green pumpkin

Short-ish post today.  Chris + I spent another 4hrs in our car, driving around Denver, street by street looking for a place to live.  It hasn’t been the easiest!!  There really aren’t many places available that allow dogs and would actually be good for dogs.  We have a few places that we’ll actually be walking through tomorrow.  Fingers crossed that they’re nice!!

Since I had an open can of pumpkin, I thought another bowl of pumpkin oats was in order for breakfast.

You guys know the routine..nothing new here, except for the fact that I have my very own clear glass mug now!!  Natalie got me one at work the other day and I’m pretty excited :) Ohhh the little things.  I enjoyed oats + coffee from the clear mugs.  I love seeing what I’m eating + drinking the whole way down!

I sliced a little extra banana on top.

Pumpkin-ey delicious!!

I busted my arse at the gym today.  Incline workouts are INtense!

• 45min incline workout, between 8-11% incline @ 4mph  [ran a little bit too 3% incline @ 5.8mph]
• ABS!! I love the decline bench for ab work!!
• little free weight action

When I got back from the gym I had 1 thing on my mind.  GREEN MONSTER – I don’t even know how I thought of it…but all of a sudden I was thinking “I wonder if I can make a pumpkin green monster??”  Well, I would soon find out the answer was most definitely YES.  I really didn’t think it would be good so I wasn’t even measuring. 

This is approximated a tad, but really close and I’m sure it doesn’t have to be the exact same!  Pleeease let me know if you try this!!!

Pumpkiney GREEN Monster

• 1/2 banana
• handful ice
• ~1/2c. vanilla unsweetened almond milk [any milk will do]
• ~1/3c. pumpkin puree
• 1 container Stonyfield Pumpkin Yogurt [if you can’t find this use vanilla]
• 2-3c. spinach
• 1/2 avocado
• cinnamon/ginger/clove

First I blended everything except the spinach, avocado, and spices.  Yellowy-Orange

Pumpkin stuff!

Add spinach + avocado.

THEE prettiest color of green.  This was soooo creamy + smooth.  I want another, right now!

I tasted it and realized I had forgotten to add spices!  I would say about 1/8-1/4t cinnamon, few shakes of ginger + cloves.  Stir, taste, and add more according to your taste.  I have made some good green monsters, but this was just ridiculous.  It also gave me a huge burst of energy and was so cleansing after a hard workout.

Please give it a shot!! :)

When we got back from apt. searching we were staaaarving!!  Had a snack and then started making dinner.  Nothin too crazy but still delish!

• cubed butternut squash + roasted @425* until nice and brown
• pan sautéed brussel sprouts + kale
• boiled some noodles
• browned some fresh breadcrumbs + garlic to throw in the pasta and veggies

[Melissa – Pasta + breadcrumbs just got a facelift!! hehe]

I REalllly liked the tiny cubes of butternut squash.  They got super crispy but creamy on the inside.  I only tossed them with olive oil + sea salt and they were perfect! 

I just ordered our holiday photo cards online.  It took me waaaay too long, haha.  My eyes are totallllly sick of staring at the computer screen.  Night blog peeps!!

~Ashley

Oh yah! 1 more thing…I get to play “mom” for the weekend!  I’m babysitting cutie-pie Jake all weekend while Melissa + Matt are out of town for Matt’s new job.  I’m really excited!!  I’ll still be blogging if I can…baby first :)  I hope it warms up a bit so we can take some walks.  It was about –10* this AM but warmed up to 19*.  I’m sure I’ll get some good photos of the baby adventures this weekend…stay tuned!

short showers

I was up bright + early for some yoga this morning!  Again, it was FREEzing!  It’s been 5-15* for about a solid 4 days now.  “BRrrr” is an understatement!  I headed to Boulder to pick up Laura and check out the FREE yoga classes at the flagship Prana store on the Pearl Street Mall.  They offer free classes in their basement, twice a day, everyday!!  What a crazy deal!

Before I left I made a green monster to chug on the way.  It rocked!

• Chocolate Amazing Grass
• 1/2 banana
• Oikos honey yogurt
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 glob Justin’s organic dark chocolate pnut butter!! [on sale at WF right now and sooooooo good!]
• 1c. spinach
• 1/2c. unsweetened almond milk

12oz. of delicious + filling GREEEEN!  

We got to yoga a little late because the roads were pretty bad.  It was a Vinyasa Flow class, which I used to practice in Charlotte.  I liked the instructor and there were only 4 people total.  I’m sure the weather had something to do with that.  The Pearl Street Mall [outdoor mall in the Boulder college town area] was dead!  The store offers a few different types of yoga throughout the week.  I will definitely be back for more FREE yoga.  They did ask for donations but it is still totally worth it!  The only downside was that it’s below the store so you hear quite a bit of noise upstairs, but I can get over that :)

Laura mentioned wanting to try one of my “epic bowls of oats,” as she calls them.  So, I brought over a HUGE bag full oat mix-ins and toppings!!  Laura loves pumpkin just as much as I do, so that was the first bowl.

• 1/3+ c. oats
• 1/3c. vanilla ricemilk
• 1/3c. water
• 1/2 banana
• 1/3-1/2c. pumpkin
• 1t cinnamon
• few shakes of cloves + ginger
• 1/2t. vanilla
• walnuts
• pnut butter glob

We split this pot of oats.  The recipe is for 1 serving, but I was making 2 kinds and split them both.  It was soooo creamy + delish!  The first thing Laura noticed was the texture difference between this and instant oats. 

She may or may not have made a lot of “mmmmmmm” noises while eating this…and said “oh my goshhhhh” more than once ;)

Bowl #2: Chocolately Pnut Butter Coconut Oats

• 1/3+ c. oats
• 1/3c. vanilla ricemilk
• 1/3c. water
• 1/2t vanilla
• 1/4t cinnamon
• glob of melted cacao bliss
• glob Justin’s Organic dark chocolate pnut butter
• Yogi strawberry crunch
• Unsweetened shaved coconut

The melted cacao bliss was amazing.  Oh man were these good.  I think we were both making “mmmmm” noises during this one.  It’s amazing what you can do with a bowl of oatmeal.  Sometimes it seems like I’m eating dessert for breakfast. :)

Laura has the cutest little Christmas tree.  I didn’t get the best photo of it, but I love it.  It’s short and stocky and full of character. 

GO BUCKS!

So I found an organic dark chocolate bar from this Colorado chocolate company that I love so much.  Too bad their organic bar only comes in plain…although I love it plain!!  I am pretty excited because the organic does not use soy lecithin…I don’t get why they don’t use it in this bar and it holds together perfectly and tastes awesome but they use it in the non-organic.  It’s hard to find chocolate without soy.  I don’t have a soy allergy but stay away from it as much as possible.  It’s so insanely processed and refined and hidden in EVERYthing.  I have done a lot of soy research and I choose to stay away, whenever possible.

Rich + Creamy.  Chocolate perfection.

Remember my shower challenge!!??  I’m not sure if any of you timed yourselves but let me know if you did!  Here were my times:

Normal Shower

1. 7m56s
2. 7m45s
3. 9m58s [shaving day]
4. 7m34s

Trying to save water

1. 5m58s
2. 8m34s [shaving day]
3. 6m10s
4. 6m34s

I cut down by over a minute!!  One thing I am doing differently is while I’m scrubbing my face [first thing I do] I stand with my back to the water so I can get my hair wet + ready for shampoo.  Before I would stand with my face in the water and then have to turn around to get my hair wet.  That probably saved a good 30sec in itself!  Go me!  I also condition my hair and then scrub my body while the conditioner is doing it’s thing and then rinse that out. 

….

Shopping Tiiiime!!  How is everyone’s holiday shopping going?? 

How about some stocking stuffer ideas for the outdoor people in your life?? All under $15

• Light My Fire Spork – 4pack
• Microfiber camp towel
• BPA free 32oz. Nalgene
• Freeze Dried camp food [they have organic now!]
• our favorite Natural Insect Repellant

An awesome gift for the hiker/backpacker, tested and approved by the hubs + myself:)

• Garmin handheld GPS – This thing ROCKS.  I got it for Chris for his wedding present from me and we used it non-stop on our honeymoon in Ireland.  We always have it when we’re camping too and it’s great for navigating cities you’re in when vacationing.

If you’re crafty and have a lot of gifts to pass out to friends there are some great “make your own” gifts that will save you money and are fun to make!  You can get really creative with personalizing labels and buying some pretty ribbon to tie around them.

• step-by-step cookie mix in a jar
• make your own vanilla
• spiced nuts [you can find sweet versions too] Line a little box with parchment and fill it up with nuts!  Check Michaels for cute boxes.
• cheese straws Fill up a jar with these to take to a holiday party
• make your own hot cocoa mix and put in a jar – Check for recipes on the back of cocoa powder containers

Recommended Books [by either myself or Chris]

• Born to Run – Christopher McDougall
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma For Kids – I’m super excited Michael Pollan came out with this book for kids!!
• In Defense of Food – Michael Pollan
• Slow Food Nation – Carlo Patrini
• Under the Banner of Heaven - Into the Wild - Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer [all highly recommended]

If you guys want more ideas, I will keep making more lists.  Let me know!!  If you’re looking for a specific gift and are stumped, let me know!

…

On another note, Chris and I went apartment hunting in Denver for 4 loooong hours today.  We didn’t find much…and it was totally exhausting!!  We’ll probably go out for round 2 tomorrow or Thursday.  I think we found a few nice loft-type apartments in a pretty nice area [LoDo].

Niiight :)

~Ashley

quinoa stuffed goodness

Breakfast. Oats. Duh!

I noticed the Yogi Goji Berry cereal has chia seeds in it!!  Love their cereals!!  Added some almonds + strawb jelly + almond butter too!

Loving my new bowl :)

What is it about bloggers and their oats?  I have always always loved oatmeal!! 

I like almond butter but I prefer pnut butter, especially in oats.  It gets way creamier and gooey.

Spooooon

Have you guys had the Oikos strawberry flavor??  I haven’t been able to find it in most stores, but it is BY far my favorite flavor of SF Greek yogurt.

Chris and I split one of the Rush pre-made, frozen bowls.  It’s really only a serving for 1 but we both wanted to try it =)  I had this one in the store.  It was Bowl #1 from my post the other day.  I let it sit out to thaw a bit but had to throw it in the microwave for about 30sec to soften it up.

The granola comes in a little bag separated by a little cardboard liner.  It’s nice that they they include the granola but package it separately.

Definitely enough crunchy organic hemp granola in the little bag. mmm good

Went to the gym with my bro in law today and got in some good cardio.  It’s pretty impossible + way too cold to run outside right now.  Lots of snow/ice around..and fuh-reeeezing!  25min on an elliptical type machine + 15min on the bike + an intense ab workout!

I haven’t had quinoa or stuffed peppers in awhile, so dinner was a no brainer ;)

I also made some super spicy homemade dressing with my leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, from last weeks mexi sloppy joes.

Bean + Quinoa Stuffed Peppers – serves 4

• 4 peppers
• 4oz pepperjack cheese
• 1 can black refried beans [I mixed 1/2 can black refried + 1/2 can pinto refried]
• 1.5c quinoa [rinse well before cooking]
• 1tsp cumin
• 1.5c veggie broth
• 1.5c water
• 8oz salsa

1. Turn oven on 400*, half and de-seed peppers, rub with a little olive oil and roast for about 15-20min.
2. With a pot on medium heat about 1T olive oil.  When hot, add quinoa and stir for about 1-2min.
3. Add in veggie brother + water.  Once boiling, reduce head to med-low for about 15min, until all liquid is absorbed.
4. In a bowl add quinoa, beans, salsa, cumin, s+p to taste and stir until combined.
5. Reduce oven to 350* and stuff peppers with filling.
6. Top with shredded cheese and bake for about 10min.  Broil for 3-5min until the cheese is bubbly.

I really liked these!!  Didn’t miss having meat in them at all.

Smokey Spicy Chipotle Dressing

• 4 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1T soy sauce
• 2T veggie broth
• 1.5T mayonnaise [I use safflower mayo]
• 2-3T olive oil
• 1t brown sugar

1. Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend away. 

I also cubed some bread and broiled it with a little olive oil + salt/garlic.  Homemade croutons are SO much better than boxed!!!!

Night all :)

~Ashley

Tomorrow I will have some gift lists + the results to my water shower challenge!!!