Month: February 2016

Ambitious Kitchen Chia, Quinoa & Banana Granola Bars

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I have been wanting to make my own granola bars for a long time. This chia, quinoa & banana granola bar recipe was the perfect first recipe to give granola bars a go. And let me tell you- they are DELICIOUS. Another huge plus- they are so easy to make.

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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup uncooked pre-rinsed quinoa
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup dried fruit (raisins or cranberries work well)
  • 1/4 cup natural creamy almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
Instructions from Ambitious Kitchen
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper to prevent bars from sticking.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, uncooked quinoa, chia seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla. Fold in almonds, pecans (or walnuts) and dried fruit.
  3. Place a small saucepan over low heat; add in almond butter and honey (or maple syrup) and stir until warm and almond butter is melted. Fold into granola bar mixture until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and press down firmly with hands or with a measuring cup to help bars stay intact. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 10 bars.

Let me know what you think!

xoxo
Blair (follow me on Instagram- @Bewithblair)

Ski Trip Packing List

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We are going on a ski trip in a few weeks and all I can think about are the clothes!

I am LOVING this Canada Goose jacket. This jacket is on my total wish list. Swoon.

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Faux fur is a must in the mountains.

French Connection Chicago Faux Fur Vest
Kenneth Cole New York ‘Teddy Bear’ Faux Fur Clutch Coat

 

The French Connection vest is from Bloomingdales and the Kenneth Cole coat is from Nordstrom and is ON SALE!

Winter boots are obviously a necessity on a ski trip.

Both of these Sorel boots are, again, on sale!! Find the tan ones here and black ones here.

These adorable Coach rain boots would be so perfect in the snow. You can find them, again ON SALE, at Nordstrom.

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How cute is this H&M wool hat?!                        This UGG hat is perfect for the slopes.

Lastly, at the end of a long day in the cold I can’t wait to get in my flannel pajamas. Call me a grandma but I seriously love wearing flannel pajamas. These two are perfect options (I actually have the set from Target and it is SO comfortable.)

Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 8.42.40 PMTarget Screen Shot 2016-02-16 at 6.37.39 PMNordstrom 

xoxo
Blair

Follow me on Instagram @bewithblair

Valentine’s Day, My Way

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I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded but, yesterday was Valentine’s Day. A made up Hallmark holiday filled with pink, hearts, and a whole lotta love. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good reason to celebrate. I grew up in a household where every single holiday was celebrated. So much so that I would get holiday related socks for everything. I’m talking Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day- you name it, I probably have a pair of socks for that holiday (and anyone who has lived with me or one of my sisters knows this to be true as they probably have a collection of their own holiday related socks as well 🙂 ).

It should be no surprise that all I need is a reason to celebrate and I am a happy girl.  But my love of celebrations usually comes at the expense of my husband having to plan said celebrations. This year I started to think- why does all of the planning always have to be on the guy in the relationship? Why does my husband HAVE to plan the day? Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. So, this year I decided to take matters in to my own hands.

This Valentine’s Day I wanted to plan a day that was stress free for my husband and fun for the both of us. We started the day off with brunch at Spoon and Stable. If you haven’t been to Spoon and Stable for brunch, run, don’t walk there. It is seriously SO good. With your brunch menu, you also get a pastry menu. There are a ton of selections to pick from. You seriously cannot go wrong with any of their pastries. Delish! All of their brunch items are incredible as well. Oh and obviously don’t forget about indulging in a brunch cocktail. They have the most unique cocktails for brunch. I was boring and went with a mimosa but my husband had the Irish coffee. Yum!

Our next stop was The Depot Ice Rink.  My husband is a hockey player and in the five and a half years we have been together we have never been ice skating together. It made me feel like a little kid again. It was so much fun to lace up our skates and get out on the ice.

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After we had eaten and burned some calories, it was time to drink. Minnesota has SO many new breweries so you really can’t go wrong. But one of my favorites is Lakes & Legends Brewing Company. Aside from the beer, which is great, it has the cutest aesthetic. String lights line the ceiling and they recreated a campfire outdoorsy feel inside. So on the coldest of days you can step inside the brewery and feel like you are gathered around the campfire with your best friends playing board games and bags. So fun! After a few beers and a couple rounds of bags (my husband beat me both times- per usual!), our Valentine’s Day had come to an end. It was such an incredible day of laughs and love.

I encourage you to do something special for your significant other. It was amazingly fun to mix up the status quo for this Valentine’s Day and be the one surprising, not being the one who was surprised.

Until next time.

xoxo
Blair

Follow me on Instagram- @bewithblair

Weekend Getaway in Naples, Florida

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Is there anything better than a weekend getaway?! It’s just enough time away to recharge your batteries and come back to reality feeling refreshed. This past weekend, my getaway location of choice was Naples, Florida. My husband was on a boys golf trip in Arizona so there was no way I was going to stay in the subzero Minnesota temperatures while he was in the warm sun. So- Naples here I come! Also, not only did I get a weekend away but my sister flew down to meet me from New York, which was amazing.

IMG_3068 I started the trip off with a row to myself!! It was so nice to stretch out my whole 5′ 2″ self 🙂

The first day we were in Florida we had lunch at Barbatella, which was so cute. There is an amazing fountain in the middle of the outdoor patio that we sat by, drank some prosecco and ate Italian food. I highly recommend going to this restaurant. After lunch we went to the beach to enjoy the gorgeous crystal clear blue sky day!

The next day we went to Stage Deli for breakfast. This is our go-to place for breakfast. It is in the Mercato which is a cute outdoor mall with great little shops. So, you eat a great deli breakfast and then go shopping, what could be better!?

IMG_3117It was already our last night in Naples so we got drinks at Caffe Milano to cheers to our last night in paradise and ate dinner at bha! bha! Persian Bistro. GO TO bha! bha! if you are in Naples! It is SO good!!

IMG_3133And just like that the weekend was over.

I am already daydreaming about my next vacation! Can’t wait to share it with you!

Until next time!

xoxo
Blair

Follow me on Instagram @bewithblair

Healthified Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Tonights dinner was healthified crock pot chicken tortilla soup from The Skinny Fork . This recipe is so incredibly easy. The directions…you literally just throw all of the ingredients in the crock pot and that’s it. The best part is that when you get home from work, you have a delicious meal, cooked and ready to go. Enjoy!

You will need:

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1 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (About 2-3 Breasts), Cubed
10 Oz. Diced Tomatoes With Green Chilies (RoTel)
14.5 Oz. Diced or Whole Peeled Tomatoes (No Salt Added), Un-drained
1 C. Corn, Frozen & Thawed
14.5 Oz. Black Beans (No Salt Added), Drained & Rinsed
1 Medium White Onion, Diced
1-2 Jalapeño, Diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2-3 C. Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth (I use Sodium Free Instant Chicken + Water)
1 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tsp. Chili Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper

Toss everything in the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.

Top the soup with your favorite toppings! We used low fat cheese, chips, jalapeños, and avocado.

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Enjoy!

Until next time.

xoxo

Blair
Follow me on Instagram @bewithblair