Arizona Jewels Manicure

Turquoise and Silver Conversation Starting Manicure

With spring comes fresh concepts. I only really care about fashion in the Spring because of the splattering of colors that arise out of a dreary and long winter. Manicures are another way of adding a statement to your wardrobe. Inspired by this link, I attempted a turquoise and silver manicure that is designed to turn heads.

Process:

1. Apply a base coat after filing nails into perfect shape. Paint entire nail turquoise. Use two coats for a bold color. Let dry.
2. Take tin foil and cut into right angles that are about the same size and will fit on your nail.
3. Use top coat as an adhesive to make the tin foil stick to your nails and then put a thick layer of top coat to finish it off. File off any access tin foil for a flawless look. 

Best Breakfast Ever.

How healthy and delicious does that look?

Goes to show breakfast doesn't need many ingredients to be good for you and look good.

Vegan Chicken Salad

So. Good.

In the city my college is located, we have a delicious vegan cafe called "Strong Hearts." I'll go with my friends to get the fantastic milkshakes when we feel stressed out from class. They also have such an amazing "fake chicken salad" that costs much more than it should. So Shaina and I went out to make the meal from scratch. Not only did it fill me up, but for about $17, I got 4 lunches out of it! I plan on making this all the time.

Ingredients:
-Pre-cooked Seitan
-Carrots and Celery by the stalk
-Veganaise
-Salt/Pepper
-Optional: Celery Seed
(THATS IT!)




Preparation:
1. Chop up seitan into very thin bits. Think the size of the pieces in actual chicken salad

2. Julienne and chop up carrots and celery into small chunks. Combine seitan and veggies in a bowl.

3. Spoon veganaise into the mixture slowly. Taste test and continue to add until you enjoy the ratio.
4. Add in salt/pepper/celery seed.
5. Serve alone or in a sandwich! Store the rest into a container for tomorrow...if it lasts that long.

New Shoes!

My Asics Gel Kayano 17

Running is a huge part of my life so when a year goes by and it's time for a new pair, I take the process very seriously. 

Each foot it created differently so personally the Nike shoes are too narrow for me, but shoes like Asics and New Balance sneakers are better for my wide foot.

When I picked up these shoes, I was surprised with how light they were. All of the weight was in the heel of the shoe, which is really important to absorb shock and keep from damaging your hips and legs. They came in pink, blue, or this awesome green. In addition, there are these little holes everywhere, making this shoe incredibly breathable. 

I've only worn them once to try the size out and was very happy. Of course, it takes about 3 sessions to break in a shoe so I did get an awkward blister under my big toe. But I can't wait to break these bad boys in even more.

Happy running!

16 Handles

I just had 16 Handles for the first time and it was delicioussss

but...

While the eurotart was spectacular and only 70 calories per 1/2 cup, I found Pinkberry's tart yogurts to be superior and more plentiful in flavors (you haven't lived until you've tried the pomegranate or watermelon). But I loved the alternative flavors like red velvet and graham cracker. The toppings were unlimited as well (rainbow cookies!). So glad I finally made it down to one of the few stores in NYC.

And maybe it’s a bad thing to self serve myself…hard to limit my toppings. Pity.

Farmer's Market

I woke up around 8:30 in the morning to drive over to the farmer's market held in my town. I never went to ours before so it was exciting to see all of the fresh and naturally grown veggies, fruit, plants and more.

Look at the beautiful fresh vegetables!

Everything was so fresh because they were picked this morning. And very reasonably priced!

Heirloom tomatoes can be the most ugly yet most unique vegetables!

I ended up getting some broccoli, tomatoes, corn, beans, kale and fresh lettuce with the roots still attached. Can't wait for dinner!!

If your town has a farmer's market, check it out! You'll save money, get fresh and organic, and you'll be supporting local farmers who deserve our money!

Chinese "Fake Out"

Firm tofu coked with 1/2 cup of long grain brown rice and sautéed veggies.

I rarely eat at Chinese restaurants. Why? Because as a vegetarian, there are only 2 things I will eat: steamed veggie dumplings and steamed veggies (I gave up on broccoli in garlic sauce because its SO bad for you...like seriously. 1 serving of Broccoli is around 2 large florets, equal to around 30 calories. So how is it that broccoli in garlic sauce is up to 650-700 calories??!?!?!)

So my best bet to anyone trying to splurge on flavor, not on calories-make your favorite Chinese food dinners at home! The great thing about doing this is:

1. You know exactly how much you're putting in of everything
2. You have the flexibility to make your dish in a variety of ways
3. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare a filling dish
4. You'll save tons of money!

Above, I made a tofu dish in brown rice and vegetables. 

To make it easy, buy bags of fresh frozen vegetables. I got America's Choice Oriental Blend.

The sauce I used was Annie Chun's Chinese Stir Fry.

Ingredients:

• Any sauce of your choice (I recommend Annie Chun's)
• 1 serving of frozen or fresh mix of vegetables
• 1/2 cup of brown rice
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 a block of firm tofu

Preparation:

1. Cook the brown rice first as it takes the longest. Follow instructions on the rice packaging.
2. Drop a little spray oil or olive oil onto a saute pan and heat pan at medium.
3. When rice is 5 minutes until ready, drop the mixed vegetables into the pan and let them cook for a few minutes while moving them around with a utensil. Add a pinch of salt for extra flavor.
4. Drop in the tofu after a couple minutes along with the sauce of your choice.
5. After 5 minutes, add in the ready brown rice and mix all together. 
6. Serve hot in a nice bowl.