The Bohemian Blonde

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Easy Apple Chips

Here's a super easy snack idea!

Slice up an organic apple, sprinkled a little pumpkin pie spice and popped in the oven for 40 minutes at 220. Crunch and ENJOY!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Yesterday evening Drew and I did something that we never thought we would ever do....we were challenged in our premarital class to write our own obituary.

Yes, you heard that right -- obituary.

It was scary, exhilarating and awakening all at the same time.

It took forever to conger up the words to write out what I thought my life would encompass up to my dying day.

Soon the pen began to move and the lines filled up, some got crossed off the list and others got circled. Eyes welled up. Tears came for a short moment and soon it was clear.

It's startling to see the big goals written out --from myself-- on a piece of paper looking me dead in the face. Almost a subconscious reaction or flow to what I had been thinking for so many years... bottled up, and let loose on paper.

Smack-dab in the middle of my scribbles and sentences, I included...NO REGRETS.

We have no pulse on when our lives will end.

What we do have is right now, this moment, this day, to make changes to LIVE out our best lives.

In less than 60 days, I marry my best friend. My soon to be husband is the most incredible life-partner I could have EVER asked for to share on this journey.

After last night, we're forever changed.

Each moment is so precious.

So, obituary, when I leave this world may those around me know that WE lived a life of #NOREGRETS

Motivated Mavens Kick Off

Wow! July is almost over. I turned 29 this month (...jeeze... almost 30!) and kick started an online fitness/inspiration group. You may have seen from my last post on the 21 Day Fix and the weight loss, toning and increased energy I got from the program -- I couldn't stop telling everyone about it!

I felt this "pull" to help others and started a private online community. A place to post breakfast, lunch and dinner photos along with nightly sweaty-after-workout-selfies, the true proof of a good workout! My little team of 3 is now a team of 13!!! We rock it daily with check-ins, motivation from one another and recipe sharing.

Motivated Mavens is now UP and RUNNING, it's an open sharing community where I'll pop in daily with clean eating recipes, goals, team motivation, fitness ideas and more.

Stop by and say hello.

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Pizza on the grill

Let me just say that by making this pizza on the grill, I don't think I can ever go back to making it in the oven! This was delicious and as close to restaurant quality as it can get! I'm thrilled to share this recipe with you.

What you'll need:

- A nice pizza stone, here's the one I purchased off Amazon (trust me, it's worth every penny!)
- 2 bags of garlic/oregano dough (I bought the pre-made ones from Trader Joes)
- Meat toppings of choice (we went with prosciutto and salami that were both nitrate free)
- 2 Cups mozzarella cheese
- Pizza sauce (3 containers from Trader Joes, you can find it right next to the pizza dough)
- 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup of sliced pineapple (I'm the only one in the house that enjoys pineapple on pizza... oh well, more for me!)

Add flour to a clean surface and roll out the dough after combining them into one large ball. Roll out and add flour as needed so it's not sticky. In the mean time, preheat the grill WITH the stone on it, up 470-500 degrees, as hot as you can get it. Once the grill is ready, add the dough. Be careful while putting the dough on the hot stone, it takes two people to move it onto the stone. From here, add all your ingredients with sauce first, meat, cheese and so on. Cook for 15 minutes, we kept a watchful eye as this as it was our first time making it. Once everything had bubbled up on top and turned a golden brown....it's ready!

Remove the pizza onto a large plate and let cool before serving.

We added a vinaigrette based arugula salad to the top of our pizza. DELICIOUS!

Enjoy!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

hot hot hot popcorn

Want to know the trick to getting a LITTLE buffalo wing sauce on each piece... without it being mushy?

Spread the buffalo sauce all over the inside of the bowl, pour the freshly popped corn in and stir with a large spoon. Makes for the perfect popcorn every time. ‪clean eating‬, baby!

Enjoy!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

A Night with The Smashing Pumpkins

I'm officially Pantages de-flowered.

What a BEAUTIFUL VENUE! I thought the State Theater was stunning (which it is) but comparing the two, Pantages has a smaller / more intimate feel. The acoustics of the venue are superb.

Excuse the lack-luster photos. I hope to someday had a permanent 'media' badge at these events to take better photos. For now, the Samsung will have to do!

The show was broken up in what felt like three sections, Billy kicked everything off with solo performances and slowly incorporated more band members. Midway through the excitement built with guitar solos that resembled that of Pink Floyd (insert thumbs up motion here!). Third section started with a more electronic feel, Billy played the piano and the crowd at numerous points were brought to their feet. The energy of the venue was contagious. You could feel the excitement between songs as we all wondered what was about to come next.

The Smashing Pumpkins don't have many acoustic shows like this, so when they do, at a City near you, be sure to catch it!

Worth every penny.

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

bison burgers

Too good not to share! Two words; bison burgers! Mmmmm, drool.

Better yet, we made them low-carb on the grill. Delicious and so easy. If you're looking for a hearty dinner that's loaded with protein, healthy fats and 'getting bikini ready' by ditching the bun -- try this!

BENEFITS OF BISON OVER GROUND BEEF
- Excellent source of iron, vitamin B, zinc and niacin
- They are much learner animals than cattle
- Bison are not treated with antibiotics as cattle which make for a much healthier animal (score!)
- Most if not all bison are grass-fed which means meat is less fat and higher in omega 3's (score, again!)

BISON BURGER RECIPE
- 1 pound of bison meat (look for discounts, Whole Foods offers meat discounts if you keep an eye out!)
- dash of salt and pepper
- lettuce cups/strips to wrap around the burger
- avocado
- mozzarella cheese (or any kind of your choice)
- pickles (and lots of them!)
- avocado

OUR FAVORITE TOPPING
Cut up onions and mushrooms simmered in ghee... (we pop all of this in tin foil and throw it on the grill, scrumptious!)

For the meat into patties and add them to the grill (as shown below) and enjoy with your unique toppings!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Ahhhhhh....yes. It's here, live outdoor concert season. My absolute favorite time of year!! This particular concert was spend enjoying the tunes of Father John Misty and Alabama Shakes.

GA is the best, simply get up as far as you can to the stage (without pissing anyone off).
Challenge accepted.

See the gal in the middle? I totally get it, been-there too. Feel the music!

Minnie making an appearance at the show before her dip in Lake Calhoun

The first of many more to come with this handsome fella!

Who are you looking forward to seeing this summer?

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Book Store Energy

Meandering through Barns and Noble on my lunch break with a half-calf in my hand, here I stood. I've always been intrigued by this section of book stores. It's like a magnet drawing me into it's very core. Just being in the presence of the words of hundreds of authors that have unlocked the mini-mysteries of life, transcends my energy field. I feel a zing of electricity in the air just standing here. It's like little secret whispers of the divine speaking through each book. Which one to pick...

Wednesday Rock Concert

Regretting every minute of not having my nice camera with me but who am I kidding, I was a rock concert...who brings a nice camera to a rock concert. And what am I doing taking photos instead of watching the show, anyways --- I can't help it.

Cage.

The.

Elephant.

I scored these free tickets and wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't a loyal listener of any of their music so slightly unsure of what the show would be like.

Needless to say, FANTASTIC SHOW!

We go there in time to catch the second opening act of Nothing More. I swear I saw Jim Morrison every time I looked at the stage....see what I mean?