Fresh Goji Berries

My grandma grows a goji berry plant in our front yard. There are plenty of fruits every year (the joys of planting!) and the taste is sweet with a punch of bitterness/spice.

I don't think I like fresh goji berries that much (because the spice leaves a funny aftertaste), but it's good for my eyes apparently, so I shall suffer through.

It's interesting how nature opts for complementary colors though, it feels so intentional.

Foodspiration: Siggi's Icelandic Skyr

I was in Whole Foods dairy section, and I literally couldn't find any yogurt that had less than 20g of sugar in a serving. In my frustration, I finally stumbled upon Siggi's Icelandic Skyr, and decided to give it a try.

The first reaction I had upon trying this was WOW THIS IS SO THICK, and it's hard to eat in large quantities. You have to savor the flavors in your mouth. I tried the ginger orange (or orange ginger?) and loved the feel of real ingredients inside, but thought that the ginger was a little bit too overpowering (especially because I was consuming it on a hot summer's day).

I think I'm definitely going to keep going with Siggi's because of its low sugar content and all the health benefits (see here) of the different cultures in the yogurt. I was also super inspired by their beautiful story, starting out small in a farmers market and now taking over the world! Well, if not the world, my stomach at least. I really want to have a stand in farmer's market and influence healthy food culture someday, so this makes me hopeful. (:

The price is a little high, but it has the content to make up for it. I'm just wondering if plain yogurt with my own fruit toppings could match up with this lack of sugar?

Super Lean and Green Smoothie

Health Overload

Green everything!

Ingredients

1 Pear (Bartlett)

1/2 Cucumber

1/2 Avocado

1 cup Kale

3 leaves of Mint

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup Apple Juice (not exactly green)

and blend her up!

For more sweetness, add more pear and apple juice. I would add probably 2 pears next time, just to neutralize the stronger flavor of the cucumber.

Strawberry Smoothie I

Been experimenting with avocados in smoothies.

Ingredients

2 Cups Strawberries

1 Avocado

1 cup Apple Juice

1/2 Banana

The color is a little funky (since mix of complementary colors red of strawberries and green of avocados), and a little too creamy (1 whole avocado is a little intense, I would probably go with some ice or something next time), but the flavor is quite balanced and good! It's not overly sweet and tones down the sourness of the strawberries. 

Homemade Almond Milk

After reading the article "Lay Off the Almond Milk, You Ignorant Hipsters" by Tom Philpott (See the article here), I realized that I was also drawn to these supposed magical properties of almond milk, shelling out a good amount of money for a jug. I am partly lactose intolerant (being Asian...it's probably more unlikely that you're NOT lactose intolerant), so when my friend introduced me to almond milk, I was literally overjoyed to see its high calcium and low fat content.

I guess the main takeaway I got from the article is that I was paying too much for literally just crushed almonds and water (with some chemicals). So, I decided to try my hand at making almond milk myself.

soaked almonds

The milk is ready!

almond milk and some almond meal on the side (after straining)

Ingredients

1 cup almonds

5 cups water (1 for soaking, the rest for the milk)

I let to almonds soak for about 12 hours (but in other recipes, I saw that only about 4 hours is needed). I put the almonds into a soy milk maker (an oddly specific device, I know) and let her rip with additional water. It was all ready in about 15 minutes! I then poured the milk through a strainer which separated the milk from the crushed almond meal. The result is a slightly cleaner tasting version of almond milk (which my family finished within a day!).

There aren't any stabilizers in this homemade version, so the almond milk tends to separate really easily. I'm not completely sure what I want to do with the almond meal yet, but I'll probably find some recipes online.

Another takeaway from the article was the water wasting properties of producing almonds. Although it's good for me to be aware of its ecological harms, I don't think it's effective for me to give up almonds or something in protest. With these things, it's better for some government intervention to help curb California's forever impending drought.

I've become really interested in making super basic ingredients/foods at home! My friend really inspired me the other day by making homemade butter, which I have yet to try. The idea of being able to control all parts of the process appeals to me greatly. Off to obtaining some heavy cream!

Turn Off Pageview Stats!

I've finally found a perfect place in my life for blogging. It is for those moments in between what belongs in my personal journal (which I write by hand every few days) and formal essay writing. It documents experiences and things to remember, but doesn't include the clutter of specific names and ongoing internal struggles. The ideas here are more complete than my journal, but less formally written than essays.

That being said, I would like to develop an intrinsically motivated blogging habit, and I find my stats of pageviews very distracting! I realized that many bloggers become successful not because they wanted to become famous as a goal, but because they simply enjoyed the act of blogging. I find that this constant pageview stat blocks me from enjoying the act of blogging in itself and I should at least have the option to not look at it if I don't want to. I blog for myself, not for pageviews or others.

Like, obviously, people can say, "Just don't pay attention to it." "Stop looking at it." But it's always this huge image of it every time I try to write a new post on my blog! How am I supposed to not look at it at all? Feed into my counterproductive interests, present in human nature?

So, I have asked a question on Google Product Forums about a way to turn pageviews off and you can find the link here: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/how-do-i/c1Wt4RHQ_2A

I would really appreciate your support if you can help make turning off these stats possible in any way!

Green Smoothie Variation I

I thought I ran out of apples for my #greensmoothie, so instead of an apple, I put a nectarine in the blender instead.

and a more stylish/hipster glass
why are mason jars so versatile?

The result was a slightly tangier and sweeter smoothie (less thick too!), not too big of a deal. My mom hated the peach-apple flavor, but my grandma preferred it, so I guess it's up to your taste buds. 

Next stop...pears probably.

Green Smoothie

I've gotten addicted to making #greensmoothies! I think I freak out about half my friends by drinking this, but they actually are super healthy and taste delicious too. 

This is the current recipe I use: 

1.5 cups Kale

Half an Avocado

1.5 cups Apple Juice (Fresh Pressed - Don't use the fake stuff!)

1 Apple (sliced)

A Dash of Lemon

Put all these ingredients into a blender, and leave it in for about 1.5 minutes at the highest power. (If you don't do it for long enough, there will be a lot of yucky fibers, so your smoothie will be chewy). The end result will taste mostly like apple juice, with the texture of a smoothie. I find that the lemon really brings out the light flavor of the kale, making the smoothie taste much more complex. 

I want to explore more green smoothie recipes - do you know any good ones? 

The Little Things; July Roses

I've been going on runs every other day, and as I pass through the neighborhood, I'm sometimes able to catch a glimpse of my favorite kinds of roses: pink on the outside, with an orangy-peach center. I know that red roses stand for love, yellow for friendship, but how about these? 

About to head off on my run again, hope you have a great day!

Approaching Minimalism

Throughout high school, I was obsessed with fashion blogs. I was constantly scrolling through websites such as Lookbook.nu and watching JuicyStar07 shopping hauls, which fostered me with an appreciation for diverse styles and an update on current fashion. However, internally, they also gave me a sense of overwhelming inferiority. I thought the only way I could elevate myself like these Hyped Lookbookers was to keep acquiring cool shit and show it off. Yet, even when I got new clothes or jewelry, I felt like I never had enough. The Lookbookers always got something that was cooler, newer, more expensive. On blogs, their lives seemed so exciting and fresh, complete with DSLR-quality photographic evidence. 

Struggling with my deep-rooted discontentment, I started to wonder how I could mold my life into something that I loved. What did it take for me to be happy? I noticed that I liked interacting with my friends in the absence of technology, such as in instances of shopping. I liked trying new foods and reading for leisure. I couldn't quite put these preferences into words. They stayed in the subconscious levels of my mind. 

In a more philosophical exploration of the internet, I finally found Minimalism. It really curbed my desire for more things, as I realized that all the little gadgets, cute accessories, and clothes that I had accumulated brought little value into my life. Instead, experiences and people took the center stage. These were the times in which I truly felt happy and more fulfilled. Moreover, it made me realize that life really isn't about making money and that you don't have to sacrifice your passions in order to live happily. 

I now often toot the horn of Minimalism as my ideal lifestyle. I know that my habits are far from perfect (and I do still buy the useless, cheap, but cute crap from time to time), but, I do it much less. I have less of a desire to acquire. I have trained myself to appreciate cute things that aren't in my possession. I've become okay with not owning everything that I like, because I happen to actually like a lot of things. Such as Hello Kitty toasters. Such as dinosaur onesies. More importantly, I've stopped feeling sorry for myself, just because I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on brand named "cool clothes". I am more than the things that I own. 

In college, I've tried my best to live Minimalist-ly. I keep my dorm room relatively clutter free, and try to only keep what I really need. Of course, things often accumulate, while I'm in the stress of finals and less aware of being mindful about my possessions. I find time to exercise and embrace new experiences. Yet, I often still find myself overextended beyond my means by participating in too many activities, forcing me to focus on getting my grades as high as possible instead of the learning experience. I think what I've learned through this constant struggle of balancing minimalist philosophy and the bustle of college life is that I don't need to be hard on myself, and that it's okay when my actions don't align perfectly with my beliefs. I used to feel terrible for days after I bought a new dress because I felt like it went against my Minimalist ideals. Yet, this is all a process, and I don't need to be the perfect Minimalist and only own like one shirt in my entire wardrobe or something right away, but only be mindful of my actions and be critical of what truly enriches my life and what I can do without.

For more on Minimalism, please visit these amazing blogs; 

www.theminimalists.com

www.becomingminimalist.com

www.exilelifestyle.com

www.zenhabits.net