Summer Round Up!

Has it been two months?! Oh my!

The summer has just flown by. Seattle in summer always has something going on. There are free concerts in the parks, car shows, races, camping, parties, weddings, picnics, hot days for swimming, lakes for kayaking, fireworks, birthdays, holidays, art shows, farmers' markets - so much to see and do!

I've done a few road trips to Vancouver, WA. It takes about 3-4 hours with traffic, but some places along the road are desolate and beautiful.

 (click the image for a full-sized version)

There was 4th of July and night swimming - 

Picnics and watching the sailboats and SeaFair and watching the jets - 

LeRoy's birthday, Ty and I had our first 5K race, stalking deer in the woods, and drinking grasshoppers from the highest Starbucks in Seattle - 

These awesome events ( and many more) happened so far this summer. There is lots left too! The Rally in the Gorge is starting now and I'll be riding out to it this weekend. 

More info about the rally HERE. 

The Tomato Battle is this weekend. 

Bumbershoot starts are the beginning of September.

Not to mention more camping, more picnics and swims, gardening, and other fun adventures to squeeze in before the weather takes a chill!

Also - I'd like to take a serious moment to mention the fires. If you aren't aware, there are huge fires burning in WA, the largest in the state's history. Things have been really dry this year. Dry, hot, and with really strong winds. 

As of today they are just 10% contained and threaten over 5,000 homes. (source)

While I'm not in danger here in Seattle, there are many folks who have lost homes, livelihoods, animals, and even a few have lost their lives to the fires. 

You can check out the UMVIM response HERE. 

If you'd like to help, they need money more than physical things right now. They don't have a capacity to store and transport item donations yet - but they can use the cash to buy what they need when they can use it. 

There are donation options - through UMVIM - HERE.

The NorthWest RedCross - HERE. 

Other assistance and donations information HERE. 

Have fun, stay safe, get outside and enjoy that summer weather! :-)

Recipe Ahoy! Low-Fat Chicken Salad

Summer is upon us here in the Pacific Northwest. Hot afternoon sun leaves me craving something cool to nibble on for lunch. Normally that looks something like: salad, salad with chicken, salad, salad, salad. Sometimes I want a little something different.

Sandwiches have a ton of bread and tend to leave me sleepy but the afternoon.
Mayo salads - like chicken, egg, or potato salad, are well, loaded with mayo! (talk about sleepy afternoon...)
Wraps are sneaky calories and can be more calories and saturated fat than most breads. Plus there is often way too much wrap to filling ratio - so what's left for your intrepid heroine to do?!

Enter the Low-Fat Chicken Salad.

Let the mise en place begin!

To start - chicken. I got a family pack of chicken thighs and had made up some chicken tandoori and peppered chicken the day before for dinner. The next day, we shredded the leftovers and I started with 3/4ths of a cup of that for the base of the dish.

Next - the secret!
(Want to know the secret of recipes that call for mayo? Just don't use it!)
So, if I'm not using mayo, what am I going to use? Well, I need something with tangy flavor, lubricating abilities, something that can mingle flavors, and something thick enough it won't go straight through the bread.
Any ideas yet?                  Low-Fat plain yogurt.

Yes, yogurt.
Its tangy, thick, lubricating, and even though it is low fat - it isn't full of crazy ingredients!
Try it.
No...just try it.
If you are nervous about it - cut it in half - for any salad recipe you are planning to use mayo for swap half of the required amount with low-fat plain yogurt.

Because I'm slowly switching over - I'm using 3/4ths yogurt in any mayo recipe. For this recipe you'll need two big tablespoons yogurt and one regular tablespoon of mayo.

I know, not so pretty at the moment...

Next up - all the tasty bits!

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh carrots -

1/4 cup thinly sliced celery - 

1/2" slice of raw yellow onion, minced into tiny bits -

A spoonful of grated Parmesan. Actual cheese please!

A handful each of orange flavored (or regular) dried cranberries and raw sliced almonds -  

Getting much prettier!

A 1/4 cup of quartered green grapes (yes grapes) and a 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black peppercorns -

Be adventurous! 

Mix thoroughly and let sit for at least an hour (way better overnight) so the flavors can meld a bit. Add in a pinch or two of dill if that suits your taste.

Next - stuff into a low-fat pita pocket with some spinach and mixed greens and enjoy for a flavorful, guilt free and sleepy-feeling free lunch!

Recipe Summary:

Combine in a medium mixing bowl -

3/4ths cup cooked chicken
2 tbsp low-fat plain yogurt
1 tbsp mayo
1/4th cup carrots - thinly sliced
1/4th cup celery - thinly sliced
1/4th cup onion - minced fine
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/4th cup grapes - quartered
Handful each of dried cranberries and raw sliced almonds
10 peppercorns - grated
dill to flavor

Let sit covered overnight in the fridge.
Remove and enjoy!

My City My Loft - Contest continues through June 19th!

Still keeping my fingers crossed on getting a Loft bicycle from Electra! 

I made it to the top 50 - now I could use your help getting into the top 15. The top 15 entries receive a bike and a go-pro camera. Then the winners are asked to shoot video from around their city - showing off the cool spots, the hidden trails, and whatever else makes their city awesome. 

The contest goes through the 19th and you can vote once each day. 

Click HERE to cast your vote!

Help me win a bike!! It's easy, just vote :-)

Hi lovelies!

Some of you may recall my kick-ass old bike bake in Manchester - a neon green Electra. Unfortunately it could not make the trip with us out to Seattle and I had to give it up. *tiny violin*

I have always missed that bike.

Fortunately, Electra is having a bike contest and the prize is a brand shiny new Electra Loft and a new go-pro camera! They want the winners to shoot video of their cities and basically share the love.

I posted my video (basically me walking around to some of my favorite spots in town) and would love, love, love if you would vote for me. It looks like there are only 29 contestants that were chosen for the online review portion and there are 15 bikes available. Help me be one of the lucky 15 and you'll get to see some videos made with that go-pro camera, including an epic tour of all my favorite spots in Washington!

You can watch all the videos HERE

My video is titled, "This is my city," and the cover still is me in black with a yellow scarf walking in front of a houseboat.

Thank you for your support!

Love,

V