Foodie Fridays: Quinoa Obsession

Oh my good grief. I don't know how I ever lived without it. The "weird little grain" (as my mom likes to call it) has become one of my go-tos. Especially when I'm cooking for myself! Which has been happening a little more often than I like for it to... but as I'm moving out in less than a month then I suppose I better get used to it.

When my mom went to Paris, I was 1) dog-sitting, and 2) my dad and brother know how to cook burgers and steak, that's about it-- neither of which I'm a huge fan of-- so I had to fend for myself basically. I've been trying to lay off the red meat lately since it makes me feel so slow and sluggish, and as an alternate source of protein I thought I'd give quinoa a try.

Best decision I ever made. I've whipped up three equally tasty quinoa meals since the first one I made (which pathetically took me two hours...), and I'm so in love with all of them I couldn't not share them with you!

Sunshine and a Little Pink

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day here that it put me in the most amazing mood! I love, love, love the sunshine. And even though it was only 58 degrees, I made up a cup of coffee and settled in on my back porch to catch up on some reading! It was a beautiful and relaxing afternoon, and sometimes the best music to listen to are the songs the birds sing when the weather is especially nice. Am I right?

What I'm really excited for is summer. Not only will the sun be out, but I'll also be able to really focus on this little thing! I've got some plans for Class and Sass over the summer, and we're coming up on our six month anniversary at the end of this month! Stay tuned as I'm trying to set up something fun to celebrate, a giveaway perhaps? ;)

7 Tips for Dealing with Anxiety

Before coming to college, I definitely thought it was going to be easier than say, how it appeared to be in Legally Blonde. Don't get me wrong, LOVE that movie. It just set me up with unrealistic expectations. Elle gets into Harvard Law with some studying, but mostly by a miracle, and has some hardships at first, and then again, by some miracle discovers that she was meant to be a lawyer.

College has been far from amazing for me. I've either been on one extreme side of the spectrum for my entire college career-- caring too much, or, caring too little. The struggle has been with me since the first day of freshman year. I didn't try to full on tackle the issue until the start of junior year.

I know that the second to last full week of classes is one of the hardest weeks of each semester, and I've never had to leave a class in order to avoid having a full-blown anxiety attack-- until a few weeks ago.

The Problem with Skinny

I'll tell you the problem with skinny right off the bat. Skinny does not necessarily mean healthy. The two are not interchangeable. A lot of us struggle with the pressure to have the "perfect" (a.k.a. skinny) body. I don't know any of my girlfriends who haven't complained about how they look. Nine times out of ten, one of us is almost always quoting Mean Girls when it comes to our looks. And nobody's complaint has ever been, "I have bad breath in the morning." Whatever, Cady. Who spells "Katie" like that anyways?

A lot of my classes this year emphasized the role the media plays in setting societal standards. Growing up, playing with my Barbies, I never thought I had to look like them. Who did I think I had to look like? Lizzie McGuire. Duh. And then when Hilary Duff went through her uber skinny stage (anybody else remember that?), suddenly I was like, "Oh, if Lizzie McGuire looks like that so should I." Granted at this point she was in her post-Lizzie days, but you get the point.

Remembering Audrey

Audrey Hepburn has been one of my favorite actresses for a very long time. I didn't see Breakfast at Tiffany's until my junior year of high school, and ever since I've been an avid fan. I know there are far more devoted Audrey fans out there, but her biography is on my summer reading list. And I love, love, love every quote I come across by her. She was an amazing, philanthropic woman who's life deserves to be celebrated.

Her 85th birthday would have been yesterday had she not been taken from us too soon, and I firmly believe that us ladies can take away a lot from her. Audrey was a lady who was always, always, always willing to give. I don't know about all of you, but I feel like it something not many people are capable of or want to do anymore. Giving back isn't as much of a priority as it used to be. Sad, isn't it?

Get inspired with these quotes from Audrey herself!