the edible perspective » Life

dog drama

Ashley — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:14:35 +0000

….and a new day begins….

Check back later today for a real post. With a recipe. With only 2 ingredients.

Parks + Rec is now calling my name.

Ashley

[p.s. don’t worry. the dogs have full sized beds. the furry rug was a bathmat that i hated and dakota now loves. it felt weird stepping on with wet feet. it’s all furry feeling. ok. i should go now.]

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sip on this

Ashley — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:08:51 +0000

While you’re sipping on your morning cup o’ joe, tea, hot cocoa, smoothie, OJ, water, prune juice, or what have you, here are some things to check out.

1] This vegan recipe for apples with salty caramel from V.K. Rees Photography, looks 100% devour-able. Medjool dates are magical.

2] Check out this edible sculpture garden, a community in Ethiopia is constructing from old plastic water jugs.

3] 5 Things You Should Buy at Costco – chocolate truffles here I come!

4] Health Benefits of Coconut Oil – I am coconut oil obsessed.

5] Cholesterol & Eggs: How Many Eggs Can You Eat Per Day? – I’ve been trying to research this topic a lot lately, as you know I am an egg fanatic.

6] This social media comparison using donuts is amazing.

7] Two blogs I can’t get enough of: My New Roots + Roost

8] Remember my friend Heather, from this post?? She had her twin boys and everyone is healthy, happy, and most likely extremely tired.

9] And in case you need something to sip on, try this! It’s my go-to nighttime beverage. Well, it’s either this or wine.

If I don’t make my own, this is my almond milk of choice.

Local, raw honey is where it’s at.

If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay outta’ my jar!

Seriously. Raw, unfiltered, honey is good stuff.

If you live by an Ikea, or know someone who does, you should own this frother. It works like a charm and costs $2.99. I use it almost every single day.

Hot Cocoa

1c milk of choice
1.5T unsweetened cooca powder
1t raw honey

Heat the milk until simmering.
Whisk or froth in the cocoa powder + honey.

Done!

I like mine super chocolaty and slightly sweet. Adjust as desired.

10] Goodnight!

twitter: so #sleepy going to bed
facebook: i’m sleepy, time for bed
foursquare: this is where I sleep
instagram: doesn’t my bed look comfy?
linkedin: i’m totally skilled at sleeping
pinterest: here are my favorite pajamas from anthropologie

Ashley

Like recipes, posts can be inspired by people too. So, this post was inspired + adapted from Jessica.

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knee deep

Ashley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:56:32 +0000

And so begins another new hobby. I can’t stop talking about it, and I’ve only done it once.

Snowshoeing! Where have you been my whole life?

The front range was blasted with snow on Thursday + Friday, which made Saturday perfect for a play day.

The resorts where we ski + board at [past the front range] had no new snow at all. Colorado weather is wacky!

We headed up to Cameron Pass with our good friends, Peter + Michelle.

Sunshine + no wind, makes for a perfect mountain day.

Sunglasses required!

Lovely Michelle.

The boys made their way up with skins attached to the bottom of their skis.

Up + Up + Up.

We started around 10,000’ elevation and worked our way up for about 1 hour.

Breaks were definitely taken to catch my breath, chug water, and shed layers. It’s funny how hot you can become when it’s only 25* outside.

While it was one of the hardest climbs ever, I absolutely loved it!

Snack break at the top.

The boys packed PBRs, while I packed a PB+J.

About to make our way down the white fluff.

But not before Peter sunk 3’ in! The worst thing is digging yourself out. It takes SO much effort!

Michelle + I traversed around for awhile and then headed down.

I love winter.

And snow.

And Colorado.

And friends.

And snowshoeing.

More please!

Ashley

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from kelsey + the dogs

Ashley — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:28:17 +0000

While I’m away, the amazing, fantastic Kelsey has been helping out with our dogs. Chris has been working super long hours and is also taking a night class this semester. Kelsey to the rescue!!!

…

Hi mom!

Would you like to tell me why there is a sign post in my yard? Ufffggghhhffff.

Look at me.

I am the most beautiful.

[she’s looking extra fuzzy in this photo and her collar creates a lions mane, which we love]

Dakota thinks she is the most beautiful.

I would bite her tail but she doesn’t have one.

I tried to get my sister to pick one of these photos.

She loved them both so much that she refused.

Oh the nerve of that one!

I like this one the most, but she said her tongue is more pronounced in the first photo.

Don’t mind me.

I’m just snacking on my ball.

[literally, she rips the tennis ball material off]

We didn’t play too much.

Just a little.

We didn’t want to hurt the yard.

[our side yard is a mess from melting snow and big dogs]

We made it back just in time to prevent a blonde haired, spandex laden burglar from swiping these!

[don’t steal my bowls, lady!]

Now we’re taking naps.

We miss you.

We wwwooooovvvvveeeee you.

We send you slobber.

K+K+D

… The next day …

Dear Mom + Dad,

It was Kenna. I swear.

Love,

Dakota

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my home gym

Ashley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:40:46 +0000

It’s kind of ridiculous that the day we decided to quit the gym in order to save money, I decided to start a fitness routine that relies heavily on gym equipment. There were a few reasons why we decided to close our membership, besides saving money.

slowed my use when I started Body Rock workouts in July
stopped going for weeks when my foot injury flared up
Chris was working a lot of long hours and didn’t have time
only having one car, which is occupied for 10-12hrs each day

So right now, I’m making things work at home. We don’t have much space and don’t have much equipment, but I’m not letting that stop me.

The equipment you see below was purchased over the past 3+ years. Nothing cost more than $30 [minus the bike trainer], and we’re slowly starting to make a decent at-home gym.

Weights – Chris bought these a few years back. Nothing special about them. Right now we have 10’s, 15’s, 20’s and 25’s. I would love to add a set of 8’s, 12’s, 27.5’s and 30’s to the lineup at some point soon. I am really careful with them on our wood floor, which also makes it a bit frustrating. I can’t just drop the weights on the floor if a set becomes too hard to complete. Because of this, I feel that I’m not always lifting quite as heavy as I could. I have my eye on an interlocking rubber floor [$20 at Target] but am holding off for now.

Bike Trainer – This was also a Chris purchase that we both use all of the time, when it’s not possible to ride outdoors. We have this CycleOps trainer. Works great for us but is definitely on the noisy side.

We are thinking of training for a metric century ride this spring but aren’t 100% sure. The rides in Colorado are quite intense!

Yoga Mat – I just bought this, after not having a yoga mat for the past year. My old Jade mat wore out, and I finally replaced it after getting really annoyed with a cheap Reebok workout mat. I scored this Prana Eco mat 40% off for $28. It doesn’t get the best reviews, but I thought it was the best bang for the buck. I’m not doing any intense studio yoga, so for home purposes it should be fine. It’s not the stickiest mat but it will do.

Foam Roller – A life saver. It hurts so good.

Ab Roller – The latest addition to our home gym, that cost a whopping $8. This is the most intense ab workout ever and it works your lower back and upper body as well.

Seat – Our dining chairs fold, so they’re not stable enough to use for working out. This little bench/seat was $20, and recently purchased for Chris to play his Mandolin on. I end up using it in almost all of my workouts.

Hard Surface – I use the concrete desk surface [salvaged from our first concrete counters that had a defect with the sealer] with the stool for bench dips, which works the triceps.

Stability Ball – Such a versatile piece of equipment to have in your home gym. This does much more than just working your abs. Make sure to get the right size ball for your height.

Pull Up Bar – This was purchased 2 years ago from Target. No fastening to the wall is needed! I think you can put it on the floor and use it for different types of pushups as well.

There are multiple grips, which work all different muscles. I place the stool under the pull-up bar and push up minimally with my feet for “assisted” pull ups.

I can only do about 2 without the assist!

Dog Trainers – I walk the dogs almost everyday for an hour!

Woof.

If you’re also doing Jamie Eason’s 12 week program at home and looking for modifications, click on each exercise link, then click “ view full details,” which will usually have 1-3 modifications. Typically, one is with free weights. But if not, I just head to google and type in something like, “leg extensions free weights.”

How To Do Leg Extensions With Free Weights [video]

I can’t always find an at-home match, but about 90% of the time I do. Sometimes you just have to get a little creative!

Hope you enjoyed the peek into our home gym! It can be frustrating at times, but gets the job done!

Ashley

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