Mediterranean Inspired Fish Tacos

"Eat healthily, sleep well, breathe deeply, move harmoniously."-Jean-Pierre Barral

I have been attempting to be a little healthier in my day to day life recently. I've been trying to practice yoga 6 times a week and I can feel my body changing. I am gaining flexibility and I can feel my body starting to tone up (I'm also getting closer to being able to hold an unassisted headstand). I've always hated weights and running is the most boring thing in the world for me so yoga is perfect. I love how relaxed and peaceful I feel when I've finished my practice- if you've never tried it you should give it a shot! 

I've also been trying to infuse a more mediterranean style into my diet which means I need to eat more fish. I've been looking for a different way to use all the mahi mahi I bought so I decided to try and make some fish tacos! I was so happy with how these turned out and I have a feeling I'll be eating fish tacos a lot more.

What you need:

• 1 fillet of Mahi Mahi
• Lemon and lime slices
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs olive oil 
• 1/4 of an onion
• 1/4 of a bell pepper
• 1/2 a tomato
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup of chopped spinach
• 1/2 an avocado
• Black beans
• Corn tortillas

How to make:

• Cook fish for 2 minutes per side over medium heat

• Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees and place your fish in an oven with olive oil, lemon, lime, and garlic. Cook for 8 minutes.

• Chop up an onion, peppers, tomatoes and sauté them for 2 minutes over medium heat 

• Cook beans 

• Top tortillas with fish, beans, onions, tomatoes, peppers, avocado, spinach, and cheese

Enjoy!

Cheers X

Mediterranean Inspiration: Shrimp Artichoke Heart Pasta

"To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."-Buddha

This past weekend was homecoming, and while it was great to see all my college friends and revisit old haunts, I am so glad I'm not in college anymore. I am so happy I don't live in the same place I went to college and I'm glad I've ventured out and made new friends and a new life. I think it is so important to force yourself into new environments to ensure growth as a person.  

With that said, I am also a big fan of nostalgia and I was lucky enough to have some great friends from college. I really didn't take many pictures, but the weather was beautiful and the alcohol was flowing... What more do we really need to know? 

One of my college best friends and me tailgating

Gorgeous fall day

Anyways, once I was back home I wanted to make something relatively healthy and Mediterranean inspired and simple. 

Shrimp Artichoke Heart Pasta 
What you need:

• Shrimp 
• Linguine 
• Garlic
• Olive oil 
• Spinach 
• Parsley
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Asparagus 
• Kalamata olives
• Artichoke hearts
• Feta 

How to make:

• Cook linguine until al dente 

• Saute shrimp, garlic, and onions in olive oil (5 minutes)

• Chop up tomatoes, parsley, spinach, asparagus, artichoke hearts, and olives

• Add chopped veggies to the shrimp and continue to saute (5 minutes) 

• Drain pasta and combine all ingredients. Add in additional olive oil and top with crumbled feta

I add crushed red pepper flakes to everything for additional flavor!

I also am a firm believer in treating yourself every once in awhile to a splurge purchase. What's the point of working all week if I can't spend a little bit of money every once in a while on something fun? 

Obviously I'm buying jewelry

I bought myself some of Catbird's gorgeous stackable threadbare rings for a fun and unique look. I bought three threadbare 14k gold rings with one in a smaller size.  You can check them out here! Catbird has some really unique jewelry and I know I am now a big fan! 

Cheers X

It's All Just A Bunch of Hocus Pocus

“The farther we've gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we've come to need Halloween."-Paula Curan

I have always loved Halloween. I looked forward to it every year as a kid and I still love it.  I've always been drawn to the possibility of magic and mysticism, and on Halloween that is acceptable. Here's a bit of history for all of you that believe Halloween is a Hallmark created holiday: the Halloween that we all know and love is derived from the Celtic Festival of Samhain (sah-win). Samhain was traditionally a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the preparation for the harsh winter months. It was believed that on October 31st, the veil between the mortal realm and the spirit realm became thinnest and spirits could return to this plane an wreak havoc. Masks were worn to confuse spirits and bonfires were common to ward off evil. Many of the ways we currently celebrate the holiday harken back to the Celtic version of Samhain.

In addition to the historical part of the holiday, I also love candy, pumpkins, and dressing up. There is one thing though that I absolutely adore and cannot live without at Halloween. Hocus Pocus. It is mind boggling to me that the greatest Halloween movie of all time is 20 years old... I can't remember an October where I didn't watch Max Denison take on the Sanderson sisters. The older I get, the more I love the nostalgia the movie engenders and I enjoy spotting some of the more adult themes secreted in the film (the sketchy bus driver anyone? or anything Sarah says?) I'm almost 100% sure I first learned what a virgin was because of this movie. Anyways, Hocus Pocus is my Halloween movie and I decided tonight was the night to watch it.

After I got home from work I decided to get in the Halloween spirit by taking a walk and basking in all the gorgeous colors and changing leaves.

I am so lucky to live in a place this gorgeous. It makes it so much easier to believe in magic :) 

Once I got home from my walk, it was straight to the kitchen to make some Halloween cookies and muffins. 

Witches Hat Cookies

Witches Hat Cookies:

What you need:

• Hershey's Kisses (I used pumpkin pie spice and milk chocolate)

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbs honey

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

• 3 tbs egg whites

• 2 tbs milk

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

How to make:

• Preheat oven to 375

• Mix peanut butter and vegetable oil

• Add in both sugars and honey

• Add in egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.

• Stir together flour, baking soda, salt and add to peanut butter mixture

• Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet 

• Bake 8 to 10 minutes 

• Immediately press a kiss in the center of each cookie

• Let the cookies cool 

While I was baking these cookies, I decided it would be a sin to not bake something with pumpkin. Thus I whipped up a batch of pumpkin walnut chocolate chip muffins. To be perfectly honest, I stopped using a recipe about 1/4 of the way through, but the following is what I was originally going off of. 

Pumpkin Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins

What you need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbs pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 can pumpkin
• 3/4 cup egg whites large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

How to make:

• Preheat the over to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin 
• Mix flour, spices, and baking soda in a large bowl
• In a separate bowl mix sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water

• Mix flour and pumpkin mixes together

• Add in chocolate chips and walnuts 

Perfect Halloween Colors

• Fill liners 3/4 with batter and cook 28 minutes

The only thing left was to pop open some pumpkin lager (which I don't really like, but it seemed necessary) and to light a bunch of fall spice candles and let the Witching Hour begin! 

Unfortunately, I dropped the ball a little bit this year in terms of a costume. Last weekend, my friends and I went as the Senior Girls from Dazed and Confused (which was a lot of fun since you get to haze everyone around you) but it doesn't take much to pull it together. We really didn't take any pictures, but It basically consisted of long-sleeve white shirts, cut-offs, and white socks. Tomorrow I'm going as a hippie, mostly because I already own a ton of boho inspired clothes and I can make it work appropriate really easily. The company I work for is all about dressing up for Halloween. We have a company Halloween party after work and a number of other parties to drop by after that. I am looking forward to celebrating All Hallows Eve with lots of tricks and maybe even a few treats. 

Stay safe tomorrow... don't light any candles (especially if you are a virgin) 

Cheers X 

Mediterranean Diet Inspiration

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well"-Virginia Woolf

I'm going to be honest with you all, today was a lazy day. I had leftovers for lunch and some of my produce is verging on over-ripening so I was intent on not wasting it. Basically I had to use avocado, peppers, onions, and tomatoes in everything I made. Luckily, all of those veggies are in line with my Mediterranean inspiration. 

Breakfast:

• Veggie Egg White Scramble
• What you need:
• egg whites
• spinach
• tomatoes
• onions
• avocado 
• bell peppers
• mozzarella cheese 
• How to make:
• Scramble everything together over medium heat 

• Greek Yogurt Parfait 
• 4 oz. Greek yogurt with 4 cup strawberries, 1 tbs pomegranate seeds, and 1 tsp. honey

Lunch:

• Leftovers from Mediterranean Spinach Shrimp Pasta

Dinner:

• Mediterranean Inspired Nachos
• What you need:
• tortilla chips
• cheese
• onions
• avocado
• tomato 
• bell peppers
• How to make:
• Melt cheese over chips with all the toppings

Cheers X

Mediterranean Diet Inspiration

"The groundwork for all happiness is good health."- Leigh Hunt

Breakfast:

• 6 oz. Greek yogurt with ½ cup strawberries, 2 tbs pomegranate seeds, and 1 tsp. honey

Love starting the morning with these beautiful colors 

Nom nom nom

• 1 slice whole-grain toast with half mashed avocado

Lunch:

• Spinach with Garbanzo Beans and crusty bread 
• What you need:
• 2 cloves minced garlic 
• 1/4 onion diced
• 2 cups spinach 
• 1/2 can of garbanzo beans 
• 1 cup kale
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• How to make:
• Heat olive oil 
• Cook the garlic and onion for about 5 minutes

• Stir in the spinach and garbanzo beans

• Mix in the kale and carrots. Lightly mash the beans and cook until everything is thoroughly heated.

Dinner:

• Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta 
• What you need:
• 2 tsp olive oil 
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups chopped plum tomatoes 
• 1/4 cup sliced basil
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives 
• spinach linguine 
• 1/4 cup mozzarella 
• How to make:
• Cook pasta

Spinach linguine is healthier than the flour based traditional noodles

• Heat olive oil and saute garlic for 30 seconds

• Add in shrimp saute 1 minute 

• Add in tomato, olives, and basil, simmer 3 minutes

• Add in shrimp, tomato, olives, and basil to the pasta and top with cheese

It's basically the same thing as being in Greece... 

Cheers X