I am forever and always a proponent of having sauces, dressings and condiments in the fridge to make something out of pantry staples or the end of the vegetable bin. I got into garlic confit after I...

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Hi friends! How’s the week treating ya? I’m back in Tucson and back into the swing of things over here. I have two podcast interviews this morning – the show will be back the week of June 3 – an Orangetheory class, and can’t wait to catch up with the crew tonight. I only technically missed one night from home, but after being gone last weekend, too, it feels like a lot! I’ve missed my lil nuggets so much.

Portland was such a blast!! After flying into town, I grabbed a rental car and drove to my hotel at the Mark Spencer. It was a quaint and charming spot with a beautiful interior. Some pics of my room:

(They only had rooms with two beds available when I booked so I just rolled with it)

I mostly chose this hotel because of its proximity to a lot of local restaurants and shops! I dropped off my luggage and headed straight to explore. First stop was Powell’s Books, which so many of you had recommended. It was an enormous bookstore with rows and rows of new and used books. They also had a coffee shop, huge kids’ area, and a little gifts section. I could have spent hours browsing and enjoying the smell of books. 

Next, I walked down to take a class at barre3 in the Pearl District. After an entire day of sitting, I was ready to shake my legs out a bit. When I arrived at the studio, I found out that it was their flagship location, dubbed “The Pearl.” This is where the magic began and the crazy thing is that the founder, Sadie Lincoln, had taught a class at that location that very morning. 

 

One of my favorite things about barre3 is that it’s so consistent. You know exactly what to expect each time you go to a class; a mixture of mind-body connection, breath work, and quad-burning leg work. Barre has been missing from my routine quite a bit lately – I get bored *teaching* myself barre and it can be tough to work studio classes into my schedule- but it’s still one of my favorite formats. Hopefully P will be into the Play Lounge again one of these days! (She’ll only go if her best friend is there.) Stacey led this class and she was an incredible instructor. She was very motivating and crushed my legs in the best way possible. 

After barre, I went back to the hotel for a quick change and then met Rachel at Tasty n’ Alder for dinner. 

Rachel and I connected quite a few years ago when I was in Portland for a blog event. We’ve stayed in contact through Instagram since then, so when I found out I’d be in Portland for a night, I reached out and see if she wanted to meet for dinner and wine.

The food at Tasty n’ Alder was WONDERFUL. I feel like Portland is dotted with unique and delicious restaurants everywhere you look, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. The vibe reminded me of our beloved Commoner & Co. – rustic and cozy, with modern spins on classic dishes. We shared a cheese board, the Brussels sprouts (which were crispy and lightly sweet), the short rib (which came with housemade kimchi) and the potato donuts. I just wanted to curl up and live in these. I drank wine, we chatted about books and Rachel’s recent retreat to Bali, and it was perfect.  

Wednesday morning, I forced myself to wake up early so I could grab a quick breakfast at the hotel before driving to Lake Oswego.  

The entire drive down, I was in awe of the scenery. It was such a gorgeous drive: lush green landscapes, blooming cherry blossoms, and hiking trails. I feel like I want to live there, or at least visit for longer than 24 hours. 

Before some fun brand meetings, I was able to check out a Starcycle class. (I feel like usually I don’t get the chance to work out twice on vacation since I’m with the fam, but this time since it was just me, I decided to live it up.) I’m a huge fan of boutique cycling studio classes and this one was unlike any of the ones I’ve tried. It was a party on the bike – the music was AWESOME – and they have childcare. It felt great to get in some cardio, especially since I’d be spending a huge chunk of the day sitting on an airplane.

For lunch, I grabbed a giant salad at Garden Bar and headed to the airport. I was pumped to see that Blue Star donuts were at the airport when I arrived.

You guys said they were better than Voodoo Donuts, and you don’t lie. It was seriously the best donut I’ve had in my entire life.

I also brought back some apple fritters for the girls, so they had those with their scrambled eggs this morning and were pumped about life.

The flights back were pretty uneventful, and I stopped in the lounge for a snack:

(vegetables! and wine)

finally finished China Rich Girlfriend, and started The 6 Keys and The Great Alone. I already can’t put this one down. 

 

I hope you have a great day and I’ll see ya in the morning with some faves!

xo

Gina

Looking for a workout? try this leg and booty burner!

The post Portland, I love ya appeared first on The Fitnessista.

Epic LOADED, VEGAN NACHOS recipe! RECIPE DOWN BELOW ▼ Click here to subscribe and don’t forget to turn on notifications!!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH7fZDHwZR7ww23A50R1ppA?sub_confirmation=1 R E C I P E : CHIPS: Oil free corn tortillas Fresh squeezed [More]

We doing it old Divine Munchies style with a big thing of delicious vegan nachos!! I hope you enjoy the nachos. Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE Instagram: @divine.munchies Business Inquiries: divinemunchies@gmail.com Donate with Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/divinemunchies [More]

First what I eat in a day video with my second pregnancy! Here’s what I ate: Breakfast: Rawnola with homemade fortified almond milk, frozen organic berries, feijoas and cinnamon. Snack 1: Raw vegan energy balls [More]

it’s the vegan nacho challenge to celebrate National Nacho Day on Nov 6th! ** OFFICIAL VOTE COUNT CLOSED – John won! But feel free to still leave your thoughts in the comments! ** LAUREN’S NACHO [More]

Skylar Stecker shows off her adorable bedroom, her favorite clothes, and her must-have cruelty-free makeup picks—and she makes vegan nachos—all for peta2! See more: http://peta2.me/2vsjs Subscribe! http://peta2.me/2vsiq

I gravitate towards the savory breakfast, even to the point of eating leftover dinner in place of waffles, pancakes, or sweet porridges. However, sometimes my sweet tooth gets the best of me. Luckily, I can make a mean bowl of breakfast porridge and amaranth is one of the ways to my sweet-breakfast heart.

Amaranth Porridge

I absolutely adore amaranth for both the grain and in floral arrangements. When growing, it’s colorful and definitely and eye-catching addition. Yet, the grain, in terms of cooking, doesn’t quite get the same love.

Amaranth takes a little know-how. It’s similar to quinoa in that it’s actually a pseudo-grain or better known as a seed. It does not, however, cook up like quinoa. Amaranth, if cooked like any other grain, becomes a bit gummy.

Amaranth has a higher level of amylopectin, a main component of starch. This component creates a slightly more gelatinous texture to the cooked grain; think sushi rice versus long-grain rice. The creamy feel of cooked amaranth lends itself well to porridges and polentas. There are ways to use amaranth in more traditional grain ways, it just takes an extra step.

The topping

I try and stick with only fruits and vegetables I can source locally but I occasionally love a good banana dish. It also helps that we almost always have bananas around thanks to a child who had a mild obsession with them for some time.

Of course, if you wanted to stick to something you could buy at the farmers market, try peaches, apples, or pears. I like all of these options for cooking in the butter/sugar mixture. You could also just load this amaranth porridge with fresh berries and call it good.

Making it vegan

This one is easy. I actually prefer this porridge with non-dairy milk such as almond or oat. Same goes for the cream on top. As for the butter, you could use coconut oil or my friend Emma recently introduced me to Miyoko’s vegan butter. It’s actually really good and a solid 1:1 for dairy butter.

[tasty-recipe id="37982"]

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The post Amaranth Porridge with Caramelized Bananas and Pecans appeared first on Naturally..

Makes 10 rolls
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Active time: 45 minutes

It’s basil season! And spinach season! And, well, let’s just say it’s lasagna roll season, too.

These make a great appetizer if you’re doing a little summer entertaining, or a filling entree if you prefer. Tofu ricotta is elevated with the addition of some Pumpkin Seed Pesto. The mellow flavor of pumpkin seeds really lets the basil shine. The sautéed spinach is really really garlicky, as is the pesto, so this makes the perfect date night meal.

What I really love, besides how flavorful these are, is the texture. Baking the rolls makes the noodles soft but still toothsome, with little crunchy bits on the edges. Smothered in cashew cream and pesto and finished off with a scattering of additional pumpkin seeds, these lasagna rolls will fulfill even the most wild fantasies: creamy, crunchy, velvety, chewy, and hearty all at once. Yes, there are a few components here, but none are too difficult to pull off and also LASAGNA ROLLS.

Serve with Caesar Salad to round out the meal!

PS This is my first blogpost using only iPhone photos, so take a deep breath with me. Sorry $2000 camera, this is just easier. Since I’m not an aspiring photographer, I’m not ashamed to admit that adjusting lighting and apertures and editing in Photoshop is just too labor intensive for me these days. A few adjustments in VSCO cam, a button to upload to Flickr, and my work is done here. You get the picture. Har har.

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Recipe Notes
~You don’t need all of the lasagna noodles called for, but go ahead and boil the whole package to account for some breakage. Saute the leftovers and broken ones for dinner the next night.

~The amount of ricotta made is just enough to fill the rolls, so go easy with the taste testing and don’t overfill the rolls, or you might not get ten out of the deal.

~I put the pesto in a little plastic bag with a hole cut out of the corner to pipe it nicely over the rolls. Then just spread it a bit with a spoon and it’s real pretty like.

~I make the white sauce before the pesto to cut down on cleaning a little bit. You can pour the white sauce out and then just rinse the blender without having to do a major cleaning, since who cares if a little bit of cashew cream ends up in your pesto.

---

Ingredients
12 oz lasagna noodles

For the white sauce:
1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the pesto:
2 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh basil, loosely packed
1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), plus extra for garnish
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several dashes fresh black pepper

For the ricotta:
1 14 oz extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup pesto
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the spinach:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz baby spinach

---

Make the noodles:
Bring a big pot of salted water to boil and cook the noodles al dente, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick together. If they seem to be, use metal tongs to gently peel them apart. Once cooked, drain them in a colander and run them under plenty of cold water to make sure they stop cooking and don’t stick together.

Make the white sauce:
Drain cashews. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until completely smooth. This could take 1 to 5 minutes depending on your blender. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula every minute or so to make sure you get everything. Set aside.

Make the pesto:
Place garlic cloves in a blender and pulse a bit to chop. Add basil, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice salt and pepper and blend. It should still have some texure and not be completely smooth. Thin with a few tablespoons of water to get it into a spreadable consistency.

Make the ricotta:
In a medium mixing bowl, mash tofu with your hands or an avocado masher, until it resembles ricotta cheese. Mix in pesto, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice and salt until well combined. Set aside.

Make the spinach:
Preheat a large heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium low heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Assemble and bake:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish with olive oil.

Spread 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle, leaving a little room around the side edges and 1/2 inch at each end.

Scatter about 3 tablespoons of spinach mixture over the ricotta. Starting at the bottom end, roll noodle up and place, seam side down, in the casserole dish. Continue with all remaining noodles. Pour the white sauce over the rolls in thick ribbons.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are lightly browned and white sauce is thickened. If after 25 minutes the rolls are not browning but the edges are crispy, place under a broiler on low heat for a minute or two, keeping a very close eye so that they don’t burn.

Remove from oven and smother on remaining pesto. Garnish with additional pumpkin seeds and serve!

 Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? We’re officially on baby watch and I feel like a little kid heading towards Christmas morning. Baby August will be here ANY DAY and the girls can’t wait to meet their new cousin. I’m so thrilled for Kyle and Meg! By the time I write next week’s Friday Faves post, he’ll be here!!

Other than Baby Watch 2019, we have some fun plans for the weekend: a soccer game with friends, girls’ night, date night, a birthday party, taxes (ew) and finishing up the house. This is in between the usual weekend fun of pancake mornings, staying in our jammies as long as humanly possible, and playing outside with the girls.The Pilot made a ton of progress on the garage while I was in Portland, so we’re just putting the final touches on everything in between hauling boxes to recycling and Goodwill. It will be so nice to have our garage gym set up again!

(Our lil garage gym from when we were in San Diego)

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! Please shout out something you’re lovin’ in the comments section if you’d like to join in the fun.

Beauty + fashion:

This floss! Is it weird to be so excited about floss? I picked this up at the Beautycounter conference. In the shop, they had quite a few products from clean brands they love. I was intrigued by this floss since I’d recently heard that certain floss brands are not so great for you, and even though it was expensive for the floss world. I decided to give it a whirl.

The verdict? It has a gentle mint flavor and is a thicker strand so it feels like it really cleans in between my teeth. Floss isn’t usually something I’m that picky about, but now that I’ve tried the good stuff, I guess I can’t go back. 

 

My second Trunk Club delivery! (<— referral link) It wasn’t quite as big of a home run as my first trunk – some of the sizing was off – but I LOVED this Madewell dress. It will be super cute this spring and summer with sandals and a jean jacket or with wedges and hoops out to dinner. You can check out my full review of Trunk Club here. I especially love it because you can see what they’re going to send in advance (and decline certain items to be replaced by something else) and we don’t have a Nordstrom in Tucson. This gives me a way to have some items curated for me and try them on before I purchase. It’s like a lil Nordstrom shopping experience right at home. (Plus if you have a Nordstrom card, they waive the $25 fee! <— this fee goes towards anything you’d like to purchase)

Read, watch, listen:

Definitely check out this podcast episode with Shawn Stevenson and Chalene Johnson. They’re two of my favorite people – and huge inspirations for me in the fitness industry – and this issue was filled with so much truth, knowledge, and motivation.  

I loved this article with dad texts (and all of the heartfelt and hilarious comments).

Dinner party tips from the QUEEN.

A very interesting peek into the life of one of my favorite Peloton instructors.

Why RDs don’t recommend keto for weight loss or as a lifestyle (and I 100% agree with them).

Great list of mom hacks. I never leave the house without a snack bag.

Good eats:

I’m officially back on the acai bowl train. I recently grabbed one with a friend at Nekter and it was SO.GOOD. If you’re looking to make one at home, here’s my go-to recipe).

 

Ok I need to try this for an easy, savory dinner.

A Mediterranean chicken sheet pan recipe.

Prep & Pastry is growing. So pumped about this! 

Fitness:

A guided cooldown; perfect for post-workout.

Pick up those weights, friends.

My latest post for WebMD is here! This one is all about finding a workout that works for you.

Exercise can have a biggest impact on weight maintenance than nutrition.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s total body strength + HIIT video!

 

Happy Friday!

xo

Gina

Congrats to the winners of the sneaky lipgloss giveaway: @fit_lindsaymae and @wigglewoggle ! I’ll have your lip glosses on the way today and stay tuned for more sneaky giveaways.

The post Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista.

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