A Green Affair

Anthony and I decided that when we moved to CA we would start eating differently. We don’t eat horribly, but like most people, we could certainly eat healthier. Anthony’s a very picky vegetarian, so creating meals for the two of us each day would drain me. I would search recipes and spend way to much time making lackluster meals. Poor Anthony would have to eat some slight variation of a tuna sandwich every day for lunch and pasta for dinner, like, every night. That gets very old, quick! When Anthony found the website, Eat This Much, I felt like all my food prayers had been answered. The site plans meals for you weekly and sends you a grocery list with each recipe based off your specifications. You can choose from certain diets as well omit any foods you don’t enjoy. We have ours set to feed two people, three meals a day. Our only stipulation is that lunch must travel well and be easily reheated since Anthony eats at the office. You can also set the program to include leftovers. It’s kind of genius! It takes all the planning out of cooking. We’ve been using Eat This Much for a week now and we are very happy with it. All the foods are so simple and tasty. I told Anthony the other day, “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten such a variety of food, ever!” A typical day of meals looks something like this: Yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfastAvocado white bean wrap for lunch California grilled veggie sandwich with aioli and yam fries for dinnerThat veggie sandwich is one of my faves! I never would have thought to make something as simple as that, but it tasted so good! I really can’t recommended this program enough!

Anthony and I decided that when we moved to CA we would start eating differently. We don’t eat horribly, but like most people, we could certainly eat healthier. Anthony’s a very picky vegetarian, so creating meals for the two of us each day would drain me. I would search recipes and spend way to much time making lackluster meals. Poor Anthony would have to eat some slight variation of a tuna sandwich every day for lunch and pasta for dinner, like, every night. That gets very old, quick!

When Anthony found the website, Eat This Much, I felt like all my food prayers had been answered. The site plans meals for you weekly and sends you a grocery list with each recipe based off your specifications. You can choose from certain diets as well omit any foods you don’t enjoy. We have ours set to feed two people, three meals a day. Our only stipulation is that lunch must travel well and be easily reheated since Anthony eats at the office. You can also set the program to include leftovers. It’s kind of genius! It takes all the planning out of cooking. We’ve been using Eat This Much for a week now and we are very happy with it. All the foods are so simple and tasty. I told Anthony the other day, “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten such a variety of food, ever!”

A typical day of meals looks something like this:

Yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfast
Avocado white bean wrap for lunch
California grilled veggie sandwich with aioli and yam fries for dinner

That veggie sandwich is one of my faves! I never would have thought to make something as simple as that, but it tasted so good! I really can’t recommended this program enough!

Last night we went to an insider’s gala to preview the Modernica Factory Sale, which is a once a year kind-of-a-big-deal sorta thing. People come from all around the country to get their greedy, mid-century loving mitts on furniture priced 20-70% off. We had planned to wait in line with everyone else on Saturday, but then we got an email saying that because we subscribe to their mailing list we can bypass the line and check out the sale early. Sure, why not.

I’m so glad we went early, because no furniture is worth waiting in line for, even if it is drastically marked down. Don’t think that means we came home empty handed. In fact, we came home with a Case Study storage unit that we thought would fit in our bathroom. We were pretty thrilled with our purchase until we got it home and realized that our guesstimate of the amount of space between the toilet and sink was totally off. Rookie mistake, but lucky for us we have plenty of walls that need filled.

The really cool thing about being at Modernica’s factory was to see how the fiberglass shell chairs are made. This year, attendees were treated to a first-hand look at the production of the chairs. They use the original machinery that the first Eames shells were produced from back in the 1950s. That means our vintage chairs were made in those very machines! Pretty neat.

How cute is this cookie?! Our new friend Jillian, who is the manager at Maxwell Dog, gave us this thoughtful gift for Diego as a “Welcome to Los Angeles” treat. I thought it was too sweet not to share with you.

How cute is this cookie?! Our new friend Jillian, who is the manager at Maxwell Dog, gave us this thoughtful gift for Diego as a “Welcome to Los Angeles” treat. I thought it was too sweet not to share with you.

Things have been a tad bit more hectic than expected around here. Four hours before our arrival in Los Angeles we learned that we had been misinformed about the price of our loft. We didn’t really have any other option than to just go with it. Around 11pm on our first night we realized our neighbors record live music. Come to find out, the guitar player for Marilyn Manson, Twiggy, was next door doing his thing.. over and over again. Our neighbors are social media strategists by day and an industrial rock band come night. After much discussion and agonizing on my part, we decided to move to a different unit. We’ll be moving in a couple weeks once the other space comes available. The unit we’ll be moving in to was last used to film a reality show. Only in LA…

We made it to California last night! We stopped in a little town just passed the border in Needles, CA. Our drive into Los Angeles should be a breeze this morning (finger’s crossed). We’re still amazed at how quickly this trip has flown by. Yesterday we drove through New Mexico and all the way through Arizona. I insisted we stop at a trading post in Arizona. We looked at petrified wood and bought some baby moccasins for a friend while at Geronimo.

I imagine today will be pretty hectic with the move-in and all, but I’ll be sure to take photos and update as soon as I can. xx

We logged a lot of road time today. We started in Oklahoma, drove through Texas and ended the day in Albuquerque. It’s interesting to see the terrain change as you drive through each state. We saw some gusty winds stir up some major dust, rows of wind turbines and possibly the greatest public restroom signs in Oklahoma!

And so our journey west begins! We started around 9am yesterday morning. By 10:30am we were bored out of our minds and oh so sleepy! We stopped for an early lunch at a retro McDonald’s in Illinois. We sat at a picnic table outside sharing our fries with Diego. Speaking of the dog child… Diego has done very well on this trip. Luckily sleeping all day while curled up into a small ball is pretty much the norm for him. Every once in a while he’ll pop up from his little place on the floor to smell the cow patties through the air vents. It’s pretty cute! We decided this time around that each night we would treat ourselves to a comfortable nights stay in a hotel instead of an icky motel. Last night we stayed at a Hampton Inn near Tulsa. We got upgraded to a suite which was unexpected but great. Diego got to sleep on his own convertible couch, which he loved.. He’s still sprawled out on the bed as I type. I’ll be sure to update more from the road, but for now there’s a free continental breakfast screaming my name! xx

And so our journey west begins! We started around 9am yesterday morning. By 10:30am we were bored out of our minds and oh so sleepy! We stopped for an early lunch at a retro McDonald’s in Illinois. We sat at a picnic table outside sharing our fries with Diego. Speaking of the dog child… Diego has done very well on this trip. Luckily sleeping all day while curled up into a small ball is pretty much the norm for him. Every once in a while he’ll pop up from his little place on the floor to smell the cow patties through the air vents. It’s pretty cute!

We decided this time around that each night we would treat ourselves to a comfortable nights stay in a hotel instead of an icky motel. Last night we stayed at a Hampton Inn near Tulsa. We got upgraded to a suite which was unexpected but great. Diego got to sleep on his own convertible couch, which he loved.. He’s still sprawled out on the bed as I type.

I’ll be sure to update more from the road, but for now there’s a free continental breakfast screaming my name! xx

Last month we celebrated my mom’s sixtieth birthday by taking her on a walk down memory lane. We wanted to show her how much she means to all of us, so we asked friends and family to contribute their favorite memory of our mom. We had memories from childhood friends, neighbors, siblings and even our foreign exchange students from twenty years ago! It was so fun and touching to hear the memories people had of our mom. It was a real treat and of course, very emotional. We laughed and cried all morning long while she read each one aloud. I think it’s safe to say that this is one gift she’ll treasure for many years to come.

How about an update on life around these parts? Things have been quite busy recently, to say the least! For starters, Anthony and I decided to streamline the business side of our lives and with that we sold off our distribution company so we could focus on other endeavors. So, that leaves me with the big news I’ve been meaning to share… Next month Anthony and I will move back to California. Yes! You read right. We’ll be calling Los Angeles home once again. We are very excited for the change and the chance to be back in a city full of opportunity, great restaurants and old friends. We’ve missed it! Of course we are very sad to give up our little loft in the city and we will miss our friends and family dearly, but we are keeping positive about this new chapter!

How about an update on life around these parts? Things have been quite busy recently, to say the least! For starters, Anthony and I decided to streamline the business side of our lives and with that we sold off our distribution company so we could focus on other endeavors. So, that leaves me with the big news I’ve been meaning to share… Next month Anthony and I will move back to California. Yes! You read right. We’ll be calling Los Angeles home once again. We are very excited for the change and the chance to be back in a city full of opportunity, great restaurants and old friends. We’ve missed it! Of course we are very sad to give up our little loft in the city and we will miss our friends and family dearly, but we are keeping positive about this new chapter!

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time spending more than thirty dollars on pet beds. After going through countless beds and a stint where Diego clearly preferred the floor to his bed, I decided to suck it up and splurge on a legit bed for the little guy. After doing some research I decided to go with this bed. It’s made of organic cotton, has plenty of nice color options, plus it comes highly recommended. After seeing how much Diego loves his big, cushy bed I’m glad I took the plunge!

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time spending more than thirty dollars on pet beds. After going through countless beds and a stint where Diego clearly preferred the floor to his bed, I decided to suck it up and splurge on a legit bed for the little guy. After doing some research I decided to go with this bed. It’s made of organic cotton, has plenty of nice color options, plus it comes highly recommended. After seeing how much Diego loves his big, cushy bed I’m glad I took the plunge!

Roasting weenies // Little Leaf Lane // Batesville, IN

Roasting weenies // Little Leaf Lane // Batesville, IN

This weekend we hosted a thunder soiree. The night was full of down-home fixins, better then sex cake, a very boisterous Diego and a hilarious game of Things with our tried-and-true friends. In fact, we got so caught up in the game we almost missed the fireworks!

This weekend we hosted a thunder soiree. The night was full of down-home fixins, better then sex cake, a very boisterous Diego and a hilarious game of Things with our tried-and-true friends. In fact, we got so caught up in the game we almost missed the fireworks!

This past weekend I got to experience monkey bread for the first time… Boy was it a treat! I’ll definitely be adding this recipe to my cook book. If it’s easy and delicious I’m all for it!

I’m stepping up my gift wrapping game. I thought I’d switch it up and turn this ordinary bag with tissue paper into a mini fiesta!

I recently had a discussion about the differences between cooking and baking. While some say there is no difference others argue that cooking is an art and baking is a science. As much as I love art and loathe science, I without a doubt prefer baking. The specific directions, order of ingredients and exact measurements make me feel at ease. Reading a “pinch” of this or a “tad” of that will send me in a tizzy. I am so uncomfortable improvising in the kitchen! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to Google specific cooking terminology. I’m telling you, cooking just isn’t my thing. I foresee many years of trial and error ahead of me. 

So I’m sure your wondering, what’s with the croutons? Well, I wanted to share them with you because one, I think that you really can’t beat homemade croutons and two, they are the one thing I make without following exact directions that always turn out amazing. They’re fool proof. I follow these heating instructions and then just cut, drizzle, and pinch until my hearts content. This week I used rosemary focaccia bread and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley.