Friday Love! {10.21.16}

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I's been like two months since I've done one of these bad boys, so let's get started!

one// This Sunday Michael and I are going to Chicago! It's for a conference with Harvest Bible Chapel, and it'll be our first extended trip (3 days!) without Lydia. I'm a little nervous because the longest I've been away from her is a full day/overnight! However, at the same time I am looking forward to learning and becoming closer to God without all the distractions.

two// The other day I took a picture of Lydia sitting in her chair and realized I had taken a similar one exactly a year before. 7 months old vs. 19 months old. I think she was just starting to army crawl at that age and now she's running, climbing and dancing!

three// I am easing back into painting. I got out the oil paints that I had bought over a year ago and forgot about. I am hoping it'll help with relaxation and spark my creativity!

pacifier nostalgia 

four// So, Lydia hasn't used her pacifier in two full days! We have been talking about weaning her off of it, but my instincts just told me to just keep it from her and have her go cold turkey. I told Michael we need to be strong and not cave in when she's upset. Yesterday she was a bit of an emotional roll coaster but we all survived. On the bright side she's been sleeping through the night without a fuss! The next step? Have her sleep through the night in her crib :)

five// I'm happy that the weather is finally cooling down! This week has been so hot, and I have been drinking iced coffee in the afternoon when my soul is craving a hot latte. I also want to retire my sandals already and bring out the cozy fall/winter clothes. Today may be dreary and wet but I think it is refreshing, and I can appropriately wear a flannel and sip on a latte without sweating :)

six// After two years of reading my bible on my phone, I got myself a new bible this week and it's beautiful! Distractions are constant in my life, and doing my daily readings through my phone seemed to open doors to more distractions. I've always preferred reading books over screens so the transition from phone bible to real bible has been seamless!

That's all I have for this week, I hope you guys have a lovely weekend!

6 ways to eat more tahini (if you have a sweet-and-savory tooth!):

 

Tahini's bitterness may be polarizing to some and could require a little getting used to due to it's complex flavor. And though you won't catch me eating tahini by the spoonful, I love using tahini in sweet applications because it is nutty, bitter, and rich and those flavors often help balance treats that are otherwise cloyingly sweet. I consider myself one who has a sweet-and-savory tooth, and I figured it would be fun to share ways to eat tahini that go way beyond hummus and dressings. So this post is for all my like-minded sweet-and-savory toothed friends! (Not sure that's something people really say, but I'm going with it!)

1. If you normally add peanut or almond butter to your oatmeal, try swapping it for a spoonful or two of tahini!

2. On a piece of toast! 3 of my favorite toast combos: 

-tahini with strawberry jam

-tahini with chocolate chips and sea salt

-tahini with banana, a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of ground cinnamon. 

It’s the perfect evening snack when I’m feeling a little hungry and yet wanting something both indulgent and nutritious. 

3.  In chocolate chip cookies or swirled into brownies. Chocolate and tahini just works so seamlessly together, much like peanut butter, but more interesting!

4. Three words: Tahini ice cream! 

5. Stir it into your Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, a bit of honey, ground cardamom and a drop of vanilla extract. It’s one of my favorite afternoon snacks, it's tasty and packed with healthy fat and protein, and fills me up til dinnertime.

6. Last but not least blend it into your next smoothie!

My favorite: 

-1 tablespoon tahini
-1 frozen banana
-1-2 pitted medjool dates
-2 tablespoons raw oats
-touch of cinnamon
-1/2 cup almond milk

Blend until thoroughly combined. Soooo good!

What are your favorite ways to eat tahini? :)

Friday Love! {7.29.2016}

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one // Have you guys ever tried 2-ingredient pancakes? They've been around for a few years now and I've made them before in the past but completely forgot about them! Fortunately while I was browsing on The Kitchn, I saw that they posted a recipe and gorgeous pictures of them. So I made them this morning....Didn't manage to get a picture because, well, pancakes are not my strong suit and they were not pretty. It doesn't help that they're more delicate than regular pancakes. However, I'm learning that using a cast iron skillet and a fish spatula (which goes above and beyond flipping fish!) are key. As far as taste goes these pancakes remind me so much of french toast only they're lighter and give me energy! 

two // Remember how I mentioned organizing the basement two weeks ago? Well... that never happened. ALTHOUGH, I did manage to organize Michael's closet, the pantry and our small appliance cabinet. All of which were quite unorganized. The basement organizing will come into affect eventually. Again prayers are appreciated : )

three //  Lydia got in her molars!! Also she always eats standing up now and firmly believes that the more utensils at meal time the better. And she has been a little better about eating her food rather than throwing it to Zoe too. Sometimes it's just the little victories that keep me sane! Yay.

four // The most indulgent things we ate this week included homemade curly fries and miso caramel ice cream. The curly fries were reminiscent of potato sticks which I LOVED as a kid. However they weren't as spicy as I'd like them to be, so next time I will bump up the volume on the cayenne and smoked paprika! As far the miso caramel ice cream, I am completely smitten with this flavor and may or may not consider it a new favorite. I found the recipe here and used white miso because it is what I had. The miso provided both a nutty and salty flavor which balances the sweetness of the caramel. It's also extremely creamy and rich, a home run all around!

five // I am looking forward to the weekend. This week has been long, overwhelming and yucky... Hoping for sunshine, productivity and some quiet time.

On that note, I hope you also enjoy your weekend!

Friday Love!

Just a few things I’ve been loving these days:

one // First things first, this weather is spectacular! Sure there’s been rainy days this week but it has been much warmer lately and am happy that summer is around the corner.

two // This post on respecting your body’s natural size. I found it to be such a positive, spot on and well written piece! I know I have moments where I’m feeling self-conscious with my body, and this post is all about giving yourself a break and to letting go of numbers on the scale. I loved it.

three // FitnessBlender’s FBooty Round 2. I just completed week 1! Much like the first round, this program combines pilates, HIIT, and lower body strength workouts with extra credit for a burnout round. It’s been challenging but so much fun. My goal is to strengthen my lower body and improve my balance and flexibility as well!

four// Adding a shot of espresso to my morning smoothie this week. I’ve been seeing it around the web for a few months now and finally did it! I will be posting a recipe in the near future:)

five // Buttermilk. I know it’s nothing new under the sun but I recently reintroduced some dairy into my diet, and it’s become essential for my fried chicken brine, cake and waffle batters! I've also been using any leftover buttermilk in smoothies and overnight oatmeal. From now on (unless I’m cooking for someone with dairy allergies), I will probably stop making buttermilk substitutes by curdling milk with lemon or vinegar. It just isn't the same!

six // This black "coconut ash" ice cream. I wouldn't say I love it because I haven't tried it but it intrigues me immensely. It's coconut flavored and has activated charcoal in it. Hmmm thoughts? 

seven // Last but certainly not least, my new cacti family. They were a Mother’s day present from Michael:) Phoebe resides in the kitchen while Georgie hangs out in the living room. Aren't they cute?

That's all I got today, have a beautiful long weekend!

23 things for 2016

Cheers and an abundance of praise to another year of good health, happy memories, blessings and delicious food! I picked 23 things because I'm 23 years old. So here's my list of 23 realistic goals:

1. Memorize scriptures; I have a few favorites but want to add more to my memory to fall back on for encouragement, praise, peace of mind and strength.

2. Pray more; whether it is for praise, family, my congregation or big things that are going on in our country, I need to be praying more.

3. Commit more time to studying the bible; whether it’s in a group setting or on my own time.

This past year, I wrote a short list of things that trigger my anxiety and rated them on a scale of 1-10; 1 being very mild anxiety and 10 being “!!!!” anxiety. I got the tip when I was searching “how to overcome anxiety” and found it to be extremely resourceful. I decided the two that I wanted to overcome this year had to do with everyday encounters.

4.Get over my fear of calling people (that aren’t family) first, and not feeling like it is the scariest thing in the world.

5. Saying what’s on my mind (within context, of course), share my ideas with others and do it all without the fear of sounding stupid. And if I do sound stupid to them, then oh well! I may think I’m going to die from embarrassment but I haven't died from it yet.

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” –Julia Child

6. Hone my knifing skills… Relearn how to debone chicken, segment citrus, filet a fish, etc. 

7. Improve my pie/pastry and cake decorating abilities; I got the taste down, but presentation is where I lack and want to practice.  

8.Try to make more foods from scratch. Pasta, bread, stocks, and maybe even goat’s milk yogurt and ricotta cheese just to name a few...

9. Invest and use a kitchen scale for more accurate baking measurements.

10. Learn the basics of building delicious cocktails.

11. Throw dinner party or two! 

12. Take more pictures because there is no such thing as taking too many, and I did't take that many in 2015.

13. Develop recipes, perfect them and post them on this blog with confidence.

14.Create something lovely out of all the wine corks we’ve collected over the course of a year.

15. Learn a new creative skill. Perhaps sewing, pottery, or dancing? Decisions, decisions.

16. Seek out a hobby that Michael, Lydia and I can all do together. And also go on more dates with Michael, and be more present with each other.

17. Walk the Miss Zoe more. Poor thing is getting fat again.

18. Paint and decorate Lydia’s bedroom, and successfully wean her out of our room, have her sleep in the crib, peacefully and without force. Tell me, am I being overly ambitious with this one?

19. Organize the cabinets, closets and dressers. Make this the year be the year, I don't lose any important papers because they are neatly put away in their proper place! 

20.  Similar to the one above, organize the abyss  basement, get rid of the things we truly don't need and then figure out what we can do with the space.

21. Visit my grandparents in Puerto Rico sometime in the spring or summer.

22. Start a garden behind the shed in our backyard, know my plants and treat them with much love.

23. Create new traditions with Michael and Lydia for next Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I'm feeling more inspired already!!

PS: Those are Michael's beautiful shelves in the photo above, and yes I am obsessed with them.

My Little List

I tend to create little mental lists in my head while showering or lying in bed. I know I should write these lists down but 99% of the time they never wind up on paper or in this case my blog. And now that I’m a new mama, the whole “mommy brain” phenomenon makes sense! It’s like my brain doesn't care how young I am, it just knows that I've become a mommy and now destined to forget what the heck I’m doing at any given time. Ever have a mission to do something and once you enter that room you forget what you’re doing? That’s become the story of my life. 

Anyway, let’s get back on topic… I need to write these little lists down. They are little thoughts that resonate in my brain and are quite important to me. So here’s my little list of the moment and perhaps by physically reading this it will help me accomplish rather than forget.

1. Read books, articles and short stories that impact, influence and inspire me!

I am so overdue for a good read…Got any suggestions?

2. Organize more day trips and dates.

Because we’re parents now, it’s been harder to go on spontaneous adventures together as a couple and that’s why I want us to organize dates for us to keep things fun and exciting.

3. Get business cards.

To help bring awareness to my private chef, catering and potentially fitness instructing business!

4. Challenge myself more in the kitchen!

I want to master baking a pie this summer… I don’t mean a semi homemade pie. I mean a real pie with scrumptiously flaky pastry made from scratch! I also want to make lobster and a vibrant paella with squid, mussels and clams… Deeelicious.

5. Host a party just ‘cause!

Michael and I will be living in our home for a year next month. Boy does time fly! I have this idea of us hosting our first get together by celebrating our home ownership with friends and family. It'll not only be a good time of fellowship but a valid reason for us to buy a grill, and an opportunity for me to make pretty food too!

6. Reestablish photography as a hobby. 

I miss this. A lot. I need to start making time for taking pictures, editing and sharing just like the good 'ole days!

7. And lastly, become certified as a fitness instructor (preferably Pilates and Barre!) and teach classes.

I can’t tell you how many times I've daydreamed of teaching a fitness class while I exercised. I suppose you could say fitness has been a hidden passion of mine for the past five years and much like cooking healthfully, I want to share this passion with others! I want to get certified for me, too. I think of myself as a strong woman on the inside but on the outside, I know I’m shy and one of those people who never puts herself out there enough. I guess I've struggled with social anxiety most of my teenage and now adult life. But you know what? I am genuinely tired of living up to that expectation and actually teaching classes would be out of character for me. I want to set an example to Lydia by not letting fear hinder my life.  I pray that she will be a little go-getter just like her daddy!

After overcoming avascular necrosis, getting my hips replaced and regaining strength, I feel this is my season to get certified in fitness. I hope to use it to glorify God, link it with my cooking business and of course help others become healthier!

And that’s my little list.