Fall Fun

Hey Pretties!

How gorgeous is this tree? I snapped a picture of it on my way into the school this morning. Fall is definitely here!

I have been doing an awful job blogging this week :( I am still working on transitioning to wordpress and it is taking longer than I thought. I have had a great week so far, and have way more energy than I did last week. Ben and I are still continuing our pescatarian diet and it is really working for us.

This week we began our unit on Fall with the kiddos. We decorated pumpkin cutouts with pumpkin seeds and tissue paper, and I brought in little pumpkins for them to look at through a set of colored magnifying glasses I ordered for them. They LOVE playing with the pumpkins :) I actually couldn't find the pumpkins yesterday during clean up time, and finally realized that one of the kids "cleaned up" the pumpkins by putting them in the shelf with the blocks. How cute and funny is that? They make me laugh everyday.

This is the bulletin board scarecrow my co-teacher made. She rocks!

I took an awesome yoga class yesterday with the same teacher from last Wednesday's class. He started the class by telling us he had something different in store for us, and proceeded to pop in a CD of a pre-recorded yoga class. At first I thought "Seriously? I did not come here to have you not teach the class and use a CD instead." But the class ended up being so challenging and amazing! The recording was of a yogi named Rusty Wells who teaches yoga in San Francisco, and sometimes has 200-300 people in his classes. I was super impressed and felt balanced and sore afterwards.

I am really really looking forward to the weekend because I get to meet my best friend Mimi's new baby Talia! She is only 4 months and I cannot wait to hold her. We are also seeing a bunch of friends and my good friend Talia (yes, another Talia) is getting married on Sunday. It is going to be a great getaway weekend for us :)

Another photo to leave you with. So lucky to be living in "Colorful Colorado"!

xx,

Pretty Penny

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti with White Chocolate Chips

Today was the perfect balance of laziness and productivity. We cleaned out our second closet and it looks so organized now. We have been shoving things in there since before the wedding, and everytime I opened the door something fell on my head. Those of you who know me know that untidy closets do NOT sit well with me. Neither do dry cleaner wire hangers. UGH. We threw out two trash bags full today.

 Clean closet. Beautifully functional slimline hangers. Life balance restored.

I also ran errands and am now watching a very cheesy hallmark movie with Jennie Garth in it, and delighting in (and dunking) the very chocolatey biscotti I made this afternoon. I adapted the recipe from Veganomicon, and added a few of my own twists :) I used whole wheat flour to convince myself that yes, these are healthy. I also added white chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. The bittersweet cocoa and creamy melted white chocolate make the perfect pair. These are definitely a biscotti for the chocolate lover!

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti with White Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees an lightly grease a large cookie sheet

2. In a large bowl, whisk together almond milk and flaxseeds, mixing for 30 seconds

3. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, corn starch, baking powder, and salt

4. Stir to mix, and just as the dough comes together, add the nuts and chocolate chips

5. Knead to form a stiff dough, then form the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide on the baking sheet

6. Bake for 28 minutes

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes

8. Turn up oven heat to 375 degrees. Transfer the baked dough onto a cutting board. Slice 1/2 inch thick slices using a heavy, sharp knife. Do this is one push down motion so the dough doesn't crumble.

9. Put the slices on the cookie sheet cut side down. Be very careful when you do this, as they will crumble! Bake for 12-15 minutes

10. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack

We are going to take the dogs for a long (and much needed) walk, and then I'm going to get ready for the week! We are going to LA next weekend and I am SO excited I am counting down the days. Until tomorrow...

xx,

Pretty Penny

A Little Man Baby Shower

Happy Saturday Pretties!

This morning I attended my friend Adriane's baby shower. She is eight and a half months pregnant and glowing! The shower was based on a "Little Man" theme, as they are having a boy. It was thrown by her two very good friends, and sister-in-law.

This shower was beyond cute, and the hosts kept the "Little Man" theme and neon blue, green, and orange color scheme throughout the party. Here is the invitation displayed in front of matching colorful centerpieces. Adriane's sister-in-law had a graphic artist create the invitation design, then printed the actual invitation on Tiny Prints. Notice the "little man" cups too!

There were "Little Man" plates and napkins as well! How adorable are the mustaches?

We snacked on yummy quinoa salad, pasta salad, fruit, and caprese skewers. There were little cupcakes too :)

Eventually we went downstairs to watch Adriane open her presents and play a little bingo gift guessing game. I just loved looking at all the cute baby clothes she got. I mean how can tiny little jeans and sweaters not make you swoon? Here is a close up of the centerpieces. I thought they were simple yet creative, and brought so much color to the shower.

Here is the Momma-to-be with her sister-in-law Rachael. Of course Rachel even managed to wear an outfit matching the blue and orange color scheme of the shower. Love that!!

Another picture of Rachael, Adriane, and I.

We each got a gift-card shower favor that is good for a free scoop of ice cream from a shop called Little Man Ice Cream. Seriously how precious...swooning again.

I really enjoyed this shower, and it was so special to see a room filled with Adriane's many girlfriends from high school, college, and beyond. I chatted with some great girls, and cannot wait to meet Adriane and Josh's little nugget!

xx,

Pretty Penny

From Seventy Degrees to Forty

I have been super busy this week! Had some amazing girl time the past two nights and it was so needed. Unfortunately I have not been cooking at all, so I have no recipes to share :(

The weather has been a little cooky here..it was below forty and snow-raining here today, after being in the high seventies all week. I love the cold weather, and am really getting excited for the first real snow! The kids all came bundled up and it was beyond cute. Ben visited my class and read to them. They totally loved it! He read "Hands Are Not For Hitting" and and ABC book. The little boys get so excited when there is a guy in the class!

Tonight we are going to my in-laws for shabbat dinner and I am so looking forward to eating some delicious challah and warm soup as the temperature drops outside. I LOVE friday nights and celebrating shabbat. It is the best way to wind down a busy week and spend time with family.

Tomorrow I have a friend's bridal shower and then spending the rest of the weekend with my man. Crossing my fingers that my wordpress site will be up and running sometime next week.

More recipes to come soon...happy weekend everyone!

xx,
Pretty Penny

One of Those Nights...

You guys...this is just going to be one of those nights. The kind of night where you blow dry just your bangs because you are too dang lazy to finish the rest, where you get takeout, or as Ben puts it, "you deserve a glass of whiskey while waiting for takeout, so you just get one."

Ohh we had all these plans tonight. We were going to try a new recipe for this delicious looking loaded vegetable stew served over cous cous. I was going to blow dry ALL of my hair. We were going to go out salsa dancing till the wee hours of the morning.

(Just kididng. I wish we were that cool)

But then the vet took a billion more hours than we thought and I drove home just before 6pm, exhausted and praying that Chloe didn't puke in her crate during the drive. Like I said...just one of those nights.

So instead I took a nice hot, ultra-sanitizing shower to wipe off the applesauce, preschool boogers, and gross vet smell I was covered in. I also lit my oil warmer and filled it with lavender. You need to get one of these! They are a great way to use essential oils and create an instantly relaxing atmosphere. Love!

The good news is that both of our dogbabies are very healthy (yay), Chloe just needs a routine teeth cleaning and we have to manage Choco's anxiety a little better. We are going to try some anti-anxiety meds (I know this sounds CRAZY, but we are seriously running out of options and don't want him to suffer). I am super grateful that they are healthy and happy, even if healthy dogs still cost sooo much $$$$$.

But we love them so its worth it. Here is a winning shot of Chloe getting checked out. What a cutie. The vet was so nice, and told us she is from Israel originally. She is the first one to understand where Choco's name comes from. Love her!

Ben is home with dinner. Time to inhale some food because this girl is hungryyyy!
Have a wonderful night everyone!

xx,
Pretty Penny

Almost October!?

I cannot believe October starts tomorrow. Time is going by way too fast!!! This is a picture I took two years ago in our first apartment together. We spent halloween night carving pumpkins, decorating cookies, and watching cute family halloween movies.

We like to live on the egde.

But really it was so fun and I definitely want to do it this year. Work today was great--we are starting our unit on Fall and there is no end to the creative fall-themed activities you can do with two year olds. Yay! I went to a new yoga class after work and it was so great, my legs were shaking at some points! Then we took the doggies for a walk. They are both going to the vet tomorrow and I am already feeling Mom guilt for taking them. They hate it and get so so anxious! Boo.

I am starting to feel a lot better, which is good because I have a busy week with lots of fun things going on!

Have a Happy Monday Pretties!

xx,

Pretty Penny

My Sunday Book Review: My Life in France

Ah Mrs. Julia Child. She is one of my most favorite people, and I don't even know her. I'm almost finished with her autobiography My Life in France, and it has been such a fun read!

Julia is funny, honest, and very humble. She tells the story of her love affair with French gastronomy, her marriage, and her journey that began as a home cook and eventually turned her into a household name. She makes me want to go back to Paris and eat my way through, and paints a lovely picture with each page.

This book is not just about food, but is about the passion for a country, its culture, and the entire process of cooking. From learning another language, to shopping in the markets and picking the right ingredients to puttering around the kitchen until you get it just right. Julia's voice shines through her story, and it is as if you are having a conversation with her. What a wonderful treat of a book!

xx,
Pretty Penny