Thursday, July 10, 2014

greek salad.

A few weeks ago my coworkers and I went for dinner in Greek Town, and I had the most amazing Greek Salad that I have been trying to recreate ever since.

Lately, I've been making it with kale instead of lettuce. And although not an authentic Greek Salad, it's still pretty delicious.



Here's the recipe:

Greek Salad (Serves 2-3)

- 3 cups of kale, de-stemmed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halves
- 1 persian cucumber, diced
- 1/2 chopped red onion
- 10 kalamata olives (I prefer pitted because they're easier to eat)
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced (optional)
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon

1. Massage kale with olive oil and lemon
2. Add tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, red pepper, avocado and feta
3. Toss. Add salt and pepper to taste
4. Serve and enjoy :)

Monday, July 7, 2014

monday mantra.

The first day back after a long weekend is always tough (as if Mondays weren't rough enough to begin with!).

Here's a little motivation to help you get back in the swing of things after a weekend of fun and relaxation.



I find it helpful to start each week with a quote or mantra that I can repeat to myself whenever I'm feeling unmotivated. This week my goal is to get focused and get things done so I can have another fun an stress-free weekend come Friday afternoon.

Wishing you all a wonderful and productive week!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

panzanella.

Lately, one of my favorite thing to make has been an Italian panzanella salad.



Panzanella is just a salad with bread and tomatoes. Although, I like to dress mine up a little bit with some red onion, cucumber and avocado.

I also like to toast the bread in olive oil before adding it to the other ingredients. This gives the bread a nice crispness on the outside, while still remaining chewy.

Here is the recipe I loosely follow for this light summertime lunch or dinner.

Panzanella Salad (serves 2-3)

- 1/2 baguette, torn into medium sized chunks
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 chopped red onion
- 1 diced avocado
-  1 tsp olive oil
- 3 chopped basil leaves

1. Heat olive oil in pan and add bread. Stir every few minutes, until bread is toasted
2. While bread is toasting, combine other ingredients in a bowl
3. Add bread directly from the pan, and mix all ingredients.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy :)

Monday, May 19, 2014

holstee manifesto.

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready to tackle a new week.

Have you heard of the Holstee Manifesto?



The instructor in my yoga class on Saturday used it in class, and the words have really stuck with me ever since.

This is your life. Do what you love and do it often. If you don't like something, change it.

Lately, I feel like I have just been going through the motions of my own life, and this quote reminded me that I have the power to create my own reality and live the life that I want.

This week, I'm going to make an effort to make more little changes to start enjoying my life more!

Cheers to a wonderful and happy week!

Monday, May 5, 2014

May Goals

Hello and happy May! After (another) hiatus, I am back in action.

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life at this stage.
In the spirit of trying to live my life with more intention, I've decided to set some different goals to work on each month.

Here are May's Goals:

  • Attend yoga three times per week
  • Practice Spanish with every day with Duolingo
  • Cook at home every day. I'm participating in The Everygirl's 30 Days of Cooking at Home, which means that I can only eat out 4 times for the entire month! 
  • Blog three times per week. Yes, I know I've been bad at this lately! But May is a new month :)
Cheers to a new month and a clean slate!


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

currently reading: The Fault in Our Stars.

My book club picked the best book for this month: The Fault in Our Stars.

Seriously, it's so good! I read the entire thing in one afternoon; it's just one of those books that you can't put down.



The book is a love story about a terminally ill girl and a guy she meets at her support group, and I just loved how real and authentic it felt. The book was funny, inspiring and realistic all at the same time, and I highly recommend it!

There's also a movie set to come out in June that looks great. I'm not always a fan of books made into movies, but this one really looks good.

Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? What did you think?

Monday, February 3, 2014

in a funk.

Do you ever just feel like your in a funk? That's how I felt all weekend.
Something was off, but I just couldn't put my finger on what. I couldn't tell if I was tired or stressed out or lonely, but something was wrong.

So I decided to take last night for myself. I blew off watching the Super Bowl, and instead spent the evening on my couch watching movies and reading a good book.

Luckily, I was feeling a little better when I woke up this morning, but still not totally back to normal.
So I'm making a point to go to yoga tonight in the hopes that it will make me feel better.
Sometimes I just get this way, and the best thing to do is just wait it out for a few days.

Do you ever get in a weird mood/funk for no reason? How do you get back to normal?

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

hustle.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Here are a few words to remember as you finish off the week.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

freezing.

Guys, I really hate to be one to complain about the weather, but it's out of control freezing in Chicago right now!



All I want to do is lay at home, drink hot tea and snuggle in bed.

Fingers crossed that spring time will be here sooner rather than later!

Monday, January 27, 2014

homebody.

I used to love going out every night in college, but as I'm getting older, I find myself wanting to stay in more and more.


Part of this might have to do with the frigid temperatures in Chicago right now, but I'm starting to realize that there's something nice about staying in and lounging on a Friday or Saturday night.

I spent the past weekend lounging at home alone by myself. And while I wouldn't want to exile myself to my apartment every weekend, this was a nice change of pace. It felt to relaxing to not have to worry about plans Friday and Saturday nights; instead, I just got to relax at home in my PJs. With a full week ahead, this was exactly what I needed.

I hope you all had a restful and relaxing weekend and are ready to tackle this Monday!

Friday, January 24, 2014

no fear friday: hot yoga.

I have been curious about hot yoga for a long time, but, until recently, was always too intimidated to try it.  It always seemed way too hardcore for me (and seriously expensive!).

A few weeks ago a friend of mine mentioned that her yoga studio was looking for people to participate in their work trade program, and I jumped at the opportunity. So now I clean at the studio for three hours a week in exchange for free(!!!) yoga.



After my first cleaning shift, I was seriously inspired to try out some of their hot yoga classes, and I finally got  the courage to go on Monday.

And I loved it! Don't get me wrong, it was seriously hard, but I loved how great I felt afterwards after sweating everything out. When I first walked into class, I was so intimidated by everyone else who seemed like experts. But I got the hang of class pretty quickly, and I can't wait to go back!

Have any of you ever tried hot yoga? Do you have an tips for a newbie like me?

Thursday, January 23, 2014

year of no fear.

I have officially decided to dub 2014 the "Year of No Fear"

Too often I find myself (and my friends) not doing what I want in life because I am held back by fear -- fear of what other people will think, fear of the consequences, and fear of failing. And while I don't think I'll ever be able to live my life completely free of those fears, I've decided that this is the year to forget my fears and live the life I've always wanted.

Every week I will be doing something new that scares me and blogging about it for "No Fear Friday."

Stay tuned for my first post coming up this Friday!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

get moving.

Okay, I have a confession: I have already been slacking a little bit on my New Years Resolutions -- especially my resolution to be healthier.

Since it's been so cold, all I havewanted to do lately is snuggle up at home and stuff myself with carbs. This is definitely not the way to be healthier.

[Nike]


So I've decided to use this picture as some motivation to get moving for the rest of the week. Lucky for me, it's supposed to warm up in Chicago over the next few days so it will be a bit easier to get outside and to the gym.

How do you stay motivated to work out and be healthy when it's the weather outside is less than inviting?


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

currently reading: Adulting

Since I've was snowed in at my apartment the past two days, I finally had the chance to finish reading my book club book for this month, Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps.



I wasn't really sure how I was going to like this book because reading about how to be a "grown-up" doesn't exactly sound like fun. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Adulting.

A lot of the advice in this book is pretty obvious, but the author's funny and sarcastic tone made it easy to relate to the problems she discussed. And while the thought of having real-life adult problems is a little scary for me, this book made me realize that it's totally okay to not have everything figured out just yet. Sometimes I feel like I need to have my entire life in order now that I have graduated from college and am on my own, and it's refreshing to be reminded that graduating doesn't automatically mean having all the answers.


Monday, January 6, 2014

Chiberia

It's officially a frozen tundra in Chicago today.


Weather reports are saying that it is colder here than in Antarctica -- wow! I am lucky enough to be able to work from home today, so I will be spending the day cozied up and warm in my apartment.

Stay warm out there everyone!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

hello 2014.

I'm baaaack!
After a rather long hiatus from this little blog of mine, I am finally back just in time to welcome a new year -- hello there, 2014.

Since it's the time of year for those (dreaded) New Years Resolutions, I thought I would share a few of mine for this year. I'm not usually one to make a ton of resolutions, but I do have some things I have been trying to work on lately:

Be Healthier -- This is a constant struggle for me. I have been working out a lot more lately, and now I am trying to bring that healthiness unto all aspects of my life -- physical, emotional and spiritual.

Find a Hobby -- Ever since I graduated college in June, I feel like I have had a ton more free time on my hands, and I need to find something productive to do with myself instead of sitting on the couch binge watching Girls. I'm not actually sure what I want this hobby to be, but I'm open to trying all kind of new things this year in order to find out.

Spend Smarter -- And spend less. And save more. Seriously, this year I need to finally get my finances in order. I want to make big moves this year, and I definitely do not need money to be holding me back.

Read More -- I used to be such an avid reader, and I miss the feeling of diving into a good book. This year, I'm going to try to read for at least 30 minutes every day. If you have any book suggestions, please send them my way!

Live in the Moment -- Lately I've noticed that I'm spending waaay too much time checking social media on my phone when I am with other people. I am really trying to be better about enjoying the company of those I am with and not being distracted with other things. It's easier said than done, but I am truly trying.

There you go: my resolutions for a wonderful 2014. What are you all hoping to work on this year?