I did not get enough sleep last night!
However, I made a delicious breakfast.
However, i.miss.my.oats.
Specifically, my Scottish Oats.
This morning I made puRpLe sluRPle to go style.
About 18oz of thick smoothie action.
I didn’t measure but here’s what’s inside:
- cherries
- blackberries/blueberries [bagged mix]
- plain Stonyfield Greek yogurt
- almond milk
- almonds
- rolled oats
- banana
- ground flax meal
- original Amazing Grass SuperFood
Galaxy Granola on top. Gotta have that crunch, even when it’s to go!
I forget how much I like using leeks in cooking. I love their delicate flavor. I was completely beat from work so I wanted to make a simple dinner. This took about 25min, including prep + plating ![]()
A new sauce that was on sale. It was just okay, nothing special. It sounded a lot better than it was!
Dinner was served at nearly 8pm. I can’t believe there is still natural light!! It was a bit dim, hence the semi-noisy photos, but it got the job done ![]()
So what all did I make?
Kale Chips
- Preheat oven to 325*
- Wash and de-stem kale [1head].
- Tear and spread on a pan.
- Top with ~1T olive oil, salt + pepper.
- Bake for about 20-30min, turning every 7-10min, until desired crispiness is reached.
- Top with apple cider vinegar if you want a little tang! Kind of like salt + vin chips..sooo good!
I like my kale chips a bit charred ![]()
Soba noodles 2 days in a row. I know these are meant for Asian styled dishes, but I say the heck with that. They are SO good and can be paired with anything. You can find them in the Specialty aisle, in the Asian cooking section. They usually aren’t with regular pasta noodles.
Tomato Leek “sauce” [serves 2-3]
- 1 leek, cut – washed/cleaned thoroughly + chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1c tomato sauce of choice
- about 2/3 can of Great Northern beans.
- Sauté leek in a little olive oil for a few minutes.
- Add garlic for another 1-2min.
- Add diced tomatoes with juices and let simmer for about 5min.
- Add beans + tomato sauce and simmer for about 3min.
- Serve!
This is fabulous as a side or topped on noodles/rice/quinoa/etc. I loved the addition of the Great Northern beans. They’re nice and creamy and go well with Italian flavors. This meal was filling but I didn’t feel weighed down from it at all. The noodles seem to settle much lighter in my stomach than whole wheat pasta.
Hmmm this is not really a sauce…and ideas of what to call it? DEfinitely needs to be stuffed in a pita!!
ilovekale.ilovekale.ilovekale.
Okay. So after 3 bizzzzy days of work I have a little “downtime.” By that I mean, get stuff done time! On my list? I hope to get all of this done this week.
- attempt making chocolate coconut peanut butter
- guest post for Teri
- guest post for Ashley
- protein post
- answer emails
- pay a few bills
- comment responses
I am also shooting for 8hrs of sleep and maybe a swim or bike ride?? It was nice to have a day with no exercise, although I feel like I get a pretty hefty workout at work!
I’m sure you all get certain recipes/photos/blog posts stuck in your head all.of.the.time. Well, so do I!! What is on my brain right now??
- Angela’s Vegan Overnight Oats with banana soft serve
- Ashley’s Nutella Pie
- Jessica’s Whole Wheat Banana Coconut muffins
- Mama Pea’s homemade KIND bars
The post I’m writing for Teri is going to be a baking post. I’m looking for suggestions too! I have a few ideas but thought I might ask for your input as well. I’m going to write a post about healthing up a baked good that is typically fat laden and sinful. I’m probably going to have to make a few trials, so a crazy complex recipe won’t work. I thought possibly…pound cake…but can that really be done well without butter??
Maybe just something as simple as the best healthy blueberry muffin!? Let me know what you think!




Love your Italian flag dinner! using leeks in sauce is a great idea (addin’ it to the idea list). I am totally swooning over Angela’s overnight oat parfaits too!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
I didn’t even notice about the flag colors, how funny!!
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i love bowls like that for pastaaa
great blog !
peony xx
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Thanks girl!!
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I vote cheesecake!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
hmm good suggestion
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I agree – screw tradition, soba noodles taste fabulous with anything! Isn’t there a name for meals like that, which don’t ‘go’…? Fusion food or something!?
I hope you get your sleep in tonight
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
hahaha I never thought of myself as a fusion cook! how fun!
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I’ll definitely grab some soba-noodles next time I see them!!

And that smoothie looks just deliciouse!!! YUM!!
I’m finally on the Green Monster wagon and enjoy all the different kinds!
YAY for finally having organic spinach in Switzerland!!
Have a wonderful day, hun!!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:09 am
That’s great!!! Mmmmm gm’s are so good!
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hiiiii
i hope you make those muffins, they are so good! i have to do some guest posts, too. mine = fat laden and sinful. Surprised?
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:09 am
HILarious.
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I miss your oats too!
LoL. Your smoothies are always so stunning but I can’t explain how much I savor your oat bowls each morning. 
Hmm, don’t think I have ever used leeks before. Looks and sounds good though.
Have a great day Ashely.
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Hahaha, awesome!! Glad to know my oats don’t get boring!
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YUM!!! leeks rock! i promise i wont copy you today
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Girl, you can copy me any day of the week..I would be honored!
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If you can figure out a healthy pound cake, I would be very excited. I heart pound cake
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Maybe I will try and pull that off….it has been on my mind for awhile now…
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Just stumbled upon your blog and I am loving it!!
Delicious looking smoothie, and I, too am addicted to soba noodles! So. good.
Love all those recipes you want to try, can’t wait to see how they come out!
xo
K
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Thanks so much for your comment!
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I love that bowl you used! Where did you get it?
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:12 am
It came in a set of 3 [diff. sizes] from bed bath and beyond…they’re for serving things but I didn’t want a plate or a round bowl last night so that was perfect!
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I would love to hear a healthier recipe for cheesecake..with yogurt or something???
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Definitely a good suggestion!
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I’m so glad you are getting some time off but sounds like you will be busy. I’m so excited for your guest post!
I also have had the Nutella Pie, Banana Coconut Muffins and KIND bars stuck in my head since I saw them. Let me know if you try them!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:11 am
I am excited toooo…
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I bought that sauce because it was a pretty bottle (I know, I’m such a marketing sucker), but I’d have to agree that it was not impressive. Good luck with the to-do list and sleep!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Girl, I am SUCH a marketing sucker!! Glad you thought it was just “meh” as well.
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I can’t bake for the life of my so I have no suggestions. I do, however, have a link I think you may like!
http://eatmorekale.com/
Eat More Kale shirts!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:11 am
hahaha thanks for that!!!
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I also love love love Kale and those cider vinegar kale chips sound great…the soba and tomato leek white bean sauce too!
Baking idea, hmm…I am always a carrot cake fan…
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:10 am
mmmm carrot cake
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Oooh, Kale chips are so fantastic!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Heck yes.
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your dinner looks great…LOVE the colors
and leeks are my favorite. i don’t use them very often, but when i do they never EVER disappoint!
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Ashley Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:10 am
I need to use them more!
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Sadly, I was again, only just able to get to your site. This seems to only be a problem for me though
That pasta sauce sounds great, just like one I’ve made from Eating Well
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/bean_bolognese.html
It’s so good, I’ve made several tweaks to it, I’m gonna post my own adapted recipe soon. You should try it though sometime! Very yummmy
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Laura@ youngDCliving Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Also, yes!!! A pound cake CAN totally be made without butter. I made a loaf cake with olive oil the other day and it tasted nearly identical. If you want the recipe suggestion, let me know!
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I can’t believe these are photos of your dinner! Looks like it’s super bright out. I don’t see any “noise.”

PS – that breakfast looks to go. Perfect for warm weather
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I MUST try kale chips one of these days! Your dinner looks amazing. Can’t believe the lighting was so good at 8pm!
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I love your pasta dish!
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I looove everything about your blog! x 1000!!
I just bookmarked like 20 things I want to make!
I already made the maple cinnamon almond butter and it was AMAAAZING!
thank you thank you thank you thank you!!
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I love soba noodles! Unfortunately I can’t find any in Australia that are 100% buckwheat….
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Just love your blog– the photos, ideas, recipes, your attitude are all WONDERFUL! Thanks for your devotion and excitement to it!
Quick question… where did you get that fabulous bowl your dinner was served in!? I love it. I want it!
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Thanks for stopping by my blog! I am loving Caitlin’s post, I’m finding so many more exciting blogs!!!! Stop by again some time. Take care!
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Oh, and you are an amazing photographer! Your photos are GORGEOUS!
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I need to start eating kale, one bad experience and I’ve been scared away since. You are tempting me to make another attempt!
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That sauce looks so good! The leek addition is an interesting one, I’ll have to try it.
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I wrote a guest post for Teri too! Look for it this THURS : )
I, too, have Mama Pea’s KIND bars on my list – they look super simple.
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I would love to see a healthy gingerbread! Or 100% whole wheat pretzels, or 100% whole wheat bagels…
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So, I’m in love with your site because it’s so darn organized. Ashley — how can we be so much alike and yet so different? I’m a total mess! I love your recipe index.
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Have you ever made Kale Chips with Collards??? Or are collards too thick and not curly enough? I might try anyway…
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