In today's society, we focus on being perfect too much. We build ourselves up through the veil of Instagram feeds and Facebook statuses of achievements. It's important, however, to remind ourselves of the times we were literal human trash. Being human trash - I'm sure many of you are familiar with the concept - can consist of many things. It can consist of not getting out of bed until 5 PM only to answer the Thai delivery guy at the door. It can consist of taking an illegal U-Turn in the middle of rush hour. Sometimes we can't help but be literal garbage. Sometimes, you have to be at your boyfriend's soccer game at 2 PM and you forgot your condoms and teeth whitening strips at home. So, you naturally decide to haphazardly bang a U-Turn and drive exactly 9 miles above the speed limit, weaving through traffic of course, to get home. Why did you need condoms and teeth whitening strips? Because you're literal garbage.

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1. Today, I walked out the "in" door at Stop-N-Shop and confused an old man just looking for some overpriced groceries.

2. This week, I stole a girl's sheet music in class and sent her into FULL crisis mode

3. This weekend, I heavily drank three nights in a row, and didn't get out of bed until 1 on both Saturday and Sunday

4. On Friday, I skipped chorus half because I was too hungover, and half because I was too embarrassed to face the girl who I stole music from 

5. The fact that I can name 4 times in the past 4 days, off the top of my head, shows that I'm literal garbage

6. Whenever I'm bored from doing homework or something productive, I find myself looking at my own Facebook page. This happens at least three times a day

7. I always pull out halfway in the road when taking a left turn. My boyfriend calls this the "typical Masshole move"

8.  Speaking of a "masshole move", not to mention all the times I've shifted lanes without really checking if there was a car behind me.

9. My friend was being chased by a scary clown, she tripped and fell out of her shoes and I laughed before I even knew that she was okay. 

10. Even though I worked in retail for years, I still don't put back all of the things I move in stores.

11. I'm almost banned at a local liquor store for bringing an underage person in.

12. Speaking of being almost banned, I used my broken student ID card at the gym for six months, and made the workers type in my number by hand every time, because I was too lazy to get a new one. I finally got a new one after they said I wasn't going to be allowed back if I didn't get a new one. Icing on the cake? I actually ended up losing the card at a bar the night before I got a new one. 

See? Deep down, we're all just literal garbage.

Senior year of college is a time for many big steps in your life. Maybe you land an internship at a huge company you've been eyeing. Maybe you move in with your significant other or friends that you've been trying to move in with for a while. You could make a professional connection that will lead to a huge opportunity after graduation. Or, maybe you have five existential crises a week! 

The first three weeks if the semester, which has felt like three months, is basically a mix of the paragraph above. The scary part about being a senior in high school is that you have to answer the question: "What do I wanna do with the rest of my life?" For those who have a broad major, narrowing down to the exact answer to that question can be crisis-ensuing.

The thing about these existential crises is that they can happen anywhere. Out on a date? Crisis! In class? Crisis! Trying to finally get some peace and quiet? Or SLEEP maybe? CRISIS! Here's a list of fun places to have an existential crisis your senior year of college.

I can't believe it's that time of year again. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas morning, I find myself scrambling between wrapping my last curl around my curling wand, asking my mother to take pictures of my OOTD, and quickly uploading a quick holiday OOTD. This year, I'm thinking ahead a little and writing out the outfit descriptions beforehand.

I'm especially thankful for my rest this year. I've been so busy at school this year, as you can tell by the lack of blog posts. I have plenty of recipes to post between now and Christmas, so that will fix that problem. Now you have plenty to look forward to! Vegan blondies, greek tex-mex, and more awaits you. I've already tasted these things and from experience, I can attest that they are in fact delicious. I don't know what it is about being home for holidays that makes me want to bake like Betty Crocker, especially since I have fully-equipped apartment with a stove and all now at school. That just means more recipes for you guys!

However, the highlight of being home, besides my friends and family, is my dog. Jackie is  y trusty steed, my loyal buddy: 

This picture really shows all of the "love weight" that she's acquired over the two years.

Here's my OOTD:

Dress: Forever 21

Scarf: Mall Kiosk

Tights: Forever 21

Socks: Forever 21

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

It's that time of year in the dorms. While we get scared by haunted houses on the weekends in October, the actual phantom over our heads is the flu. Midterms are coming up, conference meets and games for sports are approaching, and perhaps theatre shows are closing. Long story short, there is no time for the flu. Ain't nobody got time for that! 

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Keeping up your health as a college student is almost as difficult as balancing work, school, and a social life. Both feats seem nearly impossible (nervous laugh). However, what if you could avoid a cold and keep up your nutrition. This sounds hard, however it's just as easy as changing up your diet. Below are some foods that boost your immune system, and are also good for you!

1. Citrus

Vitamin C is the number one food that helps keep your immune system running. Lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges are easy to fit into any meal. 

2. Garlic

Garlic simultaneously helps fight infections and is also a great agent in balancing cholesterol. Pinch it into your sauces and dishes to add a little zing to every meal. 

3. Ginger

Just like garlic, ginger adds a zing to your meals and drinks. Adding it to a pressed juice would not only help keep your mind sharp for the day, but it will also wake you up. Like vitamin C, ginger can keep a cold from even taking hold. 

4. Spinach

Spinach is rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, and antioxidants. Wilt it in pasta or enjoy a salad on it. 

5. Almonds

Almonds have vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin that is key to a healthy immune system. A handful a day keeps the cold away!

6. Green Tea

Green tea is packed with antioxidants like EGCG and flavonoids. The amino acid, L-theanine , that helps fight colds is found in it. Luckily, Starbucks makes many delicious drinks including this delicious way to fight a cold. 

Although most college campuses ban tobacco, smoking still occurs on the sidewalks and illegally in dorm rooms. Being sick and simultaneously affected by pollutants is not a pleasurable combination. With October being National Health Lung Month, be wary of smoke and the pollutants that come with it. These toxins to be wary of include radon and asbestos. These can be carcinogenic, highly dangerous, and lead to cancers like mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos. Here is a fact sheet from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance about healthy lungs:

Some people believe in magic, I believe in pillsbury dough crusts. If you're not totally geeking out about them with me right now, then you just don't understand the full amazing-ness of them. They're little wraps of dough that can turn your favorite fillings into amazing pillows of snack heaven. They're SO customizable and SO delicious. Are you a plain jane? Ham and cheese is for you. Are you an Italian stallion? Pesto and prosciutto is your saving grace. Are you too Greek for your own good (me), then spinach and feta it up!

I could literally go on about those forever, so I'll stop my rant there and continue with the recipe. For my birthday party in late August, I wanted to make some cool appetizers, and I simultaneously had a craving for the combination of veggies, meat, cheese, and pillsbury crusts. From my cravings sprung out 24 of these creations of mine. 

I had a vision for one Greek-inspired one and two Italian-inspired ones. I planned on making a pastry with spinach and feta, a pastry with tomato, pesto, and mozzarella, and a pastry with prosciutto and goat cheese. If I had to pick a favorite, it would definitely be the prosciutto and goat cheese one. These are all of my ingredients laid out.

This is your golden ticket: pillsbury crescent rolls.

I put these together like an assembly line. It was the loneliest assembly line ever, an assembly line of one, but I got through. First, I laid out the dough in the triangular format it comes out of the container in. This dough comes in one big rolled up square of dough, and perforated lines creates triangles that can be folded and manipulated to your pleasure.

I then put the filling in the middle. If there is a sauce or pesto I put that first, then the meat or veggies, then the cheese. Next, to folded the triangle edges over the filling so it would bake into a little pastry pocket.

Next, I baked them in a preheated oven until ready.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Spray two large baking sheets with spray/olive oil

3. Separate the 24 crescent triangles from the perforated sheet and lay them on the baking sheets 

4. Place the fillings in the triangles

5. For spinach feta: add spinach and feta in the triangles

6. For goat cheese and prosciutto: add goat cheese and prosciutto in the triangles

7. For tomato and mozzarella: add pesto, one slice of tomato, and one slice of mozzarella to the triangles

8. There should be 8 of each to make 24

9. Fold the rest of the dough triangles over the filling

 10. Once the oven is preheated, bake the pastries for 8-10 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Make sure cheese is melted and dough is firm. Enjoy!

I had mixed feelings about being totally dependent on cooking for myself due to having a full-service kitchen in my on-campus apartment. As much as I hate the dining hall food and love to cook, this type of self-sufficiency is new to me. However, I've loved my experience these past few weeks. My roommates and I are always trying new recipes that we know from our past or found on Pinterest. I thought I'd help out other students in my situation. Admittedly, these recipes are definitely the type of food I prefer. So, prepare for a lot of spinach and feta.  Here's a list of easy, delicious and healthy recipes to prepare if you're a student!

1. Low Calorie Crock Pot Chicken Chili

2. Low Carb Easy Mediterranean Chicken Bake

3. Chicken Pesto Greek Style Pizza

4. Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Wraps

5. Curried Chickpeas with Spinach 

6. Spinach Feta Grilled Cheese

7. Ramen Vegetable Stir Fry

8. Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

9. Ali's Thai Chicken Curry 

On Mother's Day, across many households, it's a tradition that the kids and husband make breakfast for Mom. Sometimes, she even gets breakfast in bed. I've made frittatas in the past, so I figured why not repeat the tradition. So, on the Saturday night before Mother's Day, I was up at midnight making this frittata. Best daughter award, am I right?

I just got back from school that day, and I wanted to eat some nutrient-dense veggies to cleanse myself of all of the dining hall food and midnight pizza orders. After my recent trip to Trader Joes, I had recently acquired heirloom tomatoes, spinach, kale, mushrooms, and broccoli. 

Like the other frittata recipes, I chopped up all of my veggies and put them in a medium sized skillet on medium heat, with some EVOO of course.

After my fillers were nice and wilted, I added the eggs to make the body. Since the all of the veggies took up a lot of room, I decided to use eight eggs instead of the six. I also added feta cheese to the mix. I think veggies and feta go wonderfully together.

Again, Jackie was no help, but she sure was cute!

Into the oven it went!

This cooked for 10-12 minutes. After, came out this delicious, bubbling creation!

Everything blended together so perfectly. 

I've always called frittata's an egg pizza, but sometimes I think of it more as an egg salad. Not like the sandwiches, but a hot salad with eggs, cheese, veggies, and meats. Anyone else?

Jackie wanted some... and she eventually got some.

We had turkey bacon and greek yogurt almond poppyseed bread as our sides!