2018 Favorites

I can't believe that 2018 is pretty much over. So much has happened that has made this year fly by. I figured out I need to be gluten free (kind of a big change). I got more involved with my sorority, and have gotten so much closer with the other girls. I completely changed one of my majors, and now my life plan is looking a little different. All of these changes have had a big impact on my life, but mainly for the better. 2018 was a hard year for me, but it taught me a lot and I am pleased with the results. 

| Cottage Cheese | I mentioned this on the blog earlier, but I have been loving cottage cheese. I randomly decided to try it one day, and ever since I eat it almost daily. Daisy is my favorite brand. The texture is perfect and there are no gums or thickeners added. My favorite ways to eat cottage cheese is either plain with pepper, or topped with chia, flax and hemp seeds. 

| Kale | I have no idea where my love for kale came from. One day I hated it, and then suddenly all I want to eat is a kale salad. Kale was a staple for me this summer, and continues to be the first thing I ask for when I come home for breaks. I love the versatility of a simple kale salad, so that it can be eaten for any meal of the day. 

| Booties | I got these shoes for Amazon Prime Day over the summer for a great deal. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted them, but now I wear them quite often at school that I know I made a good purchase. They make any outfit look a little nicer. It is also nice that these shoes are comfortable enough that I ca walk in them all day and my feet don't hurt. 

| Agenda | I have always loved my agendas and this year is no different. My agenda is used everyday and I can't imagine what a mess I would be without it. I love how it has hour by hour lines so I can plan out my time, and the to-do list is long enough to actually fit everything I need to accomplish. It helps that this agenda is absolutely gorgeous and the sight of it sitting on my desk is so pretty. 

| Adidas Shoes |  I have never really had a pair of sneakers that I have liked before, but seeing everyone walking around campus wearing them has made me intrigued. I found this pair for $30 on sale, so I decided it would be a perfect way to try out the trend. I have ended up liking these shoes way more than I thought I would. They are so comfortable with such a good color.

| Perfect Bars |  I tried Perfect Bars when I was training for my marathon as a way to get enough calories during the day without having to put too much thought into it. I have never found a protein bar that I actually liked, but turns out these are so good. My favorite flavor is the coconut peanut butter or the pumpkin pie, but they all taste good, somewhat like cookie dough. Even though I am done with my marathon, I still like to enjoy one every once in a while. 

| Madewell Sweater | My dad and I got a red version of this sweater for my mom earlier this fall, and since then I have been eyeing the sweater so you know it was a great surprise to get it for Christmas. It is so warm and soft I never want to take it off. The color is also so nice and different from anything else I own that it is a great addition to my closet. I know I will be wearing this a ton this winter. 

| Gold Earrings | I have had these gold earring for a couple years but only recently have I started wearing them again. I used to consider myself more of a silver person. I typically wear a silver colored necklace, pearl earrings and a watch with silver lining, but recently gold has starting being appealing to me. I would really like a small gold necklace, but in the meantime I loved wearing these earrings. 

| Books | I haven't read a lot during the school year, but during every break I have loved being able to snuggle up and read some good books. Plenty was one of my favorites. It is about a couple that decides to live on a 100 mile diet. It is every interesting, especially someone who loves local eating. Make sure to check back later on as I will make a post about what I have read recently. 

What are your favorite things of 2018?

xoxo,

Maddie 

What I Ate on Wednesday

 Today might not actually be Wednesday, but this is what I ate on Wednesday so I guess the title works. You know what yesterday also was? My first full day of winter break. This semester was crazy, so this break is definitely needed.  

     I love being home because it means I can cook. I spend most of my days in the kitchen either looking into recipes, reading cookbooks or making something to eat. Right now I am loving to make Christmas treats. Last year I came home so late that I didn't really have time to bake for Christmas, so I am making up for it this year. With that being said, here is what I have been up to in the kitchen. 

 I had been craving good eggs for a while, so this was exactly what I wanted. My family buys their eggs from a local producer, so ours are always really fresh. I also had an orange and toast with homemade raspberry jam. Our oranges are also bought from a special producer from the south, so these are extra juicy. They make all of the clementines I have been eating at school seem awful. 

I wanted to make something special for lunch, so I decided on baked falafel. For some reason it was sounding really good to me, so I just went with it. I used a recipe from MegUnprocessed, and they turned out pretty well. I also added cauliflower rice, lettuce, yellow carrot, canned tomato and avocado to my bowl. I then finished it off with lemon juice. This was a tasty and filling lunch that I will be making again. After this yummy bowl, I had a piece or two of homemade fudge. 

The best part about being at home is my mom's dinners. Last night, we had chicken puttanesca, polenta and roasted Brussel sprouts. It wasn't a crazy fancy meal or anything like that, but it really hit the spot. I love the variety of food that I get when I am at home, so I plan to take full advantage of it this break. 

Lastly, and most importantly, dessert. I made the gluten free sugar cookies that my mom had made earlier this month, so that was my dessert. My favorite cookies are soft and fluffy, so I always look around the batch to find the perfect ones. 

I am so happy to be eating like this again. I joked with my family that my new "diet" for the season will be desserts and vegetables because that is all it seems like I eat. When its not Christmas I don't normally eat as much dessert (ie not 3x a day) but right now, I am loving finally eating and making my favorite treats. 

xoxo,

Maddie 

Thursday Three

And we are back with the Thursday Threes! I always try to be good about writing a post at least every once in a while, but really that never happens. A lot of times, if I have to have a couple spare minutes, I am so tired of looking at computer screens that writing isn't appealing. That being said I am at a weird break in classes where I don't have tons of work so I'm going to try to make the most of it. 

|1|

Ask me what my favorite season of the year is and my answer is always the Christmas season. Everyone who has known me for a while knows this, and more than anyone else, my mom knew it would be hard this year not being able to eat my favorite cookies. For St. Nick's Day she surprised me by making gluten free sugar cookies which involved her even making her own flour blend. They taste so good and this is definitely the highlight of my week. 

|2|

Cottage cheese is officially my newest favorite snack. I remembered liking it when I was a kid, and after reading about it a lot on Bon Appetite recently, I knew I wanted to try it again. I found some for sale at a market on campus and gave it a try. Needless to say I love it. It is a great way to add protein to any meal. I typically just add pepper on top and enjoy.

|3|

This semester has really just consisted a lot of studying and homework. Taking science classes for the first time in years is definitely different then all of my poli sci classes. A lot more math, a lot less reading.  For the most part its been going well, other than the day I had to dissect a rat and then everything with chemistry in general. I have no idea how people choose to be chem majors. With finals starting next week I know I'll just keep studying a lot, but the end is in sight. 

xoxo,

Maddie