• Food,  Food, Travel, Fitness, & Meditation Blog,  Recipes

    Tropical Fruit Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Coconut

    I literally woke up this morning in the middle of a dream about tropical fruit salad.  It started with plantains (which did not make the cut in my real-life salad because they have no business there), but then it snowballed into mangoes and pineapples and toasted hazelnuts, and all sorts of things that I ended up REALLY wanting to eat.  And thus, a goal for my day off was born!  (Or at least a second goal that would compete for attention with my previously established goals of washing my sheets and taking the dog for a run.  I think I can find time for all three… ) Why was I…

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  • Food,  Food, Travel, Fitness, & Meditation Blog,  Recipes

    Flourless Pumpkin Coconut Cookies

    When we have potlucks at work, we always pass around a list so everyone can sign up for something.  I’ve been banned from bringing desserts because for some reason, my coworkers are suspicious that I will sneak vegetables into the cookies like a parent trying to trick a kid.  And by gosh, they’re not wrong.  But if they would just give me a chance, I would knock their socks off!  They have no idea what they’re missing! Honestly, it had never occurred to me to combine pumpkin and coconut, but what can I say?  My preconceived ideas were proven wrong, and I had my mind blown by how much I love…

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  • Food,  Recipes

    Ina Garten’s Beans and Greens

    I spent the better part of last year waiting anxiously for the release of Ina Garten’s new cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey.  When I found out it was going to be released ON THE ACTUAL DAY OF MY BIRTHDAY, it felt like I won the lottery.  I have historically described Ina as some combination of my culinary soulmate and my spirit animal.  Everything she makes is notorious for being done right and being easy to reproduce because of her great instructions.  So far, I haven’t proven that theory wrong. My mom anticipated the fact that I would want need this book, and she heroically pre-ordered it for me from Amazon.com.  (You too…

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  • Food,  Recipes

    Greek Salad (Vegan)

    This past weekend was one of those weekends when I kind of accidentally booked all the nooks and crannies of my calendar.  It was all great awesine super fun stuff – we took a cooking class, shared a lunch out with the inlaws, a Valentine’s dinner with my brother and sister-in-law, got in quality workouts like a first-time intro to Jiu Jitsu class and a long run, worked on the new business, and celebrated my cousin’s 30th birthday. You gotta admit that’s a lot of stuff for two measly days off, especially for a homebody like myself who fantasizes about days with no commitments.  Nonetheless, it was all worth the…

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  • Food,  Food, Travel, Fitness, & Meditation Blog,  Recipes

    Goat Cheese and Pimiento Dip

    It’s almost time to start planning out your list of dips and spreads for the Superbowl!  If we’re being honest, zero percent of my being is interested in the Superbowl or professional football in general.  I grew up in a home of Browns fans, and now I live with a nice man who tells me that we’re Lions fans.  So, historically, I haven’t had a lot to celebrate in the NFL.  Nonetheless, I do enjoy reasons to eat. I can promise you that if I’m awake for any portion of the game, it will be only the first few moments, so I’m going to do the majority of my eating…

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