Guilt-free kale Caesar bowl

Happy Earth Day! It's hypothetically warming up, which means that roasted vegetables and heavier dishes are the last thing I want. I'm starting my plan of plenty of chilled soups, ceviches, and salads- all on the lighter side and all super healthy. Here's something to really get in tune with the fresh ingredients that come from the Earth enjoyed with plenty of flavor.

Every restaurant menu these days has some sort of a kale salad, sorta like the brussel sprouts and cauliflower trend. The problem with kale is its thicker leaves that mean it needs to have something to really soften the leaves to make them actually taste like something more than grass. The trick here is to allow the kale to marinate in the dressing for a bit, which is the perfect excuse to put the other parts together while you're letting the kale loosen up a bit.

Kale (no stems, and cut into thin strips)
Fennel
Slivered almonds
Pecorino Romano
Dijon mustard
Greek yogurt
Cracked black pepper
Lemon juice
Olive oil

1. Mix the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and pepper together. Everything should be 1/5 of the amount of Greek yogurt used, which of course means the Greek yogurt should be 5x the amount of everything else used. I probably could have explained that a bit simpler.
2. I added half the kale into a bowl drizzled some olive oil, lemon, and pepper onto that. Then added the remainder of the kale repeating the lemon, oil, and pepper. Then add the dressing and mix thoroughly so every bit of kale has dressing on it.
3. Now it's type to slice your fennel (you could do it before with the kale but just trying to give the kale as much time as possible with the dressing).
4. Add the almonds to a non-stick pan on high heat to toast them. Trust me it makes them THAT much better not only cause they get that roasted taste, but also because the warm nuts are a nice complement to the cheese with the vegetables. Not too long on the pan, you might start to notice they start popping you just want them to be kinda browned.
5. While you're toasting the almonds, grate your cheese.
6. Place the fennel, cheese, and almonds on top of your kale. And "conquer" your salad.

"Florals for spring? Groundbreaking."

Top- vintage from Wasteland on Melrose, pants- H&M (similar here), jacket- Zara, sunglasses- Le Specs

Cherry Blossoms are really something so special about Washington DC. While I could do without the tourists, I understand sharing such a special part of the city with all the people who come to visit. As much as I complained about the cold temperatures this year, the beautiful flowers everywhere make every snow slip worth it.

Quick move away from my new found preppy looks back to my bohemian roots. It was everyone spamming my Instagram feed with Coachella desert hippie chic looks combined with the insane spring (more like summer 80 degree weather) that brought out the crop top for the day. The sunnies are my newest pair by an Australian company called Le Specs. The price point is so awesome I plan on collecting a few more from them before the end of the summer. The floral pants (sticking with the theme) were one of those random walk-by H&M moments that just called to me. Totally having a Miranda Priestly moment here (Devil Wears Prada if you're lost here). "Florals for spring? Groundbreaking."

Superfoods galore

Let me break down superfoods. The title says it all they're SUPER.. packed with so many extra vitamins and antioxidants than found in most foods. You can find some of these like chia and flax in most grocery stores and the others at any organic food store or Whole Foods. These are the kind of things that our ancient ancestors were eating, and I'm all about going back to my roots.

Here's a list of some superfoods and what they can do for you plus three recipes to get your body happy, healthy, and running better than ever:

Chia: omega-3s, fiber, and calcium; mixed with liquid they expand to more of a tapioca consistency.

Flaxseed: omega-3s, fiber, and magnesium; nutty and grainy, a great addition to oatmeal

Maca: improves fatigue by boosting energy; has a bit of a nutty taste to the powder.

Heep seed: protein and omega-3s; not much of a taste to them so you'll hardly notice they're there.

Goji berries: vitamin C packed with antioxidants plus it improve circulation and overall energy; tastes like a tart version of a cranberry.

Matcha green tea: the purest and strongest form of green tea prevents cancer, boosts your metabolism, provides antioxidants just to name a few of its amazing benefits.

Green smoothie bowl
1/2 cup spinach
4 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup cucumber
1 tsp. chia seed
1 tsp. maca
1 tsp. Spirulina (optional)
Spring water
Goji berries, chia, flax seed (whatever superfoods) to garnish

1. Throw everything into a blender or Nutribullet and add more or less spring water depending on how thick you want it.
2. Pour everything into a bowl and top with whatever superfoods you'd like.

Mango chia seed pudding
3 tbsp. chia seeds
1 cup almond milk/coconut milk (I have a recent crush on the blend from Califia Farms)
Mango, pumpkin seeds to top (or other superfoods)

1. Mix the chia seeds and milk together in a jar with a lid or a glass covered with aluminum foil.
2. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes and remove to mix around the chia and milk. There will be some parts that are clumpy so mix up the clumps till it's all pretty much the same consistency.
3. Place back in the fridge, and if possible check on it again at the hour mark. It should be ready at this point if you want to have it then. Otherwise keep it in there for a week, enjoy it whenever you want.
4. When ready to serve top with fresh mango and pumpkin seeds.

Matcha avocado green smoothie
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 avocado
1/4 cup cucumber
1 tsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. matcha green tea
Almond milk/coconut milk vanilla flavored will make it a bit sweeter
1 tsp. shredded coconut

Place everything in a blender or Nutribullet. The perfect balance of omega-3s, caffeine, and green.

Blank canvas

Coat- JCrew, blazer- Theory (similar here), bag- Marc by Marc, shoes- Converse, pants- JBrand

Fresh from a blow out from drybar (can't go wrong with the Cosmo) with no makeup to match my very one shaded outfit just one big blank canvas if you will. It was the first day in weeks at that point when the sun was shining (you can still see the snow on the ground), and I had to get a few shots in. This coat has been the greatest addition to my collection this season, that and the Burberry trench I inherited from my mom. I had been looking for a longer more structured coat in a fun color, and when JCrew was able to find the last one in my size in New Jersey I knew it was fate. Keeping the preppy theme going, but I don't hate it dare I say I kinda like it.

Posts have been slower on here, and life has been a bit of a blank canvas for me. Trying to figure out the direction Avis is going to go in. Bear with me a little longer as a remodel of the site and refocus will be here in the coming weeks.

For egg lovers only

I'm on the path to proving that you can never get sick of eggs... even for every meal. So here you go I've got your breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned.

Breakfast
Everyday herb scramble:
Every morning I eat pretty much the same thing, a 1 yolk 2 egg white scramble. It's a great protein low calorie filled way to start the day, and somehow I haven't gotten sick of it yet.

Serves one:

1 whole egg
2 egg whites
Dried/fresh parsley, basil, onions
Garlic powder
Cheese (optional; I've also done soy/almond cheese which melts quite nicely)

1. Crack your eggs and mix in everything except the cheese into a non-stick pan.
2. Mix everything up including breaking up the yolk and heat the pan to a medium heat, medium nothing higher. This is the key to not over cooking your eggs.
3. Keep stirring the mixture till the eggs start to cook.
4. Once your eggs are about 1/2 cooked add the cheese and continue stirring. Otherwise keep stirring.
5. Remove eggs when they're 3/4 cooked. They'll continue cooking when they're off the heat a little and that will prevent them from drying out and staying relatively creamy.
6. Serve.

Lunch
Egg in a salmon blanket:
So an egg wrapped in smoked salmon isn't really a full lunch, but it's a great and easy way to get a lot of protein either topped on toast or a mixed green salad.

1 poached egg
1 piece of smoked salmon
Cayenne pepper, salt to taste
Cheese

1. Poach your egg. See my tutorials.
2. Wrap the smoked salmon around the egg carefully. Add a little cayenne pepper and cheese (I went for some manchego).
3. Serve with on top of toast or a light salad.

Dinner
Baked eggs in kale and shallots with za'atar
My quest for za'atar ended at Dean and Deluca, and I've been putting it on everything. Here's one of my experiments.

2 cups of chopped kale no stems
1 shallot
1 tablespoon of za'atar
1 egg

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Slice your shallot and brown in a non-stick pan with a little coconut oil (or another type of oil if you'd prefer).
3. Add the kale and a little bit of water to your pan to give a steaming effect to the kale while you cook it.
4. Once the water dies down a little, add the za'atar into the green mix and mix everything well.
5. When your greens are well cooked (you want it on the more cooked side of things) remove from heat and add the green mix to a oven-safe souffle cup or something of that size that won't shatter in the oven.
6. Make a little hole in the middle of the greens, and crack an egg carefully into the hole.
7. Add a pinch more za'atar to the egg. Place the ramekin on a baking sheet and put in the oven.
8. Cook time should be about 15 minutes or until the egg whites are cooked and the kale on top is crispy.