A Side of Sweet

Borscht – Healthy Beet Soup

Borscht is a healthy beet soup recipe with Ukrainian origins. This version is bright in taste & color. Vegetarian and gluten-free, it’s great hot or cold.

This story is long overdue. It’s the final chapter from the amazing trip Holly and I had to eastern Washington wine country last fall. I already shared with you our time at Hedges Family Estate, the Prosser Hot Air Balloon Festival, and our Manger-style kitchen photoshoot.

The piece that is missing is our day trip to Walla Walla. I didn’t think I could tell the story unless I had the soup to share with you. More on that later.

We had heard great things about Walla Walla, a small town just a couple of hours away from Red Mountain. In addition to being super peaceful and charming, it was also supposed to have great food, lots of antique stores and lots of wine tasting rooms. How could we not check it out?… Read More »

Perfect Lemon Bars

Vegetarian

I’m going to take a strong stance on this one and just put this out there – lemons are the best thing about winter. I’ve never been one for snow, despite spending the first 28 years of my life knee deep in the snowy winters of the Midwest. Winter sports? Not for me! Short days where I spend all of the few daylight hours we have stuck in the hospital? No thanks.

In San Francisco, lemons are totally in season right now and are considered local! It’s pretty magical…. Read More »

Eating Healthy in San Francisco

Let’s be serious, it’s not hard to find healthy restaurants in San Francisco. In fact, I think the bigger problem is choosing one! I wanted to share four healthy restaurants in San Francisco that I enjoy eating at. They have four different types of healthy food and are located in four different neighborhoods. You’ll find everything from smoothies to sushi, and my favorite – Mediterranean.

Green Superfood Smoothie Bowls

Gluten Free Vegan

Start the New Year right with a recipe for Green Superfood Smoothie Bowls. Made with kale and spinach, and topped with fresh fruit, healthy never tasted so good.

It’s Jan-u-ary! You know what that means. Out with the processed foods. Down with the carbs. And in with the fresh veggies, small portion sizes and whole everything. Exciting stuff.

I’m trying not to focus cutting things out and restricting myself. I want it to be more about finding a balance. A little bit of guilty pleasures with a lot of healthy foods that taste amazing. Like these fabulous green smoothie bowls. Packed in that gorgeous green base are kale and spinach, but you’d never know it! They are so good, and when topped with fresh fruit – next level healthy and delicious. They are healthy food that I can get excited about…. Read More »

How to Make a New Year’s Photobooth

What’s a party without a photobooth!? Here’s an easy DIY to make your own gold New Years photobooth with just a few materials.

I love photobooths. They are SO easy and instantly take your event from party to PARTY! With just a few materials and a few minutes you can make this fun gold fringe photobooth backdrop for your New Year’s party this year.

I invited my girls from The Violet Fog to come over and help me out. Because, you know, what’s a photobooth without girlfriends to take a million selfies with?!… Read More »

Pretty Holiday Party Inspiration Shoot

Gorgeous rustic holiday party design with plenty of food, decor & fashion inspiration! Love the soft neutrals & elegant vibes – great for a winter wedding.

So exciting! As I mentioned in my last post, I have all sorts of pretty photos to share with you today for a holiday photoshoot I recently participated in. It’s probably a little late for inspiration for a Christmas party, but many of the ideas and decor would be great for a New Year’s party or even a winter wedding!

The full shoot is being shared in two parts on The Everygirl this week – how fun is that? When I was planning our wedding, I got tons of inspiration from their site. Now my cakes are featured there to inspire other people! You can find the first post here, and the second post here. You can see more about how I made the ‘naked’ thyme-wrapped cake and also get my recipe for cardamom espresso buttercream here.

Big props to Amanda and Andrea for organizing this shoot and inviting me to participate!… Read More »