Have you ever made a recipe that made you want to throw a party just to make it again for all of your friends? That’s what happen to me with this smashed pea bruschetta. Seriously nom and so easy.
Each bite was a perfect combination of creamy (I’m looking at you, ricotta) and crunchy (toasted sourdough, whatsup); not to mention those powerhouse peas (so many vitamins and minerals!) and bits of basil really bringing out the flavor.
This recipe is going into the favorites box, y’all! I love that it is versatile too. It can be a simple, light, delicious dinner on a hot summer night or a lovely start to a dinner party with friends. You can also pair it with grilled shrimp or a big, giant salad for a more hearty meal (or soup in the winter). The ingredients are few but the options are plenty. Double win.
Note: I served this with a side of sautéed spinach and mushrooms to stay in line with my 3 meals in 15 ingredients.
Have you cooked with farro before? They sell it at Trader Joe’s and it’s great when you want to mix things up.
Farro has a slightly nutty taste and a chewy consistency, almost like gnocchi. I make it with vegetable broth to add more flavor and learned by trail and error not to follow the instructions on the little blue bag (more on that below).
Basically farro is yummy, cheap, and versatile. I made this dish with peas and a side of roasted vegetables, all that came from my list of 15 ingredients! (If you prep and cut your vegetables before, the prep time for this one is basically non-existent. All about that!)
There were plenty of leftovers which can be paired with toast (also on the list) for another easy meal.
The bag of farro instructs you to cook the grain like rice, covered and simmering in boiling water. I like to use veg broth because it give it more flavor. I still simmer it but leave the pot without a lid so the steam can evaporate. It you don’t want to do this method, feel free to go by the insturctions listed on the package 🙂
When the farro has absorbed all of the broth (~20 minutes), I added my cup of frozen peas and have it a good stir to heat the peas through
Plate and top with parm
Re. a side, while my farro was simmering, I roasted zucchini and mushrooms, which gave us enough farro for leftovers! Refrigerate to reheat and serve with sourdough toast – on the list of 15 ingredients! – for another quick weeknight meal
When I think of lasagna, a few memories rush to mind…
I remember visiting my grandparents on winter breaks and opening their freezer to boxes of Stouffer’s Lasagna. In between breaks from playing Barbies and Briarberry bears (did anyone else play with these?!) I would tear open a red cardboard box and pop that plastic try of noodles, cheese, and marinara sauce in the microwave. A few minutes later, BAM, piping hot lasagna waiting for me to eat before blissfully going back to playing make believe.
I also remember Mike picking me up in the first few months of us dating for dinner in North Beach, the Italian district in San Francisco. We went to a cozy little restaurant and sat at a table for two by the window. I ordered the lasagna and probably broke some dating “rule” by finishing every last bite. Who can resist melty cheese and carbohydrates? Not this girl.
Lastly, I distinctly remember the first time I made my own lasagna and packed it with as many veggies as I could. Carrots in the sauce! Spinach in the ricotta! (Arguably healthier than the Stouffer’s and North Beach variety.) Bless Mike for eating my cooking without complaint!
My point is, I love me some good layered lasagna! But it’s a dish that screams WINTER. I wanted to lighten it up for the warmer months and knew replacing the noddles with lighter zucchini would do the trick!
pro tip: let a paper towel absorb the water in your zucchini before baking
4 – 5 small ripe JUICY tomatoes (if you can’t find any, a strained can of fire-roasted tomatoes will do
1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup roughly chopped spinach
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
* Important step: after you slice the zucchini, place the stripes on paper towels for ~20 minutes to absorb some of the water *
Directions:
Sauté the minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant
Add mushrooms and tomatoes (getting all of the seeds and juice in there to give it more of a sauce consistency)
While your sauce is cooking, add chopped spinach to ricotta and mix well
After mushrooms and tomatoes are cooked, spread a thin layer on the bottom of a pan (I used a small enough one for two but the size will depend on how much you’re making)
Layer zucchini slices on top of sauce and then the spinach and ricotta cheese mixture
Top with mushrooms and tomatoes
Repeat 3/4 times, depending on how many zucchini you have
I live by meal planning. In my opinion, it is the most useful resource for eating well. Meal planning can help you eat healthier and save money. Winning.
There are a lot of meal services out there today, like Blue Apron and HelloFresh, but I’m sticking by doing my own meal planning and grocery shopping. I know it’s not feasible for everyone but if you can meal plan, shop, and prep yourself, you will be creating less waste – which is important for our globe’s health.
I’ve been planning weekday dinners for so long now, I have my system down pat (you can read about it here) but I wanted to post something that could help others who have never planned a weekly dinner menu.
I think starting with a simple base of ingredients is helpful. I’ve created 3 NOM meals with just 15 ingredients. Literally everything you need for these dinners is included below. How simple is that?!
I purchased mostly everything at my local Trader Joe’s but there aren’t really any specific ingredients that can’t be found another grocery store. And odds are, you’ll probably have a few things in your kitchen already.
Not photographed: sourdough bread and frozen peas
I bought enough for 2 people for 3 unique meals + one “leftovers meal.” If you’re flyin’ solo or have a bigger household, you’ll have to adjust the quantities.
Now, without further ado, your shopping list:
Loaf of sourdough bread (or something else crusty and good for toast)
Garlic (to mince)
Bag of spinach
Package of zucchini (2-3 big zucs or 7-8 small ones)
Peas (I bought frozen)
Box of mushrooms (about one cup)
8 – 10 small tomatoes
Small bag of farro (mine had 8.8 ounces in it)
Veg broth
One container ricotta cheese
One container parmesan cheese (I got big hunks of it)
Olive oil
Lemons
Salt & pepper
Basil
Below are the 3 recipes I made with the above 15 ingredients. Check back soon for all of the recipes. 🙂
A lighter twist on the traditional comforting lasagna. This recipe is packed with veggies so it doesn’t call for much cheese. The noodles are replaced with zucchini. Additionally, I didn’t use a jarred sauce to save on sodium intake. Talk about a great summer dish!
This recipe is quick and satisfying! Plus, it makes a lot so half of it can be saved and used for another meal. It looks and tastes fancier than it is; with the nutty farro and decadent parmesan, plus the peas give it a nice splash of green.
This dish! All of the nom and flavor and perfection. The flavors burst. It’s creamy with a perfect crunch. It is probably my favorite creation. And, bonus points, it’s easy-peasy (pun intended).
One of my favorite perks about working at Google is this thing called Talks at Google (you can check out the YouTube channel here to see all of the guests) because you get to see and hear from a lot of interesting people. Authors, chefs, celebs, scientists, politicians – you name it – come to Google to give a talk about an array of topics. Most notably, I’ve met Conrad Anker, Kathy Griffin and today, Jillian Michaels!
The Talk was recorded and will be on YouTube in a few weeks but I wanted to quickly recap it here on my blog. Jillian was surprisingly funny, shorter than I expected, and swore a lot (which I like in a lady!).
She talked about diets, fitness, her life, and shared a few Biggest Loser stories. My biggest take away was her emphasis on eating well and eating clean. (I know, I know, preaching to the choir…) She stressed 2 rules; 1. eat real food (no chemicals or artificial ingredients!) and 2. don’t overeat.
Uh, secret to life-happiness, much?
It was refreshing not to have one particular diet preached about. Her words were something along the lines of “your diet is like your religion, it’s a personal choice. Buddhist? Great! Vegan? Awesome! Paleo? Fantastic!”
I read somewhere that people can get so defensive about their diet and how they eat because it is literally an extension of life. No food? No life. I think we all want to believe that we are making the best choices for our bodies – and our lives – so, when someone questions the food choices we make, it hits close to home.
Jillian was basically like, eat real food but not too much of it, and you’re golden.
Your body. Your choice. Your religion.
Ahem, sister.
When asked about working out, she told us the most effective workout is “the workout you actually do.” Again, it was refreshing at how transparent and real she was. She did mention avoiding repetitive workouts because our bodies adapt to stress but, aside from that, she wasn’t there trying to sell us on her methods of working out. Instead, she just stressed the importance of simply moving.
Which brings me to how funny/weird it was hearing her voice and not associating it with doing more jumping jacks… I’ve owned her 30 Day Shred workout DVD for years and still occasionally pop it in if I need a quick, good workout.
Jillian also talked about if you can figure out your why, it makes the how a lot easier. She mentioned it in the terms of working out, as in, if your why is to live a long life for your kids (…or to be in good shape before you have babies like mine is;) your how – being active, going to the gym, etc. – is going to be easier.
I think establishing your why to make your how easier can be applied in many instances and is a powerful perspective shift.
The last tidbit I will write about is a funny story she told about what she says to her kids when they want crap food. If her kids ask for something like an Otterpop (which are loaded with artificial food colors), she explains to them that eating it would be similar to eating one of their markers with sugar sprinkled on top. Genius!
I think breaking down why a food isn’t good for kids (would you eat a marker??) is a great way to explain how some foods should be avoided. …Do you see what I did there?
Have you heard of this email newsletter? It’s amazing and kind of life changing. A friend told me about it during the U.S. election but I never got around to signing up for it. Huge mistake. I’ve since jumped on the bandwagon and happily enjoy my morning coffee while skimming theSkimm (sooo meta). It’s an easy, digestible way to read about what’s happening around the world.
Last weekend Mike and I spent some time at Squaw, our favorite place to escape to (read about other trips here, here, and here). It was the epitome of a relaxing weekend. We slept in on Saturday morning before walking in gorgeous weather to lunch. After a giant pizza, we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool (wine in hand).
We did a quick happy hour in the resort’s lobby and nibbled on our favorite cheese, Humboldt Fog, before getting massages. Fancyyyy, y’all.
Then we went to Six Peaks for a perfect, delicious dinner.
Cocktails and cheese
On Sunday we woke up early for a last dip in the pool. We left right after check out and met my dad at the Auburn Alehouse. It was such a good weekend. I barley took any pictures; left tons of texts unread; and, instead, enjoyed my time unplugging and relaxing with Mike.
Pastries by the pool!
Sparkling lemon h20
I picked up these bad boys on a whim at Trader Joe’s and love them! They are literally just sparkling water and lemon juice. No added nuthin’. They’re great to have after dinner if you’re still wanting a little something more sans sugar, cals, or alcohol.
POPSUGAR fitness YouTube videos
I love YouTube and how easy it has made working out. You can find hundreds of free classes to do in the comforts of your own home. I tried this Muffin-Top-Melter class a few weeks ago and worked muscles I didn’t even know I had.
Nom nom. What’s better than stone fruit season? I’ve always loved peaches and nectarines and any fruit with a “stone” in the middle, really. Lucky for me, there are brimming bowls at work. I’ve been eating one a day and I’m not complaining about it.
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
Read about the rest of our trip here, here, and here.
After our overnight trip to Ubud, we were back to mornings of smoothie bowls and luxuriously having no set plans to fill the day. Mike decided one morning to give surfing lessons a try. While he set off with his board and a personal instructor, I sat on the beach with the intention to dive into a book. Instead I chatted the whole time with a mom whose daughter was also taking a surfing lesson. I learned through our conversation that her daughter competed in the Rio Olympics as a swimmer for Australia!
After Mike’s lesson we decided we could go for a massage (keeping with tradition from New Years Day when we were all in Santa Rosa) and I am shocked we didn’t do this every day we were there, given how affordable it was. We paid about $15 for a hour massage!!
The rest of the day pretty much consisted of pool time, eating, and more pool time. The luxury of a day not planned, I’m telling you!
On our last full day in Bali, we wanted to fill it with all of our favorites. We woke up early and set out for first breakfast. And then, a little while later we sauntered back to the villa for second breakfast. We dipped in and out of the pool, chasing our plunges with Bin Tangs.
Lunch was at Taco Casa for more of their strawberry sangria and nachos! An indulgent mid-day nap rounded out the afternoon.
Mike’s sister and company flew back to Australia that night but not before a last round at The Lawn. We went back for a drink, some apps, and a dip in their pool (how genius is it to have a pool at the restaurant?). Then we took our last family walk on the beach back to the villa.
Silliness at The Lawn
A few hours later, everyone was packed and ready to go home. With all of the company we had that week – not to mention, the giant house we were staying in that was now quiet – it felt pretty lonely for just Mike and I to be left there.
We quickly reapplied bug spray and headed back to The Lawn for dinner (The Lawn isn’t paying me for this post, I swear hah). We ordered cocktails but probably should have skipped them because we were both already so tired. It was approaching 9pm, which was around our Bali bedtime. lol
We woke up the next morning and – you guessed it! – had smoothie bowls on the beach! We walked around the main strip before it got unbearably hot and then headed back for a last round of Bin Tangs and a plunge in the pool.
Our transport picked us up and an hour later and we were ready to embark on the 18 hour journey back home. Until next time!
Airport adventures…
Our Hello Kitty themed airplane 😂
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
Mike and I spent the night in Ubud midway through our stay in Bali. Ubud is where the Love happened in Eat, Pray, Love and where the movie was filmed. It is about 50 miles from Canggu – where our villa was located – but word on the street was that traffic getting there would be terrible. So we wanted to leave early; which wasn’t a problem since we were waking up around 7am every morning.
After a quick banana bread and smoothie bowl breakfast, we were en route. As it turned out, it was the full moon ceremony that day – which meant NO traffic – and we were to Ubud in exactly an hour.
The scooter ride there was fun! I had relaxed into being on the back of the bike and was able to enjoy the scenery more. It was also a nice relief from the heat because of the breeze.
In Udud we stayed at the Organic Farm Villa at the Moksha. Check in wasn’t until 3pm or 4pm and we arrived around 11am. Yikes. I thought we would just do the standard tourist thing and leave our stuff at the front desk while going out to explore the city. However we were pleasantly surprised when we found out our room would be ready in half hour.
While we were waiting by the pool, someone brought us out some sort of basil drink that we dubbed it the Basil Refresher. Who doesn’t love a free welcome drink, right??
These blessings are everywhere in Bali and we saw one being placed while we were waiting for our room
Once we were unpacked, we hit the streets of Ubud. We quickly realized Ubud is where the shopping is at. There were so many stores with so many cute things! It was actually a little overwhelming…
Shopping aside, our first stop was for lunch at an open and expansive restaurant. I was a bit dubious about how empty it was… which, maybe for good reason as the food was just okay. We probably should have explored a little more before picking one of the first places we saw.
Lunch with a view 😉
After lunch we continued down Jl. Monkey Forest, the main street in Ubud. The sidewalk had some major wear and tear so you had to pay attention to where you were walking or you could fall into one of the holes.
As we walked, we popped into a cafe for gelato. We stocked up on more bottled water and sunscreen at a connivence store. We browsed stores and bargained when we bought anything. Eventually the allure of a cafe mister drew us in for mojitos and a side of French fries.
Sweaty babes!
After a lot of walking, we opted to go chill by the pool instead of visiting the Tegalalang Rice Terrace, like we originally planned. While we were swimming, we started to regret the decision so made a last minute plan to visit the rice fields before early the next morning.
We woke up before the sun and took our scooter to the Tegalalang Rice Terrace. The ride there was cool and traffic free. We read online that the field opened at 7am and that it is a nice place to have a coffee.
We arrived at 7am sharp, planning to have a giant coffee, but none of the cafes were open. Later I learned this is classic Bali style… “Opening times” are only advisements, not requirements. Oh, well.
You can see Tegalalang from the road but nothing prepares you for the true beauty until you get down the cafe steps. Our time spent walking through the rice field was was probably my single favorite hour in Bali. It was so gorgeous, it almost doesn’t seem real. I felt like we were transported to this lush, green oasis. The delicate blades of rice were about knee high and still had dew on them. Mike and I giddily walked down into the belly of the terrace and then up to the other side, in awe the whole time.
The scenery was breathtaking and a romantic place to be with your love. Especially because – aside from a man in a speedo, chopping away at some of the blades (assuming he lived or worked there) and a man jogging up and down the fields (talk about a scenic run!) – we were happily the only visitors there!!
Putting off going to the rice terrance until the morning turned out to be the best decision because it wasn’t scorching hot yet. There isn’t really shade and you’ll want to walk around. I definitely recommend hitting this gem up in the early hours!
We made it back in time for a quick but indulgent breakfast on our patio.
Next on the agenda was our cooking class at Casa Luna. My former dance teacher, Sarah (founder of Bali Body Pilates), recommended taking a cooking class here and I jumped at the opportunity. We went on Wednesday so the menu included:
Balinese chicken satay
Beans in coconut milk
Lawar
Corn fritters
Gado-Gado
Fragrant yellow rice
The class was great; it was interactive and informative. Our instructor was friendly, funny, and knowledgable (pretty much everything you want in a teacher!).We kicked things off with a refreshing homemade hibiscus iced tea, made in house with nothing but hibiscus flowers and lime. Yummy!
The cooking class lasted the majority of the day but we made a point to quickly stop by Monkey Forest (self explanatory!) before leaving. We were probably the worst visitors though, deciding that the monkeys were actually frightening. You could buy bananas to give to them – which we did – but they get aggressive when they see you with one. Instead of letting them crawl up us, Mike and I developed a tactic of just chucking the banana away from us (mine usually paired with a squeal, let’s be real). Anything to keep the monkeys away! 🙈
We scooted home after and luckily, again, arrived back in about one hour. It was nice to get away for a mini adventure but I was happy to see Mike’s family again. We joined them for happy hour on the beach and, over Mai Tais and bottles of Bintang, told them about our Ubud adventures!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
On Monday (#OOO) we woke up early and went straight back to The Shady Shake. Like I mentioned in my last post, this was my favorite place in Bali and I could have eaten here everyday for the rest of the trip.
I started with an iced coconut milk cappuccino. Bliss! Then ordered the tomato and avocado toast topped with poached eggs and a side of gluten free bread. Mike ordered a drool-worthy smoothie bowl and an iced matcha green tea latte. They were both worth the mega photo binge below. Enjoy. 😉
Gimme dat bowl
We were back at our villa by 9:30am for our scooter rental drop off. Mike was really excited about the idea of renting a scooter to drive us around the island. At first, I just didn’t want to let him down, so hesitantly agreed to the scooter and followed through with getting on the back of the bike with a when in Rome mentality backing me. Mike, of course, was great at driving the scooter and, soon enough, he was zipping around like a local.
We took the scooter to Potato Head Beach Club in Seminyak. It was about 30 minutes away but hard to miss. We ended up driving by it a few times before finally locating it. By the time we got there all of the day beds had been taken but no matter. This place was still insanely amazing.
When we walked in, I was like, honey, I’m home! It had all of the elements of a perfect vacation day for me. There was a huge infinite pool overlooking the beach. On one end of the pool was a swim-up bar and the other had a section where the water was ankle high that you could lounge on. It was casual with a hint of luxury. It felt secluded but not snobby. Perfection!
We started the day in the bar with a round of cocktails and then hit the pool.
Eventually we got out for lunch. I ordered nachos and Mike got a crab sandwich. Both were great! (I was surprised at how much Mexican food I ate while in Bali but this California girl is not complaining!)
We walked down to the beach and I haggled for the first time, leaving with these gorgeous sarongs as souvenirs for myself and some friends at home.
We were about ready to leave back to our villa when we were finally called for a daybed. Not being able to resist, we had one last (virgin) drink and didn’t regret leaving a little later for a second. Having a daybed the whole time would have been so convenient. If we’re ever back in Bali, we’ll be sure to get there right at opening to snag one. 🙂
There was a lot of traffic on the way back to the villa, which made for a more stressful ride. But once you’re on the open road, it’s quite peaceful scooting around all of the rice fields. …Although, nothing could prepare us for the best, most beautiful rice field we were about to discover. Stay tuned for our next adventure in Ubud!
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
What a dream; those black sand beaches, warm ocean waves, kombucha tea, and seemingly endless organic food. Bali was hot, humid, and lush. A thousand Instagram likes with every post in this paradise.
We were lucky enough to experience 9 beautiful days here with Mike’s family. After 24 hours of travel from SFO to DPS, and an hour in rush hour traffic (which takes on a whole new meaning in Bali but more on that later), we finally arrived at the villa we were staying. We quickly dumped our suitcases in the living room, drenched our skin in bug spray, and we were out the door to dinner.
The entrance to our villa
The humidity in Bali is no joke. The short walk to restaurant was sticky as my body tried to acclimate to the new climate. But when we arrived at The Lawn, an open beachfront eatery, I fully set into vacation mode. Drinks while waves crash in the distance… ahhh. Relax. Reset.
The next morning we woke up earlier than expected but, jet lag has no rules. We grabbed coffee and then hit up a local yoga studio for a 90 minute class. Rejuvenate.
Post yoga pic
“yoga accepts and yoga gives”
After yoga, Mike and I went for lunch at Little Flinders. Mike’s family had been there the day before for lunch and everyone liked it. There were so many cafes and cute restaurants to try, recommendations are key!
We met everyone back at The Lawn a little later for another round of drinks. This is the only day we had rain while we were in Bali; which was lucky, given we tested our luck traveling there at the end of monsoon season.
After drinks we opted for a casual dinner at a pizza place near where we were staying. The pizza was sooooooo good and became a favorite spot of ours during our stay.
Like I mentioned, there wasn’t a rain drop in sight after that initial downpour and it was hot, hot, hot. The next day we all walked to a local market nearby, where I bought a couple bracelets and a cute dress but it was too warm to stay for long. Instead we opted to go back to the house and get in the pool! Sweet relief.
Dinner that night was at The Shady Shack, by far my favorite place we went to in Bali. It was a quick walk from where we were staying (a huge benefit of our airbnb was the location!) and they had only vegetarian food. Nom.
Check back in soon to read about our day at Potato Head Beach club.
** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**
VEG VIBES 