Energizing Green Smoothie

If you guys haven’t figured this out yet, I’m obsessed with green smoothies. They are a daily staple for me, sometimes more than once a  day. I’m always looking for ways to switch it up to avoid boredom (because you likely also now that I get bored super easily), so when I ran across this recipe from People’s Food Co-op, I got really excited.

This smoothie features matcha, a powdered form of green tea that I’m completely addicted to. If you’ve ever had a green tea Frappucino from Starbucks, it’s very similar. Definitely an acquired taste for some (I know a few who hate it), but it’s my absolute favorite way to drink tea. I switched up the original recipe a little bit by adding spinach and stevia for a dose of greens and a little sweeter taste. You can also use agave or honey depending on your preference.

Energizing Green Smoothie

1 avocado

1 cup spinach

3 tablespoons matcha green tea powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups un-milk, such as almond milk

Stevia, to taste

2 cups ice

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender and enjoy!

Loving the nicer weather – definitely planning on getting some outdoor activities on the books for this weekend! What are you loving most about spring so far?

❤ Sarah

Sweet Hereafter

Buffalo Sub

I’m not a vegan, so you won’t typically find me at Portland’s many vegan hot spots. But a vegan restaurant is def nothing to be scared of, in fact I’m starting to grow pretty fond of a few. So when the parents ditch for a little date on family dinner Sunday and your soon to be sister-in-law is vegan (and has convinced your brother to try the vegan thing for a month as well) where do you end up?

In our case, Sweet Hereafter >>Not being able to track down a website with a menu, I was a little nervous… but I’ll try anything (ok, most things) at least once! Their Yelp page had a picture of the very limited menu but as soon as I saw the Buffalo Sub I was set. With myself, both brothers, Ilan (brother Jordan’s fiancé) and one of my best friends Peder in attendance that Sunday we surprisingly all 5 settled on the same order. The dish consisted of buffalo-marinated soy curls (replacing the chicken), miso-chive “cheese” and a vegan ranch dressing, and I am shocked to say not 1 of the 5  of us could tell it was vegan. It is one of those restaurant’s where one menu item can keep you coming back for more!

Instead of the chips and salsa it came with, I opted to substitute the kale slaw and it paired perfectly. We also ordered a few hummus/olive/oil/bread/cracker plates to share which were pretty standard but a great starter. Another highly recommended item was the Jamaican Bowl and I must say I’m not typically a cherry person but the cherry cider is def worth a try!

I must say it may take me a few times back before I branch out past the Buffalo Sub though!

Sweet Hereafter 
3326 SE Belmont St.
Portland, OR 97214
Hours: Mon-Thu 4pm-2am. Fri 2pm-2am, Sat-Sun 12pm-2am
Loved the large outdoor covered patio!

❤ Jamie

Link Love

Jamie:

I ran across this list on the Huffington Post and was pleasantly surprised by how many I’d already checked off… But with that being said, I def have a few to be embarrassed about (like lighting a grill… little scared of fire… just saying)! 50 things every woman should know how to do by 50

I keep running across this lovely candy boutique Sugarfina on multiple blogs, magazines, the Today Show and even for sale at one of my morning coffee joints! So excited to be chatting with the owner Rosie tomorrow morning (blog post to come I promise!). I mean any place that has their own cocktail candy line >>Champange Bears<< is right up my alley!

Lastly, super excited to be stopping by Couve Couture Saturday with my madre to attend the fashion show. Vancouver may not be known for fashion, but mother/daughter date night paired with Seth Aaron (winner of project runway season 7) show casing his line… yes please!

Sarah:

My coworker told me about some amazing overnight oats she had for breakfast this morning, which sounded pretty amazing, so she introduced me to one of her favorite blogs Peanut Butter Fingers. I’ve been perusing it all day and I’m excited to try some of her recipes! Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Overnight Oats anyone? Yeah…that’s what I thought.

I’m generally pretty low maintenance, and in the past, I’ve been one to neglect my eyebrows. But once I realize how much that little touch can put together your whole look, I haven’t gone back! Here’s Makeup.com’s tips for creating perfectly shaped eyebrows…love it!

I’ve been really good about working out during the week, but totally slacking on the weekends. It’s my goal this weekend to not let fitness fall to the back burner. Thankfully, I stumbled across Glitter Guide’s “5 Workouts to Fire Up Your Motivation.” Though paddle boarding isn’t really doable with the current weather, there are some other gems in there that are more NW friendly 🙂

Have a great weekend!

❤ Jamie & Sarah

Pineapple Panang Curry

I LOVE curry. I seriously order it every time I eat Thai food, it’s easily one of my favorite meals. I used to make it a lot, but I’ve been slacking a bit lately. Last night, it sounded really good so I decided to go for it, no recipe, and it turned out awesome. So I figured it was worth sharing with you!

PINEAPPLE PANANG CURRY

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/3 of an onion, chopped

1 c. chopped red cabbage

1 c. diced pineapple (fresh is best)

1/2 c. shitake mushrooms

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 can full fat coconut milk (don’t use light, it won’t get creamy enough)

1 tbsp. panang curry paste

hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms and cabbage with coconut oil and curry paste for about 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, pineapple and broccoli and simmer until broccoli is soft. Remove from heat and serve over rice, quinoa, or my favorite, millet and top with sunflower seeds (random but so good).

Enjoy! Hope you are having a fabulous Wednesday!

❤ Sarah 

Motivation Monday

One of the many reasons I hit the gym (and/or pavement) each morning before work…

Running before work has actually become my morning ‘caffeine’ just in better form! Those mornings when I feel oh so inclined to hit the snooze button, I always remember how much more energy I’ll have if I just get up and do it.  This morning was one of those mornings that I just reminded myself suffering through those first 2 mins to actually wake up instead of hitting the snooze will result with that extra energy boost to send me soaring into a productive Monday.

For those of you that “don’t have time” in the morning to work out… Plan accordingly and get up earlier! Orrr try out this 10 minute video to give your metabolism a kick start!

Victoria’s Secret Model Workout: 10- Minute Fat-Blasting Circuit

http://www.fitsugar.com/Victorias-Secret-Models-Full-Body-Workout-21416942

Who’s everyone rooting for tonight?! Michigan or Louisville?

❤ Jamie

Wild for Wedges

Wedge’s have always been my go-to shoes. I would honestly wear them year round, anytime a day if it was fashionably acceptable.  They are the perfect shoe to jazz up any outfit or tone down an outfit when you’re not feeling a heel.  Wedges can take you from day to night without having to make a swap and not to mention they are way more comfortable than your standard heels. Here are a few pairs I am currently digging as we heat up for spring:

I have been trying to track down where to find these Oxfords forever!

 Sam Edelman

Tory Burch

 

Matiko ‘Lynn’ Wedge Sandal

Steve Madden ‘Xternal’ Wedge Sandal

alice + olivia

 Tory Burch

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

❤ Jamie

Waterfront Park Bootcamp Workout

With summer fast approaching, Jamie and I have been making it a goal to run our waterfront trail at least 2 mornings a week. I’ll be honest though, for someone who is already not a runner and gets bored easily, its tough to get motivated to run the same loop over and over without switching it up. So I incorporated a mid-run boot camp workout to keep things fresh, inspired by a workout my personal trainer friend John Armerding cooked up last spring. All you need for the boot camp is a bench or a short concrete wall of some kind and you are good to go!

 

Sorry that pic is so small…can’t figure out how to make it bigger

Happy trails!

<3Sarah

Humpday Humor

Happy Wednesday!

It’s about that time in the week where I’m in need of a laugh…the corporate world can be so blahhh sometimes! My coworkers and I started the day watching some of our favorite screaming goat remixes and getting the latest news on our favorite new train wreck celeb, Amanda Bynes. So without further ado, enjoy some humpday humor!

Best Starbucks name fails ever:

Bahaha so true:

Word:

World’s funniest show:

Alright friends, good luck getting through your Wednesday. We are booking Vegas today, so my life is about to get really exciting 🙂

❤ Sarah

Meatless Monday

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great day yesterday celebrating Easter with family, friends and the ones you love! Could not a been a more perfect day, and it was the nicest day of the year so far! It’s not everyday we hit 76 degrees in March.

I thought I’d start this week off right, after indulging a little yesterday it’s all about getting back on track this week.  After having a bit of a tummy ache last night and this morning I started scouring my Pinterest for an appealing soup recipe.  So for Meatless Monday, I bring you Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup  topped with avocado.  Super simple, slimming and sexy. Can soup be sexy? Who know’s but here it is.

Citrus & Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup from Happy Healthy Life

This recipe is a variation from Healthy Happy Life where everything is 100% Vegan… Right up Sarah’s ally!

Sweet Potato Soup (citrus and chipotle)
serves 1-2

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato (from a baked sweet potato)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (more you add the thinner it gets)
• 1/2 cup plain/unsweetened soy or almond milk
• A pinch of orange or satsuma zest
• Salt
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder

Topped with

• 1/4 cup diced avocado
• Crushed tortilla chips
• For non vegans: sour cream and/or cheese
• Optional (and it looks like a good idea to me!): Canned white beans (blended in), cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne, lime juice (lime wedge served on side), parsley or chopped spinach served over top.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Bake your sweet potato until tender.
• Remove potato skin, add to blender along with the broth and non-dairy milk. Blend on low until smooth. Taste a drop to see that it is slightly bland at this point. Add the salt and spices to taste. I’m a huge spice fan so I will probably experiment with more here then lastly add the zest .
• Serve with garnish, avocado and/or selected toppings

Nutrition (per recipe):
Calories: 259kcal, Fat: 3g, Carbs: 47g, Protein: 12g

Happy April Fools’ Day!

❤ Jamie

Celeb Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder’s Healthy Supermarket Guide

I’ve followed Kimberly Snyder’s work for a while now – she’s truly an inspiration to me when it comes to nutrition and healthy living. She advocates a plant-based diet supplemented with daily green smoothies, and her philosophy totally matches mine. I recently purchased her brand new book, “Beauty Detox Foods,” which just shipped and I’m sooo excited to dive into it!

I’m a big advocate that healthy shopping = healthy eating, so I find Kim’s supermarket guide suuuper helpful. Thought I’d share it will you as well!

Shop smart my friends!

❤ Sarah