Thinking Out Loud #1

I haven’t been into linkup style posts in awhile. I used to do the WIAW thing almost weekly, and it just got old. I share my food here anyway, but I’d rather do it when I want to and not feel forced to do it just because it’s the ‘cool’ thing.

But I’ve got a bunch of random ramblings going on in my head right now, so what better way to share them than with the Thinking Out Loud Thursday linkup?

• I bought baby food AND dog food at Sprouts. And I don’t have a dog or a baby…

Some of my other Sprouts buys.

On one of my days off, I decided to make the trek to Sprouts for a midweek produce restock…and of course, I bought a lot more than I intended to. I don’t go to Sprouts more than maybe once a month anymore because it’s just not as convenient to work or home as Whole Foods is, but they do have some pretty cheap produce. But then I happened to stroll down the baby food aisle and I decided to get a couple pouches. They’ll be good to take to work when I don’t feel like packing veggies! And then I saw the Brad’s Raw dog treats were on sale, and even though they’re meant for dogs (but people-friendly too), the ingredients are spot on and they sounded good. Well, that was a waste of $5, because they taste nasty. I don’t even know why, because they’re just made of kale, sweet potatoes, spices and buckwheat groats. Maybe I’ll find an actual dog to feed them to…

• I legitimately don’t understand how 20-somethings can vacation so much

Chalk it up to bitter jealousy, but I just don’t get it. ‘Tis the season for vacations, and it seems like every blog I read has some vacation recap and/or talking about an upcoming trip. I’m certainly not opposed to travel, it’s just that I grew up in a family where we vacationed once, maybe twice, per year. And usually one of those trips was an in-state road trip to the mountains. We weren’t poor, it’s just that my parents chose to spend money on other things. Now that I have a job and money of my own, I realize just how $$$ traveling is. And that’s why I don’t get how recent college grads like myself can take trips (especially by plane) so often. I’m talking multiple times in the summer alone! A car trip just to go back home is a good 10 hour + trip one way (I’m not making that drive, it sucks) and a 2-3 hour flight is at least $150 each way. And that would be going home, not even having to pay for a hotel or food. I want to fly home at least once this year, and I’d like to visit my good friend when she moves to Salt Lake City, but traveling that much is just not in the cards, wallet-wise 😦

• I basically eat the same breakfast every day, and it does NOT get old

The protein bowl, aka my breakfast special.

I got into the habit of making a protein chia pudding (Sunwarrior or Garden of Life raw protein+chia seeds+almond milk) for breakfast and then topping it with all sorts of stuff, usually raisins, stevia chocolate chips, raw granola and raw salted nuts. I’m basically obsessed with the sweet+salty combo. And now I’ve eaten this every single day for probably a month. I even eat it when I have breakfast at work — I just put the chia pudding in one mini tupperware and the toppings in another and combine at my desk. Sometimes I add fresh fruit (like the figs in the above picture), or half a Larabar, but it’s way too good. And sometimes, I even have it for dessert.

• I’m obsessed with the pink+grey combination

I also love dresses with scarves.

Who says scarves are for fall and winter? I love them year-round, especially paired with dresses. And a plain (but really cute) dress like this just screams to be put with a patterned scarf. I also love how pink and dark grey pop against each other. It’s a good way to make pink less girly for those of you who dislike the color (obviously not me).

How often do you travel? Have you ever bought baby food to eat yourself? 

Fashion Friday: Spring Mints

I’m hoping that it’s a lot more springlike where you are…because we just got dumped on with a spring snowstorm! And this is no dusting of snow…we got a foot or more in my neck of the woods over a few days! As much as I love Colorado, I dread it in March and April, because they happen to be our snowiest months. Last year, we got summer a few months early but apparently we were due for extra snow and cold this year because we have yet to experience much spring in these parts. Basically, every week since March it’s been a cycle of warm for a few days (usually on the weekend), then it gets windy and cooler, then it snows or maybe rains, and then it warms back up again. So frustrating, but it’s almost late April so I’m hoping we’re DONE with snow for the season!

I’ve been trying to wear spring-y clothes as much as possible, and I got the opportunity to wear one of my favorite spring colors–mint–last Saturday when it was in the 60s. Before this year, I actually didn’t have much of this shade in my closet but it’s quickly becoming a staple in my outfits.

Mint lace-back tank (American Eagle). Dark wash jeggings (AE). Navy floral scarf (AE).

No, my whole closet isn’t from American Eagle, but I do love their basics and accessories! They have some of the best jeans (aside from Hollister) and they always have a huge selection of cute scarves.

Front and back views.

I don’t generally wear tanks alone (I originally got this one to wear under a dress I have with a weird back) but this one is cute not just for the color but for the back detailing. I really love the tanks with a full lace back but this one is a little easier to wear with most bras.

Closeup of scarf.

I don’t own as many scarves as I’d like, but this one is probably my most used. I’ve worn it with neutrals and navy blue but I really love it with this tank because it has hints of the same mint green color.

Mint oxfords (Target).

These were by far the best part of the outfit, though! These were part of my impulse Target buys last weekend. In my defense, they were kinda on clearance, and I’ve been lusting over them for awhile. Anyways, these are the perfect shoes to add into my spring wardrobe and the color of them just makes me happy.

What’s your favorite spring color? Are accessories a big part of your closet? 

Spring Cravings

Hi girls! Are you all pumped that it’s finally the weekend? I actually can’t believe how quickly this week flew by for me, no complaints here though. I’ve only got 6 more weeks of classes left til it’s officially my summer and with this amazing weather (it’s supposed to be 80 degrees by Monday!), I almost feel like it already is summer. Oh well, it’ll come around soon enough. For now, I’m embracing spring and all the things it has me craving, from fashion to food to beauty.

This is going on my birthday wishlist for sure!

I mentioned in my last post how much I love designer bags, specifically Coach purses. I haven’t browsed their website in quite a while, so when I checked back in, I immediately fell in love with quite a few of their new spring offerings. But I really love this tote, it’s just so spring-y and makes me happy. Too bad it’s almost $300…I’ll just wait til it goes on eBay for much less money like I did with all my other purses.

I realize this looks kinda gross, but it's so good!

I’ve been making more of an effort lately to get out of food ruts. I’m not sure why, maybe because I’ve had to go more than a week without peanut flour, aka my obsession and major source of protein, or maybe because the warm weather has me wanting different flavors, but either way, it’s been a good adventure. I threw together this wrap on a whim the other night and I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing it turned out. I mashed some pinto beans with a little nooch (it’s definitely growing on me), spread a brown rice tortilla with a dollop of avocado hummus (my current fave) and threw some spinach in there with the beans. Ummmm yeah, so it sounds really weird, but it’s actually delicious, trust me. And simple too, which I love.

Repeat picture, but I haven't worn the shorts yet so I don't have a pic of them on me.

Anyone else into the colored shorts trend? Yes, it seems a little weird, but I really love it! In fact, one of my purchases of spring break was a pair of bright pink twill shorts from Abercrombie & Fitch. Pink is my favorite color, and I just thought these were a fun shade. I could have bought the light pink pair, but I was feeling bold. Go big or go home, right? Luckily, I have plenty of things to pair with these new shorts and I’m excited to wear them.  Hopefully, these will not be my last bold-colored pair of shorts; I’m really wanting a pair of orange twill ones from Hollister or maybe their turquoise dyed denim ones.

Self-tanner with sunscreen built in? Sign me up!

Here’s a secret–I use self-tanning lotion. I’m a fairly pale girl naturally but I like to boost my color in a safe way during the spring and summer. I will admit that I do lay out during the summer to get a real tan, and I know it isn’t the safest, but I do apply sunscreen. My go-to tanning product is Jergen’s Natural Glow because it’s easy to apply and isn’t streaky. Now they have tanning lotion with sunscreen built in, which I think is really smart. You can get a faux tan while also keeping your skin safe. Win win!

Lemonade sweetened with stevia--what a concept!

When I was younger, I used to really love lemonade. When I became more health-conscious, I switched over to Crystal Light lemonade packets, which were decent and came in a lot of varieties, but let’s face it, they aren’t the healthiest because of their artificial sweeteners. While on one of my rare trips to the dining hall store near me to buy some gum, I happened to spot this zero calorie lemonade. I assumed it probably had aspartame in it and was going to pass on it when I noticed that it’s actually sweetened with stevia. A healthy no-calorie lemonade? Yes please! I bought it and tried it out–it has kind of a weird lime-y aftertaste, but it’s actually pretty decent. I’m still on the hunt for single cans of Zevia though–I haven’t had a diet soda or soda of any kind in a couple of years because they aren’t the best for you, but I’d be down for trying a stevia-sweetened soda. My Whole Foods has 6 packs of Zevia, but I don’t want to drop $4 or 5 on it in case I don’t love it.

Friday's outfit: navy cardi (AE), floral square scarf (AE), light grey tank (A&F), denim shorts (A&F Kids).

I really love square scarves! I only have two right now, but I think they’re more versatile and easier to wear than traditional long scarves. American Eagle is my favorite place to buy scarves, and it’s actually where I bought both of mine. Right now, they don’t have any square scarves, but they have quite a few really cute loop scarves, which I might end up buying. I love wearing necklaces, but scarves are a good way to mix it up.

What are you ‘craving’ right now? Have you eaten anything weird but good lately?