Beet Latte

You really have to love beets to drink a whole glass of this. But I do. And I did. 

And it's definitely A LOT of work for a non-caffeinated beverage.

What you need:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp honey
1 medium beet, peeled
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

What you do:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beet in foil and roast for 30-40 minutes, or until easily pricked with a fork.
2. Blend together all ingredients.
3. Transfer to a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Using a mesh strainer, pour the mixture into a cup.

4. Sprinkle with foamed milk and/or cinnamon and enjoy!

June Goals

Me trying snorkeling (with my mom), in the ocean, in a two-piece. Normally a total no for me.

Even though the first part of June is done and gone - and I've already dealt with some pretty tremendous events so far - I'm looking forward to accomplishing my goals this second half.

My best friend is getting married and the trip we've been talking about, planning for and literally obsessing about for the past 14 months has arrived. The goal for this trip? Besides not making fool of myself while giving a speech (at what time?!) to 120+ people? Completely let go.

Let go of the stress and anxiety. Let the planner, the worry wart, and the spaz take the back seat (or the trunk) for this ride. Enjoy every scene, every conversation, the drinks, dinners, desserts and embrace this wonderful gift of a vacation that has been hand to me - and my family. Also, try lots and lots of new things - meat included! It's not that I don't adhere to this mantra on all vacations, but I think it's important to remind yourself of this often before and during a trip.

One last goal, Instagram the shit out of this vacation. It may be the best and biggest one for a while...

How do custom orders work?

It's hard for most people to understand flowers in terms of felt. I like to think that the possibilities are endless with felt flowers. You can mimic the shape of real flowers, or create your own. Design a wonderfully wild and whimsical bouquet or create a classic, perfectly symmetrical bunch of flowers.

I recently had a bride contact me about doing flowers for her wedding via Instagram. We briefly talked about her wedding date, colors and location, then decided to get coffee. At this meeting I showed her several hues of blues, grey and silver felt, a few size options of bouquets and we looked at her wedding Pinterest board.

After our initial meeting, I created an inspiration board that looked like this:

From here, the bride was able to narrow down what she liked (and didn't) as far as colors and flower types. She liked the idea of combining Option C and Option D - pretty and elegant! So onto the next steps: finding the foliage and crafting a few sample flowers. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

Overnight Oats

I made the big, bad mistake of buying unflavored protein powder. I have been purchasing the vanilla flavor for months and I really enjoy it. So why the switch? A sale.

Damn sales.

Anyway, I've been trying to get through it. I decided I'd try to use it in some recipes, including overnight oats. But gauged on the overwhelming response that the recipe is amazing - the powder sucks.

Regardless, I powered through two batches and look forward to trying the recipe again - with flavored protein!

What you need:
2/3 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp peanut butter (I used PB2)
4 tsp chia seeds
2 tsp maple syrup
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop protein powder
1 banana, sliced

What you do:
1. Combine everything in a bowl.
2. Split mixture into two mason jars or tupperware containers.
3. Let sit in the fridge overnight.

92 Days of Summer

Year Six. Good thing my best friend is having the wedding of a lifetime in the Canary Islands or my list would be seriously lame this year.

Collard Green Wraps

This is a Tone It Up recipe that I'm pretty please with. I really like how well the collards hold up as a wrap - and stay fresh in the fridge for weeks. I also really like the idea of the parsnip rice, but made some modifications to mine that (I think) made it taste sweet. The portions are also pretty large, so plan on having this all week for lunch or cut it in half!

What you need:
Parsnip Rice
2 parsnips, washed and peeled
1/2 cup cashews (original recipe called for pine nuts)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp apple cider videgar
3 tsp dill
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp salt / pepper

Wrap fillings - whatever you have in the fridge!
4-6 collard leaves
2 bell peppers (your choice of color)
1 carrot
tomatoes
onions
cilantro

What you do:
For the parsnip rice
1. Chop the parsnips in a food processor until it is rice consistency.
2. Add the cashews and pulse together.
3. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined.

For the wrap
1. Take one collard leaf and lay face down. Add 4-5 spoonfuls of the parsnip rice to the center of the leaf.
2. Add your preferred fillings on top of the rice - and any additional condiments (I added spicy mustard).
3. Roll like a burrito, then cut in half!

New product alert!

Recently a momma inquired about matching felt floral crowns for and her soon-to-be three-year-old. I couldn't resist this adorable opportunity. Via email we chatted about colors and styles of my already completed bouquets and brooches to come up with the color palette perfect for her idea.

I think the matching set came out so sweet, and can't wait to see momma and daughter adorned in felt flowers!

See details, or order yours here.