by Christina | Dec 21, 2015 | Wellness
This took me a grossly long time to upload, but I couldn’t not. Who doesn’t love food pics?!
Lobster with Mangos & Bok Choy
Cauliflower Puree
The food in Sevilla was so damn delicious. I was in heaven, eating like a queen. From my experience, some of the most popular foods and drinks there are paella, ham, pork, tuna, potatoes, bread, gelato, churros, coffee, and wine, amongst other things. I’m a brunch fanatic, so the fact that the people of Sevilla don’t really do the whole “breakfast” thing was rough for me. But I did my best to embrace the culture, and I adjusted pretty quickly. Besides that one day when we cheated and found a green smoothie shop for breakie! 😉 (Shhh, don’t tell!)
Salmon Tartare
Duck with Sautéed Vegetables
Pork Cheek
Salmon Salad
Tapas are big in Spain, and I have sort of a love-hate relationship with them. In case you don’t know, tapas are basically just smaller portions of a meal. Like appetizer-size. I love them because small portions mean you can try a bunch of different things on the menu before you get full. This is ideal for someone who is extremely indecisive like me, because I don’t have to choose my entree. I can have it all! The worry that I’ll order a huge dinner and then hate it is no more – if I order a tapa and don’t like it, no harm done. It’s like the ultimate tasting party! While the small portions are a blessing in that sense, I also hate small portions because they don’t fill me up. I eat a lot of food in general, and I had to order more than one entree to feel full when we ate out at restaurants. Soooo I had to order a ridiculously large number of tapas to feel even slightly satisfied. It wasn’t a problem when I wanted to try everything on the menu, but I felt kind of silly when I ordered the same thing multiple times.
Duck with Sweet Potato Mash
I ate a lot of pork and tuna during my trip to Sevilla. I don’t eat either of those very often when I’m at home, so it was really nice to switch things up. I was so impressed with the quality of the food. My friend was super prepared and had already chosen all of the best restaurants in the area, so my impression might be biased, but I obviously I don’t mind. I don’t think I had a single bad meal. The meat was always tender and cooked to perfection. The fish was insanely fresh. Everything just tasted real, and it was all so rich. Not in a “I’m going to vomit because that was so rich” kind of way, more like a “I could melt into a pile of liquid happiness right now” kinda way. My favorite meal was definitely a leg of lamb over sautéed veggies. I’ve seriously never had lamb this perfectly cooked in my life. My eyes practically rolled to the back of my head when I took the first bite, and I can still imagine the taste in my mouth. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but the lamb was pretty much the size of my head. No complaints there.
Leg of Lamb
Tuna with Zoodles
I won’t lie – before I arrived, I was a bit worried about how difficult it would be for me to find meals because of my food allergies. I thought it would be a struggle to communicate my food intolerances and to be sure that what I was being served was actually “safe,” which made me apprehensive about the trip initially. I was honestly really scared that I would feel sick the entire time because of the food. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that 95% of the restaurants we went to were very well-informed, responsive, and accommodating to my dietary needs. First of all, it was incredibly helpful that most menus were written in both Spanish and English, which helped clear up most ambiguity. Second, I was impressed with how many menus were clearly labelled with different symbols to help people with numerous food allergies navigate their dining choices. Dairy, soy, gluten, corn, eggs – every common type of food allergy was covered. Additionally, the servers were almost always willing to make modifications to things on the menu to accommodate my needs, and I was so grateful. It can be tricky being a foodie with food intolerances, but I’m happy to say it was definitely not a struggle in Sevilla.
I have to tell it like it is – America needs to step up its game in terms of its food’s freshness and quality. Sevilla took the win on that one. The food was divine, and I’d definitely give it a 10/10.
Pork with Mashed Potatoes
Mint Quinoa
Vegan Ravioli
Sea Bream Ceviche
Chicken Apple Walnut Salad
Sea Bream
Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate-Filled Churros
by Christina | Dec 13, 2015 | Wellness
Yesterday I spent all day in bed recovering from some major back pain from lugging around my ridiculously heavy suitcases the day before around four different airports, but it was so worth it.
Over the last week I roamed around Sevilla, Spain, and the time flew by. I fell in love! Spain was so good to me. I had the opportunity to visit my friend while she studied abroad, and although the trip was somewhat last minute, everything lined up way too perfectly for me to pass on the chance. I felt like it all happened for a reason, and even though I was a little nervous, I figured – what the hell?!
I really had no idea what to expect, but I knew it was time for an adventure, so I hopped on the plane and met one of my best friends in Sevilla for my first week abroad! Life there is so different. I felt like I was in a totally different world.
First of all, Sevilla is absolutely stunning. It was like a fairytale. Cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, a magnificent castle, and a gorgeous cathedral created a completely magical, wondrous atmosphere. You could feel the history and the culture; you could breathe it in. The frighteningly narrow streets are lined with hundreds of little shops and restaurants squished together, each very quaint and having a unique personality of its own. It was a total dream for me because the whole town was hung with Christmas decorations. Christmas lights of different shapes draped along all of the streets, and a large lit-up wire Christmas tree stood tall in the city’s center. Wandering through Sevilla felt like walking through a movie set not only because of the charming ambience, but also because the streets were relatively empty. I’m used to the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and the Bay Area, so walking down a seemingly empty cobblestone road felt excitingly eerie, but extremely peaceful.
The Alcazar and the cathedral are almost too exquisite to be real. Architecture created today just isn’t that incredible. The attention to detail is impeccable. There’s almost too much to see, and I felt as though no other building I’ve seen thus far in my life could compare. I look in awe at art like that and can’t imagine what it must’ve taken to create such a magnificent structure – the care, the patience, the creativity, the genius.
Social life in Spain was definitely an adjustment for me, even if it was only for a week. The days began muuuuch later than I’m used to. I like to get up early in the morning, eat a big breakfast, and get my day started. Go, go, go! That’s not how it flies in Spain. People are just getting out of bed around noon, and most restaurants don’t even open until 1:30 PM. This was like a personalized type of torture for someone like me with a strict “I need a big breakfast and lots of snacks all the time” eating schedule. Because the days start so late, the nights end quite late as well. Going to a club before 2 A.M was a laughable idea. Whoops!
Everything is much more laid-back in general in Sevilla than it is here in California, and I had a really hard time with it at first. I’m the type of person who gets a panic attack if the person walking in front of me isn’t moving fast enough – don’t get in my way! In Spain, everything moves very slowly. People stroll leisurely through the streets, eat 4 hour meals, and stop in the middle of a purchase to make small-talk. This all made me really anxious at first, but I slowly warmed up to it and tried to embrace such a radically different life approach. Chill. It was like popping a balloon that was about to burst anyways. I was ready to just float.
Social drinking actually exists in Spain! Here in California, people consider social drinking to be taking shots and getting hammered to the point of slurring their words and falling over their own feet all night long. It’s not. People in Sevilla can casually, leisurely, and controllably drink a glass of wine or two at each meal in order to relax and socialize. And they can still function afterwards. It was so refreshing, and it’s how it should be. Instead of abusing a lower legal age limit for alcohol, its wide accessibility, and its cheapness, the people of Sevilla truly drank in a social, relaxed way. The way a glass of wine should be handled. Hop on that, Americans!
The food was obviously incredible, but I’m not going to get too much into it here because I’m going to give the food its own separate post. Because who would I be if I didn’t give food its own post?! I will mention, however, that I was extremely impressed / got a major kick out of the fact that McDonald’s is practically a gourmet restaurant in Sevilla. People have birthday parties there. The booths are large and comfy, the burgers are fluffy instead of the width of a composition notebook, and the chicken nuggets appeared to be made from actual food. Also, I was kind of disappointed to see that Starbucks was such a big hit there. I expected Starbucks to be way too mainstream-America to be so popular in adorable Sevilla, but there was a Starbucks basically every 20 feet. I missed my trendy hole-in-the-wall coffee shops! Buuuut props to European Starbucks that offer actual ceramic coffee mugs to customers drinking coffee there instead of only handing out cardboard cups. Very classy.
And, of course, the shopping was everything. I spent most of my time shopping. People in Spain are very trendy, and I was thoroughly impressed with the affordable goodies I found. Graphic tees in Spain are especially fun because a lot of them feature phrases that make no sense. Still trying to figure this one out (it’s my personal favorite).
Can someone explain this to me please? ^^
I’ve never seen so many shoe stores concentrated in one area in my life! The shoes are SO CHEAP (in a good way). As I looked around, overwhelmed with the number of much-needed shoes and their extremely low prices, my friend laughed and said, “You cannot go to Spain and not buy a pair of shoes. They’re too cheap.” And she was right. Speaking of which, making purchases in Spain is so much easier than in America because there’s no extra tax and no tip when buying things – food, clothes, cabs, etc. The price on the price tag is what you pay. I can’t even explain how much this simplifies life and how happy it made me, considering everything was so affordable to begin with. I got a steak the size of my head for $2, and it was absolutely delectable. Tell me where in America I can find such a thing?!
Overall, the trip was incredibly relaxing. It was just what I needed. Honestly, I had been feeling trapped here lately, and I was craving a new and exciting experience. I needed to step out of my routine for a bit and experience another way of life. Weirdly enough, just a week there helped me find more of myself. I felt so lucky to be strolling through a fairytale-like city with one of my favorite people on this earth, breathing in the beauty of the world around me. There’s something totally magical and freeing about being in a completely new place, out of your comfort zone and not knowing anyone, but ready for any adventure that awaits. Miss you already, Sevilla!
Be on the lookout for part 2 of my trip to Sevilla – the food diary! And for more fun travel adventures, be sure to check out Marissa’s blog! Xo
by Christina | Dec 6, 2015 | Wellness
My hair has always been a problem.
For as long as I can remember, my hair has been ratty, knotted, impossible to brush, and just an overall disaster. Despite spending waaay too much time brushing and styling it each morning, my hair always returned to a huge, knotted mess within minutes of making it manageable. As a six-year-old diva, this made me seriously distraught. At a disastrously young age, I was horrified by my “problem” and immediately started searching for the answer at my local drugstore. Hundreds of dollars and products later, I gave up on my endeavor and decided I would just have annoying hair forever. It would take me at least an hour to brush my hair every time I got out of the shower, and once my hair dried it would become tangled again almost immediately, drying out the ends. Beginning in the fourth grade, I spent 30 minutes every morning straightening my hair in an attempt to make it look presentable and remain tangle-free for at least a few hours. But that’s all it lasted. After those quick hours, my hair would be in a giant knot again. Plus, all of the straightening completely fried my hair. I dealt with this annoying issue for years. Fast forward to my sophomore year of college, and I finally stumbled across three amazing products that totally transformed my hair. I’ve been using them since then, and I will never go back. Started from the bottom…NOW WE HERE!
Step 1: It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin
This product is actually a miracle. After I shower, I spritz this throughout my damp hair and let it sit for a few minutes. After it sits, my hair is a million times easier to brush through. Not only does this product detangle, but it also protects your hair against heat damage, adds major shine, and prevents frizz. I usually expect leave-in products to make my hair a greasy mess and not actually help anything because of all the product-fails I’ve encountered. However, I can honestly say that I notice a huge difference when I brush my hair after using this product than when I have to go without it. I’ve tried quite a few leave-in conditioners in my years as a product-junkie, but so far this is the only one I can truly count on to detangle my hair.
Step 2: The Wet Brush
My heaven-sent hairstylist recommended this brush to me when I complained about how long it was taking me to brush my hair every day. One trip to Target later, and my life was changed. I’m not even joking – it brought tears to my eyes the first time I used this because I could not believe how quickly I was able to brush my hair out. It used to take me at least 30 minutes each night to comb through my ratted mess, but using the Wet Brush, it takes five minutes or less. Is this real life? Yes, yes it is. I will never use another brush. P.S. I use the Wet Brush on both wet and dry hair!
Step 3: Moroccanoil Treatment Light
I randomly picked up a sample size of this at Nordstrom one day because it was on sale, and it blew me away. I’ve tried hundreds of hair serums and oils but found that few truly make that big a difference on my hair. This, however, is a game-changer. I rub the tiniest amount of this on the ends of my damp hair, especially if I’m planning to use some type of heat on it, and it never fails to transform my dry strands into seriously silky smooth, luscious locks. Sometimes I force people to feel how soft my hair is after I use this, and their eyes always go wide as they ask me, “How is your hair so soft?!” Well, secret’s out now.
What are your holy grail hair products? Let me know in the comments below – I would love to test out some new things! XX
