MIA

Hi, everyone.  I know, I'm disappointed in myself as much as you are.  Almost five solid months of posting every weekday, and now nothing?!  What is happening?!  I'm afraid with the closing of one life chapter and the potential beginning of another, life has been just too busy and hectic lately for me to find the time to seriously focus on HH.  What a sad confession.  I will, however, prevail and regain the necessary focus for great posting!  Standby!

HMD!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Wow, what a super-fast week!  As you know, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. I won’t be able to spend the day with my mom, but  wanted to give a quick shout-out to the most inspiring, smart, witty, beautiful and strong woman I know!  Love you, mommy!  Thanks for simply being you! XOXO

Hello, gorgeous!

Pony, pony!

Those eyes!

White-hot mama!

XOXO

Hiking in the ‘Bu

Malibu, that is!  Hahaha.  (That “nickname” still makes me chuckle.)  Last weekend we conquered the Escondido Falls, or in these here parts, the “waterfall” hike, in Malibu Canyon.  I use the term “conquered” because the last leg of the hike (to the second waterfall) requires ropes and actual climbing!  We were pretty skilled in maneuvering that second leg, but we did see, or rather hear, someone fall and their way down.  So be warned if you decide to take on the challenge!  It's worth it though.  The scenery was beautiful and the weather was, of course, absolutely perfect.  Apparently I enjoy a meandering path, as evident in the photos below.  Hmmm, maybe in another life I was the one keeping Thomas Kinkade in business!

wild fennel!

yep, that's the ocean.

wild milk thistle

Can I Really Do This?!

Okay, I've done it.  I've committed to a three-day juice cleanse!  I’m a little worried because, as it is probably evident, I am a HUGE fan of food!  I like to think my husband and I are already pretty healthy eaters, but when Paleta offered a super-great “flash deal” on Gilt a couple of weeks ago, we thought we would both give it a go.  I mean look how beautiful they are (below)!  Of course all I can think about are the negative things I’ve read about juicing, such as the headaches, fatigue, achiness, irritability, etc.  But who knows, maybe it won’t be that bad!  We start next Monday, so I will keep you posted! 

Paleta Juices

Currently Reading: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

I’ve been in somewhat of a book slump recently.  It seems like every book I start, I either get bored of or it gives me strange dreams (because I usually only read right before I go to bed). So, naturally I stop reading them a few chapters in and say bye-bye to the $12.99 I spent to download it to my Nook.  I have been long-searching for something that makes me feel good or laugh and last week, I finally found it!  The book is called Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson and it is making me weep with laughter ever night before I slumber.  This “mostly true” memoir chronicles the author’s upbringing in a VERY small rural Texas town (it actually sounds more like a village) through to her adventures into adulthood.  I’m only a few chapters in, but if you like dry and bizarre humor – I would recommend it!

Summer Salad Series: Beets!

Happy Friday, all!  Here is the last salad in the Summer Salad Series: roasted beets with blood orange and arugala.  We make this last night and it was so hearty and filling, we didn't even need anything else! (Except for maybe a large square of super-dark chocolate for dessert.) The preperation was pretty quick and easy because we had already roasted and peeled the beets over the weekend. I would have to say that this is my favorite of the three salads we made this week.  It's definitely got some unique flavor-mixings!  Have a great weekend, everyone!

The color of this salad is GORGEOUS!!

Ingredients:

2 red roasted beets

1 golden/white roasted beet

2 blood oranges + juice from 1/2 a blood orange

2 cups of arugula

1 handful of shaved fennel

1 handful of fresh chopped mint

1 handful of fresh chopped cilantro

1/2 cup of feta cheese (or more!)

handful of chopped kalamata olives

Olive oil

Preperation:

After chopping the beets, add the arugula, olives, fennel and cilantro.  Toss with olive oil and the blood orange juice.  Plate and top with the feta cheese and mint.  Enjoy!

Santa Barbara Recap: Jolly Oyster

Wow, we had a GREAT time last weekend on our Santa Barbara/Ventura excursion!  The weather couldn’t have been better and the day was spent with good friends and good food.  The day went as so:  we departed LA at about 8:30 (after grabbing a quick coffee – which I managed to spill all over my white pants, naturally, and had to go pantless the rest of the day) and arrived in Santa Barbara just before ten.  We then stopped by the marina to pick up some fresh fish and spotted prawns from the local fisherman.  (They really had some BEAUTIFUL stuff!)  Next, it was off to brunch at the Boathouse on Hendry’s Beach for a wonderful brunch and bloody mary’s and micheladas. After our bellies were full, we headed over to the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market, where we picked up some goodies for our beach picnic.  After strolling and enjoying all SB had to offer, we travelled back down to Ventura Beach (about 30 minutes south) to the Jolly Oyster location.  There we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine, making fresh ceviche, grilling spotted prawns, slurping oysters, drinking “bubbles” and meeting new people.  It was a day I hope to repeat very soon!

First stop: SB marina to buy some fresh seafood!

Among our purchases, these beautiful spotted prawns.

Then off to brunch at the Boathouse.

Ooooo, spicy michelada!

Santa Barbara Farmer's Market

Santa Barbara Farmer's Market

Our picnic site on Ventura Beach!

Our beautiful bounty.

The Jolly Oyster!

Octavio of Ceviche Project doing what he does best!

Bubbly time!

Gorgeous!

The infamous "smoked" oyster.

These little guys were SO TASTY!!  I've been dreaming about them...

Mmmmm....

Goodbye, Ventura!  Until next time!

Summer Salad Series: Quinoa!

Like the wheat berry salad I posted earlier this week, I didn’t really follow an official recipe for this quinoa salad either.  Instead, I just threw some of the bounty we picked up at the farmers’ market and… tada!  These have been really great to eat off of for lunch or a light dinner during the week. 

This has more of a Mediterranean flare.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Prepared/cooled quinoa (room temperature)

Halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes

Minced carrot

Diced cucumber

Chopped kalamata olives

Chopped fresh basil leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

Prepare one cup of dried quinoa and let cool.  (I put mine in the fridge for about an hour.)  Then add all of your chopped, diced and sliced veggies and bail.  Dress with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  It’s that easy!

Dreaming of...

Oh. My. Goodness.  For the first time since launching The Humble Haus, I (almost) failed at my ever-day-posting goal!  That’s because work has finally clenched its ugly fist around my time-management skills and is squeezing every last drop of energy out of me.  I am exhausted.  I can't wait to get to bed - although I would probably be even more keen on some slumber time if I had one of those handmade, $50,000 Hastens mattresses.  I can’t even imagine what one of those would feel like.   I wonder if it’s one of those things that you’d think would be phenomenal because of the exorbitant price (I mean, how could it not be at fifty grand!), but then you actually experience it and it feels like the bed you bought at Ikea.  What do you think?  Ever tried one?

Hastens Bed