I love being outdoors. I think even if the week is extremely busy that it's important to take a step back. My family loves to travel, and we scheduled a trip for the beginning of June. Sitting in front of a computer all semester as really made me want to do one thing during my future vacation. I'm going to be closing my laptop, turning my phone on silent and/or airplane mode depending on if I need it (which I won't.) I might pop in on Instagram and you can follow me by clicking here. Basically I'm doing an internet detox and I cannot wait to just clear my head for the next two weeks. I will be back with millions of photos, new recipes, reviews, road-trip tips and whatever else you guys may want to see! (Let me know if there is anything specific in the comments!) I cannot wait to enjoy the beach, food and peace. 

Before I go, I do want to share this delicious Avocado-Tomato Quinoa Salad I made the other night for dinner!
What You'll Need:

• Avocado
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Feta Cheese
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Onions
• Peppers
• Quinoa

It's finally summer. Which means I'm home from University and creating new dishes and enjoying loads of time outside! Eating salads is one of my favorite things, but having salad two meals in a row just isn't my style, and thus I came up with this dish! 

A vegan chickpea dish with spices and veggies that's easy to make and doesn't take much time at all! If you're looking for a healthy, easy and quick dish to make for yourself (or one other person) this is the meal for you! 

Can you believe that it's almost the end of May? It seems like just the other day it was cold and windy outside and my cheeks were bright red from the cold. Now they're just red from the sun, and my nose is burnt. It's nearly the end of May, which also brings the end of the semester. 

While most University students post what they learned during their year, I feel like changing things up a bit. This year, I asked myself a lot of questions. With an international roommate, and a different lifestyle plan, this list came into play. 

1.Why does my roommate think it's okay to change in front of the OPEN window?Does she know the people outside can see her? Does she even care? 

2.Is this Vegan? That wrap looks good...oh it's got feta. Shoot. Apples and peanut butter it is. 

3. Will I use this program in my career? Having a major in communications means that I get to play with things like Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. For hours. 

4.Where is my pencil? I literally just had it. Oh there it is...across the room. 

5.Where is my phone? I swear I just had that too..

6 Did I bring my ID card? I can't get food without my ID card, and if I don't have it I can't eat and that is tragic. 

7.Why does my roommate shed so much? Her hair is literally all over the carpet. It's disgusting. 

8. When does this semester end? 

9.Does my roommate like the musty smell in the room? It's all her. All the time. No open windows, no ventilation, the dorms don't have air conditioning...and she doesn;t wear deodorant. 

10. What time is it? Usually me asking if 9pm is an acceptable time to go to sleep.

If you were to ask what my favorite breakfast was, or one that I eat almost every other day, the answer would be oatmeal. It's quick, and easy, and you can easily change it up whenever you'd like. If I need something to warm up my insides on a cool morning, oatmeal is my go-to. When I was little I used to ask for "oakmilk" and requested raisins to be put into it. Since then, I've learned to say oatmeal correctly, and switch up the ingredients to keep my breakfasts different and not so boring. 

Here are a few things to consider when you make your next bowl of oats and are stuck on how to switch it up:

1. Different fruits. 

This is easier now that the weather is warmer, usually in the cooler months I go for bananas and occasionally blueberries. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are coming into season and will be added into my bowls! 

2. Crunchy Toppings. 

I love having a bit of crunch in my oats, usually a handful of raw almonds, cashews, or even some walnuts is great! 

3. Power toppings

This comes in the form of chia seeds, hemp hearts, and cacao nibs. Personally I go for chia seeds as they're more available for me. 

4. Nut butters

If you love nut butter like I do, then adding a little scoop of peanut butter, cashew butter or almond butter will conquer that craving right away in the morning. Sometimes, if I know I didn't get that much protein in the week, I will use powdered peanut butter. Just put it in before making the oats and stir it up to get the not-so-overwhelming and peanut-y taste!

5. Spices

I love adding cinnamon to top off my oatmeal. I read somewhere that cinnamon is really good for your metabolism, and it tastes great. 

Oats are so great for you and I love a nice warm bowl. What are your favorite toppings? What is your favorite breakfast or your most common breakfast that you have?
Have a great week! x 

Kenzie

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If you don't know what snapchat is, it's an app that let's someone take a photo and the viewer(s) sees it for about 10 seconds or less, unless you put it on your story and it stays until the person deletes it or 24 hours. It's basically another fun way to stay connected with friends or family or followers to show little bits of life. But sometimes, snapchat users can make the app frustrating. Here are 10 snapchat offenses that I have found. 

1. Drunk Snaps: I get it. It's 2 a m , you're out at an underage party with all of your friends. Good for you. Except..at no point in my life do I have any want or need to see the camera go from far away from your face to extremely close and almost in your mouth as you dance the night away. No thanks. 

2. Double Snaps. Send one to me, put it in your story. Oh good I can see them both for 10 seconds. Why? Why? Why? 

3.Super short snaps. Unless they go in your story, but excuse you if you send one to me you cannot get mad if I don't reply because I don't want to waste my one replay (you get one a day) on you.

4. Solo snaps to me of "Dan" doing something while you laugh in the background. I don't know "Dan" and I don't find whatever he is doing nearly as funny (if at all) as you do. 

5. Selfies as your stories. Some things are just meant for Instagram or Facebook. 

Let's face it. It can be really hard to stay motivated. I have days where I just cannot seem bothered to move from the futon, or get dressed into anything other than a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. I was having a conversation not too long ago about how to stay motivated to get or stay healthy. It had me thinking about some tips I would give, and lead me to create some Do's and Don'ts for staying motivated in life and sticking to a lifestyle change. 

1. DO start slow. This is probably the hardest. Sometimes we quit everything all at once and ban foods right away when in reality, we really should be taking out certain factors first. Slowly getting rid of milk, or slowly making sure to not have a chocolate for dessert can be really beneficial in the long run. 

2. Do remember results don't happen overnight. I'm someone who immediatley wants results. If you start working out and have only worked out for an hour the first day, you definitely won't leave the gym having a six pack. That takes time. 

3. Don't worry if you slip up. I always have to remind myself of this. If I accidently eat something milk-chocolate or something not so healthy, I can't beat myself up. That's not good and you'll end up feeling worse about it. 

4. Do write down your goals. Using a notebook or planner to plan out a daily goal to set like drinking 12 ounces of water or eating more servings of veggies or adding an extra 20 minutes to your workout at the gym can be really beneficial in the long run as well. Usually if you see it, you'll want to do it. Even if you put it off until the last moment. 

5. Don't go overboard. So you want to get healthy and be more active. If you work out a lot in the beginning and don't slow down, truth is you'll get burnt out. I learned that when I started eating clean in January. I was working out everyday and then I got bored with it. 

6. Do set a relaxation day. It's good to keep going and achieve things but give yourself a break once in a while. It's good to just unwind and rest before getting back to the grind. 

7.Do make a public commitment. This can help a lot of people. No you don't need to be that person who constantly posts photos of going to the gym. But if you tell people you know that you're eating healthy and enjoying it, that can be helpful too. Because you've said it out loud and you have to stick to it. 

8. Join a Group. Finding friends with common interests will help you reach your goals. You're encouraging each other not to give up and keep going. 

9. Explore new recipes. This one is for those trying to stay healthy. Exploring new recipes and looking at what other people make, makes me so much more excited to cook and everyone has been loving what I've made so far!

10. Think positive. Getting into the mindset that something might be hard will actually make it hard. If you think about the new things you'll be learning throughout the process it'll make a better result! I strongly believe that positivity is a choice, even though it can be difficult sometimes. 

*Bonus Tip: Start a motivational quote journal. I did this a long time ago and it was really helpful, now I use it to write the quotes on a whiteboard where I can see them everyday!

I hope these tips were helpful! What other tips do you have for someone who is having a hard time starting up a new project or lifestyle? I have been loving veganism so much so far, there are so many different recipes?! I can't believe it. I hope you're all having a great day! Make sure to leave a comment below! 

x Kenzie