Wedding: Calligraphy

Aaron and I are in the process of picking out invitations. This process is much more challenging than I anticipated. The current project: selecting a calligrapher!

Because our wedding is in August 2015, I need to select someone asap, because summer is busy wedding season.

Here are some pictures of envelop calligraphy I love!

1.

source: etsy

2.

source: etsy

3.

source: Style Me Pretty

4.

source: etsy

5.

source: Post Man's Knock

Did you have the calligraphy done for your invitations and/or envelopes?

x0x0, 

Hannah Wahlen 

Weekending {3/30}

Pause.

Where did March go?? How is it already APRIL this week?

Its just about 4 weeks until finals, 4.5 months until our wedding.... craziness!

This weekend did not feel like April weather; it was pretty cold for much of the weekend.

Aaron and I had a lunch date on Friday afternoon. I picked him up from work for a quick bite at Bell Street Burritos. We drive by this place all the time, but I had never been in. The food was great: I had a burrito bowl with pinto beans, broccoli, salsa, potatoes, and cheese. Yummm.

That night, my friend Neha and I went to a fashion show supporting Youth Spark in Atlanta. This organization helps victims of human trafficking in our city.

The event was fantastic, but I wasn't feeling the food, so I came home and at a pb&j. On Friday night.  In my heels and dress. Classic.

Aaron and I reached a pathetic moment in life on Saturday morning. We woke up and decided to get grocery shopping done first thing. We went to our favorite coffee shop for coffee and mini sweet potato biscuits, then headed over to Whole Foods. Yes, we now rush to the grocery store first thing on the weekend. Does this mean we are devoted foodies? Or sad?

When we got home, I made whole wheat biscuits for a late breakfast, and then headed to the gym. We ran errands and studied for the rest of the day. And one of us watched basketball, obviously :)

Sunday morning started with a live donkey at church (!!!), complete with a petting zoo out front. A nearly died over the baby pigs and goats. So adorable.

In the afternoon, Aaron went with me for the Tour of Kitchens with the Junior League of Atlanta. We watched some awesome chef demos in several amazing kitchens. We even learned how to make cheese! I will let you know how this goes for me when I try it at home.

We had to work off all the cheese, so we went for a 6 mile run around the neighborhood before heading home to make dinner. On the menu: my favorite roasted chicken and vegetables.

What is your favorite Sunday dinner?

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Thanks for hosting, BLovedBoston and Champagne&Suburbs!

5 on Friday {2/27}

1. Bachelorette Party Planning
I am working with my girls on planning my bachelorette party. We are between Miami and Savannah. I was originally leaning towards Miami, but now I am thinking Savannah. I really like the idea of renting a house, going to the beach, doing some casual exploring and relaxing. This could just be my finals brain speaking though.

Regardless, we will probably need these shirts:

Source: Etsy 

2. This breakfast has been on major repeat this week: 

Wheat toast, scrambled egg, avocado, and parmesan cheese. I am eating it as I type this, along with a sautéed plantain.

3. Last night. 
Last night, Aaron and I went to dinner at our Pastor's house. It was a casual dinner for all the new members and we had such a fund time! They had fantastic food and we chatted with lots of people we had met at our membership class. We had such  great time chatting with the Pastor who will marry us, which we really enjoyed.

4. This weekend.
I am attending a charity fashion show tonight with a friend and tomorrow is the Junior League of Atlanta's Tour of Kitchens! Aaron has volunteered to go with me.... we will see how long this lasts. I was going to see my ticket so I could stay home and study, but Aaron pushed me to go. He may regret that :P

The tour of kitchens is a 2-day even across Atlanta. 14 homes with designer kitchens are opened and well-known chefs and event planners in the city do demonstrations at the kitchens. They send out a schedule of which chef will be in which location, so that you can plan your day. So much fun!

5. Wedding Plans
I am finally starting to feel like I am checking things off! We have a coordinator, venue, caterer, officiant, dress, bridesmaid dresses, and florist. And I think we have our photographer (not saying anything until I send the contract in!).

Next projects are: ordering invitations, picking a calligrapher, and cake tasting. My favorite part :)

x0x0, 

Hannah

Thank you for hosting 5 on Friday, Miss Natasha! 

Quinoa Pesto Bowl {recipe}

So AR goes out for lunch at work pretty frequently. We often have the conversation "what did you have for dinner" in the evening, and he tells me about some of the places he tries.

When he told me he was eating a quinoa pesto bowl with veggies, I was a little surprised and proud of myself. I like to take credit for his health choices ;) But honestly, this is the guy who ate out every meal when I met him, and quinoa was not in sight. And now he self-selects a quinoa veggie bowl on a menu.

He has continued to order this from time to time, and recently suggested that we try to make it. We made this realllllyyyyy simple version for dinner on Tuesday night and loved it! I enjoyed it warm for dinner and cold the next day over mixed greens. Enjoy!

Quinoa Pesto Bowl
Ingredients
1 cup of quinoa, uncooked
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced
8 ounces of tomatoes, sliced
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of pesto

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*
Bring quinoa and 1 and 1/3 cup of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let cook for 15-20 minutes, covered. At 15 minutes, check to see if all of the water is absorbed and each grain appears to have "sprouted" open. If not, continue cooking for 5 additional minutes.**
Meanwhile, arrange veggies on a large baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and mix to coat evenly. Roast veggies for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, gently stir, increase heat to 400* and roast an additional 5 (or to desired softness!).
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, roasted veggies, and pesto. Gently fold together. Can be served warm or cold!

**I like to cooky quinoa with less water for a little bit longer time than you may be used to. I find that it prevents mushy grains and creates a fluffier, softer result. But cook it whatever way you like!!

Enjoy!

Who is the healthy eater in your family?

Hannah 

WIAW {3/25} pizza

Monday was an interesting day. I ate pizza twice (and not home-made, healthified pizza. takeout). And yet, I still got tons of fruits and veggies and felt good about my eating!

Simple toast with peanut butter, sliced fruit, and coffee with almond milk x 2. I had tons of fruit in the refrigerator, so all I wanted to do was eat that. I snacked on this while I blogged about my weekend and prepared for class. 

I was in class all morning and didn't have any snacks. At 12:30, I pulled out my lunch. A large salad with olives, bell pepper, and cucumber on a bed of mixed greens, a slice of leftover pizza from the weekend (super-thin with fresh mozzarella and artichokes), and a Siggi's yogurt. 

Snack from a professor: peanut butter crackers. Love these. 

In class we had a treat from my prof... but it was pizza again. Apparently they just wanted to feed me all day at school. I was so so hungry, but I wasn't feeling the pizza. I had a few bites, remembered I don't like this, and threw the rest away. 

I feel like I need to take a bite of something sometimes to remember I actually don't like it. I get so hungry and everyone grabs it, so I assume I want some too. In reality, nope. I like my Antico leftovers or homemade pizza, but otherwise, I am not impressed. 

AR made dinner for me: blended broccoli soup and roasted carrots. I had the apple after dinner as something sweet along with some unpictured tea. 

Side note: This soup is not pretty, but so so good: it is sautéed garlic, carrots, and onion, cooked with broth and broccoli. After everything is cooked, AR blended part of it, added a little whole milk, and a sprinkle of sharp cheddar. Yum. 

How do you feel about pizza? Do you have a favorite place or topping?

x0x0, 

Hannah

Thanks for hosting What I Ate Wednesday, Jenn and Laura!