Vacationing in Florida

L O C A T I O N: D E S T I N , F L O R I D A

We are so thankful to my mom for gifting us a beautiful stay at Henderson Park Inn located in Destin Florida. We got to celebrate our one year anniversary in a cozy beach house right in front of the ocean, it was so breathtakingly gorgeous. The moment we arrived we were greeted by the most friendly staff who made our stay amazing. Waking up to breakfast and beach views was the sweetest thing because we didn't have to worry about a thing, everything was taken care of.  We definitely recommend Destin as top vacation stay if you are looking to get away for a romantic getaway or family vacation. The beaches are Snow White and so soft and everyone you meet is so friendly. 

Our favorite part of this vacation was waking up to the ocean. Our cozy suite had a balcony that overlooked the gulf coast. We literally left the doors and windows open the entire time because it was so refreshing having the ocean view and sounds right there. The sunset views were also stunning. We would have dinner on the porch of the inn as we'd watch the sunsets go down. 

Staying vegan on this vacation was a breeze. The staff was extremely accommodating and substituted things as needed. Before arriving at the inn, my husband and I made a quick stop to  the fresh market where I bought a couple of things like almond milk, granola, and some other snacks. In the mornings, I would have granola, almond milk, and unlimited fruit provided by the Inn. Lunch was a hummus veggie sandwich and dinners consisted of the freshest salads made with an orange vinaigrette and potatoes.

                                         

                        

                       

                            

                      

                                   

                       

Raw cacao truffle balls

     

                 Raw Cacao Truffle Balls 

This 4 ingredient snack is packed with antioxidants and contains one of the best superfoods in the world, cacao.  These energy balls are so yum and healthy for you and super easy to make. I know we are all always busy and on the go so when something taste this good and is literally so easy to make I get so excited to share it. Finding healthy alternatives to satisfy sweet cravings while nitrifying your body is fun and easy to do. It's never about restriction but rather alternatives. Once you start adding the good stuff you slowly start getting rid of the bad, it's a process.

Raw Cacao is one of the main ingredients in this recipe. It offers a wealth of antioxidants and minerals and has numerous benefits. Here are just a few: lowers blood pressure and improves body circulation, rich in "bliss chemicals" which enhance physical and mental well being (bliss chemicals- Google it), acts as a mild diuretic which helps to push toxins out of your body, improves blood circulation to improve focus and mood, and is even used as a natural cough suppressant! These are just a few of the benefits, you can do your own research and find out how truly Amazing Cacao is.

    

Recipe:

- 1/4 cup of raw cacao powder

- 1 cup of almond flour or make your own almond flower by putting almonds in a blender until they become powder like.

- 1 tbsp of coconut oil OR 4 tbsp of filtered water or coconut milk ( this allows for easy forming into balls) add more if necessary

- 1/3 cup of sweetener agave (optional) for a sweeter taste

Put in fridge for 30 minutes and enjoy! 

* vegan and gluten free 

Mix it up

You can add coconut flakes, goji berries, chia seeds, almond butter, dates, and just about any healthy Topping you'd like to make different flavored truffle balls. 

Can't wait to share more healthy, yummy recipes with yall.

With love,

Mary Joe

My Coastal Home

It's been almost a year since Armando and I got married (11 months and 1 day to be exact!)Over the first couple of months of us moving into our new little cozy home, I have collected and re-organized our place.  I just love the feeling of an airy, relaxing, and happy feeling home. My style has been centered on  decorating around the concept of simplicity and nature. Ever since I can remember, I loved watching home decor shows and watching all the before and afters in "Trading Spaces." When they would go around and show the place some of these people lived in  and how cluttered it was  just made me cringe inside. If there is one thing I cannot stand is clutter, not necessarily messiness but just clutter. Your home doesn't be need to be filled with expensive furnishings or anything of that sort. You can make a beautiful space to enjoy with a very little budget. 

Recently, I have been looking through the whole minimalistic mindset that introduces concepts of feng shui.  For those of you who are not familiar with feng shui, it is a practice that was developed in China over a 3,000 year period that is based on the idea that our homes are a mirror of what's happening inside us. The purpose of feng shui is to get your enviornment in alignment with who you are and where you want to go. Basically, the way that I see it is that the more cluttered your home is, the worse you are going to feel when you get home. Your house should feel welcoming, airy, and peaceful and should only have things which are useful and beautiful to you. If you are holding on to old objects and materials that you no longer use and are better off throwing or giving away , you are in a sense, giving the message to yourself that you are not ready to bring in the new things to your life because you are too busy holding on to things that are no longer useful.  I am  no feng shui expert nor do I practice it ,  but I do love to read about these concepts and absorb the positive things which I can take away from these practices. Here is a list of important minimalistic mini lessons: 

1) If you haven't used it in the past year, THROW IT OR GIVE ITAWAY.

2) Use nature as a source of inspiration for your decoration.  

3) Use "power" positioning to adjust the setting of your room. For example, if you have a couch or desk recenter it so that it faces the door. These are concepts used in many business psychology that are used to set up an environment that aims for success. 

4) For a peaceful home, use warm tones and ocean colors. 

|Here is some inspiration from my home to yours|

| Lamp from Home depot (repainted it gold) |

| Natural Driftwood from Home Goods |

| Scented packets from Kirkland's |

| Decor pieces: Thrift finds|

Summer Hair Trend

Summer Hair has always been my favorite <3 One look I have been obsessing over lately is the sunkissed California Blend hair color. It is the perfect blend of ombre mixed with sun kissed highlights. What I love about this look is that it looks super natural and just basically looks like you go to the beach all the time. Gosh it is just so pretty!

I decided to get my hair done today & I am so happy I did because Rosvelt from La Bella Salon in Coral Gables did an amazing job. I am super super picky when it comes to my hair and have gone to numerous people who just don't do what I ask for. Rosvelt was the nicest person and did exactly what I wanted. Loved it! 
                                             
                                                                          xo,
                                                                                    MJ

Mondays.

The more we try to hold on to the things that weigh us down and are heavy the more tired, depressed, and stuck we become. Isn't it a beautiful thing that God created us to be individuals that grow and learn from our experiences. When I came across this quote from Grey's Anatomy I absolutely loved it because it held so much truth to it. Change is such a remarkable aspect of life. As much as we try to avoid it by either living in denial or clinging on to past memories, it is an inevitable and truly wonderful part of life. The more you try to resist it, the more it becomes unbearable. And when we embrace it with  an open mind and heart, we awaken something astonishing and inspirational inside of us that allows us to grow as individuals [change].  

Introspect: What areas of your life do you feel like you are "stuck" and can't let go? Are you holding on to anything from the past that is too unbearable to let go of? 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." 

[Romans 12:2] 

<3

 Happy Monday!

With Love,

MJ

Life after juicing

28 days later 

It has now been a week since the day that I finished my 28 day juicing journey. yay! Words cannot begin to describe how happy and amazing I feel. Many people have asked me what will happen after the 28 days, thinking that I would go back to normal eating habits. I just can't though! I really can't.  Once I started feeling like this, I knew that I had to absolutely change the way that I ate.

 I decided to go vegan ( no animals or animal products like milk and cheese etc...) because I researched so much about the food industry that I knew that something had to be done, something drastically had to change.  I thought it was going to be hard at first but my body has begun to crave healthy things instead of the things I used to crave. I can now eat a lot of fruit and feel completely satisfied.

Ultimately,   its not about thinking to yourself, " I can never eat like that" but rather...make a conscious effort to find out the ingredients that are put in your food, who makes it, what do they stand for, etc... And with that knowledge make an effort to choose better foods. Not everyone is going to go on a juicing mission or turn vegan, I understand that. But you can do certain things that are going to move you closer to overall health. Most of the time we just go into a grocery store buy stuff and leave and never think twice about the ingredients that are in our food. I encourage you to research! Find out what you are eating! One of the best apps out there is called Fooducate. You can download it and take it to the store with you. Whenever you are not sure about buying something scan it and see what is in the ingredients. Keep in mind that most of the time, food is business and they want to sell you their products while making it seem "all natural" and "Healthy." The best food that you can eat is food that doesn't have a list of ingredients and chemicals. Eat natural whole foods like delicious peaches, plums, apples, and mineral rich vegetables.

To celebrate my 28 day juicing journey, my husband and I mad a fully raw vegan carrot cake. No eggs, sugar, dairy, etc.... The only ingredients that were used were carrot pulp, raisins, dates, cinnamon, cashews, lemon, rose water, coconut water, and vanilla bean. It was so delicious and so satisfying! I am so thankful my husband was so supportive of me throughout this process.

Results

-I lost 7 lbs. and haven't gained it back since I started eating

- feel more energized throughout the day

- skin is clearer

- no cramps

- no bloated feeling. Normally I would feel extremely bloated after I ate anything, now I feel no bloating and my stomach doesn't hurt after I eat. yay!

- happier

- cravings mostly gone

I didn't want to post these pictures because I am super emberassed and normally would never post any pictures like this. I just thought it would be good to show you guys what I meant by "less bloated." Before I would eat just about anything and feel so bloated after...even if it wasn't a bad meal...my stomach would hurt and I would just have this miserable feeling afterward.  Now I enjoy every bite I take and try to eat as many nutrient dense foods as I can and feel incredibly amazing! If you have any questions and would like to do something like this, feel free to message me. I would be more than happy to help you and give you any tips and info that you need. 

                                                Before                                                        After

With Love,
MJ