Travel - Chicago

Hello my friends!  Okay, I know I've been a total slacker with updates...but I do have a good reason!  I've been a travelin' fool this last week...and having too much fun to get on the internet much ;)  But I'm home and back to the routine now.

So let me start by saying this post is going to be a little different...meaning it's going to be a travel post.  One of the things I love to do is share with others the awesome adventures I discover.  So, no recipe with this one...but rest assured!  Check out my haul from the farmer's market yesterday...good things will be coming :)

I do want to start with this.  I've recently had a couple people really wonder why I place my priorities in the way that I do.  And basically this statement sums it up:  I work to travel.  And obviously keep a roof over my head and food in my belly.  But creating memories in different places is what really makes me love life.  I hate to say that people are passing judgement on me for this priority, but sometimes I kinda think they are...so let me break it down like this.  I don't care about designer purses, cable television, a new wardrobe for every season.  My ideal date is a hike down a beautiful path rather than a fancy dinner and movie.  I cook all my meals...meaning I only eat out maybe two or three times a month.  I would take a weekend getaway over a ridiculously expensive piece of jewelry any day of the week.  Materialism is not really my thing...experiencing life is.  And this is what I know.  Some people find spirituality (i.e. God) in Church.  And that is wonderful for those people.  However, here's where I have found my spirituality, my inner peace:  on top of a beautiful mountaintop in Maine, looking out over the Atlantic; in the quiet beauty of the rolling green hills of Ireland; on a pristine white beach in the Caribbean found after a hike that no other travelers wanted to make, leaving the beach all to ourselves; hiking through the giant redwoods of California, hearing only birds and the crunching under our feet.  The list goes on, but you get the idea.  And the final thing I know?  I would not trade a single one of those memories, or even a little bit of the overwhelming feelings they create, for any one of the dollars it took me to get there.

And this is what makes me happy :)


Chicago
So, let's get started!  I spent last weekend in Chicago with my longest friend, Angela.  She's going to be living there for at least the next 3 years, so I'm sure this is only the start of our adventures together.  I know I'll miss her, but it sure was great spending a whole weekend together and chatting about our last 10 years as friends.

Here are some of the highlights!

Obviously, one goes to Chicago, they are going to want some deep-dish pizza!  (And let me just interrupt myself for a moment.  I know my blog is all about healthy cooking...and that's exactly the way I live my day-to-day life.  However, vacations are a different matter... We only live once after all!)  The first night in town, we stopped at Giordano's for some of their famous Chicago stuffed pizza.  It's a little touristy...but man!  Can they make a pizza!  We ordered the pizza size that was listed for 2 people....but I learned you can just go ahead and double the amount of people they say it's for haha.  Plenty of leftovers!  And honestly, pretty decently priced too.  Of course, pizza and beer kinda go hand in hand...so we also ordered the Matilda, which is brewed at the local Goose Island brewery (Chicago's oldest craft brewery and also definitely worth a visit!).

The following day was spent wandering the city by foot...which in my opinion is the best way to travel almost any big city.  After brunch at Fox and Obel (delicious and economically priced for a big city), we stopped by one of the most obvious destinations...the Bean in Millennium Park.  Who knew taking pictures of yourself reflected off a giant metal bean could be so fun??  From there we checked out the Taste of Chicago that was, fortunately for me, going on that weekend in Grant Park.  And let me tell you...I'll be back for that!  This festival was HUGE!  In fact, it's been going on every year since 1980 and is the largest food festival on the planet!  Check that one off the foodie bucket list ;)

Fisherman's Eggs at Fox & Obel.  Smoked trout,  potatoes, and  poached eggs with a truffle hollandaise .

Seriously.  So addicting. 

Buckingham Fountain with the Chicago skyline.

After spending a good bit of time at the festival, we meandered on down to Navy Pier and took a ride on the iconic ferris wheel.  I don't normally spend $6 to ride a ferris wheel...but it does allow for some beautiful views.

And finally, we finished up our day with probably one of the greatest dining experiences of my life so far.  We found a Japanese BBQ we decided to try out called Gyu-Kaku.  There were three floors to the restaurant - we sat on the third floor where you are required to remove your shoes before entering the dining room and are seated on the floor.  We ordered the Geisha dinner to split and it ended up being a great way to try a lot of food for a smaller price per person.  In the center of every table there is located a heated grill.  After an appetizer of miso soup, salad, spicy tuna maki, and sukiyaki bibimbap, they started bringing out the meats! We had shrimp and various types of steak, all thinly cut, and some foil wrapped asparagus.  The fun part is...we grilled all our own meats on our own personal grill.  This dinner was so fun...and lasted for a couple hours, allowing us to really enjoy our meal.

Our second full day wasn't quite so full of activities (we were pretty exhausted after day one haha).  We started with a Cajun feast for lunch at Heaven on Seven.  The decorations were a little Mardi Gras cliche, but the food was in fact quite heavenly!  And there was a wall of hot sauces that was pretty dang awesome. We opted for the Cajun buffet, where your server will bring out bottomless amounts of different dishes.  We only needed one of each!  Sooo much food!  And this is where I also discovered that I ADORE collard greens.  Couldn't get enough of that dish!

Next, we went Goose Island brewery.  Now, I've been pretty into craft beers for a few years now...thanks to my fiance, Josh.  Any time I check out a new city, I make it my mission to check out the local beer scene.  The first part of any brewery tour is pretty much the same...you learn a little bit of history about the brewery, they go through the brewing process (water, yeast, malt, and hops!), and probably will talk a little about their own signature brews.  But the best part?  The tasting portion :)  The cost at Goose Island is $10.  This pays off at the end when each person receives a pint glass and six taster portions of some of the most recent types of brews.  It's such a great way to try new beers you wouldn't have otherwise been introduced to.

Please, let me know other Chicago must-sees or places to eat!  Like I mentioned before... I'll definitely be going back ;)

Farmer's Market Fabulous

Another reason why I love summer?  Farmer's markets!  I really just started getting into these things late spring of this year....thanks to my wonderful stepsister Amanda ;)  But now, it's become a part of my weekly grocery shopping.  My shining moment?  Week's worth of grocery breakdown: $25 - Farmer's Market.  $8 - Kroger. I'm gonna go ahead and call that a win!

There are a lot of benefits to choosing to purchase from your local market.  The biggest reason I started is because I'm trying to stick to organic as much as possible.  I'm interested in cutting out the food that requires unnatural (and in my opinion, unhealthy) processes to put food on the average American's table in the cheapest, quickest way possible.  I don't want to purchase food that's had to travel 2,000 miles to get to me and in the process lost most of its valuable nutrition anyway because of the techniques used by large corporations.  And yes, even though some things might cost me a little more, I'd rather my money go back into supporting the local economy.  To me it's about quality and sustainability.  

Oh, and another thing...the larger markets usually have vendors set up where you can get a delicious, fresh bite to eat.  This trip to the 2nd Street Market in Dayton included a salmon, cream cheese, spinach, and caper crepe....Mmmmm!

If you're interested in finding a local market to try out yourself, click here.

Because I do the majority of my shopping at the market, I'm usually coming home with quite a bit of produce.  The recipe that follows is a result of me going through my refrigerator last night trying to use up the rest of my produce before it went bad on me.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry, white wine  
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 cloves minced garlic 
• coarsely ground pepper and salt, to taste
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 4 red bell peppers ( you could use green...I just love red peppers :) )
• freshly shredded mozzarella cheese

To make the dressing, combine the wine, olive oil, dill, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. 

Next, in a larger bowl, combine rice, beans, onion, tomato, and cucumber.  

Pour the dressing over the fillings and toss until evenly coated.  Let sit in the fridge for a couple hours to marinate. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Next, prep your peppers by removing stem and seeds.  Place in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the peppers and place on a baking dish.  Place filling in each pepper and cook for about 20 minutes in preheated oven.  Add your cheese and cook until melted, about 5 more minutes.

Finally, pour yourself a glass of that white wine and enjoy your farmer's market pepper :)

Red River Gorge with Homemade Granola

Well it's post number 5...and I think it's about time to bring in the first part of this blog's name...travel! :)  This last weekend my fiance Josh, his uncle Scott, and I did some backcountry camping in Red River Gorge, or the Red as it's affectionately called by climbing and hiking enthusiasts.  The park is located in Kentucky and is part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.  After our 2-day, 15 mile hiking trip, I realized I never really knew what camping meant until this weekend!  There is definitely something to be said about hiking off into the woods, finding a completely secluded area to set up camp, and truly enjoying nature.  We had an almost full moon this weekend, which made the night beautiful to behold.  I'm just glad we didn't run into any of those brown bears or copperheads that are known to be found in the area ;)  It was an amazing experience, and we're already planning for our next camping trip.  I'm not sure I can go back to campgrounds after this!

And of course, no trip to the Red is complete without a stop at Miguel's Pizza!  Josh and I first discovered this place last fall when we went on a day hike to Natural Bridge State Park, also part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.  This place is big in the climbing community.  Not only do they offer great food, but you can also purchase a variety of climbing equipment from shoes and helmets to ropes and carabiners.  And about that food.  Oh. My. Goodness.  They offer 45 different toppings to choose from for a pizza and varying sizes.  Now, I know this kinda goes against my healthy theme for the blog...but hey, 15 miles of strenuous hiking with 30 pounds on my back?  I earned it!  This time we chose banana peppers, artichokes, chorizo, and feta.  Washed down with an Ale 8 of course (bottled locally in Kentucky).  Mmmmmm :)

And finally....on to the recipe that goes along with this theme!  Now, because I knew I needed to carry everything I would need for this weekend on my back, I wanted to make a lightweight, healthy snack I could munch on.  Because hey, even though I was gonna be getting some serious exercise, I didn't want to completely give up my whole foods diet!  I came across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs:  100 Days of Real Food.  Check it out if you're serious about changing your lifestyle and cutting out processed foods.

Homemade Granola


Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 c. of steel cut oats
• 1 c. raw sliced almonds
• 1 c. cashew pieces
• 1/2 c. sunflower seeds
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 c. honey
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

* Note:  This recipe is very versatile.  Feel free to also use pecans or walnuts for your nuts, add pumpkin seeds or flaxseeds, or as recommended in the original blog, add 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (which I would have loved to add, but alas Kroger doesn't carry it).

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

In a bowl combine the oats, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, and spices.

Next, heat the butter and honey over low heat in a small saucepan.  Once the butter melts completely, add the vanilla extract.

Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and combine with a rubber spatula until everything is evenly coated.  Spread evenly over your prepared baking sheet and pop into the oven for 75 minutes.  Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  This makes for an excellent snack and I also found was a great addition to my breakfast in my unsweetened applesauce.  It can also be used as a homemade granola cereal.  Just crush in a plastic bag, dump it into a bowl, and pour your milk over it.  Delicious!