Quinoa Coconut Porridge

Coconut is my favorite addition to any meal, and when living in San Diego  at a quaint breakfast place I cannot even remember the name of, I had a porridge dish with coconut and quinoa. The dish was so good that its been my mission to recreate it ever sense. I was able to finally get a grip on a recipe that I love! 

Quinoa Coconut Porridge

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Quinoa (cooked, I usually make quinoa for dinner, so I save some to have it already prepaired)
• 1/4 cup Coconut Shaving (fine) 
• 1/4 cup Coconut Chips 
• 2 cups Coconut milk 
• 2 cups Steel Cut Oats
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• Sweeten to your desire. (Sugar, Honey, or Agave Nectar for sweetness) I use 2 Tbs Honey. 
• Toppings: Coconut flakes, Chia seeds, Banana, Pecans (Any fruit or nut  topping of your choice will do)

Directions:

• Begin by cooking your oats on the stove top with water. 
• Once the oats have been brought to a boil then add in 1 cup of coconut milk, 1/4 cup finely shaved coconut, Honey (substitute with desired sweetner), and 1 tbs Vanilla)
• Once the oats mixture gains the consistence of oatmeal, add in the 2 cups of precooked quinoa, Let sit for 2-3 minutes. 
• Place the finished  oats and quinoa mixture into a bowl.
• Top with chia seeds, coconut chips, pecans, and bananas. (or whatever you prefer to top with)
• Poor remaining coconut milk over dish and enjoy!!

Food

Harvard Campus

As I take on the city of Boston and all it has to offer I find myself trying to blend in to the areas I am exploring. With a backpack, camera, and lost look about me, It is hard to blend in with the crowd on Harvard's campus. There is so much to do at the campus, and all you need is walking shoes. We tend to shy away from organized tours, so we took a free map and guided our way through our own tour. I suggest grabbing breakfast at Crema Cafe, then head to the main campus to check out the buildings and local museums. For lunch I recommend heading to the Garage, its full of various restaurants and has a really fun look about it.

Walking the campus you will see many things that will grab your attention and time fly's by. 

For the Harry Potter fans out there they Petali Flowers has a themed area in its back courtyard that is so cute!  

Travel

Coconut Overnight Oats!

A no Stress morning! Coconut Overnight oats are quick and easy, and provide an excellent grab and go breakfast for busy mornings! The recipe and instructions to my coconut overnight oats are below! 

COCONUT OVERNIGHT OATS 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Steal Cut Oats 
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (Sweetened or Unsweetened)
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Shavings
• 1/2 Tbs Chia Seeds
• 1/2 Tbs Flax Seeds
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract 
• Sliced Banana 

Instructions:

• Mix Oats, milk, chia and flax seeds, and vanilla extract together. 
• Placed mixed ingrediants into a mason jar, cover, and place in the refirdgerater overnight
• In the morning remove the lid and enjoy as is or top with bananas (my Favorite)  or topping of your choice! Its that Simple!! 

30 Minute AMRAP Workout

A Quick High Intensity Workout that will Kick Your Bootay!!! 

Equipment needed:

• Wall :)
• Weighted Medicine ball 
• Box 
• Ab Dolly (or Towel on hardwood)
• Kettle Bell
• Warrior Ropes 

Instructions:

• This workout is a AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) workout.
• Start by setting a timer on your phone for 30 minutes,
• This thirty minutes is strictly for the exercise, be sure to do an active warmup before beginning. 
• Circuit:
  • 14 Wall Balls
  • 14 Box Jumps (adjust hight for difficulty)
  • 14 Ab Dolly exercises in a push up position, hands on the floor, feet on the ab dolly, bring your knees to your chest. 
  • 1 minute Isometric kettle bell squat hold. 
  • 14 Jumping push ups. I use the box, but if you can do them on a flat service, go for it!(Push off the box or ground so that your hands leave the surface.) 
  • I minute warrior rope
  • Rest (try and only use 1 minute)
• Repeat the circuit until the 30 minutes is up try and complete as many circuits as possible! 
• Finish with one of my favorite post workout Smoothie Bowls to replenish your body!! 

Fitness

Red Light Therapy!

Skin that glows for years to come! 

I have always struggled with my skin, and I am constantly trying new things to try and achieve clear skin. I began using a RedLight on my skin about 2 months ago. It came as an accessory device with a product my fiancé was using for muscle recovery. I did some research, and I got excited! From the sounds of it, Red Light was really helpful in combatting acne, reducing appearance of scars, reducing appearance of sun spots, and excellent for anti aging because of its penetration into skin that promotes collagen growth.

I use the red light on my face whenever I think to do it, but if I'm being honest I use it only about 3 times a week for about 10 minutes at a time, and still see results. My pores are smaller, my acne scares are much less noticeable, I'm experiencing less severe breakouts, and my skin has a more alive and supple appearance. All while fighting the affects of aging, 

Now I know most people don't have random contraptions that just happen to come with RedLights appearing conveniently. So I decided to look into ways to get this treatment at a decent price. I found when searching Red Light Therapy Devices on Amazon there were a lot of devices that had really solid reviews and were at a reasonable price. 

Try adding one to your skin care routine and see if it helps you as much as it has helped me! 

Beauty

Anchor, Align, Arise

doTERRA Recently came out with a collection of oils specifically for the purpose of Yoga.  

They came out with three oils, Anchor, Align, Arise. I found that the oils where really beneficial and  each oil provided different benefits and properties that enhance my Yoga experience. 

---

Arise "Enlightening Blend"

At moments when discouragement and opposition affect your ability to reach your goals,  Arise Enlightening Blend can provide a joyful, encouraging aroma to uplift and help you rise up. With Grapefruit, Lemon, Osmanthus, and Siberian Fir essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil, it has a fresh scent that is both happy and inspiring and will help you continue to reach higher. 

Favorite Uses:

- When you wake up, apply two to three drops of Arise on your heart while practicing daily affirmations to help you rise up and face the day with clarity and joy.
- When practicing challenging yoga poses, apply Arise to help yourself achieve the next level.
- Apply several drops to diffusing jewelry to remind you of your goals throughout the day.

Ideal Poses: Standing,  Arms high and standing side stretch, and Half  Moon

---

Anchor "Steadying Blend" 

When uncertainty affects your world, Anchor Steadying Blend can help to restore balance and stillness in your life. Featuring Lavender, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Black Pepper, and Patchouli essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut oil, Anchor’s aroma is earthy, woody, and rich helping you feel rooted and grounded.

Favorite Uses:

- When faced with challenges or big decisions, apply two to three drops of Anchor on your heart to help encourage a steady foundational sense on how to move forward.
- Apply to ankles, base of spine, and bottoms of feet to promote feelings of completeness and calmness.
- Apply two to three drops to desired areas while meditating to feel steady, complete, and calm. 

Ideal Poses: Seated Meditation, Seated Twist, and Bhu Mudra (one hand on the heart, the other on the Earth)

---

Align "Centering Blend" 

It’s easy to feel disconnected and out of control in the busyness of everyday life. Combining the properties of Align Centering Blend with certain yoga poses can help align and create a sense of peace and purpose. Align is made with a unique blend of oils such as Peppermint, Basil, Geranium, and Jasmine Flower to create a fresh, green, and herbal scent. 

Favorite Uses:

- Before starting the day, apply Align over your heart, wrists, and the back of your neck to promote feelings of self-acceptance and fluidity.
- Add two drops of Align to diffusing jewelry to enjoy the scent during your yoga practice.

Ideal Poses: Warrior II, Triangle, and Gate pose

A Small Pantry Solution

How I managed to create a one cupboard pantry that didn't make me crazy?

While living in Boston we are in a one bedroom apartment. Back at home we have our house in the hills outside of Portland, Oregon that provides me with a pantry that I can fit everything into no problem! But here in Boston I have one cupboard to work with! But there is no challenge I won't accept, especially when it comes to organization. My type A personallity actually enjoys the the thought of organizing all our food into one small cupboard. 

Being that we are Vegan (Now, before you roll your eyes and stop reading, my fiancé has to avoid any type of inflammation, during football season, and a lot of foods cause inflammation, so during the season we eat a vegan diet, and when its off season, Its GO time, gimme all da cheese!!) okay back to what I was talking about, Being that we practice a Vegan diet I have a lot of pasta, nuts, rices and grains that come in all sorts of boxes, bags and different containers. I was finding that I couldn't find anything in all the mess.

BEFORE 

AFTER 

So I decided to remove all the unnecessary packaging junk and put everything into mason jars. This avoids clutter, you can clearly see what you are looking for, and it looks cute too!

If you ever have similar issue with your pantry and things just don't seem to fit or you can never find anything, go buy some mason jars of various sizes and place your foods into them.

Home

My Hawaiian Fairy Tail

I brought home more then just some sand at the bottom of my suitcase :)  

A trip planned solely by my boyfriend? Travel, hotel, and activities all organized and taken care of? SAY IT WASNT SO! My man is wonderful at so many things, but planning ahead, or just planning in general really has never been a strong attribute of his. So you can imagine the sense of AWE I was in when we embarked on vacation, everything was taken care of, AND it ran smoothly. To be completely honest it made me feel pretty crappy how well everything went. I am always the planner, I am type A and planning and organizing might as well be my middle names. But no matter how much a plan and organize there is always some sort of bump in the road. And Brandins first time planning a trip? He executes it perfectly... 

Aside from constantly waiting for what I thought the inevitable chaos during our magical trip (that never came,)  I spent a absolutely remarkable trip enjoying the beautiful island of Maui. We did everything under the Hawaiian sun, zip lined through cattle country, parasailed above the Lahaina shores, scuba dived off the beach of Wailea, ATV'd the mountain side, struggled through a paddle board yoga class (wasn't pretty), and ate the most delicious food ever! I look back on it now I don't know how I came home feeling rested. 

But the activity that stole the show? Was my helicopter ride around the Haleakala mountain side.

The helicopter landed on a patch of grass on the Hauna coastline, and the love of my life asked me to marry him, and made me the happiest girl in the entire world!!

Aside from the obvious plusses from my trip, bringing home a new piece of jewelry, a fiancé, and countless memories I will cherish forever. Our trip is also where I got my inspiration for my website. My fiancé and I are so blessed, and live a lifestyle I could have only dreamed of, and it wasn't until I met a women in the pool at our hotel that I really realized that I could share my life with the world. 

Jana was at the Four Seasons Maui photographing a wedding when we sparked up a conversation at the pool, and it was not long before she was snapping pics of Brandin and I in the pool, on my iPhone 6. They were the best photos Brandin and I have ever taken together! Admittedly, I am not comfortable in front of a camera, better yet my booty infront of a camera, yet she created beautiful photos in just a few snaps. look her up! http://jana-williams.com

She Has seen the world and catches peoples attention through her beautiful photos. I always felt like social media, and even bloggers, gave a false sense of reality, but after meeting Jana, having such a genuine real conversation about her life, her journey, and her faith. once I saw her photos I saw them in a different way and it genuinely inspired me to share my life experiences with people.

So my fairy tail trip to Hawaii brought about a new journey and phase of life with my best friend and the love of my life, and brought about the inspiration to begin something completely individual and all my own.