Winter Pomegranate Salad + Snow Shoeing Adventure

Winter Pomegranate Salad

I have been all about mixing {simple} flavors lately…and really enjoying the fact that pomegranates are everywhere…and sometimes even pre-peeled (THANK YOU TJ’s)

Whenever I go to Whole Foods for their hot/cold bar, I look forward to eating their pearled cous cous salad. Pearled cous cous is kind of like a cross between rice and pasta; I love the texture. *Note it is NOT gluten free, for those of you that are sensitive to gluten. It is however, available for purchase at Trader Joe’s.

#winning

So are all of the ingredients in this salad for that matter…

Like I said. I kept this side salad simple…

• Greens (I used kale but you could use any kind)
• Pearled cous cous
• Pomegranate Arils
• Walnuts
• Goat Cheese
• Easy Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Instead of dumping dressing all over the entire salad. I massaged my kale with it. I learned this trick from YOU GUYS! It helps make kale more digestible by softening it up and infuses the flavor.

I mentioned this the last time I used kale in a recipe..but I’m still getting used to it. Going to be completely honest- I am still a fan of spinach over kale. Yeah I said it.

I seriously could eat goat cheese by the pound. #GoatCheeseProbz

I’ve mentioned that one of my goals this year is to share more stories and life-happenings on the blog. I feel like as FFF has evolved, I’ve sort of stopped sharing a lot of the things that I do outside of blogging.

Blake and I decided to keep it low-key this Valentine’s by going out of a realllllly casual dinner and watching New Girl. We actually celebrated 2 years of dating this year on 2/14 :D. We planned a fun day trip to Taylor’s Falls the day after Valentine’s for a little breath of fresh air, snow shoeing, and lunch at the cutest diner EVER.

We rented snow shoes from a local sporting goods shop for about $34 buck (for 2 pairs). If you go about 6 times, you pay for a pair of snow shoes, so I am highly considering purchasing my own pair because 1. it will force me to go more and 2. they will eventually pay for themselves if I keep renting.

If you live in Minneapolis and have never been to Taylor’s Falls- get your butt there right now! I went a few years ago during summer-time when it is GORGEOUS, but it’s just as beautiful during winter! This little town sits nestled on the St. Croix River. There’s state parks everywhere you look, bluffs, a beautiful river, and the nicest people you’ll ever meet!

Blake and I are already planning a weekend getaway this summer. Bed and breakfast + canoeing = dreamy.

Any hidden gems near your town?

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