Happy Reading Week!

Do you hear that? No? Well that's what you call peace and quiet. Whether you are on a busy street reading blogs or in relaxing in your bed, I hope you feel some sort of peace within. At my university, it is FINALLY reading week. I have never experienced a reading week in February before. Or at all! I'm in my first year of uni, and after all of the stress I've had, it feels so great to treat myself for a bit. Unfortunately, I still have a part-time job to attend to, but it still feels nice to not have the stresses of schoolwork (which can sometimes get a little bit overwhelming).

As I have absolutely no plans for the rest of the week, so I've decided to do a bit of reading.. A few weeks ago, I began to read The Fault in Our Stars. And at that moment, I asked myself, what have I been doing with my life the whole time it's been released?!?!?! I probably made it halfway through the book in a matter of two days. Then homework and exams took over my life. Now, I've decided to re-read the book from the beginning, and enjoy a little adventure away from reality. This will probably only take me a few days to be honest. It's really addictive.

Buy this awesome book at your local bookstore! It's worth it!

So what should I do with the rest of the week? Well I have been thinking of moving to a little bit of a larger city.. Thinking of it... a lot... I've always wanted to move to a bigger city, and I think I may have found the one. In this case, I would also have to do a bit of research on transferring. Sometimes, I feel embarrassed of admitting that I want to transfer universities. I feel almost like a quitter. So instead, being the optimistic person I am, I tell myself that I'm just ready to grow up even more than I already have. To be honest, I almost moved away for school last year, but I most likely felt unready. Not that university is terrible right now, but I feel more ready than I have ever felt to make this big change.

So enough about me and my thoughts. It feels good to get that off my chest, but now I want to really to some more research on my possibilities of my upcoming year!

Much love,

JessicaLynn

Clean Egg Muffins

Inspired by the beautiful Cassey Ho from blogilates, I decided to make a version similar to her Clean Egg Muffins. Of course I didn't have the exact ingredients, and the amount of servings that the recipe made was a little bit too large for me so I went with the flow and created this delicious dish! A lot of the ingredients are almost the same, but I made them with what I had! It's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner depending when you feel like eating them!

This recipe makes roughly 9-12 egg muffins, it just depends on how much egg you put in each muffin tin! I prefer less egg to make more egg muffins and to add more flavour of all of the natural ingredients!


Ingredients:

2 roma tomatoes
1 scallion
1/2 green (or red) bell pepper
4 whole eggs, 3 egg whites
dried basil leaves (enough to sprinkle a small amount over each egg muffin)

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Firstly, cut all of your veggies and get egg-crackin!

The very first thing that you should do is to spray the pan with PAM. I STRONGLY encourage being generous with the spray, otherwise it's a pain to clean afterwards. You can also insert muffin tins into the pan and then give it a spray with the PAM. Either way will work! Then fill each muffin tin with the eggs and egg whites. Make sure the eggs have been mixed well.

 

Next, add all of your veggies. Simple as that. There is no specific order to do them, but for some reason, I prefer to add the basil last in order to give it some extra colour to the dish.

Place it in the oven for 20-30 mins, and voilà!

These egg muffins are absolutely delicious and filled with flavour. When serving, I also like to dab a bit of salsa on top. That way you can taste the extra spice to it!

I much prefer it served warm, but you can really eat it in whatever way you want! I love the fact that they are SO fast and easy to make! Hope you give them a try and feel free to let me know how it goes!

Much love,
JessicaLynn

Beauty Post - Estée Lauder Blush

Estée Lauder Blush in Electric Pink

In the past month I have literally worn this blush every day that I have applied makeup. Before I even start to brag about this product, I would like to discuss this gorgeous packaging! Shiny gold is what every girl looks for in makeup packaging. I know it's not about what is on the outside that counts, but it definitely makes me put it to good use!

I got this suggestion by Tanya Burr, a beauty blogger/youtube star. I was nervous about purchasing such a bright blush, but it is PERFECT for the winter time. It gives you a gorgeous just-been-outside look. The complexion is stunning, it doesn't look thick on the skin and can be applied very easily. I would also like to add that this blush lasts forever. It lasts both on your skin and as a product. Particularly, the picture of the blush above is one that I just recently took - after a whole month of using it. It is a great investment and can look great on anyone, pale or not. Just make sure you don't apply too much and you're golden.

It is most definitely my staple product of this month! Although the price point is higher, the quality truly overpowers the quantity.

What is your favourite blush of this month?

Much love,
JessicaLynn

Red Quinoa Salad and Spicy Chicken

As today was my day off work, I got to spend some time with my mom! I had a great day. And tonight I thought I should treat the family with a homemade healthy meal. For the longest time, I've really been taking care of my body by eating clean (of course treating myself to sweets occasionally) and doing the best I can to maintain that healthy lifestyle. My mom and I bought quinoa at the grocery store today so I decided to find a new recipe with that ingredient. While surfing the internet, I then found a Red Quinoa Salad and made up the chicken recipe as I went along. I wanted chicken that had a bit of a bite to it so I added some interesting spices! So here it is - the recipe to Spicy Chicken and Red Quinoa Salad.

Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken (the amount of chicken is up to you - I baked 6 pieces)
Olive Oil
Dried Chives
Chipotle Seasoning
Garlic Powder

First baste the chicken on a pan with the olive oil. Spread lightly. It's mainly just to allow the other dry ingredients to stick to the chicken!

Next, season the chicken with each dry ingredient to your taste preference. I prefer mine to be a bit spicier, so I sprinkled a little bit more chipotle seasoning!

Bake in the oven at 375 fahrenheit and bake until fully cooked through - a.k.a ensure it's not pink!

And voilà... chicken is done!

Red Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked red quinoa
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced shallots
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 freshly ground black pepper
2 cups diced and seeded tomato
1 cup diced and seeded cucumber
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (or 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried mint leaves)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano)
1 (15 or 19-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 4 ounzes cumbled feta (less if you would like)
• First, cook the quinoa as directed. I usually rinse the quinoa in warm water for 3 minutes. In a pot with two cups of water, I then boil the water and put the quinoa in the pot. I let it boil with the quinoa in it for 3 minutes, and then turn down the heat as low as possible. I cover it and let it simmer for 15 minutes while stirring it occasionally.
• 
• It should look something like this afterwards. Make sure it is in a large bowl so you can easily add the other ingredients later!
• 

In the meantime, you can prepare the dressing for the salad! This is everything that you would need. First add the olive oil, then the red wine vinegar. Add the salt and pepper and then finely chop the shallots.

Now it's time to add the rest of the ingredients to your quinoa! First drain your chickpeas. Rinse them well and set them aside.

Next, dice the roma tomatoes and the cucumber as so.

Add the oregano and mint leaves to the mix, as well as the vegetables. Mix well!

Pour your dressing and add the feta. Slice your lemon wedges for the plate...

And there you have it - a delicious meal that is extremely healthy for you!

I hope you enjoyed this healthy-eating blog post! I encourage everyone to try this recipe out! It's delicious! I am definitely looking forward to doing more posts like these and sharing a healthy lifestyle + more with you all. Enjoy!

Much love,

JessicaLynn

Beauty Post - Soap&Glory's Butter Yourself

Well if it isn't my new favourite Soap&Glory product! I just started using Soap&Glory products in the past year or so. One day, while casually doing a routine browse through the beauty section, I decided to see what they had in the Soap&Glory section! I found this body cream, took one whiff and placed it in the checkout immediately. First of all, I love the packaging. It's quite girly, but very kick-ass. It's awesome! The second thing I noticed was the smell. It has such a nice, light scent! Perfect for anytime of the year in any season. It was actually one of the first body butters I have ever used from them. I figured since I already loved the brand, why not try something new!

Once I finally got home and was able to try it, it was heavenly. It is a very thick cream, but it's no trouble to apply. I expected that it would be something that I would have to dedicate a lot of time to apply until I reminded myself of what brand this was. I've never been let down by a Soap&Glory product ever before. This product in particular is extremely moisturizing and smells amazing. Something that works so great can't get any better than this! I also love the large container that it's sold in. It has lasted me for months and that's using is at least every second day! It's definitely worth it's value of about $20.

I can't wait to try some more products from Soap&Glory!
Do you have any Soap&Glory favourites?

Much love,
JessicaLynn