I have long been completely obsessed with Madewell. Every time they bring out new items, I want to buy them all! Everything is amazing quality, super cute and they often have a LOT of discounts/sales--even a student discount! (WIN). I also love how versatile their sizing is. I am quite a small, petite person so I tend to struggle to find clothing that fits/complements my figure well and having the option of smaller sizes  and multiple pant lengths is just a DREAM.

I may have gotten a bit spendy my last trip there--but I simply can't help myself!

Off the shoulder tops have been super popular for quite a while now and for some reason I have always struggled to find one that fits me well, suits my style, is of nice quality, and reasonably priced. This top ticks all of the boxes! It's structured--but not TOO structured, it falls nicely and it fits perfectly around my shoulders. I don't find myself struggling to keep my top in place all day and it isn't uncomfortably tight either. I think I am definitely going to have to go back and get the white version of it!

I also found a cold shoulder top that was just too cute to pass up! I am not the biggest wearer of pink, but the pink shade of this top was just calling my name. I love the little ties on the sleeves and the length of it is just slightly cropped, making it perfect to pair with high waisted jeans! The material is lovely and like the off the shoulder top I picked up, I am 100% going to be picking it up in the other colors.

Jeans have always been a clothing item that just never, and i mean NEVER, fit right. For the past few years I have been wearing the same black skinny jeans from Urban Outfitters--which I LOVE to death, but I had had yet to find a pair of lighter wash denim that I loved just as much. I am completely over the moon about these jeans! Like the off the shoulder top--they tick all of the right boxes! They are high rise, fit just snug enough, don't double in size as the day goes on, and are a perfect wash and length. They fit so well that I popped back into the store and picked them up in the darker wash too! I have a feeling this Spring/Summer I am going to be LIVING in both of these jeans!

Speaking of the perfect summer jeans...I also picked up a pair of 'mom' style jeans in a light wash. I love how comfortable and how versatile this style can be and they are just so amazing for summer that they're even called the perfect summer jean!

Claire

xx

Clean Off-The-Shoulder Top

Skylark Cold-Shoulder Top

10" High-Rise Skinny Jeans

9" High-Rise Skinny Jeans

The Perfect Summer Jean

Steve Madden Stecy Heels

Phases of the Moon Necklace

Rebecca Minkoff Camera Bag

What better way to start off my special day than with a stack of chocolate chip buckwheat pancakes--YUM! These are my absolute favorite to make on special occasions (mainly because I'm too lazy too) and before long runs. They are super filling, give me plenty of energy and taste INCREDIBLE!

Ingredients

1/2 cup buckwheat pancake mix

1/2 cup unsweetened original almond milk

1/2 ripe banana

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

dark chocolate chips

Instructions

On a low heat, heat a frying pan and grease with coconut oil

In a blender, blend the pancake mix, almond milk, banana, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth

Pour desired amount of batter onto the pan and add a few chocolate chips, using a fork to cover with the batter

Cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until bubbles form around the edges, and flip, cooking for another 1-2 minutes

Repeat until all pancakes are cooked--I made 4 small pancakes

Drizzle with maple syrup, or any other toppings!

Since it was my birthday, I decided why not go out to lunch? I hardly ever eat lunch out, but today was my birthday and I managed to squeeze in a 10 mile run, so a meal I didn't have to take time to make sounded perfect!

I ended up going to a new place where I live, Crazy Bowls & Wraps, with my mother and it was delicious! There were plenty of plant-based options, it was super filling, and the food came pretty fast--basically everything I could want from a quick lunch spot. I went for a teriyaki bowl with mixed veggies, organic quinoa, spicy teriyaki on the side, and, instead of a protein, avocado. 

Around 4pm I got a bit peckish, but didn't want to spoil dinner, so I chopped up a large honey crisp apple and had a cheeky little peppermint patty from Rooted Juicery!

Tonight I went to Bones' Burgers for a vegan burger with sweet potato fries! They have some of the BEST sweet potato fries, with a little bit of a kick! I LOVE spicy sweet potato fries--the sweet and spicy complement each other so well and they just taste like heaven! Bones' does a homemade ketchup that has a bit of a smoky flavor, which goes amazing with the burger, and I always ask for regular ketchup as well for the fries--SO GOOD. The vegan burger itself is AMAZING. It is made with all locally sourced ingredients that are in season at the moment, giving it a unique flavor every time!

I was pretty full from my dinner, but it was my birthday so I went for a sweet treat anyway! Last week I made blondie brownies, so I heated up one of those, scooped a bit of vanilla on the side, and drizzled it with chocolate fondue! Let's just say I went into a massive food coma, but it was well worth it!

Claire

xx

Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat Pancake & Waffle Mix

Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips

Crazy Bowls & Wraps

Rooted Juicery & Kitchen

Bones' Burgers

Blondies Recipe

Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island Ice Cream

Trader Joe's Chocolate Fondue

Sephora never fails to impress me with their birthday gifts. They are aways just too good to be true! 2015's blew me away with the mini NARS matte lip crayons--so gorgeous! And 2016's Fresh face cleanser and face mask mini's were to DIE for.

Today's 'what I eat in a day' is full of easy recipes I make in my dorm with just a microwave!

Breakfast

For breakfast during the week I almost always have oatmeal. It's so easy and super filling so it gets me through my long studio classes! I pretty much always make my superfood oatmeal because it is so tasty and it is a good way to get in a lot of good nutrients first thing in the morning!

Lunch

I eat a pretty late breakfast while I'm at school because I always try to schedule my classes for the early afternoon so that I have mornings to workout, do some yoga, or just get myself organized for the day because there is no way that is happening after class...

I tend to not have the largest lunch so today I made a green smoothie bowl. I recently brought my blender to school with me and ever since then life has been amazing! Until I brought it with me I would have a huge fruit bowl everyday--but to be honest that gets old real fast because of the limited fruit selection at the market.

Ingredients

2 large handfuls of spinach

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries)

1 tsp acai powder

1 tsp matcha powder

Toppings

1/2 fresh ripe banana

2 tbsp granola

1 1/2 tsp hemp seeds

1 1/2 tsp chia seeds

1 1/2 tsp raw cacao nibs

a sprinkle of raw pumpkin seeds

Dinner

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

a few handfuls of spinach

2 cups raw broccoli

red onion

bell peppers--red, yellow, and green

1/4 cup black beans

paprika

cayenne

turmeric

Trader Joe's everyday seasoning

1/2 avocado

Instructions

Peel and cut the sweet potato. Season with paprika, cayenne, turmeric, and everyday seasoning and microwave for 10-12 minutes, stirring around every few minutes to make sure it cooks evenly

While the potatoes cook, chop up the veggies

Remove the potatoes and stir in all of the veggies--minus the spinach--the black beans, and brown rice and microwave for about 2-3 minutes, or until the broccoli looks cooked

Stir in the raw spinach and top with sliced avocado and even a little more seasoning!

*I get already cooked brown rice from the dining hall

Since I had a super later dinner I just went for a little treat--some raw vegan chocolates from Rooted Juicery & Kitchen! My mother was kind enough to send me some of their chocolatey goodies for a late Valentine's--so yummy! They got a little messy in the mail, but they are to die for!

Claire

xx

Superfood Oatmeal Recipe

Navitas Naturals Acai Powder

Navitas Naturals Maca Powder

Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola

Rooted Juicery & Kitchen

For the longest time I thought I HATED oatmeal. I didn't like the texture, I found it boring, and just honestly just completely avoided it. BUT, a few months ago I decided I would just give it a try. I mean why not? I needed something super filling to get me through 3 hour studios and oatmeal seemed like the perfect thing to make!

In order to enjoy eating oatmeal, I tried so many pre-pagaged ones--I know not the best--and even tried different types of oats and some recipes, but nothing gave me the texture I was looking for. I ended up chucking pretty much every superfood, nut and seed, spice, and type of oats that I had into a mug, poured some almond milk and water on it, microwaved it, and the result was complete PERFECTION--well almost. It took a bit of tweaking, but eventually I created my full-proof oatmeal full of healthy fats and protein!

I usually just eyeball what I put in, but I tried my best to get measurements that were close to how much of everything ends up going in!

Ingredients

1/2 cup instant rolled oats

1 tbsp instant steel cut oats

1 tbsp mixed nuts, crushed

1 tbsp walnuts, crushed

1 tsp chia seeds

1/2 tsp raw hemp seeds

1/2 tsp raw cacao nibs

1/2 tsp raw sunflower seeds

1 tsp raw pumpkin seeds

1 tsp raw cacao powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup water

*Sometimes I add more water after cooking to get it to the consistency I like!

Instructions

1. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix to coat everything in the cacao powder and cinnamon

2. Add in the almond milk and water

3. Let sit for 10-20 minutes, sometimes I'll even leave it for an hour while I have my coffee or even overnight, to soak

4. Add more water if needed and microwave on high for 3-3 1/2 minutes, stopping and stirring to make sure it doesn't overflow

I end up making this recipe probably most days of the week since it keeps me satisfied enough to get through all my classes and it's amazing to have as a pre- or post-workout meal!

Claire

xx

I am currently on the road to recovery with a knee injury--literally the WORST--and to avoid the FOMO of watching other runners run past my window, I have been doing a lot of different forms or cross-training to not only stay in shape and keep my body working hard, but also to strengthen the muscles around my knees.

When I first began to feel serious pain in my knee, I turned to yoga. Yoga is such a great form of exercise for recovering from injury and preventing injury. I am lucky enough to have yoga classes offered most days of the week at my university's gym that range from more mellow forms of yoga to power yoga. I usually go 3 times a week--twice for power yoga in the evening and once in the morning for regular yoga, but somedays, when I either can't make it to the class time or there isn't one being offered, I'll do a Yoga With Adriene video. Yoga With Adriene has been amazing for allowing me to practice yoga without even having to leave my dorm room! Her videos range from yoga flows that are aimed more towards stretching to flows that involve a lot more power and strength. They are super great at helping me make sure I get a lot more stretching in than I used to and strengthening and using different muscles that I normally wouldn't.

Alongside yoga, I incorporated some HIIT. At first, to increase strength in my legs, I stuck to low-impact HIIT and then as the muscles in my legs grew stronger and my injury subsided more, I began to include more higher impact HIIT moves. My personal favorite way to HIIT train is through Lucy Wyndham-Read's YouTube channel. I have been doing Lucy's HIIT workouts for about a year now and she offers everything from toning, to low-impact, to high-impact--anything for anyone at any level. Her workouts can range from 4 minute HIIT routines to longer 15 minute ones and what's great about all of her workouts is that she has both high and low impact options for all of the moves--so I could still do all of my favorite workout videos of hers and just substitute the low impact for any moves that caused pain in my knee. Incorporating HIIT training into my recovery plant allowed me to keep up my cardio, without having to turn to the elliptical--personally, not a fan.

I also did physical therapy on my knee with exercises that I was given by a doctor that targeted where I really needed to build the most strength. All of these things combined have really helped me speed up the recovery process and have kept me busy and active while being unable to run.

Although I am not 100% yet, I am getting closer to pounding the pavement again full-time!

Claire
xx

Yoga With Adriene

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Okay, so technically there is no baking involved....but let's get baked anyway!