Zucchini Bread Recipe | Fall Foods!

Hey everyone! I'm finally back blogging, sorry for the absence of posts and information but I decided to take a little break to get inspired and overcome my blogger's block. I've also been crazy busy lately with balancing all my dancing and school work and just haven't been able to think of anything to write about. Nonetheless, I'm finally back and can't wait to share posts with you every weekend.

Today, I have a fall food recipe, specifically zucchini bread. It's one of my mom's special recipes and is so delicious and yummy, without leaving you feeling guilty and stuffed. I know the idea of a baked good with vegetables probably sounds pretty dissatisfying but it is so so amazing! Zucchinis are not my favorite vegetable but this sweet zucchini bread is to die for; it is moist, healthy-ish, and will leave you wanting more and more. When my mom first made this zucchini bread I thought no way I'm never trying this, but I reluctantly tried it and to my surprise it was delightful.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 C oil
• 2 C sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 2 C grated zucchini
• 1 C chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

1. Beat oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla
2. Sift flour with salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon
3. Add to egg mixture and beat well
4. Fold in zucchini with a spatula
5. Pour into greased and floured pans (loaf or muffin)
6. Bake at 325F for 1 hour or until edges become firmer
7. TIP: don't bake too long or it will become very dry-it's always tastier a bit undercooked and moist

You can also add chocolate chips for a sweeter bread!

I hope you enjoyed this fall foods recipe and give it a try one day. It's super simple and well worth the process! Till next week xx

Homemade Waffles Recipe | Summer Breakfasts!

Hey everyone! You will never want to make another toaster waffle after you finish reading this post! Waffles are one of my favorite breakfast meals to have during the summer when I have more time to make them. Light, fluffy, and topped with tons of fresh fruit; waffles are the perfect breakfast meal to kickstart your day on the right foot. Therefore, I hope you'll continue reading on to find out how to make your very own, homemade waffles.

What you will need...

• Waffle maker - can be found at any appliance / homeware store. We purchased ours at Crate & Barrel but I know that Williams and Sonoma also has many great options. 
• Waffle ingredients - listed below
• Mixer - to stir the batter into the perfect consistency!

Ingredients...

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup oil or butter
• 2 cups milk
• Dash of almond extract (optional)

Instructions...

1. In a large bowl, stir all the dry ingredients together until lightly combined
2. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each along with the milk and oil
3. Add the liquid, stirred ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix
4. Personally, I enjoy a hint of almond flavor in my waffles so I also add in a dash of almond extract to the batter to make the flavors stand out more
5. Once the batter is mixed and has set for 5 minutes you can begin cooking your waffles! 
6. Finally, top your perfectly golden-brown waffles with fresh fruit, syrup or eve some whipped cream - have fun with it. 

I hope some of you try out this waffle recipe and if you do let me know how it goes! Personally, I thought they were delicious and the fresh fruit made a huge difference in adding flavor and natural sugars to the waffle! Until Sunday xx

Current Favorite Store | Zara

Hey everyone! Today I will be sharing with you my favorite store at the moment, which is Zara. I have recently been loving the TRF / Trafaluc collection at Zara which is basically a teen clothing line and not only are the clothes great quality but the prices are much lower at the moment. All in all I think Zara is such an amazing store because the clothes are high end but also more casual and just overall look more put together and nicer than other brands. In addition, Zara has almost every thing you need, from shoes to clothes to accessories to perfumes! Since Zara is my current favorite store fashion wise, I will be sharing with you some items I recently purchased from there. AKA a mini haul + why I love to shop at Zara.

First, I purchased these stretchy, navy blue jeans which have slits above/over the knee. These jeans are so comfortable which is the main reason why I liked them so much, but they also reminded me of the Top shop jeans with the knee slits which are super cute and fashionable at the moment.

Next, I bought two high neck tank tops for the summer and warmer weather. These style of tank tops are really in-style right now and I love the shape of them and how they fit on my neck and shoulders. I also love the design on the white tank top and it flows really nicely on the sides.

Finally, I got two new dresses! I love wearing dresses in the summer time because they are such an easy and effortless outfit to throw on. The first dress has a pop of color which I felt like I needed for the summer and for my closet. It's also super soft and the material is stretchy and light. Then, I got a little, black dress made out of t-shirt type of material. I thought this dress was unique and you can never have too many black dresses! 

So, I hope you all enjoyed this new, fashion post and you got some ideas of what's in Zara right now and current fashion trends. Also, I am hopefully going to be posting AGAIN this week on Sunday since that is our moving day :( to reflect on my time here in Switzerland. Until then, xxx

The Perfect + Healthy Breakfast // Overnight Oats 3 Ways!

Hey everyone! We've had a very rainy start to May here in Switzerland but hopefully sunshine is upon us. I haven't done a food / recipe post on my blog for a while so I thought what better way to start off the month of May then with a breakfast post for mornings when you're in a hurry. If you're anything like me, once May comes rolling around my enthusiasm for school and learning is at its lowest and I am constantly checking how many days until summer. Therefore, I have three delicious and healthy breakfast variations for one of my favorites - overnight oats!

Overnight oats are made the night before (to save you a ton of time preparing breakfast in the morning), are super filling, and really healthy to kickstart your day in the right direction. The three recipes I will be sharing with you are: Strawberry Banana Oats, Blueberry Infused Oats, and French Toast inspired Oats. This grab and go breakfast is sure to be a weekly staple in your refrigerator!

Blueberry-Infused Overnight Oats
The first recipe is a blueberry banana mixture - my two favorite fruits for oatmeal. I think the softness of the banana pairs so well with the slight crunch of the blueberries and the two flavors work great together. The creaminess of the milk and yogurt also add such a great texture and taste to make this breakfast one you will love.

French Toast Overnight Oats
Okay, let's be real about the next variation...when I heard the name it was slightly off-putting because I just couldn't imagine french toast tasting well with cold oatmeal?! However, I decided to give it a try because I love french toast and I love oatmeal. I have to say this is one of the sweetest recipes of the three but it's so tasty! Also, sometimes in the mornings after breakfast I crave something sweet and this had the perfect balance of natural sugars and fibers to give me that small sugar kick.

Strawberry Banana Oats
The last recipe I haven't tried yet (but am going to this week) but I chose to write about it because you can never go wrong with a strawberry-banana combo. The two fruits go hand in hand so I figured this must be a delicious recipe. It's packed with tons of protein, fiber and nutritious fruits to start your day on a high note.

I hope you all enjoyed this special breakfast post and if you're looking for more healthy breakfast ideas you can click on the link here: 5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Let me know if you try out any of these overnight oats recipes and thank you so so much for viewing my blog and supporting me xxx