Healthy grocery shopping list examples

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a list prepared before going to the grocery store. I went grocery shopping yesterday and having my list of healthy food items decreased the temptation to grab unhealthy items. It also kept me from going over my budget. I get emails about grocery lists all the time, and I usually send people links to the three lists below (3 of my favorite guides). But I've finally made my own list, with affordable items that I typically purchase when I do my grocery shopping. When I shop, it normally last me a few weeks and allows me to make multiple creative, healthy meals.

Yesterday, I made this delicious kale + arugula salad (with tomatoes, avocado, strawberries, and lemon juice) and tilapia. So good!

Three other lists that I love!

via Shape Magazine

via Gina-Alyse

via Greatist 

Sushi making class in Atlanta {STEEL Restaurant & Lounge}

Yesterday my boyfriend and I took a class we've been talking about for a while - Sushi Making 101! The sushi making class was at STEEL Restaurant & Lounge in Midtown Atlanta. This place is minutes from Tech, but it was my first visit so I was excited because of that reason too. I'm sharing my experience below, and I hope it's helpful for others considering taking this class.

Above are some quick facts about what the 1.5 hour class includes. I loved seeing the break down of the salmon and learning how to properly roll the sushi. The last 30 minutes of the session are mainly for eating, receiving some gifts from the restaurant, and paying for the class.

Before the class started, everyone got a complimentary drink!

The class was set up around the sushi bar area. We had one instructor (who was awesome!) and the chefs helped out some as well. The food to go into the sushi was ready for us when we got to the bar. The restaurant was very understanding of dietary restrictions and food allergies. It was no problem for me to make my sushi using just vegetables, even though the standard class includes spicy tuna, crab, and BBQ eel.

This was such a fun thing to do with someone else! Although I'm sure the class would have been just as awesome if I went alone, I was happy to share my work space with someone I know. Most people in our class appeared to be couples or friends attending together. The photo above was when we were about to add the sliced avocado to our cucumber roll!

The finished product! The chefs cut up my sushi rolls and added some finishing touches to the plate. How delicious does this look?! Our instructor brought out our finished plates and we were able to enjoy them at the tables in the dining room. Perfect way to taste our creations.

Before leaving, we also got Sushi 101 certificates & goodie bags with supplies for sushi making at home! This was such a fun date and new activity. I definitely suggest it to anyone who enjoys sushi and doing hands on activities with friends or significant others! And, since this was my first time at STEEL Restaurant & Lounge, it counts toward my 24 to-do's list!

Have you ever made your own sushi? How did it go?

I'm 24! And it feels great

It's January 14, aka my birthday!!! 

I'm so excited and grateful to see another birthday and to spend it with the people I love. 23 was a great year overall, but it definitely had it's challenges. Learning how to balance grad school + work + my company definitely took some time. Some friendships ended, and others started. I failed and succeeded. I realized how much my family means to me and spent more time with them. I lost weight, gained some back, and lost it again. I stopped eating chicken! I traveled. I made plans to travel that didn't pan out. I set goals. I cut some bad habits. I realized new passions and purpose. I took risks. I laughed and cried. I lived.

My motto for age 24:

See my to-do list for age 24 here

Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes, they mean so much!!!

24 to-do's for age 24

Last year I created and shared my 23 to-do's for age 23, and it was a GREAT way for me to think about things that I wanted to accomplish as a 23-year-old, and the blog post kept me accountable for completing those items. So this year I've created a list for year 24, with the couple of items that I didn't complete in year 23, and some new ones! I'm really excited for this year and making major life moves before age 25. I think making lists (and sticking to them) is a fun way to organize your time and make sure you're living life to the fullest. I also based some of these more specific to-do's on my 2015 Promises. I'll update this list throughout the year like I did last year and will probably have some blog posts sharing my progress.

Progress: 3/24 complete

1. Reach 1 million views for RCSOATL {1M views as of Feb. 19}
2. Find out my blood type
3. Get a job/career that I love
4. Don't straighten my hair until my grad school graduation in December 2015
5. Go to a state in the U.S. that I've never visited
6. Invest in quality makeup & work clothes {February 2015}
7. Meet the President {March 2015}
8. Sign up for 10 yoga classes & attend them {1. Hotlanta Yoga: Jan., 2.  Hotlanta Yoga: Jan., 3. Hotlanta Yoga: March, 4, 5, 6, 7 Hotlanta Yoga: April and May,
9. Read seven books & biographies {1. Condozeelza Rice: Jan., 2. Kristin Clark Taylor: Jan., 3. Nikki Haley: March
10. Find a new Atlanta non-profit and volunteer + donate {Hands on Atlanta = donation, 
11. Go to my first wine tasting
12. Earn Graduate Communications Certificate
13. Earn my real estate license
14. Go back to Washington D.C. for a weekend
15. Expand VKV Communications LLC
16. Make my own design for my new place (rug)
17. Spend a weekend unplugged (no phone, computer, TV, Internet)
18. Eat only fruits, vegetables, & water for a week (no carbohydrates)
19. Try a new restaurant in Atlanta every month {Jan. : STEEL Restaurant & Lounge, Jan. : Livingston Restaurant, Feb.: Beautiful Restaurant, May: Ecco}
20. Continue using my gratitude journal on a weekly basis
21. Do something uncomfortable / challenge myself once a month
22. Take a Spanish class to continue learning the language 
23. Pay off 75% of my student loans
24. Maintain my weight and BMI

What do you think of my list?

P.S. My 24th birthday is TOMORROW! :)

No Mas! Cantina in Atlanta {24th Birthday Dinner}

Last night I celebrated my 24th birthday a little early + my company's 1 year anniversary at No Mas! Hacienda & Cantina in the Castleberry Hill district of Atlanta. I knew I wanted to have my birthday dinner at No Mas! because every time I visit their restaurant and store, I have an awesome experience. The food is delicious and the atmosphere in the restaurant is unbeatable. Here's a little blurb about their incredible venue from their website:

Our concept combines the Cantina Restaurant serving classic Mexican favorites & house specialties, and the Hacienda Showroom with an amazing collection of artistic creations from over 350 artisans in Mexico… all under one roof. For your private event, arrangements can be made to cocktail in the Hacienda and then enjoy dinner in our private Tequila tasting room, or our main Dining Room, which also has a Mezzaning. The venue seats 350+ and has flexibility to accommodate more with the outdoor garden and breakfast seating areas. We are walking distance from CNN, GWCC, AmericasMart, and Centennial Park. Located in the heart of the Castleberry Hill Warehouse Arts District.

My friend Kristi was kind enough to take photos throughout the night, and I think they tell such a fun story. This was my favorite birthday dinner of the ones I've had recently and I know it's because I had great guests, we had great service, great food and drinks, and everyone was there to have a great time.

We sat in the upstairs area, which is perfect for large parties. There's plenty of room and a great view of all of the restaurant's traditional decor. And many of the items you see in the restaurant are available for purchase in the adjacent store!

So. Much. Good. Food.

Our servers, Nick and Rene' were also awesome! I love a restaurant with good food AND good service, and No Mas! definitely delivered.

All of my guests received these custom VKV Communications LLC cups for our 1 year anniversary!

One of my best friends, Shelby, made this 5 tier, pink ombre cake! It was delicious and so beautiful! She even included my company logo at the top. Thank you, Shelby! :)

And my friend Kia of SoCo Sweets and Desserts made these adorable custom pink cupcakes! They were also so delicious! Thank you!

This was such a fun birthday / company celebration and I'm grateful for everyone who was involved in it. Thank you so much, No Mas! Cantina for being an excellent host!

First week of school checklist

Happy Friday! Today marks the end of my first semester back in school and boy was it a busy one. I had a couple of younger students ask me about tips for the first week of school and I thought it would be a great blog post to share with my student readers. This is my 1st Week of School Checklist - things that I do my best to accomplish during the first week of classes.

Go to class | This seems obvious, but in reality most people choose the first week of class to skip their classes because professors normally don't cover most material. This is true. But, professors do normally state important facts about the class and their expectations. This is also the best time to make a great first impression, introduce yourself to your professor, and get a good feel for the class while you still have time to change your schedule.

Read the syllabus | Again, this normally happens on the first day of class with your professor leading the reading. However, I make sure to read the syllabus myself and make sure I understand the course requirements and what it takes to get the grade I want. Having a good understanding of the syllabus can also help you later in the class when the professor may try to propose something that was not originally in the syllabus, possibly violating a school policy.

Add important dates to your planner | After reading the syllabus for each of my classes, I always go through the due dates and test dates and add them to my planner. I am surprised that more people don't do this at the start of the semester, but it makes life so much easier. Instead of trying to keep up week by week, you'll already have the entire semester planned out and you can plan your other life activities accordingly.

Stay on top of your email | I think I got about 300 emails this week. People are always super productive at the beginning of a new year and a new semester, meaning more emails. But it's important to check your email regularly during the first week of school to stay notified about class announcements, organization announcements, or important messages from your campus. Here are some tips for email management.

Don't over commit | This is something that I had to remind myself of during this week. Don't over commit. The start of a new semester means tons of new opportunities - internships, organizations, leadership roles, events, parties, etc. And of course we want to do it all. But we can't! It's easy to fall behind with classes if you over commit yourself during this first week of school. It's also a recipe for stress and unhappiness. Remember that saying "no" is ok, and you can always get involved in things once the semester settles down.

Dress for success | I'm guilty of dressing down for class on days when I don't have work. But during the first week of classes I try to make a great first impression and this means looking presentable for all of my classes. You won't ever catch me wearing heels or anything that extreme to class, but I do stray away from Nike shorts, leggings, and sweats during the first week. Dress for the kind of career you want.

Smile and network | During the first week you're not only making an impression on your professors, but your classmates as well. I'm always very friendly during this first week and try to meet anyone in my class I don't already know. My program is pretty small so I know the majority of the people in my classes, but it's great to visit with them and catch up during the first week back. I also make sure to have contact info for a few people in each of my classes in case I have a question about classwork, want to study with them, or miss class one day.

Set goals for the semester | Setting goals is a very important part of my first week back at school. I set goals about how I want to perform academically and also set personal goals and achievements that I want t accomplish during the semester. I normally write these down somewhere so I can be reminded of them throughout the semester.

Feel free to leave other suggestions in the comments

I hope you have a happy and successful semester! :)

Starting semester three of grad school

I just started back to school and work on Monday, but this week has already been insanely busy! Maybe it's because I'm still wishing it was Winter Break...but I am literally reading my own advice from this post and trying to get to Friday. I'm only taking four classes this semester, but it seems like everything in addition to classes is happening this week.

With my birthday coming up next week, I'm working on my 24 to-do's in year 24 list (see last year's here), and it's been a fun distraction from this week's work. I'm celebrating my birthday with friends this weekend, and will share photos from that afterward. 

I hope you're having a great week, and I can't wait to share the posts I have planned for 2015! :)

How cutting fast food helped me lose weight

Over the holidays I was discussing my healthier eating habits with a family member and we started discussing fast food's negative effect on weight loss goals. Growing up I definitely ate fast food because it was quick, easy, cheap, and I was busy playing sports so my body worked it off quickly. However, in college when I would eat fast food (often late at night), I noticed it taking a toll on my body.

To be clear, as a kid I ate pretty much any kind of fast food until middle school. In middle school a nutritionist came to our class and showed us the actual fat/lard that was used in McDonald's food. Long story short, I was disgusted and vowed to never eat McDonald's or Burger King again. And since then I really haven't eaten more than a few items from either place.

In high school and throughout college I normally ate at Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, Popeyes, Wendy's, and Arby's. And this is when I gained the most weight.

Since giving up meat last March, I have basically cut fast food from my diet - mainly because the places I used to eat at (above) all serve chicken or beef as their main dish. Not having these options for fast food has forced me to do more cooking for myself and to eat at restaurants that offer healthier options. This change in my eating habits has not only helped me lose weight (20+ pounds last year), but also cleared up my skin and has saved me money. I'm now more conscious of what I put in my body and put more effort into planning my meals.

If you're looking for a way to drop pounds and haven't tried cutting fast foods yet, I highly recommend trying it!

Here are some recent healthy meals I've had:

Steamed carrots and brussels sprouts seasoned with salt and pepper.

Green beans and brussels sprouts seasoned with olive oil and black pepper.

Eggplant meatballs - OK, so I made these for Christmas Eve as a vegetarian option and I loved them! I used an eggplant meatball recipe that most Italian restaurants use, but instead of marinara sauce, I used BBQ sauce on them.

Brown rice, mixed veggies, onions, fried eggs.

Mashed sweet potatoes and grilled brussels sprouts.

Arugula salad topped with salmon, tomatoes, and cheese. 

Baked tilapia with steamed purple cabbage, green snap peas, and carrots.

Grilled salmon on top on romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.

I'm so excited to continue eating healthier foods in 2015 and see the progress!

See other healthy meals here