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Easiest Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Ravioli.
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Hey guys! Happiest Sunday Funday! And thanks for joining me onย another Nine Favorite Things post!
{my favorite blueberry vanilla greek yogurt granola bars to make on Sunday}
Hope everyoneโs weekend is going great. So far, mine has been jam-packed. Iโm excited to spend some time today just catching up a bit and preparing for a photo shoot I have first thing tomorrow. If you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat then you know that on Friday I headed to Salt Lake City to speak at the Everything Food Conference. I did a quick in and out trip, arriving Friday night for a fun Cinco de Mayo party, spoke on Saturday Morning (was so nervous, but it went great), and then headed back home to Colorado in the afternoon. My mom and little miss Asher were nice enough to come and pick me up in Denver, so I got to spend two hours talking with them on the drive home, which was awesome.
How about you guys? Is the weather becoming warm and spring like? Iโve seen a lot of people already posting that it feels like summer, so my fingers are crossed that most of you are getting plenty of sunshine!
Anyway, here are todayโs nine favorite things! See ya all tomorrow for a delicious and easy dinner that will also double as the perfect Motherโs Day meal!
1. My family and I are headed to San Diego on Friday for my cousinโs graduation. Iโm pretty excited for a couple of days in the sun with the people I love best. Iโm wondering if you guys have suggestions of what we should be doing, eating, and seeing while there. Iโve been to San Diego once before, but it was for work so I didnโt really get to explore. What are all the best San Diego adventures?!ย On the Monday after, Iโll be heading up to LA for work, but that will most likely be a quick tripโฆnot quite all planned out yet
2.ย Motherโs Day is just a week from today, what are you guys making? Iโm hoping to take over my cousinโs kitchen (Abby, Mathewโฆthat cool?), and make a big spread for everyone. Since Iโll be in San Diego Iโll have to keep things simple. I might try to pull off this Moroccan Brunch spread. But considering that Iโll be playing it by ear, I havenโt developed an exact plan. If I were home, I would be making this french toastย and these scones,ย sinceย theyโre some ofย my momโs favorites. And then for lunch weโd do this farro saladย with a side of honey raspberry brie crostini. For dinner? Well, I am actually posting my momโs favorite meal tomorrow, but as another suggestion you might want to start with this Meze Platterย and then also make this pretty asparagus salad with this cuban grilled salmon. For cocktails, this fun tropical hibiscus rum smash or this strawberry chamomile paloma. OH, and then for dessert? Definitely this zebra cake.
Be sure to check back all week for a few more recipes. Iโll be featuring some of my momโs personal favorites!
{farro tabbouleh with burrata and hummus}
3. If you guys read Tuesdayโs post, then you may remember how I talked a bit about some of the anxiety I have been feeling lately. I got such incredibly kind and encouraging comments, I am always in awe of you guys, thank you! I think one of things I havenโt shared extensively is my long history with anxiety. I struggled with anxiety throughout my teenage years and truthfully, this blog is what broke me out of my shell and helped to rid me of a lot of my anxious feelings. Lately though, that anxiousness has come back. I think itโs mostly due to all the things I have coming up with the release of theย Half Baked Harvest Cookbook. With exciting things also comes fear, self-doubt, and just a heck of a lot of anxiety. I donโt want to get into it all, but really I just wanted to tell you guys whatโs up because I think a lot of you can probably relate. Social media tends to only show the pretty parts of my life, but Iโm human too, and just like you guys, I have my struggles. If you can relate to what I am saying here, what do you do to deal with your stresses and fears? I would love to know if you guys might like reading a post on this topic? Itโs something super close to me, as I mentioned Iโve struggled with it for as long as I can remember, but sometimes having a platform to discuss issues can be helpful. Through the years Iโve learned a thing or two about keeping my head up and pushing through, which is what Iโm doing now, because even though Iโm anxious, I couldnโt be more excited or grateful about what life is bringing meโฆbut man it can be scary!
4. Speaking of exciting thingsโฆIโve been so exited to share with you guys something really fun that Iโll be doing this week. Before I head to San Diego, on Wednesday I am off to Nashville. I will be doing a couple LIVE cooking segments on Today in Nashville. Iโll be on bothย Thursday and Friday morning and will be making some Motherโs Day brunch recipes, plus chatting about the release of the cookbook! Iโm pretty excited, but you guys, my real concernโฆwhat should I wear?
5. New videos: buffalo chicken quinoa salad, super easy crockpot carne asada tacos, and for something sweet churro waffles.
6. Iโm currently working on a behind the scenes project that I will reveal to you guys in a few months (really excited about it). I canโt give details just yet, but it does involve some kitchen designing. Which of course has taken me to Pinterest for new ideas. I have a few open shelves inย the barn, and for the most part I do love them, but Iโm glad I didnโt make all of my shelving openโฆyou need somewhere to hide all the clutter, you know? Anyway, I found this post onย open shelvingย really fun to scroll through. From top to bottom, the third, fourth and then second to last photos are my favorite sets ups. Whatโs your favorites? Any kitchen trends you guys are loving that I need to know about?
7. Summer is quickly approaching and I am pretty excited, but summertime in the Colorado mountains is a little different. Itโs beyond beautiful, but just a smidge on the cold side for me. I love that ninety degree heat. Yes, for real. This summer Iโm hoping to maybe plan a fun trip somewhere. Asher is dying to go to Italy, so thatโs one idea. But I found this post on the best summer travel destinations pretty inspiring. Egypt and the Canary Islands look pretty amazing to me. Also, if you wanted to stay in the US, here are some fun summertime road trips.ย Mackinac Island, MI andย Idyllwild, CA look pretty fun to me!
8. Favorite pin/style finds of theย week: straw bags are my new obsession for spring/summer, Iโd really like to get one. Butย this bamboo bag is my absolute favorite!ย Also, Iโd like to makeย this outfit is my new summer uniform.
9. This weekโs dinners:ย
Avocado Veggie Spring Rolls with Sweet Thai Mango Sauce,
Healthier Oven Fried Sweet Tea Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
30 Minute Asian Basil Beef and Mango Noodle Salad
20 Minute Brown Butter Chunky Basil Pesto Pasta
Bonus:ย 10 Minute Magical Chocolate Almond Butter Superfood Seed Bars
Check out all the past Favorites postsย here.
This post was originally published on May 7, 2017
Hey, T: Not an expert but I have heard that people tend to suffer from varying degrees of anxiety mostly due to fears about the past or future and have heard that mindfulness really helps. I think as people become more self aware, often as they get more mature, they become more overwhelmed at their place in the world and at the realization that adults that we look(ed) up to donโt have their act all together. They are just as human as the inexperienced teenagers, in some cases, teenagers are more mature than the โadultsโ (donโt get me started about our current POTUS). When I get overwhelmed, I write it down, whether itโd 1) be a list of the things I have to do (break it down into little itty bitty manageable steps) and then prioritize which is most important and just focus on the most important at that moment, or 2) write down about what stresses me out. Writing it down helps me. And exercise. Walking in nature helps me realize how big the world it, so much bigger it is than all the problems that are running thru my head. But you are going through a big stage in your Life, launching this amazing new cookbook. And a book launch and tour probably sounds overwhelming and miles away from your cozy barn at home. Know that there are complete strangers out that LOVE you and your work. I already preordered your book and told my fam I wanted it for Motherโs Day (hint. hint.) The teenagers were just happy they didnโt have to wrack their brain for MD gift ideas! I was traveling when I first saw this post and didnโt get to respond until now when I was scouring for a new recipe to try for the fam tonight (we LOVE your recipes and photos, always make me drool) and your raw, organic way of sharing your family and all the stuff that happens (good and bad) just demonstrates your humanness and reminds us we donโt all have photo-ready lives. I commend you for sharing your struggles with anxiety and hope that it just opens up the door for those that suffer from the same issue (and there are A LOT of them, I know) to know that they are not alone. The world needs more people like you. Kudos to your parents for raising such a brave, accomplished, โwholeโ young woman. Now off to buy ingredients for Korean Bulgogi BBQ Steak Bowls tonight! Thx for the recipe!
Hey Jean! Thank you SO much for all these great tips/tricks. I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful comment!I to love making a list of things that I have to do, but I am going to try writing down what it is that stresses me out. I think this will be so helpful! Thank you again and enjoy the bowls! ๐
Just found your blog after seeing you on Talk of the Town. Everything looks amazing, so happy I found you! When does your book come out? Oh you looked really cute btw, and did a great job! We are totally making those croissants this weekend ?
Thank you so much Liane! Your so nice!
My book comes out in September!
Hope you love the croissants (: