Weekend Moments 5.4.2015

1. baby photography.
2. garage sale lemonade stand.
3. styling with a vintage safari chair from Retro Wanderlust in Minneapolis
4. ikea plant finally flourishing.
5. reading old cookbooks.
6. lily flowers from a loved one.

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Minnesota Local

There are oodles and oodles of new businesses and restaurants popping up in the Twin Cities. I love it! Everyday I am bumping into new places to eat and visit...my list of places to go has gotten pretty long so I picked a few of my favorites to share with you all. Can't wait for you guys to check them out. #amIalocalyet?

Photography:

• Canary Grey - www.canarygrey.com
• Eliesa Johnson - www.eliesajohnson.com

Marketing/PR/Design:

• Ali Kaplan - www.alishops.com 
• Liz Gardner - www.lizgardnermpls.com
• Makwa Studio - www.makwastudio.com 
• Constructed Matter - www.constructedmatter.com 
• Hooked Calligraphy - www.hookedcalligraphy.com
• Ciel Loft and Home -  www.cielloftandhome.com 
• MWMMPLS - www.scarf-shop.com 

Bloggers: 

• Live and Love MN - www.liveandlovemn.com
• Minneshopolis - www.minneshopolis.com

What is your favorite local business? Leave a comment sharing the name of your favorite local business. 

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Cucumber Salad with Feta

One of my go-to side recipes is this cucumber salad with crumbled feta cheese. It's simple, healthy, and lasts for a couple days after you make it...perfect for a dinner side and then lunch the next day. 

Plus, for all you weight watcher fans out there this recipe is only 3 points...winning!

Ingredients:

• Half a cucumber
• 1 large beefsteak tomato
• 1/2 bunch of green onions
• 1/4 red onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, pitted
• 3 tbsp of crumbled feta
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions:

• Chop up all vegetables into small pieces
• Add salt, pepper, feta, and olive oil into vegetables and mix up all ingredients

All finished!

Holy cow... I think that only took me like 3 minutes. 

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Healthy Hummus Recipe

Hummus is the best! I love to spread it on my sandwiches instead of mayo or simply dip vegetables in it for a healthy snack. 

I've been buying hummus from the grocery store since college...perhaps because I had no idea how easy it was to make. You probably have majority of the ingredients in your kitchen and don't even know it... check out the quick 10 minute recipe below for a healthy snack or sandwich spread. 

Ingredients:

• One 15 oz. can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans...same thing), drained and rinsed well
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp of plain yogurt
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp of crumbled feta for topping

Dipping ingredients:

• Cut up carrots and cherry tomatoes to dip into the hummus. 

Instructions:

• In a magic bullet (or food processor) combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, smoked paprika and yogurt. 
• Blend ingredients for 1-2 minutes - make sure to scrape the sides so all ingredients are mixing.
• Then pour in 3 tbsp of olive oil and blend for another minute - save the final tbsp of olive oil to drizzle on top. 
• Turn off bullet and taste test for consistency.  Add a little water if the consistency is too thick and not smooth. 
• Before serving, sprinkle crumbled feta and drizzle with additional olive oil.

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Kale Cheddar & Feta Grilled Chee

Hey y'all.

I probably know what you are thinking... what the heck? Kale cheddar and feta grilled cheese?? Super random, I know...but I promise you won't be disappointed.

I would like to consider myself as the leftover queen...which also means I hate wasting food. So when you combine the two characteristics...you get random but delicious recipes.  I just couldn't stand to waste any of the kale I got for my Spicy Turkey and Kale Chili recipe earlier this week. 

Kale Cheddar & Feta Grilled Cheese: 1 sandwich

Ingredient:

• Two slices of wheat grain bread
• 1/2 cup of kale
• 2 slices of sharp cheddar
• Thin slice of red onion
• 1 tbsp of feta cheese
• A splash of red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp of butter (or mayo...I'll explain below)

Instructions:

• Heat up olive oil in a small pan. Once the pan is hot wilt the kale in the pan with a splash of red wine vinegar. Once the kale turns a little brown you can toss the sliced onions in there to cook together.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Place the mix into a bowl and place it on the side. Do not turn off the pan once you are finished with the kale and onion - you will need it hot to toast the sandwich on. 
• Butter one side of both slices of bread. This will crisp up the outside of the sandwich. However, if butter doesn't do the trick then you can use mayo instead (will make it crispier but not burn the outside). Shout out to my friend Kristy for that awesome tip!
• Layer the cooked kale and onion on the bread...butter or mayo on the outside! Once you place the kale and onion on the bread, sprinkle the feta on top. Place 1-2 slices of cheddar to cover the kale, onion, and feta mix.  Place other slice of bread on top of sharp cheddar. 
• Pick up the sandwich and place it in the pan. Put a lid on top so it forms a little oven on your stove top. Flip sandwich over after 1-2 minutes and keep flipping till you see the cheese melt. 

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Coconut Oat Granola Bars

A co-worker of mine brought these granola bars into work right after New Years Eve. They were so good that when he offered for people to take the leftover's home, I quickly packed a few bars into a plastic container. 

Eating healthy...fail.

Anyway...I felt like it was time to replicate these amazing coconut oat granola bars. Nooo...these granola bars below are not from the first week in January! I ate those up... like when no one could see me. 

Coconut Oat Granola Bars: 10-12 bars

Ingredients:

Dry

• 2 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup nuts or seeds (I just used pecans and walnuts)
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp of peanut butter

Wet

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, soft
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. In a different bowl, combine wet ingredients. Once dry and wet ingredient are mixed in their separate bowls...pour wet ingredients into dry and completely combine ingredients.
• In a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and stir in peanut butter.
• Line a 8x8-inch dish with wax paper. Press half of the granola bar dough into bottom of the dish. Spread the chocolate peanut butter mix evenly over the granola bar layer. Top with another layer of the granola bar dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours. Cut into 10-12 granola bars. You can store them in the freezer for longer... but you won't want to. 

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Ice cream for Breakfast

Whoever said ice cream is not for breakfast?!

Welllll OK...I am teasing...but a little scoop never hurt anyone. 

Its been over a week and I've been making the same fruit smoothie recipe everyday for breakfast... it was definitely missing something. I looked into my fridge... then freezer...and ah ha! Ice cream!

Here's the thing - the whole point of me making this fruit smoothie was to make sure I ate a "healthy" breakfast... we might have to turn this recipe into a dessert one eventually. Key word...eventually. 

Fruit Smoothie Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of strawberries
• 1/4 cup of blackberries
• 2 tbsp. of pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 tbsp of ice cream (I prefer Edy's Vanilla)

Toppings:

• Granola 
• Fresh fruit

Instructions:

• I used a magic bullet blender but a regular blender will do.
• Put all ingredients into blender and blend till the consistency is smooth.

**I made a big batch and put it in a mason jar to keep in the freezer. This way I don't have to blend a new batch everyday and can just thaw out a cup the night before.

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Energy Boosting Toast

Sliced apples + Peanut butter + Honey + Pomegranate seeds

Ingredients:

• Piece of wheat bread
• 1/2 of a honey crisp apple (thinly sliced)
• Handful of pomegranate seeds
• 2 tbsp. of Jif creamy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp. of honey 
• 1 tbsp. of cinnamon 

Instructions:

• Toast bread and spread creamy peanut butter on toasted slice of bread. 
• Sprinkle cinnamon on thinly sliced apples and bake for 10-15 minutes on 350F.
• Take apples out of oven and layer on top of peanut buttered bread. 
• Melt tbsp. of honey in microwave for 15 seconds, then drizzle on top of apples. 
• Pepper pomegranate seeds on top of the honey

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Spicy Turkey and Kale Chili

Chili was one of the first recipes I created on my own...so naturally it's a dish that stays close to my heart. Of course, it has evolved since the first time I made it and I swear it gets better every time! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey meat
• 2 cups of kale
• 2 cups of Trader Joe's tomato basil marinara (substitute for tomato paste)
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups of water
• 1 can of Bush's Bacon and Brown Sugar Baked Beans
• 1 jalapeno
• 3 tbsp. of cumin
• 1 tbsp. of salt
• 1 tbsp. of pepper
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions:

• Heat 2 cups of water with 1 chicken bouillon cube till boiling. Once the water is boiling, turn down to a medium heat temperature.
• Put ground turkey meat in broth and break apart into pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook for a couple minutes while breaking the meat apart.
• Pour two cups of tomato basil marinara into pot. 
• Chop tomato, green pepper, kale, garlic, onion, jalapeno and set aside. Open can of beans and add bean/vegetables into the mix.
• Add the rest of the spices. Feel free to add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Let the turkey and kale chili cook on low for 1-2 hours, but honestly I believe the longer you cook the more flavor comes out. 

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