Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!

I hope you all are enjoying your Valentine's Day! Why is this day so great...? Because you get to be with the ones you love AND you can gorge on just as much candy and chocolate as you want. You get to make charming homemade valentines and decorate them with cheesy, heartfelt sayings like the one pictured below ("You're my butter half")...HA! Vintage valentines and flowers are my favorite surprises. Every year since I was a little one my parents have given me tulips. I love how they never forget that I love tulips since they are the only flower that continues to grow even after being picked.

Scroll down to see my outfit of the day! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! xxx

Vintage valentines and flowers are my favorite surprises. Every year since I was a little one my parents have given me tulips. I love how they never forget that I love tulips since they are the only flower that continues to grow even after being picked.

Scroll down to see my outfit of the day! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! xxx

Vintage valentines are so charming on a box of chocolates or around a vase of peonies.

Here's my outfit of the day: heart knit tank with "love" written in countless languages tucked into black harem pants with grey platforms. The gold collar necklace is the perfect finishing touch (better seen below)! What are you wearing to celebrate this day of love?

How to Roast a Spaghetti Squash & Make Amazing Dairy Free, Nut Free Homemade Pesto

With this fruitarian lifestyle change, getting creative with mostly fruits and some vegetables (a small portion steamed or roasted as a treat) can pose as a challenge. Well, I've been craving authentic Italian pasta which for this gluten free girl means quinoa spaghetti noodles. In an attempt, to satisfy my cravings, I picked up a spaghetti squash from Whole Foods and stumbled upon Mom Advice's amazing guide on how to roast a spaghetti squash. I also found an amazing homemade dairy free and nut free pesto on Karen's Living Low Carb blog. I loved the pesto so much that I made it twice this week! Check out the recipes below. I hope the guide on how to roast a spaghetti squash is helpful and the scrumptious allergy-free pesto recipe hits the spot! Happy Eating! xx

Spaghetti squash is looking all cute served in its shell.

A modest serving of spaghetti squash with the yummy pesto, steamed garlic,
brussel sprouts and baby zucchinis (quarter sliced).

A colorful and delicious dinner of red peppers, brussel sprouts, kale, pea sprouts and onions, all topped with the yummy pesto sauce, this being my second time making it. 

Pesto

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 lb spaghetti squash
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 3 Tbsp chopped rosemary
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
• Juice and zest of half a lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 black pepper
• 2 Tbsp - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Peirce the skin of the spaghetti squash all over with a fork. Place the squash on a baking sheet and bake (whole) for 1 hour or until the skin is tender. Once the squash is done baking, allow to cool slightly before cutting in half. Remove the seeds and shred the noodles with a fork.
2. To make the pesto, add the basil, spinach, rosemary, and oregano to a mini food processor and pulse until the herbs are chopped.
3. Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, and 2 Tbsp of the oil.
4. Process until a paste forms. If the pesto is too dry add more oil until the desired consistency is reached.
5. Add the nutritional yeast and pulse to combine.
6. Place the spaghetti squash noodles in a sauce pan over medium heat.
7. Add the pesto, stir to combine, and cook until the pesto and squash are heated through.
8. Served with roasted chicken breast.

For all you gluten free gals who love some Ryan Gosling - HA!

Valentine's Day Party DIY & Decorating Ideas

Valentine's Day. You're either a fan or not. There's no in between, and I happen to be a huge fan of the *love* holiday! Scroll below to see some of my favorite Valentine's Day party diy ideas and downright adorable decorations. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I hope cupid catches you with his arrow! xx

I'm crushing on these glamorous sequin hearts that act as broaches,
headband clip-ons, or shoe clip-ons. 

Martha Stewart is the craft queen so of course she doesn't disappoint when it comes to diy valentines. Click here for the how-to on her precious Heart-and-Lollipop Flowers

Here's a sweet felt heart hat diy for your precious little one:

1.) Purchase the felt of your choice.

2.) Cut out the two hearts. 

3.) Lastly, stitch each heart to the cap at three points with a needle and thread. 

**To make the felt heart permanent, simply use fabric glue before sewing.**

Cupcakes with heart adorned skewers - the perfect arrow for Cupid's next victim!

Even the leaves in the trees are ready for Valentine's Day!

As a little girl, my mum and I would create these fun candy bags with card stock or scrapbooking paper of various prints and top it off with a stamp or sticker. For Martha Stewart's version, click here.

These little Bonbon-Filled Hearts will satisfy any sweet heart with a sweet tooth - just click here!

Balloon hearts are a must for your Valentine's Day Party!

Aww! The heart balloon heart is the perfect prop for your Valentine's Day Party photo booth!

http://larasvintage.blogspot.fr/2013/01/free-valentines-day-straw-flags.html

Outfit of the Day: Fashion Kaleidoscope

Ladies and gents, here's an outfit that I threw together and love - simply because it's so me! It's amazing how designers create such lovely, progressive articles of clothing. I'm forever grateful for their expertise and ingenuity. My favorite part in the process though is seeing how fashion consumers make each piece unique to them. It's all about how YOU wear it. No one else can wear an outfit like you so have fun layering, mixing and matching. I dare you to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, to learn from others and make it all your own. Beauty that's unpredictable is oh so appealing. That's why the world needs you to be you even in your wardrobe style. Scroll down to see all the elements that make up this fashion kaleidoscope.

Below you can see my outfit of the day. My black lace shorts from summer are instantly repurposed for winter with a dash of black tights and ankle boots. Remember to think out of the box and make those fashion favorites work for you year round! I then toss on a basic denim button down with a honey and black knit sweater by Mink Pink for added warmth. The peek-aboo of denim brings a flare of casualty to this eye-catching ensemble. I top off this outfit with gold accessories before grabbing the Funnies section. The Funnies always make me smile, and I couldn't agree more with theatre director Martin Charnin (best known for the musical Annie) that "you're never fully dressed without a smile." 

Happy Saturday! xx

Lunch on the go for this detoxing Frutarian! 

Vegetable Roasting Guide from Good House Keeping Magazine

Those of you looking for a cheat sheet for roasting vegetables, look no further! 

You can thank me later...I stumbled across this amazing chart here. Before popping your veggies in the oven, drizzle every two pounds of them in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Also, place them on the tray into one layer to avoid overlapping which leads to uneven cooking. Thank you Good Housekeeping Magazine for such a great oven-roasting resource! Happy Roasting everyone! Did this help you at all? xx

Vegetable	How to Cut	Roasting Time at450° F	Seasoning
Asparagus, 2 lbs.	Trimmed	10 to 15 minutes	Sprinkle with 1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel after roasting.
Beets, 2 lbs. (without tops)	Whole, unpeeled, pricked with a fork, then peeled after roasting	1 hour	Chop; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp. freshly grated orange peel after roasting.
Broccoli, 2 lbs.	Trim and peel stem; split florets into 1 1/2- to 2-in.-wide pieces	10 to 15 minutes	Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. grated Cheddar cheese after roasting.
Brussels sprouts, 2 lbs.	Trim and halve through stem end	15 to 20 minutes	Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Butternut squash, 2 lbs.	2-in. pieces	40 minutes	Toss with 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled, before roasting.
Carrots, 2 lbs.	1-in. pieces	30 to 40 minutes	Toss with 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice before serving.
Cauliflower, 1 1/2 lbs. (1 medium)	1 1/2-in. florets	20 to 30 minutes	Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley after roasting.
Eggplant, 2 lbs. (2 medium)	1/2-in.-thick slices	20 to 25 minutes	Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil after roasting.
Fennel, 2 lbs. (2 large bulbs)	Trimmed and each cut into 12 wedges	35 to 40 minutes	Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. freshly grated orange peel after roasting.
Green beans, 2 lbs.	Trimmed	20 to 30 minutes	Toss with 2 Tbsp. each fresh lemon juice and chopped fresh dill after roasting.
Onions, 2 lbs. (2 jumbo)	Each cut into 12 wedges	20 to 30 minutes	Brush with mixture of 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. cider vinegar; roast 5 minutes more.
Potatoes, 2 lbs. unpeeled	2-in. pieces	45 minutes	Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. freshly grated orange peel after roasting.
Sweet peppers, 2 lbs.	1-in.-wide strips	30 minutes	Sprinkle with 3 large fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, after roasting.
Sweet potatoes, 2 lbs.	Cut crosswise in half, then lengthwise into 1-in. wedges	30 minutes	Toss with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary before roasting.
Turnips, 2 lbs.	Peeled and cut into 6 wedges	45 to 50 minutes	Toss with 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped mint after roasting.
Zucchini, 2 lbs.	Trimmed and cut in half crosswise, then each half quartered	15 to 20 minutes	Top with 1 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan.

My Eating Lifestyle - Helping Heal from Food Allergies

After all the gluten free recipes I've shared here on The Culture of Design, you may have realized that I am indeed allergic to gluten. You may not know that I also have a long list of food allergies keeping my gluten allergy company. Including dairy, soy, coconut and mango, the list trails on. Being in my twenties and surrounded by friends who gorge on pumpkin pie over the holidays and chicken wings for Super Bowl Sunday, I have to wonder "does this have to be my body's normal eating lifestyle?"

Breakfast: organic blackberries, a peach & a good read

Thankfully sometime before the holidays, I met detox specialist Edward A. Pingenot III of www.revivethebody.com. He informed me that the body is not designed to have countless food allergy limitations and that there is one or several factors causing this autoimmune disease in my body (read more about autoimmune disorders here). Because of his patients' success stories, his natural health experience and medical expertise, I decided to follow his detox program to uncover the root cause, and I couldn't be more pleased. I started it on January 2nd of this year. Before each meal, I drink a set of homeopathic drops in juice and ingest two cleansing pills. Every few weeks, the regimen changes. 

This detox requires me to eat similar to a frugivore diet (click here for more information on it), consisting of raw fruits and vegetables. I must eat 60-70% fruits and 30-40% vegetables of which a small portion may be steamed. Fruits make up my first two meals of the day, and I save the vegetables for dinner. Only being allowed to have fruits and vegetables - almost all raw - has forced me to get really creative with my meal planning (scroll below to see a few of my meals). Every other week, I'm gratefully allowed to have a baked potato or sweet potato as a treat. 

Lunch: organic strawberries in a mug, green grapes in a bowl & a filling bottle of strawberry juice

Dinner: a bed of butter lettuce (boston lettuce) with steamed veggies (spinach, squash & cauliflower), chopped red apples & sliced avocado. I topped this salad with a splash of apple cider vinegar, lime juice, olive oil & cilantro. All organic.

What I love most about Edward's detox program is that it is not some standard system for the masses, but it is tailored it to fit my body's specific needs. He formulated this program for me through an extensive questionnaire and lab work. After having been on this detox for thirty-four days, I plan on sharing the rest of my detox journey with you. Fifty-six days to go, folks! I'm going to need your help. Happy Monday! xx

Breakfast: green grapes & organic kiwi (one of my favorite fruits)

Dinner: raw & steamed kale with steamed red peppers, green peppers, broccoli, & radishes, dusted with basil and parsley. I topped this plate of greens with lime juice, apple cider vinegar & olive oil. Sliced apples on the side for dessert. All organic.

Dinner: mixed greens salad with steamed tomatoes, zucchini, squash, celery, orange sweet peppers, yellow sweet peppers & spinach. I poured on some Bragg's dry seasoning along with lime juice, apple cider vinegar & olive oil to melt the flavors together perfectly. All organic. My drink is raspberry juice in my favorite Anthropologie mug.