Chia seeds, they’re in everything! Skin care, desserts, and yummy breakfast items so I thought today I’d share with you my easy and delicious home made chia seed pudding! And if you know me than you KNOW of course I added in chocolate 😉
Chia seeds are extremely rich in antioxidants and minerals, they’re a great source of essential fatty acids, aaaand I do love it as a bit of crunch in my shakes. This recipe is my recent go-to for breakfast on the road and it’s the perfect post-workout treat! Big pros: low in sugar, gluten free, dairy free, and vegan! Say wuuut! I also decided to toss in cocoa powder and raspberries to curb my sugar cravings, and makes it extra satiating. You can also add in sliced almonds or toasted walnuts… goin’ for that crunch factor again. And any time I can add chocolate, I will! Method: – 4 TBSP Chia seeds (I like the texture so more chia seeds doesn’t bother me) – 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk (have you tried the almond coconut milk combo?!) – rasberries – 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder – dash of cinnamon – and if you like your pudding sweet you can use some stevia or honey but I omitted it for this recipe – toasted walnuts, sliced almonds, or whatever nut you prefer…crunchy!
Combine the chia seeds with the almond milk, raspberries, cocoa powder, nuts, and cinnamon in a glass jar with a lid. Give it a good shake to combine the ingredients well and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. Tadaaa, enjoy!
This recipe made about two really big servings which is perfect for meal prepping. It’s filling, super healthy, and so simple to make. Try it out, let me know what you think, and TAG me with your creations! Chia seed pudding… make it? Order it? Like it? Leave it?
I don’t know about you, but when people say ‘eating healthy’, I automatically think “oh yum, rabbit food! Salads! No sugar! No carbs! Ummm… no thanks!!!”
I personally love to cook, even more so I love to bake! I like when food tastes good, and I like food in general, don’t we all? I mean, social events revolve around food and we celebrate all things in life with food – all the foods. So thanks to a few of my friends’ different recipes, today I give you the yummiest dish to make for lunch or dinner, and this super healthy dish makes eating healthy, super easy.
Now I’m not one to eat salads, I don’t love them, I don’t think they’re filling at all, and I don’t particularly think they’re tasty at all. If I eat a salad it’s because it’s healthy for me and I’m perpetually trying to be ‘healthy’. This salad however is so good, since I’ve discovered it, I literally have it now four to five times a week, thank you Miya! It’s a citrus spinach salad with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top and it’s so flavorful and tangy!
Next to the salad is the salmon I roasted. I probably make salmon or some kind of fish at least three times a week. Not because of the health thing but because of the taste thing, I’m Islander and I love sea food. But the benefits we get from fish is also a plus. This is the best marinade and you can hardly taste the ‘fishy’ taste with it.
The coconut quinoa with cilantro is everything! Also from Miya, this recipe is beyond yummy and anything with coconut I am alllll about! And the refreshing water tastes like a vacation and is an awesome detox beverage!
So what you’ll need:
The Citrus Spinach Salad
– spinach (I usually use an entire bag)
– juice of 1 1/2 lemon
– fresh cracked pepper
– a pinch of sea salt
– 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
– 1 Persian cucumber sliced
– red onion (just a few very thinly sliced long pieces)
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– drizzle of vinaigrette
– fresh grated parmesan cheese
What you’ll do is throw the spinach into a big ol’ bowl, toss in all of the other ingredients and give the salad a good mix and set aside for 15 minutes to allow all of the flavors to infuse the leaves. Then before serving, grate the parmesan over top and enjoy!
Spicy salmon in tomato lemon juice
– 1 to 2 pieces of salmon – 1 lemon – fresh ground pepper – cilantro – Himalayan sea salt – paprika – olive oil – tomato paste – 1 medium sized jalepeno – 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a baking pan drizzle some olive oil on to the bottom. Rinse off the salmon and place them into the pan. Drizzle the tops of them with olive oil, some ground pepper, a pinch of sea salt, and sprinkle some paprika on top. In a small bowl combine some finely chopped cilantro, the juice of one lemon, a bit of olive oil, a squeeze of tomato paste, half of a medium sized jalenpeno finey chopped, and the red onion. Pour this mixture on top of the salmon, cover the baking pan with foil, and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked in the center. This is even more yummy if you allow the salmon to marinate in the sauce over night. Enjoy! Coconut Curried Quinoa – 2 cups quinoa – 1/2 finely chopped red onion – sea salt – freshly ground pepper – 1 bay leaf – 2 cloves fresh garlic – 1/4 cup chopped baby kale – 21 salute seasoning – cumin – tumeric – 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro – 1 can coconut milk In a pot add 4 cups water, one bay leaft, quinoa, salt, pepper, cumin, and let cook. In a pan on the stove drizzle some olive oil and add the red onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and let the onion saute. When the quinoa is done, add it to the pan, along with the coconut milk, cilantro, tumeric, cumin, 21 salute, kale, and some more pepper. Let this mixture simmer together for about 5-7 minutes and then remove from heat. Enjoy! This is the best!!!!!!!!! 😀 Detox water – 3-4 strawberries – half cucumber – 1 small slice of lemon – water – ice cubes In a jug, combine water, ice, chopped strawberries, cucumber slices, and the slice of lemon. Let this sit for a few hours in the refrigerator and ENJOY! So so so delicious and good for you! I hate plain water, I don’t know why, and this makes drinking a JUG of water super easy! Hope you enjoy these recipes and your day!!! hugs, Jess
I love LA but sometimes you just gotta get away and enjoy some fresh air, and unplug for a while. This weekend we took a trip to Angeles National Park and hiked the most beautiful 6 miles I’ve seen in a long time, picked pine cones bigger than my head, and had a picnic outside with the birds and the bugs. It was awesome!
Angeles National Park is about an hour (with the drive up the windy beautiful mountain) outside of Los Angeles. As you drive up the windy road you realize that you’re breathing clean air, I mean my lungs were in shock haha. You also realize that your phone says ‘no service’ which can give you a slight heart palpitation if your job is to be online at all times. But getting away from the noise and hustle and bustle of it all can be such a good thing for creativity.
So once we got to the trail head of one of the many trails around the park, this was the view. Trees, sand, bushes, and more trees. The trail is pretty clear though we deviated from it for a bit, I mean you have to be adventurous, people. And it was lovely, lots of open land to see, lots of nature sounds to lull you away from reality for a bit, and lots of pine cones! Ahhh pine cones! The smell of it all reminded me of being back in South Carolina as a child where the smell of pine cones and wood chips filled the air.
I’m a nature kind of girl – nature in that I love being adventurous and being outdoors, but the sun I can deal without. I’ll be the only girl on the beach with an umbrella, hat, sunnies, and a turtle neck! This kind of nature though, sun and all, is something I have to do every few weeks. The hike round trip was about six miles, which seems like a lot, but the trail is flat. There aren’t any crazy rolling hills, or steep mountains to climb, though there are on other trails if that tickles your fancy. It was just a nice chill, relaxing hike up to the ranger station where there are a bunch of open spaces for picnics and camping.
I picked some herbs and dried flowers, I don’t know how legal that is, but there was a ton of white sage up there and I just wanted a sprig to remember, and some dried flowers I’d found laying around to keep in my pocket. I am going to make a picture frame collage out of them. I literally want to mod podge these all over my phone case! Hmmm maybe I will! Well they smelled divine, no matter what trouble it gets me into.
We got a lil wild in the wild, stealing kissy faces next to the squirrels. How romantic to get lost together…..no? That’s just me? Okay, cool. Well we had a picnic outside and it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve heard true silence, where you hear nothing but wind, and birds, and the wrestling of trees and leaves. There were some families camping up there which I think we may do next time since you can get an annual pass at Big 5 Sporting Goods for $30, or opt for the $5 day permit.
So we got to the park around 12:30 and ended up leaving around 4pm to head to the local pub just down the street from this trail. Some nice humans started a lovely cairn atop one of the tree stumps with two rocks. Our group decided to add to the merriment and leave our mark there also, by adding 4 additional stones. If you’ve ever played Jenga, this is what it feels like to me every time I have to balance my rock last. Do you build cairns when you go hiking or visit a place? Do you see them often because I feel like I do. Well this is what we contributed to the memory, and it only took me about 8 pictures to get the right ‘angle’ of this formation, I mean, Instagram is serious business man.
And this was our group. Small but mighty we trekked through the woods. I love when you can be so comfortable with someone that you don’t feel the need to talk all of the time, just enjoy the silence, be present in the moment, and take in the peacefulness of it all, and that’s how I feel about these people in this photo. Nothing forced, nothing fake, just calm and chill, that’s hiking to me.
I think we can get so caught up in the hustle of working and staying motivated that we forget to take time out for ourselves to decompress and chill out. I like chilling out, I think I’m going to do that more often. If you find yourself out hiking this weekend and you’re in the LA area, check out Angeles National Forest, there are dozens of trails to explore.
Get dirty, get lost, have fun, and meet new people! Love that! Hope your day is wonderful, more posts coming soon <3 Go chill out
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m half Irish so this is my day to go around telling people that, whilst wearing green, dawning “Kiss Me I’m Irish” buttons, and consuming all things corned beef and green on this day! Oh and Irish jager bombs, must not forget those! So happy St. Patrick’s Day to you, cheers if you’re Irish, kiss kiss to you all, and today I give you the yummiest Irish Shepherd’s pie recipe. Paired with traditional Irish jagerbomb beverages but of course! I changed the name to Irish Guinness Genius because it has Guinness which is well genius duh.
So for the traditional St. Patrick’s Day festivities we made Shepherd’s Pie and had a few Irish Jagerbombs, but since we knew we’d be hardy-ing the night away, we started the weekend off with friends at Angeles National Forest.After hiking a good 6 miles and working up an appetite, we came home to make this scrumptious meal you see pictured above.
Angeles National Forest adventure pictures and stories coming tomorrow, but for today, onward with the feast! Thanks to my great friend and fellow Irish girl, Sarah, we whipped up this yummy meal for everyone to dig in to. We made a 13×9 tray full of this goodness, so here’s what you’ll need:
SHEPHERD’S PIE
– 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey meat like we used)
– 1 TBL olive oil
– 3-4 medium carrots finely diced (or 2 big ones)
– 1 large yellow onion finely diced
– 1 1/2 cup peas (frozen or canned, but I love peas so I added in that extra 1/2 cup)
– 3 sprigs finely chopped fresh thyme
– 2 sprigs finely chopped rosemary
– sprinkle of kosher salt
– 2 teaspoon basil
-1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
– 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
– 1 TBL butter
– 1 Guinness beer
– 1 large bowl of mashed potatoes (made to your liking, I used butter, milk, garlic, and sour cream)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the oil and then add in the ground beef and cook until browned
Add in your thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and basil
Then add in the butter and peas
Stir in the Guinness beer and let this simmer for 5-7 minutes
Remove from heat and spread the meat portion into a 13×9 pan and top it with the mashed potatoes
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the top is crispy to your liking and serve
*cheese on top is optional and super yummy!*
Irish Jagerbombs which we’ll so aptly refer to as Irish Guinness Genius bombs- super bomb and delicious (I can’t even believe I just said super bomb, but they are so delicious dot com). You cannot go a St. Patrick’s Day without consuming one of these bad boys. But remember you have to drink it up before it starts to curdle.
What you’ll need:
– 3/4 pint Guinness stout in glass large enough to hold the shot glass also
– 1/2 shot Bailey’s Irish Cream
– 1/2 shot Jameson Irish Whiskey
Add the Jameson and Bailey’s to a shot glass layering the Bailey’s on bottom
Pour the Guinness into a pint glass only about 3/4 full and let it settle as you will dropping the shot glass in (very carefully of course)
Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and chugarooo!
Such a yummy traditional Irish meal and beverage! Thank you to my Sarah bear who came over with her hubs and shared the weekend with us, this recipe was so fun and easy and YUMMY to make!
Hope you enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day, have fun, be safe, and of course drink responsibly 😀
Hair can be such a beautiful thing! It can also be an over processed, fried, dried out, stringy situation that you cover up with a hat or better yet, do what I do and when in doubt, BUN. IT. UP! So here are some things I do to keep my locks feeling and looking healthy, shiny, and bouncy! Vavavoom!
As you know, I am obsessssssed with coconut oil. I have color treated hair that I curl and kill all the time and then spray with a million products. So coconut oil saves my hair, it has so many benefits and uses, so of course I use it in my hair too. Just take about 1 TBSP of coconut oil into the palm of your hands and warm it up, then work it into your hair, massage it through, tie it up and go to sleep (lay a towel on your pillow for the oil since it will transfer). In the morning wash it out (it takes a few washes, coconut oil is a thick mask buuuut great for moisture buuuut thick) and your hair will be soft and bouncy again.
For when I’m traveling or I don’t have time for an all night ‘leave coconut oil in my head’ kind of routine, than I grab for one of my weekly to-go treatments. You can do any of these in the shower, just work them through your hair after you shampoo, and then wash them out after you’ve shaved your legs!
My favorites are shown above. Palmers deep conditioner packs – this is such a great brand because apparently they make everything I need in these convenient little ‘to go’ packs. Perfect for traveling, perfect for shower treatments, and hell – perfect for gifts! I put a few different packets into a basket with bath salts and they make the perfect ‘at home spa’ gift for someone 😀 These packs last me a few deep conditioning treatments, they wash out easily, and smell uh-mazing! I’m alll about the smelllll!
The Olive Oil one is very rich, the consistency is similar to what you’d find in an avocado mask or banana mask you’d make at home. The Argan Oil mask has more of the same consistency to the coconut oil mask, less creamy, but just as hydrating to your hair. These two are my favorite to-go packs.
Something I’ve always loved and it seems so simple yet I don’t know a lot of people who use it, but good ol’ VO5 Hot Oil works like a charm! You’re supposed to warm it up for a minute, but when I’m in the shower and don’t have access to boiling water I just put the oil into a cup with really hot water from the bath and let it sit for a minute while I wash my face. Then I put it all in my hair for another minute and rinse it out. My hair is always so soft and shiny after a hot oil treatment.
The way that it works is, the heat from the oil opens the hair shaft and infuses your hair with moisture and shine. I mean….woooo!
And keeping with the theme of deep treatments, beyond doing weekly night time leave in treatments with the coconut oil, I will alternate that with this deep treatment masque from Shea Moisture. It’s super rich and thick, smells like heaven, with argan oil and shea butter, and after this treatment your hair will look and smell angelic. This is a thicker treatment so you’ll have to wash it out a few times, but it’s my second favorite deep conditioner, my first being the coconut oil. Soooo if you want healthy hair, you don’t have to do the 80284759 things I do to my hair I promise. I do a lot to my hair because I do a lot to it to have to. But I do suggest a leave in conditioner and maybe a coconut oil mask every week to lock in moisture and repair any damage. I made a video about all of this a while ago, if you’re more of a watcher than a reader, have a looksie! I’m doing a video soon about a mask for hair also, a DIY hot oil treatment, oh and that skin care scrub 😉 I haven’t forgotten. Soon my pretties!!! xoxo
When I heard ‘Vegan’ nail polish I was like ‘oh man, nail polish just went all hipster on us!’ <—- true thought, is this an LA state of mind? But I really loved the colors so I gave it a go and hey, try before you buy right…or is that you break you buy? Whatever the case, this is my review of the Color Secrets Vegan nail polish and their lip gloss…pssst I’ll tell you if things suck when they suck, so here goes my thoughts.
I love the colors, I have to say that first because it’s the first thing I thought when I set them up in this circle. I love how vibrant they are from pastels to neons.
Let me preface by saying that when I review things, my opinions are real and when things suck I will tell you they suck and why. These did not suck. So my first thought was that the color won’t stick. I could visibly see that the formula is a thinner formula than that of lets say an Essie or an OPI polish.
I polished my nails with “The Proposal” which is the coral-ly pinkish color, and did a few accent nails in “Titanic”, the sea foam color you see above. I personally always prep my nails with a base coat, also I had a feeling that if I didn’t use one that these colors might stain my nails. We’ll see next time I’ll try it without the base coat. The first coat as I suspected went on pretty thin, spotty in areas, and it seemed a lil watery. But then I applied a second coat and it stuck, it was nice and vibrant and thick enough where I didn’t have to apply a third coat wahooo!
I finished off my nails with a top coat, and tadaaaa, here are my nails! And my face. I was channeling my inner Twiggy here with my daughter’s rad sunnies and the Color Secrets lip gloss in “Coral Punch”. Also, I’m not really into highly pigmented lip glosses or lipsticks for that matter, I have big lips so I end up looking like a mail order bride! I usually go with more sheer colors but this lip gloss wasn’t too opaque for me at all, nice!
So these nail polishes are Vegan in that there aren’t any animal parts used to create the metallic or pearlescent finishes. Instead, they use mica powder to achieve those sparkles, and just like the lip gloss, the polishes are cruelty free and made in the US. But seriously they had me at $3.99. Yes you can get the polish or the lip gloss, or both, for under 5 bucks each!
Considering I spend a boat load of money on cosmetics, this is a nice change. Annnnd it’s good for me, and the Earth so boom!!!! P.S. don’t mind my cuticles in this photo, I’m barelyyyy good at polishing my own nails, yet alone taking care of cuticles. But this is the lip gloss I’m wearing in the photo, a lot more sheer on my lips than I thought it would be, which is a good thing. I think. For me anyway.
So I hope you enjoyed this review, that’s my honest experience with what I tried, thanks for reading my words!
Spring time means a change in fashion for the ladies, and a change in time for the fellas! I put together this photo set for you of some of my favorite things to pair together at the moment. Gotta love this California weather!
I have always been and always will be in love with kimonos. I think they’re versatile, I love the flow of them, and they can be layered with anything. This is a True Decadence Velvet Baroque Kimono top, beneath it a Dolce and Gabbana brightly printed crop top, and I paired it with high waisted denim shorts.
I’m obsessed with these Forever21 combat boots! I love the color, I love the length of them, I love that they are sweetness meets badassness. For the accessories I chose these Wildfox sunglasses, this blush pink Guess chunky necklace, and then stacked a few of these Dezso cuffs which I just love because they’re so dainty yet have some edge to them. Finish off this casual chic look with a bold red lip and you’re set! This is perfect for a day out with the girls, a lunch date, or simply to run around town causing a ruckus! Follow me on Polyvore for more fashion, inspiration, and outfit obsessions http://jesslizama.polyvore.com/ Sunny springtime wishes to you, and I’ll meet ya back here later for more! Off I go to put some more outfits together, see you on Polyvore! xoxo
Yes you read that correctly, naturally!!!! So I get asked all the time if my eyelashes are real and yes there are real, butttt, there’s a but. While I naturally have long lashes, they are very fine, and there are things I do to make them more better. No we don’t use proper grammar here. Well about a month and a half ago for like a good solid 2 weeks, I was just being lazy and not washing my makeup off before bed. Basically just leaving the tar that we call mascara on my lashes for beyond the amount of time you should have tar on your lashes. AND THEY STARTED TO FALL OUT! Ahhhhhhhh! (insert home alone scene here) Well now they are back, and in full force, I feel like I have Snuffleupagus lashes actually, and the following regime is what I did to get them back, and I did this religiously for a solid month! Seems like a lil over kill, and a shit ton of work but this is the trick! Also, I don’t know about you, but to have your eyelashes fall out is just not a hot look to sport and I hate falsies, so onward we go.
So one, I made it a point to wash my makeup off before bed every night and I used Fresh Soy Cleanser as an eye makeup remover, because it’s uber gentle and the formula in the cleanser conditions your lashes. WIN! Then I put a drop of DHC’s Olive Oil onto a clean mascara wand and brush it onto my lashes both top and bottom. I like DHC’s oil because it’s much thinner than a regular cooking olive oil (though that would probably work for you also) as it’s super filtered and gets absorbed quickly.
Brushing your lashes is like brushing your hair and it could all be in my head but I’m pretty sure it helped them grow quicker. Sounds a lil crazy I know, but I swear, comb those suckers!
I also started using a more moisturizing mascara. Rimmel’s lash accelerator is comparable to Tarte’s Lash Camera Flashes, except it’s a more hydrating formula. My lashes don’t feel super dry and brittle with it and it comes off easily. Ladies stay away from waterproof mascaras if you can, they are double the tar.
Lastly, I started taking Keratin for my hair and skin, and noticed a difference in my hair AND in my lashes. I already take spirulina shots in the morning, along with fish oil and vitamin E daily, for all of the reasons you should take these vitamins, and I’m telling ya, my hair, skin, nails, and eyelashes look and feel more healthy.
If you know me than you know I’m all about coconut everything. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve been using it as a hydrating mask for my face, a body moisturizer, hair conditioner, and an eye lash conditioner. I swear by the stuff and I still swipe this onto my eyes before bed as an eye cream and eye lash conditioner. If nothing else, use some coconut oil on your lashes, hell, on your whole body, and you’ll notice a difference.
Natural means no chemicals, so no quick fix, this takes some time. Do this daily, be gentle with your skin and your lashes, and if you can go a few days giving your face a break from cosmetics, do it.
The great part is you know the ingredients in what you’re putting on your face now because there’s only one ingredient. And there are a lot of products out there with crazy chemicals promising to make your lashes longer and thicker – MD lash factor, Latisse, Peter Thomas Roth Lashes To Die For, knock off brands, there’s a lot out there. And while these products probably work, I don’t want to have to use a chemical on my lashes forever for it to work.
So try this route first, I seriously noticed my lashes longer, thicker, and the sparse ones grew back. I hope this helps, I think lashes make your eyes look bigger, brighter, more awake, and more youthful. Give it a go why dontcha!
Drugstore products comparable to their high end twinsie products!
Soooo unless you just really love spending money on a ton of beauty products or just really love a particular name brand makeup item, I think there is a cheaper AND just as fabulous dupe out there. To prove it, here are my picks for best bank friendly dupes!
Foundation. Foundation is well- the foundation of your makeup, the base of your face – I realize I’m turning into a rapper here, but you’re pickin up what I’m layin down.
Makeup Forever’s High Definition Foundation ($42):
creamy
goes on smooth
has build able coverage
will last you five-ever (that’s longer than forever)
Maybelline’s FIT me shine free foundation stick ($8)
anti- shine core
fraction of the cost
I decided to give it a go. Ladies it’s the same as the HD foundation. Yes it requires a bit more in the application, but it too is build able and gives amazing coverage. I applied it over a primer and it was smooth as silk AND blended like a peach.
Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer ($32):
one of my all time favorite concealer
super creamy, rich, and smooth
doesn’t settle into fine lines
the kicker – it’s $32 for a small stinking tube
Time Balm ($13)
you can get for half the cost and it is totally comparable to the Hourglass
totally the same experience in my experience
nice and creamy, nice AND cheap-errrrr
Mascara! Ya know, if they banished me to a deserted island and they said I could only bring one beauty product, it would be mascara. And sunscreen. Ok and lipbalm. That’s 3 but who’s counting.
I live for eyelashes. I have a video coming soon for the best at home eye lash serum! Stay tuned! In the mean time, if you love Tarte’s Lights Camera Flashes ($23), than you’ll love Rimmel’s Accelerator mascara ($8).
Similar bristles, great formula, didn’t leave fall out, AND it’s a lash accelerator. Put down the Latisse and walk toward the dollar isle ladies! I will always be in favor of Loreal Voluminous because it’s the best that ever was, BUT if you’re asking for a dupe, the Rimmel is.just.like.the.Tarte.
Annnnnd body care. Because we care about our body, but more importantly, about the scent! That’s me anyway! And I LOVE anything coconut!!!!
So naturally I’m obsessed with The Body Shop’s Coconut Body Butter ($20), but honestly, Trader Joe’s Coconut body butter ($10) is everything.
Scent is the same, same consistency, same hydration, same same same. But price. Price is different. And price is everything for certain things in life.
So go ahead, give these a try and tell me your favorite drugstore dupes! I dooooo have a video coming out about this topic for you watchers out there! But for my readers, I’m glad my words can land here and you enjoy reading them. I enjoy writing them 😀 And remember……….
