Kombucha Thyme

*I take my brand partnerships very seriously and will always tell you when posts are sponsored. This post is graciously sponsored by Health Ade, my absolute FAVORITE kombucha brand! All opinions are my own, as always.

Happy October! I’m thrilled to welcome cooler temperatures, cozier clothes, and more reasons to make soup and drink apple cider. Go ahead and call me basic or whatever word is used to describe total predictability, because I have ALWAYS loved fall, even before it was trendy, and I don’t plan on stopping that love affair anytime soon.

Yesterday, we went to Minneapolis with my brother and sister-in-law who were visiting from Colorado. We spent much of the day outside. It was hot and humid and pretty much my least favorite weather. There is something about heavy, humid air that makes me feel claustrophobic. So waking up this morning to cold, rainy weather was a huge relief. I’m sitting in front of the fireplace wearing a warm sweater and feeling thankful for my first fall in Minnesota in a very long time. To make up for lost time, I’m OF COURSE putting apple cider (not hard cider, just in case any of my UK friends are reading) in all the things! From cocktails to pancakes to donuts. And now in my kombucha!

Want to know how I like to mix up two of my favorite beverages?

This is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion for dressing up your daily kombucha to make it perfect for fall! Start with Health Ade Grape Vibes Kombucha poured over ice. Add a splash of apple cider and a sprig or two or thyme (rosemary also works beautifully) and sip away!

Date Night Gnocchi with Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

I’ve been married to Brad for nearly 12 years. We fell hard and fast for one another during my senior year of college and somehow I never worried whether or not we would make it. Still, after all this time, I don’t doubt that I get to spend my life with him. He makes me laugh, holds me when I need to cry, and makes me feel like the best thing since sliced bread. It is not lost on me that marriage takes work. Every day we have to put effort into our relationship in small and big ways, but that feeling that the love you feel is 100% reciprocated is amazing. 

I’ve gotten into the habit of finding meals that feel fancy but use ingredients I can keep around for impromptu evenings when we have the time and energy to stay up after the kids go to bed for a little romantic dinner and an episode (or 2) of Game of Thrones. Yep, we are super exciting. We may not always have the room in our budget or our schedule to go out for a nice meal, but honestly, I love making delicious food at home just as much as going to a restaurant. Plus, if we stay in, we can afford a nice bottle of wine to go along with our meal, which makes date night feel extra special.  

This gnocchi with red pepper and sun dried tomato pesto is my new favorite for date night in. It is full of flavor, made with quality Italian ingredients that are easy to keep on hand in the pantry, and helloooooo is it pretty or what? I love to order the ingredients for this dish online and can typically snag enough to keep on hand for 3 date nights totaling just under $50. That’s about $16/date night! Plus, orders over $20 ship free so now you have no excuses. Not into ordering? Alessi products are found at most grocery stores. Cheers to that! 

Date Night Gnocchi with Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Makes 2 Servings

• 1 package Alessi Foods gnocchi

• 1 large Alessi Foods roasted red pepper 

• 1/4 cup Alessi Foods Sun Dried Tomatoes (packed in oil)

• 2 tablespoons Alessi Foods pine nuts (lightly toasted) 

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Alessi Foods mixed peppercorns

• Salt to taste

• 1 teaspoon honey

• Alessi Foods Balsamic Reduction (for finishing)

• 3 tablespoons Alessi Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 2 large eggs

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface. Drain well and set aside. 

2. In a food processor or blender, combine the red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, salt and pepper, and honey. Pulse until roughly blended, not completely smooth. The slight crunch from the pine nuts is essential! Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. 

3. In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry until the edges of the egg are crispy and the whites are cooked through. Set aside. 

4. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sauté until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and divide between two bowls. Top with a generous spoonful of the pesto, followed by the fried egg, a couple grinds of pepper and a drizzle of the balsamic reduction. Enjoy! 

Ginger Lemon Kombucha Smoothie

This post has been kindly sponsored by Health-Ade Kombucha. As with all sponsored content on Set the Table, this is a product I already use and love!

I’m not so good with allowing quiet into my life. For some reason, I’m always looking for something to look at, listen to, or do with my hands. It’s no wonder that it has gotten more difficult for me to sit down and write something that matters. I can’t tell you how many times I sit down at my laptop and alternate between typing and deleting the most mundane sentences. It’s simply because my brain cannot process thoughts of substance clearly when I have too much stimulation. There was a time in my life when I could do this, but that time has passed and it is dying a slow, painful death. My brain just cannot handle multiple tasks at one time unless it is parenting-related. And, let’s be honest, even that is a little dicey. 

I’m sure some of this is due to smart phone usage and the immediacy of information. And some of it is likely due to age. And anxiety. And a smattering of other things I cannot yet identify. I’m working on it. Slowly but surely, I’m working on taking things on one at a time rather than all at once. Funny thing: getting sick reminds me of this practice almost every time. 

Recently, like many families I’ve talked to, we have dealt with the dreaded Stomach Bug. It hit me quickly and first, then took down the rest of us in 2 day increments. For me, the recovery from an illness like this means taking it super slow. Reintroducing foods one at a time, listening to my body extra carefully, and thinking carefully about what I put on my plate. If only I could learn to take such care in other areas of my life. 

After our recent bout of the Stomach Bug, I made it a point to get more probiotics into my system. I take LoveBug probiotics, so that was a given. I also am a pretty big fan-girl when it comes to Health-Ade Kombucha, so their Ginger-Lemon flavor was on repeat for days. Of course, at some point, for my sanity, I needed to mix it up. Enter: this tasty smoothie! It’s creamy and flavorful without being too overwhelming on a sensitive digestive tract. #sorrynotsorry for being honest here. Just keeping it real! 

Ginger Lemon Kombucha Smoothie

makes 2 small smoothies or 1 large

*A coupe notes: for some, the acidity of pineapple may not sound great until a few days after being sick. If that’s the case, I’d recommend swapping milder mango or leaving out any fruit except for the frozen banana. Ice is always another great option to add in! You know your body better than anyone, so listen to it and don’t push it!

• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

• 1 frozen banana (not required to be frozen but I like the texture better if it is)

• 1 1/2 cups Health-AdeGinger-Lemon Kombucha

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Snack Ideas for Picky Eaters

We are in the home stretch before getting the week off of school for Thanksgiving! I feel like we are still recovering from Halloween, to be honest. But I’m so ready for a breather! The only downside is that I have to somehow feed my picky children snacks all week. This is more difficult when they don’t have school. You see, at school, they have one snack and that is it. No other choices. Nothing to argue or complain about. At least, that’s what I assume since I’m not there to witness any of these behaviors…but I’m hopeful that the face their snack is gone when they come home means they actually ate it. DON’T RUIN MY DREAM.

Here’s the thing: snack time doesn’t have to be a battle! We have found some really wonderful go-to snack items that we keep in heavy rotation and pair with their favorite fresh fruits and veggies. And yes, they actually eat the fresh stuff!

But there’s a secret to making that happen: offer it all as a kind of family-style snack platter. That way, they get to pick and choose what they want, making them feel more in control. This is a BIG deal for kiddos of any age. They want to make decisions for themselves and empowering them to do that with food is healthy for them and for you. (Read: less stressful!) Think about it: how much do we grown ups LOVE cheese boards? So much, right? Because we get to pick and choose what we want. Turns out, that’s a characteristic most of us have probably had since childhood!

One of our big time favorites right now happens to be pretzels. So I was THRILLED to see that Quinn Snacks had a selection of pretzels for my crunchy-salty-snack-loving boys! They are available nation wide at Whole Foods (huzzah!) and I love this part: they have something called Farm-to-Bag Transparency. That means you can type in the exact batch number on your bag of pretzels on their website and find out where all the ingredients came from, right down to the farm!

I. love. it. So does this kiddo:

Here are some of our favorite snack platter combos:

• Touch of Honey Pretzels + clementines + almond or peanut butter

• Deli Rye Style Pretzels + carrot sticks + peanut butter

• Classic Sea Salt Pretzels + sliced mini cucumbers + shredded cheese

These are just a few of the endless combinations you can come up with and tailor to fit your kids’ tastes. Be creative, have fun, and don’t micromanage. They’ll eat what they want to eat and it will be FINE. (<— saying this to myself as much as I’m saying it to you, FTR.)

To keep up with all the exciting things happen with Quinn Snacks, you can give them a follow here!

2016 Gift Guide

1. Linwood Handcrafted Cutting Boards These simple, sophisticated cutting boards are the perfect gift for the entertainer in your life. The richly colored wood makes the perfect surface for a cheese board, a pile of fresh fruit and are sure to become a favorite piece in any kitchen. Plus, purchasing one of these beauties supports a small (but mighty) family business! 
2. Faribault Woolen Mills Coffee Cup Wool Sleeve I gave my sister, and myself, one of these sleeves a couple of years ago. I love them because, even though we are too far away to meet for coffee, I can slide my sleeve onto my cup of coffee and pretend she's right there with me. Plus, you're being kind to the environment by using a reusable (and super stylish) sleeve! 
3. Di Oro Living Spatula Set Every cook needs a trusty set of spatulas and these are perfect! Heat resistant and easy to clean, these spatulas are the perfect gift for anyone setting up a new kitchen! 
4. Skinnytaste Fast and Slow by Gina Homolka I have a million cookbooks. Seriously. But this one has been on repeat for over a month because the recipes are crazy easy, crazy delicious, and HEALTHY. But truthfully, you'd never know how healthy they are because everything has such big, wonderful flavor. Busy parents will especially appreciate this gem! Plus, the recipes are all gluten free but can be made gluten-full as well! 
5. Baking Illustrated from Cook's Illustrated This book has every baking recipe you could ever want. From a classic chocolate layer cake to oatmeal lace cookies to pizza dough, this book has you covered with foolproof recipes! For the bakers (and non-bakers) in your life! 
6. Old Moscow Handcrafted Moscow Mule Mugs Not sure what to get for the guy in your life who is basically a steel trap when it comes to telling you what he wants for Christmas? These gorgeous Moscow mule mugs are a sure win! For an extra little something, give him a little bottle of whisky and some ginger ale so he can whip up his own Moscow mules right after opening these beauties! 
7. Kyocera 12.5" Ceramic Coated Nonstick Wok One pot dinners are all the rage these days and this nonstick wok is a total work horse for your favorite weeknight meals! One pot pastas and soups are a dream to make in this bad boy. And, of course, you can always make a flawless stir-fry with whatever you can find in your fridge! Trust me when I say that the recipient of this gift will be thrilled with its versatility! 
8. LUSH Charity Pot Winter + washing dishes = dry hand city. No fun. But with this lotion, you'll be doing double duty: moisturizing and contributing to a good cause! Win win! 
9. Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen Essential Set Know a kiddo who wants to spend more time in the kitchen? These knives are perfect for little ones just learning their way around the kitchen. They are the perfect size for little hands and aren't sharp enough to do any damage if a little slip occurs. Plus, they're ADORABLE.