Girl With the Hipster Glasses

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4 Ways that I’m Investing in Myself This Week

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Last week, I came across a few articles about the importance of investing in yourself. While none of them told me anything that I didn’t already know, they did prompt me to consider how I might be more deliberate about promoting my own personal growth. There are some ways that I invest in myself that are so routine that I don’t have to think about them. Most of these fall within the realm of nutritional health and fitness (i.e. making healthy meals, practicing yoga consistently, exercising, doing a morning meditation). There are other areas of my whole person, however, that I’d like to spend more time cultivating. Although I think about these things often, I drag my feet on actually taking the steps to incorporate them into my life. This week, I’m changing that by investing in myself in the following ways… 

Reigning in my Spending – I’m literally investing in myself by better managing my finances. Every year around this time, I get a little willy nilly with spending. It’s mostly because it’s the end of the semester and the beginning of summer and I’m being more social. The past month has included a lot of eating out and buying coffee. It’s been great but it’s definitely time for me to recenter myself financially. In a perfect world, I could be about that $7 matcha latte with macadamia nut milk life all the time but alas, that is not my current reality. 

Watching a TED talk – I love TED talks! I don’t watch them nearly enough. When I do watch them, I feel live an informed cosmopolitan world citizen. I want to feel like this more often. Keep an eye on the GWHG Facebook page for links to what I’m watching. 

Catching up on my French Language Podcasts – I love the French language. I’ve studied it since high school and it’s really important to me that I maintain the skill. I have two great French podcasts to which I subscribe: One Thing in a French Day and Francais Authentique. I love these pods because they’re generally super short and cover a range of topics using interesting vocabulary. Because I subscribe to so many podcasts, however, it’s common for me to skip over these in favor of listening to those that are … in English. This week, I’m investing in myself by taking some time to catch up on these episodes. Maybe I’ll even listen to them with my laptop handy for googling unfamiliar vocabulary and grammar constructions! 

Revisiting Yoga Philosophy – Completing the yoga teacher training at One Down Dog was one of the best decisions that I’ve made in my adult life. I’m so grateful for everything that I learned over the course of the 200-hour training and it continues to shape my life in important way. My favorite modules of the training were those that focused on the philosophies behind yoga, as it really allowed me to better understand the practice beyond the physical. This week, I’m investing in myself by revisiting some of my notes and books from teacher training to refresh and further my understanding. I’m most excited to reread Eastern Body, Western Mind.  If you are at all interested in learning more about non-Western psychologies and the chakra system, I highly recommend it. 

Although I have set aside this week to do these things, my hope is that it will light a fire that will help me invest in myself in these ways on a more consistent basis. 

How do you invest in yourself? 

Three Charcoal Cosmetic Products to Detox Your Hygiene Routine

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So I’m really into charcoal products right now…

As some of you may have noticed, charcoal is popping up everywhere in the health and beauty industries these days. Although I cannot attest that all of the “scientifically proven” benefits of charcoal are true, I can say that I really enjoy the charcoal products that I own. Here are three charcoal personal care products that I’ve been using regularly and loving for the past year. 

Beauty Counter Charcoal Bar

Charcoal Cleansing Bar by Beauty Counter – Although you can technically use this soap for anything, I typically only use it on my face though since it’s pretty pricey. Occasionally I’ll use a bit under my arms for a little extra cleaning in that area. I will say that my face is pretty dry albeit super-clean-feeling after using this soap. I definitely recommend following it up with some kind of face oil/moisturizer. 

Pacha Clarifying Charcoal Bar

Clarifying Charcoal Body Bar by Pacha – I use this bar as my main body bar in the shower. It lathers well and has a great subtle scent that makes you feel super fresh. It also doesn’t try out the skin too much, although oiling your skin after showering is always a good idea. I get mine from Thrive Market but it’s also available on Amazon and a bunch of other sites. 

Schmidt’s Charcoal Magnesium Deodorant

Charcoal + Magnesium Deodorant from Schmidts – The struggle to find a natural deodorant that actually works is SO real. I’ve been using aluminum-free deodorants for over six years now and it’s been on-going challenge to find one that doesn’t make me feel like I’m compromising. This one has definitely been my favorite thus far. It has a great natural scent and does the work of neutralizing odor throughout the day. 

Are their any charcoal products that you use and love? 

P.S. None of these products are sponsored. They’re legit just things that I bought, used, and like. 

Developing a Morning Routine

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A while back, I talked a bit about my pre-bedtime screen-free hour and now I’m back to talk about the importance of developing a morning routine. As a self-proclaimed “morning person,” the period between 6 and 10AM is typically my favorite, and often most productive, time of the day. This may sound ridiculous to all of the night owls out there but I do really enjoy my first few hours of being awake. Despite being a morning person, coming into the day can still be challenging. Because I usually wake up energetic and ambitious, it’s easy for me to end up frazzled and overwhelmed within the first ten minutes of being awake. Furthermore, as a graduate student, my schedule is often somewhat open, leaving it up to me to create structure. Developing a morning routine has been absolutely critical to helping me center and ground before embarking on the day. 

The critical components of morning routine are: warm lemon water, 5-15 minute meditation, a non-politics related podcast. These practices naturally developed for me.  

Think about what you already do: Rather than designing an overly romantic list of morning practices, think about the things that you already do in the morning. Do you usually make coffee when you wake up? Maybe you rinse your face with warm water to give yourself a jolt? In an ideal world, we could all have elaborate morning routines that served no practical function but in reality, most of us have things to do. So instead of adding things on top of what you already have, think about taking a different approach to the practices that you already have in place. This brings me to my next point …  

Bask in the Ritual: This point is essentially a continuation of the previous one, adding in the element of mindfulness. In order to transform your morning habits into a — morning routine, shift your mindset to one of self-care. Take the practices that you already have but instead of running through them passively, perform them mindfully and with an ethos of self-love and compassion. Taking this approach to your morning helps set a tone for the day ahead.

Set a Tone: For me, the most important function of a morning routine is to set a tone for my day. What feelings do I want to characterize my day and how I can cultivate those feelings on my own before exposing myself to externalities? I use my morning meditation practice to create a feeling of calm and positivity before things gets going. Experiencing this feeling first thing gives me a foundation that I can return to throughout the day. 

Set Yourself Up: This tip is the most practical of the list. In order to get the most out of your morning routine, do yourself a favor and set yourself up the night before. If you know that waking up to the smell of coffee makes you feel amazing, set your coffee pot to start brewing five minutes before your alarm. If you’re like me and your love waking up to a clean kitchen, wash your dishes and wipe down the counters as a part of your night time routine. These little setups usually take less than five minutes and they can make a world of difference for your mood coming into the next day. 

No matter if it’s 10 minutes or an hour, take a little time to indulge in your morning routine. It doesn’t have overly luxurious, it just has to work for you. 

GWHG

The Power of Eating Alone

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I recently realized how much I enjoy eating alone. This semester, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I would arrive on campus a bit after 7AM to workout at the gym. Post-sweat, I would eat quickly before starting work at the Writing Center at 9. If I didn’t get caught up at the gym, I usually had about 15-20 minutes to enjoy my packed breakfast. In the beginning, I would microwave my food at the Writing Center and then sit at my desk and eat until it was time to start work.

I would usually check emails and browse Facebook as I ate, feeling as though multi-taking in this way set me on a path for productivity throughout the rest of the day. I soon realized, however, that I was doing myself a disservice by taking my first meal of the day this way. I began thinking critically about how I could use this time more wisely and developed a routine of eating alone that I have come to cherish.

Rather than sitting at my desk, I started opting to leave to the office. At first, I would just sit in some of the seats in the hallway of the building where the Writing Center is located. This was partially due to it being “winter” in LA and thus, a bit chillier than one might like for sitting outside, and partly due to a lack of imagination on my part. As the semester progressed, however, I pushed myself to go outside regardless. I’ve read so much about the benefits of opting outside and I wanted to be better about taking advantage of them. I also made a conscious decision to not bring my phone with me.

Although society makes us believe that we should be capitalizing on every moment of the day to be “productive,” there is a lot to be said for doing one thing. Taking this 15 minutes with nothing but myself and my meal allowed me to mentally prepare for all the day’s adventures. It set a tone of self-care that I could attempt to replicate throughout the day. It served as a moment for myself on those crazy days where moments like this might otherwise be hard to come by. Eating alone in this way also served as an opportunity for me to cultivate a relationship with my food. By slowing down and focusing on the task of eating, I was able to really taste my meals and experience a feeling of gratitude for being able to nourish my body in this way. 

Even if you don’t have much time, I encourage you to develop a routine of communing with your food a few times a week. 

Here are some quick tips for getting the most out of your solo meal sessions:

Don’t look at your phone. If you’re in a position to just leave it at home or at the office, do it! If not, make an agreement with yourself to not take it out of your bag or pocket until you’re done with your meal. If you lack self control, like many of us do, try using the Forest app that I recommended in this post. 

Take out your headphones. As a music-enthusiast and a podcast-junkie, I rarely miss an opportunity to pop in my headphones. There is a lot to be said for tuning out to tune in, however. If you’re lucky enough to eat outside, take the time to really enjoy the sounds of nature. If you’re in a big city, do some people watching. Tuning into your surroundings is a great way to ground yourself and connect to the world. If you have to eat in the office, I suggest taking a look at this article for some tips to how to create some good vibes at your desk. 

Eat food that tastes good. This is pretty straight-forward. It’s much easier to enjoy the act of eating if the foods you’re eating are delicious. Basic. 

Breathe. It’s easy to go through the hustle and bustle of the day without realizing how worked up we are in our minds and bodies. For many of us, the chaos of everyday life is normalized and unless we’re mindful, we can end up living in a constant state of stress. Your eat-alone time is a great moment to decompress. Take a few deep breaths before, after, and even during your meal to calm your nervous system. I often do a few neck and shoulder rolls before I start eating to signal to my mind and body that it’s okay to relax. 

Hopefully these tips help you develop a love for eating alone. 

Are you a fan of eating alone? What does your routine look like? Comment below to let me know!

GWHG

Hummus-like Garlic Beet Spread

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This garlic beet spread has been giving me life over the past week.

My tastebuds recently had the pleasure of indulging in these Swiss Chard Fritters. While I had initially planned to eating them by themselves, I realized that I actually had ingredients on hand to make a variation of the Garlicky Beet Spread that the NYTCooking recommends as an accompaniment. I was really pleased with how it turned out and have been eating it on everything this week. Thought I’d share! Do be warned that this spread is pretty garlicky. You may not want to include this one on your list of date-night recipes. 😉 If you’re not into it, feel free to adjust accordingly. 

Hummus-like Beet Spread
Great spread to add to salads or to dip pita or veggies.
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/4 sunflower seeds
  2. 2 red beets, pre-cooked/streamed and cooled
  3. 1/4 cream cheese
  4. 1 tsp olive oil
  5. 1 garlic clove
  6. 1.5 -2 TBL lemon juice
  7. fresh dill
  8. salt to taste
Instructions
  1. 1. If you haven't already cooked your beats, do so by roasting them in the oven or steaming them on the stovetop.
  2. 2. Once beet are cooked and cooled, chop them into smaller pieces and add them to the food processor with all of the other ingredients. I recommend holding off on the salt until the very end.
  3. 3. Blend everything in the food processor until the texture is to your liking. Add salt in small amounts and taste until it's to your preference.
Adapted from New York Times Garlicky Beet Spread
Adapted from New York Times Garlicky Beet Spread
Girl With the Hipster Glasses http://girlwiththehipsterglasses.com/
 I highly recommend trying the Chard Fritters if you can. This spread also pairs well with crackers and pita – pretty much anything that you’d use to scoop hummus. You can also dap a huge dollop of it on your salad place to add in some flavor. If you make this garlic beet spread, I’d love to hear how you’re using it. Comment below! 

4 Steps for a Spiritual Spring Cleaning

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At this point Spring is in full swing and summa is near. Because I’m on an academic schedule, I am only now getting around to resetting and refreshing for the new season. At this point, hopefully you’ve gone through your cabinets, drawers, and closets to throw out unnecessary possessions. But have you taken any time for internal self work? For those of you who might be running a little behind schedule on your mental and spiritual spring cleaning, here are some of the ways that I’m setting myself up for the rest of the year.

Check-In: This is the part where you sit down and take some inventory. How are you feeling about how your 2017 is going so far? Are you happy with what you’ve accomplished? Are you on path for meeting the goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? It’s important to seriously consider your emotional state in order to maintain or change it. 

Journal: So many people swear by journaling but it has not traditionally been a part of my routine. I’ve been incorporating it more recently, however, as I’ve found it refreshing to get some of my thoughts out of my head and on to some paper. I have particularly taken a liking to making gratitude lists to remind myself of everything that the universe has provided me up until this point. 

Goal-set: Once all the reflecting is done, it’s time to create some tangible intentions for yourself. Maybe you realize that some of the goals that you’d set earlier in the year are unnecessary or unrealistic. Don’t be afraid to revise your objectives as appropriate. There’s a lot of power in acknowledging when certain goals no longer make sense. 

Cultivate: Once your goals are set, it’s time to implement! Start actively working towards what you want in life. Whether that’s building a new healthy habit, reaching a career milestone, or scratching something off your personal bucket list, go for it. The universe has your back. 

Ideally these processes of self-reflection and self-improvement would be everyday practices. In our current world, however, this can be hard to sustain. A new season is a great opportunity to set aside some time for this kind of self work in hopes of cultivating an overall stronger relationship to self-care. 

GWHG

 

 

 

 

Away Bigger Carry-On Suitcase Review

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So I’m at this point in my life where I get really into random adulty things… like suitcases.

So today I’m here on the blog to review the Away Bigger Carry-On that I been using for my most recent travels.

Between traveling to Chicago 2+ times and a year and sharing/exchanging duffel bags and suitcases with my mom, I somehow misplaced the carry-on that was a part of my luggage set. Being fierce dedicated to that #carryononly life, I set out to make a purchase. In true millennial fashion, I exhausted all the reviews and blogs to try to find the perfect carry on. I had seen some ads for Away on social media so I decided to look into it further. I was immediately drawn to the aesthetic of the luggage. Super clean design with interesting color options. Beyond the look, I was pretty impressed with the amount of research thought that had obviously gone into the concept of the product. They offer both a carry on and a “bigger carry-on” that is technically larger than the standard carry-on dimensions but that still fits into the actual sizers. Who would have guessed that the sizers were actually a little bigger? Also, a USB port for charging your phone – game changer. Here’s a quick review of the Away Bigger Cary-On features.

Organizing Compartments – One of the things I love about the Away Bigger Carry-On is that it makes it easy to stay organized. The mesh zipper compartment is perfect for separating shoes and toiletries from your clothing for quick access. In my case, I used it to hold my students’ midterm exams that I took with me to grade. #teacherstruggles I also found it useful for throwing in small souvenirs that I collected throughout my trip. 

Laptop sleeve – I have mixed feelings about the laptop sleeve. On the one hand, I love that it’s there. It’s well designed so that your laptop is protected by your items on either side. It’s also big enough to hold your laptop in a soft case for even more protection. The downside to this is that because it’s so tightly packed in, it’s really hard to access. This means that removing your laptop for security or before taking your seat on the plane is a pain. I would recommend keeping your laptop with you as your “personal item” until after security, or after you land at your destination if you plan on using it during the flight. This is less of an issue if your have TSA Precheck because you aren’t required to remove your laptop from your bag. 

360 Wheels – So lots of suitcases have these. I don’t know that the 360 wheels on the Away Bigger Carry-On are anything particularly special. That being said, as someone who had never owned a suitcase with 360-degree wheels prior to this, I was really happy that my new purchase had this feature. Really came in handy while navigating busy airports. 

Phone charger – This is clutch. I’m pretty good about keeping my technologies charged when I’m traveling but I loved the security of knowing that if I ended up in a pickle, I could rely on my suitcase to give my iPhone some juice. I tested it out for good measure at Heathrow and it worked like a charm. 

Laundry bag – Simple feature but I really enjoy it. I always forget to bring a plastic bag for laundry when I’m traveling so it’s nice to have it as a built-in feature. I used it to store my gross workout clothes in between sink washes and it kept the smell from contaminating the rest of my clothes. 

So that’s my quick take on the Away Bigger Carry-On. If there are any specific questions about this suitcase, comment below! 

Disclaimer: This post was in no way sponsored by Away. I purchased the suitcase and chose to review it on my own volition. 

20-Minute No Equipment/ Body-Weight / Travel Workout

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Hi everyone!

I’m actually sharing a no-equipment workout today. It’s been a while since I’ve posted any workouts on the blog so I’m excited about this post. Getting workouts in while traveling (or while not traveling for that matter) can sometime be challenging. This no-equipment workout is perfect to do at home or while traveling. I designed this workout to require minimal time, space, and equipment making it ideal for anyone who might be limited on any of these resources. 

I actually designed this workout back in January when I was visiting some friends in New York. I left Chicago on a Thursday afternoon and made a pit stop on the East Coast before flying back to LA on Sunday. In a city like NYC, there are no shortage of workouts to be had but it can be tricky when you’re only in the city for a couple of days and you’re not keen on spending $25+ on a studio class. The circumstances became all the more complicated when Mother Nature decided to bless the city with a snow storm on Sunday morning. I had taken a community class at Laughing Lotus the day before and I had planned to hit up Yoga to the People for my second and final day in the city. Alas, I was deterred by the weather and decided I would instead get in a short workout at my friend’s apartment where I was staying. I planned this workout, put on the Insecure soundtrack, and twenty minutes later, I was sweaty, content, and energized to head out in the snow to see friends.

I got to test this workout again on my more recent trip to Lisbon. The kitchen of my AirBnB proved to be a perfect makeshift personal gym

Lisbon Kitchen / Gym

This no equipment workout is structured in one-minute intervals and includes four basic moves with some variations between rounds to keep you from getting bored. You’ll do five rounds of the circuit for a total of 20 minutes of work. It’s entirely body weight based so all you need is some floor space and/or a yoga mat for a little padding. Super home or travel-friendly! 

Rounds 1 and 2

1 minute Crossbody V-ups (lie down on your back and then crunch up, bringing your left arm across your body and your right left off the group. Tap your right toes with your left fingertips, repeat on the other side and continue alternating)

1 minute burpees

1 minute bodyweight/air squats

1 minute slow-fast mountain climbers (do 10 slow mountain climbers, crunching you abs to bringing your knee towards the nose and then do 20 fast before going back to the slow ones)

 

Rounds 3 and 4

1 minute sit ups

1 minute burpees

1 minute bodyweight squat with forward kick

1 minute slow-fast oblique mountain climbs bring knee to opposite elbow  

 

Round 5

One more round of the circuit with whichever exercise variations you prefer!

I’d highly recommend this workout if you want a quick workout that’s both challenging and efficient. Try it and let me know how it goes in the comments!

 

GWHG

Five Pantry Staples to Keep on Hand

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Ciao ciao.

This post provides a quick rundown of the pantry staples that I generally like to have on hand. When I actively transitioned away from eating processed foods, I immediately noticed that I did not retrieve ingredients from my pantry as often. For the most part, I try to eat fresh foods. This means that I bulk of the ingredients that I use in my meals throughout the week are being stored in the fridge, freezer, or simply on the countertop. When Despite using fresh meats and produce for most of my meals, there are some key jarred and canned ingredients that I like to have on hand at all times. On to the pantry staples! 

Organic Jarred Tomato Sauce

Muir Glen Organics Tomato Sauce

Muir Glen Organics Tomato Sauce

It’s nice to make your own from scratch but sometimes you simply don’t have the time. This stuff is also great in a pinch as it can easily be used on top of some zoodles or simmered with meat or fish. Just be sure to find a good brand with clean ingredients. This brand is great but a little pricey so I usually get a few jars when it’s on sale. I always look for brands with no sugar added. I believe that TJs has a few.

Grass-Fed Collagen

Great Lakes Collagen Gelatin

Great Lakes Collagen Gelatin

If you haven’t used collagen, I highly recommend it. It’s great for your skin, nails, and hair and joints. I love throwing a tablespoon in my smoothies.

 

Canned Fish

Trader Joe's canned Alaskan Salmon

Trader Joe’s canned Alaskan Salmon

I generally have canned tuna and salmon on deck in case of emergencies / lazy evenings. When I’m just not interested in making something more elaborate, I often throw some canned fish into a bowl with some veggies, spices, and olive oil and call it a day. There are a lot of other kinds of canned fish to explore. I’ve also grown to love smoked kippers and sardines.

 

Meat and Veggie Broths

organic broths

Organic chicken and veggie broth

Broths are a great way to add flavor to simple dishes. If we were all Ina Garden (#goals) then we would make our broths from scratch. But since most of us don’t live lives as fabulous as the Contessa, we must resort to store-bought varieties. I generally look for organic brands that don’t have added sugar. I highly recommend this mushroom broth, which adds some lovely umami undertones to soups and veggies.

 

Coconut Cream

savoy coconut cream

savoy coconut cream from my local Asian grocer

As someone who doesn’t eat a ton of dairy, coconut cream is my savior. I primarily use it to add creaminess to curry dishes and texture/body to my smoothies. I’ve also been known to simmer some frozen fruit in coconut cream for a nice warm healthy dessert. The possibilities are endless.

Is there anything that you would add to this list? What are some of your pantry staples? 

Braised Coconut Chickpeas with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach

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I posted a photo of this recipe on the ‘gram last week and I had a request for the recipe. Since the recipe is not my own, I thought I’d just create a blog post linking to it and offering some tips for making it your own. 

This recipe was actually a staple in my rotation back in 2012/2013 when I was living and working in Manila, Philippines. This moment in my life is near and dear to my heart for a number of reasons, one of which being that it was the moment when I really started to enjoy cooking and experimenting with recipes. 

When I consider that kinds of foods that I’m attracted to, it makes perfect sense to me that I was so in love with this recipe. It’s essentially a dairy-free curry with coconut milk, chickpeas, and delicious veggies. A recipe after my own heart.  

When I used to make the recipe, I followed exactly as directed. This time around, I thought it would be fun to play around with adding some dried ancho peppers in to amp up the flavor. I will say that the next time I make this recipe I might add less sun-dried tomatoes. Maybe the ones that I used were particularly potent but they were kind of a lot for me. Now that it’s back in my life, I’m also excited to add some different kinds of greens to the mix and maybe event swap out the chickpeas with another kind of legume. 

This recipe also comes together quick! Perfect for when you’re operating under a time crunch or when you just want to make something healthy with little fuss. If you’re using dried chickpeas, make sure you prep and cook them ahead of time so that they don’t slow you down. 

Click over to the original recipe here.