portobello mushroom salad

As a pescatarian, I revel in the beauty that is the Portobello Mushroom.  It is such a good vegetarian replacement for a burger patty or steak, and they are also great for stuffing or grilling!  Last week, I had an amazing salad with roasted Portobello mushrooms, summer squash, and peppers at a restaurant. I wanted to try to recreate this salad, but my fridge was lacking in the vegetable department.  The result though, was a Portobello Mushroom Salad, and it was delicious!

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zucchini “pasta” with pesto

I made this dish while I was staying in Fort Collins.  I was so excited to learn that my future roommate bought a vegetable spiralizer and I could not wait to try it out!  We had the girls over one night and I decided to make Pesto for dinner.  The girls had it with spaghetti and I had mine on top of Zucchini “Pasta.”

happy twenty-first birthday

A few of you may have seen on my Instagram, or know, that a week ago today (July 21st) would have been Jessi’s 21st birthday.  It was a weekend full of emotions, both happy and sad, but I am thankful that I happened to be in Colorado to celebrate with all of her close friends and family last week.  

colorado camping

Just one week ago, I was waking up in Colorado heading back from a wonderful weekend camping trip.  It was a great trip filled with good food, a couple of great friends, slack-lining, sling-shooting, and sleeping under the stars.  This trip went so smoothly (aside from the ominous thunder that thankfully rolled away), and I credit planning ahead and preparation for that.

college town vacation

Last week, I packed up my bags and headed back to Fort Collins, the college town home to Colorado State University.  I know it may seem strange that on my summer vacation, I took a vacation back to school… but most of my friends reside in Colorado now and I was missing them dearly. The first step was deciding what bags to pack for my week long trip.  Do not worry!  Despite the picture, I am a light packer.  I only bring two bags on trips–even when I go overseas!  My go-to-rule is if I cannot carry it myself, then I have overpacked.

sesame kale chips

Hello all!  I know I have been unusually absent these past few days, but I am on a “me”-cation.  I am back up in Colorado visiting my friends for the week.  I know it may be strange that on my summer vacation I decided to head back to my college town, but I have really grown to love the summers up here.  I will post about my adventures and such in a longer post when I get back in Texas, but for now, here is a recipe for Sesame Kale Chips I made before my trip up here.

season switch up

I absolutely love summer and everything about it, right down to the +100° and humid Texas weather.  Summer just makes me crave healthy and fresh foods like infused water (above: cucumber, ginger & lime), raw produce, and salads.  Can you say light and fit foods?  Yummy!  I am such a visual eater, and that aids in “eating the rainbow” to reap all the health benefits from a variety of fruits and veggies.

back to nature

I have not felt myself lately.  I have felt bogged down, stressed out, and really anxious.  I often seem to spread myself too thin, trying to accomplish many tasks in a small amount of time in order to feel successful and make sure I do not let others down.  During one of my recent chaotic clouds though, I made myself pause for a moment to ask, “Aren’t I on summer break?”  One of my biggest fears in life is not having enough time, but if I am trying to cram too many experiences in a brief period of time, won’t I miss something?

set backs

I admit– I get discouraged.  I let minor set backs make me feel like I have lost everything.  Looking back, I always realize this is not the case though. It just takes a great deal of strength and courage to get back up and keep fighting.  If you are like me, you are your own worst enemy.  I have to constantly remind myself that eventually the storm will pass and the sun will shine again.

the big salad

Happy Monday y’all!  What a great Fourth of July weekend!  If you are like me though, you may be feeling a bit sluggish as your “cheat meal” at your 4th BBQ rapidly escalated into a weekend free-for-all… but never fear!  I have several tips to kick it back into bikini bod mode, starting with last night’s dinner– “the BIG salad.”  “Big salads” are a staple in my family’s diet.  We love them because you can make them however you want!