Bits and pieces.

Last week was busy, but I like busy so all in all it was a great week. I wish I would've snapped a few more photos, but I didn't so here are a few bits and peices of what went on.

Lazy Kitty.

My first attempt at juicing my own green juice. Pineapple is the key!

Venturing in Midtown (Sacramento).



Best vegan cookie dough ever! Hands down. I didn't have the patience to wait until we got home to eat it, so it made a nice road trip snack.

I spent a good majority of the holiday weekend houseboating with my family on Shasta Lake. This place never gets old.

Engagement.

My fiance Stephen and I have been engaged for 3 years! I know, crazy! But as cliche as it sounds, it has gone by so fast. From the beginning we wanted to wait until I was done with school to tie the knot, so after I graduated last May we immediately set a date and started planning. I can't believe it will be official in less than 4 months. I thought it was about time I shared some of our engagement shots. We have been blessed with some great vendors for our wedding day, and our photographer Brent VanAuken Photography | BVA Photo is simply amazing! I actually contacted him right after we got engaged telling him he had to photograph our wedding, and lucky us it's happening! I can't wait for our big day, now that we are getting closer it is definitely starting to feel real! Here is just a few of our favorites.

I guess something was really funny.

Vegan & gluten free black bean brownies.

So this weekend I was in the baking mood. Saturday I wanted to make something equally healthy as delicious. I did a little research online, and after seeing this recipe it definitely intrigued me. At first I was a little skeptical about using black beans to make brownies, but I love trying new healthier ways to cook and thought it would be fun to experiment. The recipe was also a pretty simple, which meant little room for me to mess it up. Let me tell you, these brownies didn't disappoint! This is a treat anyone would enjoy, just don't tell them the ingredients until after they try the brownies first. The Minimalist Baker is definitely my new favorite food blog!

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can (~ 1¾ cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
• 2 large flax eggs (2.5 T flaxseed meal + 6 T water)
• 3 T coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
• ¾ cup cocoa powder (the higher quality the better)
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• heaping ½ cup raw sugar, slightly ground or pulsed in a food processor or coffee grinder for refined texture
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• Optional toppings: crush walnuts, pecans or semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini).
3. Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients (besides walnuts or other toppings) and puree – about 3 minutes – scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.
5. If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.
6. Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.
7. Optional: Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides. I found mine took about 25.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so remove gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don’t be concerned if they seem too moist – that’s the point. Plus, they’re vegan so it doesn’t really matter.
10. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.

Saturday Tradition.

Every Saturday I find myself at the Farmer's market. It has kind of become a weekend tradition. I love any Farmer's Market, but luckily I live in a small town with a really good one! There is just something fun about walking around with my basket in hand, looking through the abundance of local goodies. Seriously so much good stuff!!! Now that we have transitioned into spring and summer is right around the corner, the Farmer's market goodies are getting better and better. I am dreaming of the day when I see that tomatoes are back in season. But for right now I am perfectly happy with the juicy strawberries, the beyond gorgeous florals, and the delicious greens that are overflowing at each stand.

 

Simple peach & pineapple mahi mahi fish tacos.

So we started the weekend off by having dinner on the patio. It was a perfect pre-summer evening when the weather is not to hot, and when you live in Northen California you have to take full advantage of those nights because pretty soon it's going to get realllll hot. We decided to make peach and pineapple mahi mahi fish tacos from ingredients we had around the house. I would've added a few extra garnishes, but I wasn't in the mood to make that extra trip to the grocery store. All in all a delicious, and easy summer dinner. Too good not to share!

We paired the tacos with some refreshing lemon and mint sparkling water, but I bet some margaritas would be delicious too!

Ingredients:

{For the fish}

• 1 Lemon
• Trader Joe's packaged mahi mahi (from the frozen section)
• 1 Taco seasoning packet

{Garnishes}

• 1 Pineapple
• 1 Sweet onion
• 1 Package of cabbage
• Cherry tomatoes
• We didn't have the following on had but these additions would have been tasty: olives, avocado, & cilantro

{Other}

•  Corn tortillas (street taco size, or bigger works fine too), I substituted lettuce for the tortillas for a more paleo friendly option.
• Trader Joe's peach salsa

      Instructions:

1. Thaw fish
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
3. Place fish in foiled lined pan, cut and squeeze lemons over the fish (leaving lemons in with the fish).
4. Rub taco seasoning on top of the fish (use enough to cover the top of the fillet but a little goes a long way) afterward make sure all the fish is wrapped in foil, the juices from the lemon will act like butter to make sure the fish is moist and doesn't dry out.
5. Cook fish for about 20-25 minutes, check and then add more time if needed.
6. While fish is cooking, cut up all the garnishes including the onion, pineapple, and tomatoes.
7. Cook or heat tortillas as preferred
8. When fish is finished, cut fish into appropriate proportions for the taco
9. Fix taco to your liking. The pineapple and peach salsa are crucial because they add that sweetness that really makes the dish.
10.  Enjoy!

A little home inspiration to kick off the weekend.

One obsession I have is Pinterest, I can get caught up spending way to much time looking at awesome new recipes, fun trends, and the overflow of amazing interiors. After learning a few things on photoshop over the last few weeks, I thought it would be fun to make my own inspiration boards. It is helpful to see all the items come together and I will defiantly be using this tool for future home projects and outfit planning. Lately, I have been inspired by everything from  60's retro glam,  Hollywood regency, black and white canopy stripes, elements from the Beverly Hills hotel, and of course gold. How amazing would all of this look in a small space living room?!

Tufted pearl chesterfield sofa

Palm leaf pillow

Green campaign style chest

Lucite & brass lamp

EVOR throw | IKEA

Jonathan Adler gold gourd vase

Diptyque Figuier candle
Henri Bendel | Cocktail tray
Golden bar cart
Gold rimmed champagne coupes
 

 



At home | Styling a little corner.

Today, I am sharing a little corner of our apartment. I love decorating our home, it really is our favorite place. I also love small spaces, because it challenges your creativity and always adds an element of coziness. This little corner is ever changing, I think with design and decor the job is never truly finished. With decorating you can always get inspired to re-arrange or completely restyle the look you want to achieve. I know I have been guilty of this over the years, but was mostly working on achieving a style that fit our personalities (Okay, its a little girlie but in defense Stephen does have his own man cave/office and never has said anything about the decor... Yup, another reason why he was meant for me).  I am by no means a professional when it comes to design and decor, yet it is a passion of mine. Our home's style is one that I can't really define, I would say it's a mix of neutral, cozy, eclectic, and glam. I love keeping the large furniture pieces neutral, and then adding in color with little accents.

Some of my favorite books that double as decor.
PS. You can't see my almost dying peony in this photo, but I encourage everyone to stop by Trader Joe's this week and pick up a bouquet. Fresh flowers ALWAYS brighten up the house.

 

These shelves are still in the works, like pretty much every area of our apartment.
When styling shelves, I usually start with a focal point or something in the center and then add or collect items to go around it. These shelves I kept simple, but the possibilities are endless.

Get the look here:

 

 

 

1.Linen Hayden Chair
2. Similar sequin pillow here, and here

 3. Succulents add the perfect touch of green, and are easy to care for. Here is a tutorial on how to plant your own.
 4. Rife Paper Co. | Los Angeles print

5. The ceramic stag head was purchased at Target during the holiday season, but you can purchase a similar one here
6. Similar Mirrored frames from Z Gallerie

7. Diptyque | Baies candle.

8. I bought this coral ombre throw recently at Target, West Elm also has similar colors

9. Chanel | 3 book set



South Lake Tahoe.

 

After taking many trips together over the years to South Lake Tahoe, it feels as if we have perfected this vacation. Each trip is amazing, but there was definitely something about this trip that made it that much more awesome. I am not sure if it was because we felt like we were the only ones there (Seriously! Tahoe in May is a major ghost town!). Or because we won $140! (Thank you craps table!) Whatever the reason was, it was just nice to get away. Here is a little sneak peek of our trip.

We made a pit stop en route to South Lake at a little local brewery.

 

Some of the highlights were:

Biking to the beach & testing out the swing set.

being poolside.

 This is always our number one place to end the afternoon. It helps that it is in our hotel, has a fire pit & an amazing bloody mary!

A little brunch action on our first morning there.

See you soon Lake Tahoe!

Cinco De Mayo | Churro Pancakes.

Cinco De Mayo is Sunday, which gives us an excuse to celebrate all weekend long! I kicked off Cinco De Mayo this morning by making Stephen breakfast in bed (spoiled, but so well deserved!) Churro pancakes seemed like the prefect recipe to jump start the weekend and they also added in a festive twist. The recipe is right below! Ps. Picture quality is less than par, but hey I have to give it to the I phone for taking pretty darn good pictures!

Churro Pancakes

Ingredients: 
3/4 Cup Krusteaz whole wheat pancake mix 
3/4 cup of water 
1/2 cup of sugar 
2 tsp of cinnamon  
Butter soft (I used Brumble & Brown yogurt butter

 Instructions: 

1 .Mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside
2. Mix pancake mix and water until well combined but slighty lumpy
3. Cook pancakes on a slightly greased hot griddle (I used Trader Joe's coconut oil spray to grease the pan, it's amazing!)
4. Immediately spread butter on each side of the pancake, then dip each pancake into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating each side well
5. Enjoy!

Note: These pancakes are perfectly sweet on their own and don't need syrup.

 

A little getaway.

Stephen and I love Lake Tahoe, and for anyone who knows us personally that is a given. Ever since we met a little over five years ago, we always try to make the trip up there a couple times a year. Tahoe has definitely become "our place" over the years, we even got engaged there! This week we wanted to get a mini vacation in, and with the amazing weather we thought Tahoe would be the perfect place. I am still trying to decide if I like Tahoe better in the winter or summer, it's seriously so beautiful all year long. You can follow me on instagram @ashleeschultens to get a sneak peek of our trip. I'll also be sharing some photos next week on the blog.

On our last trip there a couple months ago.