Overnight Oats

As much as I love my eggs for breakfast, I decided to switch it up this week and try these overnight oats. I thought this recipe sounded great for summer since you eat the resulting 'breakfast porridge' chilled, and right up my alley with super healthy ingredients like old fashioned oats, greek yogurt, chia seeds, soy milk, and fruit. I loved that I could just throw everything together at night and then have a really tasty, balanced breakfast ready for me in the morning. I've already tried the blueberry maple and apple cinnamon variations, and next I'll probably get creative with dried cranberries and walnuts. I think this is a great option for breakfast on the go or even for a Sunday brunch. The image below is the recipe doubled in 1 larger jar since I didn't have smaller jars. I imagine this would work fine in tupperware or pyrex containers as well. Enjoy!

Summer Checklist

With one of my favorite seasons kicking off this weekend, I thought it would be a perfect time to compile a summer to-do list. Here are some of the activities I can't wait to dive into in the coming months.

• Road trip through Big Sur with my sister
• Try out all the awesome Yoga studios in my backyard in Santa Monica (Bhakti Yoga Shala, Bryan Kest's Power Yoga, The Yoga Collective, Hot 8, and Yogis Anonymous to name a few)
• See a spooky movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Ok so I got a head start and actually accomplished this one this past weekend. It was awesome! Silence of the Lambs at a creepy cemetery with a picnic and wine?!? I'll be going back again before summers end)
• Frequent the farmers market and cook with seasonal produce
• Go beach camping (and try surfing or stand-up paddle boarding)
• Hike. A lot
• Wine tasting in Malibu
• Visit my friends in San Diego for a weekend
• Host a Sunday Brunch complete with Mimosas
• Check out the Rose Bowl Flea Market
• Go to concerts in the park at one of  these awesome venues
• Visit MOCA, the Getty, LACMA, and the Griffith Observatory
• Expand my herb garden to include some veggies and fruit

images via

Quinoa Pilaf

I've made quinoa a couple times in the past and was never really crazy about it, but I wanted to give it another shot since it gets so much attention for its health benefits. Quinoa is a gluten free grain (technically a seed but we cook it and eat it as we would a grain) and it is a complete protein. It doesn't have much flavor so it can be easily sweetened up for breakfast porridges or desserts, or turned into a savory side dish or salad. I decided to make a batch by cooking the quinoa in a can of vegetable soup instead of water. Instant pilaf and awesome flavor! Naturally I added a ton of spinach, English peas (since they are in season and so tasty right now), chopped green onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. I had it first for breakfast with a fried egg on top, and later as a side dish with some crumbled feta and ground turkey. I'm officially converted and I plan to keep this healthy alternative to rice in my pantry moving forward. (Thinking I'll probably give this variation a go next week) See below for my recipe, but don't be afraid to experiment and have fun with veggies and herbs that you like!

Quinoa Pilaf

• 1 14.5 oz can of vegetable soup
• A little less than 1 cup of dry, rinsed quinoa
• (the ratio to cook should be 2 parts liquid/1 part grain)
• 1 cup of peas
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 cup of chopped green onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper or any other herbs you like to taste

Bring soup and quinoa to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes covered. Add in peas, spinach, and green onion or any other veggies you want in the last 3-5 minutes to steam and add flavor. Enjoy!

Playlisting

I've been thoroughly enjoying making playlists for my yoga classes. Some days it's actually hard to tell which I'm more excited about; sharing a carefully crafted sequence with my students, or revealing a purposefully designed playlist full of songs that speak to me, and will hopefully be well received by my fellow yogis. Either way, here's a glimpse of part of one of my playlists on Spotify. If you are a fitness instructor, or even just an enthusiastic playlister, I'd love to know some of your favorite songs that speak to you on a fitness level!

What's in My Bag

I don't think it's uncommon to be intrigued by what other women carry in their bags everyday, so I thought why not share mine? I'm always on the go so its safe to say that the items I keep with me can get me through work at the office, taking/teaching yoga, running errands, meeting with friends, etc. Here's a look...

1. Snacks: I almost always have a little something with me. Its not pretty when I get really hungry and don't have time to stop for a meal. I'm fairly active so its important to keep my energy levels up with healthy snacks when I need them. Oh and Cinnamon gum. I feel like people either love it or hate it. I love it.
2. Sunglasses and my regular glasses. Self explanatory.
3. My beloved iphone that I use to catch up on news, blog surf, make playlists for yoga, instagram, note my grocery list, and of course keep in touch with my friends and fam :)
4. Card case with my ID, a couple credit cards, and a little cash. Bulky wallets just dont work for me.
5. LuLu Lemon Gift card case that I use to store my vitamins. I keep the bottles in my desk at work and usually take my daily dose with lunch, but this little trinket comes with me on the weekends.
6. Misc: Eye drops (when my contacts get dry), hand sanitizer, and GABA Calm: an all natural supplement that really eases anxiety on stressful days.
7. Makeup Favs: Nars concealer, Nars Multiple (cheeks, lips, and eyes) in G-spot, BareMinerals pressed Touch-Up Veil, Mac lipstick in Angel, Brenda Christian brow pencil, Covergirl LashBlastVolume Mascara, Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom, my favorite Michael Kors perfume rollerball, The Body Shop Wild Rose hand cream, and some bad hair day savers.  

Naturally there's always the occasional candy wrapper or receipt that makes it's way into my purse.. but I left those out for the sake of a decent photo. What are your daily essentials?