Sunday Survey

Just popping in with a little survey I found from Kaila! Thanks for the tag, girl!

A: Attached or single?

Single, at the moment. I’ve never been in a long-term relationship before, and it does feel weird to say that as an almost 21-year-old, but I just haven’t found the right guy yet. And right now, I want to focus on graduating school and starting my career…but I won’t say no if something comes up!

B: Best friend?

Definitely my little sister. She’s not so little anymore since she’s starting her senior year of high school (and she’s taller than me…) but we’ve been pretty close since we were younger and I’m really going to miss not seeing her as often once we both graduate.

I love this girl!

C: Cake or pie?

I don’t really love either one (I prefer frozen desserts) but I’m going to cheat and say my raw cheesecake. It’s technically a cross between cake and pie and it’s so rich without being overwhelming, plus it’s totally plant based!

D: Day of choice?

I would say Friday because I had Fridays off from school last semester, as well as during this upcoming semester, and it’s a great day to relax AND get things done before the weekend officially kicks off.

E: Essential item?

My smartphone. I’m not rich cool enough to have an iPhone, but my Android is almost as good, and I bring it with me basically everywhere.

F: Favorite color?

Going to go the totally cliche girly route here and say pink. But I prefer hot pink to light pink, like this pink Kia Soul that I literally almost got last year! My parents and I were looking for a car for me to use at school and we were originally looking at late model small SUVs including a pink Soul they had at one dealership, but then I ended up with Alejandro (aka the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe we owned).

IT’S PINK!

G: Gummy bears or worms?

Don’t eat ’em as a vegan, but I used to kinda like the clear gummy bears, and sour gummy worms were the best kind. But honestly, my favorite gummy candy was Gummy Lifesavers!

H: Home town?

Phoenix, AZ baby! I hope to live there/near there again someday!

I: Favorite indulgence?

Shopping sprees, whether clothing or food. Last year for my birthday, I opted out of presents so I could go shopping in Denver all day. It was a dream come true for this shopaholic 😀

Shopping is so fun!

J: January or July?

July for many reasons: Independence Day, my birthday (the 27th), the amazing weather.

K: Kids?

I would like to have twins someday, but I’m definitely considering adoption just because so many kids need a loving home and the whole idea of pregnancy freaks me out a bit.

L: Life isn’t complete without…?

My family. I’m excited to move out on my own and have my own life, but I can’t live without keeping in touch with my family. I’m so thankful I went to college in-state because I appreciated the distance I had, but also liked being able to come home once or twice a month.

M: Marriage date?

Uh…none? I want to get married, but it’s definitely not in the cards right now.

N: Number of siblings?

One younger sister, who’s 17.

O: Oranges or Apples?

Neither are my favorite fruit, but I have to go with oranges. To me, they’re more thirst-quenching and I love an orange slice in my water or iced tea.

P: Phobias?

One super weird phobia I have is with styrofoam. I’ve had this fear since I was little, and it’s more like a squeamish feeling than anything. I can’t stand when people touch styrofoam anything and I always have to have someone else take things out of styrofoam boxes while I’m in another room!

Q: Quotes?

I love funny quotes, especially this one I just found from Jim Carrey: “Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.” Classic!

R: Reasons to smile?

Sunshine, amazing in-season produce, spending time with my family, singing along to songs while driving, having an awesome workout, getting all the green lights, people that go out of their way to care about others.

Fresh fruit is the best.

S: Season of choice?

It is and always will be summer. Right now it’s because it’s my birthday season, but I also love having summers ‘off’. Plus the weather is just unbeatable, and the fruit is amazing.

T: Tag 5 people…

Aja

P

Kat

Hannah

Kendra

U: Unknown fact about me?

I used to have an obsession with crutches. My best friend was accident prone and was on crutches a lot for sprained ankles, but I never got to use crutches, even when I fractured my ankle in 4th grade. I used to put paper casts and make crutches out of pencils for my stuffed animals and pretend they were injured. I was a weird child…

V: Vegetable?

Why don’t I just name the ones I don’t like? I’m not a fan of beets, tomatoes (technically a fruit but still a veggie to me), most squash (I know, what kind of blogger am I, but I realized that I prefer sweet potatoes to most sweet squash), green beans, celery and most mushrooms. I like or love most other veggies though!

W: Worst habit?

Ripping off my nails when they get too long (and then I hate that they’re so short…um, duh!), charging my phone too often (I hate when the battery level goes below 70%), saying ‘like’ and ‘um when I get nervous…

X: X-rays or ultrasounds?

I’ve only had x-rays done, but I’ve had quite a few, from teeth to ankles to my left wrist.

Y: Your favorite food?

This is way harder than it seems. One of my favorites at the moment is watermelon. Especially straight from the fridge, eaten with my hands, juice dripping all over. Summer perfection.

Z: Zodiac sign?

Leo! Some characteristics of my sign don’t quite fit me, but I am stylish (and a bit vain), I am somewhat insecure and I have a need for outside approval.

Answer any of the above!

Random Ramblings

Hi guys! How was your weekend? As you might be able to tell, I’m a little lacking on blog content lately but I’ve been itching to post something so luckily the lovely Amanda recently posted a fun survey over on her blog and as per usual, I can’t resist taking part in surveys. So here goes!

A is for age: 20, baby! I kinda want to be 21 already though because I’m excited to feel more adult-like. I’m not planning on drinking all the time or anything but it’ll be nice to be able to legally order a nice cocktail in a fancy restaurant 😀

B is for breakfast today: raw chocolate protein powder topped with cacao nibs, cinnamon Puffins and apple slices. I wish I could have had one of my homemade waffles but I was still at home with my fam and my waffle maker was 2 1/2 hours away.

C is for currently craving: A giant healthy vegan cookie and some cute knee-high riding boots. Random, but I am both a foodie and a fashionista!

D is for dinner tonight: I had Panera with my mom, the Thai chopped salad without chicken or wontons, and a side of their black bean soup. That salad is the bomb, I never order anything different!

E is for favorite type of exercise: Either tennis with my dad, or a major shopping spree. I just went on one this weekend and while I didn’t do much damage to my wallet, my feet were killin’ me after a couple hours of walking around malls. It didn’t help that I wore (adorable) wedge ankle booties…

F is for irrational fear: I have a lot, but one of my main ones is dying from a brain aneurysm. I get headaches a lot (once or twice a week, usually) and while they’re never usually big ones, I do get some that don’t go away after taking medicine and it freaks me out.

G is for gross food: I’m a picky eater, but I’ve gotten better about it. Ironically, going vegan has made me more adventurous. But now I just think gross things are anything meat and dairy-related (and I’ve always hated eggs) and all the unnatural ingredients and preservatives in most packaged food. I’m such a label reader, but there are just some things I’d rather not put in my body, vegan or not.

H is for hometown: Reppin’ the Phoenix, AZ area 😉 I only lived there for the first 2 years of my life but when I went back for vacation a few years ago, I fell in love and I want to move back to the land of cactus and 110 degree weather. Some people might call me crazy but living in CO and AZ all my life I couldn’t live anywhere with high humidity. I just love it dry and hot. I’m such a desert rat haha!

I is for something important: My family. I know they would do anything for me, and they already do so much. My mom in particular is extremely supportive–for the past 3 years I’ve been going to college 2 1/2 hours away from home, she’s been willing to drive 5 hours straight 1 or 2 weekends per month to come bring me home for the weekend. She is seriously amazing.

J is for current favorite jam: I like the fruit-sweetened superfruits jam from Crofter. Such a good blend of fruits, and no extra sugar!

K is for kids: Someday, I’d love to have a set of twin girls. I just think it would be so fun to have twins! Actually, I want to be a twin…

L is for current location: The couch in my second-floor apartment, with a zebra-striped blanket on my lap and the TV set to Breaking Amish. Such a great show. (P.S. I wrote this post on Sunday night)

M is for the most recent way you spent money: At Whole Foods, restocking my fridge and cupboards for the week. I spent a lot, but I got a crap ton of produce which is great!

N is for something you need: A break from school. Luckily, Thanksgiving break is in T-minus 15 school days…

O is for occupation: Junior year broadcast journalism student by day, blogger and part-time weather anchor by night. Someday I want to be a full-time weather anchor, preferably at a TV station in CO, AZ or CA.

P is for pet peeve: People on bikes. I’m all for bike riding for recreation or competition or whatever, but when you’re a college student riding a bike like you’re invincible, that’s when I get pissed. When I’m driving, they run through the red lights so I always have to be watching, and they don’t have lights on them at night. Stupid. And when I’m walking, I have to listen to the telltale sign of their chains to make sure I don’t become roadkill. Seriously, they ride all over the streets and sidewalks here. It’s nuts.

Q is for a quote: “She doesn’t even go here!” Mean Girls, anyone? Sorry, I’m hopelessly obsessed with that movie.

R is for a random fact about you: According to my dad, I have weird problems. I get the most random pains and sensations all over my body and when I tell him about it, he always laughs and says that. My latest issue is that the top of my left foot hurts when I point it, and I have to bend it against the floor to make it feel better. So weird!

S is for favorite healthy snack: Dry roasted edamame, flavored dark chocolate squares (give me anything mint flavored and I’m happy), frozen grapes, sweet potatoes with almond butter and protein powder microwave cakes. I try to make all my snacks somewhat healthy though!

T is for favorite treat: Food-wise, I love coconut milk ice cream. It’s ridic expensive, but so worth it for it’s dairy-free creaminess. Fashion-wise, I go for the accessories. I love dressing up my outfits with statement necklaces, random rings, scarves and cute shoes.

U is for something that makes you unique: As a baby, I had blonde hair and blue eyes. As I grew up, my hair darkened to light brown and my eyes changed from brown to hazel. Even though a lot of people think blue eyes are the prettiest, I like my hazel eyes because they make me different!

V is for favorite vegetable: This changes with the season, but right now I’m all about the squash, especially kabocha and acorn, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. And kale, that’s a favorite year round.

W is for today’s workout: I didn’t do as much as I usually do, which gave me some exercise anxiety, but I did some walking in a few stores buying groceries and such and I did a couple short circuit workouts.

X is for x-rays you’ve had: Too many to count! The obligatory dental/orthodontic ones, one on my right ankle, one on my right foot, one on my left wrist and an MRI on my right ankle. I’ve had some strains and sprains and plantar fasciitis  here and there but only one major injury: a fractured ankle.

Y is for yesterday’s highlights: Shopping in Denver with my family, my first vegan ice cream experience in an ice cream place (it was good, but not great) and having dinner in a really cool, veg-friendly restaurant. It was a long, exhausting day but so worth it.

Z is for your time zone: Mountain. I always feel like no one cares about the Mountain Time Zone but it’s awesome.

Answer with any of the letters you want!

ABCs and Recipes

Last summer, I was completely obsessed with blog surveys. I did one almost every week, usually on Wednesday (for WIAW) and I loved coming up with answers for the questions. I got a little burned out on them after a while, but now that I’ve seen this new survey pop up all over the place, I decided to jump in on it. I’ve also got a couple more recipes for you too!

A is for Age: 19, but I’ll be 20 in 4 months!

B is for Breakfast today: Coffee-flavored overnight oats topped with a little peanut flour paste, with a side of veggie bacon (made crispy in the microwave) and some raisins.

C is for Currently Craving: Starbucks unsweetened iced coffee! I had my first one yesterday and it was totally refreshing for a warm spring day. I sweetened it up with a little Truvia and it was perfection.

Enjoying some Starbucks in the sunshine.

D is for Dinner tonight: Hopefully some Mediterranean food at Garbanzo, aka my favorite fast casual restaurant!

E is for favorite type of Exercise: Either biking or tennis. I hope I can do one of those tomorrow, since it’s supposed to be super warm!

F is for irrational Fear: Someone breaking into my house…and squirrels.

G is for Gross food: Any kind of meat (that’s why I’m veg*n), ketchup and eggs. Ick!

H is for Hometown: Phoenix, AZ. Now I live in CO but I want to move back to AZ someday for the warm weather.

I need to live in Phoenix so I can tan outside all the time.

I is for something Important: I couldn’t live without my family, seriously.

J is for current favorite Jam: Music-wise, I’m loving “Starships” by Nicki Minaj. Food-wise, I really like orange ginger marmalade.

K is for Kids: Obviously not right now, but someday I’d love to have twin girls!

L is for current Location: See photo below!

I love being outside!

M is for the most recent way you spent Money: I bought Starbucks drinks for me and my sister.

N is for something you Need: Ummm, how about a car? I’ve loved being able to drive myself around this week and I’m kinda mad that I won’t be able to do that again until summer.

O is for Occupation: Student and blogger right now, future TV anchor hopefully soon 😀

Outfit of the day: striped crop top (Hollister), navy twill shorts (Hollister), silver bangles (American Eagle).

P is for Pet Peeve: Chipped nail polish. I love having my nails polished, but I have to repaint them almost every day because they constantly chip!

Q is for Quote: 

R is for Random fact about you: I have a tooth that grew in facing backwards! I had to have braces on my lower teeth for over 3 years because of it but it’s still backwards.

S is for favorite healthy Snack: Kale chips. Here’s my latest recipe for them…

Why are kale chips so addicting?

Curried Kale Chips (vegan, gluten-free)

1 bunch kale, washed and dried

curry powder, garam masala, sea salt, cracked black pepper (to taste)

oil spray (I used Pam)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Tear kale into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Spritz lightly with oil spray and sprinkle on spices (add as much or as little as you’d like). Place kale on foil-lined baking trays and put in oven for 20-30 minutes, until crisp. 

T is for favorite Treat: Gelato, or almond milk ‘ice cream’. As far as desserts go, cold ones are definitely my favorite, I’m not as huge of a fan of baked goods, but I also love raw desserts.

U is for something that makes you Unique: My eyes used to be blue when I was a baby, but now they’re hazel! As much as I think blue eyes are really pretty, I think hazel ones are really cool.

V is for favorite Vegetable: My favorites at the moment include spinach, baby carrots, edamame, kale, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and asparagus.

A produce-filled lunch: quinoa pasta salad (the colored ones are made of dried spinach and beets) with baby carrots, edamame and vegan Caesar dressing, side of fresh mango.

Super Simple Pasta Salad (vegan, gluten-free)

1/2 cup quinoa pasta

1/4 cup cooked edamame

handful chopped carrots, other veggies

1 tbsp dressing of choice (I used Follow Your Heart’s vegan Caesar)

Make pasta according to package. Mix with edamame and other veggies and place in a bowl in the fridge for a few hours. Once chilled, toss with dressing and other toppings of choice, like nooch, nuts or dried fruit (makes 1 serving).

W is for today’s Workout: I did a quickie cardio circuit, and I’m also going to be spending the day shopping. Shopping is my favorite form of cardio, hands down 😉

X is for X-rays you’ve had: Right ankle, left wrist, teeth and right foot. I also had an MRI done when I fractured my right ankle in fourth grade.

Y is for Yesterday’s highlight: Getting to pick up my sister from school and taking her to Starbucks, having my last orthodontist appointment ever, making dinner for my family. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures but I made orange chicken-style tofu with quinoa. It was decent, but I want to tweak the recipe before I post it.

Z is for your time Zone: Mountain time zone, baby! I love being one of the few bloggers actually in this time zone, haha.

 

Answer any of these for yourself!