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ThinkZoeBoost

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Friday, July 31, 2015

5 Facts About Vegan Zucchini Brownies

Hey everyone! I need to be real with y'all- I caved yesterday. I wanted chocolate, cake, brownie, chocolate "goodiness". Needed it bad. Probably the best thing I've ever made- and I'm a vegetarian/vegan food blogger and aspiring chef- I've made and created A LOT  of recipes. HUGE HIT all around, and my dad loved it! It created a wonderful family bonding time: Beyonce on the track, single ladies, while we danced and sang with chocolate on our minds and in our bellies. I can't think of a better night! So, I thought, let's conquer another beast with VEGAN ZUCCHINI BROWNIES! 

Ingredients

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Coconut yogurt (or plain yogurt)
2 cup shredded and peeled zucchini 
1 1/2 cup Organic Agave Five
3/4 cup Chocolate Chip
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (or any Gluten Free Flour) 
1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
 1 tsp. Salt 
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract


1. Preppin' Before the Cookin'

 I preheated my oven to 350 degrees. I then took a glass cake pan (oe any long baking pan works fine as well) and sprayed with canola oil spray to keep the brownie from sticking. Also, sifted my flour into a small bowl. 


 2. Save Your Zucchini Skin

Skin your zucchini, follow tip #1 pleassssiiieee, then shred it with a grater. I use the largest holed side fyi. I put all the shavings in a large bowl. Breathe. Time to put some Beyonce on!! 

3.  The Holy Trinity of Brownies

In a mixer, add the paddle attachment if you have it, I added my Agave, Yogurt, and Flour- I mixed it on low until the consistency was similar to a wet sand. 

4. Zucchini Makes Everything Moist & Wonderful. Fact. 

Add in your mixer bowl with the setting still on low your zucchini, cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips. I poured my liquid pool of heaven right onto my cooking pan, slid in the oven for 40 minutes- but peoples- check it with a toothpick until it comes out clean. JUST DO IT. You'll thank me later. 

5. Indulge! 

40 minutes later you have a work of art, a creation of beauty- then just devour it. YOU DESERVE IT! 



Zoe's Quick Tip

As always, use the ingredients that fit and complement your lifestyle. Never let a guru, chef, or blogger dictate what's good and feels good to your body. Here, common substitutions would be gluten free flour, regular yogurt, or cane sugar instead of Agave. Do you! 

Namaste,

Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, feel free to like us on Facebook, and Follow Via EmailTwitter & Instagram for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration! Love you:) 


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Monday, July 27, 2015

Vegan Pesto and Avocado Pizza

Hello everyone. Today I wanted to conquer the beast: vegan pizza. I made the crust with sweet potato, but I have seen many a fabulous recipe with mashed cauliflower base, quinoa crust, or a zucchini crust. As I had one too many sweet potatoes, I decided to utilize them in my crust. Feel free to add whatever toppings you would like, whether Daiya vegan cheese, mushrooms, onions, garlic, it's you pizza, so enjoy your RAW AND VEGAN SCRUMPTIOUS SWEET POTATO CRUST PIZZA! 


Ingredients for Sweet Potato Crust

2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon garlic and herbs
1 tablespoon Basil Leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon Oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 chia or flax egg
1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup almond meal (or just add same amt. of spelt)
2 cups water 

Topping Ideas 

Sauteed mushrooms 
Red Bell Peppers
Pesto
Onions
Artichokes
Tomato
Garlic
Feta Cheese* (Optional)

Preppin', Primpin' & Cooking

Peel your potatoes, and diced them into large cubes. Place about 2 cups water in large pot on stove, and bring to a boil. Add your cubes to the boiling hot water, let simmer for 30 minutes. While boiling, let's get your dry ingredients together for your crust. Place 1 tbsp. of ground flax seed or chia seed into small bowl with three tbsp. of water, set aside for 10 minutes (your chia or flaxseed egg). Sift your flour into a large bowl, and add your spices. After the 30 minutes are over, drain your potatoes, and mash them into a lumpy mush. Slowly add your flour and spice mixture to the sweet potato in three or four batches, slowly folding as you go. Then, add your flax egg and balsamic vinegar, mixing well. Spread your mixture on a large sheet pan covered with olive oil evenly, and place in the oven at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Take the time now to put on some lovely tunes, and compile some toppings, I sauteed some mushrooms, onion, and garlic with coconut oil, and set aside some artichokes, tomato, and any other veggies I would likeAfter the crust is golden brown and crispy and the 35 minutes are over,  I put down a layer of pesto and my veggies on my crust. I place it in the oven for 10 minutes, jam out to some Beyonce and Ciara, and wait patiently while my stomach moans:)  Then voila! My pizza was perfectly cooked! Enjoy!

Zoe's Quick Tip

About the ingredients here: ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO USE ANY GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR & or USE ANY DAIRY FREE CHEESE YOU WOULD LIKE TO make this ThinkZoeBoost recipe FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE. I want to stress that although my recipes are catered to my allergies and sensitives, I try to make them as accessible as possible to all eating types and dietary restrictions. Inclusivity baby! MAKE THE RECIPES WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE- THEY ARE YOURS NOW:) ENJOY! 

Namaste,
Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL, like on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram

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Thursday, July 23, 2015

BADASS VEGAN CARROT CAKE

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is having a lovely summer so far. Well, I don't know about you, but I been cravin' some good old fashioned crumby, gooey cake to just satiate my everlasting sweet tooth. This vegan carrot cake/loaf fulfilled every wish, and my dad who is not vegan, FREAKING LOVED IT! This recipe is vegan, soy free, & vegetable oil free! Note* - feel free to use Agave nectar in place of the cane sugar to make it sugar free. I hope you enjoy MY BADASS VEGAN CARROT CAKE (PERFECT FOR SUMMER!) 


THE SKILL SET (AKA the Ingredients)

Prep: 20 minutes/ Cook: 40 min

1 cup grated Organic carrots
1/4 cup Organic shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 flax or chia egg (3 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon chia or flaxseed)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds or walnuts (keep nuts out if you are sensitive)
1 1/4 cup spelt flour (or any healthy, or gluten flour you'd prefer)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup Organic unsweetened applesauce
1/2 Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk (or coconut milk)
1 Tbsp. Saigon cinnamon
2 Tbsp. coconut yogurt 



The Primpin', Preppin' and a-Baking 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and spray a large baking dish with Grapeseed oil. Grate your carrots in a large bowl that will soon be comprised of your wet ingredients. Add your coconut oil, vanilla extract, applesauce, coconut yogurt, milk, flax egg in the bowl, and stir well with a spoon. In a separate large bowl, sift your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, kosher salt. Slowly fold your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients in small batches, usually four or five. Once well combined, add your coconut, walnuts, and sunflower seeds and mix well. Bake in 375 degrees oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


ZOE QUICK TIP

Let the cake cool down on the kitchen table for 10 minutes. I had a really busy week ahead of me, and I wanted food to available on-the-go, so I cut the cake, after cooling, in large rectangles, to then take with me for snacks. I hope you enjoyed this recipe! More to come from the ThinkZoeBoost secret recipe stash on Monday. Hint- It will be soup-erb:)

Namaste,
Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go SUBSCIBE VIA EMAIL for the ThinkZoeBoost newsletter, and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get the exclusive updates on the newest ThinkZoeBoost recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration! Thank you:)


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Monday, July 20, 2015

NOT YOUR MOMMA'S SWEET POTATOES (SWEET & SPICY)

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to go back- hit the good ole ThinkZoeBoost classics cookbook. I've been making this recipe since I embarked on this clean-eating vegan adventure five years ago. It is a staple in my diet, super yummy, easy, and inexpensive! What more is there to love? 


Ingredients

2 organic sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons canola oil 
2 tablespoons coconut oil 
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt, and more after
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar or cane sugar 


Preparation is key

 First, peel your sweet potatoes. Then cut them in half width wise. Stand your half of sweet potato upright- and cut length wise to make good hearty steak fries.
Place your potatoes on two cooking sheets or roasting pans.
In a separate bowl, combine your coconut and canola oil with your spices- and whisk. Pour your oil and spice mixture over the potatoes. Mix the potatoes up with your fingers or tongs to make sure they are coated properly. Sprinkle the potatoes with the sugar. Throw them in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until slightly brown and crispy. Then enjoy!
Namaste,
Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and on Instagram for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration! 
*For business inquires, please contact me at thinkzoeboost@gmail.com! 

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Thursday, July 9, 2015

VEGAN APPLE-AWESOME CARROT MUFFINS

Hello everyone! Does anybody else crave some good-ole carbs like I do? Some days, there is nothing more that I would like to be doing than chowing down/inhaling some moist, delicious, and sexy muffins. (YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN;) So to stay healthy and on track with my clean-eating expedition, I created a recipe that is to die for. To be honest with you all as well, in hindsight, I would make slight changes to the batter I concocted, so this is abridged AND edited version of the recipe for you guys! I think it is important to be real with my #boosters, so here were go-my recipe for VEGAN APPLE-AWESOME CARROT MUFFINS! 


VEGAN APPLE-AWESOME MUFFINS 

(makes about 20 muffins)

1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp.  cinnamon
1 tbsp. all-spice
1 tbsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
2 cups whole-wheat flour or whatever healthy flour you use
6 large carrots or 1 cup peeled and grated Organic carrots
3 Fuji apples, cored, peeled, and grated
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts or any nuts you would like

BAKING FIESTA TIME

    Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line your baking muffin tins with cupcake liners. First, grate your carrots and apples in a very large bowl, add the rest of your wet ingredients, Agave syrup and applesauce. Then, in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and spices. Slowly stir your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, mixing well. Add in your nuts, stirring as you go. Add your mixture with an ice cream scoop to your muffin tins. 15-18 minutes later, when a fork comes out clean, you're all set!



Thank you all for reading and enjoying my posts! I so appreciate the good vibes- it makes my day truly

Namaste,
Zoe


*If enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go SUBSCRIBE via email, and feel free to go follow me on Twitter and on Instagram for more recipe, life-hacks, and daily inspiration! 

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Thursday, July 2, 2015

THE MOST "VEGTASTIC" VEGAN SMOOTHIE BOWL EVER


Hello everyone! As I have been trying to eat more clean, and in researching and examining other blogs, much has been made in the vegan blogger community of vegan smoothie bowls. I decided to test out these bowls- and to my excitement, they turned out to be fantastic! Here is THE MOST "VEGTASTIC"VEGAN SMOOTHIE BOWL EVER! 


The 7 Simple Ingredients 
1 cup organic kale
1 1/4 cup frozen fruit (no added sugar)
1 banana (frozen if you can)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk 
1 tablespoon Agave Syrup
1/4 cup blueberries
3 organic strawberries
    
A Simple How-to...
First, place your kale, your milk, and agave in the bottom of the blender, and blend until smooth. Add the rest of your ingredients, pulsating on liquify, and rubbing the sides with the spatula. Then voila! A beautiful smoothie bowl! I make this right after the gym for a post-workout meal, or as breakfast. It really satiates my hunger for lunchtime without a snack! In the above photo, I used Kind Granola, almonds, coconut, blueberries, and strawberries as a garnish, but feel free to get creative with it. Believe me, it is yummy, filling, and you will feel 100% better after eating it, knowing that it was clean food. 


   Here, in the above combination I finally remembered the frozen fruit at the grocery store without the added sugar- I used granola, chia/flax seed, almonds, and strawberries as my garnish. 

*I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you enjoyed others, make sure to SUBSCRIBE, and follow me on and for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration!
Namaste,
Zoe

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Monday, June 29, 2015

SPICE IT UP VEGAN BBQ CAULIFLOWER TACOS (W/ LIME SLAW AND PICO DE GALLO)

Hello everyone! Here is a new recipe that I recently found that instantly became my new guilty pleasure: BBQ VEGAN TACOS! These tacos include roasted bbq cauliflower, lime cilantro slaw, and homemade pico de gallo. Yummy! The prep time is worth how amazingly delicious these are- also hint- these last for five days in the fridge. So here it is, SPICE IT UP VEGAN BBQ CAULIFLOWER TACOS! Enjoy:)


INGREDIENTS! 
ROASTED VEGAN BBQ CAULIFLOWER
Prep 10 min Cook 25 min
1  cup chickpeas 
1 head cauliflower
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder 
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil

VEGAN LIME CILANTRO SLAW: 
Prep 5 min
1 bag coleslaw cabbage mix 
1/2 cup vegannaise or low-fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon Agave Syrup
(Optional) 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar 
Juice of one Lime 
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper 

PICO DE GALLO: Prep 5 min
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup Red Onion, diced 
1 medium Organic Tomato, diced 
2 sprigs cilantro 


 Let's do this THANG: Roasted Cauliflower! 

     
Preheat the oven at 415 degrees Convection Roast. For the cauliflower, you must deconstruct it- check out my post on Roasted Cauliflower to see the lowdown. Put your florets into a large bowl. Next, in separate small bowl will be your coconut oil, salt, and pepper-place it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix that coconut oil mixture with cauliflower, coating them. Now in a separate small bowl, mix together all of your spices. Pour that spice rub into that bowl with the cauliflower, and rub-a-dub-dub. Put that cauliflower onto 2 roasting pans or cookie sheet. 15 Min on Roast, take them out, and turn them oven, another 15 minutes and YOU ARE GOLDEN MY FRIEND!

It's PREPPIN' & PRIMPIN' time! 


   For the pico, dice the tomato and the onion as evenly as possible- in pico you can see literally all the veggies you're eating, so make it look beauuuutiful:) Add your onion, diced, cilantro, and then add your lime. Yummy


While your cauliflower in the oven, let's make your
pico and slaw. In a large colorful bowl, pour out your coleslaw mix, & add your vegannaise, mustard, salt, pepper, Agave syrup, and vinegar. Mix that all up together, stirring well, then add the juice of one lime. Mix it all up, cover the bowl, and place it in the refrigerator. 

THE GUILTY PLEASURE EMERGES! 

Okay, all the components are complete. I heated up some organic taco shells, but if you have corn tortillas, heat those up on stove for a wonderful crispy texture. I also made some quinoa to go with for the rice element.And voila, you have SPICE IT UP BBQ VEGAN TACOS!


*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to SUBSCRIBE, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration.

Namaste,
Zoe 

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Thursday, June 25, 2015

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS ZUCCHINI PASTA! (FROM SCRATCH)

Hey everyone! This week, I have entered the clean eating realm with eating predominately all the food that I create myself. I was so CRAVING some comfort food, pasta, and I put myself up for the challenge to make this zucchini pasta.  IT WAS FREAKING DELICIOUS! My mother ate all of it, and loved it as well, said it was so similar to pasta she did not know the difference. So here it is, YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS ZUCCHINI PASTA

Ingredients

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes 

2 zucchini- to be peeled
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup diced tomato or grape tomato
1/3 cup onions
1/2 cup mushrooms 
5 cloves roasted garlic 
2 cups water for boiling on stove
2 cups cold water



Good'ole Prepping and Pestering! 

  First, peel your zucchini with a vegetable peeler length wise in long strands. Place in a paper towel layered salad spinner, and add 5-6 tablespoons of salt to the zucchini. Let rest on counter for 30 minutes until the paper towel is soaked in the bitter bleed out of the zucchini.
   Now, rinse off very well the salt off the zucchini, and dry on a separate sheet of paper towel.Set aside 2 cup cold water in a large bowl. Bring 2 separate cups of water on the stove to a boil, and place the zucchini in it for 60 seconds. Now, to stop the cooking process, quickly pour the zucchini into the 2 cup cold water. After about 2 minutes, dry the zucchini off. 

Taking you Down to FlavorTown:)

   In a large saucepan, place 2-4 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add your minced garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. When all caramelized together, add your pasta, sauteeing for 5-7 minutes!

   Then voila! You have a beautiful zucchini pasta dish ready to go! I, based on my own gut feeling, smashed one half of an avocado with lemon as an additional sauce to the decadent pasta! Enjoy!


*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow ThinkZoeBoost on Twitter and Instagram for more recipes, life hacks, and inspiration! 

Namaste,
Zoe

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Thursday, June 18, 2015

KILLER HEALTHY DOUBLE FUDGE BANANA MUFFINS (SUPER EASY)


Hello everyone! This week's recipe is super easy, moist, delicious, melt-in-your mouth kind of gorgeous. I've been making these muffins for years, and they have never failed to be super-"uber" delectable! They last at least 4 days in the fridge, are excellent snacks, and guilt-free desserts heated up in the microwave! So here you go, my HEALTHY KILLER DOUBLE FUDGE BANANA MUFFINS! 


Ingredients:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes 

2 organic bananas mashed                                        3/4 cup organic applesauce
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour/ coconut flour              1/4 cup organic cacao powder 
3/4 teaspoon baking soda                                          1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                                             1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup Agave Nectar or honey                                  2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract                                         1/2 cup dark chocolate chips  
12 fun colored baking cups                                        1/2 cup organic shaved coconut
2 tablespoons almond butter

The "Howdown" 101

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Bake. Spray your baking cups with canola spray. Mash your banana with a fork into a liquid consistency-still lumpy. Add your Agave syrup, vanilla extract, applesauce to the banana in a large bowl, mix well. With a sift, sift your dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cacao powder, salt, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Mix well until combined. Now slowly little by little, fold your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Once readily combined in increments, add your 2 large egg whites. Stir Well. 
Now add your chocolate chips, slowly folding them in. Place your batter into your greased baking cups, and in each stir in some almond butter and adorn with coconut flakes! Now, bake for about 15 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. 
Voila! Enjoy!* 
Namaste,
Zoe

*If you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to subscribe by email, and follow me on Twitter and on Instagram for more recipes, life-hacks, and inspiration! 


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Thursday, June 11, 2015

CRAZY GOOD VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Hello everyone! Recently, I have wanted to try some new recipes from scratch, and as I'm craving some chocolatey goodness, I came up with this CRAZY GOOD VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE with (optional) Nutella peanut butter frosting. Enjoy!

Vegan Double Chocolate Cake 

1 cup whole wheat flour or coconut flour       1 tsp. baking soda 
1 cup Agave nectar or syrup                            2 tbsp. pure cacao powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips                           1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup organic unsweetened applesauce       2 tbsp. coconut yogurt 
1 tsp. vanilla                                                   2 tbsp. almond butter or cashew butter 


Optional* Peanut Butter Nutella Frosting

1/4 cup coconut oil- in microwave so warm
1/2 cup of cane sugar- place in blender to make it incredibly smooth
4 tbsp. melted dark chocolate chips 
2 tbsp. melted almond butter
2 tbsp. Nutella *(totally optional if you want to keep it vegan but delicious if you want to really indulge) 

How to do it. The Cake I mean. ;)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees bake. Spray your bunt pan with canola oil. Sift the flour, baking powder, cacao powder, and salt together for the cake. In separate bowl, combine the agave nectar, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mix. After fully combing the two, add your 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Place mixture in the bunt pan, and swirl the melted almond butter on top of the cake. Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.  Now, after it is done, let rest for 10 minutes.

Happy Frosting Time

Now, the glaze/frosting. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave while you, in the blender, break the cane sugar into smaller pieces, a consistency similar to confectionary sugar. Mix these well together, then add your melted chocolate chips and almond butter together. Now, add the Nutella if you so desire! Drip it all over the cake. 

Ouila! You now have a beautiful, scrumptious, oh so heavenly vegan chocolate cake in your midst! Enjoy! 

Thank you for reading and experiencing ThinkZoeBoost. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see more recipes, life hacks and inspiration!


Namaste, 
Zoe 

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Monday, June 8, 2015

5 WAYS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR DAY

         Hello everyone! Today, I wanted to discuss with you all how to remember you. I, often, in my life, forget to take care, honor, and  respect myself: my best self, so here are 5 ways in ZOE'S HOW TO: REMEMBER YOU! 

My desk: a book Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolf, and a cup of tea

My beautiful breakfast: fried egg,
avocado, & Ezekiel toast 
FOOD. COOKING. BAKING. 
If you've already checked out my earlier post, you will know, I am an absolute foodie. I love everything about food, it is an experience involving all the senses. Being creative, I love trying new recipes from cookbooks; in this, I am totally and utterly engrossed in small tasks for a finished product. It allows me to be mindful of the smaller things, which in life, are truly the most important.


Tip #1: COOK SOMETHING TO MARVEL AT! 









BOOKS. ESCAPE.
I love reading, obsessed would be a better word. Books allow me to enter new world of fantasy, consider moral dilemmas, and inspires my present reality with art, language, and characters. Books have always made me world all the more richer- returning to a loved book, is returning to part of myself I might have lost temporarily in the chaos and confusion of life. 
Tip #2: READ. READ EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. LET YOUR WORLD BE MORE COLORFUL. 


TEA. RELAXATION. 
This is the simplest thing you can implement in your day to remember to take care of you. My family loves tea, and I have drinking it since I have been a wee child. A cup of tea can relax you and lessen your chance of heart attack, carries bountiful beneficial antioxidants, and is supremely hydrating for the skin. Green tea can also contribute to weight loss. How about that? Take that ten minutes of me time, you deserve it.

Tip #3: DRINK TEA FOR ENERGY AND HEALTH! 






ART. CREATION.
        In the creation of art for fun and enjoyment, art is not hierarchy- it is for pure pleasure, complete create control of the imagination. In creating art, I remember my childhood- and let my self go, to create and innovate. Art is and has always been a form of therapy, even buying a coloring book or doodling can release harmful emotions and feelings! 

Tip #4: ART IS A FORM OF THERAPY! 





A hike up Mount Holyoke. 

EXERCISE.
Exercise is integral to my emotional, physical and spiritual well being. Whether yoga, my favorite, Zumba, cardio, BodyPump, resistance, hiking, biking, etc- I need that time to just sweat that shit out- that emotional garbage, shame, guilt- to get it out of my system to be that better person in tune with her emotions. My advice: find something you love, whether a class, working out on your own, and stick with it and TREAT IT LIKE THE SPA. This is you time- time to care and honor your beautiful self and all the wonderful things your body can do. 

Tip #5: SWEAT THAT SHIT OUT! 


WARNING. am not perfect. I struggle just as much as the next person with finding that me time, honoring and respecting myself, & remembering that positive thoughts can shape my world into a more productive, warm and kind one. I wrote this post as a way to remind myself, as well as others, of the ways I remember I'm beautiful. At the end of the day, no matter what practices you use, self-love has to come from yourself and no one else. It is a journey I'm still on, but God I'm fighting for it. 

I love you all, if you enjoyed this post and others, make sure to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more inspiration, life hacks, and recipes!

Namaste,

Zoe 

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