sway me now...

i have been meaning to post, but have yet to muster up the energy to type out all of the ideas in my head or to give an adequate update of what has been going on since this post. i promise, it's coming soon! BUT, i just stumbled upon the most beautiful & romantic pictures of cooking & food (yes, i said ROMANTIC) ... and thought i would share them with you. i thought i would share them because they inspire me. they inspire me to fall in love with cooking; to spend quality time in the kitchen; a sudden realization of the song and dance that is cooking....a swaying of sorts. over time i have developed an itch for becoming a food photographer and am convinced that this has pushed me over the edge...seriously guys, i'm pretty sure that  i need to go ahead and invest in some photography classes because as much as i love my instagram pictures (also as seen above), nothing can compare to what you are about to witness... nothing. at. all. *sigh*... and even if you don't enjoy these like i do, take the time to read her posts. she is a wonderful writer of stories. 

happyolks

and of course, i have included a song for you to listen to as you scroll up and down the pages of this blog. and if rosemary clooney isn't your thing, try out some pavarotti. besides, you should ONLY listen to this music while cooking anyway.... if not, you are completely missing out. 

{clean eating} peanut butter oatmeal

i love breakfast foods. i could eat them all day. everyday. it is my most favorite meal ever. i will always be up for having breakfast even if i'm not hungry. i just want to give breakfast a huge hug. anyone with me? ever since this whole clean eating lifestyle has been going on, my breakfasts no longer consist of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, hash browns, muffins, french toast, etc. not to say that there aren't clean(er) version of these foods. however, in an effort to sort of simplify my morning routine, i committed to egg whites with random veggie's on the side and of course, either some sprouted ezekiel bread or tortillas to jump start my day. 

but can we keep it real for just a second? 

egg whites give me the WORST GAS. EVER. 

nothing like working out at the gym and watching the most muscular built men pass out because of ME. okay that doesn't really happen (the passing out) but the passing the toxic gasses out happens all the time. everywhere. anytime; any place. it's hilarious, but at times so super embarrassing. thankfully everyone at the gym thinks its my boyfriend... ha! it wasn't until a few weeks ago that i actually discovered the cause for such a fragrance and in order to save face, i've given those nuggets of protein a rest for now. the quest to find alternative breakfast foods that weren't loaded with sugar, yet gave me a good source of protein, carbs and quick to fix in the morning before work was something i thought i would never find. that was, until i found this recipe {found on pinterest, duh!}

it is the perfect fall time breakfast. so delicious AND filling. so perfect and easy to make. i've been eating it every morning for the past two weeks, and have yet to grow tired of it. so i thought it would be a good little recipe to share so you could add it to your morning routine. 

{photo courtesy of thegraciouspantry.com}

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Oatmeal

(makes 2 servings) 

Ingredients: 

1-1/2 cups cooked oats (definitely have only tried this with almond milk vs. water) 

2 tbsp. clean peanut butter (PB2 would probably be perfect)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. honey 

 **i also dded a 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein

Directions: 

(these are really complicated, so pay attention)

Step 1: heat up oatmeal (usually 1 minute works) 

Step 2: Combine rest of ingredients in a small bowl/mason jar/dish of your choice and mix until everything is combined. 

Step 3: eat

Step 4: take a deep breath

Step 5: enjoy! 

Step 6: reflect on how tomorrow you can sleep in if you want to since this recipe takes about 3 minutes max to put together. 

nutritional content can be found on thegraciouspantry.com  

Thanks, Tiffany for such a delicious and simple recipe and all of the other delicious CLEAN recipes  i can't wait to try! 

lunch perfection

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fell in love with lunch today.

really glad i re-pinned this recipe. 

 i have missed pasta. 

i have missed cheesy goodness in my mouth.

LOVE traditional dishes turned skinny. 

thank you to whoever decided to dream up this recipe,

you made this Wednesday awesome! 

and special thanks to my dear Miguel who spent extra time making sure this dish turned out perfect. 

you did awesome, babe!

..::::::..

favorite {summer} things

it's friday! and i couldn't be more excited about the coming weekend and the chance to have several hours of doing nothing but enjoying the sunshine and some quality rest time. and what a better way to end the work week than to have a little time with the boyfriend cooking a homemade meal and tasting the fruits of our labor? in the event of such cooking, of course, comes the scavenger hunt of ingredients at our local Whole Foods store... And call me crazy, BUT, i absolutely love grocery shopping and discovering new foods and drinks to dive in and try. and while i am no photography expert, i love nothing more than snapping a few shots of some of these things that i have found a new love for. 

looking forward to shoving more of the items below in my face this summer

 minus the happy puppy...unless we are talking kisses :)  

happy weekend, 

<3 tina 

con Maggie

every once in a while, when i'm not already committed to a millon different things throughout my week, my dear friend maggie & i have a date night which ALWAYS consists of either panera or mcallisters & now that it is officially spring time, some delicious frozen yogurt.

we had so much fun going to some sketchy thrift stores & actually finding some buried treasure. getting lost in a little bit of ross digging. and of course enjoying the beautiful spring time breeze made possible by outdoor seating! it's our favorite combination.

good times, maggie.

good times.

friday & friends

SO thankful it's Friday!

I had pretty much a rough, don't care, no make up, barely able to function, too tired to eat kind of day yesterday...all thanks to a lack of sleep. BUT it's amazing what a whole 8 hrs. of catch up sleep can do for someone! it's magic.

                                            ----------------------------------------------------

went to this restaurant today for lunch...A-mazing & DELICIOUS. guys, i even tried some sushi.. i know, BIG day!! all you fish lovers out there should be proud of this girl. i would like to give all the credit of my living life on the edge to my solid 8 hours of sleep and to Friday. cheers to you both. had you caught me on tuesday for lunch on 7 hours of sleep, i would've given you my talk-to-the-hand gesture. seriously. no lie.                                                        

only 30 minutes left here at work, then off to mt. leb for a retreat :) can't wait to share. hope you guys have a great weekend!



xoxo well-rested Tina