Wednesday, January 29, 2014

3 Ingredient Maple Salmon


I grew up in Clearwater, FL surrounded by the ocean and I've always loved seafood. One of my favorite types of fish is salmon. Not only is it delicious, but also really healthy for you! It contains omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your heart and your brain by lowering your cholesterol and improving memory, among tons of other benefits.

The great thing about this maple salmon recipe is that it's super easy and great for beginner cooks - it's very low maintenance and only has three ingredients! It's also a meal that can be cooked for one person or a whole family. The ingredients below reflect a single serving size, but just multiply the ingredients to reflect how many people you'll be cooking for.

This meal is also clean, which means that I used all fresh and natural ingredients - no preservatives or additives - so you can eat well and still enjoy your meal!

I had my salmon over a bed of brown rice and quinoa with a side of asparagus and avocado. I would love to hear your experience if you decide to try this maple salmon. Also let me know if you try adding anything else into the ingredients. Have fun and enjoy!



Ingredients

2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
5 - 7 ounces of salmon

Directions

 - Put salmon in a bowl or dish and pour the maple syrup and soy sauce over top the piece of salmon.
 - Work salmon into marinade and place covered in refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.
 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 - Place salmon into a baking dish (I like to put aluminum foil on the bottom to avoid a mess), and pour the remaining marinade over top of the fish.
 - Bake uncovered in oven for about 20 minutes or until the fish is flaky. 


Monday, January 27, 2014

The Bey & Jay Show...AKA The Grammys 2014

Okay, so usually after a big awards show like the Grammys or Oscars I do a recap of the red carpet looks that I liked or disliked most, but honestly, the red carpet looks were so unamusing to me this year that Jay-Z and Beyonce absolutely stole all my attention...and the show in general. Their performance, threads and presence overall were jaw-dropping and show stopping. 



I got home and sat down in my living room just in time to see Beyonce open the show with an amazing performance accompanied by her beau, Jay-Z. She performed her newest hit, "Drunk on Love" while seductively dancing on a chair, yet somehow still doing it in an extremely class way that only Beyonce can pull off.


After Beyonce sang every note with perfection, Jay-Z joined her on stage for his part. They danced together and couldn't have looked better. Her body, I mean, how can anyone even compare it to anything. It is perfection in itself and anyone who tells you it's not is lying. Her curves can make anyone envious.



I loved Beyonce's outfit choice, which consisted of a La Perla collar paired with a Nichole de Carle bodysuit, Saint Laurent tights and Stuart Weitzman heels. I will admit thought that I wasn't the biggest fan of her wet, wavy bobbed hair.


As if the two couldn't get any better, Jay-Z ended up taking home the award for Best Rap/Song Collaboration with Justin Timberlake for "Holy Grail. In his acceptance speech, not only did he give a shoutout to his "beautiful light of a young lady" and his daughter, Blue Ivy. "I also want to tell Blue, look - Daddy got a gold sippy cup," laughed Jay-Z.


And of course, I couldn't finish this off without commenting on their original red carpet looks, which were on point as well. Beyonce stunned in a floral, white mesh Michael Costello gown that showed skin in all the right places. Hubby, Jay-Z, looked dapper in an impeccably tailored tuxedo. 


Overall, I think you get my point. The Grammys 2014 should basically be renamed the Beyonce and Jay-Z Show 2014. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of other amazing performances, but Bey and Jay stole my heart. 


Friday, January 24, 2014

Friday Favorites 01/24/2014

Take a look at my favorites from the week of January 24, 2014, including Beyonce in a head-turning mini, two flawless Spring Couture Collections from my favorites, Zuhair Murad & Elie Saab, and a quote about changing your perspectives. Click to see more below.


Beyonce looked amazing as always in a gold mini dress for Michelle Obama's 50th Birthday Party on Saturday, January 18th. I would wear this gorgeous mini in a heartbeat!


Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab presented their Spring 2014 Couture Collections in Paris this week and I'm loving every piece. Here are my top three favorite looks from each collection (which was hard to narrow down, might I add). I loved the color palettes from each, especially the pastels. 

Zuhair Murad 2014 Spring Couture

Elie Saab 2014 Spring Couture

I love quotes and this one especially. "We can complain because rose bushed have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." It's all about changing the perspective of how you look at things, whether it be something you take for granted, something you complain about or anything in between.


Monday, January 20, 2014

My Dream Red Carpet Gown

With the red carpet season in full swing, I thought it would be fun to pick out a few gowns that I would love to wear on the red carpet if I were ever a celebrity or had the chance. 

Two of my absolute favorite designers are Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad. So naturally, those were the two designers that I chose from for my favorite red carpet looks. Sofia Vergara and Kate Beckinsale both looked stunning at the Golden Globes red carpet and after party in dark, sequined gowns. Click here to see my red carpet review for the Golden Globes and keep reading to see my choices!


Above is a gorgeous Zuhair Murad gown in bright red. I love delicate details and lace, so this was an obvious choice for me. The color looks amazing and I think it would really complement my blonde hair. I also really love the shape - it cinches in all the right places!

 

This gorgeous gown is an Elie Saab dark emerald dress. Speaking of delicate detailing, I love all the beading and meticulous details. I also love how you can see through the green for a pop of white. I'm obsessed with emerald right now, so I'm naturally loving this hue.


This is also an Elie Saab gown. I love the sweetheart neckline and the small belt at the waist. The color is so pretty and looks great against the red carpet. I also love the slight shimmer that it gives off from the silver details in the dress. Simple yet extremely elegant. 

What do you think about my red carpet picks? Who would you wear if you had the chance to walk the red carpet?

Monday, January 13, 2014

Best & Worst Dressed: Golden Globes 2014

The Golden Globes marks the beginning of the 2014 red carpet season and it was quite an interesting red carpet to begin with. There were only a few looks that I really loved, and plenty that I didn't love. There were also a few looks that I liked, but would have loved if I could change an aspect about the look. Keep reading to see my best and worst dressed!

Best Dressed


Taylor Swift. Taylor was my best dressed overall of the night. I'm not her biggest fan personally, but I thought she looked great in this Carolina Herrera gown. I loved the little black at the top so it wasn't just another red dress (which was overplayed this red carpet).

Maria Menounos. I'm a sucker for Maria. She seems to always end up on my best dressed list. I know some people will be disgusted with this choice, but I'm in love with that fuchsia color. I don't think it clashes with the red carpet, and the subtle cut-out lines give it just the right amount of sexiness.

Sosie Bacon. Miss Golden Globes herself looked stunning in this gown. I love the form fitting style and the details on the chest. It was perfectly styled and the neutral color looked amazing both with her skin tone and in contrast to the red carpet.

Olivia Wilde. There were many baby bumps on the red carpet this year, but Olivia's was my favorite look. I love when mothers-to-be aren't afraid to show off their bump to the paparazzi and this is no exception. The emerald color is to die for (another one of my favorites)!

Kate Beckinsale. I love a little shimmer on the red carpet and Kate takes the cake with this stunning gown. The shape, cut and fit on her in this Zuhair Murad gown is impeccable and there's nothing about this I don't like! Not to mention, she has a banging body to add to it.

Things I Would Edit


Jennifer Lawerence. I'm a huge fan of J-Law, but I'm torn with this gown selection. The Dior gown wasn't liked by many, but I think it would have been a great choice if the second black strip that cinches in the dress was removed. That way, her waist would be the main focus, whereas with the second strip makes the gown too distracting.

Julia Roberts. I'm not quite sure what Julia was thinking when she chose this Dolce and Gabbana gown. Simply take away that white oxford underneath and she would have had a simple, yet elegant red carpet dress that probably would have landed her on the best dressed list. The shirt part of the dress covers her up to much and looks extremely random on the red carpet.

Kaley Cuaco. I love the structure and shape of this gown on Kaley, but I'm not crazy about the pattern. The corset and boning on the upper part of the gown give her great shape, but the blah pattern leaves me confused. I would have rather seen a solid color, possibly with black boning for a nice accent.

Sofia Vergara. We all know that Sofia is a fun and outgoing celebrity and this Zac Posen gown is everything that you would expect from her. I like that she chose to stick to black with a pop of teal from her necklace, but I think there was just too much volume on the bottom. It fits her body like a glove - as always - but I think it was too overwhelming.

Worst Dressed


Sandra Bullock. The first thing that came to mind when I saw Sandra's Prabal Gurung gown was matador. The color combination and color blocking were unexpected...in a bad way. I also was not a fan of the cut of the gown and expected a lot more from her unfortunately.

Tina Fey. I feel like Tina can never really wow on the red carpet. I don't know what she was thinking with this random pattern, but it definitely isn't something that will land her on anyone's best dressed list.

Paula Patton. I think almost everyone can agree that this was one of the worst dressed of the night. Although Paula was one of the few ladies on the red carpet who went with a white gown, she killed look with the overly bulky and distracting volume on the side of her gown. It almost looks like she's carrying someone over her shoulder who happens to be wrapped in a bed sheet.

Melissa Mccarthy. Again, I'm just not sure what these ladies are thinking when they agree to wear these gowns. Melissa's gown was not only boring and ugly, but it was completely unflattering for her body shape. It looked more like a black cloak with a silver scarf draped down the front.

Red Hot Fever 


Tons of starlets went with all red gowns this year, and I'm really not a fan. I color blends in with the red carpet and didn't complement any one of it's wearers. A different shade of red - burgundy or oxblood, for example - are acceptable since they aren't the exact same shade as the carpet they are standing on. Take a look at the many ladies who tried, and failed to pull it off.

Who were your favorites and least favorites from the Golden Globes?