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    I recently attended The Body Project at my school, a group fighting against the "thin ideal" society and media has created in women. We were asked to write a letter to a younger girl discussing the costs of pursuing this perfect woman. I wanted to share what I came up with as a reminder to both myself and whoever needs a little pick-me-up. If you ever get a chance to do something like this, I would definitely recommend it.

    To a younger girl,
     When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Though I can't guess your hair color or face shape, I am pretty certain of what you don't see. Your smile, warm heart, engaging laugh, shining personality. You don't see every single molecule in  your body that makes you you.

     Contrary to poplar belief, what you see in the mirror isn't actually of a reflection of you. More often than not, you're half blind & acting delusional. You end up seeing everything you're not rather than what you truly are. You begin to strive for something that just isn't possible and it hurts you more than you can imagine.  

     It'll take a toll on you--no just physically but mentally & emotionally too. You'll lose yourself in a world of "perfect people." You may believe pursuing this ideal person will make you more attractive, more like-able. But truth be told, you'll distance yourself from those you love. You'll become bitter & unthankful for what you've been blessed with. Chasing after the thin ideal will shrink your heart.

     Try as you might but you'll never be happy until you learn to love yourself the way you are. Flaws & all. The whole concept of the (thin) ideal woman is to make you hate yourself. It will not empower you. It is an infinite chase that will wear out your self esteem, weaken your confidence & potentially evolve into self-harm on a physical level. There are detrimental health costs.

     Before you take on another fad diet tried, consider getting that boob job, push your limits by exercising for another hour or compare yourself to yet another model in a magazine, ask yourself if that supposed benefits outweigh the risks. Is "image" really worth the psychological stress? Is it worth the tangible costs?  Is it worth it to loser yourself for something that cannot exist?

    So now I ask you again: When you look in the mirror what do you see?  

    Always Love, Kaylee  


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    Back home in the Philippines, my family and I had a favorite crepe place--Cafe Breton. My go-to order was a buckwheat galette crepe filled with smoked salmon, capers and lightly covered with a dill sauce. Then for dessert, forever & always a simple butter and sugar crepe. I discovered the deliciousness of cooking with buckwheat flour last year and since then I've tried it in pancakes, cornbread, even a mini chocolate lava cake. 


    I followed Foodie Fiasco's crepe recipe using using buckwheat instead of all-purpose flour because why not? I filled them with extremely simple flavor combinations that were calling my name. 

    Savory: tomatoes + blue cheese 
    (I'm hooked on this combination as evidenced by this post from earlier this month.)

    Sweet: fresh figs + honey + thyme 
    (I have a confession to make: I have a fig problem.)



    This is definitely an attempt to extend summer for as long as possible though the chilly mornings may disagree with me. :( On the plus side, I now have a whole stack of these waiting for me in the freezer! Fall I'm ready for ya!  



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    Ack, aaaaaawkward. So sorry for being MIA. Classes have picked up and my brain has been on autopilot this past week. Just goingandgoingandgoing. 

    So flashback to over the summer when I attended a few (free!) demo classes at Williams Sonoma, including a tutorial on foccacia making. Afterwards, I was inspired to take a stab at it at home. I brought this loaf to a cooking club potluck event last week. I wanna say my attempt was successful because by the time I was able to grab food, there were only a couple of squares left! But you can never be too sure with college students & free food.  





    When looking for a recipe, I wanted one that could be made days in advance and popped into the oven.  A lot harder than it sounds. Then I came across this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod I followed it almost 100% except I used approx. 2/3 of the olive oil called for before baking then saved the rest for dipping/drizzling later on. I incorporated fresh basil, rosemary and parsley into the oil. Any herbs would be seriously delicious though. And literally bathe the dough in the herby olive oil blend. Also, massage and dimple your bread thoroughly! (Sigh. What I would do for a massage right now?)

    Time to stop procrastinating and actually study for my three tests next week. Oh, joy. 
    Have a splendid weekend!






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    This past week I've been feeling stuck in my recovery. Stagnant, a little listless. Honestly, I am just really frustrated mostly with myself. I feel for every step I'm taking, I am going two steps backwards instead. It's like I am digging for treasure and I know that X marks the spot and I know exactly where the X--I can see it even--but have no clue how to get to that point. I'm struggling to be patient with this process. I let my small failures discourage me. Steps are still steps. Paths will veer. Sometimes you have to turn around and search for a clearer route.

    --End ramblings--




    My impatience was also tested when I made this breakfast-for-dinner, savory bread pudding. Side note: I want to call this a strata but after Googling, I stand corrected; apparently, stratas are composed of layers rather than cubes of bread. After opening & closing the oven multiple times over the span of 30 minutes, I couldn't wait any longer to devour this fake strata.


    Not the prettiest of meals but it's the perfect way to use up aging bread instead of being neck-high in sandwiches. No recipe here! The general framework was a 4:1 egg-milk ratio plus 2-3 slices of bread. But feel free to alter the ratios depending on how soggy you want it. From there the possibilities are limitless! First, mix together the egg and milk and add seasonings to taste. Combine the fix-ins in an oven safe container and pour the liquids over, making sure every inch of the bread has soaked up some of the egg & milk combo. Let it bake at 375 degrees and try try try to wait until the top looks a little browner. For this one, I had roasted carrots and cherry tomatoes sitting in the fridge. I also threw in some blue cheese crumbles because cheese can solve all of my problems.

    Hopefully this long weekend will put in me in a better mindset moving forward. Have a lovely Labor Day ♡
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    Kaylee G.

    Twenty-something year old Filipino American on her way to redefining her relationship with health and finding herself.

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