Make at Home Chai Tea Latte

What you'll need: 

-Chai tea bag

-Vanilla almond milk

-Vega one vanilla protein powder

-Cinnamon

-Nutmeg 

-And a mug of course! 

This healthy drink is great in the morning, before or after a workout, for a snack, before bed, heck-any time you want this, go right ahead and make it. 

What you need to do:

1. Warm 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vanilla almond milk on the stove.

2. Stir in a spoonful of protein powder, a dash of nutmeg, and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the almond milk while the heat is still on.  

3. Brew your chai tea. I just use the Keurig for hot water-small cup-and put the tea bag in after. 

4. Pour in the vanilla mixture and tea into your mug, stir up, and...

5. Enjoy! 

This is really easy, healthy, and delicious! I include vanilla protein for an added bonus; it gives you protein for one, keeps you full, and brings out a vanilla flavor. I always recommend adding or revising recipes with something you like, because most of the time you can't really go wrong. 

my Chai Tea Latte featuring my new book on a rainy morning 

True story: sometimes I question what I'm doing with my life every time I give the cashier my card for a $5 drink at a coffee shop. Don't get me wrong, they are always a pick me up and sometimes you really need it (really want it). But there are times when it's easy to make a similar drink yourself and enjoy it from the comfort of your home (without having to leave). And, you can make probably 10 of these for the cost of one $5 drink! 

Happy sipping friends. 

Fallin' for Fall

Happy fall! September 23 marks the first day of autumn and I am very excited for this season. I celebrated (yes, celebrated) by getting a pumpkin pie almond milk latte on my walk to work yesterday morning. I am on the east coast this fall, Washington, D.C., and have never actually experienced a "true" fall season. You know, where the leaves change and you need to break out a cute peacoat. So that means there will be plenty of photos to come in future posts! Looking forward to autumn always puts me in a great mood and now that it's actually here we can all enjoy the wonderful things it brings. Two of these are...
Pumpkin everything. I don't even have to explain anything here. Pumpkin is to fall as avocado is to summer, but about ten times more extreme. Pumpkin cookies, oatmeal, lattes, soups, and just about anything else you can think of. Let's eat lots of pumpkin. Don't even forget about real pumpkins and seeing them all stacked in front of stores!
Coziness. That's right. Time to snuggle up in your comfiest sweatpants, big tees, and socks. Make some warm tea and enjoy being comfortable. Relax, unwind, simply be. Cinnamon candles, warm scents, and a good read or movie with a soft blanket. Not to talk about the weather, but the cool air is always a nice change from the warm summer sun. This means it's also time to bust out those sweaters, knee high socks, and boots when you go out and about.

http://shopruche.com/blog/first-day-of-fall/

Last night I made a fall-ish inspired recipe. It's only 3 ingredients, real ingredients. Good for you and your lil tastebuds. Here you have it. Oh, and I meant to add black beans to this, but remembered when I was half way done eating it....so add some black beans to yours!
Cook Time: 30 minutes 
What you'll need: 
1/2 avocado
1 1/2 large sweet potatos
1 cup quinoa
Simply cook the quinoa according to the package's instructions. I used Rainbow Quinoa from Whole Foods, which was really good. While the quinoa is cooking, skin the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Place the sweet potato in a pan and drizzle some olive oil onto them. A dash of cinnamon on the sweet potatoes while they are cooking adds a bit of a fall flavor to the recipe. Let these cook, but be sure to stir and flip them around! Now that your quinoa and sweet potato are both cooking, cut up the avocado and place to the side. After about 20 minutes, both were done. Next, mix your quinoa, sweet potatoes, and avocado together & eat up! Add salt, pepper, or cinnamon to taste. Quinoa is a great source of protein, avocado is your healthy fat, and sweet potatoes are a delicious starch full of fiber. Two big plates later and I was satisfied!

Here's to a wonderful season!

"Thinking 'here goes nothing' could be the start of everything." -Drew Wagner 

Graze Snack Box // Product Review!

Graze is a new way of snacking where a box of various snacks gets delivered to the convenience of your home. Graze sent me a snack box to try out so I'm going to give you the scoop. I received a Graze Snack Box right about the time they said it would arrive. The box is small enough to fit into a mailbox, so no need to be home when it's delivered. Upon opening the box, there were 4 different snacks inside. The fruity mango chutney included black pepper dippers to dip into a mango sauce. It was full of flavor with a little spice! Zesty Chili Lime Cashews were next, which also had a bit of a kick to them (not my favorite, though). The Booster Seeds snack package had three simple ingredients: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Simple, the perfect snack, or I thought it'd be great for topping on some oatmeal. The last little snack in my box was Lemon Drizzle Flapjacks. These were the best, they taste like a lemon dessert bar. Chewy, sweet, and lemon-y! My first thought when receiving the box is that it would be great to bring to the beach. Everything from the size, to the convenience, to the flavors of the snacks, a yummy little munchie in the sand.
I must say, the box is much tastier than I honestly would have thought. There are various flavors in each and every separate snack, not a boring dry nut mix. Graze has over 100 recipes that can be in your snack box and they do not use any genetically engineered ingredients, artificial colors or flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and no trans fat in the food. I loved how they included all of the nutrition facts and ingredients for each product inside the box. It really is a new way of snacking! Check out www.graze.com to learn even more or to order your own box.

Messy Kitchen // 5 ingredient banana bites

Bliss balls, energy bites, no-bake energy balls, call them what you please - I see them everywhere now! After seeing another picture of delicious healthy bites on Instagram, I knew it was time to make them myself. I've made something like this before but wanted to try again with new ingredients. I didn't follow a specific recipe but instead just threw together some bananas, dates, oats, almond butter, and chopped almonds. Only 5 ingredients, all good for you (and your tastebuds). Unfortunately, my banana bites didn't come out quite as I expected, or as pretty as the pictures of others I've seen. It was a little difficult to get the bites to stay into balls, so next time-or if you try this out- more oats will be needed I'm thinkin'. My hands got pretty dang messy as I rolled the dough with my hands. What fun is cooking or baking if you don't make a mess though? The good news is they tasted great and I also froze a few to see how those one's will turn out! I'll get 'em down and even tastier next time (or just read an actual recipe). As for now, my banana bites are a great little snack or energy boost for any time of the day. I know what will be accompanying my breakfast tomorrow morning...
Recipe for my Messy Banana Bites:
1/2 cup rolled oats- this is what I used, however, recommend using 1 cup!
6 dates- remove pits if needed, chop into small pieces, and let soak in water for 5 minutes
2 bananas-mush together in bowl using a spoon
Handful of almonds- chop into thirds or halves (about 1/4 of a cup)
2 spoonfuls of almond butter
Mix all together in a medium sized bowl, roll into small balls, and refrigerate! Add something of your own that you love to the mix, try it out!
Update: I just tasted a frozen one and it tastes like a sweet banana dessert! A bit like banana bread, a bit like a peanut butter frozen banana. MMMM!

"If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good." -Dr. Seuss

G O O D morning

The start to your day, the energy you choose for the next 12 or so hours, new possibilities. It's true, I am a lover of mornings. You choose how you start your day, what you do and what you think when you wake in the morning is all up to you. Yesterday, I had a lovely morning; I woke up and chose to do a few of my favorite things which always leaves me with positive energy for the rest of the day.
My alarm is generally set for 8:30 A.M. if I have no specific plans, but I almost always wake up before then. I laced up my Nike's and went on a jog around my community. Working out first thing is just what my body prefers. It's great to get up and do it before having to think too much or getting too busy or losing any motivation. After my jog I completed about a 15 minute ab workout routine plus pushups and lunges. Whew! This left me feeling good and ready to EAT! I headed home to make a scrumptious breakfast. Smoothie bowl + KIND bar it was.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
Blend: 2 frozen bananas
            1/2 cup frozen strawberries
            1 scoop of Vega Vanilla Protein Powder http://myvega.com/product/protein-greens/
            Splash of water (so it can all blend a little easier)
Top: Strawberries/Bananas
        1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
         Scoop of almond butter
I poured my smoothie in a teacup and enjoyed it as I wrote a bit in my journal and read. I'm currently reading "The Four Agreements." I just started it and would already recommend this book to you-can't wait to finish and share more about it. So this is a look at how my morning went before I headed to work. This is one way I love to spend my morning and it might be completely different for others- but do something you love to start your day. You'll know you did something to make yourself feel good and that's really important.
P.S. Listen to the Spotify station "Have a Great Day!" when you're getting ready.

"Let us read and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." -Voltaire

Buddha Bowls

Lately I have been reading and watching videos of how important it is to feed your body good things and this has led me to a pretty committed healthy lifestyle. It is so important to not only listen to what your body is telling you, but treating it right by eating what it needs to thrive. It's amazing how different you feel after eating, say, a colorful nutrient packed dinner versus something from the drive-thru. Energy levels rise, your mood is effected, and all in all you just feel better about yourself. It's nice to know that you are feeding your body, mind, and soul, what it needs and functions best on. Anyways let's get to it, Buddha Bowls! I had never had a "Buddha Bowl" until I cooked them for my family last night. My family loved them because there is no specific recipe; you can put your favorites in it. Here are the basics of what one consists of: 

1. Greens: spinach, kale, arugula...
2. Grains: quinoa, brown rice, or white rice
3. Veggies: cooked or raw, asparagus, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes...
4. Starch: sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice...
5. Protein: black beans, garbanzo beans, tofu, edamame...
6. Healthy fat: avocado, seeds, nuts...
7. Sauce or dressing: hummus, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, tahini sauce, lemon/lime juice...

This is the basic little formula for putting together your bowl. As you can see, it's packed with nutrients and has a bit of everything you need. I think these are great if you are having friends over and everybody can put together their own bowl with all of the ingredients that are laid out. Highly recommend toasted sesame oil from Whole Foods. Enjoy!!

Found on Pinterest!

My bowl consisted of spinach and arugula, quinoa, cooked asparagus and zucchini, shredded
carrots, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, avocado, tomato, pumpkin seeds, and hummus, mmmmm!

"Take care of your body, it's the only place you have to live." Jim Rohn

A Smoothie for You

Good morning all you lovelies. Morning means breakfast and breakfast makes me happy. It's the best meal of the day! Smoothie bowls are such a pretty food and completely healthy, call me obsessed. After scrolling on the Free People Blog, I found a delicious recipe for a smoothie bowl. Lee Tilgham's website is filled with bright, healthy fruits that inspired me to make a smoothie bowl and share this post. I did't use all of the exact ingredients as the recipe called for (I saw the price for Goji Berries at Whole Foods and thought better not) however, I don't think the taste is much different. You can check out www.leefromamerica.com for more healthy and gorgeous recipes! I particularly loved making this smoothie bowl because it's all ingredients that you probably have at home or can go grab at your local market, if needed. Treat yourself right, give your body nourishing foods that will leave you glowing all day!

Smoothie Bowl

Blend: 

2 frozen bananas 

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup almond milk 

A sprinkle of cinnamon 

Toppings: 

1/2 banana 

Spoonful of chia seeds

Handful of blackberries 

Handful of blueberries

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup granola 

For Lee's exact recipe, click this link: http://www.leefromamerica.com/recipes/2015/1/9/free-people-in-the-kitchen-with-lee 

"Try to learn to breathe deep, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough." -Ernest  Hemmingway

EATS: SkinnyFats

Location: Las Vegas, NV
6261 Dean Martin Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89118

8680 W. Warm Springs Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89148

SkinnyFats is a one-of-a-kind delicious restaurant in Las Vegas! Their newest location just opened... it was pretty much a MUST to go check it out a couple of weeks ago. The second location (W. Warm Springs Rd.) is much bigger than the original one; it's always packed at SkinnyFats so this is very good news. It includes an outside patio with lights strung above, artificial green grass, and bright cushions. Love it all!

SkinnyFats slogan is, "Live Healthy, Live Happy." That's exactly how the menu is set up, split right down the middle. One side of the menu is "Healthy", where you can find food such as the "Vegwich", "Right Stuffed", and "CauliFire", while the "Happy" side has food such as, the "Cherry Popper", "Happymess", and "Sweet Cheese Us". The presentation of their food is always pretty and it tastes just as amazing. Along with main dishes, SkinnyFats serves sides, all day breakfast, juices, shakes, and a featured Sunday Sundae every Sunday. I try something new here every time and am always more than satisfied.

The workers here are always extremely friendly and happy, catering to your needs. The whole vibe of SkinnyFats is awesome. It's a feel-good type of restaurant with bright colors and a totally unique interior design. It's hipster-ish. They didn't neglect the small details when creating this place; you can tell they truly want you to have an enjoyable experience while dining here. This restaurant is not a chain, but rather locally owned. SkinnyFats has been open since June of 2013 and is voted by the Las Vegas Review Journal 'The Best of Las Vegas 2014',  Best New Restaurant and Best American New. I feel that SkinnyFats brings something new to the table and is just the kind of refreshing place people are searching for.
Go see for yourself!
www.skinnyfats.com
Instagram: @eatskinnyfats
(Check out their instagram for daily mouthwatering food posts & specials!)

Snackin'

Keeping snacks that are good for you in your dorm is very important! Living on your own can make eating healthy a bit harder, especially when you don't have your own kitchen and appliances and have access to lots of junk food. Thank goodness there's a Trader Joe's and a Whole Foods just a few minutes away from me! By prepping your snacks/meals, being cautious of what you're eating, and treating your body well, it's a bit simpler. Below are some of my favorite snacks and breakfast meals that you can make in a small space with few ingredients. Anyone can make these, even if you aren't living in a dorm.

Yogurt Parfait:
-1 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 cut up apple, granola added to the top, sprinkles of cinnamon
-1 cup Greek yogurt, handful of blueberries, 1 banana, handful of almonds
Make in a plastic cup or a paper bowl so you can just toss it once you are finished!

Hummus:
A few spoonfuls of hummus with carrots, pretzels, cucumber, and celery is one of my go to snacks. I put it in a tupperware container and enjoy when there's time between classes.

Oatmeal:
Most stores have individual oatmeal cups you can purchase, such as a single serving. Those are great, but it's much cheaper to buy a whole box with about 10 packs and it lasts a lot longer. Oatmeal doesn't have to be a boring food! Load your oatmeal up with berries (blueberries, strawberries, bananas), granola, cinnamon, honey, nuts, and enjoy this delicious breakfast or even late night snack!

Bread with various toppings:
So many possibilities for this one:
-1 slice of wheat bread with peanut butter/almond butter and 1/2 cut up banana on top
-1 slice of wheat bread with a hummus spread and 1/2 avocado sliced on top
-1 slice of wheat bread with a jelly spread & cut up strawberries added to top
-1 slice of wheat bread with Nutella and strawberries
These are also delicious on english muffins.

Wraps: 
All you need is tortillas and whatever you'd like to go inside. Use your hummus and veggies from above to create a wrap!
Spinach, tomato, avocado, cucumber for a veggie wrap.
Create a PB and Fruit wrap with strawberries, bananas, and a few blueberries over a peanut butter spread with a handful of granola all wrapped up.

Must Haves: 
My mini refrigerator and snack basket always have these things and they don't expire right away:
Apples
Almond Milk (lasts so much longer than regular milk!)
Granola Bars (Nature Valley, Kind Bars, Z Bars)
Almonds
Green Tea
Dark Chocolate covered Acai Berries
Yogurt cups
Honey Nut Cheerios
Vegetable Soup
String Cheese

Other Tips: 
1. Drink water! There's many vending machines with soda options but water is a zillion times better for you. Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day. Stay hydrated and happy!
2. If there's free fruit, take it, always.

Have a beautiful day!

"If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better. And that makes you so happy." -Kristin Chenoweth 

3 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

If you're tired of your normal breakfast routines, here are three simple recipes that are all very healthy! They all take no more than 15 minutes to make and give you the energy to start each day.  All of the recipes below are vegetarian.
EAT GOOD. FEEL GOOD.

Acai Bowl
Ingredients:
Sambazon Acai Smoothie packets (you can buy these from Whole Foods-aka best place ever- in the frozen section)
1 banana
1/2 cup almond milk
Strawberries
Honey granola
Blueberries
Kiwi
-Any other fruit you may want! The possibilities with acai bowls are whatever you desire.

1. Rinse 1 smoothie pack under warm water until it is softened. Place in blender, along with 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup almond milk, and just a few berries.
2. Blend, blend, blend!
3. When your smoothie is completely blended, pour in a bowl.
4. Add your fruits to the top now. Make sure you have cut your strawberries into halves or fourths.
5. Sprinkle granola, almonds, or shredded coconut to the top!
There ya have it! A beautiful, healthy, refreshing breakfast to kickstart your day.

Toasted Avocado Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado

1 or 2 scrambled egg(s) or egg whites

1 piece of wheat bread

Hummus (roasted garlic hummus from Trader Joe's is delicious) 

Spinach

Mushrooms 

Tomatoes 

1. Prep your veggies by washing and cutting the ones you wish to use and placing them to the side. Don't forget about that avocado. If you use mushrooms, sauté them using a splash of vegetable oil.

2. Scramble up your eggs using a little bit of butter in the pan.

3. Toast your piece of bread while the eggs are cooking.

4. Once your eggs are fully cooked, spread your hummus onto the toast and cut in half. Then, place the scrambled eggs onto the toast.

5. Add your veggies and enjoy!

Instead of using toast, try using half of a bagel or an english muffin! 

Greek Yogurt w/ Fruit 

If you're in a hurry, this is probably the best option for you. I've been eating these so much this summer and just can't get enough. It's amazing how filling greek yogurt is! You can buy Yoplait 100 Greek Yogurt at your local grocery store.

Picture taken from the Yoplait website

1. Stir your yogurt and add some granola or almonds to go in it. A bowl of fresh fruit always goes great with yogurt because you can mix it in or eat it separately. Extremely simple, perfect for on-the-go. 

I am by no means a chef or professional in this area! This year I've definitely been eating MUCH healthier as well as experimenting with food. It's such an incredible difference in how you feel, even by simply eating a feel good breakfast. Hope you enjoy these if you try them out. Let me know!

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." -Unknown