Keeping up with long term goals

Although I've been working on two lists with short term goals (Summer Bucket List & 23 to-do's), I have a lengthy list of long term goals that I'm working to accomplish as well. And those goals aren't as easy to accomplish. I often get questions from girls and women just starting to go after their dreams and want to know how to make them happen. Long term goals require special treatment, a particular level of energy and dedication, and a true passion. I also believe that some long term goals are better left unspoken and unshared with the public. But I will share that my long term goals are not just business-related. I have long-term goals for my personal life as well and those goals require the same type of attention and work as my career goals. Below, I'm sharing a few methods I've used to achieve long term (they take a year or longer to achieve) goals, and why I find them useful.

How to follow through with long term goals

1. Break them down into smaller goals or shorter deadlines | I find it useful to break down my long term goals into smaller goals that I hope will lead to the long term goal. A personal example of this is my long term goal of working for a politician or running for office. I have been breaking that goal down over the past few years. In college, I had goals of getting involved with student government and getting a political internship. By achieving those goals, I feel closer to achieving my long term goal even if I don't know when it will happen. Breaking your long term goal into smaller goals makes things more exciting and relaxed. Think about what experiences may guide you toward your long term goal, and go after those experiences until you get to the final destination! Reaching those shorter deadlines also helps build your confidence and serves as inspiration to persevere. 

2. Keep a goals journal/sketch pad | I keep two journals - one is a gratitude journal where I write down the aspects of life I'm grateful for, and the other journal is where I jot down my ideas and goals. I usually open goals journal twice a month - when I want to remind myself of my long term goals, and when I have an idea to help accomplish that goal. I also put a date next to my goals in my journal and write down when I hope to accomplish them. It's not a super strict deadline, but more of a plan.

3. Post them in a place you frequently look at | if journals aren't really your style, try writing or posting your goals in a more creative way. Inspiration boards can also double as "goals boards" with your goals listed among the inspiration. It helps to have your goals listed somewhere you look on a daily basis (bedroom wall, bathroom mirror, cell phone wallpaper, bracelet, etc.). The more you're reminded of your long term goals, the more they become apart of your life journey. Stay inspired and motivated as you work on your long term goals. This means surrounding yourself with positive and encouraging people, and speaking about your goals positively.

How do you manage long term goals?

Back on the healthy track!

My groceries for the week - pre-meal prep!; see a list at the bottom!

Confession. This summer, my eating habits have been all over the place. During the school year I stuck to my plan of "clean eating" for at least two meals each day, and working out regularly. Doing that helped me drop weight and just feel better in general. But the relaxing nature of summertime + traveling has relaxed my healthy eating consistency too. This past weekend I read several articles, learned more about the Whole 30 plan, and did a little social media stalking of my favorite fitness role models. And now, I'm back on track! I went shopping for low carb and low sugar foods to help me lose the final few pounds I want to drop this summer, and to help me get back to eating clean twice, daily.

Buying lots of different fruits and salad fixings (romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, or kale) makes prepping meals fun and easy.

For example, these fruits (strawberries, cant elope, kiwi, blueberries, cucumber) were a snack for me one day and a lunch for me (when mixed with spinach and yogurt dressing) another day.

I've also learned to love salmon - wild caught is the best to buy. I blackened this salmon in the skillet and ate it with salad (below), veggies, and fruit (on three different days).

This salmon + arugula salad was delicious!

And lastly, I have learned to love veggie burgers! When I have time, I make my veggie burgers fresh (see here!). But I recently discovered an amazing brand of frozen veggie burgers, Gardenburger. So far I've tried the Veggie Medley & Original - both delicious!

Here are the healthy groceries I got for the week (from Kroger), all of it for under $20!

(2) Frozen brussels sprouts, baby spinach, green salsa, (3) kiwis, (2) Veggie Medley Gardenburgers, blueberries, strawberries, (2) cucumbers, Yogurt Ranch dressing.

Veggie Pasta Salad

I hope you had an awesome 4th of July! I was a little worried about what I would be able to eat yesterday since I've been sticking to eating like a Pescatarian. But then my mom offered to make a vegetarian meal to take to the BBQ we attended yesterday. I suggested she make Veggie Pasta Salad. This has been my "go-to" side dish recipe since high school (when we were allowed to bring in food for class celebrations). What I love about this dish is that the ingredients are inexpensive, the dish can be made in a really healthy way or more indulgent way, and it's always a hit at parties!

Oh, and my dad made some salmon yesterday morning. So I couldn't help but add it to the veggie pasta salad…amazing! Check out the recipe for the pasta salad below:

Boil the following noodles until cooked:

Veggie Rotini

and/or

Rainbow Rotini

In a skillet add, then sautée:

Olive Oil (quarter size amount)

White Onion (chopped)

Red Pepper (chopped)

Frozen Peas (1 bag)

Frozen Corn (1 bag)

Frozen Broccoli (1 bag)

Sprinkle the following seasonings in the skillet:

Black Pepper

Oregano

Basil

Salad Dressing Suggestions:

Poppyseed (what is used for this recipe)

Creamy Italian

Italian

Sweet Onion Vinaigrette 

Homemade (vinegar, lemon juice, cucumbers, herbs)

After the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the container you will serve it from. Then add the skillet's contents to the container with the pasta. Gently stir the pasta around so that the veggies are evenly distributed. Then, add in the dressing as desired. I usually use at least half of the bottle. Gently stir the pasta around so that the dressing is evenly distributed. Place the covered container in the fridge to cool for at least an hour. Enjoy!

Check out the grill at the BBQ we went to…I was so surprised & grateful that they cooked some shrimp skewers! 

Here's my 4th of July outfit - simple tank with jeans (that are getting too big!!).

I hope you are having a great weekend! :)

Happy 4th of July!

#flashback to Nautical Casual Friday

Happy 4th of July! The 4th is one of my favorite holidays because it's all about patriotism, family & friends, and food! I'm so proud to be an American and grateful for the freedom I have in this country to live my life and go after my dreams. We often take that freedom and independence for granted, but people in other countries risk their lives to get to America and live in this nation.

I'm spending the weekend with my family -- Atlanta is extremely busy this weekend because of the annual Peachtree Road Race. It's an awesome event, but I didn't want to deal with the street closings and traffic this year. This past week has been pretty busy at work and I've been trying to catch up on rest after a weekend away. So I'm spending this holiday weekend relaxing :)

I have some great upcoming posts & giveaways that I can't wait to share with you - stay tuned!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

xoxo

Weekend in Savannah

I spent this past weekend in Savannah, GA with my boyfriend for my friend Averil's wedding. The scenery, food, and memories from the weekend were fabulous and a great way to end the month of June.

Saturday, we had our anniversary lunch at Savannah's historic Olde Pink House. The house is so cute and each room is uniquely set up for dining. I ordered this salad - arugula, salmon goat cheese, strawberries, and poppy seed dressing. So delicious and fresh.

When our server found out it was our anniversary, she brought out this dessert plate - yummy and so thoughtful!

Saturday afternoon, we headed to the wedding which was at a beautiful church in Savannah. The reception was at a nearby yacht club, also gorgeous. My wedding outfit :)

I loved this dress, and got lots of compliments on it. It's a metallic color (blend of silver and gold) and was so comfortable. It's hard to find a maxi dress with sleeves that isn't sheer. I got it from DailyLook. 

The view of the water and boats was beautiful, especially around sunset.

With the bride! :)

Her wedding cake table was insane. They had a lemon, chocolate, and red velvet version of the wedding cake. I tried the lemon one and it was too good for words!

Sunday morning we headed to Tybee Island, about 30 minutes away from Savannah.

The weather was overcast, but it was so great to be on the beach for the second time in one month.

After the beach and brunch, we went to SCAD's museum in Savannah.

Our favorite exhibit at the museum was a dark room with red laser beams streaming from above.

Such a fun weekend trip! The drive from Atlanta to Savannah is one of the most boring I've ever witnessed, but arriving at our destinations made it all worth it! I'm not taking any trips until the end of July, but I am looking forward to attending another wedding in two weeks!

July fitness challenge {legs}

via Tribe Sports

Is it just me or did June go by at lightening speed?! Maybe it felt that way because I did so many weekend trips in June and stayed busy with projects. Regardless, July is here and that means a new fitness challenge for the month. Last month's challenge was good for daily physical activity and sculpting. I am excited for a new routine though. This month's challenge is via Tribe Sports and includes great exercises for your legs. When you do all of these together, they make for an excellent cardio workout as well.

20 squats 

30 lunges 

40 calf raises 

50 second wall squat 

100 jumping jacks 

50 second wall squat 

40 sumo squats 

30 leg raises 

20 squats

If you decide to join this month's fitness challenge, let me know! Fitness + clean eating is a proven way to lose weight and be healthier.

2 months of no straightening…check!

Friday morning, I went to the salon and got my hair conditioned, hydrated, and straightened! I wore my hair in it's natural state using no-heat styles for two months straight. And during those two months I finally learned what styles and products work for my hair. Figuring all that out really made me start loving and embracing my curls, regardless of how they looked on a particular day. But I wanted my hair straight for this weekend and I love how it turned out.

My color looks a little redder than when it was first done, but I still love it.

I'll probably keep it straight for a couple of weeks before returning back to the no-heat styles. I'm determined to get another no-heat month in so that I can cross this item off my year 23 bucket list!

Summer road trip playlist

Happy Saturday! I'm headed to Savannah, GA (southeastern Georgia/coastal/historic city) today with my boyfriend -- we're going to a friend's wedding and we're celebrating our 1 year anniversary. So exciting and a day I've really been looking forward to :) For our trip, I've made a couple of playlists and I wanted to share one with you. This includes some of my favorite songs for this summer and I think they are perfect for jamming on the road. Let me know what you think.

Leave a comment with you favorite song for this summer!

Eating in ATL {True Food Kitchen}

Tuesday night marked an Atlanta first for me. I got to try out a new restaurant on it's opening day! My friend Morgan and I met for dinner at True Food Kitchen's newest location (Buckhead/Atlanta). Ever since I incorporated clean eating into my lifestyle, I've been searching for healthy restaurant options in Atlanta. So imagine my excitement when I heard True Food Kitchen was coming to Atlanta. 

True Food Kitchen's motto is "honest food that tastes really good." And their menu totally supports that mindset. I was so indecisive in ordering because everything sounded so good. I love how creative they get with fruits and vegetables to create delicious, unique, and healthy meals.

See their current menu here.

Morgan and I both ordered one of their Natural Refreshments. I ordered the Cucumber Refresher (cucumber & honey lemonade) and Morgan ordered the Watermelon Lemonade (watermelon and honey lemonade). When you go, you have to try one of these drinks! For our appetizer we ordered the Caramelized Onion Tart (highly recommended by two staff members) and now I know why. This tart was the perfect starter for our dinner and the ingredients work together so well.

For my meal I ordered the Inside Out Quinoa Burger which came with these diced sweet potatoes.

This. Burger. Was. Everything. I have had enough burgers in my life to judge the good from the bad and this was the healthiest burger I've had and one of the most delicious. So the quinoa actually makes up the "buns" of the burger and the veggies & hummus are on the inside. It's brilliant and it was such a filling and satisfying meal.

Morgan ordered the Red Chili Shrimp (also highly recommend by a staff member) and it was so good! Tasted better than most shrimp dishes I've had and way fewer calories. And she said she was full after her meal.

True Food Kitchen is attached to Lenox Mall, near the new Sprinkles Cupcakes! They have valet parking and free parking for the lot and garage. Even though it was their opening day, the food, service, and atmosphere were on point! I would go to this place every week if it was closer to my home/work. But I will absolutely be back very soon!

See other places I eat in Atlanta.

Music Midtown 2014 line up {Sept. 19 & 20}

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, June 28 at 10am!

Weekend recap {Fort Lauderdale and Miami}

Florida. Was. Awesome. I spent this past Thursday night through Sunday afternoon in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, visiting my friend Jasmine who's been living there for almost a year. (I appreciate when my friends move away to cool cities for new jobs = new places for me to visit.)

Getting to Florida was a little bit of a struggle because of weather delays. But as soon as I arrived, none of that mattered and Jasmine and I took some selfies before grabbing a bite to eat.

We ended up snacking at 100 Montaditos, a Spain-based restaurant with some locations across the U.S. Funny thing is, this was one of our favorite spots when Jasmine and I studied abroad in Spain a few years ago.

The beautiful view from Jasmine's apartment in Fort Lauderdale.

Me, Jasmine, and her friend Marissa before heading to Miami on Friday afternoon.

My favorite photo of us from the weekend :)

The Miami skyline is beyond gorgeous - I couldn't even get all of it in one photo. I really wish Atlanta had some water nearby like this.

Friday night, we ate at Burger Fi for dinner. It was my first time trying it and I loved their quinoa burger! They just opened a new location in Midtown Atlanta so I will be visiting and blogging about it soon.

Loved this photo of Jasmine from Friday night in Midtown Miami - the street art and murals in their art district are incredible. 

Loved these spray painted quotations along the sidewalks around Midtown Miami. We went out to this place called Wood Tavern. It was super crowded and a cool spot.

Saturday morning started a little late, but we made it out of the house in time to get brunch at a place called Tap 42. Fort Lauderdale knows how to brunch. The set up of Tap 42 and the menu was insane. 

I finally decided on their White Chocolate Strawberry Pancakes. I did not want to stop eating these, so delicious. Literally my favorite ingredients combined into one meal.

After brunch we headed to Miami Beach. But ugh, it started raining and storming so our beach trip was short-lived.

Luckily, Jasmine has a friend who lives in Downtown Miami and we stopped by his place to chill and wait out the rain. Such a sweet view.

While still in Miami, we went to an area called Brickell to grab food and drinks and walk around. I love the different neighborhoods and buildings in Miami. You can definitely feel the diversity of cultures and Spanish influence throughout the city. This particular area really reminded me of Europe with all of the outdoor seating - loved it!

At a restaurant in Brickell (don't remember what it was called!) I had these brussels sprouts. Maybe the only healthy thing I ate this weekend, and the tastiest.

Sunday morning we had brunch at a different spot called The Foxy Brown in Fort Lauderdale. We did have to wait a while, but it was so worth it. I was determined to try these s'mores waffles. Just look at them - waffle pieces covered in burnt marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Sugar rush and great last meal in Florida before heading to the airport to fly back to Atlanta.

It was a much needed trip. As much as I love working and Atlanta, I needed a change of scenery and a break from work. I'm feeling completely refreshed this week after my vacation and happy to be back home!