August 2014 Instagrammed

Hey August- Thanks for 31 really fun days. Can't wait to do it again next year.

1-3: I always look forward to August, because it means 3 of my most favorite things all year- The Denver County Fair (1), Tour De Fat Ft. Collins (2) and the annual slumber party I have every year with my friends- Big Green Tent (3) This year was the TWENTIETH annual! Crazy.

4-6: This month my roommate and I also dove face first into the Denver Film Society by checking out some great films, joining Reel Social Club & riding roller coasters all night at Summer Scream. SO fun!

7: I also got to go to a Rockies game with my parents in honor of my Dad's birthday! The Rockies didn't win, but it was still such a nice night with the family :)

8: To cap off a WONDERFUL summer, the Denver Passport had it's finale party yesterday- I can't believe I have to wait 'til next year to start stamping again!

9: Finally, this month would not have been so special if not for Hayley & Jorge's wedding. We cried, we danced, we rolled home in a party bus, and I couldn't possibly be happier for these two amazing people to start a beautiful marriage together ♥

August this year was SO full and fun, it's sad to see it go and take what remains of summer with it. I'm starting to look forward to sweaters and pumpkins and fall things, but right now I wish August could last just a little longer. I hope you're cherishing what's left of your summer too! 

spaghetti squash enchilada bake

This isn't the GREATEST picture I've ever taken, but seriously, I could not waste any time getting this gooey mess of cheesy-enchilada-spaghetti-squash-amazingness in my mouth.
 Yeah. It's that good.

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1/2 cup your favorite enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 can diced Hatch green chiles

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions sliced
• a dash of salt & pepper

1.  Slice the squash in half, scrape out the seeds & place the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet,  into an oven heated to 400° F
2. Bake the squash for 40 minutes, or until it's soft enough that you can easily insert a fork into the rind
3. When there's about 5 minutes left on the timer, heat the enchilada sauce, black beans and green chiles in a small sauce pan
4. When the squash is ready, remove from the oven & use a fork to scrape away the cooked squash, which will fall away into noodle-like strands
5. Place the cooked spaghetti strands from 1/2 of the squash into a casserole dish, mix in the enchilada sauce mixture, top with cheese, and pop the dish back into the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Top with sliced green onions, a dash of salt & pepper & try not to inhale the whole thing at once…. but if you do, that's totally okay. I'm right there with you :)

super simple chickpea salad

For those days when you need to pack & eat lunch but don't have the time, whip up a quick chickpea salad, throw it on some toast, and chow down between meetings.

Ingredients:

• hearty 1/2 cup chickpeas
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Vegenaise 
• dash of pepper
• dash of garlic salt

• 1 or 2 slice of your favorite bread
• 1/4 avocado sliced & any other veggies you may have in your fridge

1. Place the chickpeas in a small bowl and mush with a fork, leaving it a bit chunky
2. Add the Vegenaise (or your favorite mayo), a little pepper, a little garlic salt & stir the mixture together until combined- that's it!
3. Serve on toast with mustard & avocado, lettuce & tomato, cucumbers & sprouts, or all of the above!

Quick. Easy. Tasty. Now get back to work ;)

july 2014 instagrammed

How can July already be over? This past month was filled with SO many fun things, I'm sad it's ending so soon!

From top left:
1-3: The first weekend of July was triple special! Fourth of July, my friend Hayley's bachelorette party, & my first trip to Austin all rolled into one. Bar hopping, pool time & exploring the city were just a small part of what made the weekend so spectacular!
4: I've been meaning to go for a while, but I finally got some new tattoos. Just little ones- I love them ♥
5: This month was also filled with so many birthdays & I'm glad I was able to celebrate with so many of my summer-baby friends! I especially loved baking them cupcakes & crafting them silly toppers
6: My first tomato! My garden really started to bloom this month & I'm loving it!
7-9: This last weekend of July was UMS one of my FAVORITE weekends of the year! Great people, beautiful weather, interesting venues, and all kinds of music. On the bottom left is Covenhoven and the right, Shawn James & the Shapeshifters. Two very different bands, but both REALLY great shows!

I can't believe the summer is going by so fast- I hope you enjoyed your July too :)

minty fresh summer sipper

Hot, summer days call for cool, crisp cocktails on happy hour patios. We had these drinks last weekend for one of my best friend's birthdays, & they were so fresh & tasty, I had to share!

Ingredients:

• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 4-ish oz. vodka

• juice from 1/2 lime
• ice cubes
• soda water

1. Place the mint and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker & muddle the ingredients together
2. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice cubes & then pour in the vodka & lime juice
3. Shake it up!
4. Place ice cubes in 4 glasses and pour equal amounts of the minty vodka into each glass
5. Top with soda water, give it a little stir, head to the patio & drink up!

** If you like your cocktails a little sweeter, add more simple syrup to the shaker, or swap out the soda water for tonic or ginger beer :)

june 2014 instagrammed

I think one of the many reasons I'm such a sporadic blogger is because I'm constantly running around with a different project or activity to keep me busy- that, and I spend WAY too much time on my Instagram :)

From top left:
1 & 2: The first weekend of June, I completed my first sprint triathlon with some of my best lady friends. It was really hard, but totally worth it- I've never been more proud of us!
3: BRUNCH is the best! These homemade banana pancakes were perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.
4, 5 & 6: Drinks, drinks & more drinks- I'm finally taking advantage of my Denver Passport & it's been way too much fun running around Denver trying all kinds of tasty drinks at fun new places.
7: I got to attend a baby shower for one of my oldest friends- I can't wait to meet the new addition to her wonderful family!
8: I also got to attend a beautiful wedding, for a beautiful couple, at a real castle! Look how happy those love birds are!♥
9: Did I mention how much I like brunch? Yesterday I took a trip to the new Sassafras location on Colfax & I promptly ate my body weight in Southern-inspired comfort food. YUM.

Well I hope you enjoyed my first monthly review in instagrams! It was a busy month, but a REALLY good one too.

quinoa collard wrap with black beans

Healthy, easy, delicious, and totally packable for the office or a picnic. I am ALL about this quinoa collard wrap right now.

Ingredients:

• 1 big collard green leaf, or 2 smaller ones
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup canned black beans
• 2 Tbs. feta or sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 dash salt & pepper
• 1 dash cumin
• 2 Tbs. your favorite salsa on the side

1. Wash the collard leaf and slice out the big chunky part of the stem.
2. In a bowl, mash the black beans with a fork, and then stir in the quinoa and feta.
3. Give the bean mixture a healthy dash of salt, pepper & cumin, and mix the ingredients until well combined.
4. Take half the large collard leaf (or 1 small one), spread half the bean mixture in the middle, and roll it up like a burrito!
5. Take the second half of the bean mixture, place it on the second collard leaf, and roll that up as well- serve with your favorite salsa

creamy avocado dressing

Ever get bored with the same old salad dressing? Look no further than this creamy avocado topping for a little somethin' different.

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1 Tbs. Nutritional yeast

• 1 Tbl. lemon juice
• 1 cup water or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 dash of black pepper

1. Prepare the avocado by slicing it in half & removing the skin & pit
2. Place the avocado, green onion, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt into a food processor and begin to blend the ingredients together on low
3. Gently pour in the water or olive oil with the processor running until the dressing has reached your desired consistency
4. Slather your favorite salad with the creamy avocado goodness! One recipe will usually top 3 or 4 salads for me :)

slow cooker spicy black bean chili

With winter around the corner, I'm all ready to bust out my crockpot for some tasty soups and stews. This chili is chunky, hearty, and a little bit spicy- yeah, I'll be making this recipe a lot :)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 2 Tbl. chili powder

• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans black beans drained & rinsed
• 2 cans diced green chiles drained
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 package Boca ground crumbles

1. Saute the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet with the olive oil for 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften
2. Add in the chili powder and cook an additional 30 seconds, until everything is coated
3. Place the chili powdered veggies, the tomatoes with juice, the black beans, the diced chiles, veggie broth, cumin, cayenne, and garlic salt into the crockpot and let it cook on low while you're at work or out and about 6+ hours
4. 1-2 hours before you're ready to eat, add the Boca crumbles into the slow cooker, & continue to cook on low
5. When everything is well combined and heated through, season with salt and pepper, and serve it up!

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Hey, it's October first! Start your Halloween countdown and celebrate with some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Adapted from an already-great recipe in The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes by Kris Holechek

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp. salt

• 1 cup Earth Balance, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 Tbs. rice milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. While the oven is preheating to 350° F, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl and give it a stir
2. Next, take another medium size bowl and use a mixer to combine the softened Earth Balance, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, rice milk, and vanilla
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use the mixer to blend everything together
4. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter and drop heaping tablespoon-sized dollops onto your baking sheet about 2 inches apart
5. Pop the dough into the oven and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until the cookie edges are lightly brown

food rut: avocado toast

Do you ever get into a food rut? Where you discover a new amazing meal and all you want to do is eat it all the time? I'm totally stuck on avocado toast right now. It's SO simple & SO GOOD!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bagel or 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 1/4 avocado

• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

1. Place the bread or bagel into the toaster & cook until it's perfectly golden
2. Take a fork and smush the avocado onto the top of the bagel
3. Sprinkle the avocado/toast with a little salt & pepper
4. Serve with half a peach or another fruit for a quick & healthy breakfast - yum! :)

rice noodle bowl with veggies

This easy noodle bowl is fresh, colorful, and totally hits the spot when I'm too lazy to drive myself down to the good Vietnamese places on Federal ;)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 box thin rice noodles
• 1/4 cup carrot- shredded
• 1/4 cup your favorite type of sprouts

• 1/4 cup red bell pepper thinly sliced 
• 1/4 cup red cabbage shredded
• 1/2 cup your favorite sauce

1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway up with water and bring to a boil
2. When the water is bubbling, remove pan from heat & drop the rice noodles into the liquid
3. Let the noodles soak for approximately 10 minutes while you chop & shred your veggies
4. When the noodles are soft, drain out the water & place them into your serving bowl
5. Top the noodles with your veggies & then slather the entire mixture with your favorite sauce- soy, hoisin or even this easy peanut sauce. Now grab those chopsticks & dig in!

grilled caprese sandwich

Tomato + basil = an amazing flavor combination. 

Add cheese & smush it in a panini press? Well, that right there is a seriously delicious sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

• 1 tomato sliced
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella style cheese
• a healthy pinch of salt & pepper
• a big dash Italian seasoning

1. While your skillet or panini press is heating up, slice up the tomato & measure out the other ingredients
2. Lightly drizzle the balsamic vinegar onto one piece of bread & the olive oil onto the other
3. Layer the basil leaves on top of one slice of bread and top it with the tomato, cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning & finally the other piece of bread
4. Place the assembled sandwich into your hot skillet or panini press & cook until the cheese is nice & melty & the bread perfectly golden brown- bon appetit :)

friday's fave 5: my first garden

I've always enjoyed taking care of a couple houseplants, but an entire garden has been quite the undertaking- 

It's been a lot of learning, but a lot of fun too!

1. Starting something new is always a little worrisome, but thanks to some cute plants and an amazing homemade planter (thanks Dad!) I've had no problem diving right into this endeavor 

2. My parents have great green thumbs- Not only am I thankful for all their help, but I'm also excited to now share their love of gardening too. It's something that I can't wait to do with all my loved ones ♥

3. This is my very first cucumber EVER! Isn't it amazing what a little sun, water & soil can make?

4. I love reaping the benefits from this garden- Nothing tastes better than a perfectly ripe cherry tomato fresh off the vine- yum!
5. I can't believe how much everything has grown in just a few short months! My little garden has become such a nice place to get my hands dirty in the soil, take a nibble of fresh, homegrown produce, & even just enjoy being outside in the beautiful summer sun.

Is anyone else having fun in their first garden this summer? What are you growing?

eggLESS egg salad sandwich

Craving egg salad but skipping on eggs? Look no further than this tofu version- it's fast, easy & so tasty you'll be like, eggs? What eggs? 

Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/3 block firm tofu- squeezed
• 1 Tbs. Vegenaise
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 1/4 tsp. salt
• A dash of garlic salt
• 2 leaves romaine lettuce
• 1 Tbs. spicy brown mustard

1. Place the 2 slices of bread into the toaster & let them brown to your desired crispiness
2. Meanwhile, take the squeezed tofu & crumble it with your fingers into a bowl
3. Add the Vegenaise, salt, pepper, & garlic salt to the tofu & mash everything together with a fork until all the ingredients are entirely combined
4. Spread mustard on one piece of toast, top it with the tofu mixture, then the romaine lettuce, and finally the second piece of toast- enjoy! :)

**This recipe is so great and simple, it also makes a good baseline for more flavorful add-ins, like shredded carrot, diced onion, or chopped celery. Your eggless salad? The sky's the limit! ;)

easy peanut sauce

A quick, easy, Asian-inspired peanut sauce. I'm not the biggest peanut butter fan, but this sauce is still one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Tbs. your favorite peanut butter
• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tbs. hoisin sauce

• 1 1/2 Tbs. water
• A dash of chili garlic sauce
• A splash of lime juice

1. Pour all ingredients into a bowl and stir vigorously until everything is well combined
2. Adjust flavors and spiciness to your liking
3. Serve as a dipping sauce with fresh spring rolls, or pour on top of a stir fry or noodle bowl

grilled brussels skewers

Summertime is BBQ-time, and if you're looking for a crowd pleaser, try these brussels sprouts skewers, 'cause they're seriously amazing!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. brussels sprouts
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 package wooden skewers

1. Place the skewers in a large dish & cover them with water to soak while you prep everything else & heat up the grill
2. Toss together the brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl or plastic bag
3. When the sprouts are evenly coated with the oil & spices, slide them onto the skewers
4. Place the skewers on a hot grill and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side
5. When perfectly blackened, serve them up & dig in! Yum!

erin's favorite salad

Salads can be seriously boring, but this one is full of color, texture & flavor. This is my absolute favorite, go-to salad, and I could eat it everyday.

Ingredients:

• 2 large kale leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup red cabbage chopped
• 1 carrot shredded

• 1 Tbl. ground flax seed
• 1 tsp. your favorite spice or dried herb
• 2 Tbl. your favorite salad dressing

1. Chop, shred, measure, grind, and get all the ingredients prepped
2. Combine the veggies, flax, and spices in a bowl or on a plate and top with dressing
3. Grab a fork and dig in!

* If you're looking to add some protein, top off your salad with 1/2 cup beans, hard-boiled egg, or a sliced Boca chik'n patty :)

slow cooker lentils & veggies

Crock pot cooking isn't just for the winter months! Throw everything in, go to work, and come home to a hot, tasty meal without having to heat up the kitchen. Lentils & veggies? Yes please.

Adapted from this Lentil & Veggie Stew recipe on Skinny Ms.

Ingredients:

• 1 large garlic clove diced
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 4 carrots sliced
• 3/4 onion chopped
• 2 stalks celery sliced
• 12 oz frozen green beans

• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 3 cups low-sodium tomato juice
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup dry lentils

1. Prepare all the ingredients by chopping the vegetables & measuring out the spices & liquids
2. Place everything except the lentils into the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours
3. After 8-10 hours-ish, add in the lentils and cook for 1 more hour
4. When the lentils are tender, adjust the liquid and/or seasoning to your liking & dig in! - I like my portion served with hot sauce :)

frozen yogurt popsicles

I broke out my popsicle molds for the first time last week, and I can already tell that these frozen yogurt pops are going to be my obsession for the summer!

Ingredients:

• your favorite yogurt- I used Chobani non fat Greek yogurt, since it was on sale at the store :)
• popsicle sticks
• popsicle molds or dixie cups

1. Peel the lid off the yogurt and stir it up until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined
2. Pour the yogurt into the popsicle molds or dixie cups and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes
3. After 30 minutes, shove a popsicle stick into the middle of the yogurt & leave them in the freezer overnight
4. When you want a frozen treat, run the mold or cup under hot water & remove the yogurt pop

Seriously, I'm obsessed. They're healthy, easy to make, and the perfect summertime treat. I can't wait to spend the next few months experimenting with different flavors! Any suggestions?