Apologies for the long hiatus between India posts – it has taken us literally a month to sift through and edit all of our photos. Now that everything is sorted, however, I’m pleased to bring you installment #4 of our grand india adventure: Jaipur!

I have to say that even though we spent only a day in Jaipur, it was one of my favorite cities. Jaipur is known as the pink city because of the pink sandstone that’s endemic to the region. Jaipur is the capital and largest city of Rajasthan, which is an extremely popular tourist destination because of the beauty of the landscape paired with the saturated colors of the native dress. We started our day in Jaipur with a visit to Hawa Mahal, or the palace of the winds (above). The windows you see facing the street are a façade – they were built this way  to allow the breeze to pass through and cool the women sitting behind the screens (hence the name!). It’s a very striking landmark, but fairly superficial, as there isn’t really anything to see behind the façade.

However, the most exciting part of the day was definitely  the elephant ride that we took up the mountain to the fort! As you can see, the elephants are painted with vibrant colors (mainly for the tourists’ benefit) and are driven by very adept elephant masters. Interestingly enough, all the elephants are female – the males proved too aggressive for this kind of long-term proximity. This was the first time anyone in Team Dillon had ridden an elephant, and it was a lot of fun :) . Our elephant’s name was Lakshmi, and our driver informed us that she was a fan of bananas.

The Jaipur fort is another gorgeous testament to the longevity of Hindu architecture. Situated atop a small mountain, this stronghold held the Maharaja and provided natural protection against any enemies. The fort itself was sumptuously outfitted with different palaces for each season. One of the palaces (the summer palace) was my particular favorite: the entire building was covered in mirrors. It was quite a sight. Added bonus: there were monkeys on almost every wall of the fort! Our guide informed us that the black-faced monkeys (like the one above) are friendly, while the red-faced monkeys are mischievous and pretty evil. The ones we ran into in Jaipur were pretty harmless (and extremely adorable).

We ended our day with a visit to a carpet factory where the same family has turned out carpets for centuries. Jaipur is famous for its rugs, and learning how the rugs are made was a pretty rare treat. And, just for fun, we also visited a very famous Jaipur site – The Gem Palace. Run by a very eccentric Indian man and his Italian wife (and sons!), the gem palace is a destination for anyone who’s anyone visiting India: Jackie Kennedy, Oprah, Gwyneth Paltrow, The Clintons, the list goes on. The owner was hilarious, and he let us try on some of his prized works. Below, check out my parents in two pieces commissioned by the king of Oman (each costing 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS EACH). Those are real diamonds, mind you. Too much fun, indeed.

Check back next week for our last installment of our India adventure!!

Guys, Valentine’s Day is the best. You get cards, you think about the loves of your life (whoever or whatever they may be) and you eat lots of sweets. ALL THE SWEETS. Until it’s February 19th and you realize your blood sugar hasn’t been stable in almost a week. Like mom always said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I am often guilty of allowing breakfast to become “pre-dessert ” with something delicious, like a doughnut or a scone. Normally, a little bit of sugar in the morning is the best thing ever… but not when you’re on a post-valentines-day sugar roller coaster. Thus, I give you: The Quinoa Bake. 

The love of my life (The Boyfriend) and I discussed this magical grain this weekend. We’re nerdy like that. Somewhere between the magical mountains of Big Bear, our House of Cards marathon, and our awesome 7 mile run (what?!) we actually talked about quinoa.  Once my blood sugar stabilizes, I’ll dive into the fantastical-ness that was his surprise weekend getaway in a post for you all… spoiler: it was awesome and we might go again this summer.

Apparently, quinoa is the grain-darling amongst health nuts. It is low in sugar, high in protein, and decently low calorie. It’s magical… and surprisingly delicious. When added to a meal as essential as breakfast, Quinoa saves the day. I like this particular recipe because it still tastes sweet, but the sugar comes from fruit and dairy (or almond milk, if you prefer.) This breakfast is ridiculously easy. I make it early Monday morning and eat it all week.

I adapted this Quinoa Breakfast Bake recipe from Katie at the Kitchen Door  a week ago and have already made this bake twice. Don’t love berries? Add apples! Forgot to get eggs? Throw in some greek yogurt! It’s so easy, and so, so good for you. Did I mention that it’s Amanda-Friendly?

E’s QUINOA BREAKFAST BAKE

Makes 5-6 breakfast servings

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I like the Trader Joe’s White Quinoa)
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of mixed pie spice (apple, pumpkin… take your pick)
2 eggs
2 cups skim milk or Almond milk ( I like Calafia Farms Vanilla Almond Milk)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups frozen berries (Mixed, or add your favorites)
1 banana, sliced

Optional
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts and 1 generous tsp of vanilla extract , coconut oil for greasing

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 9X11 baking pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together uncooked quinoa and cinnamon spice mix to coat quinoa with spices. Pour quinoa over bottom of prepared pan.
3. In the same bowl used for the quinoa, beat the eggs until fully mixed. Whisk in the milk and maple syrup and optional vanilla, and beat to combine.
4. Scatter the berries, banana, and optional nuts evenly on top of the quinoa.
5. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the fruit and quinoa. Lightly stir to partially submerge the fruit.
6. Bake for 1 hour, or until casserole is mostly set with only a small amount of liquid left. Serve warm with a splash of milk or almond milk. Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy all week!

See? So Easy! Bake it all together and get a delicious, low sugar breakfast for the whole week. Quinoa makes a great, protein-rich substitute for oatmeal. Adding fruit and egg gives the grain staying power to keep you full until lunch. Mix it up, throw in your favorite ingredients, and ENJOY!

(photo)

Just stopping by to introduce you guys to one of my favorite paper artists of all time. Kate Lilley of Mini Eco is a master of papercraft, and her DIY valentines are basically perfection. Just look at those colors! The best thing about Kate’s projects is that they’re fairly easy to make. Generally, all you’ll need is a pair of scissors, some A4 paper, and a ruler.

If you’re scrambling to come up with a quick, thoughtful valentine for your significant other or top-secret crush (guilty!), these little crafts are just the ticket. Added bonus: you get the added pleasure of proudly exclaiming I made that! after your SO opens their card! What could be better, no?

DIY VALENTINES FROM MINI ECO

1. Boxed Geometric Heart
2. Popup Pixel Valentines Card
3. Geometric Heart Popup Card

What are you doing for Valentines day?? I’d love to know your plans!

(All photos and projects are courtesy of Kate Lilley, Mini Eco)