Looking Back on 2013

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I still can’t believe it’s over, and that 2014 is just around the corner. I still didn’t feel like it was Christmas until earlier this week so it’s crazy that it went by so fast.

I’ll probably do a recap of my Christmas/New Year’s week sometime next week but for now, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts and moments from 2013. As with any year, there were some ups, some downs, but overall it was an incredible year for me for many reasons, and I’m hoping 2014 is even better!

January

I experimented with homemade donuts, I took a hiatus from WIAW and I shared my orthorexia story. 

Some post-holiday Christmas lights in Denver.

February

I broke some fashion rules, made some Superbowl-worthy raw jalapeno poppers and shared my thoughts on clean eating. 

No white after Labor Day? Pssh, I wear what I want!

March

I compared my meals from when I started my blog until now, I tried out grain free baking and I admitted to my struggles with the scale and mirror. 

My first sushi night with friends.

April

I got snowed in, shared my fear of rest days and feeling full and made some homemade Easter candy.

Snow in April isn’t unusual but a FOOT of snow definitely is!

May

I spent some time at the pool, got all nerdy about cacao powder and started my weather internship at a local TV station. 

I also reunited with an old Starbucks favorite,, the unsweetened passion iced tea.

June

I started eating more raw foods, expressed my sorrow over a second year of wildfires in my hometown and revisited an old favorite vacation spot. 

More pool time for this chica.

July

I professed my love for homemade food, dealt with some flash flooding on the job and found that being sick can be an ED trigger. 

I also celebrated my 21st birthday in style, even while recovering from being sick.

August

I indulged in some incredible vegan carrot cake ice cream, vacationed to see family in Wisconsin and got a tablet to replace my dying laptop. 

I love airports and flying!

September

I tried out eggs (and ended up keeping them out of my diet), gave an inside look at my fridge and struggled with senioritis. 

I also got my third-ever manicure.

October

I shared my thoughts on figure competitions, talked about the ‘Ashley Diet’ and did some fun things with my family during a weekend at home. 

A quick and yummy lunch from a local vegan juice bar and cafe.

November

I let you all in on my meal prepping secrets, I talked about some girl problems and I bought a bunch of fun foodie products. 

I went to Native Foods for only the second time ever and I can’t wait to go back again.

December

I started a no-added-sugar plan before the holidays, I got through finals week with some good food and I graduated college a semester early. 

The happy graduate.

I feel like I’ve grown up so much since the beginning of the year–I’ve conquered another year of living (mostly) independently, completed an amazing internship, got through a semester taking on a full course load, dealt with some personal struggles (some are still going on), made some great friends and most of all, started my new life as a post-grad looking for her first full-time job. It’s crazy how much things have changed since this time last year, but I wouldn’t trade any of it! I’m even more excited to take on 2014!

What were some of your most memorable moments of 2013? What are you looking forward to most in 2014? 

WIAW: Finals Week Food

Today I have my last final EVER (well, besides when/if I get my meteorology certificate…but we’ll pretend like that doesn’t count) and I’m beyond excited to be done with this semester. It’s been long (but it’s gone by so fast), it’s been hard, it’s been busy (taking 6 classes on top of working at the TV station every week is no joke) so I’m ready to enjoy some time off at home. It’s still crazy to think I’ll be a college graduate in a few days…

Before my emotions get the better of me, let’s get on with WIAW! As I’m typing this, I’m kinda procrastinating on studying for my Wednesday final so this is gonna be a mostly wordless post of some of the things I’ve been eating to fuel my studying (and to be honest, my procrastinating too).

Monday lunch. Miracle noodles dry-sauteed with some peanut butter/cayenne pepper/almond milk for a spicy peanut sauce, with spinach and sauerkraut added in. Organic honeycrisp on the side.

Monday’s dinner. Supposed to be a curried cauliflower soup, but really thick so it was more like a sauce. Still good, especially topped with sauerkraut and these addicting raw spicy sunflower seeds from the bulk bins at Whole Foods.

A quick selfie in the car before my history final on Monday morning. So glad to have my car back!

Monday’s snackplate. Satsuma, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips, some Food Should Taste Good sweet potato kettle chips, energy bites from the bulk bin (I don’t really like these), some homemade PB&J bites.

Big salad for lunch on Tuesday. One head of romaine lettuce, with some cauliflower soup/sauce as the dressing, 1 leftover falafel, chickpeas, more sauerkraut and spicy sunflower seeds.

A very orange snackplate from Tuesday. Satsuma, sweet potato chips, carrots, and leftover pan-roasted chickpeas.

Strawberry Zevia makes the perfect study drink. Can’t wait til I go out for some adult beverages with my friends on Thursday 😉

Tuesday dinner. Mung bean pasta (so high in protein, and grain free), mixed with cauliflower soup/sauce, more sauerkraut and raw spicy sunflower seeds, side of homemade sweet potato fries and pomegranate seeds.

Not quite the same as the typical college student’s mac and cheese and fast food dinners during finals 😛 Really, though, it’s been all about convenience for me as I’ve been keeping busy with studying for finals, taking a few finals and finding ways to avoid thinking about finals. Most of my meals have been quick, no fuss, and made while doing something else. Multitasking at its finest! I have no desire to cook right now, and that’s okay. My food processor has been getting a lot of use though–I’ve been whipping up homemade Larabar-like bites lately for quick study snacks. I’m more than ready to go out for sushi tonight, drinks/appetizers tomorrow and then my favorite vegan restaurant on Saturday as a grad celebration dinner!

What have you been eating lately?

Currently: December

…Also known as “It’s almost finals week so I’m stressed and practically brain dead so here’s a fun post that will take my mind off all that I have to do in the next week and a half.” All my fellow (or former) college students will understand what I’m saying here.

Current Book: I’m currently doing my best to avoid all books, even my textbooks. Just kidding, but really the only books I have time to care about are my textbooks. #sorrynotsorry

Current Music: All things Christmas music, especially Vince Guaraldi trio, aka A Charlie Brown Christmas music!

Current Guilty Pleasure: Homemade dark chocolate-covered orange slices. Remember those chocolate oranges that always came out around Christmas? These are like that, but better because I’ve been making them with satsumas (100x better than plain old oranges) and stevia-sweetened dark chocolate. So does that make them a guilty pleasure, or not so much?

Current Nail Color: They’re chipping now, but last weekend I painted my nails with my friend who has a million different nail polishes (seriously, a girl’s dream) and I used OPI The Color of Minnie and Essie Toggle to the Top for some festive-looking nails.

I can never get my nails to not chip a few days in.

Current Drink: Celestial Seasonings gingerbread tea or water.

Current Food: Alllllllll the homemade ‘balls’, creamy & spicy butternut squash sauce, leftover grain free stuffing, pomegranates, satsumas, stevia-chocolate chips melted on everything, sauerkraut and these really good spicy sprouted sunflower seeds I got from the bulk section at Whole Foods. I like how I always list multiple things in my ‘Current Food’ section. What can I say, I love food!

Some completely random nachos from sometime last week. I had some sprouted cranberry pumpkin tortilla chips I needed to use them up, so I paired them with beans, sauteed spinach, sauerkraut, olives and homemade cranberry sauce.

Current TV Show: This question and the book question need to go, seriously. I never answer them because I’m never reading/watching anything regularly enough. I will say that my dad has been getting The Newsroom on Netflix and we watched a few episodes of that over Thanksgiving break to get caught up. I am obsessed with that show. Take my love for journalism/news and my love for (recent) history and you’ve got a perfect show for this nerd 😉

Current Wishlist: To make it out of finals week alive (and graduated), to mentally prepare myself for Christmas (not that I’m dreading it, it just doesn’t quite feel like Christmas yet to me), and to magically have my dream job right now #nothappening.

Current Needs: More coffee (haven’t had any Starbucks in almost 2 weeks), my car to start again (poor Alejandro’s battery doesn’t work after a week of near-zero temps) so I can stop taking the bus to campus, the end of school to come sooner.

This was back when Alejandro could deal with some cold and snow.

Current Triumphs: Trying not to stress out so much. Emphasis on the trying there. I’m not 100% anxiety-free, but I’m doing better. I had a lot of stressful situations thrown at me the beginning of the week and I’m still trying to deal with those (such as my car not working, and having to take the bus to campus) on top of stressing about finals, graduation and the post-grad life. I’m doing well not worrying so much about what I’ll be doing with my life after school is over, but I need to also focus less (in a good way) on the more present issues so I don’t run myself down too much.

Current Bane of Existence: How damn cold it was here for the past week, and still kinda is. We got about 6 inches of snow last Tuesday/Wednesday and it’s barely melted due to how cold it’s been. I know a lot of the country’s been dealing with very cold weather, but even living in Colorado most of my life, we never get weather this cold for this long. I blame my Arizona-born blood for not being able to handle the cold 😀

The snow we got a week ago…and it still basically looks like this today.

Current Indulgence: Mung bean pasta (so good–grain free and 25 grams of protein per serving) with homemade spicy butternut squash sauce, sauerkraut and salted pumpkin seeds. It tastes like a totally decadent pasta dish but is actually healthy.

Current Blessing: Being so close to the end of my school career (for now, anyways). I feel like I’ve been a student forever, and I kinda have if 16 years is forever, so it’s completely crazy that by next Saturday I’ll be done. I’m so thankful that I’ve had the chance to go to college, finish out my degree and make some amazing memories.

Current Outfit: Chillin’ in my pajamas at the mo, but here’s a recent memorable outfit. It was from last Friday, when I had my capstone panel review. One of the most nerve-wracking things ever, but I got some good feedback and it’s all over now!

I’m so classy in my Ann Taylor skirt suit set I got on sale during Labor Day weekend and wore for the first time ever last week.

Current Excitement: CHRISTMAS (duh!), graduation and most of all, being home for the holidays. I. Can’t. Wait.

What are you currently excited about? Is it still cold where you are?

Friday Five: T Minus 2 Weeks

Before I start, I want to thank everyone who commented on and emailed me about my last post. I really appreciate all the feedback you gave me about my “no added sugar” plan, and I’m working towards being more flexible with my eating and not letting food become an obsessive thing in my life. Especially around the holidays, when I’m already stressed as it is, and sometimes a girl just needs a Hail Merry miracle tart (which I’ll be treating myself to at the end of finals week).

1. There are just over 2 weeks left til the big day…graduation!

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day for forever. Okay, maybe not, but it’s been a source of excitement and fear in my life since at least last year. I think getting the opportunity to graduate a semester early, and start my ‘real’ life will be the best Christmas present I get this year–and it just so happens to be right around Christmas. I’ve just got to get through one more week of classes, 2 real finals, 1 take home test and an online final and then I’m there! I know the next two weeks are going to fly by, but I hope I can enjoy them to the fullest. My time in college has been so much more than I could have ever imagined, so in a way, I’m going to miss it. At the same time, I’m ready to be done with school!

2. I’m obsessed with balls.

Nope, not those ones 😉 I’ve been whipping up some Larabar knock-offs in ball form and eating them for snacks, at breakfast/lunch, you name it. My latest creations are PB&J (my favorites, and literally just raisins+no salt/sugar PB), protein peppermint mocha (recipe below!) and cookie dough (almond meal+dates+stevia chocolate chips+vanilla extract). Let’s just say that my Ninja has been getting a lot of love lately!

Some of my ‘balls’.

Protein Peppermint Mocha Balls (vegan, gluten free, grain free, raw, no added sugar)

1 scoop Garden of Life RAW Marley coffee protein powder (can sub any coffee-flavored protein powder, or just chocolate and add a little instant coffee)

1 tbsp cacao powder or dark cocoa powder

8-10 pitted dates, soaked 2 hours

3-4 tbsp pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours

dash peppermint extract, to taste

In a food processor/high speed blender, process all ingredients until they start to come together. Roll into balls or flatten into bars and enjoy.

3. I am seriously looking into moving to California. Or somewhere else warm.

Not that I wasn’t already, but after this week, I’m considering it even more. Not only did we get 6 inches of snow (not too unusual, and it made it feel more like Christmas, but it made the roads horrible) but we’ve been having Arctic-like temperatures since Tuesday, and they will be continuing until this coming Tuesday. I’m talking daytime highs of 10 degrees at the most, and overnight lows in the negatives. That just doesn’t happen here more than a random day or two, usually in February. The strange thing about Colorado is that we still get plenty of sunshine on these frigid days, so it’s like the weather is taunting us by looking warm but feeling beyond cold. This awful weather has made me just want to stay in and watch Christmas movies #noshame.

This sums it up, basically.

As does this tweet.

4. Some random search terms for your enjoyment.

I haven’t looked at my search terms in awhile, so I knew there was bound to be some, erm, interesting ones. Here are some of the weirdest!

• drinking olive oil with salt to jump start my period: I would suggest putting that olive oil and salt to better use as a dip for some fancy bread…

• cappuccino float: I’m not even sure how that would work, but coffee+ice cream is always a winner.

• how did i spend my thanksgiving holiday for middle school: I haven’t been in middle school for 8 years, so I can’t remember that far back what I was doing for Thanksgiving!

• selfies gone wrong: If they’re referring to my car selfies, they couldn’t be more wrong!

• slang saying yaaasss: I personally love slang words, so go for it.

5. My apartment is sufficiently Christmas-ified.

It’s hard being away from home during the holidays. I really struggled with this during my freshman year of college–it was my first time away from home, and I was dealing with all the typical finals-time stress, along with a not-so-great roommate. What’s made my holiday seasons since then a little better (besides living in an apartment on my own!) is having Christmas decorations up and listening to Christmas music as much as possible. My lovely mom was nice enough to decorate my place while I was at class when she dropped me off after break on Monday, and now my apartment is looking pretty festive. Having all that snow helps too (though, lets be honest, I’m sick of it already) and even though I won’t be going home for good (aka until I find a job) until the 23rd because that’s when I’m moving out of my apartment, I can still enjoy this holiday season, while looking forward to the time that I’ll get to be home with my family again. T-minus 17 days until I’m home for Christmas 😀

Do you like to decorate your home/apartment/dorm for the holidays? What’s the weather like where you are–I need some hope that warmer temps will return soon!

Currently: May

I feel like I was just saying this a month or so ago, but it’s dead week again on my campus. It’s honestly not as awful as it sounds, but seeing as I have just over a week until my first and only final, as well as many projects due this week, I needed to get in some quick and easy posts while I’m stressed out over end-of-the-year stuff for the next week and a half. I promise I’ll be back to more normal posting once school ends, I move out and get settled back in at home and with my internship and online summer class. Until then, enjoy the mindless fun posts 😀

Current Book: Does my geology book count? ‘Cause that’s probably the only book I’ll be reading until next Tuesday…and it’s not even by choice.

Current Music: Still loving on the alt rock genre, especially Vampire Weekend and Blondfire. I jammed out to this song while taking an impromptu mini road trip to the mountains two weekends ago. Reminds me that summer’s coming soon!

Current Guilty Pleasure: All things raw and delicious! This weekend alone, I stocked up on kale chips (hey, they were on sale!), sprouted Thai curry cashews (total obsession), cacao nibs, dried fruit and a few raw energy bars. Raw food can be expensive but it’s worth it to me for the taste and health benefits.

Haven’t bought this in awhile, but it may be my post-finals treat.

Current Nail Color: Pink+coral, with polka dots. So fun, but so easy to do!

Super cute!

Current Drink: My infused water…planning on making a second batch soon!

Current Food: I’ve been loving on the raw snacks (as I said above), sweet potatoes (what else is new?), salted crunchy peanut butter (normally not a PB lover, but I’m going with it), all kinds of summer fruit, tofu, avocados and the new paleo BBQ sauce I picked up.

Current Favorite Show: I haven’t been keeping up with many shows, but SNL is a perennial favorite of mine and Zac Galifianakis is always hilarious.

Probably one of the funniest sketches.

Current Wishlist: For the weather to stay warm for the rest of the summer(60s and rain is better than snow, but I want 70s and 80s!), good grades in all my classes, a smooth move-out process, maybe one more time to hang out at my apartment’s pool (which as far as I know still hasn’t reopened…and there’s less than 2 weeks left in the semester).

Current Needs: Less stressful days,  more sunshine (we’re set to get rain most days this week, which is nice for drought conditions but makes me a little sad) & more regular visits to the Whole Foods salad bar (maybe when I go home for the summer?!)

Current Triumphs: Finishing off my second semester at CTV strong, getting the summer internship I really wanted, starting to conquer my food issues. (P.S. Look for me in the video at about 6:20 and ignore the awkward screenshot)

Current Bane of Existence: The checkout list I got from my complex for moving out. Seriously, it’s a full page of cleaning instructions. I see a lot of sweeping and vacuuming in my future 😦

Current Celebrity Crush: Justin Timberlake. He’s super sexy, got a great voice and sense of humor and I loved his SNL “Veganville” song!

 

So flippin’ funny!

Current Indulgence: I finally got my fill of the Whole Foods salad bar again this weekend, and it reminded me how excited I am to be home so I can enjoy it more often. My wallet doesn’t love it, but it makes for a better dinner out option than most restaurants! And everyone’s got a guilty pleasure, right? Might as well be a healthy one!

Always so damn good.

Current Blessing: Much better weather this week than we’ve been getting the past 3 weeks. I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m thinking we’re done with the snow for awhile, and rain is always much-needed here. I would hate to have to deal with a wildfire like California is right now and like the bad ones we experienced last summer.

What are some of your currently’s?

College Vegan on a Budget: Makin’ Changes

An occasional series on my trials and successes in grocery shopping for myself for the first time while on a college budget.

It’s getting to be that time of year ago–finals week. Okay, technically it’s not for another 4 weeks, but close enough, right? With that being said, these CVB posts will probably be on hiatus soon for the next few months, as I move back home for the summer and hopefully go back to my parents paying for most of my groceries. I’m excited for that, but truth be told, I’ve been having fun and learning a lot doing this budgeting thing and I don’t plan on going crazy with the groceries once my parents are doing the purchasing.

So I’ve been doing a great job at keeping my weekly Whole Foods trips at around $60 or under, but I’ve failed at keeping my whole weekly grocery budget at around $80. I shop at Sprouts on a weekly or every other week basis and keep my costs to around $30 or under, but I get into trouble when I go crazy over their Larabar selection, or when I hit up yet another natural foods store in the same week (as I did last week, going to Natural Grocers and spending $20 on some super-expensive coconut flour bread, dark chocolate and cappuccino Larabars that were on sale) or when I buy food online from iHerb or Amazon (as I did two weeks ago). So for the rest of the semester, I’m going to be limiting those purchases as much as possible, probably only making one more purchase from iHerb to restock my peanut flour. And since I’ll be moving out of my apartment in a month, I need to get rid of some of the pantry staples I have, like beans and flours, so I’ll really be watching my grocery list and eliminating unnecessary purchases.

Sprouts buys.

*=organic

Sprouts

What I Got: ALT  and Uber Larabars, Kit’s bar*, chocolate Kale Krunch* (not planned, but I’d never seen it before and was intrigued), cherry cola Zevia (on sale for only $2.99!), pineapple, Gone Nuts chipotle pistachios, unsweetened applesauce*, avocados x3*, serrano peppers

What I Spent: $32.70

Verdict: The raw nuts and kale chips were the only things not on my list (and the two most expensive by far) but I bought them because I’ve never seen them anywhere else and wanted to try them. I stocked up on the Zevia (a new-to-me flavor) even though I have some others in my pantry because they were a steal at just $3, compared to the usual $5 or $6. The avocados were bought organic because they were the same price as conventional and buying organic whenever possible is always best.

Whole Foods purchases.

Whole Foods

What I Got: Gone Raw Thai curry cashews (it’s a problem, I’m obsessed), raw cashew butter (this stuff is AMAZING, and only getting a little bit from the bulk aisle saved me tons of money), bulk unsweetened coconut shreds, bulk white Turkish figs*, Medjool dates*, Veggie-Gos fruit and veggie strips*, canned green olives, Tom’s kids toothpaste (I had a coupon, and have been looking for a more natural toothpaste), cherry chocolate Vega One bar, plain Skinny Crisps (for an upcoming recipe), eggplant*, watermelon (yes!), 1 lb. strawberries (finally we’re getting into berry season), Ataulfo mangos X2 (tastiest mangos ever!), baby spinach*, fair trade vanilla extract (on sale and one of the only clean extracts I could find), Hail Merry raw chocolate tart (another thing I need to stop buying, I love it too much!), bulk fair trade 65% dark chocolate chips*

What I Spent: 60.76

Verdict: I have gotten SO much better at spending less at Whole Foods while still getting a lot. Produce is usually about 1/3 of my total purchase, which is really decent, especially for such great quality and sometimes organic produce. I still got a few fun purchases, but I’ve been better about not buying all my favorite splurges all the time. 

What fruit are you most excited to eat this summer? What’s the best grocery store deal you’ve encountered lately (for me, it’s either the Zevia, or the Larabars I found for under $1 each)?

Wants & Needs

I’m totally guilty of mixing up needs with wants. Especially when it comes to clothes. “Oh, but I need those shoes!” “I really need to buy that cute shirt.” #firstworldproblems. So maybe some of my needs on this list aren’t really needs but they’re definitely a lot more important than the swimsuits on my wishlist or the new food products I want to try.

I still want… this dress from American Eagle.

Adorable, and it’s finally on clearance!

I know you can’t tell from the picture, but the dress has little birds all over it…cute, right? I’ve been eyeing it since I first saw it in February (side note: I hate how stores stock all their spring clothing in winter when I can’t wear it for another 2 months). It’s finally on clearance…well, if you count 10% a discount. Maybe I’ll wait until it’s even cheaper.

I need… to stop getting sucked in to good deals at Target.

Darn you Target and your amazing items.

Who else gets sucked into the black hole that is Target and emerges half an hour later with half the store in your cart? I mean, you’ve gotta admit they have some pretty good clearance offers and even their regular priced stuff is a steal, but it’s an issue when I can’t leave the store without at least one impulse buy. This time, I was planning on just buying contact solution, but I left with a pair of aqua oxfords (to be fair, I’d been wanting them for awhile) and a sample mini-bag of cinnamon nut coffee. But shit, it was 99 cents It was literally only 99 cents and I thought it was cool that they offered samples of their flavored coffee so I didn’t waste $6 on a full size bag. At least I didn’t buy any of those clearance watches I was eyeing…or the mini dipping bowls…or the nail polish.

I want… to have enough extra money to buy all the cool food items I see at Whole Foods.

I could spend all day browsing the aisles of WF, and it’d be even better if I could stock my kitchen with all the foodie products I spot there. Things like fruit-flavored balsamic vinegars and fresh-made juices and endless salad bar lunches and raw cashew gelato and all the fancy chocolate bars. I try to stick with one or two ‘splurges’ per trip (less expensive things like kale chips and raw desserts) but if I ever have the money, I’ll definitely be trying some of those fancier things.

I need… it to stop snowing every week.

Come on Colorado. It’s April, get your act together and stop snowing on a regular basis. It makes me mad and messes up my week. I don’t appreciate it snowing, and then melting the next day, warming up for a day or two and then snowing again. I know that April is technically one of the snowier months, but I’d appreciate it if it’d start feeling like spring most of the time, instead of once a week. Thanks!

I want… an iPhone when my plan expires in December.

Totally jealous of the endless selection of cases for the iPhone.

I currently have a Droid, and love it for the most part, but the only reason I got it instead of an iPhone is because my family has T-Mobile and up til now, they didn’t offer any of the iPhones. Well, rumor has it that that’s going to change soon, hopefully before our contract expires, because I really want in on the iPhone trend. Mostly for the cute cases, but also because I’ve heard such good things about the phone.

I need… to figure out my summer plans.

Right now, I know I’m going to be doing another internship at a different local TV station (this time, it’ll be in their weather department, which is where I want to get a job after college) and I’m super excited about that. But after signing up for classes for what’s hopefully my last semester of college in the fall, I realized that I’m still 2 credits short. I’d rather not take an extra semester to finish those up, so I’m probably going to end up doing an online class over the summer. I’ve just gotta figure out which one sounds the most interesting and hopefully easiest.

What are your current wants or needs? Do you have an iPhone, Droid or brick (aka super old phone)?

 

WIAW & ABCs

You guys already know how much I love surveys so I always get really excited when I see a new one floating around the blog world. This one’s a little more focused on life in general rather than food+fitness but I’ll still be including some WIAW-worthy pictures throughout!

Addictions: yoga, nori sheets (gotta love that seaweed-y flavor), sunshine & warm days, colored shorts, nut butter-stuffed dates, sleeping in, dark chocolate+mint combo, Larabars…etc.!

Recent lunch: nori ‘burrito’ (filled with cashew butter, coconut aminos, raw kraut, kelp noodles and spinach), dry roasted edamame, dried apples.

Bed size: Full. Prior to college, I always had a twin bed, then in the dorms they had twin XL but finally I’m in an apartment with a bigger bed and plenty of space for it!

Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom, or pulling weeds. We used to have the worst weeds at our previous house, and some of them were kinda scary to pull up (imagine 3-4 foot tall spiky green plants)!

Dogs or cats: I don’t have either, but I’d love to have one of each someday, preferably an Italian Greyhound and an orange tabby.

Essential start to your day: My now-daily ACV drink. I got into the trend a few months ago after reading all about it on blogs and while I haven’t noticed too many changes (I do tend to have less acne around that time of the month, though) I’ve come to enjoy the sweet and sour combo of ACV+vanilla stevia+cinnamon.

My daily ‘cocktail’.

Favorite color: Pink is #1, but orange is a close second.

Gold or silver: I prefer silver for jewelry, but I love the look of gold sparkly shoes! I currently own two pairs and want more.

Height: 5’1 and 1/2. Yes, that extra half inch really counts when you’re this tiny!

Instruments you play (or have played): I’ve played the clarinet, tenor and alto saxophones (my favorite to play!), piano and electric guitar. I’m not sure I could play any of them well now though.

Job titles you’ve had: people & academics editor, managing editor and weather anchor. I’ve actually never had a job outside my field of study (journalism) before and hopefully it’ll stay that way, though I wouldn’t mind working at Whole Foods for a summer!

Kids: Um…not right now, I’m only 20 (almost 21!) but it’s crazy how many people my age are getting married and having kids already. I want to have kids someday, hopefully twin girls.

Live: Both northern (for college) and southern (where I grew up) Colorado.

Mom’s name: Tammy, but I still call her Mommy!

Nickname: Usually just Ash, but my sister sometimes calls me Ashie.

Overnight hospital stays: None, I’ve actually never been to the hospital for anything other than when I was born.

Pet peeves: People smoking right by me, people showing up really late (like more than half an hour late with no explanation), rude drivers.

Quote from a movie: “She doesn’t even go here!” Name that movie, it’s one of my faves!

Right-handed or left-handed: Right-handed.

Siblings: Just my younger sister. I can’t believe she’ll be turning 18 in December!

Time you wake up: Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:30 (I know, college life is rough), Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 and weekends between 8:30 and 9:30. I definitely need to get in at least 8 hours of sleep each night.

Underwear: Yes, I wear it. And my underwear store of choice is Victoria’s Secret PINK, they have the cutest stuff there.

Veggies you dislike: Spaghetti squash, tomatoes and beets.

One of my favorite veggies (sweet potato) for dinner.

What makes you run late: finishing up a workout, getting together all my stuff for the day.

X-rays you’ve had done: teeth, right ankle and foot, left wrist.

Yummy food you make: Raw desserts, kelp noodle stir-frys, waffles, banana bread and eggplant muffulettas.

A very delicious waffle-for-dinner I made last week: cornbread (organic cornmeal+buckwheat flour) waffle topped with spinach, homemade chili and nooch.

Zoo animal: I love flamingos! I just think it’s so cool that they’re pink.

One of the last times I enjoyed pretzels…oh it’s been way too long!

Thanks to an Instagram reminder from Kat, I realized I haven’t enjoyed pretzels in over a year. I remember how much I used to love the Annie’s bunny pretzels dipped in almond butter and jelly, but I gave them up because they were too ‘processed’ or whatever. Even though I don’t eat much gluten nowadays, I can still enjoy some fairly clean and GF pretzel sticks from Mary’s Gone Crackers with some of my favorite sweet+salty combos.

One of the best French toast combos ever: dark chocolate+coconut.

I have a confession to make. This delicious-looking French toast pictured above is NOT vegan! I know right?! I’m not giving up veganism by any means, but I was really curious about this frozen ‘Paleo bread’ I saw at a health store (mostly because it was made of coconut flour, which I love, but I can’t deny that the high fiber+protein and low calorie count also drew me in) and though it’s made with egg whites, I wanted to give it a try. I haven’t knowingly eaten egg products in forever, mostly because I’ve always hated eggs, but I though egg whites in a baked thing would be fine. For those of you wondering, the bread has only a slight coconut flavor and is kinda spongy but it works really well as French toast. I wouldn’t buy it again because it isn’t vegan but mostly because it cost almost $10 for a loaf, yikes! I’m still on the hunt for a totally vegan and gluten free bread that tastes great and isn’t too pricey…

Snow…in April?!

I wish this were a (late) April Fool’s trick, but sadly, Colorado is known for bad April snowstorms. However, they predicted a blizzard, with high wind gusts and up to a foot of snow, and that (thankfully) didn’t happen! I was dreading having to take the bus to classes, but the streets stayed snow and ice free. Since it’s been so warm otherwise, I’m hoping the rest of it will melt soon too.

The best kraut I’ve ever had!

This stuff is seriously addicting! I’ve been looking for the local brand of kimchi that Whole Foods stores around here sell and they’ve been out for weeks, but this smoked jalapeno kraut is an amazing substitute. I’m seriously putting this on everything, from salads to nori burritos to kelp noodle stir-frys and even just eating straight up. This brand isn’t quite local, but I’ve heard most real krauts are only sold within the region they’re made in, so if you’re from California (where it’s made) or anywhere in the western U.S. you might be able to find this brand!

Share some of your ABCs here! Do you like kraut or kimchi?