friday

happy friday! i'm starting to notice a trend in my taste in music -- beach house, beach fossils. and then there's tennis and real estate. when the rain starts to get to me, i find comfort in songs that can easily transport me to a dreamy, serene sea-scape.

banana muffins

i really have no words for these muffins. other than i'm impatiently waiting for the bananas on my kitchen counter to brown so i can make another batch (with walnuts and chocolate chips).

banana muffins adapted from this recipe

2 cups almond flour (ground almonds, almond meal)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

preheat oven to 350 degrees f. mix almond flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside. in a separate bowl, mix honey, eggs, coconut oil, and bananas. add wet ingredients to dry, then mix until all ingredients are incorporated. spoon mixture into large lined muffin tins (fills about 9) and bake for 20-22 minutes.

scenes from the weekend

a sunny weekend (that involves tacos) brings me infinite joy. some highlights: a hike out in the columbia river gorge, drinking palomas on jill's porch, and reading in the park all afternoon.

friday

happy friday! i'm looking forward to a weekend of absolute relaxation. and celebrating a very special occasion (my one-year anniversary of blogging)!

hard to believe that a year of my ramblings about food and penny have gone by already. and even though i have the sneaking suspicion that my readership doesn't expand much past close friends and family, i'm so appreciative of everyone who takes the time to visit this little space.

spring break

i'm officially on spring break! i still have to work, so there are no tropical vacations in store for me. actually, the weather here is far from tropical, but that isn't stopping me from contemplating my next purchase.

i'm in the market for a new swimsuit. i'm not sure if i'm just fully embracing my inner-grandma, or if the ones available right now are so cute that they're erasing the terrifying speedo memories from my childhood, but i'm considering a one-piece. the ones currently tempting me (below) are all from j.crew.

images via 1, 2, 3, 4

compote

yesterday, drew and i went to compote for brunch. is it possible to be in love with a restaurant? everything is made from scratch, local, organic and whole grain. my order, house-cured salmon and poached eggs atop crispy potato pancakes, was delicious. and the little touches (pickled red onions, lightly dressed bitter greens, the way the tea is served) just confirmed that a lot of attention and care go into every meal.

 

next time i'll have to save room to try one of their whole wheat biscuits and seasonal compotes!

birthday

yesterday was my birthday. i splurged on beauty products at sephora, ate salted dark chocolate hazelnut cookies from jill, enjoyed a long happy hour, made dinner at home with drew while slightly intoxicated-- i'd say it was a success!

fynct

have you seen the blog, fuck your noguchi coffee table? it pokes fun at all of the design trends that have taken the internet world by storm. it's hilarious because it's true. you can't look at someone's blog or pinterest boards without seeing at least one of these. i'm guilty of so many!

 "fuck your typographic motivational wall art"

"fuck your fireplace full of books"

"fuck your old fan"

"fuck your frame cluster"

"fuck your terrarium"

"fuck your luggage stack"

all photos and captions from fynct

lettuce wraps

these vegan and gluten-free lettuce wraps are one of my go-to dinners. not only are they delicious and fresh, but they make dinner more of an interactive experience. i lay out all the ingredients on the table, put on some music, and drew and i sit together and build our own wraps to our liking.

for the lettuce wraps: 

1 head of butter lettuce  
1/2 block of organic extra-firm tofu   
1/2 package of brown rice maifun noodles   
1 small avocado, sliced  
fresh mint leaves 
fresh cilantro 
3 scallion stalks  
1 tbsp sesame oil

for the dipping sauce: 

3 tbsp organic tamari
juice of 1 lime 
1/2 tsp minced garlic 
1/2 tsp minced ginger 
1 tbsp sesame oil 
squirt of sriracha 
sesame seeds

mix all ingredients for dipping sauce in a bowl and set aside. preheat oven to 400 degrees f. press and slice tofu and place on a baking sheet greased with sesame oil. bake for about 20 minutes, or until the outside is slightly browned. cook brown rice noodles according to package instructions, then rinse under cool water and set aside. mix sliced scallions, cilantro and mint in a bowl and set aside. wash and separate butter lettuce leaves, then fill each leaf with a slice of avocado, tofu, noodles, and the fresh herb mixture. roll it up and dip in the sauce.

note: crushed peanuts would have been a nice addition to these, but i didn't have any on hand.

little things

 

i woke up today feeling refreshed and giddy, thanks to yesterday's beautiful weather. all of the portlanders crawled out of their hiding places, donning sunglasses and smiles. i neglected my usual sunday routine in favor of walking around the neighborhood, doing a little shopping, and enjoying dinner + a fancy cocktail with my love. i'm always in awe of how just a little sunshine and (warm) fresh air can be so restorative.

image via 1

friday

happy friday! last weekend, a bird pooped all over me about one minute into my walk to the grocery store. so that pretty much guarantees that this weekend is going to be awesome, right? isn't that how it works?