when in doubt, blend.

Look at this little beggar...

You know what he really really reeeeally wants? 

My daily breakfast smoothie. It's packed with a ton of goodies and keeps me full for hours:

6 oz. organic coconut milk (I use Silk)

1 teaspoon organic extra virgin coconut oil (I use Trader Joe's)

1 or 2 scoops of protein powder, depending on the brand (I use Aria)

1/3 cup organic frozen fruit (I use raspberries, blueberries, or a tropical mix)

1 frozen organic banana

1 teaspoon organic raw honey

Optional:

chia or flaxseeds

(I prefer flaxseeds over chia - i hate having them stuck in my teeth)

Blend and enjoy!

resolutions

Every year we make New Years resolutions but do we all really follow them? No. I think the majority of us tend to make drastic resolutions which aren't realistic and in the end we just forget them altogether.

This year I resolve to be more health conscious. I didn't want to lose a certain number of pounds, put a number on how many times I went to the gym in a week, or promise that I wouldn't eat cupcakes. Let's be honest, I'm gonna eat that cupcake. Really, it was all about being mindful and trying to incorporate better behaviors and foods into my diet.

This week I got onto the juicing & smoothie train. If I can pack a bunch of vegetables, fruits, protein, fiber, and omega 3's into one cup, I am all for it!

I have been making a lot of recipes that I pin on pinterest. I'll be sure to post more of the lucky winners that get a spot in my recipe book. For now, I leave you with the green smoothie that I posted on my instagram, you can find the original post here.

Ingredients:
1 frozen sliced banana
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
(or any other kind of milk)
4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)
Side Note: I also added a bit of honey 

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:
350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

life lately via ig

+ my new favorite satchel from Target

+ weekend trips for donuts

+ delicious salad from Tender Greens

+ fresh hydrangeas 

lately

So good!

Go buy one of these now!

Loving my new Obey tee

Laying out by the pool with a slurpee!

baja

Earlier this week I mentioned that we went to Old Town. Well, we stopped by Rockin' Baja for some  lunch. I have been twice and each time I was presented with some delicious seafood! I personally love the overfilled Baja Buckets. It's not a fancy place- but just know that it is good eats and you're going to get your hands dirty ;) There are a couple other locations: Gaslamp, Oceanside, and Newport Beach- so be sure to check it out. 

lobster tails, wild mexican shrimp and sweet alaskan snow crab clusters

grilled chicken in deep friend, corn tortillas, lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado, mexican cheeses and cilantro lime dressing

home style flan, deep fried ice cream and warm cinnamon apple bunuelo drizzled with caramel sauce

Looks good, right? 

alexander's

A couple of weekends ago the bf and I were in search of some yummy italian food. We came across Alexander's on 30th through a quick yelp search. The place is tucked away within a small neighborhood in North Park. The restaurant is very pretty inside- but very small -so be sure to make a reservation to ensure you get a table. We were seated fairly quickly and I immediately ordered the Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc (so good!) 

all images via bloomspot

We started with the Baked Hampton Stuffed Mushrooms which were good but after a couple of mushrooms I was over the crab stuffing. We ordered the Tuscan Seafood Pasta and it was fresh and delicious! We ended with the Walnut Cookie with Vanilla Bean Gelato - hands down one of the best desserts I've ever had (think: italian pizookie!)

*Sorry for the lack of personal photos- It was so dim and romantic in there, I couldn't bear to ruin that with a bunch of flashes from a DSLR. 

oh, hi

Remember me? Here's what I have been up to lately:

+ wearing minimal makeup for a more natural look

+ bf brought me my first sprinkles cupcake (i don't know what took me so long to try one)

+ back to CSUSM for a month to take a couple summer classes 

+ getting a lot of use out of my first pair of TOMS!

recipe: chicken tortilla soup

I saw this recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup last week and it looked so delicious - I had to make it. 

recipe: black bean sliders

I don't know what it is but I am not a big fan of homemade hamburgers (only cheap, fast food hamburgers). So when I found this Black Bean Slider recipe I was pretty excited to give it a try. Plus, who doesn't love a little slider?! In my book- anything small is cute.

mixing all of the ingredients

forming the little black bean patties

whipped up some fresh guac

messy but delicious!

newport

Last week I went up to Newport Beach to meet up with my brother, celebrate my cousin's 

birthday, and of course, to take a little trip over to South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island. The 

weather was amazing but the crowd's were awful. I only snuck out with new flats and a scarf. 

We did manage to hit up a couple of new spots that I really loved! 

My brother took us to Taco Asylum for lunch, Habana for dinner, and a few 

drinks at the Commissary Lounge before we departed back to San Diego.

Loved the industrial look at the Taco Asylum

Pork Belly & Steak Taco. The Pork Belly is to die for!

Pretty lights at The Lab Anti Mall

Inside the Commissary Lounge

My Brother & I

buen apetito

Recently the boy & I set out to try one of the restaurants on our "we have to eat there" list. 

Okay, we don't have an actual piece of paper with restaurants written on it...but if we did, this would be on it...

in bold letters, with an appropriate highlighter color. Yea, I'm really OCD like that. 

Bencotto resides in Little Italy and offers an assortment of italian cuisine with the perfect modern twist.

  The food is divine, the service is amazing, and the decor has the perfect industrial edge. 

The whole experience was lovely.  

Elderflower Pop: Prosecco, Saint Germain Elderflower Liquer, D'Arbo Elderflower

Tagliatelle Al Nero Di Seppia:
hand cut black squid-ink fettuccine in pink spicy shrimp sauce

Semifreddo Alle Mandorle:
half-frozen mousse w/ almonds, amaretto cookies, chocolate sauce

Teal silk blazer, Banana Republic skirt, Lush blazer, Steve Madden heels, Hermès wallet

Instagram Thanksgiving

 Thank you tryptophan...it's been a delicious, overwhelming, and blurry ride. 

Before going at it again tonight,  I was smart enough to slip on the stretchy pants. 

How was your Turkey Day? Still stuffed?...me too.