herbaltini time

the other weekend when i was in palm springs with some girl friends, my friends made a pitcher of herbaltinis and they were amazing!! so refreshing -- the perfect summer drink. we had to share!

check our friend arsy's blog for the recipe here! 

iphone photo of my herbaltini in palm springs

happy cinco de mayo!

 image via

happy cinco de mayo! ;) 

it's a fun day for us down here in san diego... so i thought i'd share my friend Arsy's amazing skinny margarita recipe. she orders these all the time and she's gotten me into ordering them now too. 

they are so yummy and don't have the added/unnecessary sugars that most margies have! 

arsy's SGM

*good tequilla is a must (her fav is don julio)

tequilla on the rocks (with salt)

add fresh lime juice

soda water

splash of cointreau

give it a try next time you're out... the cointreau adds enough sweetness!

and if you haven't checked out arsy's blog,  30 days of paleo, yet... you must head over and check it out! so much great info!

have a great day! xo

Starting the day off right.

Summer is coming and the ladies of Miss B and Hustle are highly motivated to start eating healthy and taking our workouts to the next level. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I'm totally guilty of drinking coffee until noon and then eating a HUGE lunch because I'm so hungry, but lately I've gotten back into making smoothies in the morning. It makes such a difference! Here are our favorite recipes:

 photo via pinterest via the alkaline sisters

K's "Eat Your Greens" Smoothie
1 banana
small colander full of rinsed spinach (the more the better)
1 cup of frozen blueberries
3 or 4 fresh strawberries
water, as needed
nonfat, plain yogurt (optional)

I don't eat a ton of dairy, but the yogurt is a great addition, if you do. I like to use my handheld Cuisinart Smartstick (raved about here) to make an individual smoothie in a mason jar. Then you can just screw on the cap and go. I promise you can't taste the spinach and it's a great way to incorporate more greens into your diet!

 photo via pinterest via gosavor

T's Morning Smoothie
1 banana (or half of one)
1 handful of fresh baby spinach
1 carrot (or a few baby carrots) - these add a hint of sweet to your smoothie
frozen fruit - i kind of just add whatever frozen fruit i have. frozen blueberries, strawberries, rasberries, mango, or pinapple, etc - just about 1 cup of any combo of these. i always make sure i have some type of berry in there. i also love to use frozen acai instead of any other frozen fruit sometimes... but make sure you get the plain acai (no sugar and energy added!)
fresh fruit - i usually add 1 kiwi or anything else i have --- 1/2 apple. whatever you want.
1 scoop protein powder
1 scoop raw almond butter
almond milk or any juice i have (about 1 cup)

water as needed

*also make sure you buy all organic products

I've learned to just use what i have in my fridge and make it work. the key to always have a banana and something frozen to keep it cold. i love the flavor that the almond butter gives the smoothie. and you don't need the added calories of juice - water works great! having a smoothie like this is the best way to start the day.  (and sadly my blender broke last week... so i think i need to go out and buy that smartstick asap! )

happy blending! ;) 

42 below :: honey vodka

a while back,  i was in SF for a work trip... i stumbled upon the most amazing stuff  ---  honey flavored vodka!
yes!! i'm a fan of all things honey, so this was exciting for me... and this stuff is amazing! 

i had quite a few drinks at this bar with this gal... and we were in love with this stuff.

i tracked it down after on the internet... and it comes all the way from new zealand! 

the company is 42 below and they make a few other interesting flavored vodkas (and have won tons of awards too).

you must check out the 42 below site and click on "products". i love the way they display their vodka flavors
(which all sound amazing by the way - kiwi, passion fruit, & feijoa - YUM!)

then click on "tasting notes" to hear that fab kiwi accent (which i can never get enough of!) talk about the product! ;)

i'm on the hunt for a bar in sd that has this stuff... 

and if you ever find yourself in SF, head over to 15 romolo for a track 42... promise you'll love it 

(and thank me for the cute eye candy behind the bar too!).

PS - they suggest drinking 42 below honey with ginger beer (um... hello! my fav ever!) and lime! yum.... 

i think i need to order some of this stuff now for this summer!

PSS... since we missed some tunes we love on tuesday... 

here's two songs i'm loving right now by the band stornoway! 

check them out!

xo

slammy juice

as an extension to krissy's last post on wine spritzers... i wanted to post my favorite recipe.

i have to give credit to my good friend tammy for inventing this one and sharing with me. we were both on a work trip to NY together once and on the plane ride out, she introduced me to what she calls "slammy juice". how perfect is that name!? (it's even better if you know tammy!)
i have since then passed this along to many of my friends... and find myself often ordering these drinks to make one when i'm on a plane.

>>> slammy juice <<<

ginger ale

red wine

pour desired amounts over ice... and enjoy! 

seriously, the best thing ever! especially on a plane for some reason... kind of fun to make while you're sitting in your tiny cramped seat. ;)
try it out next time you're on a plane... it's light and refreshing.

speaking of planes... i'm off to san fran with shelby today... we have some shoots up there + some client meetings... but we are planning to have a ton of fun too. ;)
(i'll have to introduce her to some slammy juice!)

have a great weekend! xo

Summer, finally!

Happy summer, friends! The sun is trying to break through here in Portland and it is about time. I think my single favorite thing about the NW is how late it stays light/warm in the summer. I swear it didn't get dark last night until almost 10:00. Who wants to come visit!?

When the weather gets nice, there's truly nothing better than sitting outside chatting with good friends, sipping on a glass of Rose or my personal favorite summer beverage - - a red wine spritzer. I know Taryn has her own favorite recipe (share, please!), but here's mine.

Red Wine spritzer

2/3 red wine

1/3 chilled sparkling water

Wedge of lime

Also, how totally rad are these? I've yet to try the wine, but I'm loving the concept. They're individually sized, unbreakable, portable glasses! Perfect for a picnic, afternoon at the beach . . . dare I say . . . a movie?! Man, these almost make imbibing too convenient! I believe they're only available in the NW, as of now, but that's just another good reason to plan that trip . . . or just put a request in to your local wine shop! xo

the 3rd corner...

miss b is down in san diego right now, so we've been having tons of fun hanging out (and i think she needs to move her tiny butt back down here!)... we met up at my favorite local wine bar the other night and i thought i'd give a little shout out since it's never let me down.
the 3rd corner opened up down the street from my house (i could literally roll there if i wanted to) about a year ago... i was so happy because i'd heard people tell me how much they loved the one in ocean beach. once i tried it, i was in love too! their concept is genius - buy wine from them in their retail space (which is located within the restaurant) and then uncork your bottle for a small fee at your table. this way, you can enjoy fabulous tasting wine at an affordable price! honestly, they have so many kinds of wine to chose from and i've never had a bad bottle! (they have lots of yummy champagne options too)
on top of good wine, the food is great... i'm in love with their fries as well as their cheese platter... (and pretty much everything else i've had).  it's a quaint and inviting place to meet with friends over drinks.
so if you live in the san diego area and haven't tried this place yet, you should.
and make sure to let me know so i can meet you there! ;)

some of their retail space...

miss b & me hanging out in san diego together... (taken with my iphone)

ps - happy new year! hope everyone has a good one! miss b and i will be ringing in 2010 together so watch out encinitas!