We’ve recently started receiving our local CSA boxes, and it’s been like Christmas every Thursday when a new one comes in. You never know what kind of delicious veggies and herbs are inside this week’s box! One thing we’ve consistently received weekly has been kale. I’ve talked about my kale-love here before, but I’ve been trying to get a little more creative with preparing it because of the shear mass I have to go through. Here’s a new recipe I’ve recently tried out. Clif and I loved the creamy roasted garbanzo’s and loads of garlic mixed with the sauteed greens. We enjoyed this as a main course for dinner tonight, but I also think it would be deeeelish as a side or smothered on a crusty bread. Yum!

Things have been going well on the baby-front. She still has a little over a month to go until her estimated appearance date, and we’ve been having fun finishing up her room and shopping for cuteness. I’m continually getting bigger….and the weather is only getting warmer. Which isn’t making for the best combination, but I think I will make it a little longer with the help of A/C and large quantities of water. Speaking of, I’m headed to the lake now!

Do you have a favorite go-to recipe using kale? I’d love to hear!

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I’ve been on a bit of a pizza kick lately. We have a little brick oven bakery close to us that has the most amazing pizzas ever on the most delicious crisp whole-wheat crust. And since we can’t exactly afford to go there daily, my kitchen has sort of turned into a pizzeria. My biggest challenge has been the crust. After trying recipe after recipe and being let down over the bland, chewy crust, I think I’ve finally found the perfect one. I prefer a light and crisp crust, so for me, this one hit the nail on the head. I topped it with a pesto base along with left over veggies and cheeses I had from the market last weekend (I’m currently trying to clean out my fridge before heading out of town!). We went a little on the lighter side with the toppings, so that we wouldn’t weigh down the crust too much. Alongside a salad, It was a perfect and simple dinner for two, and we have leftovers for lunch today. Woohoo!

We are headed out of town this weekend to celebrate Clif’s sister Evelyn’s wedding, which happens to also be Clif and my 3rd wedding anniversary. Celebrations all around! Can’t wait to soak up family time and celebrate a weekend full of love. This will probably be the last big trip we take before the baby arrives, so we’ll enjoy the long car ride with just the two of us while we can.:) Talk to you next week!

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I’m back! Hopefully you haven’t all lost faith in me by now.:) Between moving and getting the baby’s room ready…my poor little blog has been ignored. If you are still reading…thanks for your patience.:) We’ve been enjoying living in our new town and exploring local restaurants, shops and farmers markets. Which by the way… there are so many of! I think I’m in dream land. We are mostly all settled in now, with the exception of the yard and guest/baby room. But we still have a couple more months to tackle those things, thankfully.

I’m usually a pretty healthy eater, and being pregnant has motivated me to watch what I’m eating even more, but I think there is something about knowing I really shouldn’t eat 5 cookies that makes me crave them even more. I came across this recipe last week and I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical at first. Does a vegan, gluten-free*, healthy cookie sound like it equals not-yummy to anyone besides me? But in my desperation to satisfy my cookie craving I whipped some together, only making a half batch…just in case. Once I pulled them out of the oven and took a bite I was in awe. These cookies truly are magical. So magical that I ate 5 and felt no guilt. Who could with this ingredient list?

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Sarah Hope has been a dear friend of mine for the past 4 years, and in addition to being a lovely person, she’s one of the best cook/bakers I know.  She lives in Charleston now with her sweet husband (and their soon-to-be-arriving baby girl!) and we only get to see each other a few times a year, but whenever we do we always enjoy trying out different foods and recipes together. When I was visiting her last summer, I tried her black bean hummus…amaaazing. I was caught completely off guard when she told me that her secret ingredient was soymilk. Really? Soymilk? Sounds strange…but I was surprised in what a difference it made. She has a sweet food/life blog, where she recently posted her famous recipe…so now that the secret is officially out, I’m so excited to share it!

Also, for you lovers of all things home and beauty, my super-talented designer friend Eileen has recently posted a giveaway on her blog! She’s giving away a $30 gift card for the ruby+stella etsy shop, they have some amaazing pillows with really fun designs, so check it out and enter! You may just be the lucky winner.:)

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m so ready for spring. We had a very brief glimpse of warm, sunny weather, but it seems like winters come back all over again. Our little produce market around here has drastically shortened their hours (understandably so) due to the slim pickings we currently have, and even when they are open it’s a sad little selection to choose from. Does anyone else feel uninspired in the kitchen? Please give me some tips for surviving till spring if you know of any!:)

One thing I can always count on making year-round is some variation of banana bread. It’s one of my favorites because it’s simple, delicious and comforting. I threw in some chopped up dark chocolate in this loaf and in my opinion, it’s better than ever.

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