Stone Creek Camp in Big Sky Country: eco getaway heaven

I got an email today from a great friend who happens to be co-owner of the award winning and aesthetically glorious architecture firm Hufft Projects.  Their firm focuses on sustainable design practices and has many LEED certified projects so it's no surprise the she too has an eye for the best and latest in green design.  Her email reminded me of the online magazine Pure Green Living which I've blogged about before but totally forgot about.

Well thanks for the reminder, Jess because I found heaven in that magazine...Stone Creek Camp in Bigfork Montana!

Anyone not sold?  This eco-friendly estate utilizes indoor outdoor living at its best.  Imagine having a family or friends reunion here surrounded by all this beauty and the people you love most.  They say that's what heaven is like, right?



roasted baby tomatoes: a favorite addition to pasta and goat cheese

This past Sunday was a lazy, rainy day spent lounging around as a family watching movies and YouTube clips of Sesame Street.  I was also lucky enough to get in some blog browsing and came across this post on Walking Around Where the Sidewalk Begins (a great little blog by a fellow Chicago lady) about Arugula Pesto with Roasted Tomatoes from My Father's Daughter by Gwenyth Paltrow.

I was intrigued!  I love Gwenyth, love arugula and recently bought sun gold tomatoes at the market that I want to love. I had everything I needed for this recipe except the pasta...the perfect inspiration for dinner tonight.  I chose a quinoa pasta and hit the kitchen with every intention to make this arugula pesto tossed with roasted tomatoes.  Turns out my little guy had a different idea of how we would spend the evening hours so I didn't have the time or energy to whip up the pesto itself.  In the end, I was quite pleased with what I threw together with limited time and energy...

1 box quinoa spaghetti pasta (higher in protein and gluten free)
3 cups arugula roughly chopped or torn
1 cup (or more) sun gold baby tomatoes.  Make a huge batch...they're delicous!
olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Caprico cheese by Nordic Creamery -a creamy blend of goat and cow's milk cheese.  (You could also use provolone or just Parmesan).
Pine nuts
2 diced garlic cloves
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

I didn't measure everything so use your best judgement...you really can't mess it up!

Preheat the oven to 400 and cut the baby tomatoes in half.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and place seed side up on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt and throw them in the oven for 25 minutes or so.  If you have more time, do them Goop style a la Gwenyth.  You want them at least a little dehydrated and caramelized.  For the pasta I shredded some Caprico and Parmesan and threw in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients except the tomatoes, olive oil and pasta.  When the pasta was cooked, I drained the water and threw it over the cheese, arugula, garlic mix.  The heat of the pasta will melt the cheese and slightly wilt the arugula.  Toss with the tomatoes, drizzle with a splash of olive oil and serve.  This dish took very little time and is a new favorite!

I also love these over a log of goat cheese melted just a touch and served with crusty bread or veggies (especially good on endive pieces).

Thanks, Gwenyth.  I think I need your cookbook and will also definitely need the upcoming  Elle Magazine featuring your home in London!  Oh, and I want your wardrobe and your personal trainer too;)

books as decor

I'm craving a change of decor in our home.  It needs to be inexpensive, ideally green and low maintenance.  After a little blog browsing, I noticed a trend that I'm digging!  We have so many books already and I can easily collect more magazines ;)

 via Rue

via from me to you

via this is glamorous

via apartment therapy

michael haverland (amazing architect) via desire to inspire 



seasonal smoothie turned popsicle

We had the perfect amount of smoothie left over yesterday to make 2 popsicles.  The smoothie was made with a handful of kale, 1/2 banana, 1 apple, a tart plum, 3 tablespoons of greek yogurt and some ice.

The popsicles all the same plus a little more fun!

the boy and the girl and the goat girl

Today was a great Green City Market day!  We stumbled upon a cooking demo by Stephanie Izard, Top Chef winner and the girl behind Girl and the Goat!  She was sweet, funny and very approachable.  But most importantly, I finally got to eat a couple of her amazing dishes after months of trying to get into Girl and the Goat with no luck.   She was there promoting her new book out in October (but you can pre-order on the cheap at Amazon)!  Check out this link for the seriously delicious recipes she made today: Eggplant Caponata and Lemon Poached Eggplant with Ricotta- all fresh and seasonal!  And PS, her website has other great recipes I can't wait to try!

There's the boy with the girl and the goat girl :)

She said that all the dishes in her book are simple enough for the home chef and won't totally destroy your kitchen with 1,000 dirty dishes...perfect!

Stephanie's colorful table before today's cooking demo.

image via StephanieIzard.com

Thanks Stephanie!

eating raw: the 3rd day

I have to say, I scheduled my "3 days in the raw" to include a farmer's market day.  By day 3 I wasn't excited about the stuff I had in my fridge anymore.  I needed some fresh inspiration and new taste sensations!  After a breakfast of another green smoothie of kale from the patio, apples, banana, blueberries and a pear, we headed to the Green City Market....

Sam "eating" kale on the way home from the market.

While Sam was napping I peeled and thinly shaved the beets, Japanese radishes and carrots for a simple salad inspired by the to-die-for shaved vegetable salad with bleu cheese at Maude's Liquor Bar, my new favorite restaurant with the most amazing food, especially their salads.  I didn't include the blue cheese in my version (as much as I wanted to and will next time) and it wasn't quite as good as Maude's, but it was very tangy, crispy and fresh!  I used a basic red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing to really let the flavors of the fresh root vegetables shine through!

Brunch

In the afternoon we went to the park and stopped by Karen's Raw on the way home.  I needed another fresh option for my late lunch!  I think her entrees are over-priced so I grabbed the sprouted hummus and this new "cheddar cheese" spread she had that is amazing!  Sam was literally dipping his fingers in it when we got home.  I used it and the hummus for another nori wrap loaded with raw veggies.  I can't wait to try to whip up the "cheddar cheese" myself.  Especially since she charges 8.99 for a small container.

I was making a slow cooker chicken for my guys for dinner that night and I just couldn't resist!  I decided I needed to listen to my craving for meat.  But at least I ate (another) raw salad....

So here's what I learned in my 3 raw days:

1.  Eating raw doesn't leave you hungry necessarily.  I was actually quite satisfied after each meal, but by the end of day 2 and on day 3, I was craving more variety.

2.  I love nori wraps and will incorporate them often for simple lunches - especially since I'm still trying to avoid too much wheat.

3.  A light, raw breakfast is great most days.  Anything too heavy leaves me longing for a return to my bed. 

4.  It's amazing what you can do with raw nuts!

5.  I felt really good and thought my skin looked just a little better.  100% raw isn't for me right now, but I will try to incorporate more raw meals into my repertoire.

The 2nd Day Raw

While the first day raw was pretty easy and tasty, the second left me with a few more cravings, particularly for meat.

Breakfast was a salad of 1/2 avocado, 1 grapefruit and 2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds.  It was super easy to prepare and quite satisfying.  Sam was into it too.

Lunch was the leftover walnut mixture topped with the salsa and cashew sour cream from day one all wrapped up with avocado in a sheet of nori.  PS, this was my first time making "sushi" so please excuse the messy presentation.

I had a snack in the afternoon with Sam of raw almond butter and an apple.

Dinner was a simple greens salad with shaved summer squash, onions, avocado, walnuts and cucumbers.  I used the cashew sour cream from day 1 mixed with oil and vinegar as the dressing.  Before I started making dinner my appetite was not out of control.  Once I got started though I was too hungry to mess with a photo of my dinner...sorry!  And here is where I was really missing some more substantial protein source! 

Dessert was a banana with more raw almond butter.

2 days down, one to go!