A post that starts and ends with flowers. With food in between flower bouquets. My kind of blog post. When I wake up, after the usual morning routines are finished, I’m heading out the door on my bike to the beach to watch surfers. And then onto Venice Farmers Market (I’ve never been to this particular farmers market location! The pics below are from this market a few weeks ago). No worries. No emails. No feeling obligated to get to work right away.

I’m taking the morning to breathe fresh air, ride my bike and buy good food. To take care of me. I’m enjoying the pace of life after many years of working hard to get to this stage. This seemingly simple morning represents a much larger slice of my life. Getting to the stage where I’m not rushing off to work for someone else or compromising my day or health. Knowing the value of my time and the pace of work as a freelancer through much trial and error and too many 16+ hour days to count. I’m feeling especially grateful to be here and at this point in life. Taking time to soak it in and savor what a simple morning represents.

I’d love to know what you’re grateful for right now in life. Maybe it’s hopping on your bike to buy strawberries, kale and flowers – my farmers market shopping list for tomorrow morning. Maybe you’re grateful for something bigger and more grand. Whatever it is that’s bringing joy to your heart remember to ‘enjoy the ride’. Count your blessings. Maybe take a few pictures along the way.

I love my almond milk, but switching it up every now and again with a new nut or seed – like the brazil nut! – always presents a new recipe challenge in the kitchen. The brazil nut has a more earthy flavor and makes a more creamy, rich final milk than almond milk. Perfect for these chocolate chip cookies – pairing up the sweet, salty, earthy flavor profiles. It’s also a faster milk to make because you don’t have to soak Brazil nuts if you’re short on time. I prefer to give them at least a few hours ‘just in cases’…

Below are a few shots of the process + the recipe for making Brazil nut milk (I infused it with coconut which you can take or leave). You can use the base recipe for almost any nut or seed once you have the hang of it. For sweeteners I keep it easy: sweeten it up with 2-3 medjool dates. By the way, dates are a terribly unattractive food to photograph. I think I took at least 10 pictures and kind of just decided to let it be its ugly, wrinkled sweet self. Not every food is beautiful on the outside… but that doesn’t take away from all of the goodness on the inside!

If you don’t have these in your kitchen get them immediately. I picked up this set at a grocery store when visiting Chicago last year. This is my online pick that’s comparable and actually a better value. I use them for everything from food storage to making my nut & seed milks.

Brazil & Coconut Milk 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Brazil nuts (soaking optional)
• 1/2 cup of coconut flakes (optional)
• 4 cups filtered water
• 2-3 pitted dates
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla bean powder* or vanilla extract (*obsessed with vanilla bean powder, which you can buy here)

Directions:

1. Place the water and the nuts and coconut into a high speed blender. Start with “pulse” and move up your speed settings until the liquid is smooth and creamy looking (around 2 minutes or so). 
2. Use the mesh bag (or nut milk bag) over the mouth of a large jar. Hold the cheesecloth or nut milk bag in place with a rubber band by slipping the rubber band around the bag at the mouth of your jar or container. This is so important to avoid a mess!
3. Pour the nut milk through the cheesecloth or nut milk bag, and into the container. You may need to work in batches. Squeeze the Brazil nut pulp over the blender blow. Add the strained milk back into the blender bowl. Watch this video by My New Roots if this is your first time making nut milk. 
4. Add the pitted dates, sea salt and vanilla; blend everything until the dates are smooth. You can strain it one more time or leave it ‘as is’.
5. Transfer the nut milk to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Shake it up before you drink as it will separate – that’s what whole, natural foods do!

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think or if you have any feedback!

Last week I wrote my teary-eyed homage to the decade as it closes; this week I want to share the lightness and the humor of reflecting on a decade lived. Through-and-through a Gemini. One moment incredibly blithe and happy; the next quiet and contemplative. Writing these two posts – one serious, one humorous – fits both my ‘sides’.

Below is an overview of the major areas of “life” – if one can be so bold as to categorize life. Love. Family. Career. Fitness. Wellness. Food. My perspective on each of these life-areas as a 20-year-old, as a 25-year-old and my present day 30-year-old self. I hope this list makes you laugh. Feel a connection. And maybe find a little of yourself!

love

• At 20: Boyfriend? A quick make-out session with that cute guy from biochem, but forget about that boyfriend part.
• At 25: How on earth did I end up in Detroit, Michigan? At least the summers are nice. Too bad summer is only 8 weeks.
• At 30: Long distance for the third time? Australia ⇆ Los Angeles? I must be insane or really love this guy. Is there a difference?

family

• At 20: I will never have kids. Ugh. I don’t even want to get MARRIED!
• At 25: Oh I’m so glad we have a puppy! A dog is so much better than having children!
• At 30: One or two won’t be so bad. We can do this parenthood thing, right? Our dog will help raise our kids!

career

• At 20: Busy making plans for world domination. And changing my undergrad major 4 times in 3 years.
• At 25: 2 graduate degrees in 3 years completed!! $50k in student loans, no experience and no jobs to be found. Huh…
• At 30: Can someone please give me a bottle of champagne vodka for surviving my first year of freelance?

fitness

• At 20: You know, I’d love to stay and party but if I don’t wake up and run my 16 miles tomorrow I will totally let Hal Higdon down in my marathon training plan and ruin my times in the next race.
• At 25: Have you heard of Lady Gaga? She’s so weird but my spinning group ex classes just LOVE her music! I’ll burn you a CD of my playlist!
• At 30: Which way to savasana? Thanks!

wellness

• At 20: I heard that you actually GET herpes and STIs at the student health center.
• At 25: Campus medical is included in my grad assistantship package!! Health insurance is soooo expensive!
• At 30: Will a company PLEASE offer healthcare that covers my green juice, yoga and monthly massage?

food

• At 20: I don’t really know what “vegan” means, but it’s like the same thing as low-fat and low-calorie, right?
• At 25: Are you serious? I grew up in the Midwest. How can I be allergic to dairy? How will I tell my family I can’t eat cheese?
• At 30: I can’t eat 95% of the things they serve on this menu between my dairy allergies and food intolerances. Just come over and I’ll make lunch.

celebrate with me!

I made the above “CELEBRATE” as a digital goodie for YOU! Because a party is much more friend when you share it with your friends! Here’s what to do to get this pretty, glitter-filled reminder to CELEBRATE onto your desktop: (1) Select your wallpaper size: 1020 x 768 / 1280 x 800  (2) Install your wallpaper: Mac / Windows (3) Snap a picture of your device with its new “celebrate” theme and share on Instagram or Twitter by tagging – @WELLinLA on both – or #WELLinLA if you prefer the hashtag route.

Whew… Create + Cultivate Los Angeles was an action-packed and inspiring day from start to finish. A room full of creative peeps, unlimited coffee and a smattering of mimosas, champagne and wine = a very good day. New friends and familiar faces, like my friend Scarlet of LaunchHaus (also one of our speakers from last July’s YFE event) and Joanna of Waterfall Creative. Really we had the most rockin’, bold, funny women at our table. Hands down the best table. Thanks seating chart gods!

To begin to summarize the entire day from start to finish would be impossible. Jaclyn and her team at No Subject truly have something special hap-happenin’ with Create + Cultivate. If they come your way with their magical road show of flowers (oh-so-many-flowers!! provided by Willow & Jade), bloggers, glitter, flowers, balloons and swag bags do not miss the opportunity to grab your seat.

There was a lot of DIY built into the day. Weird fact about Erin: I get stage fright with “live” DIY projects. I’m much happier observing everyone in their creative element. Fully aware and accepting of my weirdness. I have to think quietly for an unreasonable amount of time before I do any kind of hands-on project that doesn’t involve food. I’ve been this way since I was a child and don’t foresee it changing anytime soon… Instead I did what I do when I’m inspired: snap photos. Lots of ‘em. Threaded with the photos are inspirational quotes from the speakers ‘cuz they were all so very quotable!

“Let yourself get out and be inspired by your surroundings, not just the computer.”
Jessica / Jessica Comingore Studio

“Love this random barf of things (referring to the table filled with items  like feathers,
glitter, beads & toy soldiers) because that is what you face with creativity everyday.”
Kate / Mr. Kate

“I find inspiration when I am starving before lunch.
Or when I go to farmers markets and see pretty, in season and unique ingredients.”
Adrianna / A Cozy Kitchen

“Artists are our life blood.” – Aaron / Bucket Feet

It’s Monday and you have healthy dinners mapped out the entire week, right? If not, I have a solution for my Los Angeles peeps! Monica of Supper Sack and her organic, farm-to-table shopping + meal plans. Delivered direct to your doorstep. I first shared my Supper Sack experience a year ago (we feasted like kings for a week on the Supper Sack menu at my casa). When my fab Gemini twin Sharzad of Luxlyfe invited me to a Supper Sack themed #TasteNTweet of course I said “YES!”. Delicious food, Monica and a fun dinner with my gorgeous friends was a no-brainer. Kind of like ordering Supper Sack. It really is the perfect service for those busy weeks when you want to cook, but you don’t want to stress about what’s on the menu and getting to the store.

We sampled lots of healthy, tasty dishes as you can see from the recap video:

A Supper Sack Special for WELL Readers

Supper Sack is extending a special offer to my Los Angeles readers (for the rest of you … check out the Supper Sack Facebook page for recipes for now!). Mention “Taste N’ Tweet” when you order now through June 30th to receive a special promotional price of $105 AND a complimentary appetizer with your meals. That’s $105 to feed 4 people  organic, local, no-fuss, no hassle dinners for the week. Supper Sack is working on a soon-to-launch vegetarian menu, too.

Oh! And cocktails! How could I forget cocktails (maybe don’t answer that…)? Samantha of Clean Cocktails provided unique twists on mixers, like blueberry + lavender, along with classic flavor pairings like strawberry + basil. Both Samantha and Monica have a little piece of my heart for being female business owners on a mission to promote whole foods, back-to-basics-clean-eating and a wellness-based lifestyle.

A few more candids from our #TasteNTweet dinner are below! Have a great start to the week!

During the college years I lived on protein and nutrition bars of all kind, shape and flavor without discretion. I naively assumed that if a food came from the ‘kind of hippie’ health food aisle of my local grocery store it was good for me. Seemed reasonable enough at the time. Fast forward a few hundred bars consumed and the realization that not all bars are created equal finally started to sink in (I even think Snickers got in the sports/nutrition/’good for you game’ – does anyone remember that minute in time?). Post-college I had ‘bar burnout’ for years and subsequently became very picky about ingredients and taste over time. Hidden sugars and over-processed, barely recognizable ‘foods’ kept me at bay from the bar aisle.

Enter the Vega One Bar. Made from plants. Cacao. All kinds of things that are good for you. And it tastes good. Warning: it’s a little earthy and plant-y but that suits my palate just fine. The Vega One Bar bar isn’t overly sweet despite being chocolate. Vega-being-Vega makes it easy to avoid the hidden allergy culprits, like dairy, soy and gluten, that lurk in most major bars. Each bar is infused with a greens blend consisting of alfalfa grass, spinach, broccoli, kale, antioxidants and a dose of gut-loving probiotics. There are also chia seeds blended in – not so many chia-chias that it’s off-putting, but more of a surprise when you encounter one in a bite. More like “oh hello there chia seed!”. 

This bar is more of a protein bar ‘plus’; I’ve been tossing them in my bag as a ‘meal-on-the-go’ for the last couple of months in addition to instant re-fueling post sweat sessions. Perfect for staving off hunger on long flights and very TSA-friendly! Keeping you healthy on-the-go. The Vega One bars are nicely balanced with protein (15 grams), plant-based fats (11 grams – from almonds, chia seeds / oil, and cocoa butter), and fiber (6 grams) with a fairly low sugar count (12 grams) considering the indulgent chocolate goodness of the bars.

Win Vega One Bars:

Since we had such a fun response with the first giveaway with Vega we’ve partnered up to give one lucky reader a one case of each of these 3 Vega One flavors (that’s once case each of Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Cherry and Double Chocolate!). This post is obviously sponsored by Vega but you know I love the Vega brand and all opinions are always-always-always my own. The retail value for one box of bars = $47.79 // singles are $3.99. That makes this roughly a $150 prize package. Sweet, right?

I’m selecting a winner for this awesome package from the pool of comments below AND my email subscriber list as a little extra love for RSS/email subscribers. You can double your chances to win by leaving a comment below sharing why you want to win this Vega One prize pack and by signing up for the once-a-week post digest & once-a-month email by clicking here.

Already Love Vega??

Use the hashtag #VegaOneBar to show your love to @VegaTeam on Twitter and @vega_team on Instagram. Connect with the Facebook community or get shopping for your Vega supplies right away via Vega online. The winner will be notified on Wednesday, May 22nd.

Don’t you want to be there? On a beach, in Australia, filled with brightly colored houses and sunshine. I do. Thirty-year-old me is going to be here in July of this year, spending the month with my fiancé in Melbourne. The idea of me traveling for a month AND turning 30 both sound foreign, but both events are less than 7 and 2 weeks away, respectively. WELL in Australia… not quite the same ring to it, but I like it!

As my twenties come to a close I’m trying to process the last decade of life. My twenties feel like the first decade worthy of reflection… introspection. My first decade as an adult. Defining who I am and what I want. The three words that best encompass it: overwhelming, scary and exhilarating.

My idea to take on a challenge each month in this last year of my twenties as an homage to the decade crumbled mid-way through the year. A few years ago I would have stressed and obsessed, but present-day me shrugs and rolls with it. Everyday life and the first year of being a freelancer presented enough challenges in year #29 without adding more to my plate. It was in this last year that I realized the need for a “diet” version of life. Less of the junk food and more of the nutritious, good-for-me stuff. The realization that 20 might not be the new 30 but less is always more.

In short, I loved my 20′s but it is a decade I’m ready to close. I don’t know that I’ll ever experience as much growth in my life as I did in this decade. It was a “developmental sweet spot” on the best days and a roller-coaster ride most days. 30 is not the new 20 (watch this TED talk with psychologist Meg Jay on this very topic!) and I am so grateful for that.

“Thirty-year-old-me”. She holds so many promises and wants to experience even more – marriage, babies, more travel, the next stages of business and all of the surprises, delights and challenges life throws her way. She doesn’t take bullshit. She’s quick to learn from her mistakes. She knows the value of her time. She’s clear on who she is and what she wants. I like her. No, I love her. And I am so excited that I am growing into her. She’s a lot like my mom and that thought – that makes my heart swell and my eyes get a little teary. Good, happy tears.

I have a humor-filled post on turning 30 next week, but my more serious side needed to get the enormity of reflecting on a decade off her chest first. I would love to hear from you about your experience with your twenties. Share your story of your first adult decade – no matter where you are in life – if you’re in your 20′s (like my friend Rachel of OnePartGypsy); if you’re just leaving them like me; or if your 20′s were 10, 20 or 40 years ago!

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Wearing the same black Lululemon Wunder Unders to yoga class over and over is kinda like going to a party and only talking to your best friend. Sure, your bestie or closest gal pal can hold a great conversation but there are a ton of other interesting people at the party with whom to mingle! You don’t want to miss an opportunity to make a new friend by staying in your comfort zone, right?! What makes me an expert on this topic of getting out of your comfort zone??? (especially when it comes to yoga and the yoga wardrobe?)

Basically Yoga and Yoga Pants Are My Life.

I love my standard Lulu cropped yoga pants (despite the recent see-through debacle!), but I’ve recently opened my heart and my closet to new brands for my workout wardrobe. Why? Yoga is an expression of all the sides of my personality – my fun, creativity and playfulness – and I want my clothing to reflect my practice. Also, for the past six months I have lived in my yoga pants as a fitness writer and yoga teacher-in-training. Living in my yoga pants also means there are times that I need them to transition with me throughout the day – from casual to a little more dressed up. Yes… these days you’ll either catch me coming from or on my way to the yoga studio.

In the spirit of becoming an expert on the topic I’ve rounded up 3 of my current favorite brands to match all my yoga and daily life needs. Let’s get this beyond basic, beyond black yoga-pants party started!

Playful, Color-Loving & Eco-Conscious

If you live in L.A. or SoCal you’ve probably already caught a glimpse of Teeki’s wild, colorful prints on the street or in your local studio. Teeki’s line offers bright color, with a nostalgic-but-hip screen print feel and high quality (no sheer here!). These earth-friendly pants made from recycled bottles are not for the faint of heart! Teeki offers statement yoga pieces that help Mother Nature. A win-win for everyone. Pieces start at $64 // Shop Teeki online here.

Classic and Timeless With a Modern Twist

On a recent shopping trip to Nordstroms my mom allowed my sister and I each to pick something out on her dime. Naturally flocked to the activewear section (ahem – aforementioned “living in my yoga pants” is not a joke!). If you’re a yogini looking to get a more interesting pair of yoga pants but aren’t ready to commit to the colorful, crazy print of Teekis, these pants are for you. Karma adds appealing details to the basic black yoga pant, such as a gathered side panel. Or the more bold sheer side panel! Pieces start at $64 // Shop Karma online here.

Athlete Turned Yoga-Lover

During my years of playing Division I volleyball, I lived in Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. Once I started unrolling my mat more than I hit the court, I thought my days of wearing these brands were over. But Under Armour is making surprisingly stylish and functional yoga clothes that you may just start to see in the retail section of your yoga studio. Their new hot pink pants are at the top of my wishlist! Pieces start at $59 // Shop Under Armour online here.

Yoga Style Without Breakin’ the Bank

I’m a big believer in buying quality products (my first Lululemon purchase was in 2008 and I still wear the first tops and bottoms I ever purchased to this day) but sometimes you need to factor in the budget. The C9 line by Champion at Target is really great quality for the money and the clothes look much more flattering in person than they do online. Trust me! My other favorite “bargain” line is the VSX line by Victoria’s Secret which is seemingly ALWAYS on sale in-store. I’ve scored $80 pants for $20 or less on most occasions. Pieces start at $25 // Shop Target here and Victoria’s Secret here.  

Ready for Beyond Basic Black Pants?

Which pair do you want to try from the options above? Do you have a brand that you love? Share it below! A girl can never have enough yoga pants, right?

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This post is brought to you by the sun-kissed fitness writer & yoga instructor Blair of Beach Grown. Tweet her @BlairBeachGrown or see what’s shakin’ on Facebook in addition to getting to know her via her intro post found here. 

Move LifeStyle is one of my new favorite blogs – more of a lifestyle space on the web; a place you want to cozy up to & read while sipping on your favorite drink (coffee, tea, Cosmo…)! The founders best describe Move LifeStyle as: “a collaboration between like-minded friends and the talented people who influence us”. Move LifeStyle is for the modern day ‘girl on the go,’ offering substance and guidance from their ‘go-to-girls’ on all the things we encounter as women (work, life, balancing it all) with dashes of travel, technology, entertaining and fashion.

Meet team Move LifeStyle

Clearly these three women have learned a thing or two about setting up a blog. Not to mention a full-scale website and business operation. Oh yes… and how to work with your friends in-person and online. We are fortunate to have 5 new blogucation tips from the women behind Move LifeStyle!

Editor-in-Chief Autumn Reeser (@autumnreeser); Managing Director & Executive Editor Ashley Fauset (@ashleyfauset); Creative & Technical Director Jenn Wong (@wayofthewong)

Blogucation Tips – In Detail:

1. Commit to your blog and be honest with yourself about the time you can devote to it. Blogging can be more time consuming than it may seem. Writing is the fun part, but there is a whole world of technical tasks hiding behind the curtains, from coding to graphic design to photo editing.
2. Choose a subject you’re truly passionate about. You will be writing about this topic indefinitely, so be sure your focus isn’t a fad or a phase you’re in that might fizzle out.
3. Embrace the online community of bloggers. In order to be supported in the online world, you in turn, need to support your fellow bloggers. View them not as your competition, but as your peers. Engage with them by commenting on posts and photos, asking questions, or even offer to collaborate. It may seem counterintuitive, but learning from each other is the best way to navigate the uncharted wild west of the web.
4. Write for yourself, not for your readers. Make your message honest and candid. Stay inspired and post consistently. Posting sporadically is one of the quickest ways to lose your audience’s attention.
5. Embrace social media. It’s one of the best ways to build your online community. Don’t just use it as a tool to grow your brand, become a part of it. It’s a great way to connect with like-minded people, to engage with them and gain them as fans, despite the fact you may never meet them in person.

Catch all the ‘Blogucation’ posts by clicking here.
Find more ‘Move’ online: Move LifeStyle.com | Facebook | Twitter

 

Let’s start the new week so-fresh-n-so-clean-clean, shall we? Easily accomplished with this gorgeous line from Herbivore Botanicals. Last December I was in Chicago for a week and stumbled upon the Seattle-based Herbivore Botanicals soaps and bath salts at an Anthropologie store. I was initially drawn in by the great visuals – I mean how can you not love the packaging? The design is modern but feels very personal and handled with love – the in-store product is wrapped with pretty washi tapes in addition to the crisp white and black labels.

And then there’s the product itself. The ingredients – simple. The scent – clean and balanced (not heavy… I can’t do scented soaps). It’s neither overpowering nor nonexistent – my “beef” with a lot of the natural skincare products. I don’t want to smell like tea tree oil, patchouli or nothing at all. The scents are carefully balanced and thought out. Like, really well thought out. Like I want to eat or drink them kind of thought out – blood orange, ginger and sea salt?? Sounds like a cocktail to me!

I grabbed a blue clay bar as my trial purchase. I’ve loved it and I’m ready to buy more… and found them on Etsy! But it gets better: their Etsy store is a full line – beyond soaps and salts. There are facial oils, balms, masks and stuff just for the guys, too (I feel like the guys often get left out of the “clean” and “healthy” sector – so here’s one for you!). My current favorite facial oil is running low and I have a bottle of Herbivore Botanical’s “Nourish” ordered and on its way.

Oils on my face?! It’s part of the simplified skincare routine that is doing WONDERS for my skin. After months of fighting we’re back in a happy space! Which makes me even more excited to add the clean, simple products from HB to my daily routine. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of clay for your skin check out this article from Wellness Mama. And to learn more about cleansing your skin with oils go to this post which has great links on the OCM (oil cleansing method).

*All photos via Herbivore Botanicals Etsy store; cropped & styled by moi!