Banana Ice cream

WE ALL LOVE ICE CREAM ! Well most people do. Have your ever wished there was a ice cream that wasn't full of fat and sugar? An ice cream that didn't give you a stomach ache or leave you with a feeling of regret after you ate a half a carton? Banana ice cream isn't Ben and Jerry's cookie dough but it is delicious and leaves you feeling guilt free. The next time you and your boyfriend call it quits, reach for the food processor instead of that tub of "fat love" , you might actually feel better.

Banana Ice Cream

4 bananas

2 tbs almond butter

1 tbs cinnamon

* Place the bananas (peeled) into the freezer for about an hour or until they appear to be frozen. Slice the bananas into pieces and place in a food processor along with the almond butter and cinnamon. If you want your ice cream to be creamy, add about 3 tbs of almond milk. Blend all ingredients in the food processor until it has the consistency of ice cream. Eat it right away or store it in the freezer until later! Feel free to add blueberries, chocolate and even dates to make this dessert even better!

Getting Weird

It's not every day that you get to be covered in "Black Goo", aka Chocolate and bite into grapefruit. Yesterday I did a video shoot with my dear friend, Tamara. Weird is an understatement for how this short video will look but hey you only get that rare opportunity to be covered in chocolate and rip away fake skin once...

Givenchy

Givenchy Tshirt * Wedge sneakers from Target! * Forever 21 Denim * Top Shop Jacket

I enjoy choosing statement pieces such as this Givenchy t-shirt and then building my outfit around that.  I chose to wear a denim jacket with leather sleeves to make my look a little bit edgy. My favorite part of fashion is being able to mix designer pieces with different garments from cheaper places such as Forever 21 and even Target! Also, as I've mentioned before I'm a huge fan of  wedge sneakers, they are so comfy! 

Pastels

I'm wearing a Nasty Gal Blouse, Thrifted leather jacket, BCBG Leggings, Fashion Bug Cheetah heels

When it comes to your style never be afraid to mix patterns and colors that you wouldn't think actually "match". Matching isn't important anymore, anything goes! At leasts thats how I like to dress. Right now is the winter/ spring transiting period for fashion. If you go shopping try to buy pieces that look great under a leather jacket or blazer for now but can also look great by itself in spring. Here I chose to wear a sheer, pastel blouse with a beige leather jacket.

{Photos credited to Jessica de La Rosa}

This Dress is Fantastic!

Rachel Weisz in Michael Kors at the Oz premiere

This dress is Fantastic in every way. That is all.

Eat Clean

You can work out hours and hours a day but if you go home and eat the same unhealthy food you will never see results and all that time spent at the gym will become a waste of money. To be fit and healthy you must feed your body healthy. There are so many diets out there, your goal should be to figure out a meal plan that fits you best! I chose To become paleo. Or commonly called the cavemen diet. I could go on and on about how much better I feel. Don't look at changing the way you eat as a "diet" which is associated with losing weight, look at is as a lifestyle change, a way to make you feel better. Here are three paleo meal options. Turkey tenderloin with aspargus, zucchini soup with turkey burger and my favorite almond butter chia seed cookies! If you would like a meal plan I would be happy to help! Email me at alycialykins@gmail.com. I figured out all this the hard way and I would love nothing more than to help you be healthy and happy the right way! 

Dinner #1 - Turkey Tenderloin and Asparagus

1 4 oz turkey tenderloin ( Trader Joe's) 

10 stalks of Asparagus 

1 tbs olive oil

* Set your oven for 35o degrees. Spray a baking sheet with no stick spray. Place the turkey and asparagus on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and top with your favorite spices. Then bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the Turkey is fully cooked. ( My turkey and asparagus was frozen before hand so it took about 35 minutes to cook.) I topped mine with low sodium salsa.

{single serving)

Dinner # 2- Zucchini Soup with Turkey Burger

1 large zucchini diced

1 package of 99% lean turkey burger

1 diced tomato

1 diced red pepper

1 package of frozen spinach

1 low sodium can of salsa

2 c of water

* Place all ingredients in a deep skillet, if you don't have a skillet you can use a boiling pan. Cover the pan or pot and let the ingredients boil, once boiling reduce to a simmer until burger is cooed and the vegetables are very tender. I added garlic powder and about 1tsp of sea salt to mine.

{serves 4)

Desert - Almond Butter Chia Seed Cookies

3/4 c almond butter

2 c almond flour

3 tbs chia seeds

1 c diced apple

1/3 c stevia

1/4 c almond milk

2 eggs

1 tbs cinnamon

* Put all ingredients in a food processor, mix until smooth. Scoop out dough onto 1 sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Its that easy! i store mine in the freezer.

{ makes about 2 dozen cookies if you make the cookies small}

Walk Tall in Sneakers

I absolutely LOVE wedge sneakers! The hidden heel within a casual sneaker is genus! Give it up to Isabel Marant, I believe she was one of the first to originally design this style. Her designs are the first  two pair pictured below! 

Shop these styles HERE

This style of sneakers comes in all different colors and materials. The price range also varies. I can say that there is a wedge sneaker available for basically anyones budget and style. If your looking for a funky sneaker that can change any outfit or go with any style, then these might be the next pair of shoes you need to add to your closet! Not to mention they make you feel sexy and confident just like 3 inch heels would. I 'm nearly 6 foot tall and my black pair are my new go to shoe for almost any outfit I wear.

  

                                           

I usually pair mine with printed T's like this grizzly T above or my new Givenchy T that I'm now securely obsessed with. Pair with a leather jacket, Denim jacket or even a hoodie. Wear them with leggings, jeans and a beanie for a very trendy street style look. I've even seen girls wear them with floral dresses! How ever you choose to wear your wedge sneaker, you will not be disappointed in your look and can we talk about how comfortable they are?

Homemade Larabars

If you enjoy snacks on the go I would recommend Larabars. I have had so much trouble in the past while searching for the perfect snack bar that wasn't full of sugar and that was actually good for me. Then I found these tasty little things, Larabars. Larabars contain about three or four ingredients. They usually include, dates, almonds, a fruit or chocolate and that is all! No added anything, no fake anything and they are soooooo yummy, not to mention gluten free, dairy free and most are paleo friendly! These bars cost about $1.50 each, which isn't bad but I wanted to try to create my own, so I did just that.

I basically guessed on the amount of each ingredient I used but it seemed to work out just fine. My favorite Larabar is a tie between cashew cookie and apple pie, so I made a mixture of both into one, fantastic, amazing tasting bar. Even though they don't look that delicious in the picture above, I promise they are better than the store bought kind! 

Date Bars

1 c pitted dates

1/2 c cashews

1/2 c almonds

1 diced apple

1 tbs coconut oil

1 tbs cinnamon

* place all ingredients in a blender, blend until the mixture is a little bit chunky. Scoop out the mixture and place in a dish or a tupper wear container. Place in the freezer for about 15-30 mins and enjoy! I store mine in the freezer as well, they never fully freeze, they stay a fudge like texture!

* makes about 8 bars

The Oscar for Best Gown

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Haute Couture

Anne Hathaway in Prada

Naomi Watts in Armani Prive

Kerry Washington in MIU MIU

Jessica Chastain in Giorgio Armani

Amy Adams in Oscar De La Renta

Lets be honest, what celebrities decide to wear on the red carpet is just as important as who wins an Oscar. This year Jennifer Lawrence looked gorgeous as usual. I have so much respect for her, she keeps it classy and she is only 22. She is the second youngest winner of an Oscar for "Best Actress". Jessica Chastain looked amazing in Giorgio Armani. everything from her jewelry choices to her radiant hair style was on point, she reminds me of classic hollywood glamour. Argo may have won best picture but what is truly important is who won best dressed, If my vote mattered, I would give the award to both Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams! Truly lovely ladies.

{images}

Fall 2013 Looking Bright for Marc Jacobs

Watch the Show Here!!

Marc Jacobs will forever be one of my favorite designers. I love how he keeps his designs somewhat realistic in the aspect of what women will actually wear. His designs for fall 2013 did not disappoint. Marc Jacobs chose to have a very sunny themed runway show, that gave the feel of a vintage, sepia photograph. Models were seen sporting chunky, cable knit sweaters, metallic hues, sequin dresses, double breasted coats and even fur body suits. Viewers even got the chance to see how good you can look in his fall collections, without wearing pants. Marc Jacobs creativity continues you shine through every season but I personally feel that his designs for fall 2013 will really allow women to look and feel confident and unique.

{images}

Digital Vagabond Jewelry

Rutilated Quartz with silver and gold, plus a watch gear

Rutilated Quartz and Opal

Rutilated Quartz

Labradorite, Opal

Aquamarine, Opal, Pakimer Diamond

Moldavite, Pink Limurian, Meteorite

Digital Vagabond Jewelry is a one of a kind jewler! You will never see two pieces that are the same. Patrick Boyle is the creator behind these visually stimulating, alien like pendants. If you like what you see, Patrick will custom make you a wire wrap in your own price range, with any stone you please. These pieces above are also for sale. If you are interested in a custom piece or a pendant above, message Digital Vagabond, here.

Want to see more? Click here!

Paleo Chocolate Almond Brownies

 Is there a such thing as a yummy brownie that you can eat without feeling guilty, a brownie that you can eat three of and still be considered a healthy snack? Yes, there is a brownie that you can indulge in and still lose wait or stay on track with your healthy diet. This is the recipe! These brownies are Paleo and gluten free.

Paleo Chocolate Almond Brownies

1 c Almond flour

2 tbs Almond butter

1 tbs instant coffee
3 tbs cocoa powder

1/4 c almond milk

4 egg whites

3 packets stevia or 2 tbs honey

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 melted dark chocolate bar ( I use 88% or darker)

1 tbs coconut oil

Directions

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt the almond butter and the chocolate separately then add to the dry mixture. Whisk the four egg whites and add to the mixture, along with the almond milk and coconut oil.

Once everything is mixed, it should look like this!

 Next pour mixture in a 9 X 9 baking dish, if you don't have a dish fold, tin foil like I did below. Make sure to spray the dish or the foil with non- stick spray.

Place the the pan or foil in the oven and bake for 20 mins! These are so good! I recommend storing them in the refrigerator and serving with blueberries. 

{Makes about 12-15 brownies}

Pancakes on Valentine's DAY!

Almond Flour Pancakes with Love

1 c almond flour

4 egg whites

2 tsp stevia

1/2 c almond milk

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 c blueberries

*Whisk egg whites in a bowl, then add to the rest of the ingredients. spray a non stick skillet, then pour 1/4 c of mix onto the pan and heat on medium heat. Once each pancake is slightly brown, flip and cook on the other side. These are very yummy, very healthy and they are Paleo! Cut them into hearts if you love someone, if not feel free to keep them in oval form. Serve with honey and fresh fruit! 

{serves 2-3}

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Lets Get Physical, Physical..

Make fitness fun! 

Many of us, ok basically all of us are extremely busy these days. How many of you commonly use the excuse, "I don't have time to workout". Well you may actually feel that way but I promise you that is not true, far from it. There are some very good websites that offer great workouts that are under 15 mins. They are short, intense and allow you to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time! Two of my favorite websites are Popsugar and The Daily Hiit or commonly refereed to as Body Rock TV, both of these websites let you workout daily for free! These websites offer yoga, Pilates, weight training and very intense circuit training workouts. Next time you don't think you have enough time to stay fit, think again and click on over to one of these websites and workout for 12 minutes! Make fitness fun, get that body you desire. Don't forget to try the workout I posted above, it will work your butt off, literally. Happy training! 

Tattoos Together Again

Jacqui

Me

NERDS

My best friend Jacqui happened to move to the place I want to move most, LA. She has been gone a very LONG, almost 4 months and I have missed her everyday! Yeah.. emotional. Good friends stick together, Great friends get tattoos together,  Fantastic friends get matching tattoos together..I always say. This is not the first time we have decided to share our love of getting inked forever. About two years ago we got tats at the same time because we were bored? We decided, this was the time to be a bit cliche and get crossing arrows that symbolize the joining of a tribe or better know as being best friends fo life. One things for certain, we MUST ALWAYS stay friends. ;D Love you Jack. xoxo

Paleo Apple Avocado Smoothie

My recipes from now on are mostly going to be directed towards The Paleo Diet or as commonly called "The Caveman Diet". I have been Paleo for about 2 months now. I highly recommend trying it, I have more energy and overall I just genuinely feel healthier! Back to this smoothie...

Smoothies for breakfast are my favorite choice! Easy, filling and if made the right way, full of antioxidants and vitamins to keep you healthy and fit. If your trying to lose weight, this is also a great meal option!

Paleo Apple Avocado Smoothie

1/2 c spinach

1/4 c frozen blueberries

1/2 apple

1/2 banana ( I don't always add one)

1 tbs almond butter

1 c unsweetend almond milk

2 slices of avocado

2 tsp stevia

4 ice cubes

2 dark chocolate squares ( I use 88% from Trader Joes)

* place all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth! ENJOY!

{*Serves 1}

Made in Boston

Lespecial Ceremony Tour Tees, Check out Lespecial on Indiegogo here

Have you heard of Made in Boston? If you live in Boston or really like Boston than I highly recommend checking this company out! All designs are original from Mikey Maker. He runs his on screen printing studio in Allston Ma. You can see many successful musicians rocking the Made in Boston logo, including bands such as, Drop Kick Murphy's, Lespecial, and Blue Boy Productions. If you're interested in buying something you see in these photos or even getting something made for yourself or company', contact Mikey Maker here. Made in Boston is all about having fun and looking great, while staying super casual.

While we're at it, you should check out Lespecial's new Ep they released today! ;D