24 Acts of Kindness

I thought i'd post the 24 acts of kindness I performed back in October for my birthday. I think this is something i'll definitely continue to do every year from now on. Its amazing how one small, thoughtful gesture can make someone else's day...

1. Opened the door for someone at Starbucks
2. Let two drivers into my lane
3. Left a coffee paid for at Starbucks
4. Donated a bunch of old stuff to the American Cancer Society's Discovery Shop
5. Put change in a snack vending machine
6. Donated old books to my local library
7. Participated in a 5k breast cancer walk
8. Picked up litter
9. Left quarters on a washing machine
10. Donated old magazines to a local hospital
11. Was generous with compliments
12. Let someone cut in line at the grocery store
13. Made a $10 donation towards my pledge for the 5k
14. Gave someone a hug
15. Payed toll for the car behind me
16. Made a donation to breast cancer research at the grocery store
17. Bought and mailed my best friend a packet of thank you cards
18. Donated canned food to the Salvation Army
19. Donated old board games to a local hospital
20. Offered to baby-sit for my best friend
21. Spent a few minutes on Freerice.com  
22. Wrote a letter to a deployed or wounded member of the military through operation gratitude  
23.  Returned a few shopping carts back to the cart rack
24. Spread the goodness - I let anyone who asked what I did for my birthday know about my acts of kindness pledge. I had a coworker tell me I had inspired her to do it for her own birthday. What made it even sweeter was her mom decided to do it for her birthday as well.

Giving of ourselves is infectious :)

-Ash

Banana Chocolate Overnight Oatmeal

I love oatmeal but lets be real, sometimes we get sick of eating the same thing over and over again. And warm oatmeal during the summer months doesn't always appeal to me SO I was really excited when my cousin introduced me to overnight oatmeal. What is it you ask?  A mixture of oatmeal, chia seeds, & yogurt with your mix-in of choice. Refrigerate overnight & voila! A cold, nutritious, and convenient breakfast!

Do a quick Pinterest search and you'll find tons of recipes. Most can easily be made gluten and dairy free. The oats I made are based off a recipe from yummylife.com 

Ingredients
1/4 cup rolled oats (gluten free oats can be substituted)
1/3 cup skim milk (or almond milk)
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt (optional)
1 teaspoon dried chia seeds
1 tablespoon cocoa powder ( I used dark chocolate)
1 banana

Directions
Mix oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, chocolate, and banana. Put lid on container and mix well. Refrigerate overnight & eat chilled.

Do you have any overnight oat recipes?!

XO,
Ash

Military Jacket

Why did it take me so long to buy a military jacket?! For so long I thought they were too trendy for me to pull off but I am so happy with this purchase! It is officially my new favorite thing to wear. I wore this outfit in San Francisco for my moms birthday outing. It was so perfect for the chilly weather. How do you style your military jacket? 

Happy Hump Day,

Ash 

Jacket- Old Navy / Shirt- Nordstrom Rack / Necklace- Nordstrom Rack / Jeans- Old / Purse- Steve Madden / Booties- JC Penny

Chilly Weather Outfit

It has been so chilly in Long Beach this week!!! I LOVE it. I snapped pics of an outfit I wore weekssssss ago and this weeks weather inspired me to share it. I'm always cold so i'm a big fan of layering. A trend I picked up on a couple months ago is wearing a sweater over a dress. It is such an easy way to wear spring/summer pieces during winter/fall or vice versa. You can easily take off the sweater if it gets too hot or maybe one of the other pieces. Make it your own! 

Jean Jacket- J Crew / Scarf- JC Penny / Sweater- Ross / Dress- Nordstrom / 

Boots- Nordstrom Rack / Bracelet- Nordstrom Rack 

Happy Wednesday loves,
Ash 

Smoothie Recipe

I've been under the weather the last couple of days so this morning, I decided to start my day with a healthy and nutritious smoothie. They're such an easy way to get your fruits and veggies in!

Smoothie tips-
*Using frozen bananas usually eliminates the need for ice. It also adds a nice creamy texture. I personally LOVE bananas so I almost always throw one into my smoothies.

*Kale or spinach? I've found that I prefer kale. It gives a smoothie a thicker consistency than spinach does. I buy it frozen from Trader Joe's (again it helps to eliminate the need for ice).

Smoothie recipe:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup frozen kale
- 1/3 cup mixed berries
- 1/3 cup pineapple
- 1 tbsp flax seed (Add on top after serving. It's adds the perfect crunch!)

Do you have any smoothie recipes? I'd love to hear them!

XO,
Ash

Number 9- Blog About a Date

I'm going to blame all of those Sex and the City reruns I watched over summer for influencing me to want to channel my inner Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie has some big (and cute) shoes to fill. Had I actually written this over summer...well I'm not really sure what I would have said about one of the dates I went on SO I guess the cool thing about finally updating my blog months later is I can add a little more introspect :) I think the greatest lesson I've learned within the last couple of months is you can't see dating as a waste of time. As annoying & exhausting as dating can be, it helps you figure out what it is you ultimately want in a serious relationship, you learn a great deal about yourself and you grow from it. I'm not saying go out and become a serial dater. I'm just saying don't be afraid to put yourself out there a little. You can benefit a lot from it. What are your thoughts on dating? 

Well this is the end of my summer bucket list blog posts. I completed 7/10 not too shabby. 


Peace & Love,
Ash