Posts tagged ‘Goat Cheese’

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December 29, 2011

Holly Jolly Highlights

I hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as I did! Christmas was three days ago so this post is a little late but better late than never, right? Here’s a look at my holly jolly highlights.

After a crowded and somewhat chaotic commute home on the 23rd, I spent the night baking while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas with my sister. That movie will never get old! I whipped up a batch of Candy Cane Crumbled Nutella Cookies and Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, both in which added a fun variety to my mother’s already made Classic Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter treats. 

I packed them in a tin and little gift bags for Mike’s family, who celebrates every year on Christmas Eve. We ate a feast and opened presents by the roaring fire Saturday night after watching the Giants beat the Jets. Mike gave me my favorite gift of the year, a new iPad! I’m a lucky gal.

I drank one too many cups of coffee for dessert so had a rough night of sleep and woke up early Christmas morning. After catching up (ahem, the entire season 3) on The League from 4 to 7 a.m., I rolled out of bed and made Apple Butter-Banana Muffins for my family. Breakfast muffins may be a new tradition! My sister and I opened the goodies from our stockings over breakfast before we made our way toward this year’s scrawny Charlie Brown tree. How cute is the Victoria’s Secret present from my parents!? I am obsessed with my new bathing suits for spring break! That will be my ‘fitspiration’ since my seven day cruise is quickly approaching in March! 

After the presents were all unwrapped, I peer pressured my dad and sister to come with me on a three mile loop near my neighborhood. They rode their bikes while I huffed and puffed up the hilly terrain. After getting ready, we piled into the car and headed to Massachusetts to visit our cousins.  

Dinner was outstanding. Turkey, stuffing, beet gratin, mashed potatoes…the works! I made the same salad (pictured above) that I put together for Thanksgiving so I could finally share the recipe! Here it is:

Harvest Spinach Salad
1 bag of baby spinach
2 heads of endive, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, cubed and oven roasted
Goat cheese and walnuts to top 

Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the butternut squash ahead of time and assemble the salad accordingly. Lightly drizzle with vinaigrette, toss and serve with the remaining dressing on the side. I warmed the butternut squash so the spinach would wilt a bit. This recipe is a knockout, if I do say so myself!


It was great seeing family, catching up over great food and relaxing. Merry Belated Christmas! Now it’s time to gear up for New Years! I’m currently in the process of figuring out the perfect NYE outfit…

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Dessert, Dinner, Life Happenings | 2 Comments »

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November 27, 2011

Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

I had two Thanksgiving dinners this year. One on the actual holiday and my second was last night. I’m still stuffed…can’t wait to get some cardio in today!

After a seasonably warm morning run, Mike and I headed to his sister’s new home Thursday. It was a great opportunity for Heidi and her fiancé, George, to get both sides of the family together before their quickly approaching wedding (yay!) to celebrate all that we are thankful for. From food to holiday decor, their first Thanksgiving was quite a success. I need to get my hands on their turkey chili recipe…

I was asked to bring an appetizer and made this incredibly easy Endive Spears with White Bean Radicchio Salad. I also whipped up a wonderful harvest salad filled with walnuts, apples, roasted squash and goat cheese, which I stupidly forgot to take a picture of. Prepare yourself for a post on that later this week! It was tasty so I don’t mind recreating it to share with you all!

How cute is this pin board Heidi made to display what we’re thankful for this year? She’s so crafty.

The table arrangement was also handmade by the little Martha Stewart. So colorful and festive! I loved the candle holders and flower vases she made out of different jars, which were wrapped in burlap and tied with twine. Heidi also framed a menu and displayed it in the kitchen for her guests to check out. 

On Friday, my sister and I suited up and hit the ice with our high school’s varsity hockey team. Boy, have I missed skating. It was great to see my favorite coach, help him out with instructing new skaters and, of course, get a workout in all at the same time. I’m STILL in pain from the sprints he made us do! After we got home, I quickly showered and got ready for the boyf’s premiere of Tiger Pride: The Story of Hand Football. I was (and still am) very proud of Mike and to see all his hard work pay off was truly rewarding. I wish I was able to snap a picture of us but he was running around like a crazy person and I was manning DVD sales. Oh well. Check out more information on his documentary and watch trailers here!

Moving on to last night…Thanksgiving round 2 with my family. I made my favorite side dish of baked veggies (parsnips, onions, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, beets and butternut squash) drizzled in olive oil with minced garlic and fresh thyme. I’m already looking forward to leftovers today!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Guess what’s next? CHRISTMAS! Well, my 22nd birthday and THEN Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I’ve been blasting Christmas music somewhat secretly since before Halloween so I am already in the spirit. Are you? I will be spending my winter break in NYC this year and am absolutely elated.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Any recipes you consider a holiday must? 

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Fitness, Random, Reviews | 2 Comments »

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August 3, 2011

Yep, Another Salad Recipe Coming At Ya!

So I bet you’re probably getting sick of all my salad posts right about now. I’m sorry…I really am but when the humidity is so thick you can cut the air with a knife, the only thing that gets my taste buds goin’ are crisp greens. Why not soak up all the fresh ingredients you can get while they are in season, right? While skimming through the recipes on one of my favorite blogs, With Style & Grace, I came across this Chickpea and Basil Salad and stopped dead in my tracks. You all know by now that I adore chickpeas. Add in my favorite herb, basil, and you’ve got yourself a winner in my book. So needless to say, I made it (with minor changes) shortly after my discovery, spooned some over mixed greens and loved it. Best thing about it? It is ridiculously easy. Perfect after a rough day of lounging by a pool…

Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 a carton of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 english cucumber, quartered
1 1/2 red bell peppers, diced (1 would do just fine!)
3 scallions, diced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Juice from 2 small lemons
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of garlic powder, salt and pepper
Optional toppings: crumbed cheeses (i.e. goat or feta) and/or slices of avocado

The directions are super tedious so get your thinking caps on. Just kidding! All you have to do is chop, dice and cut everything up before combining it all into a large bowl. Whisk together the vinaigrette and drizzle over the veggie/bean mix. Season and let marinate before topping a salad, pasta or eating as is. Enjoy!
What’s your favorite herb?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren 

Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish | Leave a Comment »

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June 2, 2011

Sweet Summertime

I’ve been pretty nostalgic lately. Maybe it’s the fact that being home and sleeping in the same room I’ve slept in since kindergarten has finally sank in. Or maybe it has been the catching up, immature giggles and cocktails with my two best friends from high school, alongside the run-ins from old classmates wherever I may go. Come to think of it, you know what could very well be the nostalgia culprit? My new obsession with Gossip Girl. I’ve watched half of the first season in a matter of days. I think I have a problem. Regardless, let me summarize my overall weirdness by saying I got teary eyed listening to Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This” while driving through my neighborhood…

Whatever this emotional stint may be/be about, I have decided not to fight it. Instead, I’ve allowed it to inspire me, especially when it came to making one of my favorite summertime meals the other night: Spinach and Strawberry Salad. Although I lost the original recipe my friend, Amy, and I used to make, I decided to improvise a bit using Fitness Magazine’s Mesclun Strawberry Salad as a guide. It ended up tasting great, especially with grilled chicken on top. Avocado mixed in would have been divine, but my local grocery store was all out so I had to manage without my favorite ingredient. Besides that, it was pretty darn perfect. Oh, the taste of sweet summertime!

Ingredients
(Yields 2 servings)
2.5 ounces spinach
8 large strawberries (or more if you love ‘em like me!)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 of a lemon
Freshly chopped basil to taste (less than 1/4 cup?)
2 ounces of crumbled goat cheese
Handful or two of walnuts
One avocado, cubed
3 small chicken breasts

Start by throwing your chicken on the grill. I was so hungry I didn’t marinate it but feel free to do so if you would like. I bet it would compliment the salad well if marinated in a strawberry vinaigrette! Next, hull and slice the strawberries. In a large bowl, add in the spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, avocado (if desired) and walnuts. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients and chopped basil.

Once the chicken is done, finish assembling the salad. Drizzle with the dressing, mix it all up and serve! Delicious! Light but sweet and filling with the chicken. Add a pinch of salt alongside a little honey or agave nectar to the dressing if need be.

In other news, I have been trying to get my act together these past few days in preparation for the start of life in the real world and the ever-so-dreaded, intense commuting schedule. Task number one: tackle my bomb of a room.

I would have taken a “Before” to compare to this “After” photo, but it was far too embarrassing to share with you all. Good as new, now. It’s funny how much better you feel in a tidy space. Please note my beautiful bottle of lemoncello brought back from Florence, Italy, courtesy of my besties. 

Next project: organizing the closet by type for easy access and outfit arrangement (jackets>tanks>short sleeved shirts>dresses>oxfords>cardigans). Can you tell I have a ‘thing’ for navy blue stripes? Yeesh…

To make my stripe addiction more apparent, I would like to introduce you to today’s glorious Steve Madden purchase. They can be laceless and feel like a sneaker. Perfect for running around NYC in! Hi, I like you. Boy, am I am a sucker for seersucker…

Last but not least on my agenda was to start compiling a summer reading list. I love having free time to read during my time off from school and what better way to keep me occupied on the train!? Thanks to my wonderful Twitter followers, I have a nice list going already…
Do you have must-read suggestions? What is a theme in your closet? 

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Dinner, Random, Side Dish | 6 Comments »

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