I know it's been a bit quiet over here, I hope you don't mind. It has been quiet in our home as well. We have been out and about, seeing this, doing that, and I think it is only the beginning of a neglected home and kitchen because summer is on its way (am I jumping the gun? maybe). Still, I can't wait.

p.s. I didn't pay much attention to the royal wedding media until today, wasn't she lovely?

maple strawberry and orange compote recipe at zupas today

began and ended with two fevers; which meant lots of snuggles, movies, a long bath and early bed times. But it also included family, pastels, fresh flowers, bows, little to no cooking, a first birthday, and many thoughts on the real meaning of easter, which helped me shake the discouragement I've felt this past week. A rejuvenating weekend to be sure; how was yours?

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My theme for this past week has centered around the art of leaving things undone, and doing what really matters most. And because even saying a short hello matters, I wanted to drop by before the weekend begins to wish you all a wonderful one, a peaceful Easter if you celebrate, and a very happy Earth day.

I am sharing a few things to help you celebrate earth day all year long at zupas today. (The server has been having problems so if you can't see it right away, try a little later. ugh. internet.)

see you next week friends!

I have been trying to figure out what the Easter bunny brings to our house. He will come for the first time this year, officially. (He made a meager appearance last year) I have a feeling he may leave a stuffed bunny, bubbles, and a crayon roll.

That chocolate easter bunny mold I ordered came in the mail this afternoon. I am going to attempt making one this week; wish me luck.

I love Caitlin's testimonial (she writes roost blog) about the power of food and the direct relationship it has with your health, or more specifically her husband's. Although, I believe it applies to all.

This article about how to steal like an artist is fantastic. My favorite part, "Every artist gets asked the question, 'Where do you get your ideas?' The honest artist answers, 'I steal them.'" I have been waning for inspiration lately, I'm now on the art thieving prowl.

I have been watching Bleak House, and now I want to read it. What have you been reading/wanting to read?

It has been rainy, and there was a mote in front of our steps all day. We thought about building a bridge but just leapt over it instead.

I kind of love taking naps with the toddler.

Sometimes I feel lonely for girly friends, but then I spend afternoons with my sisters and I thank my lucky stars they live so close.

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How typical is it that the day after writing you about how productive and motivated I have been, I have an incredibly lazy day? There is truth to the saying "opposition in all things".

Can I tell you about another time I was lazy? Or rather I just didn't prepare well, and regretted it. The babe was invited to a birthday party, and I forgot about it until 10 minutes after it started. We ran over, (luckily they hadn't started yet). The party started with balloon chasing and children squealing, then peaked with a song and cupcakes. Every kid was given a chocolate pudding cupcake, except for my little one. She was looking at the kids sitting around her, waiting for her own morsel of birthday fun but didn't get one. Can you imagine how I felt? Gratefully, the party planner knew of her allergy (even called me a few days before) planned accordingly, and the little one was content to nibble on jell-o jigglers and pitas dipped in homemade hummus, although I think she liked the jigglers best. I vowed never to let that happen again, and now I have a plan. I'm sharing that plan with you today, and I hope it will help ease your allergenic life a bit.


have a wonderful (and maybe lazy) weekend friends.
and if you're off to a party, I hope you so excited.

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I have felt so motivated this week; mentally, spiritually, and physically. I have pushed myself harder during my runs (updating my musical playlist helped - yay for sisters!); I am making the conscious effort to be more patient with my little one; and I have been prioritizing well, starting my day with the most important things (and the most important perspective) so at the end of the day I've accomplished many to-do's, but also things that have bettered my little life. I love when I have a series of happy progressive days like these, and it's only wednesday.

I made this dish for dinner, making the following small changes:

Marinate the cauliflower steaks and bits for an hour in a mixture (sorry no measurements) of soy sauce, rice vinegar, juice of 1 orange, a bit of hoisin sauce, a little oyster sauce and a grate of ginger.

When making the cauliflower sauce, roast the marinated bits in 350 degree oven until tender instead of blanching, and add what's left of the "marinade" juice when pureeing.

Replace the thyme with cilantro in the quinoa.

Serve with caramelized onions, cilantro, toasted garlic bread, some fruit, and a song.

Last year, my baby was just a baby, so we didn't really do anything commercially traditional to celebrate Easter. Now that she remembers things a little more we want to start those fun kiddy traditions that are just that, fun and kiddy. I have been researching dairy free chocolate bunny options, as I think it would be magical for her to find a completely chocolate, completely edible bunny in her basket. Here are a few options I have found.

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Sometimes we eat dinner early. Then when the munchies roll around, we nibble on things like brownies and popcorn. And maybe a glass of lemonade or apple cider, depending on the weather. It was raining/snowing/slushing all weekend so you would assume we were sipping on apple cider, but we had lemonade instead.

look at me, blogging on a monday.
i love checking things off my list.

have a lovely week.

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preeeeeeeeetty much this sandwich is my favorite spring throw together lunch/light dinner, especially when I already have caramelized onions on hand. If not, it has the potential to take an hour or so. It also has the potential to knock your socks off. so there. equal.

a few lovely moments from our week.

saw. quite a few acts of kindness. I like when I get to witness moments like that.
heard. thunder. i love thunderstorms.
smelled. damp earth after said thunderstorm. i love damp earth smell.
tasted. sweat. i know it's actually really gross, but it's strangely fulfilling because it means that after this week, I am 11.5 miles closer to my big goal.
felt. damp, loose soil. I planted some cold weather plants earlier this week. Okay I should just say plant. It was lettuce. I also gave a few herbs a new earthy home but I doubt they will show up until June, but that's okay. I don't have many expectations this year. Do you know how amazing it was to play in our little dirt box again? I was in a squat, keeping my eye on the babe, loosening and mixing the soil, and daydreaming the possibilities all at once. I loved it. Jane did too, although I think she really just loves playing with rocks.
danced. after a run when I was warm and limber. I love when I can move, I mean really move.
cannot wait for. book group, bijou, and yum cha!

roasted asparagus sandwiches and how to caramelize onions on zupas today.

wishing you a wonderful weekend doing things you're excited about.

I love being a part of far away places around the internet, here are my latest.

I was mentioned as one of babble.com's top 100 mom food bloggers, how awesome is that? check it out here. btw. it's obviously not an updated pic; imagine 85% less hair. and bangs.

Check out this pizza with broccoli rabe, olives and roasted garlic tapenade that I shared in the spring issue of Latter Day Woman Magazine.

I am guest posting over at my dear friend Becky Rosenthal's lovely blog, The Vintage Mixer tomorrow. If you don't know about her blog, you should, she is one of the loveliest people I know. Married to a musician who often tours, she shares some favorite flavors and moments along the road and at home in Salt Lake City. I go to her when I need a recommendation for a good restaurant in the city, fun boutiques and shops to peruse, or a friend to go to lunch with on a rainy afternoon.

Win a spot at our next cooking class, and half off for a friend (if you have friends, i hope you have a plethora) at the bijou market blog. And while you're at it, visit the market this weekend! It's pretty much my favorite. (psst... look for our cooking class flyer!)

Melissa and I solidified plans for upcoming local natural cooking classes, we planned clear through August. we rock. can I tell you a secret? I. cannot. wait. check them out here.

The first thing anyone (read: my mother) said to me when I told them we don't eat dairy (and are practically meatless) is, "what about calcium, protein, etc.etc..." When you make the choice to live without, you are forced to compensate in different ways to attain proper/ideal nutrition. I could tell you a few things I think about "proper nutrition" but I'll spare you the conspiracy theory and tell you that in general, I put my trust in modern science. I believe that eating a lot of plants + whole foods, and along with the seasons makes us feel vibrant and alive, and that there's no harm in doing a few other things to meet the suggested nutrient values.

So in response to those wondering how we get the nutrients we lack in a heavily plant based and dairy free diet, I want to share what we do specifically, for calcium.

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standing on my tiptoes to smell a magnolia blossom.
teaching our brunch class, noshing and chatting with five very lovely ladies.
the warm sunny day that forced out blossoms and buds, followed a day later by a snow covered morning that was equally beautiful, but less welcome.
celebrating my sissy's birthday, sushi with the girls. 
seeing the way Jane looks at her daddy. she is infatuated, and I don't blame her.
spending every evening with husband, the times I don't worry about grad school acceptance emails.
being uplifted and edified by inspired words and feelings as we listened to general conference.
I love conference weekend.


finishing up our "chandelier" - done!
visiting the Carl Bloch exhibit at the Museum of Art.
book group, my house this week.
watching Tangled a few hundred more times.
meeting with Melissa to make some big and exciting plans.
Bijou market.
yum cha with the family to celebrate past birthdays.
making a couple more loaves of this bread, and sipping some raspberry steamed milk, there's a big storm heading this way.

check out Susan's recap of our brunch class here, and Jane's recap here.
And a question for you locals, if we were to repeat the brunch class say... May 7th, would you come?

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By no means am I a mathematically gifted person. I prefer to think in ways of movement, emotion and meaning rather than precision, law and absolutes. Not that people who are mathematically inclined are not meaningful. However when it comes to a budget, or as my husband calls it, the johnson family plan for future financial freedom and success... or something long like that, I make cause to be mathematical. We spend a significant amount of money on food. We rarely buy new clothes, when we do they are either hand me downs/ups, gifts, or secondhand. We don't go out to eat, unless it's free or a special occasion. We don't have television, or rather we have a television but no cable (I'd have no idea what goes on in the world except for blogs, twitter + nytimes). We make our own baby wipes, I am no stranger to baking our own bread (usually at the end of the month), are going on year two of a small (very small) garden, and we wait for tax returns, bonuses, etc to do anything "fun"; meaning small trips, saving for a house, and going to the swimming pool or fishing in july.

So when I began making almond milk at home, at first it was for the money we'd save. But just like so many of the other ways we decided to save money it became more than that. I found reasons making almond milk at home was better than buying it from the store in a quality of life sort of way. Without writing a book about the benefits of simplicity in life, I will just say that homemade almond milk is better taste wise, health wise, and sense wise. And on occasion I like to splurge with a bit of hershey's chocolate sauce mixed in.

what? we're not that hippie.

happy weekend friends; hope to see you at brunch!

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