A New Chapter

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am... Follow me and I'll show you how." Luke 9:23

After copious hours of prayer and soul searching, we have decided to put our house on the market. We absolutely LOVE our home and it saddens us to offer it up to the highest bidder. However, we are very excited about our future prospects.

Home Sweet Home

Being that this was our first home together, Allan and I have spent countless hours changing fixtures, painting, decorating, updating, organizing and landscaping. The future owner of our house will certainly have a delightful surprise once the snow melts - the yard is an oasis filled with exotic blooming perennials.

Endless Summer - blue when in bloom

Perennial Hydrangea - Amazing LARGE blooms

If you or someone you know is looking for a well kept, updated, modern home in South Minneapolis, 6 blocks west of Lake Nokomis and 1.5 blocks south of Minnehaha Creek, please do not hesitate to drop us a line.

Beautiful tulips

Click here to view the Virtual Tour (please ignore the smooth jazz)

Click here to view the MLS listing

Our new, custom built fence
and the spring view of the newest flower bed

What are you favorite memories of homes past?

My favorite memory in our home was our housewarming/my college graduation party - all of our closest friends and family were there to celebrate with us. Amazing!

Crêpe Scott!!!

After trying Crêpe Suzette for the first time at Pastis I have been wanting to try Bar Suzette in the Chelsea Market... so I did.

I enjoyed the Apple and Brie crêpe topped with balsamic, honey and field greens. AMAZING! I loved the perfect balance of the creamy brie and crisp apples.

I also picked up a Nutella Strawberry crêpe that was out-of-this-world decadent!!!

Who knew that I would fall in love with crêpes? I will definitely be recreating clean versions of these at home!

Do you like crêpes? What is your favorite type... savory or sweet?

Chelsea Market Part Deux

One rainy afternoon Matthew and I ventured to the Chelsea Market in search of an adventure.

We found green juice (greens, ginger, lemon, pineapple).

A delicious sticker.

A post workout shake to-go (banana, cashew milk, carob).

And Anthropologie.

If I had unlimited money to spend, I would have purchased one of each apron. I just love aprons!

Look at these cute notepads!

Dinner Planning

Grocery List

Packing Checklist

I bought this notepad for jotting down recipes, as both of my recipe notepads are completely full.

What exciting adventures have you been on recently?

NYC Restaurant Reviews

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Matthew did a little jig this morning in honor of all of the Irish ladies out there.

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NYC is known for its food. Naturally, we have spent a lot of our time researching restaurants and eating. Here are some noteworthy restaurants that we have visited so far.

Spice Market

We ate dinner at the Spice Market our first day in Manhattan. It was cold and rainy and we did not want to venture far. So, this restaurant kiddy-corner from the hotel was a perfect fit. The food was good, Allan enjoyed spicy shrimp and noodles and I had chicken curry. Both were delicious. However, the restaurant was not baby-friendly and they did not have a highchair for Matthew.

Pastis

We have enjoyed breakfast (twice) and dinner here. It is an amazing restaurant with lots of clean options (egg white omelets, whole grain toast, fruit, organic salmon). The service is impeccable and I highly recommend this restaurant!

Swich

A simple sandwich and salad shop with sustainable options. I wasn't blown away by my salad - simple and easy to pick and go.

Better Burger

Quick delivery! The burgers were average and reminiscent of fast food. I had a chicken burger on a whole wheat bun and Allan had the beef burger with baked french fries. The burgers were dry and the fries were moist and not crispy. It satisfied our hunger and that's about it.

The Green Table

Very good gourmet, organic food located in the Chelsea Market. Not waistline friendly, but a delicious indulgence. I ordered the roasted organic chicken breast with braised greens and buttered spatzle and Allan had the GT Burger. Both entrees were very good.

Hale and Hearty Soups

I enjoyed a small mixed greens salad and half of a hummus wrap. The wrap was to die for and the mixed greens were just that - nothing special. This was a delightful lunch.

Amy's Bread

Matthew and I enjoyed lunch at this cute bakery twice. The first day I had a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with pest mayo - it was incredible! Matthew especially liked his nibbles of whole wheat pesto bread. Our second visit I enjoyed a delectable beet and chickpea salad with a delicious whole wheat roll. Matthew especially liked the whole wheat irish soda bread.

One Lucky Duck

Delicious! I cannot boast enough about how much I love this cute takeaway cafe. Green juice, shakes (carob latte), malomars, chocolate macaroons, cinnamon crispies... YUM! Needless to say we have been to the Chelsea Market location SEVERAL times and will be visiting again today to pick up a smoothie.

Pure Food and Wine

This is the one restaurant in Manhattan that I was most excited to visit. However, I was extremely disappointed by the food. I ordered the Prix Fixe lunch: Mediterranean salad, Lasagna and Tiramisu. The salad was very average and I got very sick after eating the lasagna. I spent the entire night in bed last night weak and sick to my stomach. On a positive note, the tiramisu was soft and chocolaty - better than any other tiramisu I have every had.

Slice

An organic and health conscious pizzeria serving up intriguing and delightful slices, personal and full-size pizza. I ordered the The Miki on honey whole wheat crust and Allan had The Guru with marinara sauce. The Miki was definitely better than the The Guru.

Good Restaurant

Delightful! This was one of the best meals that we have had! I enjoyed the Roast Chicken with bacon, kale and sweet potatoes and Allan had Fish Tacos that came with the most delicious squash creamed corn that I must reproduce at home.

What is the best meal that you have had a restaurant lately? What made it so memorable?

To Market! To Market!

The Chelsea Market is 2 blocks from our hotel and boasts a plethora of clean and tasty dinning options. So, naturally we have spent a lot of time eating through the Market and a couple of the restaurants that I highlighted in my NYC restaurant review post call the Chelsea Market home.

Matthew and I among the produce at the Manhattan Fruit Exchange

Walking through the market, Eleni's Cupcakes caught my eye. Now, we did not indulge in one of these beautiful creations, because I am sticking to my principles for Lent. However, look at how cute these are! I would love to learn to decorate cakes and cupcakes like this!

3D cupcakes

Elmo!

What is something that you would like to learn to do that is out of the ordinary?

Bon Appétit!

Almost every morning we eat breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. The service is terrible, but the food and espresso are organic and simple - just the way we like it.

Allan and I tend to fall into ruts. It's in our nature. We are creatures of habit. When something works we just go with it.

Le Pain Quotidien (which I have a difficult time pronouncing, so I just call it "Le Pan") is  conveniently located 1 block from our hotel and is on Allan's way to work. The decor is simple and modeled after a parisian sidewalk cafe. I like the quaint, simplistic nature that allows the food to shine.

Every morning I study the menu as if I have no clue what I am going to order.

Then I order a single Americano with a side of organic skim milk, one complex carbohydrate (oats), one protein and one fruit.

Oats

Organic steel cut oatmeal
topped with stone fruit and house made granola

Organic steel cut oatmeal with berries

Protein

Soft boiled organic egg with whole wheat miche
Matthew always eats the Miche

Plain low-fat organic yogurt with berries

Are you a creature of habit or do you prefer to run wild?

I Could Walk 500 Miles...

... and I could (not) walk 500 more.

On Saturday, we walked from our hotel (at 13th Street) straight north to the Theatre District and Times Square.

Through the southern portion of Central Park, where we sat on a bench and dined on eats from Pump Energy Food.

On to Park and Madison Ave's in the Upper East Side to the Guggenheim Museum (89th Street).

Back through the northern portion of Central Park to the Upper West Side, where we fell in LOVE with NYC. We fantasized about moving to the Upper West or East Side and pondered which area we liked best.

It was time for an afternoon snack, so we stopped at Juice Generation. Allan had the Pacific Pineapple and I had the Peanut Butter Split. YUM!

We then walked back to through Times Square. This was a BAD idea - it was packed with wall-to-wall people this time around.

South through Chelsea and back to the Meatpacking District.

We then dined at Good Restaurant in The Village, which lived up to its name.

In our fantasy life where we move to NYC should we relocate to the Upper East Side or Upper West Side?