strawberry peach smoothie

MY LITTLE was desperate to chef it up this afternoon and wanted to make something out of his book, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs. We checked out ALL of the yummy-looking recipes and decided we had the ingredients we needed on hand to make this refreshing Strawberry-Peach Smoothie. He wanted to do it all on his own, so I just kept him company and the result was cool, creamy, sweet perfection. Both boys slurped it right up and had nice full bellies [for at least 20 minutes]. I’ll bet you have most of these things on hand, too, so enjoy. GIFT A LITTLE HAPPINESS. xo

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe banana

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 cup frozen strawberries [if using fresh fruit, add ice]

• 1 cup frozen peaches

• 1 cup yogurt [we used this]

• 1/4 cup oj

• 1 scoop collagen [not in the original recipe, but I add it to ALL of our smoothies]

DIRECTIONS

• Add the banana and honey to the blender and whiz until smooth

• Add everything else and continue blending until it’s all well combined and there are no big icy chunks

• Pour into two glasses and cheers your little helper [or down the whole thing on your own]

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gifts i love: the james brand

MY HUSBAND somehow lost both his trusty knife AND multi-tool last summer. Ah, oops. They’re both tools that he uses ALL the time when we’re out adventuring, so I knew I had to replace them for his birthday and I knew I was going straight to The James Brand to upgrade his knife with something really special.

FOUNDED more than 10 years ago by a group of designers and adventurers in Portland who set out to improve ‘everyday carry’ for people like them (and my husband. And maybe someone you love), they make really stunning knives and other ‘essentials.’ Their attention to detail, premium materials and elevated minimalist style result in a collection that defines the balance of form and function, beautifully including everything you want and nothing you don’t. They have put so much thought into reinterpreting classic favorites with updated materials so that even your grandfather would recognize their impeccable traditional styling.

Photo / The James Brand

THEY’RE ALL so beautiful, I had trouble choosing just one, but my boys landed on The Folsom and it’s really gorgeous and super functional. The packaging is really well-done, too, so you can be ready to hand over your handsome gift with minimal effort. The Hell Gap is made for rugged outdoor chefs who need top-quality gear for every condition. They also have some super sleek mulit-purpose ‘Everyday Carry’ stuff that will elevate anyone’s daily routine. The James Brand is a really solid gift for anyone you love who likes to set out prepared with style, like my rad husband. xo

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double chocolate banana bread

OK, SO I could go ahead and say that I made this Double Chocolate Banana Bread just because I had a bunch of rotten bananas that I really needed to use up, which would totally not be a lie. But the REAL honest truth is that I’ve been dreaming about it since I first saw it on Smitten Kitchen [like maybe 24 hours ago] and HAD to make it. Like stat. It is super easy, made with all stuff you probs already have and SO SO SO good. I made mini loaves and had to hide the second one so that it didn’t get devoured before there was photographic evidence of its existence. My boys were seriously blown away, muttering lots of ‘mmmms’ at this one. And let’s face it, I’m just out here trying to wow my little guys.

IF YOU’RE not familiar with Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, you should set aside a solid day to get lost in the gorgeous recipes on her site or pick up her book [and this one] for the most incredible collection of stunning food [her Pea Pesto is heaven]. Plus she’s a fantastic writer and funny. Anyhoo, I’m sharing her Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipe here to make things crazy easy for you. Let me know when you bake a loaf and I’ll be right over. xo

Double Chocolate Banana Bread RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 3 big super ripe bananas

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark on her rec, but either light or dark will work)

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I subbed GF and it’s perfect)

• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

• 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS

• Heat your oven to 350 and butter or spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or a few minis like I did)

• Mash bananas really well in the bottom of a large bowl

• Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla

• Add baking soda, salt and flour

• Sift cocoa powder through a sifter or fine-mesh strainer over the wet ingredients to get out the lumps and chunks

• Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined

• Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

• Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes

• Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and pop it out onto a cooling rack

• Share at least one slice with someone you adore or wrap it up and deliver it to someone who could use a MAJOR boost of delicious chocolate LOVE

THE LOAF will keep for up to 4 days covered at room temperature, but seriously, if you last 4 minutes with this in your house, I’ll be super impressed. Enjoy, lovelies.

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dog love // gifts for your pooch

EVERY December my boys and I used to make a little holiday pilgrimage to the local pet shop to pick out holiday presents for our old guy, Murray. His birthday was on Christmas Day after all, so the pooch obvs got double-spoiled with toys and treats. Plus my boys absolutely loved picking them all out; it was kind of our little holiday tradition. We wrapped them all up in paper and set them out on Christmas morning. He somehow knew exactly which ones were for him and as soon as he got wind of them, he tore through the paper like a crazed woodchuck. It was one of my favorite parts of Christmas morning, it was just so stinking funny and adorable. Sadly, we lost our beloved pooch last December, just a few weeks before Christmas and his 13th birthday, but he’s still so in our hearts this time of year and so we’ll have to go on that pet shop mission anyway to spoil our other favorite dogs with toys and treats and love.

IN ALL of the crazy hustle and bustle of the holidays, it can be easy to forget about the furry members of your family. But your fur baby best friends deserve so much love. After all, who else do you know who gets THAT excited to see you?! There are heaps of really clever companies that have jumped into the spoil-your-dog-with-style industry and created really creative, funny and beautiful things that your dog will love AND you won’t mind having as part of your decor. Here’s a little round-up of some of my favorites, perfect for any dog you love or dog-lovers that you love, too! Woof. xo

Dog Toys

1. 100% natural rubber and organic cotton stunning dog toys from Wild One // 2. Cutie Floppy Llamas // 3. Everything on The Foggy Dog’s site is stunning, but these Squeaky Toys are so fun // 4. Woof Clicquot is so chic // 5. Have a box of fun sent to your favorite pooch every month with a Barkbox subscription // 6. This Consuela the Cactus 2-in-1 Puzzle Toy is SO cute // 7. Dog Ness Monster is for serious chewers // 8. Our Murray always loved gutting a good Hedgehog // xo

gifts i love : that cheese plate

I LOVE to entertain and am also a bonafide cheese lover. And since there’s no better way to get a party started than with a heaping plate of cheese, I am also now a lover of Marissa Mullen and her brilliant cheese-plate-building method. She has developed a sort of paint-by-numbers way to build incredible, overflowing boards of cheese, meat, fruit, veggies, spreads, dips, nuts, herbs… you hungry yet? They’re dreamy and so appealing, but also totally accessible and something you could actually make with her streamlined method.

'That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life' is Marissa’s drool-worthy book and it’s just fun to look at her dreamy styling and photographs even if you only ever end up creating a mini plate for yourself (aka what I would *like* to eat for lunch EVERY darn day). So, if you love a cheese-lover or a host[ess] with the mostess, Marissa’s book would be a fantastic gift. Pair it with some gorgeous Runamok Honey and a beautiful Boos Board for serving and voila! It just might change their life.

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