I’m admittedly not a person who usually orders salad, makes salad, or particularly even enjoys the word salad. I’m such a brat I know, maybe it’s because I was forced to eat LIVER + veggies as a child, or because I just get angrier with every bite I take of dry-crunchy ass-weirdly textured leaves. Whatever it is, this is the only way I’ll eat ‘salad’.
Emphasis on the quotation marks because a lot of people will argue that this is not a salad…nay I say, it is. Google the definition, promise this is a salad and PS I do love veggies, just not in a boring way. Raw is best I know I know, but I’m just happy to be eating veggies at all mkay. I actually prefer them all cooked up in a nice tomato sauce to throw over any dish or blended together with fruit for a refreshing dessert shake. AND like this, a veggie bowl:
This recipe is so easy I didn’t even create a recipe card because this is what it comes down to: use everything you have in your fridge! This is perfect for using all of the veggies and leftovers you already have, like a goulash… minus the pasta part and the sauce part. So okay not like a goulash, buuut it’s just as delicious đ
All I did was stir fry all of the veggies together in some coconut oil, roasted the broccoli and chick peas (topped with turmeric & fresh garlic), made a coconut curried quinoa (cooked quinoa in coconut milk + cumin + turmeric spices), and then topped it with avocado and tzatziki! You can add whatever other protein you like but this particular recipe is a gluten free, vegan (coconut based tzatziki), protein packed bowl of goodness (and SALAD) and I LOVE it! See…I DO eat salad!
Mix it all together and enjoy <3
Please share with me your favorite salad recipes, how you most enjoy the leafy stuff, and what I can add to mine to make them less salad-y đÂ
I realize this is actually the longest title ever in life, but I couldn’t think of anything more accurate than the statement itself. I said this in a recent video of mine and I meant it.
If you’ve been following along my journey to become a fitness instructor, you know it all began with my fitness journey for myself- but then it morphed into something way outside of myself. Bigger. Corrine had graduated High School, she was going to college and working full time… so umm what other hats did I wear when I took off my mom hat? I put that hat on when I was 15 to be exact.
And I’ve always been active, going through seasons of working out and seasons of not stepping foot inside a gym or studio for months/years. Then I reconnected with a friend of mine, Tiffany Morgan who was working with this fitness goddess, Lacey Stone. In summation- 2 years ago I joined her ‘come back camps’ (bootcamp style workouts + team building), I became obsessed with strength and empowering my teammates, and I realized it was a passion of mine to literally ‘work it out’ alongside others.
Lets eat the good stuff and push through the rough stuff
That’s what my entire brand has been about. Using pain for power, empowering others and giving my energy to the people I care about. Except I didn’t know there was something I could actually do with that, and where would I even start? How intimidating it all sounded, how intimidating the fitness industry was is. So many things could’ve stopped me from pursuing this new career (and almost did). But something was WAY bigger than my fear of failing, way more important to me than my fear of starting something new, of rejection and intimidation.. of training a room full of people ahhh! My desire to help others trumped my fear of failing, my fear of anything really. Oh the fear was still there,
but if you can make your purpose bigger, then you’re unstoppable
So here I am, still shaking (still human) but pushing forward and moving through that uncomfortable feeling. I wanted to share this with you because I learned that if you have something that tugs at you and that you always come back around to, do that thing. I promise you’ll never regret following your passion. Especially when you give of yourself because
that is your legacy
I really like adding in quotations can you tell? lol And I don’t even care how cheesy this is going to sound because I believe it with everything I am- I do believe that as fitness instructors and trainers we work in the service industry. I learned so much going through training and I value the statement that- we hold the space for people to move through whatever they’re going through. We guide and encourage our clients to step into their power, and it’s not about us. And that’s the ONE thing that got me through teaching my very first class this morning. To be a light in someone’s day because
sometimes people are silently struggling
We’ve all been there right? Who doesn’t struggle? But if I can leave my shit at the door, show up for someone else, help them push through the rough stuff, and show them how fuggen strong they really are- honestly that’s why I decided to pivot my career.
I just needed to get that out. And even though you may not be thinking of becoming a leader in fitness, whatever it is that you’re going after, keep going. You’re a leader just by being relentless and getting after it even when it seems too hard- especially when it seems too hard. So I’ll end this public diary entry with some real life images and video from today. A very special day that I’ll never forget. It’s not professional or polished but here it is and I’m so proud of everyone who showed up. Thank you for your energy, your smiles, and your encouragement. Lacey Stone, you already know! Ride or die baby! Mucho respeto <3
So tell me something scary af yet special that you’ve done that you thought was for you but you realized had nothing to do with you and it totes fulfilled you because it was bigger than you
I like to do things nice and easy *said in the voice of Tina Turner* So when it comes to recording videos for my channel or taking photos for my blog, I TRY to stick to one piece of equipment because, convenience. However, in true form- I also really love having options! So this past year it’s really been dependent upon the type of content I’m creating and the type of weather conditions … can we say wahoo for an adventure series?! My ONE piece of camera equipment has turned into TOP THREE. I thought today I’d share with you my recent camera set up wheeee!
First up is my handy dandy vlogging camera. If you watch my video blogs and wonder how I get so much of the background in one shot, it’s this lil guy! I’m no camera expert but I know what works for me and what I do, and these are my tried and tested suggestions. If you’re just starting out, this is for you!
Price: $ Features: Auto focus, auto lighting, auto sound, auto is my new favorite word. Optional modes; low light, indoor, outdoor, sports. Perks: This is a great starter camera and for its capabilities it’s on the lower end in terms of price points. It also takes stills, so you can do video and picture, it has an adjustable touch screen, fits in the palm of your hand, and it’s tripod compatible. I know, you’re in love I am too! My sketch comedy and more produced videos are shot on our Sony RX100 which is our most recent purchase. I was a little intimidated when we got it tbh! I got spoiled with my Vixia which does auto-everything for me. Having to learn how to adjust exposure and focus settings was like learning a foreign language. It was worth it though, image freedom to capture beautiful landscapes and keep its quality is everything! Price: $$ Perks: This camera is a beast. It can record in slow motion and 4 k- so you can crop and zoom in on your images and it’s still ultra crisp! It’s also pocket sized so you aren’t lugging around this huge contraption! You can see some of that in action with videos we’ve done here!
Bustin’ out the big guns here, we have our GH4! When I saw we, I mean Joe! There really isn’t comparing the GH4 to the other cameras we have, it’s in its own realm. The videos we’ve done with this camera are more cinematic looking, and in reference to quality, Joe shot some of his film with it. I really like how it feels like a heavy duty camera (I mean, it is) but it’s also user friendly for someone less experienced with DSLRs like yours truly. A lot of my travel series for the Parks was completed using this camera, and I can actually switch out the lenses and feel like I know what I’m doing! Full disclosure, Joe is sitting behind me making sure I give you all the right information on these because he’s the expert! I just bat my lashes and say, “can you light me, and is the sound on, oh oh and how’s the memory on the card?!”Â
On the day to day I lean more towards the Vixia and the Sony because they require less set up and I can whip them out in moments of quick capture! Now on to lighting! This is HUGE! My set up at home requires day light and a window! But since I’ve been doing more beauty and lifestyle videos I decided I needed to up my game so that my up close shots were bright and clear.
1) My ring light is perfect for this, it’s bright and gives off a fluorescent glow, yes magic! The light is concentrated on my face giving it a halo effect and you’ll notice that most beauty videos on YouTube feature a ring light of sorts. This one is great because it’s adjustable so you can be sitting on your bed or vanity, or stand up and film. It also has a dimmer on it so you can go all in on the brightness or lessen the intensity. If you’re looking for a more fancier approach, here’s another option and it features a smartphone mount. P.S. Tripod not included so you’ll want to pick one up and this one is inexpensive and gets the job done.
2) Flo lights are a wonderful addition to your lighting kit, I use 1-2 depending on the lighting in the room. There is usually one sitting off to the side that acts as a hair highlight and backlight. You kind of want to create a triangle of lights around you so that there are minimal shadows cast and you’re nice and bright. I lean more towards daylight lighting vs tungsten, because I like to mimic the natural light coming through my home. Again, if you’re feeling fancy, here is another option for you!
3) My travel gear is different from my home gear because at home I have endless storage space. When we’re on location and we’re traveling around I try to pack as light as possible. This small light is ideal for travel because it’s about the size of your palm and fits snug around your phone or laptop. It radiates a hefty glow for its compact size and is reasonable in price. My monkey tripod peaks perfection in moments that I need an extra hand or am forced to wrap it around a vacuum handle to imitate a tall tripod! And it works!
I’ve really enjoyed learning about equipment and how to use each to better my business and I hope this helps you set up for your next session! There are so many options out there that it can be a bit daunting, I’m lucky to have Joe steer me in the right direction so take it from me, these are definitely investments.
Have you worked with any of this equipment and what is your most coveted? Any options out there that I should try? I love trying new things and reporting back my experiences so share your suggestions with me.
Wowza, now that’s a mouth full but here goes! Prepare yourselves for my word vomit. I’m not holding back.
So as you know, every day it seems like Instagram and other social platforms are changing their algorithms and policies. Or maybe you don’t know and therefore don’t care because it doesn’t affect you? *high five to you* But since there’s a lot of anxiety and frustration surrounding all the changes within the community, today I want to talk about:
if and how it could affect creators (all users really, but specifically to those brand deal negotiators)
what you can really do to keep up with the fackking algorithms and changes (other than chuck your laptop out the window)
cyber bullying/ competition/ mob mentality/ ego- how I really feel. Here’s a preview: Instagram can suck it.
Fine, I’ll admit that came out harsh. Not wrong, because that’s how I actually feel but let me tell you why something as little as an app on a phone can really rile me up. I’ll start here.
1) does it affect its users? Okay, so if your money maker is a platform like Instagram where you team up with brands on the reg and they pay you to create content for a campaign (i.e. my Palmers hair care campaign) sure, maybe. But that depends on you and what you’re willing to do. Or not do rather. The algorithm is ever changing because their motives are to keep users on the app longer. Like all damn day. Like, don’t have a life and if you do, live it ON Instagram. They no longer feature the chronological feeds because they want to give you the content that you’ve proven to interact with the most.
It’s not you, it’s them. But it’s because of you that it’s them.
Hence, everyone and their mother made those “turn on my notifications” posts. See, the more you interact with someone’s content (watch stories, like, comment, blah blah) the more IG will prioritize that content for you. Not bad if you really think about it, they’re simply trying to curate content for you in the same way YouTube killed their Home page. But kinda sucks ass for creators because we’re constantly keeping up with ‘trends’, reaching for ‘low hanging fruit’… and all the other bad jargon that comes from it. It’s like this: there are people who base-line interact with your content and people who don’t interact at all because they’re just lurking or scrolling mindlessly through their feeds (I actually scroll mindlessly quite often. It’s not an app I want to open up and think about ya know). Well those interactions aren’t technically ‘interactions’ and now they don’t count towards your algorithm see? Because it’s not a human being making the decisions it’s all code baby.
ABANDON YOUR INSTAGRAM PODS
This is a whole other article I need to write. There’s a lot you may be doing to actually hurt you on IG, but we’ll talk about that later. My point in saying that is, there are things you can do to help move with the changes.
2) What can I do to keep up with all the changes? What I really meant to say was, “there are things you can do to try and beat the system”, but the system is a machine and you are not Johnny Five. Looping back around to the ‘things you may or may not be willing to do’ bit. If you’ve noticed a dip in all around interactions, views, Likes yada yada- here are the things you can do to basically be in everyone’s faces all of the time, which makes the machine go, “oh yea, we like this person, they’re really using every feature. Lets push out their content more”.
really use every feature. a) IG Live- at least once a week, even for a few minutes. Some people go Live every day. I am not those people. But I applaud their dedication b) story story story- on the daily. Oh you’ve been seeing people story more? Like a dozen times? Ya, they either love talking to the camera or they are trying to use every feature more c) In-feed post at least once a day. Post videos in feed at least once a week. Use the carousel feature in-feed as much as you can without going bonkers d) IGTV- at least once a week z) yes I said z because damn, anything else they want us to do? So z- use the GIFs, the Swipe Up feature, link all the things, use stickers…just go NUTS in your stories making them so fucking interactive that no one even knows what the hell you’re talking about anymore
Oh she mad.
Nah, she’s just done trying to dance when they tell me to dance. I’m venting here but I’d by lying if I said I didn’t do any of these things. I actually do ALL of them. It’s my job (I chose this, no regrets but sheesh can ya give the girl a breather) to overshare. I actually choose what I want to share very carefully because it’s a very vulnerable thing to do and also, that’s a lot of pressure for anyone I think. At the end of the day, my ‘job’ heavily relies on engagement and on how frequently I post to my blog, YouTube, and social media platforms. Sleep? I hardly know her.
If you have an audience on any platform, it’s my personal belief that you have a public responsibility to not fuck people up in the head
I told you, I’m not holding back. I say: HIDE THE LIKES. BUHBYEEE!!! Cool, let me focus on quality over quantity, let me breathe and not worry about if a brand will pass on my pitch just because it’s not getting enough ‘engagement’. I just think there’s a lot of ‘influencers’ who use their influence for BS and share a life that is unattainable to 99% of the real world. People talk about things without realizing that it actually influences young minds. I’ve been guilty of it myself, trust. The highlight reel is anything but REAL. I found myself pivoting my own conversations with my audience to try and do as much as I can- well as much as you can do really, on an application, without sounding cheesy or preachy. <— that is v hard to draw the line on. I actually like the idea of hiding likes because it
relieves people of the pressure-Â “how many likes did I get”. That fake scale of self worth should be burned with fire.
no competition & comparison- or the reduction of, at least. Sadly a lot of this will exist whether or not the app actually exists and that’s a sad reality. The mob mentality on any public forum is REAL. And the egos and insecurities that drive people to bully others and to personally seek them out to attack them is disgusting. I’ve experienced so much of this myself and it’s got to stop. I don’t know who or how or when but can it stop already? Kids are dying, kids are killing themselves and others, and it’s sickening. Does this not haunt you? PS I’m talking specifically about our youth here. Yes adults too, but young impressionable minds are young and impressionable.
brands will measure worth more accurately and fairly- it will not be quantitive. But quality will actually matter when considering who hires who and P.S. brands will still have access to metrics and we’ll all still be obligated to disclose partnerships in accordance with FTC regulations. So this should not affect backend number stuff
less invasive and more truthful- people will Like the things they truly like and interact with things they truly want to interact with. And honestly, they’re probably already doing that. So often, the Likes equate to validation and clout. I understand that IG’s choice to hide Likes is probably less about wanting to do good in the world, and more about marketing tactics and making more money BUT I’d like to think that this change would be a good thing.
At the end of the day we can’t let this stuff affect us. We either go with the flow or riot right? LOL There’s a lot of things to give your energy to in your life. That’s the real stuff that affects us. All we can really do with the internet part of it, is to keep creating the things we want to share with the world + be our most authentic selves as much we can + stay sane through this crazy time in life. I mean, most of us only had to worry about someone at school passing us a note by accident, not posting about us to THE WORLD.
I know that was a lot. I just really wanted to talk about this since it’s been all over my emails, my work life, and the community. I’d really like to know what you think. And HEY, if you just wanna post about your life and not make it a drama with ‘morals of the story’ and ‘lessons we learned today’, that’s absolutely okay! But if that’s something you’re doing… does any of this make you go hmmmmm?
Are you affected? Do you care or nah? Have you seen the changes and what do you think of all this social media madness? P.S. thank you for always supporting me. Reading my posts, interacting with me on the Gram, all the things- it all shows your love and support so thank you so much, I see you <3
In my best ‘Elf’ voice…”It’s Amazon Prime Dayyyy”!
Well not today but on the 15th at midnight on through the 16th you’ll be able to score some pretty sweet deals from your one stop shopping spot! There’s so much happening between the promotions and the coupon codes that I wanted to share with you what I personally recommend on Amazon Prime day and what to buy.
I’ll share my picks from Home Goods, Fashion, and Accessories. There’s gonna be a lot coming at you fast in the next few days leading up to THE day, so sift through all the things, pay attention to what catches your eye, and in the interest of Amazon not taking ALL your money … shop with a ‘need’ over ‘want’ mentality … unless it comes to the concerts! Then gogogo! Eeek!
FASHION/ACCESSORIES (Summer staples!)
I debated whether or not to photoshop out this 1998 unrecognizable tattoo then decided, we all make mistakes, we can’t photoshop them all out now can we LOL
If you thought I’d ever spend more than $100 on a pair of shoes you thought wrong đ I have a daughter in college who takes all my money so I found the best inspired styles for some of this season’s most popular pieces.
I chose the Golden Goose leopard print + ponyskin effect leather ($560… esscuse me) and the Hermes Oran Sandals in Blanc ($650… wuuut), so off to ‘destination dupe city’ we go! For a fraction of the cost you get almost identical styles AND you won’t be upset when you get them dirty. I mean the Golden Gooses already come dirty though so. Why would you want already dirty ass shoes…oh fashun. *** PS if you love the originals and you’re willing to pay the price, there is no judgement here! We all prioritize and budget differently <3
Faux plants– if you have a special gift for killing plants (even plants they say you can’t kill- ahem, cacti and succulents still do not thrive under my care) than this baby and this baby is for you
Vitruvi stone diffuser– the chicest most loveliest diffuser of them all they come in all kinds of beautiful colors
Sicilian blood orange diffuser sticks– if you’d rather not commit to adding water, dropping in oils, turning anything on… well than this is for you. Set it and forget it
Candle favorites- I burn candles in our home 24/7 and these are some of my favorites! Somethin’ abut Tobacco scented candles in the living room and Lemongrass in the bathrooms that are relaxing but also feel like a sexy speakeasy… emphasis on candles in the bathroom.
I honestly had SOÂ many things to share with you and I’d like to share some of my staple skincare/beauty products with you too – also on Amazon so I created a list for you! Which I’ll be updating as much as I can as we go along this summer. And don’t mind the list “name”… Amazon named it for me: ‘influencer jess lizama’, its top choice? It’s kinda like having a middle name you don’t like…ya didn’t choose it and ya can’t change it! Can we photoshop it out though?! ;)-
What will you be scooping up at midnight on the 15th?! I’m creating a wish list for myself, would you like me to share it?Â
Okay so it’s not actually Earth’s birthday today but I’ll say happy birthday Earth every day because, Animal Planet! And I love that today especially, we can be extra vocal about showing our support for environmental protection. Corrine is always challenging Joe and I to be more eco friendly, more environmentally conscious, and to use as many sustainable products as we can. One of the perks of having a smart and very self aware daughter is how she’ll educate you and make you just as aware, I love it <3
Some things we do around our home to ensure we’re contributing as much as we can to keeping our planet inhabitable are:
sustainable reusable rounds – to remove makeup, to apply toner and other skin care products, a cute lil wash cloth for my face that takes place of disposable cotton rounds
reusable diapers for lil Ace face – instead of disposable diapers we use reusable ones for him and even though they’re a pain in the ass to clean, it’s so worth it
metal straws for home and collapsible straws for travel – these take the place of disposable straws at home and the collapsible straw is so convenient when you’re out and about and it’s compact and clean
Silicone storage bags – takes the place of plastic sandwich and storage bags and I LOVE them!
Swell reusable water bottle – by far the EASIEST thing we can all do is bring our own water bottle around and our own bags to the grocery store
Bee’s wax reusable food wrap – takes the place of plastic wrap and I love that the warmth of your hands to shape the wax is what turns it into the ‘wrap’ that covers containers, seals leftovers, and keeps air out of your baked goods. My brother in law gifted me this for Christmas last year and it’s been a game changer
That’s the thing, one little thing you do, one small habit you change, contributes to the BIG picture. I swear watching Planet Earth and Animal Planet on Netflix has changed me, I’m really intrigued by our oceans too. So today and everyday I would love for us all to do our part to protect our home <3 It’ll help ensure that it flourishes for generations to come, for my baby’s babies and your baby’s babies!
What are some things you do to lower your carbon footprint, be more environmentally conscious, and eco friendly?Â
The ‘no makeup’ makeup look… it’s all the rage! That “I just woke up and rolled outta my down comforter bed, in my cashmere robe, my perfectly fluffed hair, and did NOTHING to my mug” look, is what the aim is here. For me that just means bold brows, youthful hydrated skin, and that glow from within.
To be clear though, I did not wake up like this. This no makeup, makeup look took me a quick minute to perfect and now I love this all mostly natural look.
Here’s my step by step and the products I used are listed in order below:
I’ve been waiting a long time to finally reveal to you our space revamped! This has been a long time coming, it all started back in September of last year when I became interested in home interiors and then fell deep into a West Elm love affair. I never really cared about what our home looked like, just that it was cozy and clean. Now I care all the cares.
Joe and I both work from home and we live in a two bedroom apartment with Corriney and our two puppers. That means there’s not much room for us to escape one another or to hide out between editing meltdowns, which I have on occasion a lot because we each don’t have our own offices. We knew we wanted a fresh start but we didn’t want to start over because we plan on moving within a year. That meant not investing too much on new furniture or creating big projects. Enter Anita Devlin!
Anita is founder of We Heave Ho, a business where she focuses on rejuvenating your space and clearing your clutter, without sacrificing your life savings … or your grandmother’s china that you’ve been holding onto (hi!). She came in with a no fuss attitude and we were ready to throw out all the things creating chaos. It was a match made in heaven! She did our entire home UNDER budget … that’s 5 spaces all revamped and all for under $1,000! Our living room, Joe’s office, my set, my vanity, our bathroom, and our closet, here goes!
THE BEFORE – our entry way, living room aka Joe’s office/ theatre
THE AFTERÂ
So now you walk into our living room and don’t immediately see Joe sitting at his ginormous desk in the middle of our living room. Instead, you look over to see a beautiful cabinet and lots of pretty plants, and not Joe’s office which is so cleverly hidden behind it all. The cabinet holds all of his filming equipment and his desk drawers hide all the things that used to take up space on and around his desk.
Our living room is now a real living room (mismatched couches and all, we’ll replace the L couch later shhh don’t tell Joe) where we can sit and entertain or I can sit and work on my couch ‘set’. I was spending so much money renting out other people’s spaces to work out of and now I can feel creative in my own. For now, Anita helped me juje up the L couch to better match my theme.
She also completely redesigned our living room so that our offices work around our living spaces and not the other way around. I’ve never seen Joe so happy to organize his desk đ
This nook by our front door makes me so happy, something about the wooden modern bench next to brushed gold metal and pops of black and white … Anita and I decided these are our colors and you’ll see them throughout our entire home.
My vanity in my bedroom was a big change for me! Anita had a running theme going throughout this entire revamp process, 1) open up the space and make room for living with the focus on creating work space around your living space and not living space around your work space 2) use what you already have to redesign instead of refurnish and 3) don’t get rid of anything you don’t want to, just get rid of ‘things’ that don’t serve you… like the 27 outfits I haven’t reached for in over a year! I was most scared for her to re-do my closet… that’s another article post on its own.
BEFORE
AFTER
So she shifted the location of my vanity and it opened up the room like she said it would and gave my area more access to sunlight. My mom’s gold china that she gifted to me yearssss ago now sits near my vanity and I get to look at it and think of my momma every time I’m getting dolled up. So perfect for this piece.
Our dresser got some lovin’ too with some added plants, some shelving, and cute storage to tuck away all of my skincare products that didn’t make it onto my vanity. Behind our bedroom door that once hung my shoes now hold all of my toiletries and knick knacks that were piled high. Heave Ho pro tip: shoe organizers with clear pockets are perfect for this kind of storage. You can see how we used that in the third photo of the carousel.
My favorite part, besides the fact that Joe now has a space that we don’t have to live around… these two babes. They’re called the Female Support System and they’re here to give our keys a lil ‘lift’ đ
Also, that nook by our front door … SWOON! I sit there sometimes and take off my shoes and just look around for a bit, it’s all a work in progress just like we all are. Deep, I know. It’s raining here in L.A. so. And honestly I could design and re-design over and over again, forever. So I’m going to be content with this until we move on to another home and call Anita back over <3
Do you agree, could you revamp your home over and over again and find things to change up and switch out? Please go check out We Heave Ho and give them a follow to see this entire home revamp in real time! She has a series launching that shares with you how to do all of this, on trend and on a budget! Stay tuned!Â
P.S. I’m gonna take a moment this week to link you here to all the furniture, companies, and decorations featured in our revamp <333
I hope today, right now in this moment, is not the first time you’re remembering that it’s Valentine’s day. I have mixed emotions about this holiday honestly – I’m a romantic at heart, but I also think every day should be special right?! I’ll save my love rant for another day, for now, if right now you’re scrambling to find a gas station teddy bear and some chocolates that will pass for the “I totally had this planned out” impression well here’s your guide to ‘fakin’ it ’til ya make it’….to the mall!
Valentine’s day gift ideas for when you have NO idea!
So it’s crunch time…. you forgot the thoughtful gift – you’ve been busy! You skipped out on making breakfast in bed to rush out to get a gift that’s you think will be more personal in gesture than making that breakfast in bed idea. Well there are a few things you can do to make it seem as though you totally had today in the bag! Also, this is for men and women, all of the ideas listed below will work whether it be for your boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance, husband, wife, child, pet goat…..all of them:
Breakfast in bed – before you rush out the door to frantically find a teddy bear that’s larger than life, why don’t you just cook their favorite breakfast meal and serve it to them in bed? This will work every time, it’s so thoughtful! AND it’s budget friendly, just use what you have already in your fridge
Hand picked flowers – great for men and for women, hand picked flowers are the cutest gesture, it’s sweet and Earth friendly and you can find them anywhere in your front yard… or a neighbor’s…PLUS they’re FREE! Unless your neighbor comes after you with the garden hose
Love notes – love notes are great because they’re building blocks! Leave them around the house, in the bathroom (extra points for notes left in heart shapes and smiley faces), on your loved one’s car, all with personalized messages to show them that you care, that you listen, and best part…it buys you time. To either make a reservation or go out and get their favorite icecream
Dinner cooked by a real life chef – yep that real life chef is YOU bud! Nothin’ says ‘”I love you”, more than a home cooked meal made with love. And bacon. Besides, all the restaurants will be over crowded and over priced. Save yourself the cold sweats of having to call around to make a last minute reservation and set the dining table for two
A love basket – this is my all time favorite go-to gift! You get a basket, or a bucket, or a shoe box, whatever – you fill it with their favorite items, trinkets, snacks, and a couple of tickets to the movies and BAM, YOU are the most thoughtful gift giver evaarrrrr!
Now I’m not saying these gifts will blow them out of the water with surprise and romance, but it will make your gift more interesting, and personal to your relationship, AND it’s not super expensive or super over the top ‘buy a star and name it after them’ status. Those are for movies like “The Notebook”.
If all else fails, make them some ‘love donuts’. Picture below along with the recipe. It’s gluten free because… love. And remember, “if you’re a bird I’m a bird”.
xoxo- Jess
Gluten free donut recipe for my love, Corrine.
What you’ll need: (yields 12 donuts)
For the Donuts:
1/2 cup GF flour or coconut flour
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
– Mix wet ingredients together and then stir in sifted dry ingredients, bake in a donut mold for 15 minutes at 350 degrees
For the Chocolate Glaze:
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons hot water
– Mix ingredients all together in a bowl and then glaze over the donuts once they’re cooled, top with sprinkles and kisses and you’re all done! Enjoy!
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