Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Checked out the Bloomingdales Friends and Family sale (25% off almost all items ends today) and bought Nike kicks ($40!!) and the new Rayban clubmaster mirrored sunglasses. I'm so ready for spring/summer weather at this point. Warmer consistent temperatures is all I'm asking for, Mother nature.

2. Ate my weights worth in meat from Korean BBQ at Kogiya (located in Virginia). No big deal.

3. Have been eyeing the Ferragamo Vara bow flats/stack heels in red. They're such a iconic style and would be perfect for work but with they come with a hefty price tag. Hmmm...

4. Made "energy bites" so I can bring them with me to work when I get my afternoon sugar cravings. I've noticed that after 2pm I start to crave something sweet and thankfully found an alternative solution to my Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews snacking habit and instead have been reaching for these delicious bites that are made of dates, cashews, chia seeds, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and almond butter. These ingredients are literally all that's in these snacks and the energy bites are really good, especially when eaten right out of the fridge.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Raw Brownies

Raw brownies.

Sounds gross, I know. But it's not--in fact, it's the complete and utter opposite.

Trust.

I made these three times now in the past couple of weeks and every time I make them they are devoured within a couple of days, sometimes two. I can't get over how good these are and that they just have 3 ingredients to them and that baking is not required.

Say what?

I admit I'll roll my eyes at things that are labeled gluten free, vegan, no refined sugar, blah blah blah and ironically this recipe falls under all those labels BUT it is legit good. The texture reminds me of the inside of fig newtons--chewy, sweet, and chocolatey just as brownies should be. 

Go on and try this recipe and let's discuss about how healthy food can actually taste really, really good.

Hope youre having a great week. Xo.

Ingredients (Adapted from Deliciously Ella: Yields 10 brownies)

2 cups of pitted medjool dates 

1 cup of pecans or walnuts

2-3 Tablespoons of raw cacao powder or cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons of maple syrup (optional if you want to make it sweeter but I did not add it)

Procedure

1. Blend pecans or walnuts in food processor until they form crumbly texture then add dates and blend again.

2. Add the cocoa powder and maple syrup if using.

3. Place mixture in baking tray and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or freeze for 1 hour to allow them to set. Keep in fridge for freshness.  

Tattered

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Turtleneck-J.Crew

Jeans-Blank NYC

Tweed jacket-Zara

Sunglasses-Karen Walker

Ring-David Yurman

One of the things I love about fashion is that even when you bring unconventional styles together, it can still work. Clothes don't always have to match in print or be in the same color family and can still look cohesive, if that makes sense. I love mixing casual clothes with a bit of prim and proper like ripped jeans and a tweed jacket. Kind of cheeky, no?

Hope you're having a great week. Xo.

Working Girl

Photo courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-Ann Taylor (great fit, use code FRIENDS40 for 40% off)

Cardigan-J.Crew

Pants-Banana Republic

Pearls-J.Crew Outlet (old)

Sunglasses-Karen Walker

Happy Monday! You were probably expecting my usual Monday Weekend Snapshot post but I'm going to skip that today because I completely forgot to post today's outfit that was supposed to be scheduled for Friday last week! I think that the first week at the new job tired me out and for some reason I thought I saved this post for Friday to publish, but I guess I didn't. Oops.

I wanted to post one of the outfits I wore to work last week to hopefully give some work wear inspiration to you. I've been on the look out to add more work pants to my wardrobe (I've had to return many work pants I ordered online due to the loose fit though it was labeled petite) and was curious about the Banana Republic Sloan Fit Ankle Pants after reading a review from fellow petite blogger, Extra Petite. My curiosity peaked after seeing that she wore it often so I ordered the pants online and was relieved to find out that no hemming is required and that the fit is slim, not too tight around the leg area, and the material has a stretch to them which helps with comfort. I do want to mention that the waist is slightly loose on me and it's a little baggy in the knee area so I might consider shrinking these in the dryer. Fingers crossed. 

I'd love to hear any suggestions you may have with buying work pants for petite ladies. Xo.

Fresh Leather

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Leather jacket-Maje

Turtleneck-J.Crew

Jeans-Blank NYC

Boots-Rag & Bone

Purse-Proenza Schouler

Beanie-Hunter (old)

Sunglasses-Fendi

Hi everyone! Sorry that it's taken awhile to post an outfit for you but due to the recent travels and work transition, it's been a busy month. Regular outfit posts will hopefully resume starting next week! Starting a new job this week has been a bit overwhelming (but still exciting) due to a plethora of new information to familiarize myself with so please be patient with me while I try to adjust to a new schedule.

While I was in NYC last week, I stopped by Bloomingdales to look around and to take a little break from walking around in the bitter cold. One of the brands I browse through when shopping at Bloomies is Maje because of their slim fit and the effortlessly cool pieces they usually carry, like this leather jacket. The fit, all the cool zipper placements, and shoulder detailing promptly brought me to purchase it. Love. Personally, it's difficult to find a leather jacket that fits me well and that doesn't make me look too much like a biker. That's just not a cute look on me.

Hope you're having a wonderful week. So happy the weather's starting to warm up. Xo. 

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Savored my last morning weekend of being a bum with a cup of coffee from my favorite roasters, Stumptown. While I was in NYC last week, I happily restocked my depleted bean supply. I also finally got my hands on the latest issue of Maire Claire magazine because my face is included in a humble corner of their monthly beauty road show when they were visiting Washington, DC. Thanks for including me Marie Claire!

2. My dear friend invited a couple of girls over her new home for dinner. She cooked an extremely comforting and delicious chicken pot pie and made us ice-cream (we're talking dark chocolate coffee and a rosemary honey flavor) from a new dessert cookbook she bought (Jeni's Ice-Cream). This stuff is so dangerously good (sold at Whole Foods) and if it wasn't so dang pricey I would be eating this every other day. An evening spent with a home cooked meal, ice-cream, and hours of conversations with your girlfriends are simply the best.

3. Called it an early night on Sunday because I start my new job today. One of my favorite purchases from my recent trip to Paris is this personalized Goyard bag. I've been looking for a simple yet chic work tote and have had my eyes on a Goyard bag for awhile and after doing some research prior to the Paris trip, I read that prices are extremely lower in Paris. Long story short, I ended up purchasing this new beauty and love that it's monogrammed--it just makes it feel more personal and special.

4. Discovered a new healthy and mind blowing recipe for "raw brownies." I know..what does that even mean? It has just 3 ingredients (nuts, dates and cocoa powder) and no baking is required for it(!!) I was so surprised at how amazingly delicious it was that I ended up making it twice this weekend...partly due to the fact that I finished a batch all by myself. Oops. I'm usually weary about vegan/gluten free recipes after a bad experience with it but this dessert/snack is really good. Will post recipe soon.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Last week I had this random craving for fresh blueberries (this might have been influenced from me longing for spring/summer weather) so took a trip to the grocery store to buy some.

I decided that one of the most disappointing things in life is when you look forward to eating something what you imagine to be really good and you take a bite and it tastes….flat. ULTIMATE LETDOWN. It's on the same level as when you are looking forward to eating something you know you have in your fridge (leftovers from a delicious meal, a really good slice of cake, etc) and you come home to find out that somebody already ate it. Yea, that's definitely happened to me and no, I'm still not bitter about it…..

So the blueberries I bought ended up being extremely tart and no where close to tasting sweet. I was so disappointed and was thisclose to tossing them in the trash but the practical side of me kicked in and thought why not use these to bake something. Sugar is always involved during baking so that would help these lame blueberries out, right?! Right. Enter my spirit animal, Barefoot Contessa.

These muffins are perfectly moist, light, and have just the right amount of sweetness to them. It has a cake like texture and could be used as the base for any muffins actually. I see chocolate chip muffins or strawberry muffins in the near future. Summer, where are you?

A good cup of coffee along with eating a couple of these blueberry muffins could really jump start you into a good morning so be sure to get on that train.

Hope you're having a great week. Xo.


Ingredients (Adapted from Barefoot Contessa) Yields: 20 muffins
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (about 1 cup) of sour cream (I used light sour cream because that's all I had)
1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 half-pints blueberries, picked through for stems

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans or lightly spray muffin pans with cooking spray if not using liners.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. In another bowl, lightly coat blueberries with flour. This will prevent the blueberries from sinking.

3. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries carefully with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

4. Scoop the batter into the prepare muffin pans filling each cup just over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.