escape from reality

Have you ever gotten so busy with your work, family, friends, and adult responsibilities you forgot to take time out of your day just for YOU? If so, I highly encourage you to do that at least once this week. Whether it be for 5 minutes, an hour, or a whole day - get out there and do something just for yourself.

FH and I did just that today. We have been so swamped with wedding planning, house renovating, and moving that we really haven't had much down time with each other lately. The closest we get to spending time together most days is drilling a shower curtain rod into the bathroom (sad, I know!).


As part of my birthday present, I requested we do something "free" (and healthy as well!). We drove about an hour to visit Starved Rock State Park to go hiking!

We packed some lunches to eat in the car, and we were off!

gluten free bread from here, veggies galore (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, AVOCADO, and mustard

I had this sandwich with an apple and some raisins and almonds.

I may or may not have spilled some mustard on myself in the car - I am a very messy eater.

It was the perfect day - around 80 degrees and partly sunny skies.

happy to go hiking!

Starved Rock is actually a very historic place. Native Americans dwelled in this location for many years before it was settled by the Europeans. Fort St. Louis used to be on top of "The Rock" to try and get the Native Americans to stay in their villages. The structures within this state park are absolutely stunning - who would have thought Illinois could be this pretty?

reading the history

"will you consider it leaping if i push you off?" - FH (what a great lover - haha!)

at the top of Lover's Leap - no, he didn't push me :)

We had such a great time. It was just nice to spend time with each other without worrying about fixing something in the house or deciding upon something for the wedding. I want to go back again in October when the leaves are starting to change colors - I can't wait. It will be absolutely beautiful.

While hiking, I found something that reminded me of someone....Want to guess who?

Any ideas who?

KELSEY!!!

Since she is the "snacking squirrel", I found an acorn and brought it home for photography purposes!

When I got home I was ravenous, but really wanted roasted veggies, so I decided to wait it out. While I was waiting, I almost lost all control - I started snacking on chips and hummus. I had my fair share and then scolded myself for not being hungry for roasted veggies.

Bahahahah! Who are we kidding? I am always hungry for roasted veggies!

Roasted veggies are so easy peasy! All you have to do is slice up whatever veggies you want (I did sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper, zucchini, and green beans) into BIG chunks (so they don't get too charred), toss them with some EVOO and spices (black pepper, garlic, oregano, basil) and cook them in a baking pan on 450 degrees for 40 minutes.

Yum! I always make sure to mix my vegges every 10-15 minutes so they don't get burnt.

Along side the veggies, I ate a large spinach salad.

This is the kind of meal I dream of.. <3 <3 <3 <3

After dinner, i had the most intense craving for Blueberry Muffin Crunch Cereal. There was only one problem... I was all out of muffins!

I decided to quick whip up some of my blueberry oatmeal muffins and call it a night! This recipe is so simple and if you have all ingredients on hand, you can whip them up in about 20 minutes!

I call this snack: bridezlla diversion

blueberry muffin crunch cereal

Delicious!

I think I am going to go watch Father of the Bride - I am totally feeling "weddingy" tonight! Tomorrow is filled with running, wedding preparations (makeup and facial? yes please!!), and lots more wedding errands. 5 more days, I can't even believe it!

Question: What do you do just for you? Big or small, I don't care! I want to know!

i do not function well after 10

The title says it all - so, if there are typos, misspelled words, or just ridiculous rambling, that is why.

I had a great bike ride this morning - I think I went around 12-13 miles. I tend to measure how good a bike ride is by how wobbly my legs are after I am done. My legs were good and wobbly! :)

After bike ride snack:


Lunch looked something like this:


plus a salad on the side!

I went to a pool party this afteroon with some people I work with - it was so nice to see everyone, especially because I will only get to talk to them for a little while at my wedding I am sure!

On the way home, I made a few stops:

my favorite!!!

I also stopped at Whole Foods, where I managed to spend almost $40? Whaaaattt!! I got a couple of Larabars (anyone ever try coconut cream pie?!), some gluten free oats, unsweetened coconut (helloooo homemade coconut butter), some items from the bulk foods section (cashews, dates, figs), and mommasita's beloved spinach artichoke dip!

When I got back into my car, I snacked on a couple of my purchases.

thses organic turkish figs are so delicious!

I am not joking when I tell you next that I made and ate my dinner in a matter of 15 minutes. I was crunched for time because I had a special place I was going (keep reading), but I needed to eat before I left. I grabbed a package of frozen Trader Joe's organic brown rice, sauteed a few veggies really quick (broccoli, spinach, red pepper, zucchini), and tossed it all in hummus. It was a really quick and delicious meal!!

hi hummus - i am so glad i figured out you could taste a little cheesy

I ate these bad boys on the way out the door...

2 dates filled with sunbutter

The other day FH called me and asked me if I would like to go out on a date tonight. Seeing as we never get to go out due to everything that is going on with the house and the wedding, I jumped all over that! We went to go see Brad Paisley with a few of our friends - if you are a fan of country musc, and you have never seen him in concert, I highly reccomend it. It was an awesome show!

some people (FH) were not ready for this picture

We sat in the parking lot for an hour after the concert trying to get out. It is 1:08 a.m. and I just ate a ridiculous amount of crunchmaster crackers and hummus (too much hummus today). I hate being up this late. I am hoping to sleep until 8 a.m. Who thinks I can do it?

Bon Appetit! Chickpea Salad and Homemade Pesto

I'm going to get right to the chase here. My dinner most likely kicked your dinner's butt tonight.

I had a craving for Italian food today - Italian food is not very gluten free friendly though. So, most of the Italian food I have is at home.

It started with a cold Chickpea Salad:

In the mix:

• 1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

This was absolutely delicious. Quick, fresh, and different than your run of the mill green lettuce salad. It was nice for a change.

Up next... Easy as Pie Vegan Pesto

TJ's brown rice pasta with Easy as Pie Vegan Pesto

What you need:

• 1/2 cup fresh basil (mine came from my basil plant - yum!)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

How it's done:

Put all ingredients into your food processor. Grind until smooth.

This was amazing. I have never made my own pesto before, and I cannot honestly remember the last time I had pesto. To be perfectly honest with you, the measurements above are a rough estimate. I don't measure when I cook. I never have - I just "eyeball it". The pesto was too runny at first, so I added more walnuts. If it was too thick, I would have added more oil. That's just how I roll. My mom is on the verge of tears every night because she knows very very soon I will not be cooking for her anymore. :) I had that bowl x2.5 - no joke. My mom and I ate an entire box of brown rice pasta tonight. Ridiculous.

I went out for ice cream tonight with FH and Mandi/Kyle. Mandi is 3 days over her due date and she is itching to have that baby of hers! She goes to the doctor tomorrow - I hope she gets the Okay to go to the hospital!

I obviously couldn't eat ice cream, so when I got home, I whipped up a late night snack: protein muffin, raisins, and Sunflower Seed butter!

this guy is oozing all over the place

My momma taught me not to lie - so I won't. I did not wait until tonight to try the sunflower seed butter like I said I would. I snuck a taste this afternoon in between lunch and snack time (which was an apple by the way). It's... different. I like it, I really do - it's just something I have to get used to. Amy warned me it was more savory than sweet, and she was so right! It is very delicious though, and I love it! I'm not sure how I will feel about it in my oatmeal though. Question: What do you put sunflower seed butter in?

I came to the overhwelming realization today that I am getting married in 21 days - that is THREE WEEKS PEOPLE! I am not freaking out - it's just not my thang, but it's all becoming so real. We have been talking about it since December, but it was all just "in theory" - nope, it's really happening. I'm starting to envision it, and I know it will be perfect. Not because everything will go as planned, but because it will be our wedding day. I think that is the perfect way to plan a wedding - realizing not everything will be absolutely pristine. At the end of the day, I will be married to the most wonderful man and that is the most important part of the day.

My 23rd birthday is also on the 23rd!! Yay for Golden Birthdays! Question: What is the deal with Golden Birthdays anyways? What is so special about them?

Until tomorrow mes amies - bon noir.

ps: there were totally 2 different languages going on in this post.