friday's fave 5: Tour de Fat

New Belgium Brewery's Tour de Fat is one of the best excuses to put on a silly costume, ride your bike around & drink too much beer. 

1. At the Ft. Collins tour, our group costume was a murder of crows- beautiful, feathered, fabulous crows!
2. In Denver, Julie & I dressed up as never nudes- it was a little obscure, but completely hilarious! I'm pleased to say we both make extremely unattractive men.
3. I loved these cute, printed, wood coins. I would have saved one, but they just so happened to be the beer tokens, and I was in need of a cold beer on a hot day
4. Giant jenga, live music, circus performers &  strange contraptions were just part of the festivities in the park
5. And of course, you can't forget all the cool bikes. Everything from old fashioned high wheelers, to new wacky models with tennis shoe tires- the crazy homemade bikes alone could entertain you all day

Tour de Fat ran through Colorado earlier this month, but the tour dates go through the end of October. If you have the chance to check it out, I highly recommend it. SO much fun :)

baked tofu

looking for a simple way to spice up your tofu? bake it! yummm.

 Ingredients:

• 1 block firm tofu- drained/pressed
• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. onion powder

1. While your oven is preheating to 375° F, combine the soy sauce & onion powder in a bowl & stir well to combine
2. Take your block of tofu, cut it into bite-sized cubes & toss it with the soy sauce mixture
3. When the oven is hot, place the tofu on a baking sheet & place it in the oven for 10 minutes
4. After 10 minutes, flip the tofu cubes & bake another 10- maybe longer if you like your tofu a little crispier, or your oven is ghetto like mine
5. When the tofu is baked to perfection, pull it out & add it to your favorite stir fry, salad, or soup!
Enjoy :)

friday's fave 5: fourteeners

With fall quickly approaching, I'm already thinking about some of my favorite moments from this summer- 

hiking my first 2 fourteeners definitely makes that list!

1. The views were outrageous. No matter how many photos I took, it still doesn't seem to do it justice
2. I love spending time with our furry friends- maybe just not that close next time. Ha!
3. Getting to see some places I've never been before-the Grays & Bierstadt areas were both new to me!
4. Spending quality time with wonderful friends is great, but accomplishing something awesome with them makes it even better ♥
5. A tasty meal on its own, our homemade burritos tasted even better after reaching the top

I'm super proud of my hiking skills this summer, and I can't wait to keep it up next year! Any recommendations for our next big hike?

basic vegan pesto

pesto is delicious, versatile & surprisingly easy to make. Whip up a big batch and put it on everything!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basil leaves tightly packed
• 1/2 cup pine nuts*
• 1 clove garlic

• 1 small tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Combine the basil, nuts, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor and run until well combined
2. While the processor is still running, pour the olive oil into the mixture until everything is smooth
3. Scoop out the pesto & enjoy over pasta, on a sandwich, or as a spread!

*Note: If you're poor like me, and don't want to pay for pine nuts, use walnuts or almonds instead- they're more affordable, and the pesto still turns out super tasty :)

high altitude hard-boiled eggs

cooking at altitude can sometimes be tricky, but even us Denver folk gotta have our hard-boiled eggs!

Ingredients:

• Water
• A healthy dash of salt
• Eggs from happy chickens

1. Place the eggs into an appropriately sized saucepan- eggs should fit in the bottom, but not too tight

2. Fill the saucepan with enough cold water to cover the eggs & give it a healthy dash of salt

3. Bring eggs to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and then let them boil for 3 minutes

4. After 3 minutes of boiling, take the pot off the heat, place a lid on top & let them sit for 22 minutes

5. When the 22 minutes is up, run cold water over the eggs until there's no warm water left in the saucepan. All that's left to do is crack 'em open & gobble them down :)

friday's fave 5: summer traditions

I love traditions, and the Big Green Tent slumber party is one of my favorite summer rituals

1. 1995 was the first year for Big Green tent- we were 8 years old & getting ready for 3rd grade
2. This year, 2012, was the 18th annual BGT- the girls may have changed, but the spirit is the same
3. We always curl up in blankets, set up the projector outside & watch Hocus Pocus on the "big screen"
4. Along with grilling burgers (and veggie burgers) we make s'mores- regardless of the calories :)
5. No matter how old we get, I always cover the kitchen table with paper so we can color with crayons- this year I made custom coloring book pages from old photos of previous years

What are some of your favorite summertime traditions & how do you celebrate them? The BGT was just last friday, but I'm already getting excited for next year!

raw cereal

if you're craving a cereal with nothin' but good stuff, look no further than this version right here

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbs raw sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 Tbs raw pumpkin seeds
• 12 raw almonds roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs raisins

• 1/2 apple diced
• a dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup rice milk

1. Place the seeds, almonds, raisins, and diced apple into a bowl
2. Sprinkle the mixture with a dash of cinnamon & give it a stir, so everything is nicely coated
3. Pour the rice milk on top, grab your spoon & dig in!