Cauliflower and Kale Detox Salad

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My friend Ashley made the original version of this salad a few weeks ago and was kind enough to bring me a container of it.   I fell in love with the light, fresh taste and the overall health benefits this recipe packs.  Did you know cauliflower, kale, basil and lemons are known for their detoxifying capabilities?  After my weekend, this recipe was very appealing to me!

The original recipe can be found here courtesy of Blissful Basil.  

I altered the ingredients for a few reasons:

  1. Cost
    • Sun-dried tomatoes are pricey at my grocery store
  2. Availability
    • I looked in two grocery stores for Tahini and couldn’t find any.  Ashley told me where I could find it, but it’s about $8 a jar.   Since this only called for 1/4 cup I decided to just use olive oil.  Completely different tastes, but with the other ingredients in the dressing, I was confident the taste would be just fine.  
  3. Taste
    • I added slivered almonds and omitted hemp seeds and pepitas.   This also could fall under reason #2.

 

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Ingredients

For the Salad
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
  • 2 cups finely chopped kale
  • ⅔ cup chopped fresh tomatoes
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ⅓ cup raw pine nuts
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
For the Dressing
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Grate the cauliflower pieces in a food processor until riced. Transfer to bowl.

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2. Chop Kale by hand or in food processor.   Add to cauliflower.

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3. To bowl add tomatoes, basil, pine nuts and slivered almonds.

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4. Make the dressing by adding the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, water, sea salt, and black pepper to an airtight container and shake.Pour the dressing over the cauliflower mixture and toss to coat.  Let marinate for 10-15 minutes.

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5. Serve and refrigerate leftovers.

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3 Day Weekend | Part 1

Holy mother of all summer weekends.  This was a good’n!   I had a freaking blast and am sad to see it go, but I can guarantee my wallet and liver are totally cool with it being Monday.

Country on the River in Council Bluffs, IA Thursday night was how I started the weekend off.

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Tyree and I had tickets for all three days of the music festival, and regardless of the fact we weren’t die hard fans of Thursday nights headliners, we still had a great time and enjoyed singing along to the tunes we did know.

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The beers were cold, the weather warm and the company was great!  We even ran into Regeana!

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Can’t beat a good summer night like this!

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We chose to park on the Nebraska side which allowed us to cross the Bob Kerry pedestrian bridge.   Had to pay respect to our states, ya know.

Go Hawks!

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Perfect ending to Day One!

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Friday

Up early, 2 mile run, errands, spa appointment at noon and then it was on to Day 2 shenanigans with Tyree.

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Each year I try to do a partial dry run of the Biker B!tch ride to ensure the roads are good and the mileage is decent.  Tyree and I also do one day each summer where just the two of us go ride, so we combined the two and set out!

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Stop 1 Selfie!  Pacific Junction, IA, where the locals are bellied up to the bar by 1pm on a Friday, drinks are cheap and the bartender is the cutest gentleman you could meet.  Thanks, PJ, for a great start to our stellar day.

Next up: The Wild’s for some lunch!   This stop was the one I was most concerned about.  There is a smaller, winding (and fun) connecting road that runs adjacent to the interstate.   Sadly, a long section of it was turned to gravel last year.  SUPER LAME!    Keeping this location as a stop completely depended on whether or not the road was still gravel and lucky for us, the gravel is gone!  I wouldn’t say the ride is a super smooth one, but that could also just be my bike talking.  We lowered it last year so there is minimal suspension.   Unless you’ve ridden a rigid, you have no idea the toll it takes on your back.  Mine luckily isn’t that rough, but it isn’t a smooth ride like everyone else’s.

The things we do for vanity.  It doesn’t just stop with high heels for this girl.

😉

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After The Wild’s, we adjusted our course since we needed to be back in CB for the evening concerts, so we made a quick stop into Tabor for fuel and then hit up Emerald Isle in Imogene, IA for little beer shots.  If you have never had one of these, you are missing OUT my friends.   So gosh darn delicious. 🙂

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And what bar would be complete without children’s books and fun toys?

                   Ummm…. these were totally for big kids, right?

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Next… Emerson, IA to see Sara, Troy and kiddos!

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We pulled the bikes up to Sara’s dads shop, which is also the NEW home of SW Iowa Primitives, Antiques and Furniture.  <- Linked.  Check it out!

Emerson will always hold a special place in my heart.  ❤   It is where I started riding, really.   I have met some of the GREATEST people in Emerson.  From my BBB, Sara, to countless other people thanks to the many poker runs and camp-overs taken place in this quaint little town.  This shop in-particular held many  “shine nights” before poker runs, lots of beer drinking has been done inside those walls and memory after memory has been made.   It’s fun to see the shop transform into Sara and Troy’s newest business.  Couldn’t be more excited for her.

And of course, stopping in Emerson brings NEW love to my heart with Sara’s little cutie pie’s.

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Lil’ Miss Ady

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Farm girl, Kaeleen.

Taught by the one and only Farmer Tyree.

We stopped into Harley’s Bar and Grill for a quick drink before we had to bounce back to Council Bluffs.  It was time for some live music!

And then Mother Nature decided to make a random appearance.

Rain.   Cold Rain.

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Can you see our handlebars peeking out over the top of the wall?  Weren’t they just so cute tucked away nice and safe while semi’s blew on by?

Sarcasm.

Really thought they might get pushed over at one point.  Slow it down, people!

:/

Camping out under the interstate overpass killed any possibility of us making it to see Casey Donahew Band, but to stay dry and somewhat warm was far more important.   No interest in remaining a wet soggy dog all night.

And, people.  Safety First.  Wear your helmets when not on bike.  It makes an adorable fashion statement, don’t ya say?

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😀

The rain went through as quickly as it came in and we were back on our way.  Sun shining bright in Council Bluffs.  I guess they only got a sprinking.

Best part of rolling in late?  Getting to see this killer scooter gang.   Freaking hilarious!  There had to be at least 20 of them.  I all of a sudden now want a scooter to pimp out.  Anyone up for it?

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FINALLY – we made it to the concert!

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Poor Carrie was stuck for an hour by herself.   Cold beer kept her company though, so she was cool.

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And, apparently my riding boots that I have had for at least 6 years are donezo.  I had some KILLER blisters by the end of the night.   No worries though.  Tyree pulled through with a pair of clean socks.

Don’t ask.

I can’t tell.

😉

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Cheers to a fab Friday!!  Stay tuned for Part 2, including Saturday’s Bikers for Boobies run, a bum back tire experience and Sunday recovery!

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Life Hacks

There seems to be a lot of pins, posts, blogs out there about organizing your life and home.   Some of them are genius… while others require so much ground work it isn’t even worth the time.    I thought I would share just a few things that I do in my home that work for me!  Maybe you already do something similar (because they really aren’t that ingenious) or maybe you have something better!  I’d love to hear, so share any tips you have that seem to work for you!

1. Towel rack for my hair dryer, curling iron and flat iron.

Easy to store, easily accessible and I don’t have to wait for the irons to cool down before putting them away.  Score!

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2. Container for hair products.

I hate having hair products all over the counter.  The only one I tend to leave out is my hairspray, otherwise, they all go in a tub under the sink.   I can easily pull them all out at once, use what I need and put it all back.

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3. Technology Basket

Who doesn’t lose their chargers, earphones, extra cords, etc on the regular?   I have kept all my extra tech gadgets, chargers and cords in this basket for years!  Haven’t lost any of it yet!

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4. Dress pant hanger for tanks and cami’s.

I HATE digging through drawers for stuff like this.  Let’s be honest – most of the time the garments never make it back in the drawers once they are out.  Nope!  This pant hanger works great and it hangs right alongside my shirts in the closet.

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5. Jewelry organizer

I found this on Etsy a few years back and just LOVE it.   Holds my necklaces and earrings.  I have a bracelet stand too, I just didn’t take a pic of it.  Ladies, don’t use those old school jewelry boxes.  Hello tangled mess!

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6. Over the door hanger

All of my workout tank tops go on the back of my bedroom door.  For as often as I teach and hit up the gym, I like to have these tanks as easily accessible as possible.  I’d say I achieved it!

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Simple Life Hacks that make my day to day so much easier.

Cheers!

Homemade Fruit Snacks

Ok, my photos are pretty lame when it comes to food.

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How about when it comes to food photos we make a deal?  Just go ahead and trust what I say and not what I photograph with my iPhone (which, by the way, I have a GORGEOUS new fancy dancy camera I got from the hubs for Christmas… I should use it.)

These little fruit snacks are delicious, nutritious and easy to make.

I found the original recipe on thankyourbody.com – so check her out for legit photos of the yummy gummys like this:

fruit snacks

The Recipe

Ingredients:

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice or fresh orange juice (I used lemon and they were delicious!)
2/3 cup frozen berries (I used a berry mix of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)
1 – 2 Tbs honey
5 Tbs gelatin

Directions:

1. Pour juice and berries into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until berries become tender and begin to soften.

2. Add honey and stir until completely incorporated. You will want the fruit to dissolve quite a bit until you have a compote.

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3. Turn the heat off, and quickly and vigorously whisk in gelatin one tablespoon at a time to prevent clumps.

4. Puree mixture using a immersion blender or small blender (I used my food processor since I don’t have the before mentioned gadgets)

5. Pour into a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 glass dish. Refrigerate until set (30 minutes to an hour). Cut in small squares. (Or use fun molds!)

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Enjoy!

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