Paradise Found in Punta Cana

This past week Eric and I have took a vacation together in the Dominican Republic to extend our summer as much as possible. We could not have asked for better weather or a nicer resort. The beach had the most perfect shade of turquoise blue water and tall curved palm trees that looked out over the ocean.



Each morning I began my day of utter relaxation with my daily elixir of hot water and essential lemon oil while sitting out on our balcony over-looking the palm trees.











After having my daily early morning zen moment I swam laps. I find lap swimming to best form of calming my mind. It's just you and your thoughts and the repetitive strokes easily lull me into a tranquil state. Also swimming is one of the best total body workouts you can get-definitely plus when you are in a bikini all day! And it definitely made me feel better about indulging in the swim up bar ;)

One of my favorite parts about going away is weirdly enough-the breakfast buffet. It just feels like the ultimate treat compared to my daily routine of granola bars or yogurt. Also one of the perks of going to the beach is all the fresh seafood! All the food was delicious and each night we tried a new restaurant.

They had a whole array of homemade donuts so we indulged as a last day treat!

Tuna Steak with crispy onions with pea sauce

Hazelnut ice cream with whipped cream

Tempura banana and ice cream 

The sweetest baked Alaska cake

Bubble baths, massages, and just sitting on the beach made this trip the ultimate relaxing vacation. It was a sad wake up call back to my basic shower here in NYC. 

Nothing like a relaxing bubble bath (the champagne and roses don't hurt either!)

Good book + wine = heaven 

Our Butler outdid himself!

The beach is my happy place. The second I got off the plane and saw palm trees I was instantly elated. The grounds of the hotel were gorgeous, and we made friends with some of the wildlife!

Becoming one with the Palm

Monkeying Around

The sky right before a quick tropical thunderstorm 

Ahoy!

Post Workout Tropical Smoothie

In honor of my tropical vaca I decided to post one of my favorite snacks that always makes me feel like I'm relaxing on a beach: a mango banana coconut smoothie. Whenever the weather is warmer I always start craving smoothies and this summer was no exception. I keep my smoothies low cal by opting for soy or almond milk over low fat yogurt but if I want a bit more protein after a tough workout I add a little bit of greek yogurt for some extra substance. My favorite fruit is by far mango and I love all things coconut so this smoothie tasts more like a tropical treat than a healthy recovery snack!

You'll need:
A ripened banana (the riper the banana the sweeter they are)
Cut up mango
Ice
Soy Milk
Coconut Chobani Greek yogurt

How to:
Add the ice into your blender first, followed by the mango and banana. Add in a couple of spoonfulls of yogurt. I use about half of a Chobani coconut yogurt but if your looking for a heartier smoothie you can use the whole container. Pour in a bit of soy milk, blend, and slurp! 

Low-Cal Iced Chai Tea Latte

One of my favorite spring drinks at the coffee shop is an iced chai tea latte. I generally avoid them and consider ordering one a treat because they can be pretty caloric and sugary. I recently decided to take matters into my own hands and try to recreate a healthier version of the iced chai. After some experimenting, I've finally came up with the perfect recipe that's under 100 calories! It's delicious, refreshing, and the black tea gives you a little caffeine boost.

You'll need:
Plain black chai tea bags (I've been using Yogi Chai Black)
Soy Milk
Artificial sweetener of your choice
Coffee Creamer
Cinnamon

How to:

Brew the tea and add your sweetener (I prefer mine on the sweeter side so I use two Truvia packets). Next add your soy milk and leave the tea bag in as you mix to really get that strong chai flavor. Add just a dash of coffee creamer and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Refrigerate until chilled. Add ice and enjoy!

Ann Arbor Brunch Adventures

With Graduation fast approaching, my friends and I have been making an effort to get to all those last restaurants, events, and bars that we have yet to make it to in our four years here. Ann Arbor is an amazing city, full of artists, foodies, liberals, and people hard enough to survive these winters year after year. It's easy to fall into the campus bubble here at college, and graduation is the harsh wakeup call, collapsing the bubble and pushing us to explore our backyard. 

Ann Arbor is known for their many popular brunch spots. As a freshman I already had developed a deep love for Angelo's and Afternoon Delight and made it my mission to try the rest of Ann Arbor's bunch locations. Sadly I was a lot further away from my goal until this weekend. This weekend I was able to check off two more restaurant establishments: Cafe Zola and Sava's Sunday Brunch.

Sava's Sunday Brunch is a special event for one reason: their brunch buffet. The buffet changes weekly so every week new delicacies are offered. This week had the traditional breakfast offerings along with homemade churros and pop tarts, corn beef hash, ribs, egg bakes, and so much more. For a dollar more, I highly recommend their fresh squeezed mimosa, because mimosa's make your morning all the more better.

Some of the breakfast offerings

Homemade churros and poptarts

Cafe Zola while a bit more out of the way than Sava's is definitely worth the trip. The menu is extensive with european touches that brought me back to my travels abroad. I recommend the goat cheese and asparagus omelette, and their in house bread and herb butter is fresh and delicious. Their new location in Ann Arbor Hills is a trendy spot that is bright and bustling, the perfect brunch spot. 

To top off all the foodie adventures of this weekend, I tried Glassbox Coffee and Juice for the first time. While I wasn't overly impressed with my iced coffee, I hear Glassbox truly shines for their fresh made juices. 

These spots are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to restaurants in Ann Arbor, but I highly recommend them if you're looking to perk up your weekend!

The Skinny Margarita

Finding the perfect mixed drink can be a challenge. Often times they're too sugary, weak, or strong and lack the perfect harmony of both flavor and alcohol content. This Skinny Margarita is not only delicious but will definitely impress all your friends with your new-found bar tending abilities! This recipe serves 4 and is about 100 calories per serving. 

You'll Need:

A bottle of Sparkling ICE Lemon Lime water

6 ounces of clear tequila (Since I was out of tequila, I got creative and used citron rum instead which was equally delicious!)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 lime

Optional: coarse salt to rim the glass

How to:

Mix together your ICE Lemon Lime water, tequila, and orange juice. Slice your lime and squeeze as much lime juice as possible into the mixture. TIP-before cutting, press down on your lime and roll it across the table a few times to get as much juice out. For a nice touch, pour some salt onto a plate and rub the lime around the rim of the glass. Turn each glass upside down, dipping the rims in the salt to coat. Stir the drink together and pour into your glasses. Cheers!

White Wine Sangira

With the last of summer weather quickly slipping away I wanted to dedicate one more post to my favorite summer beverage: white wine sangria. This is the perfect drink for lounging outside by the pool or trying to start your morning tailgating on game days.

You'll need:
A bottle of white wine (I recommend chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)
Fresca
Orange Juice
Cut up fruit (I like apples, nectarines, and oranges)


How to:
Cut up the fruit into bite sized pieces and soak them in the wine overnight. This will let the fruit absorb some of the alcohol. When preparing the sangria for serving, add the fresca and a splash of OJ. Depending on how sweet you like your sangria, play with the ratios of fresca to OJ. I prefer my sangria on the sweeter side so I use more fresca than orange juice. If you're looking to make the sangria even stronger, add in a few shots of fruit flavored rum. I recommend Bacardi Dragonberry for a fruity mixed drink.

Cheers to the end of summer!

Spiked Apple Cider

For me, the fall season is always defined by the smell of leaves, the crips air, leaves crunching under my boots, and of course the special seasonal drinks and treats that make an appearance. Here at Michigan a common fall activity is a trip to a cider mill to get freshly made apple cider, caramel dipped apples, and cider donuts. Recently my fridge was been stocked with these seasonal goodies with my roommates making multiple cider mill trips. Being a big apple cider fan, I decided to make my nights out a bit more seasonally festive by incorporating some hard cider into my pregames.

You'll need:

1 gallon of apple cider
2-3 cinnamon sticks
A little less than a teaspoon of nutmeg
Zest from 2 lemons
2 cups of dark rum

How to:

Boil the cider, cinammon sticks, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes, then strain out the lemon zest. Add the rum and enjoy!

Watermelon Jello Shots

Since summer is wrapping up and to me summer and watermelon go hand in hand, I wanted to come up with a fun twist to the college frat party staple: jello shots. I've seen some gourmet versions where the jello is poured into orange rinds rather than dixie cups, but I decided to "summer-ize" it by making the jello shots look like mini slices of watermelon.

Watermelon Jello Shots:

(makes 40)

You'll need: 

1 box of watermlon jello (or any other red flavor)

10 limes

1 cup boiling water

1 cup vodka
chocolate sprinkles as "seeds" (optional)

How to:

First cut all the limes in half and hollow out the peel. You can use a melon scooper or take a knice and cut the insides carefully to loosen the lime from the peel. Spoon out the lime.

Next add the boiled water to the jello mix and stir until the mixture dissolves. Slowly mix in the one cup of vodka. Pour the mixture into the lime shells and refrigerate overnight (add a few chocolate sprinkles on top if you want!)

Carefully cut each lime shell in half and cheers!

Raspberry Mint Iced Tea

Last weekend when I was in the Hamptons I found my new favorite summer drink, a raspberry mint iced tea! I saw this drink advertised in my favorite West Hampton bakery and it was so delicious and refreshing I knew I had to try to duplicate it at home!

You need:
Any raspberry tea (I used Celestial raspberry tea bags)
A few mint leaves
Fresh raspberries
Ice

Make the tea was you would normally do and let it sit in the fridge until it gets nice and chilled. Cut the mint leaves into small peices (so they wont clog up your straw) and add them to your tea. Next chop up some raspberries and add it to your mixture (you want them chopped so you can get some of that fresh raspberry juice). Add ice, a straw, and enjoy!

Summer Smoothies

This heat wave has been the perfect opportunity for me to try out some new smoothie recipes! Summer is the perfect time for something light and refreshing and what better than a nice cold smoothie?? I've a strawberry and bannana girl at heart but I've found a few ways to tweak my old time favorite...

Soy Banana Strawberry Sipper:

1 ripened banana (the riper the banana the sweeter the smoothie)

1 cup of strawberries (frozen or fresh, whatever you have on hand!)

1 cup of soy milk

1 cup of ice

and blend away!

The soy milk is my secret ingredient for all smoothies because it instantly give your smoothie a nice creaminess that I find skim milk lacks. Try yours with almond milk or greek yogurt for some variation!

Peanut Butter Banana Slammer

This smoothie is a great meal replacer of an excellent pick me up after a hard core workout. I instantly love anything with peanut butter so this tastes like a delicious dessert for me but its high in protein and the protein/carbohydrate combination is great for rebuilding muscle after some strength training.

You'll need:

1 ripened banana (the riper the banana the sweeter the smoothie)

1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter (I like skippy's creamy reduced fat)
1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup of oats

1 cup of ice

The oats make the smoothier denser, helping you stay full longer!