Off to you...

A wonderful salad dressing...

2010-03-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is seriously the best and healthiest salad dressing ever!

Tahini Dressing

What you need:

1/2 Cup Flax Oil
1 tablespoon of Raw Tahini
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Three pinches of sea salt (or more if you need it)
One tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (if you want it)

What you do:

All you have to do is combine the ingredients and mix those suckers up. Then drizzle on your greens and you are set, my friend!

Modern Art...sometimes I love you, sometimes not so much...

2010-03-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

I do so appreciate alot of contemporary artists but some of the celebrated works of modern art are just not my cup of tea.

For instance, Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings. Supposedly about the negation of traditional art, but seriously?

Or Vito Accondi, who is just a freak and his video art piece "Theme Song." Just try to watch the whole thing. I did...

Oh, gosh, I just want to go somewhere this gorgeous...

2010-03-02T03:24:00.000-08:00

I so want to travel right now. Its been a few months since I've gotten away and I so desperately want to. Oh, graduation, you can not come soon enough!

A delicious recipe for you...

2010-02-27T02:35:00.000-08:00

This is so good!!

Raw Angel Hair Pasta

You will need:

3 zucchini (green, yellow, sunburst or anything you want)
16 oz cherry tomatoes
1/2 small white onion
a few fresh basil leaves
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper (no green for this)
2 tsp. Italian spices
Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of chia seeds (optional)
A little Olive Oil

What you do:

1. Use a spiral slicer to turn the zucchini into angel hair pasta.

2. Place all items (except for chia seeds) in a food processor or blender, and Pulse to a "chunky" consistency. Do not puree.

3. Pour sauce into a bowl and add the chia seeds, stirring them to the sauce. Set aside for around 30 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.

4. Pour the sauce over the pasta and enjoy!

The is about two servings but its delicious so you should make extra!

I cannot even tell you how much...

2010-02-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

...I desperately want a waterfall to call my own.

Of course, this will never happen, but still...

Happy Valentine's Day....

2010-02-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

I love you all!

The Birth of A Masterpiece...

2010-02-04T01:58:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking, on this late chilly night, how much I want to be in the ocean. And how much I love this painting...

In case you don't know, it is Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus.
It is utterly exquisite. Not much is known about it's origins but I think that is part of the draw. We do know that it is a portrayal of the mythological story of the goddess, Venus, emerging from the ocean, born as a full grown woman. In ancient myths, it was said that Venus (or, to Ancient Greeks, Aphrodite) was born when Cronus, a god, cut off the god Ouranos's genitals and tossed them into the ocean. Venus then rose from the sea foam where Ouranos's manliness had landed. In this painting, Venus arrives at the sea-shore on a shell, which is a motif often called Venus Anadyomene, which means rising from the sea. This is further intriguing as in classical times, the sea shell was used as a metaphor for a woman's lady lands. Though the Venus is blatantly nude and alluring, she holds a Venus Pudicae stance, which is one of modesty. Venus’s anatomy does not portray the very classical realism of contemporary artists but rather shows certain distorted proportion that adds to the emotive sense of the painting. She is being blown to the shore by the two Zephyrs, who symbolize spiritual passions. They also represent the chaos of the cosmos before creation and show that from this chaos, Venus was born to take care of the world. On the shore stands one of the Horae or Graces, who are goddesses of the seasons. This figure rushes to cover Venus with a cape that is covered with the flowers and fruits of the earth symbolizing Venus’s role as Venus Flora and Pomona, her true role as mother of the Earth. The image portrays Venus’s serenity and confidence despite her nudity but highlights the frantic work of the other figures, who rush to cover this nudity. It really is such a rich and intriguing piece. I think it represents elements of the neoplatonist and humanist movements in the Renaissance, but of course, will never know for certain. But it truly is a marvel to admire.

Raw Food Recipes that are Fabulous!!!

2010-01-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

As part of my Day Zero Project, I did a raw foods detox! I felt sooooo good while I was doing it and it is actually not so restrictive as one may think! I have never felt more energized before but after I stopped, I immediately went back to being exhausted so Michael and I are going to try are very hardest to follow a mostly raw foods diet. You can still eat meat and eggs but only cooked very simply. However, you do not cook vegetables or fruits as heating these above 120 F makes all the healthy nutrients that fruits and veggies are all about break down and thus, you lose much of the benefits. And for all of you, who may think "But, Bri, I love pie and thusly, I cannot be a raw foodie," I have news for you....Yes, you can eat pie but in a fabulously healthy way. Simply follow the recipes below. But a bit more before I give you the yummy dishes!

One slight negative is that most of the food you eat must be prepared at home, which is slightly hard as a student/law office assistant/museum lady/bollywood dancer, however, I found that it was doable and on mornings when I was really pressed for time, I ate a banana for breakfast and put some spinich, tomatoes, and vinegarette in a zippy bag and had that for lunch. So there are easy ways to do this to! Also, if you live in a dorm, this works phenomenally! Most the food does not have to be cooked and recipes that have an element of cooking use a dehydrator, which are small appliances you can simply plug in and then put away. Some of the following recipes require that and some don't. Basically, if you have a blender, food processor, dehydrator, and a juicer, then you are set, which works great for those without kitchens or who are to busy to stand over the oven cooking all day. You might have to buy a few new appliances but they aren't too pricy and are well worth it. You will notice that many of the recipes call for ingredients that may seem unusual, but look around your local store or organic market and they are fairly easy to find! So I am posting two recipes for raw drinks and two for raw desserts. I will post breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes later! Ok, here they are:

Drinks
Omega 3 Blueberry Banana Blast
Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice (preferebly home juiced or if store bought, no sugar added)
1 cup blueberries
1-2 bananas, peeled
2 tablespoons flax seed, ground

Directions:
Blend everything together until smooth!

Side notes: I like to freeze the fruit first to make this more slushy. And this is also a way yummier way to get your omega 3's than fish oil!

Light and Tangy Lemonade
Ingredients:
1/2 blender of water
2-3 lemons juiced
1/4 cup raw agave necter, or to taste

Directions:
1. Sqeeze the juice out of your lemons being sure to remove seeds
2. Blend water with lemon juice
3. Add agave, more or less than directed according to taste

Side notes: SOOOOO good! And for those of you who don't know about agave, it is inexpensive, delicious, and a naturally low carb/low calorie sweetner. So much better for you than artificial sweeteners.

Desserts-for most of these you have to have a blender, unless you are patient enough to mash things with a spoon in a bowl
Pinapple and Mint Sorbet
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups of pinapple juice (made at home or no sugar added from the store)
1/4 cup of agave
1 tablespoon of mint leaves, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Pour mixture into icecube trays and freeze.
2. Blend in your blender until you get a sorbet texture or wait for them to thaw a little and mash them in a bowl. Delish!

Easy Apple Pie
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup of raisins, soaked in water for a couple hours
1/2 apple

Filling:
6 apples
8 dates (pitted and soaked in water for a couple hours)
1/2 cup currants or raisins
1/2 lemon juiced
1 teaspoon cinnomon

Directions:
1. Blend all the crust ingredients in a food processor and form into a pie pan
2. In a food processor, blend 2 apples with the dates until smooth
3. Pour apple/date mixture into a bowl and set aside
4. In the food processor, pulse chop 4 apples into small pieces
5. Add apple bits into apple/date mixture
6. Add the cinnomon, lemon juice, and currants/raisins to the apple/date mixture and mix well
7. Pour the filling into the pie crust and let stand out for at least one hour or until it is thickened to your liking

Side notes: This may sound wierd, but it is wonderful and I bet no one will ever guess it isn't baked!

So there you have it, ridiculously healthy pie with very little prep time and other lovely recipes! Let me know if you try any of these and what your take on them is!

Love!

PS

2010-01-16T22:44:00.000-08:00

Monday is a holiday and thus, I am intending to spend the day with my little lovely Grace sister!

Thus, I am planning many fabulous surprises for her!

It shall be fun!

The Young Victoria or How Much I Want to Live in Victorian Clothes!

2010-01-16T22:32:00.000-08:00

We saw The Young Victoria Friday night and it was amazing!! I laughed, learned, cried, and envied the beauty and elegance of the attire!

Here is some of the loveliness!

Simply exquisite!

Love!

Detoxilicious...

2010-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

So I am starting my raw foods detox on Monday!

For your info, here are two drinks you can have that are caffeine free and help you detox:

Lemon-Ginger Tonic

* 1 thick slice of lemon
* 1 piece of fresh ginger, 2/3” long, peeled and bruised
* 1 cup boiling water

Place lemon and ginger in cup. Add boiling water and leave to infuse for two minutes. Remove lemon and ginger and drink immediately.

Dose: 1 – 2 cups per day.

Ginger is a natural antibiotic and circulatory stimulant, which makes it perfect for balancing energy. Lemon acts as an emulsifier, cleansing the liver for improved function and metabolizing bile acids. This tonic will increase energy by supplying the body with vitamins B3 and C, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The body will benefit from improved immunity, digestion, and cardiovascular health.

Milk Thistle Tea

Purchase already-made tea bags at health food stores. Steep in boiling water for at least five minutes. Add one teaspoon of honey for flavor, if necessary.

Dose: 1 cup per day.

I'm excited to get started!

Love!

Day Zero Project: Awesome, Fun, and Incredibly Challenging!!

2010-01-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Day Zero Project is really cool! You should do it! All my lovely dears are doing it and thus, we shall encourage each other to greatness! Here is a bit about the Project:

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?:
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities

DAY ZERO PROJECT

Here is My List:

My Starting Date is January 1, 2010
So I must finish everything by September 28, 2012

bold = in progress

strike = completed

1. Leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find
2. Send a secret to PostSecret
3. Attend a live taping of a TV show
4. Go skinny dipping
5. Go on a road trip
6. Host a dinner party
7. See Cirque du Soleil
8. Take a hot air balloon ride
9. Buy a turtle
10. Swim with dolphins
11. Be an extra in a movie
12. Grow an herb garden
13. Go on a hike
14. Buy a car
15. Make a snowman
16. Send a message in a bottle
17. Shower in a waterfall
18. Sell something on Etsy
19. Complete project 365
20. Knit a pair of socks
21. Go camping with friends
22. Paint a canvas
23. Camp in a Yurt
24. Learn to play an instrument
25. Throw a surprise party
26. Organize my recipes
27. Get an SLR camera
28. Make a mosaic
29. Exercise 3 times a week
30. Visit 10 new cities
31. Finish writing my book
32. Make my own sushi
33. Superglue a coin to the ground in a public place and wait to see if someone tries to pick it up
34. Learn how to ski
35. Visit The state of Maine
36. Write a journal to my future daughter/s with bits of wisdom
37. Drink Absinthe once
38. Learn to embroider
39. Lose 60 pounds (0/60)
40. Do a detox every six months (0/6)
41. Work towards a black belt
42. Get my scuba diving license with Jessica
43. Save $20,000 for a down payment
44. Buy a house with Michael
45. Take a trip somewhere with just Michael
46. Blog 3 times a week
47. Visit Ashley in Portland
48. Finish my Bachelor's Degree with Dean's Honors
49. Get a little dog
50. Scrapbook at least my wedding pictures and traveling pictures
51. Make dinner at home 3 times a week
52. Treat my parents to a nice dinner
53. Go away for the weekend all by myself
54. Watch all the Audrey Hepburn’s available
55. Go splunking
56. Grow a hydrangea bush
57. Have a holiday cookie exchange
58. Watch 26 movies that I’ve never seen, one for each letter of the alphabet (0/26)
59. Get rid of my clothes that I don’t wear and that don’t fit
60. Host a Halloween party
61. Take Delaney on a day for us
62. Read one book for me a month
63. Stay a night in the Disneyland Hotel
64. Read 26 books that I’ve never read, one for each letter of the alphabet
65. Make an outfit inspired by a painting
66. Make five people a present for no reason (0/5)
67. Finish my china collection
68. Watch all the episodes of entourage
69. Learn to illuminate letters
70. Go on a wine tasting and learn about wines
71. Compliment Michael everyday
72. Have an organization system to eliminate clutter
73. Get a dress form
74. Start taking ballet again
75. Buy a pair of Christian Louboutin’s
76. Buy a Christian Dior dress
77. Take Grace on a Trip
78. Have a goofing off day with Eric and Fraser
79. Make a meal completely from food at a farmer’s market
80. Try 25 new recipes from at least ten different cultures
81. Buy lunch for a homeless person five times (0/5)
82. Buy an Anthropologie dress
83. Go kayaking somewhere outside of Southern California
84. Buy a beautiful tea set
85. Take an advanced cooking class
86. Buy something from Tiffany's
87. Go to a ballet that I haven't been to before
88. Don’t drink soda for the entire 1001 days except in mixed drinks
89. Surf at least once a month once I am done with school
90. Decorate my house beautifully
91. Re-learn Latin
92. Find a job I enjoy
93. Do not eat any fast food for the whole 1001 days
94. Pay for a random person's coffee
95. Participate in Samaritan's Purse each Christmas (0/2)
96. Blog/Journal about each 101 thing
97. Go grocery shopping dressed in formal wear for no apparent reason
98. Go snorkeling in La Jolla
99. Visit a spa and get a massage
100. Host a formal tea
101. Do NaNoWriMo every November (0/2)

While perhaps you don't need a project or list to do such things, this is a great way to stay committed to tasks. And it gives us procrastinators plenty of time to get stuff done!
I'm so excited to get these things done and change my way of living!

Love!

Some progress..finally!

2009-05-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

So we finally got save the dates out! Which in wedding webisphere speak, is abbreviated to STDs. Hence, why I hate abbreviations. We had some of our engagement pics printed into postcards and they came out so cute!

Here is the front:

and the back:

Sorry the pictures are so crudy. I took them at work and the lighting here is a horrible yellow dark little thing.

On a side note, Grace, my teeny-tiny 4 year-old evil genius of a sister, just told me that she needs a new arm bone. Because her current one is not missing but is made out of "sorn." Apparently, she tried to get it to work but it just won't. Also, she added in that she found a really good wedding dress for me on a blog. Oh that strange little girl!

And that's all for now, loves!

Shoes and maids....

2009-01-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

I love these as bridesmaid dresses!

This is from J. Crew, which is so amazing if you don't know. J. Crew is quickly becoming my favorite!

And this little diddy....
It is Jenny Yoo, who has lots of lovely stuff...

My biggest dilemma is shoes...I want to wear a different pair for every hour of my wedding! And why can't you wear heels on sand?

These will be my ceremony shoes because they are classy and simple and beachy...
They are Capri Sandals by J. Crew.

I think I'll alternate between the sandals and bare feet for our reception as I plan to dance it up!

I want to get a pair of heels to wear for my going away outfit, but I have no decision making skills, so I just drool over heels and never choose...sad.

These are the contenders.

How fantastic are these? I have dreams about these shoes! They are also J. Crew and called Avignon patterned peep toes!

I also love these lovelies! The J. Crew Lyla Printed Peep Toes are just so colorful and fun and I would love to wear them!

And then we have the J. Crew (I know I'm obsessed!) Liza Satin Peep Toe Flats. While not heels, these are funkily amazing and I must have them!

So that's that, pals! I can't pick out shoes because I love them all....

Wedding!!

2009-01-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

So we have a wedding date!! September 13, 2009! Only 8ish months to go....eek.

Well, here's what we have picked out so far.

This is my location! I love it so much! It's a beach house in Oceanside. We are doing the ceremony and reception there so it makes things so much simpler!

Our Ceremony will be on the beach out front...ah, Oceanside...so gorgeous!

Our Reception will be in the 'backyard beach' of the beach house. It's such a perfect size and I absolutely adore the view!

This is also a weekly rental, so Michael and I will be able to honeymoon here too! Ah, so simple and beach-chic!

Dress!!!

Ok, so this took a long time! But I finally decided on this amazing J. Crew number! I was going to go for short at first, but you only get to wear a wedding dress once so why not go long and glam? I love how this dress manages to be beachy, beautiful, chic, elegant, classic, and simple all at once! Quite a tough fete for one dress! I will also get a short dress similar to this for dancing at the reception with some added color.

And the back....

Bridesmaids

Since my bridesmaids are so fabulously different, I'm want them to pick their own style dress. Something shorter, pretty, and some sort of blue in the turquiose/light aqua/lighter blue family is all I care about! Ashley, my maid of honor, will be wearing navy. I'm excited to see what they come up with! They are going to be gorgeous.

Here is one that I like!

Invitations

Ok, this is our inspiration. We are do them without the giant sea star considering its a bit too much! I want to DIY these so I'm altering them a bit. So here's the inspiration but definitely not the final deal!

FOOOOOOD!!!

We are having Port of Subs cater. A beachy, classier twist on the sub sandwich? Perfect!

Men

Michael is wearing a Ralph Lauren Navy Blue Blazer like this one...

These pants...

A sweater like this (for our subtle hints of pink)...

A white french cuff....

A Turquoise ties...

And his boat shoes....

We still need to find some cool cufflinks so keeping my eyes pealed!

The rest of the guys will wear the same thing except no pink sweater.

Ring Bearer

Fraser is going to be the ring bearer. He is extremely honored. Its quite funny.

He will wear the same outfit as the guys, but I might have him wear a pink sweater like michael.

Instead of a pillow for the rings, I'm taking my inspiration from this:

I already have the shell. Oh, I love it!

Ceremony Bamboo Arch

I love this kind of thing. It will be beautiful!

Gracie will, or course, be the flower girl. She is very excited. I'm still not totally sure about her dress yet!

Ok, so that's it for now but I have to get stuff down now! See ya!

No, I don't blog, thank you.....

2008-09-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, the many times I have said those words...the many looks of disgust I have gotton...oh, the shame in finally becoming a blogger! Oh, well!