celebrate st. patrick's day!

happy (almost) st. patrick's day!!!  every year my parents host an awesome st. patty's day party.  it's open to family and friends, and this year's celebration is even bigger than usual - with upwards of 35 honorary-irish.  in celebration of my irish heritage (50%, baby!), i wanted to share a few things to get you in the green-wearin', whiskey-drinkin' mood : )

drink this...




credit {here}

irish ale cocktail

• 2 oz irish whiskey
• 3 lime wedges
• 3 oz ginger ale

1. add whiskey and squeeze lime wedges into glass.
2. fill with ice and top with ginger ale.  stir to incorporate.

wear this...

i feel like {this} is what kate middleton would wear to a st. patty's celebration : )

eat this...

recipe {here}

after you've had your fill of irish soda bread and braised cabbage, these sweet treats would be the perfect way to end the night.  you can't go wrong with homemade caramel-dipped, white chocolate coated marshmallows!  yummmm!!!

happy st. patrick's day! 

may the enjoy the luck o' the irish : )

foodie: sinfully delicious cake pops

i had a 1/2 dozen leftover brownies that were just ok, so i decided to reinvent them into something deliciously spectacular.  enter my idea to make brownie/cake pops.  if you're looking for a something divine that can be delivered to your mouth on a stick, you must make these.  they are mmm mmm good.

what you'll need (and feel free to use what you have in the pantry)

1/2 dozen brownies
1/2 cup frosting (i used whipped vanilla because that's what i had)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup butterscotch morsels (obviously, you could just go with 100% chocolate if you want!)
sprinkles
straws or popsicle sticks

this recipe made 14 cake pops

1. mash brownies and then mix in frosting.  roll mixture into ping-pong sized balls.  (if the mixture is too tacky to work with, you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes to make it easier to work with.)  line a baking sheet with parchment, and place balls on the tray and then put in fridge for 30 min.

2. melt 2 tbsp of chocolate and get your straws/popsicle sticks ready.  take the balls from the fridge and dip the sticks into the chocolate and then insert into the balls.  put them in the fridge again to let the chocolate set for 20 min or so.  (the chocolate on the stick will act as "glue")

3. put your chocolate chips and butterscotch morsels into a microwave safe bowl and heat until smooth.  in the meantime, put your sprinkles in small ramekin to get ready for dipping. get your cake pops from the fridge, and dip them into the chocolate butterscotch to coat them.  then dip them into the sprinkles for extra decoration!

4. you can put your pops upright into a block of styrofoam, but i didn't have any handy.  instead i laid some on their side and put others standing-up on the parchment-lined baking sheet.  both methods worked fine.  once all your pops are coated and decorated, put them back in the fridge for 30 min - 1 hour to allow the chocolate to set.

these are best enjoyed at room temperature, so remove them from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to enjoying them so that they aren't super hard when you bite into them!

be warned: they are dangerously good!!!!!!!!

the ONLY diet you should go on

credit {here}

i am not a proponent of diets.  ‘nuff said.  but, with the risk of sounding contradictory, there is one diet that i think every single human on the planet could benefit from.  (drum roll please….)  the ‘diet’ of cutting out negative self-talk. 

listen to how you speak to yourself.  for most of us (for me, it was especially in my teen years), it’s often a steady barrage of negative thoughts and put-downs.  “ugh…you look soooo fat in that. / your hair is a frizzy mess today. / you think you can eat that?  it’s gonna go right to your stomach pooch!”  you women out there, can relate, i’m sure…which is kind of sad…

but that voice is not you – it’s talking “at you”, as if it’s a necessary commentator for your life.  for me, that voice is a mix of unreliable sources, like the media.  from reading magazines and watching tv, we learn that to be loved and adored, we have to be at least 5 foot 7 inches tall, 110 pounds, have gorgeous flowing locks and flawless skin.  i’m only 5 foot 5 – so according to this faulty belief system, i’m already failing!  that sucks!

purge yourself of your negative self-talk.  cut back on it as you would calories or carbs.  no amount of self-criticism will ever make you happier – has it worked yet?  so try something different.  if you see no results, and don’t feel any better, you can always go back to beating yourself up.

when a negative self-judgment pops into your head, notice it.  that’s the first step – just notice.  don’t judge because that’s a self-criticism, too!  (i know, it’s a tricky game to play, but it’s worth it!)  then just let it float away. 

if you’re feeling really bold, bring to mind something you like about yourself.  maybe your big beautiful eyes, your sense of humor, or your slender fingers that can play the piano (sort of).  even if it’s something small, it’s a start.  if you’re having a lot of trouble coming up with something, think back to compliments you’ve received from others – maybe you’re often acknowledged for your kindness, or your great smile, or your easy-going nature.  whatever it is, bring it to mind, and revel in the awesomeness that is you…even if it’s just for a few minutes.

for me, yoga has been key to eliminating my harsh self-talk.  yoga teaches you to accept all of your being - inside & out, mind, body and soul - just as it is now.  without forcing change, you're asked to become an observer of your body and mind, and then, from that place, you work to align the two with breath, movement and awareness.  pushing yourself to "change" with mean words and thoughts, only weakens you - you're pitting your mind against your body.  if you can, instead, work to combine the two, you have twice the power to affect positive change in yourself and your world.

as you crash diet your way out of negative self-talk, you may just notice that you feel a bit lighter in a way that has nothing to do with the number on the scale.

meditation prompt for your journal or cushion:
what are three things you like about your physical body?
what are three things you like about your personality?

when the boys are away, the girls will play!

tonight my sister, some friends, and i are enjoying a girls' night in.  craig's on his way to montreal as we speak for a friend's bachelor party, so girl-time is a must!  what's on the itinerary?  pizza, wine, fire in the fireplace, chick flick (maybe) and obviously lots of laughs and good conversation.  and maybe some just dance on wii...  sounds pretty prefect, right?

what we're drinking...

night harvest - sauvignon blanc
tapeña - dry rosé
rex goliath - free range red

i've had night harvest and rex goliath before, but the tapeña is a new one. cross-your-fingers it's a "goodie" - i love finding new vintages : )

what we're eating...

pizza!  usually we make-our-own, but tonight, to keep it super simple, we're opting for take-out.  i'm thinking a 1/2 broccoli garlic, 1/2 ricotta roasted red pepper pie.

broccoli pizza  - picture credit {here}

what's satisfying our sweet tooth....

cake balls.  it's such an awful name, but they really are delicious.  little tiny cake/frosting/chocolate-dipped bits of heaven.  (recipe to come next week.)

yes, that's right...i made those : )

hope you have some fun weekend plans, too!

need a dinner idea? how about creamy butternut squash soup?!

this soup is truly divine.  it's rich, and creamy, and surprisingly healthy, too!  if you love a good butternut squash soup, this recipe can't be beat.  and, it's the perfect winter meal for a cozy evening by the fire. 

picture credit {here}

1 butternut squash (2 lbs), seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 vidalia onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 whole garlic bulb
3 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup cream sherry
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk or half & half
salt to taste

View full recipe

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with foil. place vegetables on baking sheet and brush with oil. trim off top of garlic bulb, brush lightly with olive oil, wrap with foil and place on baking sheet with vegetables.

2. roast vegetables in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes or until they are very tender. set aside to cool.

3. after they've cooled - squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins; scrape the flesh from the squash and remove outer layer of onion. add half of the garlic, squash, onion, and carrots to the food processor. add 1 cup of the vegetable stock and purée until smooth; repeat two more times until all veggies and stock are combined.

enjoy it with some warm, fresh baked bread, and you're all set!

bon appetit!

give yourself a break!

i don’t feel like doing anything.  the past week or so i’ve been suffering from a major lack of motivation.  my energy is waning, and i feel like i’m pushing myself to just get the bare minimum done, let alone all the other countless things that i could be working on.  my tendency when emotions like this crop up is to “power-through” to the best of my ability.  and when i inevitably crash, i beat myself up for not doing more…

credit {here}

instead of surrendering to and accepting the feeling, i continue to bump up against it and fight it.  pushing it away, only to have it bombard me again moments later.  that, in and of itself, is exhausting.  i must admit, i’m not new to this cycle of events – when i was younger and dissatisfied with the size and shape of my body, i would diet and force my body into a battle against itself.  instead of trying to work with my hunger, i fought it.  and fighting, especially when it’s with yourself, takes you in circles.

my mom says “if you want to keep on gettin’ what your gettin’, keep on doin’ what you’re doin’” – i.e. if i want this lack-of-motivation spell to end, i have to change the way in which i’m dealing with it.  easier said than done…

but let’s give it a go, anyway.  so, with that thought in mind, what could i do differently to change my current reality?  well, instead of pushing myself to my limits, i could honor the fact that i might need a break, and…take a break!  (a novel concept, i know.)  or, instead of continually thinking, “what’s wrong with me?  why don’t i want to do anything?  why do i feel like things are at a standstill?”, i could work to silence that inner critic with a deep breathing and mindfulness.  and perhaps, in the quiet, motivation or a new idea or peace of mind could creep in.  and honestly, just writing this post is making me feel better, so i guess just writing about it – and sharing my feelings with others – is helpful, too.

as a culture, we’ve been taught to fight against unpleasant emotion, because we are a nation of doers not experiencers.  instead of surrendering to the feeling, and letting it wash over us like a wave that will eventually ebb, we prepare for battle, thinking if we set up enough barricades we can stop the wave in its tracks…which never happens.   what if, instead of always doing more we felt more.  and instead of judging our emotions and feelings, we got curious about them and tried to look at them in a more objective way.  perhaps, we would discover that they are not something to be fought, but rather a lesson waiting to be embraced. 

i feel better already….

meditation prompt for your journal or cushion:

what emotion do you continually fight?
what would it be like to just sit with it, without pushing it away?

weekend menu: yoga & cocktails

this weekend i have yogadharma - my yoga teacher training - so there's not a lot of time left for cooking!  luckily, after visiting with my parents early this morning, my mom sent me home with a few servings of penne pasta with smoked mozzarella for my lunches this weekend. yum!  and though my time is limited, craig and i are still planning on meeting up with some friends at our favorite watering hole saturday night.

weekend lunches: penne with roasted red peppers, spinach & smoked mozzarella

recipe {here}.  picture credit {here}

happy hour with friends: cosmopolitan

cosmo recipe {here}.  for the best, go to bobby's!

saturday night dinner with friends: veggie pizza

we're looking forward to veggie supreme pizza from baked on main!  picture credit {here}.



happy weekend!