Flour & Starch Substitute

Hello friends,

Looking for flour or starch substitute when baking. This chart may help.

source: Greatist

My Natural Hair Wedding Story

Hello friends,

On deciding the perfect hairstyle for my special day, going with the look I did was a no brainer. As someone who's always donned their natural curls and coils. I knew that an elegant, natural hair style was the best fit for me.

I wanted to make sure that the natural hair style I chose could last all day and throughout the entire honeymoon.

My wedding day hairstyle was inspired by my everyday look, but a bit more glam. I was fortunate that my hairstylist was also a long time friend. We worked very well together. She met with me a few weeks prior to the wedding for a trial session. At that time, we went through variations of the style to figure out the final look. 

My hair was done the day before the wedding to save time, as I opted for smaller twists. My hair was washed, conditioned, and slightly blow-dried for quick drying right before styling. My goal was to have my hair washed the day before styling, but it all worked out in the end. No extensions were used. I used an oil mix and cantu shea butter leave-in conditioning repair cream for styling and moisturizing. 

I wore my style the week following the wedding for the honeymoon. I received tons of compliments and most importantly, my husband loved my hair.

My advice for brides-to-be: It is extremely important for brides to have a trial session(s) with their hairstylist weeks prior to their wedding ceremony. This is your time to figure out what you want and definitely what you don’t want for your hair the day of your wedding. Doing so will help to minimize some of the unwanted surprises that day.

I hope this helps,

Plant-based protein sources

Hello friends,

Over the past few months, I have been incorporating more plant-based protein sources into my diet and decreasing my meat intake. I came across this info-graphic, which has been very helpful.

source: pinterest

I hope you find this helpful!

Creamy White Peach Mango Smoothie

Hello friends,

I love smoothies! I'm always looking to create my own recipes. Now that its hot outside, I find myself drinking more and more smoothies throughout the day. Smoothies are so easy to make and taste great.

My first smoothie recipe was delicious, but there were too many ingredients. My advice for anyone who wants to incorporate more smoothies in their diet is to start with the fruits that you enjpy and don't feel the need to add a bunch of ingredients. All you need is your base (liquid), your choice of greens, fruit, and healthy fats (such as coconut oil, flax seeds, chia seeds). 5-6 ingredients at the most!!

This smoothie recipe is my all time favorite. It is creamy and the ripeness of the white white added the right amount of sweetness.

Creamy White Peach Mango Smoothie Recipe

2 ripe white peaches

kale leaves

1 cup of fozen mango

1.5 cups of coconut water

2 tbsps of ground flax seed

Enjoy!

I hope this helps,

Coco-Cocoa Body Butter Recipe! (Great for hot summer days)

Hello friends,

It melts like butter, (pun intended) in your hands.

I hope that everyone is doing well!

This blog post follows from my previous blogpost, Searching for that work-life balance. I don't know if I've found that balance, but in the meantime, I do have a new schedule to devote more time to my blog. That way, I get my creative ideas out there and do what I love to do.

This body butter recipe is perfect for those hot summer days, because a little goes a long way during this time. Really, you don't need a lot. 

Tip: Best used on dampened skin for added moisture.

If anyone tries this recipe, please let me know how it goes. I would love to know your thoughts!

 This healthy body butter recipe calls for:  

1/2 cup of Cocoa butter

1/2 cup of Coconut oil

2 tbsps of Vitamin E oil (after the cocoa butter+coconut oil has cooled, but not hardened)

~10 drops of lavender oil (after the cocoa butter+coconut oil has cooled, but not hardened)

 Thank you for taking the time to read!

 I hope this helps,

Searching for that Work-Life Balance!

Hello friends,

Source

Its been a while since I posted and this is why...

So, I've started working. Full time. My first 9 to 5 and I am ever so grateful for this opportunity working to conduct research. 

It's been 6 months in the new job and I am beginning to engage in conversation (mostly internal) about not being caught in the 'rat race.'  

And what is the rat race you might ask?

Think of this analogy of many rats in  a maze expending tons of energy, running around in a maze, expending tons of energy, running around aimlessly (in circles) and getting absolutely no where. Now let's transfer this to the real world.
The 'rat race' is often used in reference to full time employment (the '9 to 5'), where one works way too much, often long hours and not much of a life outside of work. Basically, the 'rat race' refers to a poor work-life balance.

Truth be told, I am getting worried that I may fall into this awful pit of long work hours, despite the fact that I may love what I do.

I miss school break and month long vacations; not having to do the same thing day in and day out. I miss he spontaneity of life as a student. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I love my job and the work that I do everyday. I am no longer a student. It seems that I miss life as a student. Since, I am so new to the '9 to 5' life I believe that I am still trying to adjust.

For those of you, who have similar work schedules as myself, how do you ensure that you don't get unhappy with your job? How to do balance work life and personal life?

I need help with this new schedule.

Thank you in advance,

A great Resource: Exercise and Muscle Directory

Hello lovely people,

I came across this great site for all things exercise. It is a great resource if you want to isolate exercises for certain muscle groups. The link is below.

Image via Pinterest

The link: http://exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

 

I hope this helps,