Coconut-Berry Yogurt Parfaits

These made the best little picnic breakfasts the other day!

Pesto Bruschetta

I first made this pesto bruschetta at a BBQ and it was a huge hit- then I made it again the other day for friends and it was a hit again so I figured I should probably post the recipe and share the love 😉 It’s super easy to make!

White Bean & Heirloom Tomato Salad With Crispy Kale Croutons

I used to love croutons as a kid – they add a nice crunchy / salty kick to a salad and balance nicely with a creamy dressing. This is my current version of croutons… kale chips. This salad was delicious 🙂

I am a travel junkie (and where I’ve been so far)

I am a self-proclaimed travel junkie. I grew up wanting to explore the world- my dad traveled a lot for work and I was always curious about where he was going to (Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Bruges, Italy, Germany, etc). Growing up, we went on a few family vacations to Mexico (Cancun, Cozumel & the Mayan Riviera) and I fell in love with all that the various cultures had to offer. Every time I’m exploring a little market in a new culture, my heart fills with joy. Sitting at a cafe enjoying the local food? Just amazing.

Although my goal of leaving the country once a year to explore somewhere new started in 2010 after my trip to Africa, I have been traveling yearly since 2008 so I figured I would add those also.

Side note: Yes I do work full-time & I love my job. This is my idea of work-life balance: work hard, save up and travel. I used to feel guilty taking vacation time, but why? They give it to you for a reason so use it. It’ll make you a better, happier employee 🙂

Side note: Am I rich or do I have a trust fund? Nope. I have a travel fund. I’d rather spend my money on a trip to Tuscany (which I am, this year!) than a hefty bar tab in Los Angeles. Traveling is my idea of fun, and I love love love it.

Yep, I am a travel junkie.

Here are the places I have been so far. I will add photos from some of these in a later post.

2014: Paris, France

2014: Ireland (Road trip from Dublin through several small towns to Galway & the Cliffs Of Moher)

2014: Aruba

2013: Nosara, Costa Rica

2012: Antigua, Guatemala

2011: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

2010: Moshi & Arusha Tanzania, Safari through the Ngorongoro Crater & the Serengeti

2009: Turks & Caicos

2009: Nassau, Bahamas

2008: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2008: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Years Prior to 2008: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (twice)

Years Prior to 2008: Cozumel,

Years Prior to 2008: Cancun, Mexico

Cinnamon La Dolce Raw Almond Milk

This raw almond milk is in.sane. I’ve made it for a few friends now and they all could not stop raving about it! (Not trying to toot my own horn but it’s the truth, you gotta try it). It’s really easy to make too. Drink it on it’s own or add it to your morning coffee, tea or cereal.

“Have A Great Day” Smoothie

I took an early yoga class this morning and during our practice, the teacher asked us to set an intention for our day. My intention was to have a great day and to live life to the fullest, and when I got home from class I made this lovely smoothie for work with ingredients both from the farmer’s market (strawberries & oranges) and from my cupboards. I couldn’t figure out what to call this smoothie, but it was delicious and I wanted to share the recipe, so I am calling this my ‘Have A Good Day’ smoothie 🙂

Walnut-Pesto Roasted Vegetables

This recipe is one of the six that was featured in this month’s issue of Happiness + Wellbeing Magazine (to see the other 5 recipes pictured at the bottom of this post, check out this months issue! It’s called The Wild Love issue).

4 Easy Ways To Make Your Life More Sustainable

We only get one planet. Sure, it’s nice to think “we’ll just start a colony on the moon or Mars” but at the rapid rate our climate is changing & population is growing, who are we kidding? Our rain forests are being demolished and our glaciers are melting at record speed (have you seen this scary article? Or this one?). Our sea levels are rising and there are islands (yes plural) the size of Texas made of plastic and waste in the middle of our oceans. Our beautiful planet is wasting away and unless we start to live more consciously, we’re going to allow this to happen before our eyes and before our children’s eyes.

This is why I have transitioned into living a more sustainable lifestyle in the past decade and why I started a blog to try to teach people that living sustainably doesn’t have to be difficult. Instead, it’s quite the opposite: I feel lighter & happier on a daily basis. So with that, here is my list of 4 ways to live a more sustainable life.

My Morning Zen Juice

I’ve been attempting to quit coffee for a while now & I have to be honest: it’s really hard since I often work 12 to 18 hours a day (I’m a film & video editor). I’ll have a more in-depth article about why I’m quitting coffee & tips on how to do it if you’re in the same boat in the next month, but for now I wanted to share one of my new favorite replacements: a lovely little morning zen juice with only 110- 115 calories. (Note: I drink this juice in addition to eating breakfast, this is not a meal replacement).

Featured In This Month’s Happiness + Wellbeing Magazine

Hi guys!

Exciting news- 6 of my recipes are featured in this month’s Happiness + Wellbeing Magazine, now on sale. Some of my new recipes in this issue include Walnut Pesto Roasted Vegetables, Raw Cinnamon La Dolce Almond Milk, White Bean & Heirloom Tomato Salad With Crispy Kale Croutons, A Creamy Vinaigrette & more. Buy a copy today at www.HappyWellMag.com or in the Apple App Store.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!