*sorry I didn't measure.  just add whatever amount pleases you so it doesn't fall out of the taco.*

• Tortillas {at least 2 for one whole quesadilla} 
• Refried beans {I usually mix with taco seasoning, cumin, and salsa}
• Brown rice {you can add taco sauce for flavor} 
• Frozen corn
• Bell pepper
• Onion
• A dash of minced garlic

  What do you do when you have two weeks of summer and feel like you're about to melt in the 115 degree weather?  Why, pack up the car with six girlfriends and some boogie boards and head on out to California.

  I've always wanted to be a California girl.  Idk why, but there seems to be something so fantastic about being a blondie from the sea-view hills of America's southwestern coast.   So what I'm just some Arizona chick wishing she could escape the desert heat? At least I'm only 2.5 hours from the border of the famed Hollywood state, which means a wave-tossed trip every summer.


{psstt, I've fallen in love with vintage swimsuits.  gimme target, shabby apple, someplace to shop those adorable modest retrowears with the high waists or sweetheart necks or polka dots!}


 These girls are so adorable.  Although I don't have the picture, they begged me to pose hipster with them in their hoodies so we could say "KT & da gang."

  Wow, do I feel like my life is progressing.    It's strange how fast time flies; this picture is a few days old but already the puppies I could've sworn were just born are starting to open their eyes and walk around!
Anyway, I can't believe how old I've become.  Yesterday I started training for a job at a chic boutique called Apricot Lane.  Second, I've gotten my schedule back for my senior freaking year of HS:

1. Art & Design
2. AP Biology
3. Seminary
4. AP English
5. AP Government/Economics 

  Well, I've since regretted my last post where I listed off all the fried foods and sugars I'd eaten lately.  It's funny when I switch between healthy eating and junky eating because I can TOTALLY tell the difference.  One gives you way more energy and in general you feel happier and just better.
   Now, goodbye dairy, meat, refined sugars and otherwise heavily processed foods {or at least as much as possible}.  Hello colorful fruits/veggies, whole grains, nuts/seeds/ legumes, almond milk and a heck of a lot happier body.

***One of my new favorite lunches, pictured above, is something I came up with from scratch one day. I don't really measure, but I combine till it tastes just right: brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, corn, avocado and cilantro with lots of cumin and taco seasoning and a little garlic salt and onion powder. Bon appetite.***  edit: to switch it up I also tried adding pineapple-mango salsa, lime juice quinoa, bell pepper and onion. this doesn't go with the healthy part, but if you eat it with Frito scoop chips it's pretty delicious.
  I've also discovered the yum factor of lentils, quinoa, chia seed pudding, and frozen bananas {which can be used to make super healthy ice cream if you find the right recipe! recently I tried blending frozen bananas, almond milk, vanilla & cocoa powder and couldn't even tell there was no sugar added!}.  When I feel like a smoothie, I can blend three whole carrots with orange juice and not even taste it with the fruits I add in.  I've done a lot of research, and it makes sense that I feel so much better when I'm eating a more plant-based diet: you lose 90% of the energy on every level on the food chain!  Not to mention the fact that I feel less guilty holding my friends' cute little baby chicks. :)
  Lindsey and I started working out at her clubhouse.  We start off with cardio and then delve into the muscle training.  Our motivation?  A nice cool swim in the artificial beach.  My, what a way to start your day!  

  Well, was this week a party or was this week a party?!  First off, I flew by myself for the first time in ten years.  And then, when I got home, I found out that my dad and siblings had spontaneously decided to take a trip to San Diego.
  So it was just me, Mom, and lots of newborn doggies.
   When the puppies are young, there's always the danger of the mother accidentally laying on one in her sleep.  To avoid losing a pup to suffocation, we spend the first week watching them 24/7-- and yes, 24/7 includes nights.  We took shifts, and I stayed up till 4 AM last night.  So how do two women rearrange their biological clocks?
  Good question.  Answer: food and movies.
 We watched so many movies that I lost track, and hey-- it was just the two of us, so we took the delicious opportunity to splurge.  Any healthy eating we did earlier in the summer was definitely cancelled out when we bought sushi, shrimp mango tacos, Thai food {yellow curry, skewers with peanut sauce, & coconut ice cream}, breakfast croissants and fried zucchini.  I also felt proud of myself for making chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-filled-chocolate-chip-cookie sandwiches.  Tsk, tsk, aren't we naughty.
  But we might as well have these mom-and-daughter bonding moments, because in a very short year from now I will be leaving home.  And then it might be a long time till we can have another movie night. I just love her too much to not take advantage of the time while we still have it.
  But oh my goodness gracious, are the puppies absolutely adorable.  They are English golden retrievers and they are about the cutest things in the world.