Mind Your Own Biscuits

One of my best friends is finally visiting Portland, and I always take her out to somewhere new when she is in town. Since she has dietary restrictions, it can be a little more tricky to find a place we can go to. BUT I always find somewhere, and this time we ventured to Jam on Hawthorne. Ever since the first time I came across this glorious place, I look forward to each time I am able to go back. The funny thing is, I get the same thing every time, and that would be biscuits and gravy. Finding a place with good vegetarian biscuits and gravy is hard, but Jam on Hawthorne does a great job on theirs, and it doesn't leave me with a stomach ache afterwards. Another plus to it, is the leftovers still taste so great, and that is another rarity, is finding somewhere that has good food that makes good leftovers. My brother claimed it was too early to start having cocktails (it was 10am, but I really wanted a Bloody Mary) so I opted out on having one this time. Just a disclaimer, I am currently eating my leftovers from this morning. But here is a picture so you all can drool while I sit here and eat it.

Goodbye Summer Celebration

In Portland, it appears that summer is coming to an end, since the rain is back along with the grey skies. I can't say I am complaining about it since I am fully ready to embrace the fall season. As an end of summer celebration, my friends and I decided to do a little beach getaway, so we could all enjoy the last little bit of summer. Being Oregon, our beaches are different from the beaches you are probably imagining; ours are filled with grey skies, crisp ocean air, and the highest the temperature will ever get there is 65 degrees. Layers are your best friend at the Oregon Coast, since you can never be too sure about the weather. Back in May, I came up with the idea to have an end of the summer weekend getaway with my girlfriends in Lincoln City. I knew we would all need a little break before fall started, and this seemed like the perfect way to do so! My family has always rented houses for our little in state vacations, so I thought that would be a fun idea to do. We always go through to rent houses, so after looking through tons of houses for about two weeks, I finally found one that would accommodate everyone! After booking the house, it was then time to wait for the weekend to come. Since I knew none of us wanted to spend a ton of money on our getaway (we got a great deal on the house), I suggested that everyone pitch in money for food and drinks, then I would grocery shop the morning we planned to head down to the beach, and we could just cook our own meals! Breakfasts would be easy (they had muffins, while I had overnight oats), and lunch would be sandwiches or salads. Dinner would be the main event, and I definitely make a big deal out of it. The first night was Italian, which consisted of pasta, salad and one of the best baguettes I have ever had, rosemary and sea salt from New Seasons. That night after dinner, we just relaxed and played at lot of heads up (I highly recommend this app, especially with a cocktail in hand).

On our second day at the beach, we started our day with breakfast (stated above what we ate), and got ready for the day. On the agenda was going to the beach, and going to the outlet stores, since they are in Lincoln City. At the outlets, it is hard to keep a group of six people all together, so we split up into groups, which were determined by which stores we all wanted to go to. I did not end up buying anything because I am stocking up on fall items, and they were having end of summer sales. The beach on the other hand, was the same as usual, cloudy, cold, and there was tons of mist in the air. But it was exactly what we all needed, since back in Portland it was 90 degrees still. Of course, there were tons of pictures taken on the beach, because we are millennials and girls, so we have to document everything.

Our Saturday night dinner was of course, Mexican, because that is my favorite big meal to do and is the most fun themed meal in my opinion. I made the full spread; taco bar, rice, beans and margaritas. We all devoured that dinner, and rightfully so since we are a group of girls who love food. It was also entertaining having me cook the dinner since I don't eat meat, yet cooked ground turkey for the tacos. So I had to keep asking my best friend to taste it and let me know if I needed to add anything to it. Unfortunately we did not take any pictures of this spread, only a snapchat video. But just imagine Spanish rice, black beans, refried beans, ground turkey with taco seasoning, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, tortillas, sour cream, chips and salsa! Aka there was a ton of food that night. The next morning, we just relaxed (I worked out that morning, since I can't miss a workout), and had a full breakfast. I cooked hash browns, eggs, sausages, and toast, for a classic American breakfast for us all. On the way back to Portland, we stopped at Mo's, since it is a cliche restaurant to go to when at the Oregon Coast. I was the boring one and ate a grilled cheese there since there was literally nothing else that was vegetarian on the menu, which was expected. All in all, it was a successful last weekend of summer for us all! While my mother still insists on rejecting the idea of fall being here, I am fully on board with it!

Unofficial Welcome to Fall

Over the past couple of days, the official fall weather has made its way to Portland. While I would usually be dreading this and wanting summer to come back, I have been anxiously awaiting fall and all that comes with it. The colder weather, fall outfits, and pumpkin spice recipes that I have acquired over the years are just a few of the things I have started to embrace. Since baking is one of my absolute favorite things to do, I of course had to start off the new season with baking something fall themed. What better way to welcome in the change, than with chocolate chip pumpkin bread! I have a complete obsession with anything pumpkin or pumpkin spice, it makes its way into so many different meals during this wonderful season. I know that having this obsession would make me a "basic bitch" but I will gladly take on that name and embrace that I am like so many other girls in that sense. Today, the recipe that I decided to make, and would set the mood for the rest of the season, is the chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Below is the link to the recipe I used, and a picture of how it turned out! I mean let's get real, food usually looks the best when its all finished, so I gave you guys the pretty version of this bread.

I just tried a piece of it, and there could not have been a better recipe to kick off fall with! Also a side note, I let my bread stay in the oven for an extra 10 minutes because it was not done when the timer went off at the time the recipe said. Just play it by ear after it has been in for an hour!

New Age Dating

I know I have taken another hiatus from blogging, but I promise that this time there will be a constant feed of my life events. This time I have decided to take a different approach to blogging, and have it be an entire lifestyle focus. That being said, I have dipped my foot in the dating pool, and it has been quite the experience. Let me set the scene for you first though, I am currently laying in bed, it finally feels like fall in Portland, and I am re-watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. After being in a serious relationship, I was very wary of getting back into dating, because I honestly, just despise dating. I don't like the way dating has turned, because instead of being able to go out to a bar and having a guy approach you, we now have to get on these dating websites and apps, in order for a guy to talk to us. Even then, there are apps like Bumble, where the girl has to approach the guy first. I am traditional in the sense that I want a guy to approach me like a gentleman and ask me out. It is extra difficult at my age, to meet a guy who is ready to settle down, and not run around the town acting like a fool. Considering I am clearly not supposed to be my age, because on weekends I would rather go to dinner, maybe see a movie, and be in bed by 10:30. This past weekend, my best friends and I went to the beach for a little end of the summer girls getaway. While there, they pushed me to sign up for one of these dating apps. Can I just say that these apps take a lot of time to fill out a profile, yet I doubt most guys even look at a quarter of what you wrote about yourself. A picture is what I noticed usually does it for them. After being signed up for this app for no joke, an hour, I had hundreds of guys who apparently wanted to meet me, and around a hundred messages from different guys. I can completely understand the appeal of these apps and websites, because what girl does not feel immediately better after seeing that many guys are interested in her? But the catch is that you have to constantly be on the app, or the amount of people that collect themselves on your profile, becomes way too overwhelming. Needless to say, I did't give my number out to anyone, and deleted the app after around 24 hour of creating it. Instead, I have decided to try something completely different for dating, I have signed up to be on the next season of the Bachelor! Yes I said it, I am going to try being on a show to meet my future husband. I figure, that I might as well try it, especially since I have a huge crush on the guy who is the next Bachelor. That being said, I will be doing future posts on my road to getting ready for it and will let you all know if I indeed get on the show! I have to kick my butt into tip top shape, which I needed to do anyways, but this gives me a timeline to get it done and makes sure that I actually get it done and don't stray off of this new lifestyle. I can't wait to share this new journey with all of you!

Gluten Free Lemon Cake With Honey Lavender Whipped Cream

Lately I have realized that like many other people, I might have a problem with gluten. I know what most of you will think when I say that, "is everyone gluten intolerant?", but the answer is no, not everyone is gluten intolerant. The problem with gluten in present day is that it is filled with chemicals, therefore things we should not be putting in our bodies. Your body is only as good as the way you treat is, so everyone should treat it that way. With that being said, you don't need to deprive it of all of the delicious foods there are out there, because I know I am not about to deprive myself. While at New Seasons a couple of weeks ago at their wine night, there was a vendor their who caught my attention. The first part that I loved was that it was a charming little stand with a 1950's vibe. The second part that caught my attention and immediately helped me fall in love, was that their cake mixes are gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free and vegan! All in all, anyone can eat these, and once I tried the sample, I wanted to buy every kind that was available. The first kind of mix that I bought from Julie's Original was their white cake mix. Julie actually happened to be at the stand, so I decided to pick her brain about different recipes she had for this particular mix. She told me about how to transform it into a lemon cake, since that is what she had to sample that night. One element that is so great about her cakes are that all you have to add to the mix, is a non-dairy milk and oil. Below I will have directions how to make the cake, and how to make the whipped cream!

As you can see, the packaging for this cake mix is so delightful to look at and just makes me want to bake in a cute polka dot apron. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To the mix, I added 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil and 1 1/2 cups of soy milk (we ran out of our usual coconut almond milk). I wanted to have this be a lemon cake so I added 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and the zest of one lemon. If you want it to be a basic white cake, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla instead of the lemon extract and zest. Once those are added to the mixing bowl with the cake mix, beat for 15 seconds or until all blended and smooth. I wanted to make this into a two layer cake, so I divided the batter two 8 inch circle pans, and did not grease them. My pans are non-stick, therefore they don't need to be greased.

Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until cooked all of the way through. Stick a toothpick in the middle to check if they are finished or not. Mine took about 32 minutes.

After the cakes are finished baking, let them rest and cool. While those are cooling, start making your honey lavender whipped cream. In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of dried lavender. Allow this to heat for about 30 minutes on medium-low heat.

Once this is done cooking, use a fine mesh sieve to strain the lavender out. Allow your lavender cream to cool. You will add 4 tablespoons of honey, zest of 1 lemon, and juice of 1 lemon to the lavender cream. Beat this all together with a electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Now you are ready to assemble the cake! For mine, I laid down one layer on my cake stand, then spread a layer of the whipped cream on top, making sure there was an even amount. Then, set your second layer of cake on top. Your extra whipped cream will be used as a substitute for frosting on the cake!

Enjoy everyone!

Chilled Cucumber Mint Detox Soup

This weekend was a great one, but filled with beer, which has a habit of sitting at the bottom of our stomachs for a while and bloating you. With that being said, I was in need of a lunch today that was light but also refreshing and healthy so that I could get those nutrients that I lost over the weekend. As I was looking around for a recipe that was all of the things I needed, I stumbled upon this greatness that is chilled cucumber mint soup. The best thing was it is a detox soup which is exactly what I needed since I can still feel the beer and grease coming out of my pours (a face mask is on the lineup for tonight with The Bachelorette). Once I looked at the recipe I realized how easy it is to make also. Below I have some pictures from when I made it and the instructions.

Recipe: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Detoxing-Cucumber-Mint-Soup-Recipe-30788336

 I know the pictures don't look the most appetizing, but I promise that this soup will not disappoint you if you love mint and cucumbers like me! This is also very Bikini Bootcamp friendly!

Do It For You

It's the season where there are going to be many people starting diets and cleanses in preparation for bikini season. There is nothing wrong with doing these for the summer, but to do it more effectively, having it be a lifestyle change, and something you are doing for you, is beneficial. With this new bikini bootcamp (previous post talks all about it), I am doing this more as a lifestyle change rather than something to just get in shape for summer and then go back to old ways. This is something that I want to stick from here on out, and to do this for me and no one else. Putting myself first is something that I have never really done in my life, but have started to do that recently. Before you can be with anyone else, you have to love your self and like being around yourself. My biggest motivation is that I had a weight gain a couple of years ago that I was not ok with. Ever since then, I have been a on a mission to lose this excess weight. Finally, I am back to my original weight, but more importantly I am feeling better about myself. With the weight gain I began to feel very self conscious about what I wore and was not proud of my body. It was not that I had put on the weight, but I was not taking care of myself and was having someone else influence what I was putting into my body, which was garbage. Now I am on a mission to maintain and tone my body, and live a healthier life. Your mental and physical health go hand in hand with each other, so it is important to take care of both. The best part of this bootcamp is that it does not completely cut out your favorite foods, but instead encourage to have them in moderation. Doing it this way, allows you to transition easier when the bootcamp is over, if you choose not to make it a permanent thing. Yesterday I was able to have a BBQ tofu sandwich, guilt free, because I know how to limit myself and not over eat. But one thing I do recommend, and Selena Gomez's trainer recommends this too, DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF! Just gage your progress by how you clothes fit and how you feel. One of the hardest things I have found in my life, is putting me first, because I always put others before myself. But with this bikini bootcamp, I am doing this for me and no one else. That is the most important thing to remember is that you need to do it for you and not anyone else. But by doing this bootcamp, it is a great start for everyone to do something for themselves. Update on the bootcamp, it is going great! The recipes have all turned out delicious and are extremely doable. I will write up a post about it and post pictures in the next couple of days! That way you all can see how they turn out! Below is a picture of my delicious lunch I had yesterday at Russell St BBQ! I ordered the smoked tofu sandwich with classic BBQ sauce and cole slaw.