LA part I

So, Bob and I travelled to LA to attend the premier of Hit and Run, which comes out Wednesday! We had a really fun time being there, meeting such talented people and experiencing such a great moment. We also got to go to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno the next day! Kristen Bell, Ryan Lochte and Regina Spektor (SO good) were his guests. Tomorrow I will share pics of time with our family, hanging at the beach and a fun pool party.

Me and our friend Ange, who did hair for the movie!

Producers Dax Shepard, Andrew Panay and Nate Tuck

So happy to share our adventures with you!

This whole thing has been an experience of a life time, we are just trying

to enjoy it and figure out a way to keep up the momentum!

The soundtrack comes out tomorrow! Go get it!

iz

Family Reunion 2012

The Nelson family decided to get all 22 of us together (minus Sarah and David) for a family reunion in Lexington, MI, where my grandparent's own a lakefront condo. It was so much fun and so fulfilling to be with all of these people I love so dearly for two short days. Here are some pics from the trip.

The whole fam.

iz

Tea Time

For health reasons, I gave up coffee a few months back. Once I decided I was ready to begin reintroducing caffeine into my diet, I decided to start slow and to start with tea. I've always LOVED tea and have collected loose leaf but coffee was primarily my go to drink of choice for that morning pick up- tea was my evening relaxation. I've since dove deeper into the world of tea and I have to say, I'm quite smitten.

My favorite of late is a loose leaf I found at the new Germack (est. 1924, Detroit) store front in Eastern Market- creamy earl grey. I've also of late started to add a bit of milk (soy, almond, rice, or lactaid) to my tea and picking up a bit of a British accent- ;)

Bob bought me a fantastic brewer from Teavana. I love that it is all glass, I think there is something to the lack of metal in the brewing process, the tea tastes better. Also, it just looks fantastic on my kitchen counter and makes my morning feel a little bit more fancy.

If you would like to purchase one (they are VERY affordable), you can go here.

If you have some tea tips or want to share your favorite blend/brand,

leave a comment!

iz

Creamy non-dairy Pasta!

Bob and I are in LA for the red carpet premier of "Hit & Run", which we have a few songs in! While we are in Hollywood, I've prepared a few posts. I hope to have some awesome adventures, stories and pics to share with you upon my return! Have a great week.
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As some of you may have picked up on, I am lactose intolerant, so I'm constantly on the hunt for things that are creamy or cheesy sans dairy. When I ran across this recipe, I knew it would suffice. Some of my most favorite things in the world are avocado, basil and lime/lemon, so I was pretty excited by the ingredients list to say the least.

Meet creamy avocado pasta.

One of my new favorites.

Ingredients:
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted
½ lime
2 garlic cloves
¼ jalapeno (Fresh!)
¼ cup packed basil
1 cup spinach
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan (I use "shakey cheese"- for some reason it doesn't bother my stomach- there are also soy cheeses you could use for a non dairy substitute)
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 cup spinach
basil leaves to garnish


Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still al dente 9 -11 minutes. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Put the cup of spinach in the bottom of a serving bowl and place the spaghetti on top and toss for a few minutes to wilt the spinach.

While the pasta is cooking make the avocado sauce. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocado and place in a food processor. Zest the lime and add along with the basil, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, basil, spinach, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss everything together adding a little cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Top with the grated Parmesan and basil and serve.


This is one of the easiest recipes I've tried in a long while, it literally took about 15 minutes total to prepare and cook, making it great for a quick but delicious home made meal.

I can't say I looked as fabulous as Sophia Loren in her kitchen,

but I felt this fabulous!

iz



*recipe & photos found via pinterest, which took me to Blissful Blog. Thanks for the recipe!

Liz & Jimmy Part I

Liz & Jimmy finally got some of their photos from the wedding! I wanted to share a select few with you I thought turned out nicely. These are from the ceremony at Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, MI and of the bridal party at Birmingham bar, Dick O' Dows between the ceremony and the reception.

The Mervak Family

I will share reception photos soon!

iz