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After a wonderful week with family in St. Louis, we're on our way to Chicago! It's a new city for me, can't wait to do some exploring!

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Celebrating our first wedding anniversary in Annapolis while reading up on our next adventure!

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“Paris is always a good idea”

My mom and I couldn’t agree more! When deciding where to plan a special mother-daughter trip, Paris was at the top of our wish list. It wasn’t the most practical choice, but we were feeling spontaneous and wanted to fully embrace the present moment - so we both agreed, why not? Let’s go big, and go to Paris!

The city has a special place in my heart because when I turned sixteen, I went to Paris with my mom and grandma. It was my first trip to Europe and I have fantastic memories of the sights, food, and culture -- and was eager to return!

So, sixteen years later, my mom and I did just that - we returned to Paris to celebrate my birthday and enjoy a full week in the city (just the two of us!)

I think what stood out the most was the pace of the week -- it was truly a week of living in the now. The week was all about long strolls, exploring the Left Bank, sitting in the Tuileries, sipping Sancerre, admiring Monet’s Water Lilies, and finding the perfect apple tart.

We made the trip all about Paris, and I’m glad we did.  The ultimate compliment came from a Parisian on a motorbike who stopped and asked us for directions in French! My mom and I agreed: we’re officially locals!

I would be happy to share our list of favorite places with anyone who’s interested and/or planning a trip to Paris soon! Welcome to drop me a line :)

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I must be in a baking mood this week! I saw a couple ripe bananas and thought I try another version of my banana bread -- I love how they turned out, feel very hearty and filling because of the combination of all the grains, and not too sweet. If you’re feeling inspired for a new spin on banana bread - maybe give these a try!

Banana Bread Mini Loafs -- revised recipe 

Yield: 8 mini loafs

Bake: 350 for approx. 15-20 min

In a large bowl, combine all these dry ingredients:

-2 cups of buckwheat flour

-1 cup of oats

-1/2 cup of ground flax

-1/2 cup of brown rice flour

-1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder

-1 1/2 tsp. of baking soda

-1 tsp of salt

-1 tsp of cinnamon

In a separate, medium sized bowl, combine:

-3 ripe bananas, mashed

-1 cup of yogurt (I used low-fat plain)

-1/4 cup of apple sauce

-1/3 cup of olive oil

-1/3 cup of raw sugar

-1 tsp of vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Sprinkle some more cinnamon on top and enjoy! 

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New favorite reading spot: Open City at the National Cathedral.

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It’s been awhile since I’ve made oatmeal cookies -- I think it’s because I always prefer a cookie with chocolate chips. So, I made sure to pack these cookies with lots of other favorites: cinnamon, vanilla, flakey sea salt, and ground flax. I didn’t have a recipe, per say, I just had fun experimenting and I think they turned out pretty well so thought I share!

Tina’s Salty-Oatmeal Cookies:

Yield: around 24 cookies

Bake: 350

Time: around 15 minutes

Recipe:

In a large bowl combine:

-2 cups of brown rice flour

-1/2 c. of pastry flour

-1 c. of oats

-1/4 of ground flax 

-1 1/2 tsp. of baking soda

-1 1/2 generous tsp. of cinnamon

-1 1/2 tsp of kosher or sea salt

-1/2 c. of raw cane sugar

-1/4 c. of brown sugar

In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine:

-2 eggs

-1 1/2 tsp of vanilla

-1/2 generous cup of olive oil

-1/2 generous cup of coconut milk (I used a can)

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. I added a little bit more olive oil and coconut milk as I mixed because the batter appeared a little dry. Just something to eye-ball based on the mix. At the end, stir in 1/2 cup of raisins and sprinkle the tops of the cookies with large flakey salt. Yum!

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Having a blast skiing in Park City!

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Earlier this month we traveled to Antigua, Guatemala, to celebrate a dear high school friend's wedding. I had traveled to Antigua once before to visit artisan cooperatives with the ladies of Nest. It felt special to return to Antigua five years later - this time with Dave, his first visit to Central America. We stayed at a lovely hotel - Meson Panza Verde, that instantly made us feel relaxed after a long day of travel. 

We had a couple unexpected surprises over the weekend. The first was running into my friend E at one of the local markets. The last time we saw each other was two years earlier in D.C. And now she and her husband and son are living full-time in Antigua! Amazing. We both said no surprise we would bump into each other while browsing textiles, etc. We became friends through our work with Nest. 

The second surprise was that a volcano erupted an hour before V's wedding ceremony! Dave discovered that something was up when he was reading on the patio and couldn't figure out why his phone, book, the table were covered in what appeared to be … ash? He quickly googled "Antigua + volcano + eruption" and only found old articles. Our suspicion was confirmed by the front desk. Yep. Volcan Fuego, about 10 kilometers from Antigua erupted.  We asked the young lady at the front desk if this has happened before. Her response? Not in her lifetime. Our next question, "Should we be concerned? Should we leave?" She replied, "No, I don't think so." Ok! We proceeded to leave our hotel, and cover our face/eyes from all the ash that was pouring down on us. We both commented that it felt like we were in a sand storm -- which we also haven't experienced -- but imagined this would be similar. 

The setting for the ceremony was incredibly dramatic -- it was an old church which had been destroyed in an earthquake in the 18th century. The earthquake destroyed the roof of the church, but the facade and the side walls were spared. Thankfully, by the time the ceremony started, it was only lightly pouring ash. The setting was also incredibly romantic -- hundreds upon hundreds of small votives were placed on the stadium like steps in front of the church. You can imagine the view when we exited the church doors - pretty breathtaking. The reception took place under the open sky in a courtyard that was formerly a convent. We sampled food from the bride and groom's combined backgrounds -- American, Swedish, Colombian (plus Guatemalan, the host country), danced to lots of Carlos Vives, and were surprised by not one - but two! firework displays! Pretty spectacular night!

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Today’s post is courtesy of Posie Harwood, writer and dear friend of Hälsa. You can see more of Posie’s work on Food52 or on her personal blog, Farm Love Cooks.

Valentine’s Day is a few days away. The bakery counters are strewn with heart-shaped pastries; red and pink cards cover the...

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This made my day yesterday. Walked into Dolcezza Gelato to pick up a pint for dessert for a dinner party with a friend and when I noticed the freezer was out of pints, I learned that they'll make you one from the gelato in the shop! It got better. The best part was that I asked if they could *combine* two flavors and said "sure!" This one's 1/2 Indonesian vanilla and 1/2 Valrhona chocolate. What a delicious discovery!

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Wow! I've really been on a food sharing kick this week! I think it's because this past Monday I made all the meals and snacks in the same afternoon -- and it's been fueling us all week.

The last meal I forgot to mention is one of my *favorites* -- I recently discovered this recipe from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook, and it's been on major repeat in our house. So much so, that I think it's time to take a little break .. so we don't over do it and feel the need to retire the recipe! The delicious meal is called, "Lentil 'Meatballs' in Lemon Pesto," and we enjoy serving them over soba noodles. The full list of ingredients and steps may be found on Sprouted Kitchen. *A tip: if you're a family of two, like us, may be smart to freeze some of the lentil meatballs because it makes a big batch (around 16 total) - that way you have some "emergency" go-to little protein balls that can be reheated and served with just about anything!

If you're curious what the side dish is -- it's chard that was pan seared with garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, raisins, marcona almonds, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for kick. We were inspired by a salad we recently had a Coppi's Organic - and tried to recreate it for ourselves :)

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This kale started believe it or not with two slightly bruised apples.To not waste the apples, I thought it would be fun to cut them into thin slices, sprinkle some cinnamon, and bake them. Since the oven was nice and hot, it was a perfect time to roast chickpeas (tossed in olive oil and s&p).

As the apple slices and chickpeas continued to bake, I prepped the salad. The key for me to enjoy a kale salad is lots of lemon and garlic. I love how the lemon really breaks down the kale and makes it less bitter. So, I took a very large mixing bowl and removed the kale leaves from the stalk with my hands -- then I tossed in lots of olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice (at least a 1/2 lemon per kale serving), and garlic (approx. one head per serving). Then I tossed the salad with my hands, really working the lemon/oil dressing into the kale leaves. You'll notice that the kale starts to reduce in overall volume as you continue to work in the dressing.  Then comes all the yummy toppings - sharp white cheddar cheese, roasted almonds, and when they're ready -- the chickpeas and cinnamon apple slices. The great thing about this salad is that it keeps for a couple days, so it's perfect for work lunch leftovers. The apple slices were a fun twist. Next time I'm going to make a bigger batch because they're a really yummy snack!

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We love cold-pressed juices around here. One of our favorite wedding presents was this juicer. I've been so impressed by how my husband cranks out different juices each week for us to enjoy. Tonight I snapped a couple pictures of his work station and the final product. We take lots of inspiration from a local juice shop, JRINK. Here's a look inside each bottle:

Bright-red juice: carrots, beets, ginger, green apple

Deep-red: cucumber, beets, red chard, ginger, parsley, lemon, apple

Bright-green: spinach, chard, cucumber, lemon, ginger, parsley, apple

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I've always loved banana bread. Over time, it's been a fun challenge to make the recipe more and more healthy. This particular recipe was originally from Cooking Light, but it doesn't bear too much resemblance since I've made lots of ingredient swaps. I've enjoyed using a mini loaf pan vs. one, big bread pan -- makes for a great breakfast or afternoon snack with some yogurt. 

BANANA BREAD RECIPE: 

Dry ingredients:

1/2 cup of buckwheat flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1/4 cup of ground flaxseed meal

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tbsp of chia seeds

Wet ingredients: 

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1/2 cup of brown rice syrup 

1 cup of plain yogurt 

1/4 cup of olive oil 

To make:

1. Preheat the oven to 325* and grease the loaf pan with olive oil 

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk 

3. In a separate medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients

4. Add the banana / wet mixture to the dry mixture, stirring gently until moist 

5. Spoon the batter into the mini loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon

6. Bake for approx. 30-45 min, depending on your oven 

7. Cool for 10 min. in pan on wire rack, then remove the loaves from the pan.

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By playing around with some of my favorite foods, I discovered a delicious combination -- roasted chickpeas + sweet potatoes, spinach, goat cheese, pomegranates, walnuts, and a drizzle of olive oil.  

This past summer and early fall, I tossed these ingredients together as my work lunch on many occasions. Tonight I was craving the same ingredients - only the heartier, winter version. This time, I roasted the sweet potatoes with grape tomatoes and sprinkled the sheet with parmesan cheese. I also roasted chickpeas coated in a Moroccan spice blend (paprika, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne). The other twist to make the dish heartier was to cook soba noodles. To form this bowl meal, the first layer is spinach, next came the soba noodles, and then the topping of the roasted sweet potatoes + chickpeas. Pretty delicious!

Speaking of bowl meals, I can't wait to flip through Sprouted Kitchen's cookbook "Bowl + Spoon" which comes out in April. I've followed Sprouted Kitchen for years, and I find so much inspiration in the recipes this husband and wife team put forth. 

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Scenes from downtown Kirkwood, Missouri. Favorite stop: sammysoap - they make their soap in the back of the shop.