Bailey's Harbor, WI

(the blacksmith inn)

















(juice, fresh fruit, homemade granola, organic goat's milk yogurt)


Our trip to Door County was a memorable time. The Blacksmith Inn was one of the best places we have ever stayed. They know how to do things right. The rooms were cozy, clean, and just perfect. Each room came with a jacuzzi, fireplace, and deck with a hammock. French doors led to an awesome view of the nearby water and woods.

Ahem, now onto the important things..the food! All organic and local, the Inn laid out a spread each morning of fresh fruit, homemade granola, hard boiled eggs, and much more. (Side note: while I do enjoy goat's milk products occasionally, this was my first time trying yogurt. The flavor was ok, but the texture was just too weird for me. Anyone else ever tried it?) Also, every afternoon they put out warm oatmeal cherry cookies made with Door County cherries. YUM. We may or may not have grabbed a dozen for the road.

The weather was not great. We had a decent 2 hours one day and we went on a 10 mile bike ride through Peninsula State park in Fish Creek. We enjoyed salmon sandwiches and quinoa salad across the street over at The Cookery afterwards, and then we discovered their homemade oreos...if you're ever in the area, you must stop in and try one. Thank me later....

We cut our trip short a day since the weather was calling for a severe autumn storm! The Inn was so accommodating and had no problem letting us leave early. They even sent us home with to-go mugs and their organic, fair trade coffee.

For the health conscious readers, there was a great little health food store in Egg Harbor called Greens N' Grains. I will admit finding this place was a highlight for me. =) I went in to grab almond milk for my granola in the mornings and they had lots of yummy raw and vegan products. They even had a juice bar and deli. I'll be back for sure! Your husband may not be all on board with an $8 raw granola purchase tho...just sayin'.

So I am so happy I got a chance to show the hubby where my family and I have made so many memories growing up. He loved Door County ( the BBQ smokehouse he found didn't hurt) - success! We can't wait to go back in the Spring. I would highly recommend The Blacksmith Inn if you find yourself on that side of the peninsula!

Have you been there? What's your favorite thing to do or place to visit? Next time we go, I would love to go horseback riding. While it's a bit of a drive from the Chicago area, the wineries and fresh apples make it all worth it.

10.22.10

Anyone still out there? :)


I sure do miss blogging. Took an extended break there...we had a lot of changes going on. Oh, and our laptop has been broken for ohhhh, I don't know, about 3 months (feels like 3 years!) I have learned to indulge my blog addiction by downloading a google reader blackberry app and catching up that way, it's really not all that bad! Google reader at your fingertips, what could be better than that?!

I wanted to take a break for a while and contemplate if I truly enjoy blogging. Well, this little blog has been running thru my mind these past couple months, and I guess that's my answer. 'I just can't quit you'. :)


What have I been up to lately?

I'll tell you. I ran my first 5K! You would think that would be an excellent thing to blog about on a healthy living blog, huh? ;) I'm just a couple months late telling you about it. My amazing Dad encouraged my sister and I to run it with him. I finished in 29:37 (ish). ha! I don't remember exactly. It was a blast but I will admit - I'm not a natural runner and it does not come easy to me. It takes all my effort to put in a long run and mentally I have to walk (er, run?) myself thru it. I'm happy I did it tho, you feel so accomplished when you're finished!






I've also been teaching my niece, Bella, 'peanut butter fingers'. Sorry, mom. She might be more my child than yours.... :)

We've been taking in the joys of Fall with a little apple picking...

Except it's the middle of October and there are no more apples left on the trees, apparently?? There were still apple cider donuts tho! C'mon, you know that's the main reason you go! No? Just me?

Awww...

We got bored and decided to spend $10 on pickles. They made us all a little crazy. Must be the 1500mg of sodium....

Crazy hair!

I love my husband's android phone. It takes all kinds of amazing quality pictures. I haven't used our digital camera in months! He's always there to capture the moments.

Another reason I really wanted to reunite with my little blog was because we're heading up north to Door County, WI this weekend. We're staying in the most adorable B&B, seriously it is so cute you just want to throw up. The leaves might be off all the trees already and there's a chance it could be 35 degrees and stormy but I don't care! It will be a perfect weekend filled with wine and cherry pie and I'll be sharing all the delicious details when I get back. Please come back and visit me!

<3 Kat

Tuna

In high school I was friends with a boy, Matt. Everyone called him Tuna. They called him Tuna because once in fifth grade he ate 4 tuna sandwiches because he just loved it that much.

Whenever I think of eating a tuna sandwich, I think of Matt and how funny it was that it was so very normal everyone just knew him as 'Tuna' all of our high school days.

I wonder if Tuna will read this.......hmmm....doubtful. You never know.

So its been awhile since I have eaten tuna but I have fond memories of my mom making tuna melts. They were the best. Sabrina wrote a great post on the memories we associate with food. Sometimes we like to eat foods, not necessarily because we love them, but for the fond memories the food brings back to us. This got me thinking of some of my own 'memory' foods. For me, its tart, plain yogurt with frozen cherries and a pinch of raw sugar. BLT's with lettuce and tomato fresh from the garden. Cold milk poured over crushed Saltines. (It's a Southern thing). I don't necessarily love these foods, or eat them regularly, but they sure do bring back memories. Memories so vivid and real its as if you were together eating these foods just yesterday. I love that feeling...

So back to the tuna. My mom would use good quality whole grain bread, toasted, with tuna salad and a slice of good mozzarella. This past weekend I got a craving for tuna, so I went with it. But honestly those little blue tuna cans in the store just give me the shivers. Same with Bumble Bee. The only way I enjoy Bumble Bee tuna is when Jim Carey is involved.

I went to Whole Foods and bought a can of the best tuna I could find. Apparently it was 'hand line/pole caught' ? That must be better than farm raised. And the claim on the package said I have never tasted a tuna like this before.

It really was the best tuna I have ever had. Totally worth the close to $3 price tag for one tiny can.


Here's the recipe for my 'healthy' tuna salad.

(horrible phone pic - sorry!! you all know what tuna salad looks like anyways)


1 can tuna
4 heaping tablespoons greek yogurt
A few healthy squirts of dijon mustard
2 large carrot sticks
2 celery stalks, all chopped
Chopped pickles (i really went crazy with these)
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper
green grapes (optional - they add a nice sweetness)

Mix. Enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this salad! I really think the quality tuna made all the difference. Go get yourself some good tuna. But don't turn into one! :)

G'nite!

Healthy Living Summit

This weekend I had the privilege of attending the Healthy Living Summit here in Chicago. Friday afternoon we checked into our hotel, the Congress Plaza.


I couldn't wait to pick up my 'swag bag'!



They were so generous! Lots of goodies!

Hubby enjoyed some of the treats with me..


Friday night I attended the cocktail party at LaSalle Power Co and met a few of my favorite bloggers. It was so nice being surrounded by other women who share the same passion!


Gina and Sabrina

Heather, Alison, Kristie and Stacey

And Paige!

Saturday I was up bright and early ready for the summit to begin with breakfast at 8am. The spread of food was unbelievable. They had an oatmeal bar set up with all the fixings, tons of fresh berries, yogurt, bagel things, muffins, and more! Its safe to say I ate all day long. Just warning you.

I wish I had pictures of the actual summit, but my camera is filled with only food pictures!

Lunch was amaaaaazing. They had wonderful vegetarian options and I was like a kid in a candy store.

I can't wait to try to re-create the quinoa dish, it was so refreshing and delicious.



And moving onto snack time...


Gina generously brought her famous raw macaroons for the attendees and also handed out samples of Garlic Gold. Mmmmm....macaroons. They were perfectly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.

Athenos sponsored our snack time. Holy vegetable!

Check out the cucumber roll stuffed with hummus! How creative, these would be perfect for a party.


After the summit, Andrea and I got some fresh air and walked Michigan Ave. We stopped at The Purple Pig for a glass of vino. I really loved this place - everything on the menu looked delicious and they had an extensive wine list.




We finished up at the Pig and took a cab to our next stop - Chicago Curry House.


Baigan Bharta

Chana Masala

This was our first Indian feast and I am in love!!!!! Indian food = delicious.

Right now I'm enjoying a 100% organic farmer's market dinner. I wasn't too hungry from all the treats this weekend so I threw heirloom tomatoes, green pepper, and raw corn together with a dash of salt and pepper.


Its safe to say I am exhausted and am looking forward to going to bed early tonight. Monday tomorrow! Boo!

How was your weekend?

Have you ever had Indian food?

Check out this article I found on great sources of vegetarian protein.

Goodnight!

Ice ice baby.

I could sing Vanilla Ice all day in my car, couldn't you?

So tonight I got home from work and before I could talk myself out of it I put on my running shoes and went outside for a run. I'd say it feels like 100 degrees out but it's probably more like 85. I was sweating bullets! I'm not sure the distance I ran but I know I ran for about 40 minutes. I tried out a new area and was pleasantly surprised when I came upon a wooded area with a little lake and lots of nature to stare at while I ran. Love that.

So I finally made it back home and took an ice cold shower and when I got out, I was still sweating. Gah! After a green smoothie and collapsing in the AC, I feel much better.

This concoction had 1/2 banana, 1 scoop Sun warrior, 2 T flax, 1 t Vitamineral green, and 1 T cocoa powder.

An hour later I was ready for dinner. I mean breakfast...



I really should've made some veggies but all I wanted was cold, crunchy cereal! I mixed fiber one, pb puffins, frozen TJ berries, and almond milk. It was perfect!

I'm off to read a bit and do laundry. We might watch an old movie later if I can convince my husb..Brigadoon. Ever heard of it? Its old. Like me. :)

Hope you all have a lovely evening!

Home for the weekend.

Hey guys! How was your weekend?

Mine has been sooo relaxing! I visited my parents who live about 1.5 hrs from me Fri-Sun and my mom waited on me all weekend and treated me like a little princess. Why can't this be my life all the time?

My mom had to go to work for a couple hours on Saturday so my Dad asked me to join him at the gym. Of course I would! A little background on my Dad... he is the most in shape, healthy person I know. Seriously. He used to be a dairy farmer when I was a baby and worked really, really hard. Up at 4am and done working at 9pm. Since then he has started and successfully ran his own business that involves physical labor and has recently gotten his scuba diving license and visits Belize every other year or so for the wonderful diving! He has always grown food in his garden and helped our family appreciate fresh fruits and vegetables for all of their greatness. I feel so fortunate to have been raised by such a great dad, I'm very appreciate :) . So getting back to the gym, we ran 3 mi on the treadmill (he outran me! I took 2 one minute water breaks) and then swam laps in the pool for about 20 minutes. I felt amazing when we were done, swimming is a new exercise I would definitely like to start regularly doing. Its hard work but the water still feels really good, plus, you will not get bored.

Rewinding on Saturday morning, I had overnight oats prepped in the fridge. In my mom's yellow bowl... I'm pretty sure I used this bowl when I was 5.




For lunch I made my newest favorite! Whole wheat wrap with tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion, hummus, salsa, and hot sauce. On the side thats a sliver of some local swiss cheese made in a little shop by my parents house. Good stuff.



Apple with cinnamon and Better n' Peanut Butter.


For dinner, my mom grilled salmon!


My plate!

My dad wanted me to take a picture of his plate too, lol. He has always put his dinner on a bed of lettuce/spinach! I used to think it was weird, but now I do the same thing sometimes! Oh and I chopped that tomato on his plate, it was by MY plate because I obviously was planning on eating the whole thing and when I came to the table, all of the slices were on his plate! I was like Excuse me, you took my tomater?! Haha. Ahhh..exciting times on my Saturday evening.

We went outside before the sun set and I snapped a couple pretty pictures.


My moms kitty, Cali. Don't let her cuteness fool you, she's actually pretty mean! Most days. But she has her a good days. :) We've had her since she was a kitten, got her from a farm!





I wish I had a green thumb like my Dad. Maybe someday...

Then my mom and I decided banana/raspberry soft serve was a great idea..

Haven't tried banana soft serve yet? Just throw a frozen banana and a tiny bit of milk or water in your food processor and let it run till its creamy. The perfect substitute for fattening ice cream.

I sprinkled bear naked granola on mine for crunch!



And as if the weekend couldn't get any better, my mom made me french press coffee Sunday morning. It was my first time having french press, and I wanted to cry! The flavor was so rich and deep.

And there you have it, my weekend of indulgence...great food, family and friends. Thank you to my mama for being so ~sweet~ .

Have you ever tried french press coffee? I drink coffee maybe once every couple months, normally I prefer green tea!

Latest obsession(s)

I just couldn't possibly wait any longer to tell you about my new obsession! :D

Enter: Siggi's

Now, I have not eaten cow's dairy in almost a year. I've been quite happy with my almond 'milk'. But for health reasons I have been trying to find new ways to get a lot more protein. I picked up one of these at the store on a whim, the Orange & Ginger flavor, and at first I disliked it...then I liked it halfway thru...then I loved it and licked the container! Yes, I did.

Its luxurious, and tastes like dessert. Its expensive, but I don't care. I will forgo other things to be able to buy this because it is such great quality yogurt.

INGREDIENTS: Skim Milk, Agave Nectar, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, Live Active Cultures, Vegetable Rennet

CULTURES:
B. Lactis, L. Acidophilus,
L. Delbrueckiee Subsp. Bulgaricus,
L. Delbrueckiee Subsp. Lactis,
S. Thermophilus

I like to add fresh fruit, crunchy cereal, almond butter & jam, there are so many things you can add!! I am enjoying my new yogurt love affair. Perhaps the biggest selling point to me is this yogurt comes only from grass-fed cows from a rural farm in New York, no hormones or any preservatives are added. Its sweetened with agave nectar and boasts 16 g of protein in 6 oz!



Today I came home and was planning on taking a quick run with D but my bed just looked so comfy......3 hrs later I awoke from my planned 'half hour' power nap! I feel like I wasted my entire evening, but I guess my body needed it? I was curled up with this new book I just got before I dozed off. I wanted to read Jeannette Walls' first book, The Glass Castle, recommended by Jenna, but it was checked out at the library so went with this one instead. I can't put it down! Nothing better than a good book. This one makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I could blame it on hormones, but I was already tearing up by the 3rd page. Not because its sad or anything - it's just a heart warming book.


I woke up around 8pm and wasn't too hungry but really wanted to eat. I made quinoa seasoned with cumin and cayenne and a Sunshine burger. All drizzled with hot sauce. And a salad on the side with Annie's Goddess dressing. I have not been into salads lately, unsure why?? It's very weird for me not to. They just don't appeal to me right now.

Then me and the hubs made a very necessary trip the grocery store for ice cream and batteries. I picked up these coconut milk ice cream bars and knew they would be amazing. And they were! I only had one. I'm very proud of myself. :D

I'm off to curl back up with my book. Have a lovely evening!!