Light Summer Snacking

With summer being right around the corner and school coming to an end, I've been making an effort to choose healthier food options. I find it odd when so many people hold the ideal of healthy and organic foods being less flavorful, less appetizing and less filling. What these 'healthy' and 'organic' foods are lacking, however, are the high amounts of calories, (bad) fats and chemicals contained in the majority of foods found on grocery store shelves and in restaurants serving your typical American cuisine.

A couple of my favorite foodie blogs filled with delicious recipes (many of which are vegetarian and gluten free) are mynewroots and greenkitchenstories.  Finding  healthy and delicious meal options are much more accessible these days, and the photos below the cut are some of the dishes I've been preparing for myself.

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a few favorite cookbooks and blogs that promote healthy eating:

-greenkitchenstories, written by david and luise promotes vegan and gluten free cooking.

-clean food by terry walters is a cookbook categorized by season and highly regards locally grown produce.

-tastespotting's search option comes in handy when looking for a specific recipe, and the imagery doesn't hurt either.

-if you're interested in my personal choices, I tend post what I'm eating on my instagram, or check out my food + drink pinboard for more inspiration.

(photo source)

Minimalist Make Over

Before I moved into my new house, I was contemplating whether I should change the style of my new room or keep the same sort of feel as my previous one (think cozy, pottery barn-ish), but after getting more settled in I realized how much of a change I longed for. As you can see from the pictures above, I decided to give it more of a minimalist look. It's a start but still have a lot to go.

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two books I picked up for inspiration and ideas:

Space: Japanese Design Solutions for Compact Living, by michael freeman
The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide, by francine jay

My Sunday Morning Read

backyard view

tiffany blue tea kettle

a light breakfast + kinfolk

I can't help but love waking up to a quiet Sunday morning while savoring the solitude of the early hours that most (unfortunately) sleep through. After opening the curtains to expose the morning sky, I patiently wait for the water on the stove to boil. Shuffling through my ipod for some good morning tunes I stop at Camera Obscura today. Once the water is ready, I pour myself a steaming cup of black ginger peach tea with a bit of sugar and splash of milk from the small silver creamer I found at Tuesday Mornings yesterday. After settling into my seat, I begin to flip through this little gem of a magazine I recently came across entitled Kinfolk: A Guide For Small Gatherings.

The simple aesthetic of the thoughtfully composted editorial gives the magazine an intimate and personable feel. I'd highly recommend it to those who enjoy savoring the small details that many people thoughtlessly overlook when welcoming friends and family into their home.