A Week In Instagram Photos

Happy Friday! We are off to the Bahamas for a short family vacation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and see you next week. 

You can find me on Instagram here.

January Weekday Recipes

1. Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad With Ginger Peanut  Dressing 

2. Chinese Hot and Sour Soup With a Twist 

3. Masala Penne Pasta 

4. Red Quinoa Taco Salad 

This month I tried a few new quick,  healthy,  and delicious recipes and shared them on Instagram. Many of you asked for the recipes so I thought I would share all the recipe links here. Enjoy! 

Outfit-Floral + Leather

Happy New Year! Do you make New Year's resolutions? This year I am trying something different. After reading this article I decided to pick a theme as my New Year's resolution. I am choosing one word to describe how I want to feel instead of what I want to accomplish or do in the New Year. "The idea of having a theme or mantra is to use this one word to help guide you in aligning actions, behavior, goal setting, and the best use of your free time." {Shay Kostabi} Examples of this include growth, clarity, authenticity, discovery, kindness. 

My one word for 2014 is "evolve." What's your theme?

Also on another note check out my fun New Year's style feature today over at DC Ladies. 

 

Photos by Bonnie Sen Photography

Shop the look 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year!  May the new year bring great health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."— Oprah Winfrey

Blueberry Banana Bread

It has been so long since I posted a recipe but now that we are somewhat settled into our new home I am hoping to bake more with Ariyana. She loves baking and it is a great way for the two of us to spend quality time together. On Sunday it was snowing here in DC so we relaxed at home and took a break from unpacking boxes. Ariyana and I made this delicious blueberry banana bread and it was so good that it is pretty much all gone today! Blueberry banana bread is perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack with an espresso or cup of tea.  

Blueberry Banana Bread 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Butter up a 9×5-loaf pan, sprinkle with flour and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
• Add egg and vanilla, and continue to beat until well incorporated.
• With a rubber spatula, gently fold in mashed bananas and 1/2 cup flour; set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Fold flour mixture into banana mixture until combined.
• Gently fold in blueberries.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let cool.
• Invert onto a rack.
• Cut and serve.