Summer Favorites: Recipe Edition

Oh hi, its been a while. When you have a blog, you are supposed to write in it, right? Right.

Here's a confession: sometimes I think I can do it all, but I can't. Its been a busy time, and in trying to practice what I preach about eating and exercising, I guess I just took a hiatus from preaching. But I'm back and it feels so good. I've missed this, but I hope you've all been out enjoying summer and not missing me too much.

In honor of summer's passing all too quickly (RIP June & July), I wanted to share my favorite go-to summer recipes. These have become staples over the last few weeks, and I hope you enjoy them too!

Photo & Recipe Source

1. Lemon and Herb Cous Cous
Cous Cous: easy, filling, and the leftovers keep well. It must be love.  You can use whatever herbs you have, but I recommend cilantro. It makes it so fresh.

Photo & Recipe Source

2. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
Have I talked about my love for quinoa before? Yes, I believe I have. Throw in some summer tomatoes and... heaven.

Photo & Recipe Source

3. Peach Mozzarella Salad
I'm actually not eating cheese right now, but this has been a big favorite in summers past. It's an interesting variation of the caprese salad that sounds strange but tastes divine.

Photo & Recipe Source

4. Sweetcorn Polenta

This photo does not do this recipe justice. It is SO GOOD. A sweet friend lent me the cookbook Plenty, and oh goodness, it's amazing. It has a whole section on eggplant, and as I've been getting a lot of eggplant in my CSA lately, I can't stop making this. But I cheat and use store bought polenta. (Please don't tell.) Its so quick, the polenta is a great substitute for pasta, and its really filling. My kinda meal.

Photo & Recipe Source

5. Lentil & Rice Salad
A friend once told me that brown rice and lentils are the key to keeping your waistline trim, and I couldn't agree more. If you are like me and a salad for dinner doesn't fill you up, lentils are a great option. I add as many veggies as possible and toss with my go-to homemade salad dressings.

What are your favorite summer recipes?

Guest Post: A Lush Life

Friends, meet the lovely Lauranne. Lauranne helped design most of this blog, and she has been talking about LUSH for weeks, so I'm thrilled for her to share her knowledge with all of you! Enjoy, Tiff 

I’ve got to share with you that I’ve become a LUSH. Not in the way you might assume, either.

A few months ago, I’d been itching to find a more natural haircare routine. After many conversations with friends about the excessive sulfates and unfriendly ingredients found in most all of our brand-name shampoos and conditioners, I knew I wanted to be living more naturally and giving my hair some more love.

A friend and co-worker introduced me to LUSH, a fresh and handmade cosmetic company creating skin and haircare products from organic fruit and vegetables, essential oils and safe synthetics – with a personality. I was intrigued and excited by the vision and the story behind the LUSH brand. Everything created is made by hand in small batches with little preservatives by fun, happy, like-minded people. LUSH sources all of their ingredients ethically, with no animal cruelty, traveling worldwide to meet the faces behind their ingredients to ensure fair working conditions and sustainability – entrepreneurs in Ghana, Morocco, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, Vancouver, and the Colorado Rockies.

Regardless of where you are, experiment with what works best for your hair and find the brands that align with the values most important to you! Sometimes we can get in a tizzy with the plethora of choices at our fingertips but LUSH reminds us that it can and should be fun. Remembering that our skin is our largest organ and gradually transitioning to a more natural haircare routine has allowed my skin and hair to drink in better, fresher ingredients each week and given me confidence in the sourcing of what I’m purchasing. Knowing that the individuals behind my purchase are being taken care of and respected is important to me and that not only brings excitement back to a hair and skincare routine but aligns with my values.

If you’re looking to try products from LUSH, I'm currently loving: Godiva Solid Shampoo, BIG Shampoo, American Cream Conditioner, Honey I Washed the Kids soap, Ocean Salt scrub, Celestial Moisterizer, and the Aqua Mirabilis exfoliating bar.

P.S. Fun fact: if you're planning on purchasing a few items, check out their UK store. With the currency conversion, it can be cheaper (including shipping!) and will take a just a week or two!

Naturally, 
Lauranne

Guest Post: Margie's Homemade Veggie Burgers

Hi friends,

Meet Margie. She's been a dear friend, mentor and inspiration to me for almost seven years now. She's an avid cook, a yoga instructor and one of the most socially conscious & responsible people I know. So when she told me she found the best recipe for veggie burgers, I asked her on the spot to guest blog for me. I can't wait to try these out, and I hope you enjoy them too!
xoxo, Tiff

Homemade Veggie Burgers

I chose to “meat reduce” about a year ago for environmental and ethical reasons, but also for my own health.  Most factory farm meats that we purchase have so many hormones and chemicals in them to make the animals yield more meat for the companies to sell.  These animals are fed unnatural diets, mainly consisting of corn.  And corn fattens everything up, including us.  Naturally cared for and fed animals are too expensive for me right now, so I’m reducing my meat intake altogether. It was a challenge for me, though, to do so without feeling like there was something missing from my plate.  I grew up with meat being the star of the meal.  

In an effort to trick myself, and also to supplement my diet with the protein I was losing as a pseudo-vegetarian, I came up with a recipe for my own veggie burgers.  This was inspired by some organic dried beans and lentils I got in my first CSA box, and some onions and veggies that were going bad in my fridge.  This recipe can be made vegan very easily, and most of the veggies can be substituted for whatever you need to use up in your refrigerator.  It is not an exact science, so I encourage you to experiment to find the balance that you like.  However, I will say that the key flavor ingredients here are chickenless chicken broth, sracha (or a full head of garlic if you don’t like heat), and onions.  Don’t skimp on them.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup beans, soaked over night or 1 can organic beans (I prefer black beans, but they all really can work)
• 1 cup lentils
• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 tablespoon of concentrated chickenless chicken broth (vegetable broth will work)
• 2 tablespoons of Sracha, or to taste

(I wouldn’t substitute it for another hot sauce only because I like the spice combination and garlic that it adds, but you might want to)

• 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
• 1 cup corn

Optional Additions:

• Any other veggies you might want to use up (I sometimes throw in a handful of shredded carrots, frozen peas, or boiled potatoes that I’ve cut up into small pieces)
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• Mayonnaise/vegannaise or eggs for binding

If you are using dried beans and lentils, allot for a longer cooking time, and begin preparing the legumes overnight by soaking them in filtered water.  The beans take the longest, so start to cook them first in two cups of water, covered.  Check and stir the beans ever 15-20 minutes to make sure the water has not cooked off, and the beans on the bottom of the pot have started to burn.  This should take about 90 minutes to have the beans fully cooked.  When they are, add the lentils and two cups more of water and chickenless chicken broth.  

If you are using canned beans, simple put the entire can of beans, undrained, in a large pot with two cups of water and chickenless chicken broth.  Add the lentils immediately.  Heat on medium until the lentils have absorbed most of the water.

Take it off the heat, and set aside, covered.  

Start cooking your onion in a pan with some olive oil, and cook until the edges of the onion pieces are brown (about 20-30min).  Add the diced bell pepper, and other veggies, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until all the veggies are soft.  Add to the lentil mixture, stir, and cook uncovered until the water has cooked off, and the beans and lentils start to break apart, like mashed potatoes.  The consistency should match that of a meatball mixture.  Add sracha, salt, pepper, and any other spices you feel like (sometimes I put in some curry).  Mix everything together, and taste.  Add more spice or seasonings to taste.  

Form two patties from this mixture and put the rest in containers to freeze for later (this is a great make-ahead recipe, and the mixture can be used for meatless meatballs, “neat”loaf, or as a substitute for any other meat dish).  Put a skillet coated with olive oil back on a burner set to high, and wait for the oil to get start to bubble, and brown your veggie patties on each side.  If you want to get fancy, you can coat the patties in breadcrumbs, which help give them a brown crunch on the outside.  

Put your patties on buns or pita, with your choice of toppings, and you’ve made a great, healthy, satisfying, socially responsible veggie burger.

May Favorites

Aloha from Hawaii! I'm on vacation (hello, summer!) to celebrate my 6 year wedding anniversary, my hubby's birthday, and the end of a very crazy season. I'm going to have a couple guest contributors, which I know you will love. But until then, here are my favorites for May:

Image Source: Pinterest

1. 31Bits:
I had to use this image because that's my sis on the left (don't hate me, sis). Gorgeous, right?

I have so much love for 31bits. They employ women in northern Uganda to handmake the products from recycled paper, empowering these women to overcome poverty and support their families. They are making the connection because the product's creator and consumer, and there is nothing more natural than the human connection.

Plus, the jewelry is beautifully designed and really unique. I wear mine all the time. Check out some of my favorites from their new summer line: the Razzle Dazzle for making a statement, the Band of Color for some color-blocking, and the Marmalade for your new go-to piece that works with everything. They're all at 31bits.com.

2. Madewell Tote:
This is a perfect resuable tote for groceries, or all your favorite summer activities like going to the beach or strolling through the farmer's market. A little pricey just for a grocery tote, but a steal for Madewell. Buy here.

3. Baggu Bags 
Do your part for the environment - or at least take a step in the right direction - by banning plastic and paper bags. If the Madewell one is too pricey, check out Baggu's line of reuseable bags. They have so many fun designs (neon! stripes! elephant print!). I'm drawn to this one, because stripes and mint will always be a win in my book. Check out the line of bags here.

4. Pevonia Body Moisturizer
My all-time favorite lotion. My skin gets really dry, so its taken me a while to find one that really works. It's light, made with natural ingredients, and has a great fragrance. It's also a bit pricey, but it lasts a while and its worth it for those of us cursed with dry skin. Plus, skinstore often gives 20% off so look for the discount. Buy here.

Do you have any favorites lately? Any summer must-haves?