Weekend in Pictures

Hi friends! Happy Monday (sad face). Today’s post is going to be short and sweet since I have a lab quiz and comparative literature midterm to finish studying for. Here’s what I’ve been up to!

New haircut/partying with the girls!

After not going to the salon for over half a year, I got a looooonng overdue haircut and decided to go for bangs! A small change, but it’s always nice to switch things up. 

Weekend Things

Movie date with the boy :)

Weekend Things 2Great gym workout and the best omelet ever

Weekend Things 3World Cup finals!

IMG_5083Current food obsessions 

DSC_0020 DSC_0022Annndd now it’s time to get back to the grind. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

 

Thinking Out Loud!

Hello, hello friends! Happy Thursday! Today I’m linking up with Amanda’s Thinking Out Loud series to share my random thoughts.

1.     First off, thank you all so much for your support on my first income report for June. To be perfectly honest, I was pretty nervous about pressing the submit button, but I’m glad I did and was able to offer you guys some helpful tips on what’s been working for me.!

June Income Report

2.     With the weather being so gorgeous lately, I’ve been trying to move as much of my exercise outside. A few days ago Kyle and I did a quick track workout before going hiking in a canyon in our hometown (we went home for the weekend).

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The sun was shining and there was complete visibility of the ocean. I ended up with some sore calves from the hills and the WORST tan lines ever. And I mean THE WORST. 

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Remember this workout top?

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Yup, that patten on my back. I tan really quickly and have that basically tattooed 4-5 shades lighter than my surrounding skin. The minute Kyle saw it he burst out laughing and I have to admit, it’s pretty bad hahah. 

3.     Soooo the Brazil vs. Germany game. I think this picture says it all.

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4.     On the topic of the World Cup, the games always happen to be riiiighht at the time when I’m either in my ochem lab lecture or in the lab itself. I was pretty bummed to be missing the game, but was able to catch some of it since my lab teacher streams it on his laptop while we worked. After the fourth goal, though, I couldn’t watch anymore. My ethanol distillation was taking forever so I passed the time texting Amanda lab selflies and browsing Pinterest 😯 . And yes, those goggles are cover my entire face. They also leave the cutest indents on my skin after I take them off. Tan lines and goggle lines that last for a solid 45 minutes… I’m looking’ good these days.

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5.     Finally reunited with our favorite local Vietnamese restaurant <3. 

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6.     How cute is this?! I was sent a mason jar fruit infuser from the kind people from Balance Bar as part of a review pack for their Summer Shape Up program. More on that in a little, but prepare yourself for a giveaway! 

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So now not only do I have a cute indie mason jar, but can throw in all sorts of organic fruit to spiff up my water. This makes me hipster, right? 😉

Happy Thursday!

 

WIAW: Short and Sweet

Hello hello! Happy Wednesday!

This post is going to be short and sweet since I already wrote up a post on The Best of June and I spent most of my free time watching Orange Is the New Black on Netflix. I’m getting to the point where I really just need to finish the new season so I can move on with my life and actually be productive. It just sucks me in everytime I’m near my laptop 😯 .Then, all of a sudden I’m  4 episodes in and haven’t checked anything off my to-do list. Woops. 

Anyways, FOOD! More specifically, fruit. I just could not get enough today.

Breakfast: 

I really had zero appetite this morning so I just whipped up a serving of steel cut oats cooked with vanilla extract and cinnamon and topped them with blueberries and a bit of honey.

Steel Cut Oats with BlueberriesThen, it was off to my comparative literature class. In between that and my ochem lab, I grabbed a quick build-your-own salad.

Lunch:

Lettuce, carrots, beets, corn, chicken, a little tuna salad, and craisins. All topped with honey mustard salad dressing.

Oceanside ViewPost-lab snack:

Mangoes and dark chocolate with coffee <3. 

Also, how gorgeous are these mangos? I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but about a week ago the body part of my camera decided to randomly insert a huge black bar into all of my photos. Turns out the sensor was deciding to be a butt and, long story short, I ended up having to shell out some big bucks to buy a new one. I slightly upgraded to a Nikon D5200 (from a D5100) and LOVE it. I didn’t think it would make too much of a difference since I’m still using the same lenses, but I’ve been getting great shots with my new D5200 on the first try and without having to do any editing. Not complaining!

DSC_0022 DSC_0069Dinner:

A massive pile of Garlic Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and pan-fried chicken. An un-pictured whole wheat english muffin on the side. 

DSC_0079Post-dinner snack:

More blueberries. I blame Trader Joe’s for selling a huge 1.5 lb container of them for just $5. I bought them yesterday and they’re all gone excepts for a puny 1/2 cup serving that I’m planning on having tomorrow morning. 

DSC_0071So there you have it!  A day’s eat in a quick nutshell.

Question of the Day: What’s the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?


Best of June!

I’m going to throw the stereotypical “how is this month over already” intro out because… well… how the heck is June already over?! It simultaneously went suuuupper slowly thanks to my finals at the beginning of the month and incredibly fast once I finished my classes and had time to relax. Right now I’m back up at Santa Barbara for the summer and just moved into my new house…

OMG. You guys. It’s gorgeous. More on that in a little.

Best of June!

 Let’s jump right into the recap!

1.) I finished the worst academic year ever.

Never ever ever ever again will I have to take ochem, labs, physics, and two bio classes at the same time. Ever ever ever. Never.

Ever.

2.) I had a great birthday and am one year closer to finishing my undergraduate education!

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3.) I put out some great new recipe for both Apple of My Eye and Savory Style.  

Here are some of my favorites!

Gooey Lemon Raspberry BrowniesI put on a similar glaze to the ones on my Skinny Yogurt Muffins with Sunshine Glaze and they are to die for. I mean, why choose between a gooey brownie and a tangy lemon bar when you can just have both at the same time?!

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Easy Caramel Apple Turnovers: My newest recipe! You guys know how I feel about apple pie in general… LOVE. So really it was just a matter of time till I put it into pastry form. These are SO easy and come out looking incredibly impressive and flaky. The flake level is off the charts, yo’.

 
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5-Ingredient Lemon Panko Shrimp: Light on the calories and with a tasty lemon flavor that’s perfect for the summer! 

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4.) I decided to start income reports.

Gulp, first one to come in the next week once ad revenues are finalized. Thank you guys SO much for your input on the matter. One of biggest reserves is not wanting to come off sounding like monetizing was my main objective, so it was a huge relief to hear your opinions on it. Between all the Starbucks I drink and the money that goes into vanilla extract (WHY SO EXPENSIVE 😯 ), making a few extra bucks to help cover the cost is awesome. 

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5.) I moved into the most GORGEOUS house with equally gorgeous friends.

This is the view from the upstairs balcony:

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We are literally on the beach and have a completely unobstructed view of the water. And the kitchen!! It’s HUGE. Coming from a tiny apartment last year, I can’t get over how much counter space I have.

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6.) Apple of My Eye was featured on HuffPost and BuzzFeed!!!

Even though I didn’t post too many new recipes because of my finals/post final exhaustion, Apple of My Eye had its best month statistically ever! It’s way too cool to see so many people come visit my recipes and to think that they are actually making my Blueberry Pie Oats or Crockpot Breakfast Casserole.

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7.) I went to the pier.

My older sister, Marie, came back from studying abroad in Ireland for the year and we went out to lunch with our parents, Kyle, our friend Ryan, and some Norwegian relatives.

Lunch at the Pier
See my cousin on the far left next to my dad? He’s around 6’7″. Also, he’s only 15 years old 😯 . He has 3 other brothers and they’re all giants as well. I guess I missed out on that gene hahah. 

I never got a chance to recap this since I was busy moving my life into a new house (packing is exhausting!), but we has a lovely lunch out on the pier.

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"modeling"

“Modeling”

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So there you have it! June in a quick nutshell. Overall, it’s been a great month and I’m excited by how much more free time I have. Hopefully more good things to come in July 😀 !

Caesars Palace Blackjack Chicken Salad

Caesars Palace Blackjack Chicken Salad

I absolutely love making themed food for a party and recently we had a casino night where all our dinner dishes were inspired by Las Vegas. I wanted to make something fun and healthy so I came up with Caesar’s Palace Blackjack chicken salad, clever right?

This recipe was perfect as its packed full of protein and the dressing added an extra zing, erasing all ideas of a boring old salad! I’m usually not big on salad as mains, but this one was so much more than just the usual layers of leaves, and everyone loved it.

I even made the croutons myself and coloured them red and black to fit the theme. It was really easy, and I will definitely add this to my regular meal list as it’s perfect for a summer’s day when you really hungry, but want something that doesn’t make you feel too full.

So if you have a casino-themed night and think making a soufflé may be a bit of a challenge, why not try my delicious Caesar’s Palace Blackjack chicken salad? You won’t regret it! To add a realistic touch to the evening you can have some fun playing online slots with your guests.

For the yummiest salad sprinkle the parmesan shavings on just before serving and add crispy bacon and avocado as an extra!