Oh la la, I said husband! So Joe and I had a crazy food night making spicy quesadillas and Hi-C margaritas! I say crazy because of the copious amounts of jalapenos that went into making them 😉 Give these a try for a fun date night or dinner with friends . . . oh oh have a game night!
The Hi-C margarita was sweet but not too sweet, slushy but not too slushy, and just the perfect amount of ice crunch!
Please Subscribe to my channel if you haven’t, I love creating these food/ beverage nights with you!
What themed night would you like to see next? Girls night? Sleepover? Movie night?
In honor of Game Of Thrones season 7, I have a special series of #winenotwednesday for you! Each week I’ll share with you a yummy, happily evil lil drink but it’ll be more happy than evil 😉
Today’s stir up is the Mother Of Dragons potion featuring some fresh cracked black pepper because, black hearts and a swift kick to the throat. Easy on the salt bae sprinkle or you’ll prolly gag on this delicious ‘dragon blood’. Okay before I get any more obnoxious, here tis.
Stir it up baby! You’ll need:
rose champagne
dragon fruit
black pepper
kiwano fruit (aka dragon spikes)
Drop cubed pieces of dragon fruit into your flute, sprinkle with some black pepper for fun, and garnish with your ‘dragon spikes’. Yup, I’m doing this every week sooo. Enjoy 😉
What potent lil potion do you wanna try next week? PS who’s your least favorite GOT character . . . I could name a few!
Cake that’s good for your cakes! Hey, when you were born with a pancake booty you take all the help you can get, and your girl over here is carbing up to build these cakes. Get excited because I’ve FINALLY found a recipe for cake that tastes amazing and doesn’t taste like protein powder! A cake mix that is just like the full sugar, full fat, full gluttonous cake without the extra calories . . . and without tasting like fake sugar. You know what I mean!
Lil Buff Protein Cakes is a cake mix I found *thank you Instagram* and have incorporated into my weekly meal prep. Their mix is gluten free, vegan friendly, microwaveable, and has a whopping 26+ grams of protein y’all! Also, if you’re a cookie lover you’ll be happy to know that their mixes can also be prepared into cookie form! And with flavors like Cocoa-Crave, Fit-fetti (featured here), and Lemon-Berry Squeeze you’re gonna wanna go ahead and buy a few pouches of each, just trust. I purchased some Fit-fetti and limited edition Red Velv-Fit and I can’t get enough. Here’s how I made these high-protein cakes, and did I mention that they taste amazing?!
I made this particular pouch of Fit-fetti into heart shaped cupcakes and baked them with applesauce and a smashed nana. That means these babies are vegan, gluten free, and completely guilt-free. Even if I did devour 3 of them while they were still warm, frosting melting off of ’em and all. Y O L O
The magical thing about this recipe is that it actually tastes like funfetti cake out of the box because they’re fluffy like the one out of the box. Oh boxed cake with your fluff. It’s our eternal desire to chase that fluff, except that the fluff is full of ingredients that you don’t need. And though delicious, it also makes my sensitive belly fluff, because bloat.
Bonus points for these rainbow sprinkles that come included along with a recipe for frosting! An alternative frosting that I can down with because it still contains key ingredients like cream cheese and vanilla pudding haha
Perfect for your pre-workout and delicious as your post-workout, if you haven’t given Lil Buff Protein a try, do it! They’re delicious, healthy, packed with protein, and they’ll grow your gains.
Have you tried protein oats, protein pancakes, or protein cake like I’ve mentioned here? What do your taste buds tell you? Be honest, you can tell me.
Last year on Easter’s Eve I slipped bunny tracks under Corrine’s door, they led to the living room table where her basket was waiting filled with her favorite things. To say I’m dramatic about holidays is an understatement! I still do these fun, cheesy things for her and she’s NINETEEN! lol
It’s Easter weekend in a few days so I wanted to share one of the yummiest and EASIEST Easter treats with you! It’s a fun DIY activity you can do with the kiddos and only takes 10-15 minutes to complete!
How stinkin’ cute are these fruity pebble treats! We hand formed them into nest shapes and filled them with chocolate eggs topped with Peeps! Sugar overload but soooo worth it, I swear I just wanna make rice crispy treats with every cereal out there!
You’ll simply make the traditional “rice crispy treat” recipe and instead of the original rice crispy cereal, you’ll swap it out for any cereal you like. In this case we used Fruity Pebbles because the color combination was so pretty and festive, not to mention it tastes tangy, sweet, and all things delicious.
Top your ‘nests’ with the chocolate eggs of your choice and pop a lil Peep bunny on there to complete this yummy and easy Easter treat!
What’s your favorite Easter dessert or recipe? I personally cannot wait until we get to tye dye eggs with Corrine! Even though she doesn’t seem as excited as we are, I know she loves that I’ve continued the tradition with her.
It’s about time I thank Portland for its sole contribution to my expanding waist line LOL Anyone else? No, just me mkayyy. Well if you’ve ever savored the flavors of Salt & Straw, relished in a creamy cheese by Tillamook , or basked in the light of the combined ice cream + Tillamook’s brand, than you too can send this post to Portland as a thank you.
A lot of Portland’s local sensations have made their way out of the big city into some of our own towns, and have I mentioned Salt & Straw yet?! Okay if that name sounds unfamiliar to you, please locate one asap, go overindulge and thank me later. In the meantime, we have our friends Karissa and Sebastian to thank for hand delivering us to this deliciousness this past weekend!
A recent addition to Los Angeles from the great city of Portland is Voodoo Donuts. I have to say, there’ve been a lot of conflicting verdicts when it comes to if the donuts are delicious or not. Can I just emphasize here . . . they’re DONUTS! I personally don’t have a palette advanced enough to turn down a donut, even if it were on the floor of a subway station. Oh I’d take a second glance! 😉
So we gave it a go after seeing a ton of Instagram photos showing off their picks at their newest location in Universal City Walk. After a half hour wait we were there, at the front door, aroma and all! Lots of photo ops, they know what they’re doing!
And what was our ruling? Well our group was elbow deep in fried fluffy pastry bread, milk, and there were a lot of happy dances happening lol Again, they’re just donuts, who doesn’t love donuts?! But I get it, if I’m comparing Voodoo donuts to places like Dunkin Donuts, Yum Yum’s, or any other donut place, there really isn’t one.
Sorry if that’s disappointing, but honestly if you placed two donuts in front of me, one from Voodoo and one from Yum Yum’s, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Wrapping this up I’ll say this, Voodoo Donuts may be pricey, they may be all fancy looking with their fancy toppings, but I’ll give ’em this, they’re yummy. They make a signature donut called the Voodoo Doll and it’s damn delicious!
I suggest you make a trip over there and try a box of donuts for yourself, see how you feel about them! And don’t be alarmed but this was the only photo I got of said Voodoo Doll person, it was too delicious to wait haha
Any newness in your hood? I hear we have a new coffee shop opening much like Philz Coffee and I couldn’t be happier about it! I love coffee! I love dessert! I love food!
Six months and counting babes! I have just under six months to prepare for our wedding in July, plan a honeymoon, AND gear up for the 4 other weddings also happening this year. Talk about a whirl wind next few months full of travel and partying!
So to keep myself in check, balance out stress, and get shredded for our wedding, I’m participating in my gym’s 28 day challenge! For the next month I’ll be fully immersing myself in meal prepping and HIIT workouts and I want to share with you our week one! I’d like for this to become a lifestyle and not just a quick fix 28 day trial, but a real thing! So do it with me OR you can hold me accountable for when the snack monster gets the best of me at midnight 😀
Here is your week one and how to prep for the next seven days. You can either take it in bite sized amounts of time like I do, or prep for the full week, whichever coordinates with your lifestyle best.
On Sunday:
I say Sunday because Mondays are usually really busy for me. I like to only prep meals for 1-3 days in advance, partially because I get bored easily and because after 3 days in the fridge/freezer I get grossed out.
So on whichever day you plan on taking an hour or two to prep, separate into freezer bags (or tupperware) your smoothie ingredients, salad mix, and grab-n-go snacks. My go to snacks are fruit with almond butter, trail mix, or veggies with hummus. In a bowl mix together ground chicken or turkey for meatballs, great for wraps, salads, and sammies. They’ll cook quickly in the oven! On a baking sheet I arranged my fish with a variety of vegetables so it was a one stop ‘set it and forget it’ and cooked at the same time the meatballs did.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Monday through Wednesday is a variation of protein shakes, grab-n-go snacks, salads, and wraps. Protein, coconut/almond milk, spinach, and pineapple slices make up my favorite post workout smoothie. If you top it with chia seeds or coconut flakes it’s like ice cream! I mean, it DOES help if you pour it into a milkshake cup like I did 😀 Olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice make THE perfect salad dressing IMO, and hummus or tzatziki sauce are a wonderful addition to any wrap or snack. I’m all about those additions!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT PREP:
For Thursday through Sunday you can vary your meals if you get bored by adding in a chicken or tuna salad wrap. TIP: lemon juice and tzatziki sauce taste better than mayo 😀 I get really bored really easily and the thought of bland dry chicken with bland dry brocolli sounds BLAND and DRY. Luckily, our LBD meal plan is neither. So portion out your smoothies and salads, prep your overnight oats or protein pancake mix, and get cookin’ good lookin’!
In the oven will go your frittatas, kale chippies, and whatever fish or protein you choose. I’ve been leaning towards salmon and red snapper this week. Hard boil some eggs, make more trail mix or go-to snacks if you need to, and whip together some yummy dinners! I made a ground chicken chili with black beans, vegetable stock, veggies, and cumin.
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Tadaaa! That’s your week one at a glance! Though I didn’t take a photo of everything … like Sunday’s cheat meal – pizza and champagne. Yaaaas do itttt!!! No regrets, just don’t let your cheat meal turn into a cheat month *raises hand*.
I hope this inspires you to get familiar with meal preparation, it really does take the guess work out of it and when the snack monster attacks . . . you’ll be ready!
Do you meal prep now? Are you a daily or a one-time a week kind of cook? Share some recipes with me and good luck, we totally got this!
The perks of raising the world’s most perfect flower child is that she knows when anything zen-y and cool is happening in our area! Mercado Segrado in Topanga Canyon is an artisan goods and healthy eats event that happens annually and we’ve turned it into a family tradition. Full of organic food options, art, and hand crafted goods, if you love festivals than you’ll love this one. We especially love supporting local artists and eating from locally sourced venues!
This year, the background for the event was the grounds of Paramount Ranch in Agoura. It’s an old western set, with open spaces, barns, and buildings that look like they came straight out of a John Wayne film. The festival in past years have been held in Topanga Canyon but each year it becomes larger and this location didn’t disappoint!
We had a few favorite vendors that we kept popping our heads into to check out, Earth + Element being one of them! She makes some of the most beautiful ceramics you’ve ever seen, a ’boutique with a conscience’ <3 Their Moon Mugs are out of this world beautiful, check them out if you love ceramics like we do. And DL Skateboards– we couldn’t get over the craftsmanship and admired their boards throughout the day.
Each skateboard is handcrafted from a single piece of solid oak wood, they’re gripped with sand from Topanga Canyon, and the wheels and hardware are all made with parts from right here in California. How awesome is that?! If that weren’t convincing enough for you to go check them out, you should know that they also believe in the bartering system! Yes, you can barter for a board lol that’s the damn best! If I had a military issue canvas tent (ahem dad send me one from your basement!) to barter with, it’d be for the Deep Sun board. It’s my favorite, the colors just make me happy!
And of course, no travel post of ours is complete without a food photo! Pictured here is mango sticky rice. Made to perfection, this was one of many eats and treats featured at Mercado Segrado and we would’ve ordered another one if the line weren’t so long, it was one of the most popular dishes!
Pro tips: Wear comfy shoes- you’ll be walking around on unsteady rock all day, bring a hat and sunscreen- it’s an open space and you’ll want to explore the grounds, and get there when it opens- it’s nice to visit each pop-up tent and vendor there, and then have a seat to listen to one of the live performances take place. Take it all in it only happens once a year.
Do you have any local events near you that you HAVE to go to each time they come around again?
I once joined a fantasy football league just so that I could bring goodies and have gigglefests with my friends. As I began to pick my lineup based solely upon how “cute” I thought the players names were, I also realized that it was a BIG deal! So I decided to redeem myself by giving you 3 of the most yummiest best game day recipes ever! Even if you are only there for the food and fun, at least you’ll be contributing by way of deliciousness! Enjoy babies!
DESSERT PIZZA! A crowd pleaser and worthy of any occasion really, this ‘pizza’ takes 10 minutes to make and will be gone even quicker than that!
You’ll need:
– a small package of strawberries and blueberries
– (1) 8oz package of softened cream cheese
– 2 cups of Reddi-wip whipped topping
– 2 teaspoons sugar
– 2 tablespoons honey
– 2 tablespoons minced basil
– 1 crescent roll dough
Method:
Bake the ‘pizza’ crust per the instructions and while it’s baking cream together the whipped topping, honey, and cream cheese. In a separate bowl chop up the strawberries and blueberries, add in the sugar, and toss. Allow the pizza to cool, top it with the whipped cream cheese mixture, spread the berries on top and then sprinkle with the basil. ENJOY!
COCONUT CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH HOMEMADE SPICY PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE!
What you’ll need for the skewers:
– 5 boneless chicken breasts
– 1 can coconut milk
– 1/4 cup soy sauce
Method: cut the chicken into chunks and marinate for a few hours in a bowl with the coconut milk and soy sauce. You have time for the peanut sauce now!
– 1/4 cup Peter Pan creamy peanut butter
– 1/3 cup sweet and sour sauce
– 3/4 cup water
– 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
– 1 1/2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
Once you’re ready to grill the skewers brown them until fully cooked and then combine the peanut sauce ingredient in a bowl and whisk together and ENJOY!
CHILI CHEESE DIP!
An oldie but goodie, this is a crowd favorite! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a sports gathering and not had a cheese dip or layered dip of some kind. This is spicy, creamy, and cheesy!
What you’ll need:
– a bag of your favorite chips (I love blue corn tortilla chips!)
– (1) 16 oz Velveeta cheese
– 1 can of vegetarian chili (or you can go with turkey or ground beef)
– 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilies
– paprika
Method: Cut the cheese into chunks and in a pot add in the cheese, chili, and drained can of tomatoes. Stir the mixture up over medium low heat until the cheese is melted and then sprinkle with a few dashes of paprika! DIP AND ENJOY!
If ever you invite me to your party or you see me out at an event, you’ll most likely find me near the snack table or food cart 😀
Do you have any special game day recipes?! I love trying new things, share with me what you like to bring to a cookout or game day gathering!
It’s cookout season wahooo! BBQ’s, cookouts, pool parties . . . must be summer! *raise your hand if it’s summer 24-7-365 where you live* We’ve been invited to a couple of outdoor gatherings for the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend, so I thought today I’d share with you how to be the best guest to any bbq!!! You’ll be fully prepared for the food and the fun!
It’s kind of essential to have your own ‘signature’ dish to offer up at any potluck themed gathering and for me it’s this incredible guacamole recipe! It’s tangy and creamy and the party will be buzzing with qossip on who brought the guac!!!
Smores, kabobs, and corn on the cob are all great options to bring and to make over the fire pit! Ahem, the fire pit is the best part! If you’re the one hosting the party, guests can plate up a yummy kabob and then nom on smores afterwards! With this portable fire pit you can bring the party with you anywhere! So if you’re headed to a bbq this summer or having a get together of your own, remember that fire pits and smores are all ya need for a grand ol’ time!
What’s your signature dish that you bring to get together’s and cookouts?
It’s kind of essential to have your own ‘signature’ dish to offer up at any potluck themed gathering and for me it’s 