DIY Hair Mask

Happy Sunday Readers! 

Since it's Sunday(aka lets pamper ourselves while we binge on Netflix day) I thought I would share my favorite all natural hair mask with you guys. Now I'm sure you've heard how great coconut oil is for pretty much everything. Well it's freaking amazing for your hair too. I swear since I've started using it in my hair it's softer,healthier,and even grows better. I'm hooked for life and I hope you guys will be too. So here is what you will need for my favorite hair mask,

1-3 tablespoons of coconut oil( it depends on the the length and thickness of your hair. Mine is past boob level and SO thick so I almost need 2-3 tablespoons.)

1-2 tablespoons of honey(this step is completely optional, I will add honey when I want more shine but I've skipped it tons of times in the past. It does make the hair smell great though.)

Now take your ingredients and heat them up in a pot or in the microwave until they are liquified and mixed together. Then proceed to lather your hair up until it is evenly covered. 

When you're done tie or clip your hair up and let it sit for and hour or two while you binge on some shows. After you have let it sit just rise with your normal shampoo and you're good to go. I usually skip conditioner because my hair is already so moisturized that it doesn't need it but it's up to you. I hope you guys enjoy this mask as much as I do, let me know how you like it and if it helps your hair at all. 

My Favorite Quote

 Okay so I normally DO NOT like to use curse words on my blog or Instagram account but I just loved this too much because I connect with it on so many levels. This quote is so true, I mean at least in my experience. When some girls were basically attacking me on social media, for days, they started calling me a Bitch!  After I stood up for myself by blocking them all. Even the girl I thought was my best friend(I had known her for almost 10 years) took their side and said I was a bitch and then joined them in spamming my Twitter and Instagram. Standing up for yourself(in a classy, nice way)in the face of bullies should not be a reason for people to call you a Bitch. They then preceded to call me a slew of other degrading names, all because I said they were being childish and blocked them. That is called dealing with mean girls in the best way. I will never understand why as women, we feel the need to tear other women down. Being girls we know how harsh the world is, we should really all be sticking together and try to help other women whenever we can. If standing up for myself and other women makes me a Bitch then I guess I am. 

Thigh Gap Rant

I was looking through Instagram earlier and I couldn't help but notice all the comments about people mostly young girls, obsessing over the highly sought after "thigh gap" so I started looking into it and I realized that girls are becoming obsessed with achieving this very hard unrealistic ideal of beauty. They are purging, starving, using laxatives, etc. to try and attain thigh gaps. Girls having or not having a thigh gap does not define your beauty. Some girls naturally have thigh gaps because of their build but some girls are just NOT built for them. Starving yourself or harming your body to try and achieve this when its not meant for you is not worth it. I am a healthy, petite size 0-00 and I do not have a thigh gap. My thighs just aren't built to have one as many girls bodies are. Starving yourself sick for a gap between our thighs is NOT worth it. You are beautiful just the way you are.  I just want you all to know that, thigh gap or no thigh gap you're all gorgeous, wonderful ladies who don't need to go to extremes to try and attain this. 

My Secret Weapon

May has officially begun!!!! I don't know about you guys but April flew by for me. It seems like it was barely even here. Since its the first day of a brand new month I thought I would share one of my biggest tools that I use to stay in shape and exercise with my CRAZY schedule. I travel a lot so finding time to excise or space can be a challenge. One thing that really has helped me on my journey these past 3 years are the Popsugar Fitness workouts. I found them at the beginning of my fitness journey and have literally used them ever since. Popsugar Fitness has an app that I greatly recommend all of you download and on the app are all the workout videos you could ever want. They range from 5 mins all the way to 1 hour. My favorites are the 10 min videos because I will mix and match them to build an amazing workout. Another thing I like about them is that they explain everything so simply that anyone can understand the moves and do them. They also offer various modifications so you can go easier or harder depending on your fitness level. Honestly these workouts have really changed my fitness life. I can take this app anywhere in the word and have workouts at my finger tips. It's basically my secret weapon for working out on the go. I highly recommend everyone try their workouts and download their app. 

Roasted Chickpeas aka The Best Snack EVER

Okay so I just want to start off by saying my Dad and I were making and snacking on roasted chickpeas before they were the trendy cool snack they are today. Since he is from Pakistan he is already a chickpea fan and he passed that love of chickpeas on to me from like birth. So I've been eating chickpea basically since I could chew. Roasted chickpeas are a great, healthy snack that provide a good amount of protein and fiber to help keep you full. They are a fantastic substitute for chips and you can basically flavor them however you want! The options are endless. 

My personal favourite is just plain old roasted chickpeas with salt, pepper, and grapeseed oil. All you do is take a can of chickpeas rinse them and then toss a few tablespoons of your oil of choice on them. Then add your spices and put them on a pan to roast. Cook them for about and 1 hr on 375 or until brown and crunchy. You can store them in little snack packs for about a week in your pantry. So instead of grabbing a bag of chips grab a bag of these little babies! 

Come Dine with Me

Okay so this is probably one of the MOST requested posts that I've ever been asked to write. I'm not sure why people want to know what I eat all day but hey you guys asked so I'm giving it to you. Let's get into it then. So I started keeping a food journal about a week ago just to see exactly what I was eating so here is what I usually eat on a given day. 

For breakfast I noticed that I rotate between these different meals. Either a huge smoothie, two fried eggs and a mango, or a PB&J and chocolate milk. These are like my breakfast staples. 

For lunch I usually had some either chicken breast with salad or a whole bunch of raw veggies like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc. and half a chicken breast with some hummus for the veggies. Sometimes I will just have whatever my moms cooking if I don't want to make my own lunch. That includes homemade burgers, veggie pasta, and sometimes different Pakistani meals.

For dinner I rotate around with either a GIANT smoothie(so I get enough calories) if I had a big lunch, an egg white omelette loaded with veggies and some kind of fruit on the side, or a few slices of chicken breast with vegetables and hummus(again) 

Now for snacks I usually had about 2, 1 in between breakfast and lunch and 1 between lunch and dinner. My snack options are usually half a cup of cottage cheese with fruit and honey, an apple with some almonds(sometimes it's different fruit depending on what I have), and raw veggies with hummus.

Drink wise I usually have either unsweetened tea, lemon water, or plain water. Water is basically my go to especially with a little lemon squeezed in there. I don't drink coke very often if I do it's usually only on a holiday. Once in a while I treat myself to a Starbucks Frapp but not very often. 

This is just kind of an example of the main staples I eat in my diet. Basically I try to eat very whole, organic foods it that doesn't mean I don't treat myself because I do. During the week I kept this food journal I treated myself to a slice of chocolate cheesecake, and also on a different day some cookies. It's all about balance and making sure you don't go overboard with the treats. I aim to eat about 1500-1600 calories a day sometimes more depending on my activity and workouts for that day. If I am doing a big workout one day I will usually up my calories to help my body repair but if I'm say going on a trip and will just be sitting in the car all day I drop the number of calories down a bit. Now I NEVER go below 1200 calories because that isn't enough for anyone and will send your body into starvation mode. You guys can adjust the calories you need based on all your factors like activity level,height and all that. I hope this post kind of helps give you a glimpse into my food world and what I eat. Let me know how you liked it below! 

Stop the Body Shaming.

This post is something I've been wanting to write for quite awhile actually. It's something that I've experienced personally and I know others have as well. It seems that no matter how skinny or curvy you are that you will never escape the hurtful comments and body shaming. I used to be really overweight and I can honestly say that I never got as many hurtful comments as I have being slim. I'm  Naturally petite at my height of 5'2, my extra weight just hid my small frame. 

When I lost the extra weight I looked like a different person and I was very proud of myself, I loved my new body honestly. We live away from most of my family so they hadn't seen me lose the weight all they remembered was that I left being overweight and then came back for the holidays basically a new person. Most of my relatives were completely shocked and I thought they would be just as proud as I was but that didn't end up being the case. Everyone In my family is overweight so before I lost weight I seemed like one of them, fitting in completely but after I lost weight it's like they thought I was some kind of outsider or freak that didn't seem normal. 

 I started getting called Skinny Minny, Boney, Anorexic, and even ugly. Even some old friends would tell me I looked like a stick. I remember one time quite recently where my cousin and aunt actually told me that I had ruined my body, become horribly ugly, and that no guys would want me now. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. These people were my family and even they couldn't help but make hurtful body shaming comments. Why couldn't they just be as proud of myself as I was? I tried to just let them roll off my back but after awhile I started to wonder if maybe they were right, was I really "gross" looking? Had I ruined my body? Then I realized that listening to all this crap was just completely stupid. I hadn't ruined my body at all, I had just improved it.

 I became healthy because carrying all that extra weight on my little frame WAS not healthy. My family doctor had even told me that I was at a perfectly healthy weight so their comments about being sickly or having an eating disorder were definitely not true. I don't even think that people realize how hurtful their comments about being slim can be. They are just as hurtful as calling curvy girls fat. Body shaming of every body type, size, and shape needs to stop. 

EVERY girl is beautiful, it doesn't matter if you're a size 0 or 18, we are all gorgeous, wonderful, smart, funny women who are so much more than just what size jeans they fit into. Instead of tearing each other down with hurtful comments we should be lifting each other up in praise of how amazing we all are. 

Trend Alert!

Now that Paris Fashion Week has officially come to a finish I wanted to share one of the biggest trends I noticed while watching all the shows and street fashion. Long to mid-lengh skirts! They were literally everywhere in every kind of pattern,design, and fabric. They were styled dressy and casual. I really loved this lentgh of skirts I was seeing because it's a length you don't see very often and it really made the wearer stand out. I gathered some pictures of my favorite looks using this hot trend for you guys to check out. Let me know what you guys think about this new trend, would you wear it? 

90 Calorie Lemon Bars

These Lemon Bars are a speciality of mine, my whole family loves them especially my Dad. He actually requests that I make them for him all the time. They are such a refreshing little dessert and are a good break from chocolate. This recipe makes 25 mini bars that are exactly 90 calories a piece. Here's what you'll need,

Ingredients-

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine *softened*

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel(if desired, I think it really kicks up the lemon flavor so I recommend it)

2 tablespoons lemon juice *fresh squeezed works best*

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs 

Extra powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of the bars when finished

Directions-

Preheat the oven to 350

Mix flour,butter,and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Once mixed press into square pan 8 by 8 by 2 or 9 by 9 by 2. Building up 1/2 inch sides. 

Bake crust for 20 mins then remove from oven. 

Beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on high speed for about 3 mins or until light and fluffy. Pour over hot crust. 

Bake 25-30 mins or until no indentation when touched lighty in center. Cool in pan then dust with powdered sugar. Cut into 5 rows by 5 rows. 

  

I hope you guys enjoy this recipes as much as my family. 

I Think I Have a Problem...

Okay so I was strolling through my Instagram and it dawned on me, I'm ADDICTED/OBSESSED with Mexican food!!! I'm not kidding, at least half my lunches and dinners are Mexican food. Tostadas, tacos, taco salads, you name it and I've eaten it people. I literally put jalapeños on everything and I might as well drink salsa. I'm pretty sure I must have some Mexican blood down my family line somewhere. It probably has to do with the fact that I've been raised In Texas  for most of my life, hello Tex-Mex. I don't know if this has anything to do with it but my mom has told me that she ate an abnormal amount of Mexican food when she was pregnant with me so basically I've been eating it since before birth. I thought I'd share some of my favorite Mexican themed meals with you guys. Let me know what your food obsessions are! 

Taco Salad!

Tostadas!

More Taco Salad! 

Baked Oatmeal!

Guys I have discovered my absolute favourite breakfast of all time. BAKED OATMEAL!! I finally got around to whipping up a batch and its official I'm hooked. It is literally the best thing on earth. Here is the recipe so you guys can jump on board my new obsession.

Ingredients-  

2 eggs

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/4 cups of milk

1/4 cup of butter(melted, I used salted but I don't think it matters) 

3 cups of rolled oats 

**I added walnuts and chocolate chips to mine but you can literally add whatever you would like before baking and afterwards**

Directions- preheat your oven to 350 and butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish for later. 

In a large bowl mix together the eggs then add in the brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, wisk together until no lumps remain. Stir in the melted butter and milk and then add the oats. Now you bake it for 30-40 mins until it has set(you can also store it In the fridge overnight and bake the next day if desired)

After you remove it from the oven you can serve it warm and add whatever toppings you like. Berries,honey,milk,cream,maple syrup,chocolate chips, nuts, you name it, it's entirely up to you. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe, let know below how you liked it!

This is how mine turned out, unfortunately I couldn't get the pic before my Fam had already started digging in.

Red Queen(aka My New Obsession)

Hey guys!! So I am officially in love with a new trilogy, Red Queen. It is so amazing. I just finished the Selection Series and was looking for a new one to help cure my book hangover and I think I've found it. This is honestly such a unique, fantastic debut. I couldn't put it down and even got my mom hooked. Here is a fantastic description of the debut novel in the trilogy, 

""Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver Elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army, she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a superhuman ability she didn’t know she had.

Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a budding Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince and Mare against her own heart.""

 The characters in my opinion could have used a tiny bit more description because I had a hard time picturing Mare, Cal, and Maven but other than that it was completely captivating and I couldn't stop until I was done. I loved their personalities and they were all very easy to relate to especially Mare, she is a great female protagonist. The plot to was well written and will keep you intrigued until the very end. The twist in the book will literally blow your mind. I'm definitely team Cal becaus he is so sweet and you can see how much he clearly cares for Mare.

The author,Victoria Aveyard I think did a brilliant job with her debut novel. It was everything you need in a good book. Plus, she is a New England Patriots fan so hello who couldn't love her? She is definitely my new favorite author and this is definitely my new favourite trilogy. I highly, highly recommended this novel for anyone looking for a new obsession.

Flashback Friday!

Today I'm flashing back to when I got the privilege of joining my parents on a trip to the school we have opened in Pakistan and delivering some supplies and goodies to the students. It was such an amazing trip and was so humbling. These kids want to learn so bad much more than students here. Are school allows kids who can't pay to still attend so if it weren't for our school at least half of the 400 students wouldn't even be in school. We took backpacks and candy to all the students as well as some new books and supplies. The kids were so excited because they had never seen any American candy before. I was so blessed to be a part of that fantastic trip. Here are some pictures of my parents and I with the students and teachers. 

February Favorites!

Hey guys! So I'm starting a new thing on my blog today. I will be doing my favourites of each month. I'll be sharing all the things I've just been loving for this month  so let's get into it. 

My mascara fave this month is the Almay get up & grow in blackest black. It just looks so natural on and gives me tons of lengh. 

My favorite lip product this month has been the Pixie Tink Tint in this bubblegum pink. It is so moisturizing and the corporate lasts forever. Plus Pixie is all natural and paraben free. 

My favorite scent this month is definitely my Pink Sun Kissed body mist. It smells like a tropical paradise and just makes me smell like summer. I'm in love. 

My favourite shows this month have been Baby Daddy and Reign. Omg these shows are like my addiction. If I had to pick a fave out of the two I would probably Reign just because I love shows set in this era! 

One of my favorite songs this month has been Little Red Wagon by Miranda Lambert. I fell in love with it when she premiered it at the Grammys. 

My favorite snack this month has definitely been MANGOES!!!!! I'm obsessed and I have literally been eating them almost everyday. 

Well that's all for my favorites this month I hope you guys liked them. Let me know what your favorites are down below! 

Partying in Pisa!!

One of my favourite sights that I saw while over in Europe was definitely the Leaning a Tower of Pisa. Pisa the city wasn't very impressive to me personally, it seemed kind of torn up and just a little ghetto. But the area where the actual Tower sits was really gorgeous. I loved how there were no barriers around the tower or other buildings in the courtyard. You could just walk up to them and touch them if you wanted. Being open like that allowed for great pictures, if you ever can I definitely recommend going to check it out. Here are some pictures me and my family took. 

Power Snack!

I have literally found the perfect snack guys. Like it is so versatile and can be used as a pre or post workout snack, it's low cal and loded with protein. It is Cottage Cheese!!! I'm kind of obsessed like I'm not gonna lie I go through about a tub of cottage cheese a week. It's such a healthy low cal snack. Half a cup is only 100 calories and you get 15 grams of protein! My favorite brand is the Nordica.

I thought I would just share a few different ways you can try it so that you guys could hop aboard this cottage cheese obsession with me. Here are the recipes. 

This is one of my personal favourites. You take strawberries(or any fruit of choice.) and then add a little honey to sweeten the cottage cheese up. It's so simple and delicious. 

If you're having more of a sweet tooth you can try this recipe. Just add some dark chocolate chips,dried cranberries, and walnuts. This is packed with goodness yet totally satisfies your sweet tooth.

This is similar to the recipe above except I used pineapple instead of strawberries and because the pineapple is so sweet you don't need the added honey. 

Another great way to get in some cottage cheese is throw it into a smoothie. This is good for people like my mom who can't stand to look at it. You still get all the protein from it, and it makes your smoothie extra creamy. Plus you can't even tell its in there. 

These recipes are so filling yet light enough to have before you hit the gym and they will definitely help you power through your workout. I hope you guys like these and if you try them out let me know. I know I'm hooked. 

Wanderlust and Waterfalls!

I was looking through some pictures from my 4 months in Europe last spring and I thought I'd share some with you all. These pictures are from basically the middle of nowhere in between Switzerland and France. We're driving back to my cousins house in Switzerland from France and were crossing through the mountains when we noticed these little waterfalls spewing from the mountains. So we took a little detour through freakishly tiny, slightly creepy roads until we wound our way to the falls. We parked our car and then took a little hit up to the little waterfalls. The area we were in was beyond gorgeous and was pretty remote except for a tiny little village. We were able to walk right up to the waterfall and put our hands under them. It was definitely an experience to remember. 

This was the amazing view from the road. 

How cute are these little waterfalls though??

 

My dad was beyond excited to be there as you can see:)

On our way down from the area where the waterfalls were we stumbled upon a little stream so of course my brother and I had to have a quick splash around!

The water was actually freezing that day but I still couldn't resist.