Becoming B Travels: Portland

I have been the BIGGEST slacker on my blog for the past few months. It's been crazy and things are good! I'm working on getting some fun things to post soon so stay tuned!
I recently had the opportunity to visit one of my best friends and her husband in Portland, Oregon back in August... It was GORGEOUS. It was my first time in that area of the country and goodness, I've been missing out! The northwest is unlike any other place I've been to. Let's just say it had a little bit of everything that makes my heart happy. Streets lined with darling bungalows, plants absolutely everywhere, art and of course, delicious food. Stay updated on Becoming B for a recipe I have coming up soon that was inspired by this down to earth Portland trip...I'll give you a hint...(it's vegan!)

Fall 2015 Back to School Finds

In preparation to try and get a little more excited to move out again and become a tiny bit more motivated for school, I've been picking out a few of my favorite must haves for the backpack. What could possibly make school better than having cute school supplies to use every day?...Wait that would be not going to school...hurry and make me get cute school supplies so I'm forced to show up to the first day. Good luck to all of you starting within the next few weeks!

\\Sticky Notes//

\\Notebook//

\\Graph Paper//

\\File Folders//

\\Weekly Calendar//

Little S'mores: the most adorable way to enjoy your favorite summer snack

Fact: everything is cuter when it's small. That is just how it is. Everything that comes in a "full size" and a "miniature size"...the mini size is always a million times more adorable. And when it comes to food, we all know why we love little bite sized things--you can eat like 10 little cupcakes and feel 100% more satisfied than eating one whole one. Fact is fact and there's no exception when it comes to these cute little creations!
Tiny s'mores. Need I say more? Why eat a few normal sized s'mores when you can have endless mini ones?! These littles are the best addition to any campfire this summer. My friend and I tried them out at our last fire and it was our absolute favorite!

Make sure to give these a try at your next night out around the fire! Feel free to pig out a little...it's totally fine if you want to have 15 mini s'mores...;)

What You Need: Teddy Grahams, Mini Marshmallows and of course, your favorite chocolate chips!

      

Small Spaces: the tiny office

I've been a little bit MIA lately...but the good news is that I've got lots of exciting news!! The BecomingB Design shop should be available to customers any day now!! Yay!!! After requests that I make my little drawings available for you to enjoy in your own space, I've finally decided it's time that I open an online shop. :) (more details will come when the site is published).

But in the mean time, I've been working on some other projects as well! Introducing...the tiny office. If you've been following my blog since I started the Small Spaces series, you know that I'm currently living at home and was feeling like I needed to make my space my own. After some rearranging, cleaning, and a little organizing, I still felt like I needed a space that was "my own". That's where my tiny office space comes in! This small space is made up of:

• my window seat
• an empty bookshelf

That's it!! Moving a few books around and clearing up some space makes for the perfect area for me to sit read, get a little design inspiration, watercolor, watch Netflix...I mean...the nook is the perfect size for my laptop--how could I not? Anyways, it's been so much fun to find small things to put in this cubby to make it feel like it's my own little workspace!

A few accents used were: 

A little floral addition in the corner

A few good reads

A mini cork board with inspiration hung with washi tape

                                     

Cinnamon Roll Cravings

Yay for rain and snow...not so much for the cold weather that comes along with it! I have been freezing all day and was thinking about something yummy to make that would be something good to snuggle up in a blanket and read my favorite magazines and get a little interior inspiration! Of course, I'm still trying to keep my eating habits a little healthier so the cake they were giving out at church wasn't the best option...(the little taste I had was pretty tasty I must admit...chocolate ganache...mmmmm!) So I got home and cinnamon rolls started sounding pretty delicious! But I think we are aware at this point that they aren't exactly one of the main sections of the food pyramid--well I guess that depends on who you are (shout out to my family). ;) Here's what I came up with! Cinnamon Roll Granola. And I must say...this is some good stuff. And of course, super easy :) Eat it over yogurt, milk, plain, or any way you please! Now, I'm not here to say it's as beautiful of an experience as eating a cinnamon roll...but it's definitely a close second! I mean put some icing on top and you've got yourself an (almost) cinnamon roll! Or if you want to keep it healthy, drizzle some vanilla greek yogurt over it! 

If you make it, let me know how it turns out! Thanks for reading and happy Sunday! :) 

Cinnamon Roll Granola 

Oven Temp: 350º

Prep: 5 min. Bake time: 10 min. 

5 cups old-fashioned oats 

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T cinnamon 

Optional: 1/2 cup raisins 

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 T coconut oil 

Splash of vanilla 

1. Mix dry ingredients together. 

2. Microwave maple syrup & coconut oil for 20 seconds; stir and then microwave for 15 additional seconds. 

3. Add splash of vanilla into liquid mixture.

4. Combine dry and wet ingredients. 

5. Spread out granola mixture onto a jelly roll pan (either line with parchment paper, silicone mat or spray) 

6. Bake for 5 min. Take out and mix up a little.

7. Bake for the remaining 5 minutes and remove from oven. Upon taking it out, put it all on a piece of wax paper and allow to cool. 

Small Spaces: Terrarium DIY

My current love? Plants. Adding plants to rooms and having them around just adds so much and I am loving it! I've been looking everywhere for a cute way to display little succulents or air plants--which by the way, are the coolest things ever...plants you don't have to water? I think that's everybody's kind of plant. Am I right??

So basically, I've been trying to find a way to make these cute arrangements work in my own room. Remember my "Small Spaces" post a few weeks ago? Follow this tutorial and add it into the mix--adding small plants like these is low maintenance and adds a whole new dynamic to the room.

After a few trips to Home Depot, Hobby Lobby and just about every where else, my cute friend Madee and I finally were able to come up with a way to display our cute little plants. We decided to build our own little terrariums! Now, be careful with these because if you don't use the right resources/supplies, it can get pricy! But no need to worry, we already put in the work for you to ensure you get the best supplies for the least amount :) 

Follow my tutorial and to get the same look that I had. Or mix it up a little and create your own unique terrarium :)

Terrarium DIY (example pictured on right side of picture)

**Keep in mind, have fun with these! There are no exact measurements to make these look good so just be a little creative and add whatever you want! Steps 2, 3 and 5 can be mixed up a little to personalize it**

                                                           

                                                                   

What you need:

• A clear container [fish bowl, canning jar, etc.]
• Rocks [you can use random ones you find out in the yard or look in the floral section at Hobby Lobby or any craft store]
• Soil [potting soil preferred]
• 2-3 succulents [get them at any greenhouse, we got ours at Home Depot and Cactus and Tropical. It all depends how big of a container you are using!]
• Moss [again, find some in your yard or buy some here]
• Any extras you want to add a little personal touch! [Examples: gold rocks, small objects such as twigs or colored rocks, etc. Anything you want really :)]

Step 1: Create a workspace
               -kitchen counter, out on the porch, anywhere that you can lay some newspaper down.

Step 2: Place rocks into the bottom of the container

Step 3: Add dirt [although you can be creative with these, make sure the dirt is in a place where it will cover the roots of the plants

Step 4: Burrow out a little space to plant the succulent. Make sure the roots are covered in dirt

Step 5: Personalize, personalize, personalize! Add gold sand, more rocks, moss, small accessories...etc! Anything you wish :)

 

**Make sure to water them every once in a while by either dripping a little water in or spraying it once or twice with a spray bottle**

Thanks for reading! I'd love to see how yours turn out! Enjoy! :) 

Smoothie Day is Everyday

As you can see by the title, today is all about my go to breakfast (lunch....and maybe dinner). There is rarely a day that goes by that the blender isn't used in our house lately. I taught my little brother how to use it so I'm not the only one on a smoothie kick. ;) I know it's easy to make a high calorie smoothie or to add things that make your "healthy" breakfast not so healthy and full of sugar. That being said, I'm no expert on that but the smoothies I've made lately have left me feeling energized and ready for whatever I have planned for the day! So that's got to be a good sign! And I actually look forward to breakfast which is important since I love food..;)

My favorite breakfast combo is one that involves (but of course, is not limited to): 

1. Smoothie as my base 

2. Granola 

3. Fresh fruit 

4. Toppings (coconut, nuts, etc.)
K so it's pretty much a parfait...details...

Oh and if you happened to miss the General Women's Conference last night, the perfect time to catch up is while enjoying your yummy smoothie! (Or I'm sure you would even enjoy it without a smoothie...it's just that good) :)

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Recipe

1 cup of Chobani Greek yogurt (I used pineapple)

1/2 cup frozen pineapple 

1/4 cup strawberries

1 cup papaya (split into two 1/2 cups) 

1 banana 

Empty cup of yogurt into the bottom of the blender. Add frozen pineapple and then add the rest. Blend until smooth. 

Fill your cup and add your toppings! Granola (remember this yummy recipe?), fresh fruit, coconut flakes, almonds, even chocolate chips if you've got a sweet tooth. :) 

Please share if you use this recipe or make creations of your own! :) And of course, breakfast is best enjoyed with a few fresh flowers near by ;) 

Thanks for reading! 

Small Spaces Intro: West Elm + Bedroom Dreaming

\\ Shag Sequin Pillow //

So....I feel like I dropped off the face of the planet for a bit! Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things! Taking a trip always throws my scheduling off--am I still allowed to use that excuse if I've been home for a month? Anyways...
I'm fairly positive I mentioned in a previous post that I'm all over the place with school and everything and I'm currently on a break to figure things out for what I'm wanting to do with my future! So after lots of thinking, talking, researching and about everything else, I'm going to be heading back to USU in the fall and working like crazy to get into the Interior Design program up there! It's pretty competitive and lots of people have told me it's hard to get into, which was a little discouraging to hear. But, I couldn't get it out of my mind and I just thought "why can't I be one of the ones who gets in?" So here I am, preparing for what hopefully will be the start of something new? *cue High School Musical song* (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...)
Since I live at home and won't be in a space I can call my own for quite a while, my searches have been especially aimed at decorating small spaces and making the best of what room you've got! I'll be posting a small series on my blog titled "Small Spaces" and feature different ways that you can turn those apartments and dorm rooms into your own space...basically, how to make it your own and how to make use of the little space you are given! I'm starting out the series with this post and just showing a few ways to make your space yours. These are a few things from West Elm that I'm a little bit obsessed with and would love to use to inspire my room for this coming fall. I'm definitely more of a "start with the neutrals and build from there" kind of a girl you'll notice but that doesn't mean I don't love searching for the perfect way to accent what I've got!! Don't worry, the storage ideas and space saving decorating will be coming soon... :) OH! And if you stick around for the rest of the series...I might just have a DIY coming up within the next little bit that are based upon expensive taste (it's a blessing and a curse..) at a not so expensive price! Let's face it, writing this blog and finding all these cute things to decorate with have inspired me to make it happen. Even if it involves getting creative with a few DIY's. ;)
Thanks for reading! :)

\\ Bed Frame //

\\ Duvet Cover //

\\ Shimmer Pillow //

                                 

                                        \\ Diamond Chevron Pillow //

\\ Geometric Shag Pillow //

\\ City Graphic Pillow //

\\ Pom Pom Pillow //

\\ "Hello" Wall Hanging //

             

\\ Branch //

\\ Red Protea //

\\ Yellow Berries //

             

  

\\ Shimmer Rug //

\\ Gold Dipped Lamp //

\\ Wood Stump Side Table //

\\ Textured Dot Blanket //

Thank you for reading! :) Happy Sunday! 

Coconut + Banana + Honey + Quinoa Parfait

One o'clock church is meant solely for sleeping in, catching up on some reading and of course, making a yummy breakfast!! This morning, I was for some reason feeling especially motivated to try making something up of my own rather than borrowing off of others blogs! Well...seeing as I'm still kind of new to this, it called for a little inspiration which I got from The Diva Dish blog! She made a yummy Apple Maple Cinnamon Quinoa Parfait which looked pretty delicious as well! I'll definitely be trying it out one of these days. But like I said...I was really determined to come up with something. So after staring at the pantry for a while and deciding what I could pull together...I came up with Coconut Banana Honey Quinoa Parfait! And it turned out great! And it's fairly simple to whip together and SO filling. Enjoy!

Coconut Banana Honey Quinoa Parfait 

Serves: 2 

Ingredients 

-1/2 cup quinoa 

-1 cup water 

-2 tablespoons of coconut oil 

-2 tablespoons of honey 

-Splash of vanilla 

-A few drops of almond extract 

-A medium sized ripe banana 

-Any type of greek yogurt (I used Chobani coconut flavor) 

Step 1: Make Quinoa 

• Bring 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil 
• Turn heat to low, cover and let cook 15 minutes 
• Uncover, let sit for 5 minutes. 

Step 2: When there's about 8-10 minutes left of cooking for the quinoa, start on the bananas. Mix together 1 T. coconut oil and 1 T. of honey (heat for 15 seconds in the microwave) and then add a splash of vanilla and a few drops of almond extract.

Step 3: Slice bananas. Pour coconut oil/honey mixture into a frying pan and start heat on low. After it heats up a little, put the bananas in (if possible, try to have the bananas all spread out) 

Step 4: Sauté bananas until caramelized. Remove bananas from frying pan onto a plate and refrigerate while you prep the rest. 

Step 5: Add the remaining 1 T. coconut oil and 1 T. honey to quinoa and stir until the coconut oil and honey both are mixed in. 

Step 6: Layer the quinoa, yogurt and bananas and (optional) top with almonds, coconut flakes and anything else that you think might add a little goodness to it! :) 

Hope you like it! :) If you have any other questions on how I made it, just comment on the blog or send me a message. Thanks for stopping by! 

Your New Favorite Granola + 5 Ways to Use It

First official post on the blog! Woo! Okay so I've bene thinking about where I want to go with this whole food aspect of the blog. Let's put the facts out there:

• Most of the things I make are gluten-free and semi-dairy and sugar free...I mean...what's life without sugar. Am I right? (I generally don't use straight sugar, but I swear I use honey in just about every other thing I eat!)

• I try to make everything I eat clean. Not necessarily everything is going to be the healthiest thing ever but I just try to keep it clean. 
• Hopefully some of the things I post will be helpful to anyone reading the blog! 

• I love food/eating so I'll try posting my new recipes every week! 

Anyways, I'm super excited to start this up and thanks for stopping by! Now, enjoy one of my favorite go-to recipes and how you can use it. :) 

This granola. No words. I've struck gold stumbling upon this recipe!! I mean, as much as wish I was the one you could all thank for this but full credit for this tasty recipe goes to one of my favorite healthy food blogs: lovelylittlekitchen.com.
Okay so my family sometimes thinks I'm crazy for all this clean eating but not with this. They all love it! It's not everyday that I have my entire agree on a food that we all like, so I figured I may as well figure out multiple uses for it since it was becoming a staple in our family's week.
In this post, I'm going to share with you my favorite ways to incorporate this granola into some simple snacks and meals that are easy to throw together with ingredients you likely already have sitting right in your pantry. It adds the perfect crunch to all of your favorites! Enjoy!

                

[details: frozen raspberries//blue diamond almond-coconut milk (unsweetened)]

[details: fugi apple (or one of your choice)//skippy creamy peanut butter]

[details: blueberries//banana//spinach//flaxseed//blue diamond almond-coconut milk]

[details: kodiak cakes pancake mix//bananas//grade b maple syrup]

[details: spinach + oceanspray craisins + fugi apple slices]

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy your granola! :) And you can even make up your own creations with it too!