Foggy Days call for Ponchos

 

Booties: Qupid Poncho: old from H&M (but I see it pop up on eBay often) Jeans: J.Crew 

Turtleneck: Uniqlo Sunnies: Ray Ban

 I got a new car! Kidding, hehe ;)

These pictures were taken by one of my best friends, Dani, who was visiting for the weekend. I was so excited to be with her, I had this constant grin on my face all weekend! 

We crammed a lot of San Francisco's best tourist attractions into this day, including a ride on the cable cars, of course!

Carrot-Zucchini Muffins

Happy Muffin Monday!

In attempt to keep up in my new, very fit neighborhood, I recently made these muffins from Giada's Feel Good Food Cookbook. Warning: Ingredients were very expensive! The two items above were $12 and $9 each...

The portions were small, and it only made about 12 mini muffins but they were tastey!

Batter which includes no butter or oil, was very easy to pour.

I opted to not frost them, as the frosting would add calories and not too much sweetness, IMO. 

All in all I would give them 4 out of 5 stars and will certainly make them again. Great guilt free snack :)

Ingredients
Muffins:
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated carrots (from1 medium peeled carrot)
1/2 cup grated zucchini (from 1 medium unpeeled zucchini)
1/2 cup raisins
Frosting (optional):
1 cup whipped cream cheese, at room temperature (about 8 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Directions
For the muffins: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 mini-muffin cups with (1 1/2-inch) paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sieve together the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add any solids leftover in the sieve to the bowl and mix in.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oil, syrup, and egg. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the grated carrot, grated zucchini, and raisins.

Using 2 small spoons, fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with the batter and bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

For the frosting: In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and honey until smooth.

To serve: Spread the cooled muffins with frosting, if using, and serve.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Track Pants

 

Days when I take the bus to work requires comfort measures as more often then not I am standing on a bus that's in stop and go traffic for 55+ minutes, packed in with others doing the same.

 In an effort to put my best foot forward (pun intended)....

Pants: J.Crew Sweater: J.Crew Shoes: J.Crew

Weeknight Meal - Fish Taco's

Simple and quick weeknight meal of Fish Taco's. 

Lightly fry/sear the breaded white fish for about 1 or 2 minutes per side.

 Lightly bread the fish in a combination of 1/3 c. flour, 1/4 c. bread crumbs, 1 tsp each of S&P, and a bit (1 tsp or so) of paprika or old bay seasoning.

Have a cookie sheet lined with foil/paper towels and a cooling rack on top to move the done fish pieces to.

We used pre-made/store bought mango salsa to speed up this week day meal

Dollop of sour cream (or greek yogurt) and you're done in 10 minutes! 

Bon Appetit! 

Halloween Inspiration

Its official: San Francisco loves Halloween just as much as I do. Walking through the city this weekend I couldn't help but capture a few of the best "Haunted Mansions".

Fun Fact: My friend, Dani, taught me that white pumpkins are called Cinderella Pumpkins.

The silhouettes are my new favorite. 

Caught this one mid transformation at a sandwich shop in my neighborhood.

Can't wait to see the city on the night of Halloween.

Game Day

Football Games require a bit of extra effort and dedication here on the West Coast, as most games are begin on East Coast time. So off to a bar for brunch we go! No complaints here :)

Dress: old Shoes: Jack Rogers Vest: Patagonia Sunnies: Smith

A piece of home and Pat's support! GO PATS!

{ 94123 }

A lazy Sunday afternoon lead to a trip to Paper Source where I purchased the beginning of my stamp collection, scalloped card stock and simple labels.

The lettering along the bottom was a bit tedious but I was happy with the results so I didn't mind. The Halloween Party Pandora I had on in the background had my mind thinking about my next craft ;)

A Pop of Color

Most mornings in San Francisco require a light jacket. When I bought this coat at Banana Republic (but can be found here) in March I didn't realize it would be the perfect weight for my new climate!

Evidently the colors went straight to my head and I was channeling my inner 70's era with the above the knee length dress  (which has long sleeves that get hiked up in the coat, it't not actually that short)