cardamon donuts

I've been wanting to bake donuts for a long time, but I've been looking for a way to make them healthier. A few weeks ago I was in Cost Plus World Market and I found a really good donut mix. Like my pumpkin pancakes, I switched out the regular add-in ingredients for vegan alternatives. I also mixed in some extra baking soda, vanilla, and cardamon. With my switches, I was able to get each of serving down to 21 calories!

I didn't take a picture of the mix that I used, but this is the brand: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4097871

Since these turned out so well, I'm going to have to find a recipe to make them from scratch.

cardamon donuts rolled in powered sugar.
i don't have a donut pan yet, so i used my pumpkin shaped muffin pan. 

holidays

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday season. I cheated this year and started listening to christmas music on November 1st. Now I can pull out Christmas decorations and play my Holiday mix on full blast without harassment from the family.

Most of my presents for loved ones are already wrapped. For years I've said that I need to start early so I'm not stressed come December 20th. Ah! This is a proud moment for me. On top of being prudent,  I decided make handmade treats for everyone. Once I give them all out I'll post pictures.  I found so many inspiring things in the last few months and I can't wait to share.

homemade holiday cards

Anyways, I've got a lot to do at the moment. There is a vegan pumpkin pie that needs baking and a list of everything I'm thankful for to be complied. It's time to turn on the Friends Thanksgiving episodes and get to work. I've got a lot to do by tomorrow!

xoxo, sarah

pumpkin pancakes

When I was younger I hated breakfast foods, now I could eat them everyday.  I also love autumn - especially the months of November and December. 

Pumpkin pancakes are the best of both worlds (breakfast food + autumn). I found the mix at Trader Joe's and I switched out the milk, butter, and eggs for vegan alternatives. With my calorie counter app, they came out to 45 calories per pancake. They are also low in sodium and fat. 

I ate two pancakes with sliced banana and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Yum!

delicious.

snow.

a light dusting on the palm tree. 

I despise snow. Although, I don't despise snow when it is in the mountains.

My hatred for the white fluffy stuff stems from college. I chose to go to Central Washington University because of it's location in Ellensburg. I wanted to experience seasons after growing up in the two seasons of western washington (rain and sunshine.)

My senior year  at CWU was the worst! My apartment was a mile from campus, every morning I had to walk in at least a foot of a mixture of compacted ice and fresh snow to campus at 7:30 a.m. After a long day of classes and work, I would walk home braving the re-frozen snow and ice. One night I remember being on the phone with my mom as I walking and I slipped on the ice and fell right on my butt. She laughed at me.

After four years you can see why I was done with snow and incredibly happy to move back to the climate controlled Seattle area. I came back because it rained. I love rain! You can still go places and you don't feel like your toes are going to fall off every minute your outside.

Long story short, it snowed yesterday. I'm not very happy right now.

snow starting to fall...

20 minutes later

At least over here it won't snow so much that I have to trek to my car and carve a path out to get out of the driveway. And I guess it would be nice to have a White Christmas for once.


*Update: I take back everything I said about snow being not so bad. It's the absolute worst. It started snowing hard at work after I wrote this post. I left a little early hoping that would help me get home faster. It took me two hours to get to the main road that leads to the freeway home. (It usually takes five minutes, I work in a populated city.) I ended up dropping my car off at a parking lot, hoping in a friends car and staying the night at their house. It still took another two hours to get to their house which is located about 15 minutes away from my office. 


My hatred of snow has grown and if given the chance I would definitely consider moving to a warmer climate. Luckily my prius to fantastic in the weather! I didn't have a single problem driving. 

glitter shoes! LOVE.

I'm OBSESSED with glitter right now. I've been finding so many glitter-riffic pretty things as of late... ribbon, candles, and shoes!

black steve madden glitter flats

Happy Friday!

lexi's wedding

Wedding number three in a long year of weddings.

Lexi and I met back in college at Central Washington University. She was from Ellensburg and she would always invite our group of friends over to her parent's house for home cooked meals. When you're away from your family and another one is welcoming you with open arms and a home cooked meal, you always take them up on the offer. Lexi is good people and so is her family.

After a whirlwind courtship that started in Africa. (seriously! long story short, she met her husband to be on the plane for a study abroad trip. Both went to CWU and didn't meet until waiting in the airport for the flight!) Lexi married her prince charming, Tyler, in a grand affair at a ranch in Thorp, Washington. I've been to many weddings and this by far was incredibly unique and expressed both of their personalities perfectly.

Her wedding was filled with fun and love - a groom's reception, the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, toasts, dancing, karaoke, and ice cream.

gorgeous bride!

kisses

married!

first dance

father daughter dance

lexi and me

lexi's backyard - imagine waking up to this everyday. 

congrats lexi and tyler!

harry potter

I love Harry Potter. There, I said it.

Luckily Seattle is currently hosting the Harry Potter exhibit. Sadly, they didn't allow photos or cell phones in the exhibit. I did try to snap a few with my iphone despite the ban. We had it all set up to take a picture sitting in Hagrid's chair... then a security guard spotted us and the plan was quickly abandoned.

vegetarian fried rice

Serves 2

1 cup cooked jasmine rice

1 trader joe's sausage-less soy sausage (this brand of sausage lists egg white powder as one of the ingredients. I'm still searching for a completely vegan sausage-less sausage that tastes good.)

1/2 cup cucumber, quartered

1/4 cup corn

1/2 cup baby carrots, chopped

1/4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Combine everything in a sauté pan until warm and the rice is slightly crispy.  

Nutrition: (according to the lose it! app)

215 calories

Total Fat: 8.5 g 

Sodium: 462.9 mg 

Carbs: 31.6 g 

Protein: 9.6 g 

vegetarian fried rice - two servings

i am a vegan.

Note: I'm not a doctor and I'm not offering medical advice. This is how I live my life and if you're inspired for a life change, research veganism and give it a try. 

I've been a vegetarian on and off since the second grade. Over the years I've been asked why I choose not to eat meat, and it's for many reasons.

1. I hate the taste and texture of it.
2. I love animals. It breaks my heart to think about eating them.
3. I feel better when I don't eat it.

A few months ago I decided it was time to completely stop eating meat again, this time for good. Not only do I feel 100% better, but I've lost weight too. I was worried about getting enough protein and nutrients after the change and after consulting a few vegan websites and books, I learned that it would not be a problem. If I infused my diet with tofu, beans, and soy - I can take care of the protein no problem. The nutrients I miss out on from meat are also in many plant sources. (I do take a multiple vitamin, calcium chew, and vitamin D supplement every day.)

On a typical day I try to eat a fruit and vegetables with every meal. Veggies are not only filled with essential vitamins, they also have protein too. I try to make each meal as colorful as possible. I've found that I eat a better variety and the flavors are always different. I do eat carbohydrates, but I avoid pasta's and heavy breads. I try for three meals and two snacks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

I'm not a big fan of sauces and dressings. If I eat a salad, I might drizzle a little homemade honey mustard - but that's about as far as I'll go. When I eat pasta, I toss it with a few herbs and garlic.

In my research for my new lifestyle change, I learned that with my blood type and heritage, dairy isn't good for my stomach or body. Our digestive tracks weren't built to consume the milk of animals. Cutting out milk, butter and cheese wasn't easy at first; but now that I've been off it for a few weeks and I feel even better then when I cut out meat.

I have four sources for new recipes and info about vegan-ism:

• Clean Foods - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Clean-Food/Terry-Walters/e/9781402768149/?itm=1&USRI=clean+food+a+seasonal+guide+to+eating+close+to
• The Kind Life - http://www.thekindlife.com/
• Wilde Things - http://wildethings.org/about
• Green is Sexy - http://www.greenissexy.org/

My long term goal is to implement this way of life into all aspects of my world. My next step is to use products that were not tested on animals.

I've meet people who think I'm absolutely crazy for giving up animal products and by-products. I love when they eat one of my desserts and they love it. I take sheer pleasure in telling them that what they ate was vegan.

This is a whole new adventure for me. The food I've been eating lately has been absolutely divine. I'll share the as many recipes as possible.

frost!

two days ago, i scrapped ice off of my car for the first time.
have i mentioned that i love autumn in washington? because i do!

revamped!

new! new! new!

i've had some pretty stupendous adventures since august, and it's time to share.  soon i will be posting the other weddings i attended, new recipes and holiday crafting.

to go along with my many new surprises, i had to revamp the look of que syrah. i'm going to test out the new design for a bit - i like change and mixing things up so i'm sure i'll update it once again.

xo
sarah

wedding weekend

this summer i have four friends getting married. one a month till october. last month, my bff tied the knot with her sweetie, and this month my college roommate married her long time beau. 

samantha is probably one of the coolest people on the planet. she is smart, relatable, funny, and generous. i hope everyone has the opportunity to meet someone like her in their lifetime. both of us worked for housing and we were one of the very few groups of resident assistant's required to have another ra as a roommate. i didn't know her before we were assigned to the same apartment; this could have been disastrous, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. we spent many days/nights watching 90210 (the original) and one tree hill on soapnet, eating cases of popcorn, and weekly workout wednesdays. 

i was so excited when she asked me to come to her wedding. the wedding was absolutely beautiful, it was a room filled with love for the happy couple. congrats you two! 

clockwise:
first married kiss
first dance
sam and me
sparkler send-off

a lovely sunny sunday

a warm summer day is best spent at lake tapps. i have so many wonderful memories of swimming at my grandparent's cabin over the years. 

it's supposed to be 90 today. i better go enjoy it asap. 

outdoor concerts in seattle

when the weather's nice, these shows are the best. sunshine, warm breezes and amazing scenery. when the weather's not so great... grab a beer and your rain jacket, and just dance. 


last weekend i got a last minute ticket to the michael franti and spearhead show. i saw him last year at bumbershoot - and this guy does not disappoint. so i kept my rain jacket on, savored the $7 beers, and danced the night away. 

the rat and me. the first round was on guy, the second round a random stranger. 

"i say, hey, i be gone today
but i be back around the way
seems like everywhere i go
the more i see, the less i know
but i know one thing that i love you, baby girl
i love you, i love you, i love you"

wedded bliss

my best friend and pseudo sister tied the knot on july 24. it was lovely beach affair filled with family, friends, and a whole lotta love. i was flabbergasted and honored when she asked me to be her maid of honor, it was wonderful to be a part of a wonderful love story and the next chapter of mr. and mrs. brown's life. congrats you two! 

a few photos from the day. 

the beach house was the perfect setting for the affair. 

luckily we were blessed with sunshine all day!

kings of leon

the gorge

george, washington

7.17.10

how can you not love it here?

the features

sunset

kings of leon

pure concert bliss. 

august is here! where did july go?

seriously! where has the summer gone? the sister/bestie tied the knot last weekend. i'm still trying to get over my wedding hangover and i'll post photos soon. 

last sunday afternoon, after nursing my actual wedding hangover and cleaning up the beach house, i road tripped down to portland to visit my friend alison. not only did i pick up my philosophy goodies from her,  but we went to canon beach! i remember going there as a little kid after visiting my dad's mom, it was nice to come back as an adult and truly enjoy how beautiful the beach is.

i love the ocean, i could stare at it for hours and not get bored. i wouldn't be able to move too far away from the waves and salty air.

after running into the pacific a few times, we met some nice strangers on the beach and ended up grabbing a beer with them. one of the things that i love about alison is that she has this knack for making friends in the oddest of places. i hope it's rubbing off on me!


before heading back to pdx for the day, i had to get some salt water taffy before leaving. it's not a beach trip without it! the little shop we found, bruce's candy shop, had so many flavors! my personal favorites - pb and j and pomegranate. 

before leaving on tuesday, we stopped for brunch. i can't remember the name of the place, but it was one of the cutest little restaurants that i've ever been too. (it was in the pearl district) it felt a little weird going out for breakfast on a tuesday, but hey, que syrah!


looking at this picture makes we want another plate of french toast. with blueberries. and a glass of orange juice. 

summer, summer, summer time

first off, i'm a terrible, terrible blog updater. i've done a ton of fun things over the last month and i have neglected to share them. for example: i ran my very first sound to narrows, i turned 24, i attended a few shows, baked numerous cupcakes, and had many fun hangs with friends. 

4th of july vanilla blueberry cupcakes, with lingonberry topping. yuuuuum.

 i recently finished "the happiness project" by gretchen rubin, and i'm determined to try out my own year-long project. my year starts in august, and i plan on documenting every step of the way. i don't read too many self help books, but this one was so much more. gretchen's experiences showed me that i need to start focusing on the positives in life and that i'm the only person that can make myself happy. so with all this enlightenment, i'm determined to get out and do more of the things that i enjoy. 


to kick my project off early, this past weekend i took in the glorious washington sun at the rose garden in point defiance park. i'm so blessed to live here! when the weather is nice (and even when it's not) the pacific northwest is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

my own version of the queen's garden in "alice in wonderland"

tweet up 2.0

When I graduated from college, KISS FM Seattle was my very first job. While not everything I did was glamorous, my time there fed my love of music and I made some rad friends. Sadly - I no longer work there. Luckily, my friends at the station still invite me to their events. On Saturday, my buddy Doormatt hosted his tweet up 2.0. (Back story - last year after warped tour, he invited five bands to come back to the city and play an invite/win only acoustic concert. It was a genius idea bringing fans closer to the favorite bands.) 

Soooo.... This Providence, A Rocket to the Moon, The White Tie Affair, and The Maine performed a few songs at The Canal overlooking the Ballard Locks. The weather was perfect - Seattle actually cooperated and gave us a warm sunshine filled afternoon. I didn't take any pictures, but my friend Tyler did. I have to steal his since it's from the view I watched the sets from. 

This Providence. - photo by @tyler1061

(awkward post performance shot.)

A Rocket to the Moon - photo by @tyler1061

The White Tie Affair - photo by @Tyler1061

The Maine - photo by @Tyler1061

It was an awesome day for live music. As much as I love full bands and rock shows. There is something so beautiful about acoustic sets. It's raw. There's no production to hide behind. Pure talent. It's beautiful. 

After the show/meet and greet, Reyna, Danielle, Karalyn, and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It's a total tourist destination, but we had to try it once. The food was good and the memorabilia was pretty rad. (There's a Nirvana drum set over the stairwell.) I'd probably go again for the rooftop bar or a performance on the second floor. On our way back to D's house, we ran into one of the joys of living in Seattle. The drawbridge. 

The Ballard Bridge

I couldn't resist posting this picture. 

memorial day weekend

Before I kick off my very loooong weekend of overdue relaxing, I have to share a few photos from the past week.

I've lived in Washington for my entire life, and yet I still find new and exciting things to do - right in my backyard. I finally went to the Glass Museum in Tacoma -probably one of my new favorite places. If you haven't been, go. Truly one of a kind.

glass on the bridge.

tacoma.

Live music! This past wednesday I went to the cobra starship/3OH!3 show. Good ol' dance music. Too bad I'm swearing way too much after the 3OH!3 set. oops.

Showbox SODO 5.26.10

cobra starship

3OH!3

bridal shower! 5.22.10

My sister/bestie is getting married this summer, so I threw her a shower. I've never thrown a large scale party before, and I have to admit - the task was quite daunting. So thanks to oncewed.com, design sponge, and the heart of light and oh my deer blogs... I pulled it off. Thank you for the inspiration! Take a peak at some of the pictures below.

A BIG thank you to everyone who helped set up, prep food, and take pictures!

(photos below are by my friend reyna. i'm loving the hipstamatic app.)

clothes pins for pictures.

table decor

penny game

vintage postcard

another one...

my mom has an amazing collection. i grabbed all of her wedding ones

cake plates and yellow flowers

hello sunshine!

It's finally getting warm here in Seattle. It was 70 degrees today - I spent my lunch hour sun tanning.

I kicked off the weekend with dinner and drinks with friends on the Tacoma waterfront. I love this place (Katie Downs). It's literally on the water and has the best pizza in Western Washington.

view from the deck. puget sound.

I want to put it in a song, and make it last forever.

I love live music. Nothing compares to going to a venue and experiencing the music as it happens. 99% of the time, it's better than the album.

This past wednesday I went to see fun., relient k, and paramore at the WaMu Theater in Seattle. No one disappointed. I was also able to see a ton of friends - old and new - making the show that much better.

Fun. kicked the show off with a high energy set. I've seen these guys three times in the last year, and each show has just gotten better and better. This is one album I highly recommend - especially for summer. Aim and Ignite will be blasting from my prius for at least the next few months.

fun - "all the pretty girls"

more fun.

(hayley from paramore and matt from relient k ended up joining them during "i wanna be the one".)

Next up, Relient K. These guys bring back so many high school memories, it was great to see them live again.

relient k.

Finally, Paramore. This set was so good, I can't even fathom trying to put it into words. It was simply fantastic.

paramore - "decode"

one last photo... i think this is "brick by boring brick"