It's hard to believe that we are at the end of 2017! I feel like the holiday season snuck up on us, and Christmas passed for me so quickly. I spent the holiday with lots of family, and am enjoying time this week in my home state of New Jersey before heading back home to Cali. Every week of 2017, I've shared an inspirational quote on my Instagram. I love focusing on a quote as my mantra for the week, and have enjoyed getting to share some of my favorites every week. I think that I'll be continuing my #MondayMotivation quotes in 2018, so let's connect on Instagram if we aren't already friends. In the middle of the year, I shared my first 26 weeks worth of inspirational quotes here, and today I'm back to round out the year with the remaining 26 weeks of quotes. I hope that some of ... [Read More]
Archives for December 2017
Snickerdoodle Energy Bites {vegan + gf}
Greetings from the Sunshine State! This week I'm in Marco Island, Florida for my father-in-law's wedding (which is happening today!). Have you ever been to Marco Island? I've been to Florida many times and even lived here briefly, but it's my first time being on Marco Island. When I'm getting ready for a trip, I always make sure to pack some healthy snacks in my carry-on bag. Being a healthy vegetarian eater, I can't rely on there to always be food options around that I'm happy with. Some airports/flights have pretty decent options, and other have a horrible selection - I just never know. By packing some healthy snacks, like protein and granola bars, apple chips & pretzels, I know that I'll always have something to hold me over. Another snack that I like packing for trips is energy ... [Read More]
The Ultimate Malaga History & Food Experience {Spain Travel Review}
Hi friends! Today I'm back with my second recap from my vacation last month. After getting a taste of Stockholm, my husband and I flew to Malaga, Spain, where we'd stay for a week and get to experience Southern Spanish culture. My first full day of vacation in Malaga, I wanted to explore the city and get a lay of the land. We started the day by taking the train in from where we were staying a bit south in Mijas Costas, then we sat down at a cafe outside for some tea and croissants. As we sat, sipped, and noshed, we did a lot of people watching. My first lesson of the culture in Malaga came from seeing the older man at the table next to us pour olive oil on his toast with a very heavy hand. People here love their olive oil (and of course their strong coffee too - this is Europe after ... [Read More]
Easy Three Bean Veggie Chili {vegan + gf}
'Tis the season to be jolly - and on the move! Who else has been crazy busy? Ever since I got home from my vacation a couple of weeks ago (more on that coming soon!), I feel like things have been go-go-go... though covering 4 cities in 3 countries was wonderfully on-the-go too. Between wrapping up end of the year work, holiday shopping and get togethers, and all of the usual busyness, I've been going a mile a minute. Oh, and throw a wildfire close to my house + being super jet-lagged and not feeling great for a week into the mix, and things have been a bit of a whirlwind. Luckily I've adjusted to west coast time, just in time to be setting off on my next trip in just a couple days. The end of my year worked out to be travel heavy, but no complaints here. I'm looking forward to ... [Read More]
15 Move Quickie Hotel Room Workout
Hi friends! I missed my second post last week due to a fire breaking out in a neighboring town of mine. With smokey skies clouding up the view from my house and the fire rapidly spreading due to insanely high winds and very dry conditions, for a few days it was hard to think about anything besides keeping my family safe. This was the first time I've had a fire dangerously close to me since moving to California, and it's a surreal experience packing an emergency "just in case" bag. Besides some important documents, my computer, camera, wallet, phone, and a few pieces of expensive/sentimental jewelry, I really couldn't think of anything else to bring. It was a reminder that while I obviously really, really didn't want my house to burn down, what matters most is that my husband, ... [Read More]
Exploring Stockholm for a Day
“The world is a book, and those who don’t travel only read a page.” A couple days ago I got home from a long vacation in Europe with my husband, and I have so much to share with you! This vacation was the kind of travel that’s tiring and adventurous - a trip that as usual, made my pangs of wanderlust stronger, particularly as I sat in my thoughts during a long 11-hour flight from London to LA. We covered 4 cities in 3 new countries on this trip, the first of which was Stockholm. A stop in Sweden was an add-on to our plans to see Spain. Once I started looking at flights and saw that there was a long layover available in Stockholm, I was intrigued. It wasn’t even a much cheaper flight option, but I had never been to any of the Nordic countries and have wanted to see Stockholm, so ... [Read More]