Taco Tuesday!

Taco Tuesday is my favorite day of the week, but to be honest, taco Tuesday happens multiple days during the week most weeks. We love taco night so much that we don't reserve it for just one day - why limit yourselves!? Sometimes we'll get creative and actually do tacos or mini burritos with Siete Foods tortillas (the BEST), but we usually revert to burrito bowls as they are so super easy, fast, and yummy. 

You can meal prep for taco bowls at the beginning of the week, and all you need to do it chop a few veggies and such the night of. I always make a big batch of rice on Sundays, and also make sure to stock up on my greens (lettuce, cilantro, avocado, etc). I like to keep my taco bowls pretty basic, as I'm not a huge tomato fan and don't love a ton of spice, but you can obviously adjust and add whatever you'd like. I'm only giving you guys the super easy and simple recipe that I use to whip it up in about 20 minutes or less, but feel free to improvise!

To make the perfect burrito bowl:

For the base of the bowl, I use chopped lettuce or a mixed greens salad, because gotta get those greens in! Then I top it with cooked sprouted brown rice (I get mine from Trader Joe's). I make a big batch of rice at the beginning of the week so I can just heat and eat when I want. You could also use quinoa instead of rice if you want a different alternative. As for the meat, there are a bunch of different options. It takes about 5 minutes to cook ground beef for tacos (1st photo), or you can make something ahead of time, like this carnitas recipe (2nd photo) that I've made multiple times. I just bought the instant pot and I'm OBSESSED. If I do the carnitas, that's usually a Sunday meal prep option as it takes quite a few hours to make. 

Next, you add the toppings! Oh the toppings.... my favorite part! There are so many different options you can go with here! My usual favorites are chopped onion, cilantro, a touch of cheese (organic of course), radish, and some version of avocado. If I'm feeling extra ambitious, I'll turn the avocado into guac. Again, even my guac is pretty basic: just avocado, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt. I LOVE this meal because it is beyond delicious, healthy, full of protein and good fats, and literally takes 10 minutes to make, as long as you prep the rice beforehand.

What are your go-to recipes for taco night!? I'd love to know!

A Summer Weekend in the Catskills

This post is long overdue, as we went to the Catskills for our 2 year anniversary, but I wanted to give you guys a quick look into our trip, as well as a guide to visit the area if you have any interest in doing so (trust me, it's worth the trip). Nick and I are big into vacations that take place in remote places, such as the mountains or a quiet beach. Anything where we can get away from the noise of the city and get into nature a bit, and the Catskills are the perfect trip to do so, especially being only about 3 hours away from NYC.

Nick found the most incredible little lodge, Scribner's Catskill Lodge, and booked us two nights in the cutest room, which was incredibly comfy and roomy with the bedroom on the second floor loft, and seating area, fire and bathroom on the first floor. They have a common area with books, fire pit, and pool, where you can go and hang, and make s'mores in the evening. The hotel is, of course, dog friendly, which we made sure of before we booked it because we always love to bring Luna along for the trip, 

Hiking is the first thing we look to do, activity-wise, especially when we have Luna in tow. There are endless options for hikes in the Catskills, so we googled a few and landed on one of the only options with a waterfall included. Now I of course cannot remember the name of the specific hike we did, but it was down a very rocky/overgrown road that you cannot drive most cars on. Here are some other great options for waterfall hikes in the Catskills though, including Kaaterskill falls, which is one of the most famous and definitely worth the visit.

We tried something new this visit, and decided on mountain top yoga at Windham Mountain. Let's just say, this wasn't the most, er, rigorous yoga class I've ever taken, but the view at the top was worth it.

So Scribner's has the best little restaurant, where you can order organic, local food and drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We did dinner here one night, as well as breakfast, which was simple and so delicious. Only thing I wish that they offered was juices, which I think is wishful thinking.

Our view from breakfast, Luna included. Their poached eggs, green tea, and bacon hit the spot. You can see straight to Hunter mountain while sitting at Prospect, so it's the perfect pre-ski breakfast spot if you're planning a winter ski trip there. It's also the perfect way to start your day no matter what season you're visiting in.

For our second night, we did dinner at Deer Mountain Inn, which no joke, was the best dinner I've had in a VERY long time. Their food was impeccable, and the atmosphere itself was just beautiful. I mean, look at this view! I would definitely consider staying here during our next trip.

There are so many more things we would have liked to shove into the weekend, but the whole point of the trip was to relax, enjoy ourselves, and celebrate our anniversary! Some of the activities not pictured included breakfast at Catskill Mountain Country Inn (DELISH!), making s'mores at Scribner's after hours, happy hour drinks ad Prospect, wandering around Tannersville, and spending Sunday in Woodstock, NY (another favorite of mine). Woodstock is definitely worth the day trip, especially if you like people watching. So many great little restaurants and cafes, and everything is dog friendly of course!

Homemade Kale Pesto

I am ALWAYS snapchatting about this or putting it on my Insta-stories, but I have yet to post the recipe, and I feel like I've been cheating you guys. It's such a simple recipe, and it's a delicious addition to pretty much any meal. My favorite way to eat it is mixed with quinoa and a little bit of parmesan cheese. Top it with an egg to make a "quinoa bowl", and you're set to go. I'm not sure why that's the best route, but it's just SO DARN delicious prepared that way. Pesto is also great mixed in with pasta, on top of toast or in sandwiches, and scrambled in eggs. Another one of my favorite ways to eat it is in a sandwich with egg, bacon, and avocado. Talk about a yummy breakfast. 

This recipe can be vegan if you'd like, as I usually make it without the cheese and use nutritional yeast instead. You can use either - it pretty much tastes the same. Also, the recipe below, like usual, is just my guesstimations - I'm one to just throw things in a food processor and continually taste and add to it until it tastes good. You may need a bit more olive oil, or may need extra cheese/nutritional yeast, depending on how strong you like your pesto to be. Don't be afraid to play around with this a bit - it's pretty hard to screw up (unless you add too much salt, so be careful with that one). 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale, stems removed (I have used 3 different types of kale and they all work!)
• 1 bunch basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3/4-1 cup olive oil (or more)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast for vegan, or 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Throw all ingredients into a food processor and process until completely mixed/chopped up. Start with the smaller amount of olive oil, and continue to add it while the processor is running until the pesto is a smooth consistency, without being too runny. 
2. Like I said above, you can add more of any of the ingredients, like cheese/nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, etc. depending on what you like and how you want your pesto to taste. Make it what you want!

A few of my favorite pesto recipes:

• Pesto pasta with baked salmon
• Pesto quinoa with egg
• Grilled cheese with pesto