Bohemian Kate

Quinoa Salad With Raw Peppers and Kale

It is definitely a new year's resolution to eat much more raw foods.  Nutrition is a passion of mine and I know that eating lots of veggies (especially raw) is the key to good health.  I have definitely gotten away from my usual healthy eating habits in the last couple months with all the holiday goodies around.  I love veggies though and I'm actually craving some really healthy food so I'm so ready to turn this goal into a lifestyle.  Last year, I tried being vegan for a couple months.  It actually was great!  I felt so much more energy than I was used to and it helped steer me away from eating any of the normal junk food, because basically as a vegan, I couldn't.  While I definitely support anyone who wants to try that lifestyle, for myself I wanted to add fish, eggs and cheese back into my diet.

Now I'm back to the drawing board in what exactly a healthy diet is.  I do believe that it's different for different people.  However I don't think there's any getting away from the fact that eating lots of veggies, especially leafy greens does wonders for your health.  I'm still trying to figure out what is the best diet for me.  Also, when I say diet, I don't mean trying to lose weight, but more like a lifestyle decision.  This is super important to me, so I will keep you all posted on final nutritional goal is for 2012!

In the meantime, here is a very healthy and delicious recipe :)

Ingredients:

• Quinoa
• Kale
• Bell Peppers (any color you like)
• Kalamata Olives
• Clove of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar

Directions:

• First you will need to cook the quinoa.  I always buy mine from the bulk section in the local health food store.  Pour the quinoa into a large pot and add one part water to one part quinoa.  Bring the water to a boil, then down to a simmer and cook until the quinoa is light and fluffy.  You may need to strain the quinoa depending on how much water you put in.
• Chop up the peppers, olives, kale and garlic.
• Put the quinoa into a bowl and the veggies on top.
• Drizzle olive oil and the red wine vinegar on top and enjoy!

 This dish is so yummy and it even tastes good with the quinoa cold.  Perfect for making a big batch for leftovers all week!

I'll be taking the next couple of days to enjoy the weekend!  I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's!

xoxo...Kate

Lavender and Coconut Milk Bath

This bath is by far the most luxurious one I've ever taken.  Not only is it extremely relaxing because of the lavender, but my skin feels so soft.  I didn't even put any moisturizer on afterwards...amazing.  Take this bath and you will truly feel like you have a spa in your home.

Milk baths have been around for ages, but I had never tried it before.  Since I don't drink regular milk, I decided to use organic coconut milk instead.  It worked wonders!  Lavender just seemed like a natural addition to the bath and I'm so glad I added it.

This bath is so easy to create.  First just draw a hot bath like you normally would.  After you have enough water in the tub, pour in either a whole can of coconut milk or about two cups if you're pouring it out of a carton.  Also, I used whole fat coconut milk because it's almost like cream.  I don't think low fat would produce the same results for soft skin.  Then if you have actual lavender sprinkle a little bit in the tub or a couple drops of lavender essential oil will do as well.  The combination of the scent of the coconut mixed with lavender is incredible.

To get extra relaxed I also used my Soothing Facial Mask while taking the bath.  I will definitely be doing this on a weekly basis, I can't believe how refreshed I feel!  Enjoy!

xoxo...Kate

Goals and Ideas Journal

I've been keeping an idea notebook for about the last three years and it's helped me so much with achieving my goals.  I keep it with me pretty much wherever I go and write in it whenever I get a new idea.  It's the best way that I've found to keep track of my goals especially on a daily basis.  Basically I try to write down what I need to get done every day.  It is so helpful!   If you're not doing this already, I highly recommend it :)  It almost becomes addictive.  I write down even the littlest things like what I need to get from the grocery store, my budget for the week or if I need to call a friend back.  We all lead such busy lives that doing this definitely makes things more organized. 

I also have different journals for different things.  For example, I have one journal for writing down daily goals, another for blog and business ideas and one more for writing down recipes.  It really makes a huge difference in keeping track of everything.  Almost everything I decided to do for this blog, I wrote about first in my journal.  Actually, it's pretty fun to read back through it to see how my ideas have changed.

I hope this inspires you to write down your own ideas and goals for the new year.  It really, really works!

xoxo...Kate