NYFW Favorites

New York Fashion Week was last week, and I'm a little behind.

There was one trend that I am really loving right now.  Sometimes when it comes to fashion, I see styles that I wouldn't necessarily wear, but I can appreciate it anyway.

Not every personality or body type can pull off every style or clothing trend, so it's important to find out what works for you.

My cousin, Jacquelyn, came over a couple days before fashion week wearing an adorable outfit, so I was really excited to see it was a big trend.

How precious is she?!

Oh, by the way, the big trend was OUTERWEAR.

I love coats and jackets and fur.  It's fun to see how other people put together outfits.  

Here are some of my favorites that I saw :

BBC & Sweet Potato Tacos

**Written while watching The Chew**

I made these Black Bean and Corn Sweet Potato Tacos the other day, and it was a major learning experience.

Like I said in a previous post, I am not perfect when it comes to making certain recipes, but I learn from them and adjust along the way.

I found this a long time ago and finally got around to making it.  I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes, and I had never tried them until high school.  We had them at lunch one day and I was so confused by them and didn't even know how to eat them.  But, you can make them so many different ways, so it's awesome!!

I tried to make my own gluten free tortillas for them and failed HORRIBLY.  The recipes I tried were terrible and basically made the consistency of silly putty.  I was extremely frustrated.  I gave up and went to the grocery store (it was -10 this day) and bought the best kind of whole wheat I could find.  SO, if anyone has a great gluten free tortilla/wrap recipe, please let me know!!!  (I tried one that worked, but it tasted too much like egg, so I won't be using that again)

Then, I made the meal and struggled a bit with that, too.

First, they say to bake the sweet potatoes for only 15-20 minutes! I should have realized this was not enough time to make sure they are tender anyway, but I didn't.  They were NOT.  I would recommend maybe double the amount of time, around 40 minutes.  However, I was already making the other ingredients while it was baking/really hungry, so I sucked it up and ate them anyway.  They were kind of hard, but oh well.

Either way, these were really great and I topped them with hot sauce and avocado.  For a lighter cheese option, I do recommend feta.  It is delicious and flavorful, so you really don't need a lot anyway.

This made a good amount of food, so there was plenty for leftovers, and it's very easy to make!

LOTS of hot sauce because I love the spice!

Style Watch: Oscar Edition

I'm finally writing about something other than food! I didn't know it was possible, but the Oscars happened and I felt it was a good time.

I have never been a huge "award show season" person, but this year I watched practically all of them.

The only reason I really watch them besides the fashion is to see Taylor Swift's dance moves, and she never disappoints.

Since T-Swift wasn't at the Oscars, I'll stick to the dresses I loved or loathed.

Picking a favorite is so hard.  I over think it, because I love fashion and seeing what everyone chooses.

It might be a 3 way tie for me.  I can't just choose one! Here are my top 3

Rosamund Pike just killed it.

My picks for worst dressed:

Some worst dressed weren't even worth mentioning. i.e. Lady Gaga

Honorable Mention-Dresses I also loved:

I have a short attention span, so I don't like to write a whole lot sometimes, because I normally just skim things myself anyway.  So, sorry for the limited context.

But I'll leave you with this picture I saw tonight:

TGIF!

It's Friday! I decided to switch up my usual breakfast today for something more exciting, because it's the end of the week.  

On a typical morning, I have two eggs scrambled with a handful of spinach.  Kind of boring, but I actually crave it, oddly enough.  

I don't know why I already had a picture of this...it wasn't planned

BUT, today I did something different! *woah* Strawberries are currently on sale at the Co-Op for $1.99! So, in true Kirsty fashion, I bought them just because they were on sale and not because I actually needed them.  

I made PANCAKES.  Yum.  I used to make them all the time and haven't had them in a while, so I thought, I need to use up my last banana and I have strawberries so, why not?

Yum yum yum yum.

I have TWO variations because I have made them different ways before.

1: 

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oats
• splash of vanilla
• cinnamon

blend in a food processor until smooth! 

2:

Found here

I do everything a little different, 'cause that's just me.  I don't have any pure maple syrup.  Sadly, the kind I bought was purchased almost 2 years ago, so it has tons of gross stuff in it, and I should probably just throw it away.  Here's what I did:

I used the second recipe this time.  Made the pancakes with my protein powder, not the one listed.  Because it's me, I accidentally got some egg yolk in there. Oops!  I topped it with sliced strawberries, banana, unsweetened coconut flakes (I think I'm obsessed with coconut), and blue agave nectar.  

Happiness

Seriously delicious and eaten in 1 minute.  

And of course, my coffee: Hazelnut with a splash of almond milk and honey in the super cute mug I got from my cousin, Andrea, for Christmas. 

Ok, I'm going to go back to doing productive things now like my laundry or eating leftover Valentine's Day chocolates.

Energy Bars

I'm a big fan of energy bars.  Actually, energy in general.  I love coffee.  My dad got me a Keurig for Christmas, and I could not be more obsessed.  I honestly use it at least twice a day: hot lemon water right when I wake up (if you don't know the benefits, look here) and then coffee with my breakfast.  I need a boost of energy pretty much every day, even though some would say I have enough without it.

Leiah wanted me to make a post energy bars, so I did some searching to find ones I might like.  I have made these energy balls before which are really good, but I wanted to try another one.

Some of the ingredients are kind of weird, like dates.  I never eat those and where the heck to do I find them?  Luckily, La Crosse has a Co-op and a plethora of people who are, what I like to call, granola crunchers.  Not knocking the whole organic, reusable, recyclable lifestyle, because I need some of these items.  So, shoutout to you people.

Would I love to have my own garden of vegetables, fruits, and herbs and spices? Yes.  But I don't know how to grow anything, not even my hair because I pick my split ends like there's no tomorrow.  Thankfully, I have an aunt and uncle (or my "second parents") that live not far from me that do a lot of this on their own.  My aunt makes everything from scratch with things she grows or what my uncle hunts.  I aspire to do this some day, it's beyond impressive.  When I'm lucky enough, in the summer, they send me home with tons of produce, and I die of happiness.  Also, cage-free eggs because who doesn't have a chicken coop?

You'll notice in a lot of my ingredient photos that I normally have bulk items.  Not like Costco bulk.  Like the "scoop and put it in a plastic bag" bulk.  Honestly, it's really nice because then I get to choose how much I want and not spend $20 on specialty foods that I don't need a lot of.  Chia seeds are EXPENSIVE!  I buy them in bulk and end up spending about $2. Yay! So I recommend buying things this way.  There are tons of different things you can find there.  It amazes me.

What I bought for these bars are practically all from the bulk food section. Here is where I found the recipe, although, I added about 2 TBSP unsweetened coconut.

One note I do have to add: I went to Festival to buy unsweetened coconut and they had 5 different brands of only sweetened.  *this is why I like bulk buying*

I have said bulk far too many times in this post. I am already sick of the word.  Sorry.

Meatless Monday

I never participate in "Meatless Monday", but since I wanted to make this anyway, I figured it was fitting.  I found this recipe about a month ago while I was flipping though a magazine during breakfast.  It was about New Years resolutions and all that.  Anyway, they had an article about Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan that I wanted to try.  I know I said in a previous post that I am trying to have no dairy in my diet, but key word: "trying".  I definitely don't eliminate it completely, but I try to limit certain things.  It's just not a sustainable lifestyle to have no dairy EVER!

I don't know that I had ever had eggplant before I made this, but I was willing to give it a try.  It's actually really good! (my opinion) I loved this meal and had leftovers to eat for a couple more days.  Their recipe/directions were kind of weird, so for my second time making it, I decided to change it a little bit and make it my own.

Working on those plating skillzzz

Here is what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced cross-wise into 3/4 in. thick rounds
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups jarred low-sodium and low-fat or fat free marinara sauce
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Directions:
1.  Coat a large skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium-high.  Cook as many eggplant slices that the skillet will allow, on each side, for about 4 minutes each or until tender (sprinkle with black pepper).
2.  While eggplant is cooking, preheat oven to 350.  Add cottage cheese to a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Transfer to a medium sized bowl and add in egg white, 1/4 cup of parmesan, and spinach and stir until well mixed.
3.  Spray a 9x13 baking pan and layer half of the eggplant slices, topped with cottage cheese mix, then rest of eggplant.  Top with marinara, then parmesan cheese.
4.  Bake until cheese is golden brown for about 30-40 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes or so.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I figured I would make a chocolate dessert.

Before I get into that, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has told me that they love my blog or are reading it, etc.  It truly is so nice to hear!  Especially from people I didn't expect, so it makes it that much more special.  To be honest, I figured no one would read it besides my sister haha. But I'm so happy people are enjoying it! The positive response is so beyond what I expected.  You all are so sweet!

Also, shout out to my mom for sending me this amazing Valentine's present.  She truly knows the way to my heart.

Pajamas <3, veggie peeler?!(score), dark choco&raspberry squares(favorite)
These are a few of my favorite things..

My sister, Leiah, for sending me a gift certificate for a MASSAGE. 

And finally, my wonderful cousin Jacquelyn and her husband Ryan for surprising me with what I have been truly wanting, you guys are the breast!:

My hearts desire

Considering I'm single and have had relationships on past Valentine's Days, this one has honestly been the best! I have a great family, and they know me so well.

Ok, enough with my sappy V-Day talk.  On to the SWEETS!

If you know me at all, you know I have a MAJOR sweet tooth.  I am THAT person at dinner that says "Yes, I'd love to hear about the desserts!"  I have been baking since high school, possibly before, but who can remember that far back? I used to bake brownies, cookies, and of course, funfetti cupcakes all the time and bring them to school for practically any reason.  I always offer to bake for holidays, birthdays, or any time that requires dessert.

I'm the 19 y/o asking for a Kitchen Aid for Christmas

4th of July is my favorite holiday. I love America so much.

Rosemary bread is just heavenly

Making a little Kringla! (Norwegians, you'll appreciate this)

I have been looking at tons of different desserts for years and testing out which ones I like.  Because I have been trying to eat a tad bit healthier.....I decided to make these brownies.  I made them for New Years Eve this year, along with mini strawberry cheesecake bites, and coconut bars topped with dark chocolate.  It was great.

I played a little trick on my friends, though, and didn't tell them the desserts I made were "healthy".  Am I a horrible person?  Sorry.  I just wanted to see if they would be able to tell without knowing!

The brownies I made were black bean brownies.  You're probably like "what?!" But you can't even taste them.  They are a much more fudg-y version of brownies instead of cake-like.  My friend Allisen caught on because of the texture, darn.  But I didn't really tell anyone else until I was leaving the next day.  So, luckily my friend Tom said I could leave the brownies at his apartment. (hehe, sorry Tom)

I got the recipe from here.  This girl is like my soul sister.  She literally speaks to the depths of my soul with her entire website.  The best part? Her ingredients aren't something so crazy that you've never heard of it, or will use 1 tsp and never use it again.

For tonight at work, which is one of the busiest nights for restaurants, the girls and I are all bringing in yummy and healthy grab-and-go foods.  I decided to bring these brownies (and cut them into little squares as requested, so we can just pop one and go haha).  Here is how they turned out!:

I don't have the greatest food processor, but it does the job

Hope you're all having a wonderful Valentine's Day and feeling as loved as I am! :)

Friday Flubs

Since I am procrastinating doing anything for the day, I figured I'd talk about the times where my cooking has been a disaster.  Even though I love to do it, I have made some recipes that taste horrible or forget vital ingredients many times.  We aren't perfect, people!

For starters, a couple years ago before going to PCB, Florida for spring break (woo!), I made these chocolate muffins for everyone to have before we flew out.

They look good, right? Wrong.  They were so gross, except for when you got a bite of purely chocolate chips.  They were a healthier option that was best left alone.  

Another time, I tried to make these cauliflower mashed potatoes.

Little did I know, I bought and added in VANILLA flavored Greek yogurt instead of plain (whoops). I didn't notice until I tasted them and immediately wanted to spit it out.  Needless to say, I haven't made them since, because I was so scarred.

I have been infamously remembered for the time that I almost burned my house down by leaving a pizza in the oven over night.  My friends and family will never let me live this one down.

Fastest way to burn ~1000 calories

As much as I love to bake and as often as I do, I have made some pretty monumental mistakes.  During holidays, I LOVE pecan pie.  It's a recent discovery of mine that I can't believe I hadn't tried earlier.  My sister Leiah has made several great ones, so of course I had to try myself.  The first time I forgot eggs.  Eggs are SO important! The whole pie was flat and just ruined and she made fun of me so much for messing up so bad.  The second time I forgot vanilla and I think something else, and the whole taste was just off.  It was a huge hit to my ego and I have been since taken off pecan pie duty to prevent further damage.  

Lastly, I made this healthier version of "mac and cheese".

I was thinking: Oh my gosh! I love mac and cheese and I can eat it with spaghetti squash?! Awesome!

Actual turnout: Yuck.  It was not good, and the descriptions were deceiving in my opinion.

Anyway, these are just some examples that not everything you make is going to be great, but it's definitely a learning process.  Not all healthy recipes actually taste good and not every recipe you make ends up going smoothly, no matter how long you have been cooking.  Here's to many more mistakes I will ultimately make! 

Smoothie Central

According to my friend Tom, I needed to make a post about smoothies.  So Tom, this one's dedicated to you.

I drink a protein smoothie every single day.  They are so yummy and filled with tons of great nutrients.  I am going to talk about what I do and give you some ideas/options of ways you can switch it up and make something that you like.

Most of the time, my smoothies are what I drink after a workout, but you can definitely use them as your breakfast if you add some more ingredients to make them more filling if you're on the go. (I've had to do this a couple of times)

Here's what the ingredients I use look like:

(I also have half of a frozen banana, not pictured)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 banana
• 4-6 frozen strawberries (depending on size and preference)
• One scoop of vanilla bean Vegan Protein Powder
• One spoonful of almond butter (about 1 Tbsp) (*if you don't have this or don't want it, I have just used whole, raw almonds before)
• Large handful of spinach
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1-2 tsp honey 
• Water (amount depends on consistency)

Directions:

I always cut my bananas in half, then into smaller pieces, and put them into baggies and freeze them beforehand. I have learned to put all the ingredients in first, followed by the liquids, or else they create a huge mess in the blender.  I also don't have the nicest blender, I wish I had a Vitamix, don't remind me I don't. I have to add about 1/2 a cup of water or more just to get it into a smooth, drinkable texture. I also have to use a spoon to get it mixing better as well (struggles).

Here's what it looks like before I mix!

It may not look appetizing, but it's SO good.

Different Variations:

For a more filling version, I sometimes add in about 1/2 cup oats, and 1 Tbsp flax seeds as well.

You can definitely choose which fruits you want to use, like mangos, raspberries, blueberries, etc.  I just personally don't like the taste of those.  Strawberry banana has always been my favorite.  

30 sec. later because I have no self control and can't stop drinking it.

If you're worried about the protein powder, don't be.  You can't taste the chalkiness that some might have.  I love my smoothies and I wouldn't drink them every day otherwise. 

I used to put plain greek yogurt in my smoothies as well and was worried about the taste when I stopped eating as much dairy, but they are still so good.

Feel free to use whatever you'd like, of course!