them as much as I do. Yay Zoe! I’m working on Eli, as he likes these wraps, and will totally eat them, but he doesn’t crave them the way Zoe and I do. I do have to remember that he’s only 10, and his palate hasn’t totally evolved the way Zoe’s and mine has. So Eli, I’ll give you a few more years to be lukewarm to my healthy recipes! Just kidding cutie!
This is the perfect healthy summer salad! It’s chock-full of fresh herbs, cucumbers and tomatoes, which are at their ripest in the summer months. I used heirloom tomatoes for this recipe, and let me tell you, this salad was BURSTING FULL OF FLAVOR! I might even say that it was a bit better the next day when all of the flavors had a chance to meld together!
Pizza, Pizza, Pizza! How I love pizza! I truly do! Pizza is one of my favorite things to chow down on! I’m a total carboholic and cheese fanatic, so with pizza, I get the best of both worlds. Also, you get to be creative with pizza and top it with whatever your heart desires, and these past few weeks we’ve been desiring roasted broccoli rabe! That’s not such a bad thing, right?
The combination of pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives is amazing! It’s the perfect pasta to bring to a picnic or potluck, and an easy weeknight dinner as it can be made ahead of time. I love it when I can come home after a busy day, open the fridge and have dinner all ready to go. All you have to do is pair this pasta with a salad and a baguette, and you have yourself the perfect meal for a hot summer night.
Farro is a bit like kale in the sense that it sits well for 3 days and makes the perfect make-ahead lunch, dinner or potluck picnic fare. I love the chewy and nutty flavor of the farro paired with the sweetness of the dried cranberries, dates and champagne vinaigrette. The Marcona almonds and Manchego cheese help balance out all that sweetness.
