Spiced Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Is there anything better than a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie? The answer is yes of course...two warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk nearby! 

These cookies were inspired by the flavors in a pepparkakor cookie (aka, swedish ginger cookie). Pepparkakors are a light, crunchy cookie full of orange zest and spice. I thought these flavors would be great in a soft chewy chocolate chip cookie, and I'm happy to report that I was correct :).

Out & About: Drizzle Olive Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room

I have been putting balsamic vinegar on just about everything lately, and part of this is due to Drizzle Olive Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room. Located in Fairhaven Village in Bellingham, Drizzle carries a huge variety of vinegar, olive oil, spices and pasta. Shopping at Drizzle is a lot of fun, because you are allowed and encouraged to taste anything you'd like!

Lazy Sunday Links

Happy Sunday! It's already been a great weekend. Yesterday I upgraded my phone, and last night I had my first deep dish pizza. It's like if lasagna and pizza had a baby! Yumm. Today I slept in way too late, Tommy and I might go see the Lego Movie, and I'm planning on picking up a few new kitchen goodies. What are you up to this Sunday?

• I really love Emily Blincoe's fun photography, especially her garden collection. I follow her on Instagram, and love seeing her colorful, organized images. 
• If you're a blogger (or use social media) The Innovation of Loneliness probably rings true to you in some way, it did for me. 
• Doughnuts are the new cupcake. These Coffee Biscoff Bacon Doughnuts look amazing! This blog post also features a video on making doughnuts, score. 
• I'm super tempted to pick up these booties from Anthropologie...I mean, hey, they are on sale!
• I need to get better about scheduling blog posts, and having backup posts ready. Sarah from Venus Trapped in Mars has got it down, and shares some of her tips. 
• Engagement rings are a scam. Does that mean you shouldn't enjoy your bling? Of course not. But...it's a scam. Just throwin' it out there. 
• I'd really like to try making panna cotta soon, TheKitchn has a great tutorial. 
• What kind of tattoo should you get? Mine was surprisingly accurate! 
• This video made my heart feel all happy and stuff. 
• I've had Drunk in Love stuck in my head for about two weeks, and now I have a new remix by Kanye to listen to. yay!

Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash

I'm about two weeks away from my trip to Iceland, and I'm starting to get so excited! I'm feeling prepared with a new coat, a hat, sweaters and gloves. I can't wait to explore a new country, try strange food and jump out of my comfort zone. I'm a little bit of a nervous traveler, so I have been doing as much research as I can to prepare myself. 

In the meantime, I'm gonna enjoy being comfortable. Cheesy baked spaghetti squash definitely falls into the comfort food category, so let's do this thing.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Frozen Yogurt

For a lot of you living in arctic temperatures, I'm sure the idea of frozen yogurt may not be the most appealing. While it has been fairly cold here in Bellingham, this week's temperatures are going to be in the mid 40's. For many of you in the midwest, I know that sounds downright balmy! Time to bust out the frozen yogurt if you ask me :)

A Bit of Meal and Snack Prep

Since starting my new job, I have been trying to bring my lunch as much as possible. While it's fun to buy lunch, it gets really expensive and the portions are usually way more than I need. Because of this, I usually try to do a little meal/snack prep on Sunday to make things easy throughout the week. I know lots of others do this as well, and because I like seeing others meal prep, I thought I'd share mine!

Sometimes my meal prep means making one large dish  (like the Creamy Mushroom, White Bean and Rosemary Soup) and sometimes it means cooking up individual components that can be made into several types of easy lunches. This way I don't get bored eating soup everyday, but I'm still saving money and eating well! 

This weeks prep included fruit and veggie snack packs, hard boiled eggs, shredded chicken and lentils. For breakfast I usually make a piece of toast before I leave, and then snack on a hard boiled egg at work to hold me over until lunch.

I love buying a rotisserie chicken, shredding the meat and having it ready to go. I can make a wrap or sandwich easily, throw it in a salad, or mix it with the lentils for a hearty lunch. Lentils are so easy to make, and with a splash of balsamic, chicken, feta cheese and tomatoes, I can have a quick version of this Balsamic and Feta Lentil Salad for lunch.

The snack packs are a great way to get a serving of fruits and veggies. Having them cut up and ready to go make it so easy! I need to get into the habit of doing this more, because I hate fruits and vegetables not getting eaten and going bad.

So there you have it, some really easy, simple meal prep. I also like to have bananas and string cheese on hand because they are easy to grab and go. Do you prep food for the rest of the week? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!

Lazy Sunday Links

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everybody! I hope you it's filled with lots of awesome food, a beer or two, funny commercials and of course, football. No surprise here, but I will definitely be rooting for the Seahawks today, who are you rooting for?

Today is also a special day for me for a few other reasons. Seven years ago today I started dating Tommy. Seven years has certainly flown by, and I can't wait for all the years to come. Today also marks one month until we leave for Iceland! Ahh, I can't wait!

But back to football. Tommy and I have been busy preparing buffalo wings and cheese stuffed jalapenos for the game. Yuumm. So my morning hasn't exactly been lazy, but instead filled with cooking, which is alright by me! If your morning has been a little more relaxed, here are some links to "waste" some time :)

•  Woah, note to self: never, ever get rabies. This Radiolab episode about a girl who got rabies from a bat is super interesting/scary! I had no idea it was so deadly.
• Holy wow, this Coconut Cream Pie French Toast from the Minimalist Baker looks amazing.
• I have watched this "Seahawks Savant" video twice now because it is just so freaking cute!
• I could literally read the tumblr, Lol My Thesis,  all day long.
• Although I haven't seen After Earth, this funny review has convinced me that I'm not missing out. Also, interesting that they didn't want people to know it was an M. Night Shyamalan film. 
• Definitely give "State of the Blog Union: How Blogging Has Changed," by DesignSponge a read. My takeaway? Embrace these changes and adapt, quickly. 
• Tracy from Shutterbean has meal prep down to a science! Definitely need to get better about doing this. 
• Who knew that making your own boot polish was so easy?
• Next Sunday, I definitely need to make this Grapefruit and Sage Mimosa. Yuum!

Spaghetti Squash and Tofu Spring Rolls

Recently, I discovered spaghetti squash and it has become my new favorite thing! It's so fun to remove from the skin, and watch the noodle-like texture appear. I have been eating it for lunch a lot. Usually, I mix it with kale, cheese and balsamic to make a spaghetti squash salad of sorts. I have been brainstorming new ways to prepare it, which brings us to spaghetti squash spring rolls!