Little Things

It seems like forever since I last wrote on my blog. I feel like a tiny portion of my heart has fallen off. Haha, I'm kidding. I've been so incredibly busy lately! I don't know if I think that's a good thing or a bad thing because I have been doing all of my favorite things from cooking, to dancing, to playing the piano, to learning French, and even reading. But sometimes I need to relax and sit back and pour my heart out to you, dear reader (if I have any! Haha) I hope you enjoy a few  of my favorite things. 

{Mutant strawberries from a mountain peak near my house.}

{A comforting chamomile tea on a Saturday morning during French class. A classic heart on the top of my cup just for the sake of not having any idea what the teacher was saying on the first day} 

{Probably the most heavenly thing on this faulty Earth. White Chocolate TOBLERONE}

{Quick fro-yo date with my mom. I had the usual natural fro-yo topped with strawberries, and added pineapple to twist things up a bit}

{The most mouth-watering crepe on the surface of the Earth (that I've tasted so far). Crepe Belga from La Creperia. White chocolate, strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream, garnished with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar.}

Breakfast Inspiration

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. You can mask a delicious dessert and call it 'breakfast'. With my sweet tooth, I most definitely need to find a way to make something that feeds my sweet tooth but is healthy at the same time. On my plate every morning you will most likely see waffles, french toast, pancakes, cereal, or yogurt. These are a few of my favorite breakfast combinations. 

{Typical yet yummy breakfast: Special K cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened almond milk, banana, whole wheat toast with Smucker's Sugar Free Apricot Jelly}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with kiwi, strawberries, and coffee with whole wheat cookies on the side}

{Homemade Whole Wheat Almond Milk French Toast topped with banana, strawberries, and honey}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with banana and slivered almonds, coffee with oatmeal cookies on the side}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with Komplete cereal and peaches. Scrambled egg whites with spinach, tomato, and bell pepper on the side}

{Homemade Belgian waffles topped with banana and strawberries with chamomille tea on the side}

{Attempt to homemade Egg Mcmuffins with a healthy twist. Whole-wheat bun with a mini egg omelet with spinach, tomato, and bell pepper; Kraft yellow American cheese, and ketchup. Mango and watermelon on the side.}

{Yoplait Vanilla Greek Yogurt topped with kiwi and whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly on the side}

{Pancakes topped with strawberries and banana with almond milk capuccino on the side}

{Macheteadas topped with strawberries and powdered sugar}

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

My last attempt at making a Quinoa Salad turned out fantastic. The salad was so rich in flavor, and every bite left me wanting more and more. Apart from being so amazingly delicious, it turns out that Quinoa is a very, very nutritious grain. An article in Forbes magazine calls it the "Supergrain of the Future" and says it contains protein, iron, lysine, magnesium, Riboflavin, manganese, and even twice as much fiber as any other grain! (I just looked it up to look smarter). Anyway, my Cross Fit obsessed brother is trying to make smarter choices in his diet and asked me to make him Quinoa. He said he loved the last recipe, but wanted something different this time. As always, I did my research on Pinterest and voila! We have a delicious, healthy, super food.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa (I used roasted garlic flavored Quinoa, but any kind is fine)

• 2 cups water

• 1 diced tomato

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 

• 3/4 cup diced cucumber with peel

• 1/3 cup chopped olives (You can add more if you love olives. They're personally not my favorite thing in the world.)

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp agave nectar

• juice and finely minced zest of one lemon

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tbsp dried oregano (I just used Italian seasoning)

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Boil Quinoa in two cups of water for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely and place it in the refrigerator.

• In a bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, agave nectar, salt, pepper, and oregano to create the dressing. Whisk well. 

• Mix in the Quinoa with the dressing. 

• Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, and olives and mix well.

• Serve cold and enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from here.

Little Things: New Year's Resolution Edition

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

"New year, new me," people say. How many of those people actually fulfill this idea? Not me, at least. I usually have the same goals every year, but growing up has introduced me to new doors I want to explore. In a way, the future frightens me terribly, but it also makes me so eagerly excited. For example, learning a new language, learning to drive, going to a college summer program, deciding what career I want to pursue, etc. In addition, this year, some of my goals include the following: 

Exploring and improving new tastes and recipes.
My love for baking has now expanded into a love for cooking. Salty or sweet, if it is created in the kitchen, count me in. This year I plan to improve and explore new tastes and recipes. I plan to continue "wow"-ing my loved ones with tastiness. Someday, I hope to become the best mom in the world who spoils her husband and children with her exquisite skills in the kitchen.

{Follow me on Pinterest and see all of the amazing recipes I've pinned. I hope to someday try them all out, which is realistically impossible}

Be healthy and fit. Eat healthy, exercise frequently, get the sleep I need, and stress less.
How many of us have said "I'll start on Monday"? Honestly, we all know we are only lying to ourselves. Being healthy, I've learned, is a lifestyle. Generally, I try to make the best choices I can to take care of myself.  I actually enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, and avoid deep fried foods as much as possible. I honestly can't resist staying up later than 10 PM on school nights and wake up bright and early every morning (9 AM is sleeping in for me). I've never touched a cigar or had a whole drink. This year, I hope to exercise more in addition to making good choices in life.

{I absolutely love Zumba, Pilates, and Aerobics in addition to my ballet experience. My mom just bought me a whole mini weights kit and fitness clothing.}

These are a few things that have made me smile this week...

 {I have spent eleven years of my life pursuing ballet. Hard work, dedication, and passion have guide me side by side through all this time, as is what my old pair of pointe shoes have written all over them (right). There is a large portion of my heart that holds on to this love for ballet. I can't wait to break in my brand new pair of pointe shoes when we get back from vacation.}

{The newest addition to the family...a beautiful minion. I'm thinking about naming him Phil Dunphy, due to my current obsession with Modern Family} 

{Obsessed with yogurt-covered pretzels. They are the perfect combination between sweet and salty savoriness} 

Auntie Lili's Quinoa Salad

Last weekend, at my cousin's baby's baptism, my aunt did a spectacular job with the buffet at the celebration. She had so many different flavors that blended in together perfectly. I loved every bite I took, but one thing that stood out to me the most was this Quinoa Salad. Recently, I had heard that "Quinoa is the grain of the future" or "Quinoa is the healthiest grain on earth". I had never tried it, though, and always had the curiosity to do so. This is the recipe to my aunt's salad that introduced me to this adorable "grain of the future". I succeeded to obtain the same flavor as the first time I tried it (humbly, I think mine was even better). Once I was done, thousands of ideas popped into my mind to make a variation of this salad. I could add mandarin oranges, green apples, or pears instead of grapes. I would also change the pumpkin seeds for sliced almonds. Diced cucumber and even garbanzo beans would go perfectly with this salad. 

Auntie Lili's Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 cup white Quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Agave nectar
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 3/4 cup grated carrots
• 3/4 cup peeled edamame beans 
• 3/4 cup grapes cut in half
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions: 

• Boil Quinoa in two cups of water for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely and place it in the refrigerator.
• In a bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, agave nectar, salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro to create the dressing. 
• Mix in the Quinoa with the dressing. 
• Add the carrots, edamame, grapes, onion, and pumpkin seeds. 
• Serve cold and enjoy! 

Little Things

As an OCD victim, I have found it hard to take my time to meditate on what life has offered me. Juggling between my sophomore year, ballet lessons, piano lessons, and social encounters has unfortunately limited my time writing on my blog. However, I am glad to come back and share some of the things currently making me happy, such as: homemade blueberry muffins, a romantically beautiful bouquet of flowers, Divergent by Veronica Roth, a simple yet exquisitely healthy salad, and the perfect little coffee treat to end the week just right. 

(If you're following me on twitter, these pictures might be a little familiar to you). 

{Last Sunday's baking: Mouth-watering homemade mini blueberry muffins}

{A sparkling Saturday night dinner accompanied by a beautiful center piece and a Louis Vuitton handbag}

{New addiction: Divergent from Veronica Roth's saga}

{Healthy, delightful, and homemade salad during lunch at school: Spinach, cucumber, edamame, strawberries, and Balsamic Vinaigrette}

{Homemade Almond Milk Cappuccino & Pirouline Chocolate Hazelnut wafers on a rainy Friday afternoon}