oatmeal-mixing it up!

Now that classes have started up again, it seems like I'm literally running out the door every morning. My favorite way to fuel up a busy winter day is with oatmeal. I personally like steal cut oats the best. They cook up faster than oat groats and feel heartier than rolled oats to me. I also just discovered Trader Joe's Quick Cooking Steal Cut Oats, which I've been subsisting on ever since. Now, I know you must be asking yourself, as a foodie, how do I not get bored with the same breakfast every freaking day? They key is to switch up what I add to the oats! Here are some of my favorites:

SWEET OATS:

1. Apple-cinnamon oats:

Chop or grate one whole apple. Bring 1 cup of apple cider (I like TJ's) to boil, add oats and lower heat to simmer. When about half way cooked, add chopped apple and lots of cinnamon (I also add ground flax seeds at this point). Pour the porridge mixture in a bowl and top with maple syrup and some nuts or seeds (I like chopped almonds) and raisins if you like!

I topped this bowl off with some pan-toasted rolled oats for some extra crunch!

2. Coconut-almond oats:

Cook oats as you normally would (using water or sometimes I use almond milk if I want something extra creamy) Top with shredded coconut, flax seeds and chopped almonds.

3. Simple berry oatmeal:

Cook oats normally, in salted water or non-dairy milk of choice. Top with fresh berries, such as blueberries and sliced strawberries. Top with aprox 1/2 T of maple syrup if you're feeling really wild :)

SAVORY OATS:

1. Chipotle-Cheezy Oats:

Add to cooked oats:

1 T ground flax seeds

1 T pumpkin seeds (pan toasting them until they brown/ pop adds a nice toasty flavor)

1 T nutritional yeast

1 pinch cayenne (or other spice of your choice, I've been using "hot peppeh" that I brought back from Ghana)

tons of black pepper

salt to taste

2. Simple Seaweed/Sesame Oats:

Cook oats normally. Top with flax and sesame seeds, occasionally half an ume plum if I feel like I need the extra health, and seaweed of choice. I have a nice three seaweed flake blend (dulse, laver and sea lettuce) and sometimes I crumple up half a sheet of nori and toss it in there too. Yum. Seaweed for breakfast!

What's your favorite way to cook up oatmeal?

plastic state of mind

chocolate :)

I always have so much fun when I go out with my friend Jessika. We met 5 years ago at this single semester art school in Napa Valley, CA. Now we both go to college in New York and though we don't see each other as much as I'd like, it always seems like it was just yesterday even when we go six months without seeing each other's faces. We are also the best dinner buddies-we seem to always be in the mood for the same things! The other night we went out for a delicious dinner at Angelica's Kitchen. I got a combo bowl, which was yummy but kinda boring to photograph. Jessika also shares my love for chocolate, so after dinner we headed over to Stogo for tea and treats. Since we love all the same things, we thought it would be fun to share a few different chocolates. Here's what we got:

From L-R: Cocao V Cookies and Cream Bark, Peanut and Puffed Rice Cluster, Toasted Edamame Cluster, Spiced Dark Chocolate Tile (almost too pretty to eat...almost:) and two Cocoa Agave Truffles made by Brooklyn based chocolate company Fine and Raw Chocolate.

Everything was so delicious! Our favorite hands down was the spiced tile. It legitimately tasted like a creamy chocolate chai latte in your mouth. We were squealing in our seats, describing the hints of cinnamon and vanilla undertones. We're pretty much chocolate connoisseurs!

Jess holding up the lovely spiced tile. Two pretty things in one picture!

a mani-cure

Ever notice how manicurists sometimes wear those mask over their mouths? Or just the general chemical-y smell of a nail salon? That's because...you guessed it...conventional nail polish is LOADED with harmful chemicals. Yuck! Dibutyl pthalate (DBP) Formaldehyde and Toluene are some of the main guys you should avoid when picking a polish. So how can you get shnazy nails without intoxicating yourself? There are quite a few brands out there devoted to leaving out the nasties. Now, I understand that polishes without chemicals tend to cost a few dollars extra, but think about all the chemicals you are keeping out of the atmosphere! To make this initiative more exciting for myself, each time I needed a manicure (which I realized was more often when I was using chemical-laden nail polishes that dried out my cuticles) I instead bought myself a new polish from an eco brand and did my nails myself. Not only have I built up a bit of a collection, but I've also gotten pretty good at painting my own nails, if I may say so myself :) I actually look forward to trying out some fabulous nail art.

Source

The first eco-polish company I discovered is called Priti. The founder Kim D'Amato created the line while she was pregnant in 2005 due to the fact that she was switching over to all organic food, but could not find adequate substitutions in her beauty regimen. Ok, so I know you're supposed to be supper careful with your body when you're preggers and all, but isn't that a little scary that people don't think twice about the impact of their weekly manicures anyway?! Also, find out why you should just say no to the nail dryer at the nail salon

I set out to revamp my nail collection and see if these safer alternatives could actually hold up. The first bottle I purchased to replacement my conventional deep black polish was from Priti. While perusing the cosmetics at Whole Foods, I came across a brand called Karma Organics. First of all, love that name, and secondly, after testing out their organic nail polish remover made with soybean and lavender oils, which actually left my nails more moisturized than before removing my polish, I was hooked. I will admit, the remover takes a bit more elbow grease to take off darker colors, but it's totally worth it. I also picked up two of their polishes, a dark dark purple-y red shade called Venom and a greyish color called Concrete Jungle. Yeah, I judge books by their covers, so what?

The last brand that I have tried out is sold exclusively online, and goes by the name Zoya. I'll admit, I was hesitant to give them a try because I'm totally that girl that tries out every shade of polish on a different finger before choosing one, so picking out polish on a computer seemed a bit sketch. However, I stumbled upon this coupon for three free bottles, so I thought it must be a sign! Out of all the polishes I've tried out, Karma Organics is my fav. They have a great selection of nail polish colors and products, the price is pretty reasonable for the quality, and I can easily find them at my local Whole Foods so I can see it for myself before I buy!

Do you have any eco tips for your tips?

brokenfab

Brokenfab’s eye-catching hand-beaded bracelets, earrings and necklaces have been causing something of a stir in the fashion world of late. Influenced by club culture and African tribal design, the designs are both edgy and accessible, tapping into the frenzy for all things simultaneously retro and cutting-edge.

The label is the brainchild of Swiss designer Fabienne Morel, a professional textile designer who’s clients have included the high-end Ashish; her colourful designs have been profiled in his London Fashion Week shows since 2006. Morel has since gone on to pursue her life-long love of beading, developing Brokenfab to encompass her unique jewellery range..

The current Brokenfab collection – called Disco Beading Vol.1 – was inspired by London’s clubs and club-nights, such as Plastic People and Deviation. Musical influences as far-reaching as disco, boogie, synth, electro, dubstep, detroit, future soul and broken beats – as well as street style from the 1960s to the 1980s – have been represented in visual form, to create a jewellery range that’s a celebration of street culture, dancing and club aesthetics. Colour clashes, geometric patterns and asymmetrical shapes define the high-energy designs.

Created from a spirit of love and passion, Brokenfab is for everyone interested in contemporary popular culture, and is by nature inclusive, while at the same time avoiding any association with mass-market methods of production.

tumblr

Did I mention I made one of these during my mission to make as many avatars of myself as possible? It's a fun way for me to archive inspirational photos that I find will searching the web (like I did all day today because I had a snow day!) Check it out and be sure to follow me! I'll follow you back ;)

healing foods

After stumbling upon this article (if you can call BroBible a legitimate literary source...and no I'm not even sure how I came across this) about the 25 best foods to cure a hangover which, in my humble opinion are some of the worst foods in general, I began thinking about foods that heal. Between the holiday season, new years, and winter break coming to an end, I feel like there have had numerous opportunities in which I have been the test-subject in experimenting with foods that make you feel like you are undoing the results of over-doing it. For example, after downing a few too many glasses of $9.99-jug-wine last night, I awoke this morning feeling...you guessed it!...dehydrated and foggy and, as per usual, hungry. In my groggy-eyed, cotton-mouthed state, I managed to whip up a stir-fry by first sauteing garlic and onion with some sesame oil, then throwing in one grated carrot, grated daikon radish, sliced kale and stirred in some brown rice I (thankfully) had already cooked up before. When everything was cooked and heated, I added the juice of a 1" piece of ginger (grated the ginger, then squeezed and discarded the pulp) and a few splashes of Braggs Liquid Aminod to the mix. I topped the mountain of food-just the right combination of carby-salty goodness I was looking for- with sesame and pumpkin seeds for protein and iron! I considered making a quick miso-tahini dressing, but I was honestly too lazy to even do that. The results? I actually felt so much more clear headed by the time I finished my breakfast and a big tea. I was able to get to yoga and then straight to my internship without a problem. Don't you love food that actually makes you feel good?

this is a photo of the first meal I cooked for myself in Africa-"brown rice" with tomatoes and yam leaves (my African stand-in for kale) sauteed with tons of garlic and onion.

Also, I am intrigued by this whole FebFast idea, but maybe that's just because I'm still feeling the effects of last night. I also really want to check out this one day cooking workshop at 3rd ward.

Soup's On!

I've been back in New York for a few weeks now after spending an amazing and utterly life-changing four months in Ghana! And...it's cold as hell, so you know what that means? Time for soup. If you can imagine, cooking in Ghana was tough. Not only was there a lack in accessibility to the ingredients I needed, there was often times a lack of gas in the stove (or in the entire country for that matter). Even when we had gas on the stove, they were really janky. It was a boil to death/ burn or nothing situation. So, when I first got back to America and was staying at my mom's place with complete access to her fully-functional kitchen and wide array of ingredients, plus the painfully cold weather (hey, it was 103 degrees almost everyday before I left, ok!) equals tons of staying inside and cooking!

This recipe is adapted from The Gorgeously Green Diet's Turkey Chili. My changes are written in italics. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil (I used coconut oil because it has a higher smoking point than olive so it is healthier for cooking foods for longer periods of time)

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced (I double, maybe tripled this. I love me some garlic!)

1 1/2lbs organic ground turkey (Obviously I omitted this entirely. I added another cup of kidley beans two cups of pinto beans)

1 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 ground cinnamon (I would probably omit this next time I make this recipe. It made the chili a little sweet and I like mine with more of a spicy kick)

1 tsp salt

3 cups vegetable broth (I used a bit less as I like my chili chunky!)

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I've made this without before but it actually adds a very crucial, smokey flavor)

1 15-oz can kidney beans (or two cups of dried beans that you cook before hand. cheaper and healthier :)

1 15-oz can whole organic tomatoes

1 medium zucchini, cubed

2 medium carrots, grated

2 cups stemmed and chopped rainbow or swiss chard (I substituted kale for this because that is what I had and also because I love kale, hence the name of this blog!)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (Didn't do this because I don't really care for cilantro and did not have any of this. I just added more kale!!)

I also added about 2 small jalapeño peppers because I am a spice addict!

What I used:

You don't need these exact brands for this recipe, these are just some great kitchen staples that worked wonderfully for me!

Check out my sweet paper towel backdrop! I'm so professional.

From left to right: Trader Joe's Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, The Wizards Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth, Trader Joe's spices and Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

What I did:

First I cooked up all the beans together. I soaked the beans overnight and then discarded the soaking water, covered them with fresh water and brought it all to a boil. I let them boil uncovered for about 5-10 minutes, skimming off the foam from the top of pot (that's the part that gives you gas. gross. Then I covered them and cooked them for about 40 more minutes.

Then I tossed in the veggies and spices and mixed it all together. I covered it all with broth and let it simmer until the veggies were fully cooked and the beans were nice and soft.

Then I tossed in the veggies and spices and mixed it all together.

I covered it all with broth and let it simmer until the veggies were fully cooked and the beans were nice and soft. Viola! Delicious, filling veggie chili! I froze half of it in small containers that I can just throw in a pot and re-heat when I don't have time to make dinner from scratch. I kept the rest in the fridge and ate it throughout the week as a soup, mixed into grains or rolled up in a brown rice wrap.

gurl power!

It's Women's Empowerment Week, so I decided to share with you some of the ladies who I find to be most inspiring:

-Oprah: I mean, the woman does everything and fixes everyone's problems. She is the shit!

-Alicia Silverstone: Inspires me to help myself by being healthy all while helping others and feeling great about it. She's showed me that even the little people can make a HUGE difference and that you don't have to be all fancy pants to be eco.

-Tina Fey: Proves that women can be smart and funny and extremely hard working and successful and a mother and a wife and still be real and down to earth. (She was my high school graduation speaker and the whole time I was squeezing my friend's hand and squealing because of how amazing she was. love her.)

-My mom: Well, first of all, this woman raised me, and my brother (mad props to that) and has dedicated her entire life to making sure I am happy and healthy. My mom is my best friend and I can only hope to be half as good a mom as she is :))

And...I'll send you off with a cute, pink quote...

First Linky-Links of 2011!

-Reasons to love New York 2010

-how to be a 20-something. very true.

-A new year rolls in: how 2011 is celebrated around the world

-20 pieces of advice from artists and photographer in 2010

-This is what kids around the world are eating for lunch at schools.

-So cool! A woman's life story told in intricate hand-stitched tapestry

-Miniature man-made landscapes. You'll never believe what these are made out of.

-Photo manipulation at its finest.

-I know, I'm ODing on this website, but these 3D photo sculptures are actually incredible!

-A weekend read: (IN)DECOROUS TASTE amazing photos//style//design//

All photos from www.indecoroustaste.com

p.s. sorry these pictures are HUGE but I think they are so beautiful!