5 Minute Hummus Recipe

The other day I was entertaining some friends when we started talking about hummus. I didn't have any hummus on hand but had all the ingredients, so I decided to whip up a batch. It was super easy to make and extra delicious. It's great on crackers, bread, carrots, cut up zucchini, and even as a topping on sandwiches! The sriracha is definitely the game-changer, so make sure you add that!! (Side note: has anyone seen the Sriracha documentary? I really want to see it!) Also, it makes a lot more than pictured but I forgot to take a picture the day of, so this is the leftovers I had as my snack the next day!

Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 can of garbanzo beans
1/4 cup of water
2 tbsp of extra olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice or lemon concentrate
1 1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute
1 tsp sriracha (AKA all the flavor!!!)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 dash of paprika

Directions:
1. Blend all the ingredients together. I used my smoothie maker and it worked just fine!
2. Serve!

Thanks for reading!

Inspiration Station: A Note on Resilience

In the last year I've learned a lot about resilience. I've learned that life is not about what happens but how you react to the situation. Two people can be put in the exact same demolarizing situation but one will succumb and the other will surmount. The person who succumbs will feel like a failure and that they're not good enough. These doubting emotions take over and paralyze you from following your dreams or doing what you need to do. On the other hand, the person who surmounts will recognize this as a challenge and will do everything in their power to overcome the obstacle because they know they are worthy, intelligent, and hard working. These two people can have the EXACT SAME IQ AND WORK ETHIC but negative thoughts poison the person who succumbed. 

Moral of the story: 

"You must always have faith in yourself." - Elle Woods

"If you can't change your fate, change your attitude." -Amy Tan

No matter what situation you are in, be it a terrible family dynamic, a difficult financial situation, a debilitating illness, a career where your self confidence is continuously tested (read: the military and health care -- mad respect for people in both of those professions), your attitude can change what happens. It DOES NOT matter how smart you are, or how hard you work. Those are both important factor but you absolutely need to have faith in yourself and believe that you will succeed to do so. 

That's nice and all but how exactly do you "have faith in yourself"? 

1. Close your eyes and imagine yourself reaching your goals and how happy you will be. How excited and proud and thankful will you feel? Take that feeling and put it in your pocket and remind yourself of it whenever you are feeling sad or lacking self confidence. 

2. Put words of affirmation everywhere-- on your mirror, all over your desk, on your agenda, as your phone and computer wallpaper-- use these to continuously remind yourself that you can do it! 

3. Watch motivational videos or Ted Talks (there are 382 Ted Talks under the "inspirational" category!!)

4. Make a list of all of your previous accomplishments. You have achieving tons of goals in your life and certainly have touched many people's lives. Make a list of those to help you remember that you're a boss lady (or boss man!) and read the list whenever you're feeling discouraged.  

5. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and who will always remind you how much you can and will succeed.

Whatever you do, always have faith in yourself!

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Quote in the picture is from this article, which is a super interesting read about resilience!

Pink and Leopard Print

I'm so excited that the weather is finally starting to warm up but during this weird transition of sometimes-cold-sometimes-hot days, it's hard to find the right outfit. You don't want to keep wearing your dark wintery colors, but at the same time it's not warm enough to bust out the summer dresses and shorts. I put together a fun springy outfit that's still weather-appropriate for the cooler days!

 

Pink J. Crew sweater (similar here, here, and here)
Pink stripped Gap tunic (old, super similar here, on sale here and short sleeve version here)
White jeans (similar here, here, and save here)
Pink scarf (similar here, here, here, here, and here)
Leopard clutch (from Stitch Fix but splurge here, and save here and here)
French Connection Brown leather sandals (similar here, here, and here)

Thanks for reading!

Lentil Stew Recipe

This soup recipe is AMAZE. It is super healthy because it has tons of veggies but it is also filling because of the lentils. The only thing I changed was using chicken broth instead of water, to add more flavor. The recipe is enough to have tons of left overs, which is a huge bonus in my book. Whip up a grilled cheese and you have a healthy, delicious meal on your hands! If you want more recipes by Simple Vegan Blog check out my post on their rainbow veggies or their blog!

 

 Thanks for reading!

Pesto Turkey and Gruyère Pita Sandwich

Sometimes I get into a lunch rut where I pack the same old boring sandwich and then I'm not excited to eat my lunch. Eating lunch is one of my few breaks during the day, so I make sure that the food is extra delicious so I enjoy my break! One of my favorite go-to's when I'm feeling "bleh" about my lunch game is this amazing pesto turkey and Gruyere pita sandwich. It's super delicious and I always get a handful of questions each day I bring it about what kind of delicious lunch I'm eating! I got my inspiration from this sandwich but added pesto and used spring mix instead of lettuce. Gruyere is definitely a pricier cheese, but if you have a Trader Joe's in your area, they have Gruyere for pretty affordable prices! For the pesto, Trader Joe's definitely has the tastiest and most economical pesto, so I would highly recommend their pesto! I usually will use one apple for the whole week of sandwiches, so I'll cut off a few slices each day and save the rest in a Tupperware for the next day! Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

 

I am the peanut butter queen. I love love love peanut butter. If a day goes by where I don't eat a nut-butter, something is wrong. I didn't eat peanut butter growing up, so I have to make up for lost time! I was so excited when I found this recipe because it combines 2 of my favorite things: chocolate and peanut butter! Sally's Baking Addiction is definitely my go-to baking blog, and this recipe is nothing short of perfection: 5 ingredients and no-bake! Some of my other favorite recipes from Sally include the skinny raspberry chocolate chip muffins and the cake batter chocolate chip cookies. Comment below if you make the recipe!

 

Thanks for reading!