erica danielle

Sten and I had a great afternoon. We finished our grocery shopping and I went to spin class then came home and made cauliflower pizza. It's a healthy alternative to processed/carbohydrate loaded pizza crust without substituting flavor. Pizza is a "Carlson home staple"and I think with a few more tries it will be perfected and I will be whipping up this pizza at least once a week- obsessed with pizza? YES! Fresh out of the oven.  Main ingredient in the crust.   ready to be pressed a perfect circle. Looks legit! crispy edges This is about the easiest pizza crust you could ever make. No kneading, no rising, no rolling. Just grating, warming, mixing and baking! Here's the crust recipe: 1 cup "riced" cauliflower* 1 cups mozz cheese  1 egg Italian spices to taste Preheat oven to 450. Mix riced cauliflower, cheese, egg and spices. Pressed onto (very) well greased pan into a 9' circle. Bake for 15 mins.  Add desired...

With last week behind me, I am ready for February. New month. New goals, and lots of chances for adventures.  My weekend started Saturday after work and included: - homemade goat cheese, mozzarella and pepperoni pizza, bulls game and the most WONDERFUL surprise from Kate = Lululemon yoga pants! - bringing Elin to the NPU basketball game and watching her yell, cheer, smile and snuggle. Doesn't she melt your heart? - Geneva on Sunday. - sleeping in today, running errands with my man, re-decorating, running outside, Bach! February is only 29 days, and nestled in there is Valentine's Day and my Birthday.... Inspired by another blogger, I have decided it's the perfect month to give up my sugar addiction (making an exception for the current months holidays, of course) So, starting February 1, I will be pushing away the cookies, chocolates, cupcakes and everything associated with my sweet tooth. Please join me!  Cheers to a 4 days week and the Super Bow...

Today I did myself a favor and had a warm, healthy and fulfilling breakfast stuffed of whole grains, antioxidants, and flavor. I was on the treadmill the other day and had forgotten my headphones... woof. I was switching between trying to read captions from Dr. Oz and the snowboarding "Dew Games"( weird, but awesome... ). Suddenly I became fascinated by Dr. Oz's exclamation of the new superfruit: LINGONBERRY! I was immediately disinterested in the Dew Games. After a little research on my own, here are some health benefits of these little morsels of joy that normally I only eat on my Swedish Pancakes from Tre Kronor and Swedish Meatballs from IKEA: Animal studies have shown how the lingonberry can lower inflammatory molecules, block oxidants from destroying tissue, and also help the body replace important antioxidants.   Lingonberry has also been shown to increase red blood cell and liver enzymes needed for antioxidant protection. Lastly, they are  found to...

There was something about today that can be summed up in this drawing. Sten and I have been talking so big picture lately that it feels overwhelming. I'm not good at big picture. I'm good at what I like now, and if what I like now doesn't make sense, then I want to get on our bicycles with all our valuables and peddle to greener pastures. I feel a little trapped in my work, and wonder if there's anything else out there. I feel like my creativity and my love for adventure is just getting stuffed to the bottom of the barrel of life. At what point do I just make a serious move? Is that stupid and irresponsible? At camp we always did "highs" and "lows" during devo time if the conversation wasn't flowing. Sometimes I lay in bed and think about my high and low of the day as a reminder to always end the night on a good note. Today my low was what I described above. Feelings of being trapped and watching my life be the same as it was a year ago... Bu...

Happy Tuesday, today I bought 2 restaurant.com certificates... I am a sucker for a good deal. Deal one: $3.00 for $25.00 worth of food and drink for (4) at Tarantino's Deal two: $3.00 for  $25.00 worth of food and drink at Tapas Gitana. I'll take it! We cashed in deal one tonight with our friends Joel and Megan, and I am so glad we did. This is the perfect neighborhood Italian joint in Lincoln Park. It was 1/2 price bottles of wine too!  We had wonderful conversation, delicious food, and great wine. a cozy nook with friends. Loved the plates... and the pizza :) The atmosphere was perfect for a double date night. I am reminded time and again how thankful I am in for this time in our lives. We're young, free, and lacking major responsibility. When will we ever have this in our lives again?? This year I hope to buy lots of restaurant.com coupons and go on many more Tuesday night dates. What a nice respite from the week! xo. ericadanielle

Today I became obsessed with Pintrest. I was pinning at a rapid pace, and I don't even care! Everything I saw I loved.... What can I say? I would love to have this breakfast nook in our apartment. I would serve orange juice with straws and have a jar of Nutella on the table to spread on croissants. If it were a Saturday morning Sten and I could snuggle on the salmon colored couch, but if I were doing my morning devo's or blogging I would always choose the patterned chairs. I could create an entire life from this one picture. That's why I love Pintrest! Sten and I had a lovely evening of leftovers, wine and..... ahem... The Bachelor! I can't think of a better way to spend a chilly Monday night! xo. Erica

In the spirit of a new year and resolutions that come with it, I have adapted a healthier lifestyle and have been finding recipes to coincide with my decision. Over the past year I have visited A LOT of blogs, but, Gina's Skinnytaste has definitely become a favorite! These enchiladas are packed full of flavor with no guilt. Enjoy them while the snow is falling like we did! hot and bubbling right out of the oven I felt like I had a million pans going at once... but it was a very easy recipe Gina calls for flour tortilla's but I used corn and couldn't tell the difference OOooooo!  You can check out the website HERE for the recipe and better pictures. Sten and I got our new computer today! It was all set up when I got home from the gym, and I am IN LOVE! It's Sunday and unfortunately I had to work. Even more unfortunate was the fact that Sten was preaching this morning and I missed it. Don't you hate it when life gets in the way of doing what you...

Since it is about 1 month until I am no longer 25, I thought is was HIGH time to check in on my list of things I wanted to do this year . According to my calculations I did 65% of the things. THAT'S GOOD! and I still have one month to get a couple of these things checked off the list!  I need to start thinking now about my 26 year list... woohoo! It's going to be a good one, I just know it.   1. Find a church to get involved in Batavia Cov! 2. Run a half marathon with my friend Emily (May 1st) The coldest most trying run of my life, but with my bestie -- still a great memory! 3. Get really good at yoga Okay, I can't go as far as  "really" good, but I am definitely better! 4. Take a whole day and bike around the city We bike A LOT this summer. 5. Read the book 'Cold Tangerines' and discuss it with others. Read the book, but didn't really discuss it. 6. Go to Ravinia this summer, drink wine, listen to music and picnic with fri...

Saturday was the AVT Holiday party downtown in the Crystal Ballroom. It was a fun time for sure... Here's a little re-cap: Brennan and Mandy. My date for the evening (and for life) so glad we're friends. Jordan and Peter really love these girls. And.... to the dance floor! girlfriends. love this picture girls in the office. co-workers. me and jordy end of the night The rest of the weekend was filled with weekend-y stuff. I made a pretty fantastic brunch yesterday and I can't wait to share the details. I also have a couple other things up my sleeve for this week. peace. edc

Over winter vacation we celebrated Sten's GOLDEN Birthday. Here are a couple things I love about the Birthday boy: He is creative, and smart, and funny, and so good looking. He makes me laugh, especially during his impersonations and small insights on people's habits. He loves to eat, and I love to cook. He drives me to work when I am feeling extra tired He loves family. He is thoughtful and makes me feel special. He is the best husband in the whole world. That's why I researched the BEST yellow cake with chocolate frosting recipe and came up with THIS GEM . This blogger made 6 (SIX) different yellow cakes and had taste testers rate what they thought. This was her favorite and I must say, it was REALLY good. Equipped with gold sprinkles for the GOLDEN Birthday. This cake is betta than the box! Now, I am not saying this recipe is healthy- there's also a CUP of Half-n-half This is my mom's "hands free" electric mixer. It belongs in an A...

2012 is officially here, and I have officially been MIA for what feels like forever! I had a great Christmas, a fantastic vacation and now I am back to take on this New Year with a vengeance! Peace, edc This sums up my trip to Mexico.