Avocado Blood Orange Salad

I’ve got a recipe for youuu!

Per usual, it is yummy and colorful and healthy and just a little bit out of the ordinary. I will probably grab this stuff at the grocery store soon and make a batch to take to campus with me this week. Now, without further ado…

Avocado Blood Orange Salad

Ingredients:
– 2 fresh avocados, diced
– 1/2 cup red onion, diced
– 2 blood oranges, peeled and diced*
– 4 T lime juice
– 2 T fresh Italian parsley**
– pinch of salt
– pinch of pepper

*can substitute with regular oranges
**can substitute with fresh mint, basil or cilantro

It was SO good!

Since this recipe is for a salad there are not really any directions I need to write down. Simply toss together in a salad bowl and serve! This recipe was originally from here; I highly recommend you take a gander for some inspiration.

Carpe diem, baby loves.

Some Events To Ponder

Happy Humpday!

I’m currently sitting at my desk at school with an ugly cold wishing I was curled up in my bed right now, but alas… it is what it is.

I really ought to start my Mathematics for Economists homework before my Advanced Microeconomic Theory class starts, so this will be a short post – plus looking at my computer screen in this state gives me a bit of a headache. Fun times.

The past few months I haven’t been attending as many concerts as I would like to, so I’m trying to get back on that horse. After a brief query, I came across a few local concerts coming up; most of which I am definitely planning on attending as long as life doesn’t get in the way. These are:

• Beats Antique on Friday, October 2nd at 19h00 (Fete Ballroom)
• Zedd on Tuesday, October 6th at 19h30 (Ryan Center)
• Passion Pit on Wednesday, October 14th at 20h00 (Ryan Center)
• Cold War Kids on Thursday, October 22nd at 19h30 (Lupos)
• Guster on Thursday, November 5th at 20h00 (Lupos)
• New Politics on Thursday, November 19th at 20h00 (Lupos)

Other than musical concerts, there are two other events that may be of interest to some of you – they certainly are to me.

• WBRU Craft Brew Fest on Saturday, October 3rd – there are two time slots (Lupos)
• Kevin Hart on Saturday, October 17th at 19h30 (Dunkin’ Center)
• Rhode Island Comic Con, November 6th-8th (RICC & Dunkin’)

Well, that’s all I got for now, folks. Stay healthy and awesome and let me know if anyone plans on attending these… maybe I’ll see you there!

x’s and o’s

Ocean State Oyster Festival

Hello, Baby Loves.

The day isn’t even over yet and it’s been a good one – I hope you’re kicking off the weekend in a similar fashion. After all, it is the last weekend of summer!

Today, I successfully managed to drag Max to the Ocean State Oyster Festival. To my knowledge this is the first year of them doing it, but I could be wrong. Either way, it was my first rendez-vous and it was fabulous! Max even braved trying oysters for the first time.

Babe’s First Oyster

The festival was located in Riverwalk Park in Providence and included local beer, 18 local oyster farms, multiple food trucks as well as live music. It was basically a culmination of awesomeness; plus 10% of ticket sales went to Save The Bay. I wasn’t able to try all of the farms oysters, but here were the ones I slurped up:

American Mussel, Beehan Family Farm, Block Island Oyster Company, East Beach Oysters, Jonathan Island Oyster Company, Matunuck Oyster Farm, Salt Water Farms, Walrus & Carpenter

Every oyster was delicious, staff was incredibly friendly, and yeah… nothing bad to report!  Try them all out if you ever get the chance. For more information on this festival, click here. The day was also gorgeous, so that was icing on the cake.

After we had our fill of the fest, we trekked northward to Lincoln for a nice rock climbing session. Since Max and I are lead certified now (!!!) we did some mild lead climbing and I am officially plumb tuckered out.

On that note, I think I am going to hunker down with a good book – either A Wise Man’s Fear or The Catcher in the Rye – and see where this lovely summer evening takes me. Enjoy yourselves, my dears! Take advantage of these beautiful days, for as we know, winter is coming.

Cocoa For The Win

Hihihi.

Look at me, posting in the early evening! I worked this morning and then did a post-work gym session (bench press, awh yea), so now I have the rest of my Sunday to relax before my first FULL week of classes begin. Don’t y’all feel loved that I choose this precious free time to focus on you? You should.

Speaking of focus, the yoga studio that I attend (which was called Focus Yoga) has since merged with All That Matters yoga, which now has three locations: East Greenwich, Wakefield, and Providence. Since I work at a juice bar (i.e. am health conscious), an instructor came in and gave me a free yoga class pass… YAY FREE STUFF. I’ll do a little synopsis for you guys once I go, and if you’re a Rhode Islander, try it out for yourself! Yoga = very good for you. They also offer beginner classes, so don’t be afraid; yogis are very nice people.

While I was in the sauna today, I was reading a Women’s Health magazine, and I obtained some pretty cool information that naturally, I wanted to share.

Fun Fact: We have zero oil glands in our lips, which is why they can get so dang dry; especially when mercury levels drop. To combat this crispy dilemma, try and use lip balm that contains Omega-3, -6 or -9 fatty acids — they help seal in moisture. A good example is Chapstick Total Hydration.

Maybe you never gave any thought to nail polish and the ingredients within, but take heed: there can be some pretty gnarly things in those bad boys. Major nail brands have been reformulating their products to be “3-free”, which means they are free from the carcinogens toluene, dibutyl phthalate and formaldehyde (yikes). Then, there were “5-free” options, which are free from synthetic resin and camphor. Now, parabens and animal products have been eliminated in “7-free” lines, though the only company I have seen selling this is Pacifica.

Finally, the best for last; in my opinion. In the past I have talked about cocoa and cacao and how they are awesome for you and great in smoothies. Now, apparently, cocoa is also great to bathe in. Yes, that is correct. Due to its high level of antioxidants, soaking in cocoa can make your skin feel luxuriously smooth and supple. So, if you’re daring enough to try it (which I certainly am), here’s a recipe:

• 1/8 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 c instant dry milk*
• 1/2 c unscented bubble bath

*Use 2% or whole milk; the fat content will help moisturize your skin. It also acts as an exfoliate.

For best results, add ingredients to warm running water, froth it up and relax for at least 15-20 minutes while the antioxidants work their magic. BOOM!

That’s it for me tonight, folks. Happy Sunday 🙂

Cucumber, Radish and Seaweed Salad

Hello, dears.

This is just a quick recipe post I came across. I haven’t actually tried it yet, but I’m trying to get into the seaweed scene and this looked like a relatively friendly recipe to try out. Let me know what you think!

Meanwhile, I will be snoozing hardcore in my bed — classes started today and I even did a 20-minute run before classes today! It was a hot and sweaty time. Rawr.

Cucumber, Radish and Seaweed Salad

Ingredients
– 1 cup dried arame seaweed
– 2 large cucumbers (halved lengthwise and sliced thin)
– roughly 8 small radishes (trimmed and quartered)
– 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
– 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
– 2 tablespoons black/white sesame seeds (toasted and cooled)

Directions
1.  Soak arame in cold water until tender (~15 minutes). Drain.
2. Add cucumbers, radishes, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Toss.
3. Cover and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Before serving, toss again and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

You all rock. Lovelovelove.

Cuckoo For Coconuts

Bonsoir mes amis! I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend (if you had one…).

I’m currently sitting in my bed amidst a deliciously scented warm caramel cider candle and mentally preparing myself for graduate school to commence! Eep. I have orientation tomorrow and then on Wednesday, classes begin. DUNDUNDUN. Stay tuned on that front.

While gathering up some school supplies, I came across a piece of paper I had printed out a while back pertaining to the awesomeness of coconuts – because they are just that. The paper is pretty trashed, but before I send it off to the recycling bin, I wanted to regurgitate some of the information because I think some of it is très useful to know. I’ll also post the original photograph in case anyone is interested in all the facts. Here, I’m only going to focus on the nutritious aspect of these coco-nuts.

In a nutshell:

• Coconut Meat. From the meat, coconut oil, coconut milk and nectar can be extracted. Coconut sap can also be yielded into candy, syrup, coconut sugar and palm wine.
• Coconut Water. Pretty much self-explanatory, here. Coconut water is AWESOME for hydration, so if you are an active person, I highly recommend you hop on this wagon. The water can also be turned into things like wine and vinegar, but really… stick to the water.

I’m trying not to overload your brains with coconut information, so that’s all I’ll throw at you. Seriously though, check out the image below; the coconut has been used for some crazy things around the world! I want to spend some time in Hawaii asap, so I’ll have to master some of these techniques. Anyway, I’m off to get some beauty rest. x’s and o’s and also some z’s.

You’ve Got 3 Questions…

Hey, babes.

According to a study I recently read, here are three questions to ask constantly in order to increase your productivity. I’m going to keep these in mind, and so should you! Well, at least try.

1. What do you really want? Or otherwise put, “What is the specific result that I’m committed to achieving?”
2. Why do you want to do this?
3. How are you going to achieve it?

Bing, bang, boom.

Peace Out, Unofficial Summer

Well, well, September has arrived!
I start having meetings on Monday and classes begin for my Master’s program on Wednesday the 9th. It’s getting real, folks o_O. I’m cramming in as much bum and reading time as I can while my brain is free and able to breathe.

However, just because summer is unofficially over (the official date of Fall is September 23rd, for those who don’t know) does not mean I will succumb, and I hope you won’t, either. Enjoy the beautiful weather for as long as you can.

Don’t get me wrong, I really love Fall, but I also really adore lamping around down at my family’s beach house and soaking up some rays. I mean… who wouldn’t? I have to say, I made it to the beach more times this Summer than any previous one I can remember, and I freaking love it. ESPECIALLY when the beach is within walking distance and I can bring beers. Hehe.

A little off topic, but I read this article today titled, “Four Daily Habits of a Good Boss”, and I wanted to quickly share the four habits with you lovely folks. To be frank, I think these habits do not just pertain to a good boss, so ignore the title and take the tips in stride. I do these things most of the time, and I am not exactly a budding entrepreneur — at least not yet. *wink*

1. Take time for yourself every morning. It sets a good pace for the rest of your day. Keep up with the routine! Here’s mine: wake up, take allergy medicine and probiotic, break my fast, drink beverage (either tea, hot water with lemon, or chocolate milk), drum up physical or mental to-do list, carpe diem. Boom.
2. Eat Breakfast. I already mentioned this above. The article says to “think of your mind as a motor. Without proper fuel, it sputters and never really gets running strong.” My breakfast varies depending on how much time I have. If I have ample time, I make a juice or my favorite: two eggs over medium on healthy bread with a slice of cheese and either hummus or avocado spread on the toast (I also add ketchup and hot sauce but we can overlook that unhealthy bit). If I have a tiny bit of time, I will attempt to make a smoothie, and if I’m crunched on time I usually grab a banana, hard-boiled egg I previously made, or a healthy bar of some sort, because carbs are crucial early in the day.
3. Catch up with your team. Okay, this is more boss oriented, but I twist this into just staying in touch with those whose company you hold dear. Friends, family, co-workers, etc., don’t be afraid to reach out and catch up. It’s nice to socialize.
4. Ask what can be done better. Nobody is perfect. Sorry if anyone was under the impression that they were. There is always something that can be improved upon, and if you ask others and yourself on a regular basis how you can be the best possible person you can be, you’re sure to be an awesome individual. Life is an ongoing learning process; embrace it! Don’t stay stagnant, it smells.

There you have it, my turtle doves. My computer battery is perilously close to dying, so I’m going to have to sign off. Have a great Labor Day weekend and get outside in the sun!