orange juice sans orange

Juicing is a polarizing pastime. One side claims it is merely sugar water that will do nothing but make you hungry and fat; the other claims it is a great way to ingest the nutrients of multiple veggies in one glass. The Mayo Clinic seems to be member of the former, but it also says it is okay to have 1-2 diet sodas a day, so I can't really agree with everything I'm reading over on their site. If you do decide to throw some juices into the mix, be sure to buy fresh, organic produce and drink the juice within 24 hours (usually less) of making it.

veggie and beef lasagna

I will be the first to confess this recipe {inspired by the lasagna in Against All Grain} is more involved than I usually prefer. I promise it is completely worth it, and if you can keep your husband from eating all of it are lucky, you'll have some leftover for a lunch or two. 

the many benefits of coconut oil

I love coconut oil. I use it for basically everything: cooking, moisturizing my cuticles, homemade sugar scrubs, removing fake eyelashes that refused to release from my eyelids, etc. The benefits of coconut oil are pretty amazing. I'd like to think the benefits of coconut oil are old news, but somehow the age-old advice that low-fat diets are the best thing out there lives on.

marinara sauce

I've always loved marinara sauce. When I was younger, I frequently requested angel hair and marinara. Even my favorite part of cheese sticks was the marinara sauce. On pasta nights at my sorority house, I'd cover broccoli in marinara sauce, since I usually preferred my carbs in liquid form back then.

truffle risotto with baby bellas

I have an undeniable weakness for risotto... if it's on the menu, I tend to order it. Then I get a stomach ache and complain about my inability to resist the creamy concoction. Last night I created my own grain/dairy free version so I could satisfy my taste buds without the torture.

weekend wrapup: dallas,TX

 downtown

It's official: I love Texas. Born yet only partially raised in Kentucky, I've never left the south for any extended period and likely never will. While Florida is located in the South, it's not quite as southern as the rest of the South... if that makes sense. After my second trip to the Lone Star state, I can imagine relocating there if the opportunity arose. Everyone we encountered was friendly and polite. People were excited for french toast on Sunday {who isn't?}. Free tacos were handed over after an order confusion {paleo, shmaleo}. The food? So good. The atmosphere? Even better.

dallas bound

We'll be packing up bright and early tomorrow morning to head to Dallas for The National concert in celebration of Carson's birthday {which was a month ago, but I have no control over The National's tour schedule}. I've only been to Texas one other time {Austin for my bachelorette party}, and have been looking forward to this trip for a few months. Usually we avoid planning our trips and wander around cities while attempting to hit the highlights along the way. Since this trip was such a short one, I've done some research and made an unstructured itinerary. Other than the concert, we're planning to eat our way through the city, and stop in the Nasher Sculpture Center. Follow along on instagram.

Irony

Perhaps in an attempt to garner favor with the nutrition-oriented crowd, McDonald's is going to include a book instead of a toy with its Happy Meals over the next two months. I'm sure that will make many a busy parent rushing through the drive-thru in the hopes the toy will make her child happier, happy. What is truly ironic about this new marketing scheme (other than the fact children do not usually realize you're marketing to them and toys are usually a more popular way to get them through the drive-thru, sadly), is that the books are premised on nutrition. Not that these books say "don't eat McDonald's because not even mold will eat it," but, rather, are geared more towards "don't eat too much" and "eating well will help you grow." Obviously, taking a truly "nutritional" path would be quite the juxtaposition.

A lot of companies with processed, chemical laden foods market to children. It's really unfair, since the parent then has the pleasure of dealing with an unhappy child who is not allowed to buy the "chocolate drink" of choice {yes, yoohoo, this is you}. McDonald's successfully defended, and achieved dismissal, of a lawsuit against it based on the argument that parents have the ability to just say no to their pleasantly screaming child.

McDonald's book plan may not stop children from wanting a Happy Meal. {My last excursion to McDonald's was a long time ago, but the fries? So good.} However, maybe once they have 4 copies of The Goat Who Ate Everything, they'll be more willing to forego the drive-thru, at least the one at McDonald's.

crepes

Speaking of Paris, I have to confess the croissants and crepes are two of my favorite things in the city. Unfortunately, a standard crepe requires all purpose flour and sugar, both of which I try my best to avoid. After I was informed the crepe recipe in Against All Grain was actually quite simple, I decided to give it a go.

not-fried fish sticks

If memory serves me correctly, we never had fish sticks {the frozen ones} at my house growing up. Unfortunately, I've always enjoyed fried fish {fried anything, for that matter}. Every now and then I get an undeniable craving for fried deliciousness. Inspired by a recipe from Against All Grain, I avoided my Chic-fil-a cravings and made a few fish sticks.

almond "cheese"

I miss cheese. Not that we've completely cut it out, but I miss putting it over every vegetable we cooked: Parmesan with asparagus or spinach, feta on Greek salad, goat cheese with beets, wine and cheese, etc. Although it hasn't been fully eliminated, our cheese consumption has certainly been reduced.

simplicity

When we're running out for dinner/drinks on a Friday night, I'm usually in a huge hurry and unable to figure out what to wear, so I just throw on black staples without thinking too much about it. 

friday fun.

Here's a few links for your Friday afternoon enjoyment:

Not sure if I've been living under a rock, but I just discovered Pentatonix. I love Lorde, and I love their cover of Royals.

Things that make you go hmmm: he's getting paid for this, while many are on unpaid "vacation."

If you prefer to wear your paychecks, new items were added to the shopbop sale this week.

It's MLB postseason. If you want to drop some knowledge on your guy {like I just did, because I'm a true FSU fan - I only googled it to show him I wasn't making up facts. Not that I'm known to do that...}, you can let him know where the Atlanta Braves tomahawk chop originated.

cheers to the weekend.

just two days after our engagement in Paris. cred.

Paris fashion week {coupled with Damsel in Dior's instagram} has me dreaming - and planning - our next rendezvous in my favorite city. I think it'll always be my favorite place in the world, since we were engaged at the magical La Societe in St. Germain. 

We are heading out tonight for birthday celebrations for one of the mister's groomsmen {it'll largely involve overeating at Texas de Brazil followed by a food coma}. Saturday we'll take the pup to her favorite place - Davis Island dog beach - to celebrate her 2nd bday. {She's still quite the puppy, maybe by three she'll like walking on the leash?}

mud is good, mom.

Hope you had a great week, and have a happy weekend. xx