weekend in the woods

this past weekend we packed our boots and scarves, loaded baskets full of delicious baked goods, grabbed all the blankets we could find, and headed for the mountains. since this is our first fall back on the east coast we were excited to make the most of the beautiful autumn foliage and crisp october days. 

~i can't get enough of all the beautiful leaves~

~best way to have smores!~

~best part of the trip was accidentally forgetting the stove and having to cook over the fire, everything tasted so much better!~

~top of the world~

fall burrito bowls

i made these burrito bowls for dinner last night. I love making burrito bowls and we eat them on quite a regular basis around here! they are so quick and easy to put together and are a great way to add lots of fresh veggies. i usually use quinoa for the base and play around with different toppings. this was another delicious, fall inspired variation on something we already love. 

~ all my favorite things ~

~ avocado crema ~

~ i got carried away and ended up with a huge bowl...good thing it was delicious! ~

~ such a yummy, healthy dinner ~

a healthy post workout smoothie

this month i have been working on a 30 day workout challenge.  so far its been 12 days of lots of crunches, squats, and cardio. i always find it easier to workout in the mornings so i needed a quick, healthy breakfast before heading to the gym. it also doesn't hurt that it's incredibly healthy and delicious!

~ soy milk or rice milk can be used instead ~ 

~ and frozen bananas can be used for a thicker consistency ~

an indoor garden

i've tried growing plants indoors on a number of occasions. there was an herb garden or two that in just a couple weeks turned into a sad, dried up mess.  i'm embarrassed to say that at one point i couldn't even keep an arrangement of succulents alive...yes, the ones that are supposedly "plants you can't kill." i partially blame it on our previous house where those poor plants never saw natural light, and probably partly on the fact that in fear of them dying i watered them to death. 

a couple months ago we moved across the country and into a new apartment with PLENTY of natural light all day and so i decided to give plants another try. so far so good! my small plant collection is slowly growing out of control and filling all available window sills in the house. a few weeks ago i even got brave enough to acquire one of those gorgeous fiddle leaf fig trees! it's still alive too! (fingers crossed)

~ succulents from a local nursery ~

~ different sized clay pots painted with white paint ~

~ lots of bright light ~

~ here's to hoping they look just as pretty in a month ~

Roasted Vegetable + Lentil Salad

its the perfect fall day today, even though it is a monday. the morning is gloomy, chilly, there is a thick fog over the mountains, and the leaves are finally starting to show autumn colors. these are the kinds of days i missed most during our four years in california. it also felt like the exact morning i needed to sit down and finally post my first blog post in over a year, and give this blogging thing one more try!

~ fresh thyme, salt + pepper, french lentils ~

~ red + golden beets, cherry tomatoes, and carrots ready for the oven ~

i came across this recipe on pinterest and instantly pinned it. it combined three of my favorite things, lentils, goat cheese, and beets. it works perfectly as a salad or as an entire meal.