March 21, 2013

8 things I'm loving from the new Kate Spade Saturday

Kate Spade Saturday



Kate Spade's new sister brand Kate Spade Saturday just launched online today and there are SOMANY adorable and affordable goodies to choose from! Not only does the site offer free shipping to all 50 states, but the Saturday collection holds true to the fun, quirky brand of Kate Spade! Think bright colors, bold patterns and playful prints that every girl needs in her closet this spring. I've picked 8 things that I'm loving from the site but really, it's hard to choose! 

I'm super in love with the pretty floral print that they're using and all the fun home accessories (those window pane print glasses!). I especially love the Weekender bag. You can get the bag in the floral and zig-zag print, but also there is a "Design a Weekender" section where you can mix and match and create your own Weekender bag -- how cool is that! 

March 18, 2013

weekend snaps






1. Last minute sushi happy hour with my friends Tate and Anna filled with lots of chit chat. We went to a place that was new to me and sat at some tables that were low to the ground, but we were not sitting seiza style.

2. On Friday, Joe and I went to the Twin Cities Auto Show and looked at all the pretty cars. It's been on my mind that I may need to get a new car soon so it was perfect to scope out a bunch of cars at the same time and really nail down what I'm looking for in a car (all wheel drive, preferably a small SUV, trunk space).  I really don't ever want to say goodbye to my baby Rav4 since I've had it for almost five years now and is filled with so many memories of late night taco runs, multiple trips to iowa and back, summer drives with the windows down and the music loud, and lots of laughter with my girlfriends in the back seat.

3. We celebrated St. Paddy's Eve with an early start and a full day ahead. I accidentally left my phone at the house when we hurried off to the Minneapolis parade so I was phone-less for almost 5 hours (but really I had Joe's phone the whole time). We didn't get any green beer but I did have my fair share in Guinness + hard cider, irish whiskey and green shots of any kind!

4. Even though it was the actual day of St. Patrick's, Sunday was spent in a lazy way -- late brunch with friends, grocery shopping and laying around the house. I picked up some coconut oil after getting some advice here, here and here. My hair and scalp have been feeling a bit dry from these long winter days so I'm hopeful that coconut oil will be a great natural way to get my hair back in health.

March 12, 2013

nom nom :: turkey-quinoa stuffed peppers


On Mondays, my friend and I usually make dinner together and watch the Bachelor. Last night, we had these awesome stuffed red peppers filled with lean turkey and protein packed quinoa! We thought of this on our drive home from Des Moines two weekends ago and wanted to make our peppers a bit healthier. In the end, we watched Catherine and Sean get engaged and enjoyed some delicious turkey-quinoa stuffed peppers. 

Pre-bake:




Turkey-Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
3 red peppers
1/2 lb ground turkey meat
1/4 cup quinoa
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar, extra for sprinkleing 
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregeno
1/2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

Set oven to 350 degrees

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 mins and drain. On the inside of each pepper, sprinkle salt, pepper and a little bit of cheese. 
2. Brown turkey, drain fat and set aside. 
3. In a medium pot, cook quinoa as directed. When the quinoa is cooked, stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano  cooked turkey and Worcestershire sauce. Once warmed through, remove from heat and stir in the cheese. 
4. Spoon filling halfway into each of the peppers. Add a bit of tomato sauce over the filling, spoon in the rest of the filling and then top with tomato sauce again. Repeat for each pepper. 
5. Bake covered for 25 minutes, uncovered for the last 5 minutes. 


March 8, 2013

things for the home



It's taken a few months but I'm starting to finalize some plans for our home and ready to decorate. I remember when I got my first apartment in 2010 and couldn't wait to tack up photos of us and my college memories. And when we got our second apartment, I quickly bought prints that I loved and up they went. But for some reason, this time around has been a slower process. Trying to take my time with the little details and thinking about our home as a whole. I'm starting to settle on plans and using this weekend to hunt for small treasures. I am thrilled to start this work-in-progress and bring home pieces that we're going to love. 

March 4, 2013

weekend snapshots









1. went down to des moines and caught up on some good eats that I've been missing (and missing out on!). not sure why I didn't go to either of these places allofthetime during my colleges years. Fong's and La Mie are two little des moines delights that everyone needs to check out if they are in town.

2. the reason I was in town was to celebrate Founder's Day with my sisters (aw). It was really great to see old friends all in one big place. Plenty of picture taking, quick catch up sessions and hugs. The event was beautiful and filled with lots of anchor love! I really love these quick trips to des moines!

3. Sunday morning and back in Minnesota, mom and I went to the Home and Garden Show and then did some Asian grocery shopping. I did not expect there to be so many food/wine exhibitors at the H+G show but we tried a bunch of different samples and had a lot of fun wandering through! Asian grocery shopping with my mom is always better than when I go alone because she knows the best products to buy and I'm excited that I'm slowly building up my Asian cooking essentials.

4. Later that day, Joe and I had dinner with his mom. We went to Pan-Asian restaurant near our house that we've been to quite a bit. We had some potstickers and cranberry puffs (same as cream cheese puffs but with some cranberries!) to start off our meal and then we both ordered pho. I was on the fence about ordering chow fun, and there is still some part of me that wishes I had. Oh well, the pho was delish none the less.

how was your weekend?