Kenzie Blogs Life: February 2016

My roommate is Afraid!

8:30:00 AM

Language barriers.

We all experience them at some point in our lives. Whether it be with coworkers, foreigners, or customers who just don't understand what any of your product is or what it means. If you've been reading my blog for awhile now, you might have seen the post about my International Roommate.

At some point in that post, I thought, we could still be friends. Here's why I don't think that's going to happen.

1.) She was afraid of me. And didn't talk to me for an entire 4 days. That's right. I'm terrifying.In reality, I had asked her why she wasn't using the water bottle I had given her in order to reduce the amount of plastic waste (she was bringing 3-4 plastic water bottles into the room.) To which she replied "it's okay." Only to tweet later: Roommate do not interfere, plastic is easier. I saw it. I confronted her. And later, four days later she confessed that she was afraid of me because I spoke directly to her about a problem. Oh. Boy.

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(We live in a small room, I can't just let things slide or I will go crazy.)

2.) She still doesn't take out the trash or recycles. I'm the one doing it once a week.

3.) She still has a weird sleeping schedule.

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4.)The definition of "quiet" is very different to her. Slamming drawers late at night to rummaging around them, crinkling papers at 3am, letting her alarm go off at 6:45am and not waking up until I have to say "your alarm is going off." I don't want to be awake at that hour, nor do I have to (it's always when I have class at 11am.

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5.) She doesn't believe in personal hygiene. Washing hands without soap, and not wearing deodorant are two things that in my perspective are very important. (though I think this is a cultural difference as I've read many articles about Japanese culture and not washing hands with soap) I keep typing soup and not soap.

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While those are negatives in our roommate relationship, there are some positives that have happened thus far in the semester.

1.) She was afraid of me. Which meant she avoided me like the plague and I had the room to myself. She still might be afraid and goes downstairs to do homework which means Kenzie gets "me" time everyday.

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2.) She gave me candy. She brought sweets back from Japan. Matcha flavored KitKats, are a thing.

3.) She's much better at making her bed now. No crazily piled sheets this semester HOORAY.

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4.)Our conversations are short. Usually when I ask about her day it's something like "Oh it was cold out, busy day." Never asks about mine...

5.) She picks up my chapstick. This happens quite a few times. It just rolls of my desk and lands on the floor. She always asks if it's mine (where else would it have come from???) and when I say yes she laughs like it's the funniest thing. I'm hilarious. I know.

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As my roommate continues to confuse me daily, I just remind myself it's one day closer to Summer. The language barrier is still present, I think it's because she went home to Japan over our 5 week break and didn't have to practice English.

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Oh well.

I hope you guys all liked this post! Have you ever gone to a foreign country and stumbled into some language barriers? Let me know!

Thanks for reading as always!

Bear

10 Things I learned from Clean Eating

8:00:00 AM

While it's nearly March, I've realized I haven't written anything about how my clean eating is going since I've started in January. I've obviously been at it for awhile, so I guess it's about time this post went up!

1.) It's easier than I thought it would be. Not reaching for those milk chocolate candies in the dish at home was really tough at first, but now my body doesn't really crave it. There's a lot of natural sugar in fruits and veggies and after switching out Reese's cups for clementines, it's going great.

2.) You can still treat yourself. While not having processed and refined sugar maybe daunting and difficult, since a lot of our foods have it, there are plenty of websites that have treats that are just as good. I made some bars for my mom with coconut oil, oats, craisins and nut butter and you freeze them and it tastes just like candy. SO good!

3.) My taste buds have changed. While I used to enjoy peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies, things that were filled with unnatural sugars are now too sweet to me. I love snacking on fruits, and adding them to organic oatmeal. I love adding avocados to my quinoa and experimenting with new dishes.

4.) Eating out is tricky. Within the first few days of clean eating, I was invited to go out and went out for some meals. I could still order things like salads with dressing on the sides, salmon burgers, gyros, and other fish which actually made it easy.

5.)I love baking. If you know me, you already know how much I love to bake. While the overload of Christmas cookies still sat in the garage and counter, I obviously couldn't make sweet treats like I used to, so I moved over to entrees. They've all been good so far.

6.) You can still enjoy your favorite dishes. There are a great bunch of blogs dedicated to clean eating, you just have to sift through their recipes and find some that you want to try out. That cauliflower pizza is probably still my favorite recipe I've done to date.

7.) Clean eating at college is a little daunting. I did so well clean eating at home, but when I came back to school, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to and go back to my old ways of scooping spoonfuls of peanut butter into my mouth and eating grilled cheese. So unhealthy. But luckily, it's been a lot easier. I grabbed a few wraps from home before coming back and gather up some spinach, peppers, and other toppings that I want to fill them for dinner. It's great.

8.) I sleep a lot better. Last semester I would have a hard time going to sleep, and my roommate would come in at 2 or 3 in the morning and wake me up with her noise and I would end up feeling exhausted the rest of the day. This semester I fall asleep fast, and wake up feeling refreshed.

9.) I have more energy. I have to walk at least 100 stairs after classes just to get to my dorm, and I don't feel so tired or exhausted after doing it.

10.) With more sleep and more energy to get me to and from classes and through the day, clean eating has also helped me feel better. I don't feel like a slug, I think that's the most important thing. It's what I set out to do when I first started this. A lot of people asked "how long are you clean eating for?" Truth is, it's not really something I plan on stopping. Why would I go back when this lifestyle makes me feel way better?

Have you tried a new diet plan? How has it been going? What are your favorite healthy recipes? If you have any links I would love to see them!

Clean Eating

Easy Healthy Snacks

8:00:00 AM

One of the hardest things about changing to a non-processed diet, was trying to kill my sweet tooth. Not grabbing a piece of chocolate for dessert was tough at first, but reaching for a clementine became a quick and easy solution to that. Another tough thing that I've always done is snack. I couldn't just snack on anything and logged onto the internet to find clean eating snack ideas. Here I stumbled upon a few, mixed them up, tweaked them a bit and now I think they're ready for you!

If you're looking for a new snack fix while at work or out and about, I've got a few ideas for you!

1. Granola

I love Trail Mix, last semester I went through 3 bags in 2 weeks. It was insane and made me feel really bad. Now that I'm clean eating, I can just make a batch at home when I'm there for the weekend. It's just oats, cinnamon, your choice of nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts). and either raisins or craisins if you'd like!

( always use sallys baking blog. for ideas and how to's.) Just search granola and you'll come across plenty of quick recipes!

(this was sallys Peanut Butter Granola, I used butterscotch chips instead).

2. Power Balls

These are a quick and easy on the go snack. You don't really need a recipe, just some oats, your favorite nut butter, some chia seeds (or hemp seeds), and dried fruit if you'd like! Depending on how much you would like to make, change up the amount of oats (i usually go for 1 cup, and 2/8 of a cup of chia seeds and 1/2 cup of cashew or almond butter). There isn't any baking involved, simply roll these into balls and store in your fridge for a simple pick me up!

3. Freezer Bars

While my body was adjusting to life without refined sugar, I spent some time on the internet (shocking I know) looking for granola bars. While many of them had protein powder, I did find some that were easy and quick to make. As long as you have a freezer, you should be good to go! I found this recipe on this blog. With just 2 cups oats, 1/2 cup nut butter, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup, honey or agave and 1/4 cup chia seeds, these bars are full of natural sweetness and my mom loves them! I had to make them for her before I left for university again!

If you're struggling to find easy recipes that go with your new lifestyle, I hope you use some of these! Both the powerballs and the bars are vegan recipes as well as clean eating, you can always change the recipes to fit your needs for your diet as well.

Have you discovered any new treats or entrees? I would love to hear about them in the comments!

Thanks for reading, as always!

xx Kenzie

Baking

Cauliflower Pizza

12:00:00 PM

While winter break seems like ages ago, I still have recipes that I haven't shared while adventuring in clean eating. Pizza, is always a favorite, but the thing about it is..it's not 100% good for you. Though I'm not sure it will ever be just that, I've started thinking about what I put into my body and if my body doesn't benefit from it in some way..I won't eat it. So with a cauliflower crust, and a bright topping, I made a pizza that I can enjoy without feeling like the bread crust is becoming a dough mess inside my stomach.

Benefits of this Recipe: It's quick, it's easy, and delish! If you're worried about whether or not you're going to taste a lot of cauliflower, you shouldn't...because you really don't taste it at all!

Here's What you'll need:

-1 head of cauliflower

-preffered toppings

-pizza pan

Ingredients:

2 cups grated cauliflower

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 egg

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Sea salt

Directions:

Grate 2 cups of cauliflower (about 1/2 the head) and put into bowl with yogurt, egg, seasoing and sea salt.

Mix until combined

Spread dough onto pizza pan, try to make it an even crust

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned

To top your pizza, you really can use whatever you'd like! If you're looking for healthy solutions, make sure you pick a can of lightly salted marinara with no added sugars, for me I decided to dab a bit of olive oil on it and top it off with fresh mozerella, peppers, and a dash of bacon bits!

This is probably one of my favorite recipes so far, it really is quite easy and tasty, we've already replicated this one and I hope you do too!

Have you ever had this kind of pizza? How are your resolutions coming along?

I feel like since it's February it's easy to just be worn out, but I'm really pushing myself with not eating processed sugar and other processed foods!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Beauty

Corners of the Internet

9:00:00 AM

There are many reasons why I love to blog, one of those reasons, if you read my 2 year blogging anniversary post a few weeks back, is that I get to read other people's blogs. There's just something really nice about relaxing with a cup of tea on a weekend morning that I don't have to be rushing off somewhere and reading about someone else's life. It's the little community I log into on my laptop and visit other people's corners of the internet.

While I have never written a post like this, I thought since I didn't do a traditional "things I liked in 2015 post" last month, it would be nice to do a "blogs i've liked in the last year" but that title is too long. So without further ado...here are some of the blogs that I've been reading and hope you do too!

Muted Mornings- I found Mimmi's blog through another blog that was having a postcard swap, and ever since then I've loved reading about her adventures and life in Glasgow! (also if you love owls and Harry Potter make sure to check her out.)

Sallys Baking Addiction- I can't tell you how many times I visit Sallys blog daily, especially being away from home. I come up with quite a list of things to bake. Sally's recipes are some of the best and if you have a throbbing sweet tooth, love for sprinkles and want a baking tip or two, go visit Sally!

Daydreams of Summertime - I've been reading Sarah's posts for awhile now and I really enjoy them. She recently went on a trip to New York City and shared amazing photos from her trip. If you're like me, you'll want to book your own tickets as soon as you're finished reading them!

Just Being Brooklyn- While I just started reading Brooklyn's posts, I love the voice she writes in and her posts about her time in Australia. This girl went bungee jumping!

Memories of the Pacific- Cristina is probably one of the longest readers I've had, and I really enjoy everything about her blog, from her outfit posts, to reviews about places she has been. I do hope you check out her blog, it's such a nice read!

Life Outside London- Michelle has a dog. If you like dogs, then you'll like Michelle. I love what she posts and seeing photos of her pups always brightens my day, and I hope it brightens yours as well!

Another fashion blog that I love and follow is of course, The Trend Pear. Eleanor and Max are best friends living in London and sharing their favorite fashion forward looks, spots to eat and holiday bits. I really enjoy this post and love seeing the looks they put together. They even give a look for less option, yes thank you.

Oh I'm Bree- Bree is new to the blogging community, with bits about life since she's moved to a new town and reviews and opinions, you can really tell she's a great person through her writing. (also she's my real-life pal ) So go give Bree a nice welcoming hello!

Drops of Anna- Anna is one of the sweetest people, and her blogs about her adventures and life in Spain are always a great read.

Alice's Antics- blogging from across the pond, I found Alice through Louise on Sprinkle of Glitter while she was living in Italy and have thoroughly enjoyed her real life voice and antics. She's on her way to studying in the states and I cannot wait to continue to read her posts!

I hope this gives you all a nice list of bloggers to check out! Who are your top 3 favorite bloggers? I could have added Niomi Smart, Zoella, Louise, Tanya Burr, but I figured most of you know who they are! If you have a blog make sure to leave a comment down below! I cannot wait to check them out.

Thanks for reading as always! Hope you're all having a great week!

xx Kenzie

Book

Life Lessons from the Internet

9:00:00 AM

It's no secret that the internet makes it extremely easy to connect to people all over the world. With our parents' warnings of "stranger danger" and "don't talk to people on the internet!" we've come to our own little corners of the internet, following links to other blogs and various YouTube channels. So what's the life lesson, and where is it coming from?
Right now. The one I'm going to talk about, comes from YouTube, from a guy, making videos all the way over in the state of Idaho. Almost 16,000 miles away from Wisconsin.

His name is Shay Butler.

And he wrote a book.

Reminder: Happiness is a choice.

A diet book.
Except it's not really a diet book, it's more of a "how to be positive in life" book. I know what you're probably thinking, "Oh boy, another youtuber making another book.". True there are tons of books that have been written by youtubers. But I'm telling you, this one is different.

This one is for everyone. With over 4 million subscribers, Shay and his family are constantly graced with the label "YouTube's first family", but I'm not here to write a biography on Shay and his life, that's what the book is for. I'm here to tell you why I loved reading it. And why I'll probably read it again!

It's insightful. Because the book is written in two different perspectives. Shay's, as a father and Gavin as a son. They both share the struggles of keeping up with the goal of eating clean for 30 days, and also drinking 1 gallon of water a day. 1 gallon.
It's heartwarming. The way Shay just talks about how much he loves each member of his family and how much they all mean to him is one of the best parts.
It's inspiring. I have never marked a book before in my entire life. Not even for school, but I found myself underlining important lines that felt motivating to me and I could come back to when I needed some friendly advice or a simple "you can do it!"
It's real. Sometimes you can read a book and think "is this person being real?" While it's not all about weight loss, and Shay doesn't only write inspiring things and what will help. He also writes about the troubles he's had with it, as many of us do when we're trying to eat healthy but don't want to slip back and he's the first to admit that it's hard.
It proves that you can do anything. You've always known that. One of my favorite quotes (among many underlined and highlighted words) is "You're in charge, it's your life." And it is. You can do anything because you say you can. How do you know you can't do a thing (a legal, good thing) if someone says you can't do it. Just do it
The way it's written. I loved reading this book because it felt like I was being pep-talked by a really good friend with his words about life and what has helped him get to where he is now and what could help other people as well. Shay talks to everyone, because we're one big internet family. We're all connected and in this together.

Everyone who picks up this book is in it to better themselves. And that's why you should read it. It's never too late to start.

Along with the book, there are a few exercises anyone can try out over on ShayLoss.

Honestly, I could probably write 5 more blog posts about how much I loved reading this book and how much I recommend it because it's not just another weight loss book, it's about bettering yourself.
See? All of that came from some guy from the internet, who wrote a book. It's not so bad mom and dad!

I hope you pick it up at your local store!

Q.Have you read this book before? Do you watch the Shaytards on YouTube?

Also if Shay ever reads this (hey I really liked your book!)

Snow

Bright White Wisconsin

8:00:00 AM

While the state of Wisconsin spent the month of December in weather that is warmer than normal, January followed in with a blast of reality and weather that left me not wanting to leave the house unless it was an absolute emergency. While near the end of my winter break I had some errands to do, the weather wasn't so bad and my mom and I decided to venture out on a hike up the mountain. At the very peak is the ski lifts where they make the snow for the runs which resulted in these photos that were just too pretty to not share!

I hope that whatever weather you're experiencing right now is good! I hope you enjoyed this post, I didn't retouch any of these photos and I think they're lovely! Hope you're having a great week! Do you have any big plans? What are your favorite activities to do lately?

As always, thanks for reading and commenting! Make sure to follow my instagram or twitter!

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My roommate is Afraid!

10 Things I learned from Clean Eating

Easy Healthy Snacks

Cauliflower Pizza

Corners of the Internet

Life Lessons from the Internet

Bright White Wisconsin

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