Black Lace Romper + Magazine Launch

This post is way overdue, but because of finals, work, and now winter break I'm happy to have some down time to catch up on blog posts! Earlier this month, my school's student publication VIM Magazine had their Fall 2016 launch gala. This year was the first semester where I was creative director, and it was so amazing to work with so many talented and creative people. Seriously. I am so incredibly proud of everyone and the work put into it, because it is completely student run and turned out to be beautiful, professional, and an amazing magazine. The launch was held at the art museum on campus which was a dream venue, and was a black tie dress code. Everyone had such cute outfits, and I found this romper on black friday for only $35! Be sure to check out the online issue of the magazine HERE, and keep up with the magazine HERE. 

My College House + Living Off Campus

fabric banner - homemade(twine, fabric, hole puncher, and a couple nails), home sweet home sign - homemade (wood sign from michael's and any acrylic paint), flower decals - hobby lobby

  Oh yes, I am still alive (barely). It has been so long since my last post, but school and interviews and clubs has taken up most of my time, and I miss this little corner of the internet. I'm so happy to be back and posting content! So, now that I'm in my third year of college, I no longer live in the dorms but in a tiny house off campus. I'm SO glad to have my own space and be much more independent, but it definitely has its ups and down. Although, I will say this post is thanks to all of the work of my roommates who are much more creative than I am - if it were up to me, all of the decor would be black and white. All of these little accents were super cheap to make, and make all the difference in making the space so much more comfy.

Healthy (and cheap) College Meal Ideas! {Vegan}

It's already been a month since I've moved into my college house, and one of the struggles has been cooking and making all my own meals. Compared to my freshman and sophomore year where I had unlimited access to the dining hall, now I'm grocery shopping weekly and clipping coupons. Literally I feel so old getting excited over the Aldi sale flyers that come in the mail....Anyway all of these meal ideas are vegan, and although I wouldn't label myself as vegan just yet, I always love trying out new and healthy foods. 
What's also exciting is that it is a collab with Ellie from Peanut Butter and Ellie! We go to the same school, and were able to get dinner together - it's so awesome to meet someone through blogging #teaminternet. Ellie is vegan, and will have even more easy meal ideas from the cafeteria. She is a freshman, so you'll be getting both ideas from students who live on and off campus!  

Blueberry Banana Bread Pudding {Vegan}

I'm the kind of person who only likes super simple recipes, and this one has to be my new favorite. It was incredibly easy to make, and not too dry or soggy. It would also be delicious with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries....the list goes on. I wanted to make bread pudding because of this challah bread I bought...although I really really embarrassed myself when buying it at my local bakery. I totally mispronounced the name and the cashier was laughing so much, but now I know that it's not pronounced "ch"allah, but more like "holla" (at least I sure hope so). Also, you might be curious as to how this is a vegan recipe since the challah contains egg, but other than the bread, there are no eggs or dairy. Any day old bread will do! 

Small Town Exploring

A couple of weeks ago I had a rare saturday off from work, so my parents and I ventured out to the cute little town of Saugatuck, Michigan. None of us had ever been there before but it was only 45 minutes away. We parked by the lake and just walked around exploring the shops and cute little restaurants. Days like this remind me to always take time to relax and spend it with family. Also, I always forget how much of beautiful, beautiful michigan there is to explore.

The Simplest Qunioa Pizza Crust

I'm pretty stoked about today's post because I've found a way to have pizza and not feel too guilty about it. I've seen other recipes for quinoa breadsticks and whatnot, but I decided to make it into a crust. It is seriously SO easy and blew my mind with how great it was. It's definitely not going to taste like your run of the mill Little Caesar's, but it will (hopefully) satisfy your cravings.

Fluffy Pancakes {Vegan, GF}

These little pancakes of joy are so easy to make, and are also gluten free and vegan! I have always heard of those 2 ingredient pancakes consisting of bananas and eggs, but to be honest, those never ever turned out for me. After my workouts recently, I have been craving smoothies some fluffy pancakes after one too many smoothie bowls.

Golden Hour

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

If you know me, you'd know that my favorite food in the entire world has to be sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes in pretty much all forms, but my favorite way to make them are by just baking them in the oven. Oh my they are so good. I've tried and failed many times on making these, but now this recipe is finally perfected in how to have them cooked perfectly, while still being low-fat.

A Green Smoothie That Actually Tastes Good

Whenever I make a green smoothie, many people ask me if it actually tastes good, or if it just looks good. Let me tell you - this recipe is always a no fail with my mom and brother who say they can't even taste the greens. And making it a little thicker into a bowl makes eating this so much more enjoyable. There are no added sweeteners, and only require a few ingredients. Packed with protein, omega-3, fiber, and so much more, this recipe is my go-to for breakfast or after a workout. If you've never had a green smoothie, I'm sure you'll love this recipe even if you don't like spinach. 

Ingredients:

-1 frozen banana (it must be frozen when there are brown spots for the most sweetness)

-large handful of spinach

-handful of any frozen berries 

-1 T nut butter

-1/4 cup almond milk (more or less depending on if you want a bowl or drink)

-1 T hemp seeds

-1/2 T chia seeds

-any toppings you'd like!

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients into a high powered blender. I like to put the spinach in first, as it guarantees a completely smooth consistency.

2. Blend until smooth. If you're making a bowl, only add a little bit of milk in the beginning, and then add more or desired consistency. 

3. Serve with your favorite toppings or plain.

Current Music Loves

I've been on a music kick lately, and oh boy have I been enjoying it. There's nothing like playing your favorite songs while walking to class to make it a little more bearable. All of these songs have put me in a ~mood and have made me just feel better. I'm excited to start these series of posts just to update my current favorite songs, since it's changing all of the time! 

via

Kevin Garrett I discovered this soul-pop artist on 8tracks, and immediately fell in love. His songs are all on the slower side, but still make me so happy. He's so personal, and the words he writes always get to me. Kevin has to be one of my favorite artists, and seeing live videos of him on Youtube makes me love him even more. (marry me) Favorite songs: Come Up Short and Pushing Away LANY This alternative band never fails to put me in a good mood. Especially their song ILYSB, I can't get enough of it on a sunny day while walking to class. The bad composed of three guys are amazing live as well, and if you're ever in a need of some road trip music, this is the artist for you. Favorite Songs: ILYSB and Where the Hell Are My Friends Bad Suns I've known about Bad Suns for awhile, but more recently now that it's Spring their songs remind me of LANY, but the lead singers voice is so unique. He is literally only 20 years old and so talented. They are becoming more well known which is so amazing, and again, literally the perfect music to listen to poolside or while running outside. Favorite Songs: Cardiac Arrest and Dancing on Quicksand  Troye Sivan  Of course I can't leave out youtuber Troye Sivan who has been blowing up recently. From being an internet personality to a real musician, his songs and aesthetic of not being your typical pop songs are so so wonderful.  Favorite Songs: Fools and Bite  As always you can listen to a playlist of my favorite songs by these artists on my 8tracks HERE. Let me know some of your favorite songs at the moment and I'll check them out! 

Sweet Potato Cornbread [VIDEO]

I was on spring break all last week, and I was able to try out a couple of different recipes that I've wanted to make for a long time. My mom saw this recipe on facebook, and it was actually really really easy to make. Being my first official youtube video, these food videos will be a series of recipes that I'll be trying out on camera for the first time, and you'll get to see if they turned out or not.  My mom absolutely loved the cornbread, but commented that more sweet potato should be added next time. With the leftovers, these tasted AMAZING if warmed in the microwave for a couple of seconds and topped with some butter + cinnamon. I hope you enjoy the video, and I highly recommend you try this out! I absolutely loved filming and editing this video and definitely plan on making more. 

The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients: - 1 cup mashed sweet potato (I would add a bit more than this) - 2 eggs - 1 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons yellow corn meal (I love Bob's Red Mill) - 3/4 cup buttermilk - 1/2 cup flour - 1/4 sugar (I used raw cane sugar) - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder - 3/4 teaspoon salt - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger - 1/4 cup butter chilled + diced  Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a 9 inch diameter pan/skillet 2. Cook and mash sweet potato. I used one medium potato, and that was enough for over 1 cup mashed. To cook potato, pierce holes all around the potato to let the steam out, and microwave each side for 3 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. To peel the skin off easily, make scores with a knife and just use your hands! 3. Whisk the potato, buttermilk, and eggs together.  4. Combine cornmeal, sugar, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ginger. There are three options to combine: a pastry cutter, your hands, or food processor. (The pastry cutter takes the longest but still worked for me) 5. Mix the wet and dry ingredients and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and enjoy!

Glazed + Confused

Last weekend my friend Jess and I went to explore downtown Lansing, and I definitely underestimated the city. There were so many cute shops and restaurants that we visited, but there was one that we knew we HAD to visit. It was an urban bakery called Glazed + Confused, and oh my it was one of the cutest places I've ever been to. Being in college, I miss going to my favorite local place sin Grand Rapids (shoutout to Nantucket Bakery), and finding this place definitely reminded me of home. 
They call themselves and "urban bakery", and had many flavors of donuts and scones that were new to me. Jess got an almond joy cake donut, and I tried the black forest flavor which was light and airy. Each donut runs from $1.20-2.50, and they also have lots and lots of food other than sweets. There was a whole menu with breakfast and lunch options that looked amazing as well.
Jess and I did our homework there for a couple of hours, and people were streaming in and out the whole time: families, college students, and kids. It's only two blocks from the capitol, and the whole atmosphere and ambiance of the shop was what made this such a great place. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend checking this place out, but be sure to look at their hours before you go!  -their website

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls (Spring Rolls)

With only one week of school until spring break, I cannot wait to have food other than from the dining hall - especially Vietnamese food. I didn't think it was possible for my passion for food to grow, but over this past month I've been researching more and more about health and what's inside my food. This recipe is so incredibly easy, but honestly SO delicious. When I'm no longer eating in the cafeteria next year (I signed a lease!), I know this will be one of my go to's for an easy AND healthy recipe.
These are definitely customizable to your favorite fillings and vegetables, but these specific ingredients and spices are what make these one of my favorite choices for Vietnamese food. I took the pictures for this post a couple of months ago (before I was vegetarian), but none the less they still taste delicious without meat. 

Ingredients: Rice paper wrapper - my mom has always used this brand Cooked eggs  Carrots Jicama Large lettuce leaves (butter lettuce) Cilantro + Lemongrass Cucumber Apple optional: protein - shrimp, chinese sausage, chicken, etc.  Dipping sauce (I love peanut sauce or sweet chile) 
1. Soak your rice paper wrapper in warm water for a couple seconds and lay flat on a plate.  2. First lay down the lettuce, and then add all of the fillings. 3. Wrap carefully as the rice paper is delicate. 4. Dip in sauce and enjoy!

I'm sure the rice paper wrapper and chinese sausage can be found at asian supermarkets or even the international section of your grocery store. And if you're going to pack these for lunch, lay a damp paper towel on top to keep the rice paper soft. I hope you enjoy!