Strawberry & Cream Cheese Bread

I got the idea for these appetizers from a recipe I found on Pinterest, except I did a slight remix. For mine I used French bread (rather than whole grain) and cream cheese (rather than Laughing Cow cheese).  The sweet and savory combo is delectable, and its taste is light and fresh. The best part is the simplicity of it.  I'm so not a chef, and these require no ovens, pots, pans, broilers...you get it.

All you need it a sharp cutting knife and some fresh strawberries, cream cheese, French bread, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of black pepper. Voila!

Birthday Blessings

{birthday cookie cake; the tastiness of it compensated for the teeny misspelling of my name}

I feel so lucky to have such amazing people in my life to celebrate my 20th year with.  Two decades of my life complete; how does that even happen?!  I had such an incredible birthday week, and even though I was hit with a bit of the post birthday blues yesterday- as well as an oncoming, brutal cold- I can't help but just be thankful for the celebrations held all for little old me this past week!  Even the littlest things mean the world to me.
And now, I only have two days of school to power through until I get to jet off to South Dakota to see my sister, who has to work on Thanksgiving, unfortunately.  My friends always make fun of me for being excited to go to South Dakota; "I forgot that was even a state," is one of the most common reactions.  My mom and I are going to keep her company around her work schedule, and, regardless of friends' remarks, I couldn't be more elated to get to spend time with just those two, even in South Dakota!

{new boots from my amazing mama} 

{what I like to call my "birthday cake nails": OPI- Bring On the Bling & American Apparel Nail Lacquer- Coney Island} 

{brown-sugar cinnamon apple crisps. so delicious. the simplest recipe ever found here} 

{a few of my great friends at my my birthday dinner Friday night} 

{a gorgeous bouquet of tulips from my mom}  

{birthday present to myself: new piercing. hellloooo industrial} 

{such a stunning sunset that I got to witness on a run last week. I took it as another birthday gift} 

{the cutest fold-over Ugg socks, knit by hand by one of my heroes, my grandma}

Healthful Habit

{granny smith snack}

I will be the first to admit that my sweet tooth is out of this world.  I could literally eat ice cream, preferably Rocky Road, everyday of the week and not get sick of it.  And honestly I would if I had the metabolism like some lucky ducks out there do, where they can eat anything and everything and still be a teeny little twig.


For me, though, it takes hard work, commitment, and self control to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I can workout everyday; that's not really the problem.  See, for me, running, yoga, resistance training, or really anything else that gets my blood pumping is what keeps me functioning in the rest of my life.  Exercise, sweating buckets with music pumping full blast into my ears and body, this acts as my de-stresser.


My main struggle is commitment to healthy food choices.  Does this happen to anyone else?  So you go through your day, eat balanced and nutritious snacks and meals, get home after a long one, and you just grab anything/everything in sight to devour.  It's like, why don't we just get a bulldozer to make this food-in-mouth-shovel-fest a little easier?  I think I have these days more than I care to admit; it's so disappointing to know that all those good choices from my day just went right down the drain my throat!


I've discovered, though, a method that seriously has made a difference in my eating habits.  I'm a big to-do list person;  I love the satisfaction of being able to cross off items on my lists, not to mention the utter elation of finishing an entire day's list.  I've found making a sort of food to-eat list for my next day is extremely helpful.  I create well-balanced meals and snacks at night and follow that list exactly to par the next day.  Having things pre-planned out eliminates the whole refrigerator scan that we all know and love: searching through the fridge frantic and hungry and ending up choosing maybe not the healthiest option.  My kryptonite happens to be quesadillas, high in both fat and carbs; but if I write down salad with a side of rice, beans, and veggies, then I've found the fridge scan the next day will be much less tempting to grab the cheese and tortillas.  I promise it's just as easy to do and follow as it sounds.


I'm curious, what are some health habits you live and swear by?  I would love to give them a shot!

{a divine lunch of fresh spring greens, sauteed asparagus, apple, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, & strawberry vinaigrette}