50 more reminders for when you're feeling blah

Love Megan's analogy comparing life to bread. Don't rush the process.

Journaling for abundance--Thought-provoking journalling practice where you list ways your life is in abundance and how you're filling others' lives 

One of the best decisions I've made was to start going to see a therapist. Highly recommend for anyone quite honestly. Also vouch for these practical lessons one guy learned throughout his time in therapy. 

Some fun things and random stuff to ponder: 

I have turned to Unreal to satisfy my Bachelor obsession now that the season has ended. If you're in the same boat, fun, slightly disturbing facts from behind the scenes.

What's the most important factor in a relationship? Emotional stability and self-sufficiency.

Tips on going waste free 

If you're like me and are thinking of cutting back on your social media usage, what teenagers who have quit social media have to say.

Questions:
Have you heard of or watched the show Unreal? 
Any other suggestions on how to go zero waste? 
What has made your life abundant as of late?

• Though my allergies make me feel like I'm slowly dying, I survived through them this past week... Just barely though. 
• Went to the monthly book club meet-up. We read Cloud Atlas for March and will be reading 1984 for the upcoming meeting. 
• On Saturday, attended the volunteer party at the local animal shelter I volunteer at
• Earlier that day, I also worked at the community garden here on campus and I took home spinach, kale, cabbage, radishes, rosemary, mint and oregano. No need to go grocery shopping anymore! 

• Subsequently prepped of ALL THE GREENS EVER.
• Walking around a park in the middle of the week. Felt good to get in some vitamin D. Also SUMMER IS COMING. I can feel it in my bones. 

• Cooked some real good food at an elegant spring dinner cooking class with my sister. Pictured above is grilled lamb loin and apricot relish, the most colorful pasta ever with spring vegetables and ricotta fresca, and a gruyere filo tart. Dessert was a rhubarb biscuit cobbler thing. (😍 RIGHT?!?!)
• Posted great reads from around the Interwebs if you have the time to take a look
• Bought Jamba Juice for an easy brekky. TY $2 off coupon!!

• Failed a test. Again one of those weird accomplishments that is a probably an accomplishment only for my perfectionist mind; I'm trying not to beat myself up about it too too much but at the same time use it to push myself, to stay motivated. Kind of a tricky balance honestly.
• Visited the Dallas arboretum for a date! 
• As I mentioned, slowing down is exactly what I need right now. And stopping to take pictures of flowers does exactly that (see the first picture) 

• Enjoyed a bagel for breakfast three days in a row -- something that in the past would've made me incredibly anxious. It's weird to taste (figuratively and literally) recovery like this. It's been a long time coming and I finally feel things are going somewhere. 
• Went to both the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Arts. One of my fave things to do in a new city!! 
• Walked around the Harvard campus and surrounding town but sadly couldn't get into any of the academic buildings because they were locked up for the break
• Got a free cup of Starbucks coffee at said Harvard Yard 
• "Trekked" 2/3 of the Freedom Trail. For all you history buffs out there, it featured sites like Boston Massacre spot and Paul Revere's house

• Grabbed breakfast at the university dining hall. Loved all the vegan friendly options they had to offer! I got a tofu scramble with pico de gallo + oatmeal topped with dried fruit, nuts and strawberries. Sweet and savory for life. 
• Bleached and dyed my friend's hair
• Toured around a little bit and saw the theater and greenhouse.
• Finally watched Black Panther! Made even better since we were the only ones in the theater. 😅
• After eventful plan changes, a couple of bus rides, a late-night dinner, some lugging our suitcases around another college town, we sought warmth and 'camped out' for a couple of hours at a random academic building until my other friend could pick us up

• Experienced my first legit winter storm of sorts. Incredibly beautiful but I couldn't feel my fingers. 😳
• Walked around the Yale campus in said storm
• Made it to the Yale Center for British Art and Yale Art Gallery right before closing. Had to powerwalk through a lot of it, which isn't something I like to do, but better than nothing!
• Binge-watched Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Netflix with my friend! Highly recommend especially if you are a Gilmore Girls fan. 
• Celebrated pi day with everything but your traditional pie -- pizza for lunch, quiche for dinner and an apple pie bar for dessert

On when perfectionism goes wrong 

Has convenience destroyed the world we live in?

"Today’s cult of convenience fails to acknowledge that difficulty is a constitutive feature of human experience. Convenience is all destination and no journey." 

Non-appearance related things to compliment someone on c/o Rachel Hartley

How to fall in love with food and simultaneously yourself. Plus, the additional chocolate truffle recipe at the end looks delish!! 

Self-care-y stuff: 

• Another post one what self-care is and is not
• Cheap self-care tips for college students
• How eating alone can be good for self-care

Have you been to Boston? Love to hear any recommendations of stuff to do, eat and see! 
How do you embrace the inconvenient? 
If you currently have a S.O., how did y'all meet? These stories are the best!! 

Did anyone else feel like if January felt like 50 days long, February was more like 2.5? Seriously, where did the time go in the past month?!!?

To be completely transparent, as weird as it is to say but recently it seems like food is becoming more a chore for me. In this point in my life, this is not necessarily a bad thing. I've been busier. I feel like I am living more. It's almost refreshing. Just different. More meals spent out, less time in the kitchen. In fact, my dietician and I even experimented and I had a break from logging my meals for her. It was so great to not have another thing to add to my to-do list every day.

No themes again really this time around my meals; just sharing the food. Like in past recent eats posts, I will throw this caveat out that this is just a snippet of what my meals have looked like in the past 4 weeks. You have to find what works for your lifestyle and your body. And I hope to inspire you to do so even in the slightest.

• Sandwiches on repeat! Like this eggplant bacon BLT or a grilled cheese sandwich with this Naturally Ella-inspired chutney. 
• Also, as I mentioned last month, been digging having some wine with dinner a couple of times a week. 

• Delicious soy braised sweet potatoes served with cold tofu and sauteed kale. Had it another time for lunch with avocado, roasted eggplant and asparagus. 
• Another meal in was green fettuccine with asparagus, tomatoes and pesto. Pretty simple but tasty nonetheless.

• If we haven't already established my love of eggs, February had them on rotation in the form of..
• A hybrid recipe of fried tumeric eggs on a a layer of yogurt with crispy kale, eggplant and cherry tomatoes (based on this and this). Obviously I am not very good at following recipes... Also had pretzels on the side for extra starch. 
• A classic breakfast nachos with eggs, kale, tomatoes and cheese. Used these sweet potato tortilla chips from Naturebox

• Apparently even when eating out I gravitate towards them. Went for a late lunch with my mom and got this delicious quiche that came with a side salad that included pickled veggies.
• To end things on a sweet note again and on the topic of eating out, I visited my sister at her campus earlier in the month. She took me to this shop called the Back Dough where they serve late night doughnuts exclusively on Friday and Saturday evenings (11pm-1am!) at the back of a nice steak restaurant. I chose the chai flavored one, which tasted like an even more spiced cinnamon roll. Totally not complaining.