Weekend Roundup: CAMPING!

First summer-ish weekend of the year means we're going camping! It is supposed to be in the high 80s and we are dying to kick off our summer (I know, it's a little early) but after the longest winter ever... it is time. In celebration of the weekend adventure that awaits, I thought I would put together a little tribute to the season of sunshine/rivers/campfires/Bud Light/country concerts/s'mores. In the words of  #1 stunna Blake:

We got some laid back country tunes on the radio

We gonna burn all afternoon like it's something to smoke 

We gotta whole lot of nothing to do, and no where to go 

So baby I don't know about you, but I'm ready to roll

Side note: If you haven't heard this song, it's super cute. Have a listen here. 

So, first things first. The food. Since we've embarked on our Food Adventure, we have a no-bread rule, but let me promise you that it does NOT mean summer food has to be any less fun. Here is a pretty damn good dinner idea for either camping (if you have a grill) or backyard BBQ:

Paleo Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Summer Salad

Burgers:

1lb lean beef

1 egg

1 tbsp dijon

1 /2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt & Pepper

2 tbsp almond meal

Mix all ingredients together and make 4 medium-sized patties; grill until desired pinkness!

Toppings:

1 egg, over medium

1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms

1 avocado

Sweet Potatoes:

4 sweet potatoes

Drizzle of olive oil

Seasoning of choice (I used this one)

Salt & Pepper

Cut potatoes into skinny wedges, toss in olive oil and seasoning; line cookie tray with foil and evenly spread out the potatoes, making sure not to crowd the tray. Cook at 450 for 25-30 minutes, until they are nice and crispy. You can also place the foil right on the grill and cover it for about 20 minutes, or until they are as crispy as you'd like. 

Summer Salad:

Romaine

Carrots

Cherry tomatoes

Purple onion

This dressing

This spread fills you right up and maintains the Paleo vibe, all while evoking summer nights... and if you need an ice cold beer to make it perfect- well shoot. Who am I to judge? We definitely will be drinking several beers this weekend. 80/20, right?? :)

Ok, now on to the outfit of choice. I would DIE for this little camping ensemble! I'm going to save my pennies and purchase each and every item. 

Denim Bermudas /Anchor Necklace /Striped V-Neck /Sunglasses /Marc Jacobs Tote /Toms

Another staple for any sort of getaway- camping, road trips, bed and breakfasts, exotic vacations, whatever- I MUST have a good book. Depending how long the trip is, maybe 3 or 4. I read 5 on our honeymoon, which was ah-mazing. Thank god for a Kindle. So, I recently discovered a new chic lit author who I have been loving lately, by the name of Elin Hilderbrand. Apparently, I am way late to this party because everyone I try to tell about her, they're like "Oh yea, totally!". Shoot. While she may not be new to you, she is fresh and awesome to me- I am on my third book by her in 2 weeks. Don't kill me, but that happens when part time work ends at noon everyday! 

This book pictured below was the first I read and I was sucked into the story within 5 pages. Now, don't confuse these books with major literary pieces. They are beach reads. But still, some are better than others and I am really loving her. All of her books are based on Nantucket and are usually about women in their 30s or 40s struggling with something (aren't they always?)- but these are told in a simple and honest voice, painted into a New England coastal setting and they are addicting. You've been warned. 

More titles here

Last but not least, every camping trip needs a good soundtrack. My past month has been full of these 2 men: Eric Church and Adam Levine (3, counting Joey). Literally, on repeat. Summertime means country music in this house, so both of us have been soaking Mr. Church up in anticipation of  the season. His gritty voice and lyrics about Jack Daniels and love... what else do you need? 

Listen here- I love "Springsteen"

If your answer is Adam Levine, I totally understand. Let me tell you, Maroon 5's new album is GOOD, so good. It's good in a play-on-repeat-in-the-background sort of way AND it's good to blast in the car with the windows down. Listen here and then buy it. You'll need it. 

Ok, must go rally the camping equipment and write the grocery list. It will go something like this:

Beer, brats, graham crackers, beer, marshmallows, VIA, eggs, beer.... you get it. 

Have a great weekend- make it a good one! I'll be back on Monday, probably hungover with stories to boot.

xo

Good Eats: Salmon, Chop Salad & Berry Crumble

This week has been one hit after another (Joe is my only audience, so he might be a liiiiiitttlle biased) so I HAD to share. As I mentioned here, we have been on a Food Challenge for a month- going Paleo. Not as bad as it sounds! I am definitely learning a whole new way to cook- loads upon loads of vegetables and ways to cook our favorites using healthier and raw ingredients. Here are a few good recipes from this week:

Sweet/Spicy BBQ Salmon

Glaze

2 Tbsp grassfed butter

1 Tbsp natural, organic honey

1 Tbsp hot sauce

1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper

1/2 Tbsp red chili flakes.

Mashed Cauliflower 
1 head of cauliflower, pureed in a blender/food processor to desired texture
Add to blender:
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp grassfed butter
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup organic chicken broth

Top with chopped spring onion for garnish


Roasted broccoli
Head of broccoli, cut into small florets
Toss in EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked at 400 for 20 min, until the florets are crispy

Chop Salad

Serves 2 people
2 cups romaine

2 cups spinach

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

10 slices salami, chopped

Handful of carrots, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, sliced

Half of red onion, chopped

Dressing -Honey Dijon

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbsp EVOO

Salt

Pepper

1 tbsp dijon mustard 

1 tbsp honey

Berry Crumble 
3 cups fresh blackberries and halved strawberries 
1 1/2 cups almond meal (I just finely ground almonds in a processor)
1 egg
2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
Drizzle of raw honey
1 tbsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. Mix almond meal, egg, butter and cinnamon together in small bowl, until it is crumbly. Place berries into glass baking pan, drizzle honey over top. Use your hands to drop the almond mixture on top of the berries- it is pretty sticky, so be prepared to get messy! Once the berries are covered, place in oven for 35 minutes. 


As you can see in the picture above, I poured cold coconut milk over the hot berry crumble to make it breakfast-y :) 


(Recipe from Everyday Paleo, which I slightly modified.)


Enjoy! 

Good Eats: Curry & Mustard- who knew?

I have been trying for 3 years to entice my husband to go out for Indian food with me. No luck. AT ALL. Since I've never tried cooking real Indian cuisine, I thought I would ease into it for a few reasons- one, so Joe doesn't completely deny our dinner plans and two, so I don't have to go buy unknown ingredients like garam masala and paneer right now. Might just be a little lazy.

As such, I searched for some simple recipes online and found a curry mustard chicken that sounded safe and delicious. Guess what. It was so so so so so good. Maybe it's because I've been starved for anything with curry for the past few years... but whatever. I loved it!

All you need is:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup of dijon mustard

3 cloves of fresh garlic, diced

2 Tbsp curry power

1 Tbsp onion powder

1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper

Sprinkle of sea salt

Dash of ground peppercorn

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400. Placed rinsed and trimmed chicken breasts into a baking dish that is deep enough to allow the chicken to be covered by liquid (I used my very favorite Le Creuset cast iron terrine). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then spread dijon on with a marinading brush. Make sure all sides are well coated! Then add the remaining spices, except the garlic. Pour the 

chicken broth into the pan- if 1 1/2 cups is not enough, add more to ensure the breasts are covered by the liquid. Now add the garlic, dispersing it throughout the chicken broth. Bake for 40 minutes, then check for any pink inside. If there is some, cook for about 10-15 more minutes. 

For our side dish: I cooked chopped up bacon ends for about 5 minutes, then added Brussels sprouts and fresh green beans. I tossed in a little bit of olive oil and S&P, stirred everything together, then turned the heat up to high and cooked until the vegetables got a little crispy. I turned down the heat and covered them for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables were cooked to my taste (not too soft). And bam! One of our favorites. 

Try it out- a little bit of curry cures a lot of cravings. Enjoy!  

Recipe adapted from here / image from my Pinterest board Cook, Eat, Repeat