of the weekies

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dearabbyleigh

(insert witty tagline here)

there’s a lot to be said for a happy workspace, don’t you think?

i know i’ve seen the difference in my creativity (and productivity) the last few months as i’ve made each space where i work my own. i also love seeing where other people live and get their work accomplished. some find it nosy, but i call it curious . . . .

my friend sara beth is hosting a great series for the “curious” among us. she’s exploring the desks where female entrepreneurs make their dreams a reality. she just kicked off these tiny desk {entre}views and invited me to share my creative workspace today!

i only hope she shows us where she sits as she runs her branding and design business – nimblee design - soon!

come get all up in my space, won’t you?

watch this video from my dear friend and piano pop rockstar alva leigh :

if that doesn’t make you want to fall in love this spring and stay there through winter, i don’t know what will.

p.s. you can get a free download of modern love song for the price of a facebook like. i think you can afford it.

the internet is fun! (and so is real life) let’s celebrate what we see . . .

here are my favorite

of the weekies

this is the view from my friend sandi’s porch, where they serve the best margaritas in town, surpassed only by the accompanying conversation.

Lemony Quinoa with Roasted Zucchini abby - adapted from Fat Free Vegan and Maple Spice

3-4 small zucchini halved, then sliced into small moons

1 cup quinoa (any kind – I used tri-color from Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup chopped shallots

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups vegetable broth

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1-2 lemons, halved

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

crumbled Goat Cheese (or another favorite cheese – optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss zucchini with a bit of olive oil and thejuice of 1 lemon half. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Heat a deep, non-stick pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots soften slightly. Add the quinoa and toast it until it has dried out and has a toasty aroma. Add the zucchini along with the thyme and vegetable broth (my zucchini wasn’t quite done yet – so I just added it when it was and went ahead with step 3.)

Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add the beans when there’s still a bit of water (about 15 minutes in). Stir in the lemon peel, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice if needed (I added a lot!).

Serve with cheese if you like! (if you like???)

the case for drinking as much coffee as you like

studies from all over the world show coffee is on our side in the fight against diabetes, depression, bad cholesterol, and even cancer. #justifyyourhabit

i tried gwyneth paltrow’s diet via the cut

my friend jj told me this would make me cry, and it did. even reading it again now to share with you, i am laugh-weeping. here’s a snippet:

I decide to hold a dinner party at my home and fixed on making Gwyneth’s meatballs, which do not have bread, eggs, red meat, or milk in them. My mother makes very good meatballs and those four things are basically the only ingredients in them, so I found this recipe suspect, but I pressed on. I thought wet almonds would be terrible, but I was completely wrong about that. I don’t know how to live! While making the meatballs, however, I can tell something is up. No. 1: They are green (they are made of arugula and turkey). No. 2: I can’t put them in tomato sauce because I have eliminated tomatoes from my diet. Instead, I am serving them with a broccoli soup that tastes mostly like water. What is going on? Yesterday was so amazing! When my guests arrive and I feed them the meatballs, I can tell that they hate them. One of them pulls out a huge bag of chips and starts eating them in front of me. Another one leaves to “actually eat dinner.” I am about to have a panic attack when I suddenly remember when Gwyneth went to a dinner party in America and someone asked her what kind of jeans she was wearing and she thought to herself , “I have to get back to Europe.” America is the worst. I say nothing about anyone’s jeans, even though I was literally just going to ask everyone about their jeans.

While making the meatballs, however, I can tell something is up. No. 1: They are green (they are made of arugula and turkey). No. 2: I can’t put them in tomato sauce because I have eliminated tomatoes from my diet. Instead, I am serving them with a broccoli soup that tastes mostly like water. What is going on? Yesterday was so amazing! When my guests arrive and I feed them the meatballs, I can tell that they hate them. One of them pulls out a huge bag of chips and starts eating them in front of me. Another one leaves to “actually eat dinner.” I am about to have a panic attack when I suddenly remember when Gwyneth went to a dinner party in America and someone asked her what kind of jeans she was wearing and she thought to herself , “I have to get back to Europe.” America is the worst. I say nothing about anyone’s jeans, even though I was literally just going to ask everyone about their jeans.

the perfect sweatshirt