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Last Week's Eats

Last week I tried to remember to take pictures of everything I ate but it was definitely hard. Basically, I photographed breakfast and lunch from Wednesday and Thursday...blah. But that did include lunch at Clark's and it was delicious!

And here it is...

Wednesday breekie... fruit and coffee

Wednesday's lunch was tuna salad... apologies for the unattractive photo.

Thursday's breakfast smoothie + some healthy reading

Thursday was lunch at Clark's

Fresh new haircut!

Habanero  Blood Orange White Mule

Yum yum

Love the anchor + gold flatware

Oops... I started eating. Lobster Frittata.

Strawbery Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting (+ a blog annoucement!)

Hi there! I know I have been posting very seldom, but as I have shared with you before I have been struggling to find topics for each post. While I love all the things I have shared with you sometimes the words just don't flow easily. But finally I feel like I have found the direction of my blog.

I have always been a self-proclaimed foodie and recently I have had a strong desire to eat better and improve my overall health. With my blog I want to share with you my journey in adopting a healthier lifestyle with a focus on food.

Even though others might think it's weird, I love knowing what people have eaten throughout the day. Not only am I just curious but it is a great way to get ideas for new meals. So I will be sharing with you what I have been eating (although this might take a while, we know how I am with taking pictures... ) as well as recipes and any other attempts at healthy living.

But don't worry, being a foodie means that I love all food so you can still expect to see plenty of sweets and treats. In fact here is a recipe I used a week ago when I was craving something sweet.

I doubled this Strawberry Shortcake recipe from Chocolate-Covered Katie, so J and I didn't have to share. And I topped it with Whipped Coconut Cream (recipe below), a delicious diary free topping.

Remember it's just about moderation!

I definitely need to work on my food photography.

Whipped Coconut Cream

1 15oz can of full fat coconut milk
1 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• Chill can of coconut milk in fridge in overnight.
• Flip can of coconut milk and open from the bottom.
• Pour liquid into separate container (You will not use this but can save it for other uses).
• Scoop remaining cream into a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer.
• Whip until fluffy.
• Add maple syrup and vanilla extract.

Serve like regular whipped cream and enjoy! 

Weekend Recap in Instagram

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We spent some quality time with family and, of course, there was some Arrested Development thrown in the mix. Here is my weekend summed up in pictures.

Rainy day snuggles with the bear.

Making frozen bananas for an Arrested Development party.

I dressed as Lucille for the AD party!

Checked out the local bar in Dripping Springs.

Checking out the new neighborhood.

Eating lots of delicious triple berry pie made by a thoughtful friend!

An Update...

I know, it's been awhile. But since I know y'all are interested, here is a totally random update of what has been going on in my life.

• I finished my 40 miles in 30 days on the 30th day!! 
• Eating healthy isn't as easy as one would think. Today I ate not one, but TWO brownies for breakfast!
• Last week I got to visit my brother and his family in KY. It was sooo much fun seeing them.
• We visited J's parents in Houston for the last time before they moved. It was sad saying goodbye to J's childhood home.
• We also helped J's parents move into their new house right outside of town. It will be great to have them so close!
• We have finally gotten past those last few cool days and I am ready for some fun in the sun! With lots of SPF, of course!
• I discovered Chips Ahoy with Reese's... if only I could eat gluten. They look digustingly, delicious!
•   We have become those pet parents. We are now brushing Gracie's teeth every night. Because her tooth health is important too!

An Attempt at Healthy Living

On April 8th a friend and I decided to challenge ourselves to run 40 miles in 30 days as well as live a healthier lifestyle in general. Today marks the half way point of this 30 days.

I feel like I have been doing pretty well on the running front. So far, I have ran 18.5 miles! I have never been a runner. In fact for the majority of my life I wasn't even able to run a mile... I kid you not! So I am extremely proud of myself for being able to run 3 or 4 miles routinely. I am using the word routinely loosely, because let's be honest I don't usually workout that often. I will workout for 2 or 3 times a week then take 3 weeks off. This is partly the reason I wanted to challenge myself to run 40 miles in 30 days. I want to have a more regular workout routine. Even throughout these first 2 weeks it has been hard to find time to run. Life gets in the way, but I am hoping this is a step in the right direction.

As far as eating healthy goes, I definitely have some room for improvement. Those of you who know me well know that I have some health issues that myself and doctors are having a hard time diagnosing. Because of these issues, I have adopted a gluten free diet. This has definitely helped but the problem is still there. Having an undiagnosed health 'condition' That doesn't seem like the right word :/ I have scoured the internet for healthy eating tips and recipes. So I know what I should be eating but with hectic scehdules and tempting sweets around it is hard to follow a healthy diet.

For the first 15 days of this challenge I haven't really been trying to improve my eating habits. So I am going to focus on that for the next 15 days. So, today I started the day off with a delicious green smoothie. Usually I just throw whatever is on hand into my smoothies, but I stumbled upon this recipe and decided to give it a try.

Kale, Peach & Coconut Smoothie

1 cup frozen unsweetened peach slices
1 cup packed kale, torn into pieces and stems discarded
1/2 banana
3/4 cup coconut water
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon raw honey
(you could also add a glug of almond milk for added creaminess)

• Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high till smooth.
• Pour and enjoy!

via Instagram

I have another one of these bad boys ready for tomorrow morning. One of my goals to help me stay on track is getting better at meal planning. So wish me luck on my new health kick... hopefully it will stick!

Texas Wildflowers

Hi y'all! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We had a fun, relaxing couple of days. We were able to catch up with some friends, enjoy the amazing weather, and spend some quality time on the couch. And of course there were margaritas. It was such a good weekend that I was in a surprisingly chipper mood this morning... and still am! :)

I was a bad blogger again and forgot to take pictures. There isn't a single one from the whole weekend... boo! But to make it up to you I have pictures from the previous weekend!

J and I took a trip out to Fredericksburg to take pictures in the bluebonnets and of course we brought the bear. Since living in Texas we have seen some pretty serious droughts and this is the first year that I have seen the real beauty of the blue bonnets. Two years ago, J and I did the Pedal Power Wildflower Ride and there were NO wildflowers... Thank goodness for rain!

Gracie was particularly cute hopping through the bluebonnets as she weaved her way around them so as not to walk over any. I wish I could have gotten a video of it but the pictures will have to do...

Being silly... typical

Bows

Bluebonnet bouquet

Look at that sweet face

There were lots of bikers! One even stopped for a pic

Family portrait where Gracie isn't looking... also typical

Lately...

Sorry for my absence the past couple of weeks. I haven't abandoned this blog, I have just been struggling with the direction I want to take it. Everyday that I post I feel like I have been pulling at strings to decide a topic. I want to find more of a focus for this blog but I am not sure what that is yet. I do know that I am ready to get back to blogging. I will just continue to post about things I like, it might seem a bit random at times, but I hope it will eventually turn into something and I will find my true voice for this blog.

To be honest, after my hiatus I was ready to blog on Monday but with all of the tragedy and disasters that have happened this week I kept finding it hard to put words down. I am sure we have all been watching the news more than usual this week (it is hard to turn off) and there is lots of sadness to see. My thoughts are with those who have been affected by events in Boston, MA and West, TX. But throughout this week it is also evident that there is a lot of good in this world. And I am choosing to focus on the good and the things that make me happy.

So in the spirit of happiness, here are a few things that have been making me smile lately.

My bear dog.

J and the bear. He has held her the exact same way since she was a puppy. Aren't they cute?

My beautiful Grandma who just turned 88. Wish I could have been there to celebrate.

Inspiration

Restaurant week!

And lastly, Get Lucky by Daft Punk w/ Pharrell. Time to get your boogie on...

Also, since we are so close to West, for those interested, 365 Things to do in Austin, TX made a good list of ways to help. You can find that here.

We plan to donate some non perishables through J's work and we are thinking about donating blood (I'm a little terrified but maybe I can finally find out my blood type! Looking for the positive).

Hello Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring... even though it has felt like Spring for quite awhile in Texas, there is something special about the welcoming of Spring every year. It somehow makes everything seem happier. Here are a few of things I am looking forward to this Spring...

Wearing this skirt... like a lot

Having pretty flower displays

And some shots from my instagram...

Sunsets on the balcony

Afternoons by the pool

Puppy time at the park

SXSW recap

Hi there! Remember me? Yeah, I used to blog here... I know, I know, it's been over a week since I last posted. Although I have good reason. Last week was super busy with work and SXSW. Yesterday we didn't really do anything for St. Patty's day. After a long week we enjoyed just relaxing. We spent lots of time on the balcony, walked the dog, enjoyed a few drinks, had ice cream for dinner, watched The Master, and of course, rocked a little green.

But back to SX... this year was much more my pace. As I mentioned before we didn't get wristbands like years past and we were a little nervous about how that would affect our experience. But after going all weekend without one, I'm glad we didn't waste the dough.

This year we took the time to take some breaks and got some fancy cocktails all over town. And I literally mean all over town... we probably walked 6 miles on Saturday alone. My favorite was Midnight Cowboy. I had been wanting to try this place for while but they were always fully booked whenever we tried to go. If you don't know, this place is meant to be an oasis in the midst of dirty 6th Street. To get in you have to find the unmarked door and ring the hostess with a randomly marked buzzer. The bar specializes in cocktails and has a prohibition type feel. It was fun to try some new drinks and they even make them at your table! I thought was pretty cool because it means I can try and imitate the drinks at home.

Besides our cocktail breaks we also avoided super long lines and I never used a Porty Potty which, in my book, means it was a success! 

Once again, I didn't take nearly enough photos. After lugging the camera around all day Friday and not taking any real photos, I opted not to bring it Saturday. Here you can see why. These are the best photos from Friday...

Who needs a tan?

The Neighborhood

 The Neighborhood, not really my thing, but we were really there for Haim (not pictured, of course!) and they did not disappoint. And to top it all off we got to see Pharrell who was ogling the sister trio.

Other bands we saw that are worth mentioning St. Lucia, Phosphorescents, Ivan & Alyosha, and Seryn. I know there are more I'm forgetting but those were all great!

If you want to check out more photos I did take a few with Instagram, check 'em out!

I really am trying to get better about taking photos. I am still coveting this camera bag by ONA. If I had this I swear I would bring my camera everywhere and take tons of pictures! sigh... one day.

Wish List: SXSW

Here in Austin it is evident that SXSW is gearing up to start. Buildings are being painted, temporary structures are being erected and my Facebook feed is blowing up with everyone's party RSVPs . As a local you might dread SX if you are trying to live your normal, everyday life. The town is flooded with sooo many people and driving downtown is pretty much impossible. But if you get the chance to take part in the festival, then do!

We have attended the last three year with music wristbands and it has been a blast! This year we opted not to get wristbands (trying to save money for that Europe trip) but we are still going to try and go see some free shows. I am a little nervous we won't get into as much stuff without wristbands but we are prepared for that and are just going to go and have a good time.

And, of course, with any festival there is lots of fun fashion. Next week you are bound to see all sorts of people and styles roaming the streets. Here is my wish list of what I would wear... luckily it's suppose to be in the 80s next week!

Dolce Vida dress, Linda Farrow Luxe sunglasses, KORS Michael Kors shoes, Michael Kors watch, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag - ShopBop, Hudson denim shorts - Hudson, Fresh 50's Blouse, Mint Scalloped necklace - Parc Boutique, Essie Where's My Chauffeur? - Essie

Paris + Macarons

I have been talking a lot about traveling lately and J and I are in the midst of trying to plan a Europe trip for later in the year and if it all works out we will be in Paris for our 4th anniversary. Ahhh... our 4th anniversary. I can hardly believe it!  We have never taken a trip for an anniversary before and I am so excited for the possibility. And Paris would be the perfect place. I have only been once before and that was with J (and the rest of our London program) the very first summer we met, and we were just figuring out how much we liked each other. It would be fun to celebrate our anniversary while reminiscing about our first trip to Paris.

Lately, all the talk of Paris has got me hankering for a macaron and today I decided to whip some up. Below is a pretty simple macaron recipe. You might be thinking that the words simple and macaron don't belong in the same sentence, and you would be right. Now I do believe this recipe is actually pretty simple but it was my first time attempting it and let's just say there was some struggle involved.

First off, I didn't have the patience to sift the flour as thoroughly as I should have. So, make sure you sift well, mine turned out a little bumpy. Also, I really should buy some pastry bags. Trying to do it with a ziploc bag just wasn't cutting it. The shape ended up a little uneven and next time I would make them a little bigger.

Despite all that, they tasted delicious! I will definitely be trying this recipe again and maybe even experimenting with different flavors and fillings.

Macarons with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling

1 3/4 cups almond meal or flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt 
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Food coloring of your choosing
Nutella

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

• In a bowl sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Add salt.
• In a separate bowl beat egg whites while adding granulated sugar a little at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form. (Add food coloring at this step.)
• With a spatula gently fold flour mixture into egg whites until fully incorporated.
• Transfer batter into a pastry bag with a regular tip (or a ziploc bag with a corner cut out).
• Pipe even mounds of batter onto lined baking sheets about an 1 1/2" apart.
• Tap sheets on counter to help level mounds and let stand uncovered on counter for 20 minutes.

• Move oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 300 degrees.
• Bake cookies for 20-25 minutes switching positions halfway through.
• Cool completely for 30 minutes on baking sheets. 
• Once cooled, spread small amount of Nutella on half of the cookies, then pair with other half to make sandwiches.

After all of this I could really use a glass of champagne with my macarons but tea will have to do.
 

And here is your daily dose of Gracie (Maybe that should be an actual thing because she really is that cute and who wouldn't want to see her cute mug everyday?!)... J is working from home this afternoon and he and Gracie got some play time in.

 

I'm Still Here...

I know, I know... I haven't been around lately. I promise I will be back tomorrow with a regular post. But, since I have been MIA lately, I thought I would share this amazing dress with you. I saw it online today and just can't get it out of my mind. I think my heart actually skipped a beat when I saw it.

Gucci

Now I just need to figure out a way to get my hands on $3,600 and find somewhere to wear this baby.

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Yesterday I shared with you my desire to go to a sunnier, warmer tropical paradise and that desire didn't fade overnight. First thing I did this morning, with my green tea in hand, was start up the computer to do a little online 'window' shopping.

I am a dedicated online shopper. Not a day goes by that I don't visit the wonderful land of online shopping. My carts are always full at J. Crew, Shopbop, Nordstrom... and the list goes on. But today I had a mission. I was looking for swimsuits. You see I have an unnatural obsession with bathing suits (swimsuits, bathing suits... whatever it's called? I use both). I blame this on growing up at the beach. Every year I have to buy at least one new swimsuit (or two, or there). Forget about the fact that I have more than I can even wear already. And when a beach vacation is on your mind it is only natural that I start shopping for the appropriate attire.

Here is what I have my eye on at the moment...

Lilly Pulitzer - think I'll buy this at work tomorrow

Zimmermann - I die, literally

Mara Hoffman

Tory Burch

 And of course there are cover-ups...

Lemlem

Tory Burch

Bop Basics

Now that that's out of my system, today's task is to go through my closet... it is literally busting at the seams and I know there are things I don't wear just crammed in there, so I am finally taking the time to organize. Hopefully I will find a little extra space and maybe I'll even get rid of some of those bathing suits I don't wear anymore.

J - just a heads up - if you don't hear from me for a few hours I might be buried underneath the mountain of clothes in our closet.