How to get your five a day?

Eating healthy as a student doesn’t come without its challenges. How are you supposed to get your five a day when you’re on a budget and you barely have time to cook?

1. Breakfast: if you have muesli with lots of dried fruit and raisins in it*, apparently that counts as 1. And if you add a chopped banana (or some strawberries if you’re fancy) to that, you’ve already got 2 from breakfast! If you’re super motivated, you can also press an orange and blend it with a banana and some frozen berries or something similar and have a smoothie -another portion right there ;)

2. Snacks: grab an apple (you can have it with peanut butter which is also -in moderation- good for you), a banana or a couple of clementines. Or any other fruit you like really (those are the ones I usually have, partly because it’s so easy to transport them)! Carrots also make great snacks in my opinon, and you can always pair them with some hummus, which contains pulses (chickpeas) which I wouldn’t count as one of five a day but is still very good to eat! If you have a fruit/vegetable as a snack, that brings you up another portion.

3. Then, when it comes to meals… Make time to cook. You’ll save a lot of money and if you make big batches you can freeze the leftovers for easy meals. Not to mention it’s much healthier than eating processed food! Here are some easy ways to get more vegetables in your meals.

a. Soup. Make a big pot so it lasts, and you can have a nice bowl with a sandwich for lunch. That’s another portion of veg!

b. Even if you only have time for pasta, you can always have it with a sauce with tomato and vegetables (try making your own with onion, oive oil, chopped tomatoes, herbs, courgette, carrot, paprika… whatever you like!).

c. If you really don’t have time to make sauce, what I like doing is boiling some frozen vegetable mix with the pasta. It all cooks at the same time so it’s completely fuss-free. You can also add fresh broccoli in small bouquets.

d. Even if you’re just having a quick sandwich, you can always add some salad or tomato to it -it’s better than nothing right?

e. For dessert, try baked fruit. I’ve already done banana, apple and pear, but recently I tried pineapple -sprikled with some cinammon and a few cloves- and it’s delicious! Just bake chunks of fruit in the oven at 180 until you can no longer keep your mouth from watering at the smell ;)




*I know what you’re thinking, muesli is for fancy people and it’s expensive. Wrong! LIDL has great muesli with 50% fruit, seeds and nuts (which are also super-good for you), AND it tastes great, too!

Please forgive me for neglecting the blog while I fight for my life against the evil forces of finals. I’ll back soon -for now, please enjoy this awesome song and happy Christmas (thrift-shopping)!

With or without you (?)

Another day, another terrible song reference… I wore this outfit with knee-high socks, but would it have been better with just sheer black tights? I photographed both options.




I’m wearing my new zara sweater, my mom’s old skirt, hema tights, h&m socks and weekday sandals.




In hindsight, the second option looks more minimal and chic, and also works better with the grey-on-grey colour palette that (surprise surprise!) I have going on. However, it’s starting to get cold here so I had to resort to a little layering ;)


…Oh, and btw: even for me, this is a little dressy for uni -I wore it to dinner with my dad :)

Drive

A few days ago my film club organized a screening of Winding Refn’s Drive. Then, a week later, I attended a guest lecture by Sarah Artt on how this film included a “nostalgic revival of masculinity” and played with the themes of masculinity, silence and the body. It was interesting to see the film from that critical angle, and I also picked up some terms such as retrosexism (basically sexism that’s justified as ‘retro’, from another time), and revisited and reworked previously known theoretical concepts such as Laura Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’. But the best part of the evening was being introduced to a site called Feminist Ryan Gosling. I love love love it! A sample below:

On Christmas shopping

One thing that can spoil Christmas for me is the the social obligation, forcing us to buy presents en masse. I think that giving someone a present should be unasked-for, a special, personal act. It takes time and thought. Christmas forces you to give presents whether you like it or not -but giving something when you really feel like it is much more meaningful. Personally, I end up spending a lot of money on several small semi-decent presents, 90% of which are unwanted, impersonal, overpriced, consumerist products. I would love to give a friend a nice present, but I simply can’t afford to (especially since I’m forced to buy everyone a present at the same time!). A  present needs to be personal, well chosen; and that requires time you do not necessarily have when you have to buy so many presents in one go. So for me, Christmas makes gifts feel (and be) less special, turns us all into mindless consumerists and stresses the hell out of me when I’m trying to figure out what to get everyone.

So this year, I thought I would relieve my Christmas-shopping stress by starting with the easiest person on the list: me! Don’t hate or call me selfish: I’m giving myself something well-chosen, personal, and unsolicited -just because I felt like it. Exactlly how a gift should be. Which is probably more than most people will get from me this Christmas; not because I don’t love (some of) them, but because I’m terrible at this whole getting-things-for-other-people-on-demand thing.

I hereby present to you my gift from me to me: a Zara chunky grey knit and knee-high socks from H&M. And guess what: I love my present! No surprises there right?

A break

No no, don’t worry, there’s been no radical break from my past habits. We’re still very much on solid red-lipstick and garçon manqué outfits ground.

I’m simply talking about taking a break from showing my face. It turns out (!) that I’m not particularly photogenic (evidence below!), and to be honest with you, this picture with minimal posing or movement seems to capture the outfit best -which is, for me, the hardest but also most important part of getting pictures right.

So, going out, take 2. For a night of fancy cocktails, I put on my trusty skinny Weekday jeans* and I tucked my navy silk shirt in them while it was still unbuttoned, crossing one side over the other. I strategically buttoned a button; not too high, not too low… OK, pretty low -but the beauty of small boobs is that this is perfectly OK! (in my book at least) And yet another time, nude zara pumps.



Once again, I felt much sexier in a masculine-meets-feminine combination. And there’s something suggestive about the smooth, cool silk just barely grazing your skin and that no oppressively tight number leaving nothing to the imagination can compare to.


*which, in hindsight, I realize make my, ehm, behind look as big as a certain socialiate… whose name -fun fact- my dad wanted to give me when I was born. How funny would it have been if my dad had gotten his way?

La crise!

I’m having a bit of a style crisis (but don’t worry, this happens more or less twice a month). I could compare it with a battle between Aristotle and postmodernism!

On the one hand I want to have a style that’s essential, well-defined, that feels natural and is part of me. I have an idea of what that style would be like* (but not necessarily the funds to make it happen!) -but basically the idea is that you have a sort of safe zone that makes you feel yourself, cool and sophisticated no matter what.

On the other hand, I also like the idea of playing with my style -I often do little “impersonations” with my outfit: today I’m from the 70’s, tomorrow I’m a character from an Almodovar movie (you can find all of my ‘inspired by’ or sort of dress-up outfits under the dress-up tag). But this also involves getting out of my comfort zone, and obviously not everyone will get my subtle yet clever and academic (yeah right) pastiches of cultural landmarks… **

So what to do?

I think I’ll just keep experimenting. Wear whatever I feel comfortable and stylish in. Be inspired. At the end of the day, I think that personal style is not something you can devise overnight; it slowly evolves through time. However, style is something to be constructed, and for this reason I’m extra careful about the purchases I make these days: I try to only buy things that will really go with the aesthetic I’m trying to adopt, but are also classic enough to survive the test of time. This is where my ‘essentials’ list comes in :)


*mainly minimal (but still existent colour) and simple, sophisticated shapes. The problem is that my attempts to go towards that style are …not working. My friend told me I’m ‘bohemian’. Obviously I’m doing something wrong. :(

**which brings me to a different but relevant point: I shouldn’t care. Why do I care what others think?

Webcamming it back to the 70's

When shit gets too much, try going back to the time of free love and carelessness… Um, with your outfit, that is. Taking drugs is bad for you.

I was so bored by uni work that I did something with my hair for once (this thing on my head is called milkmaid braids and you can find youtube videos explaining it for useless people like me)…

Funny faces optional.









The result seemed very 70’s to me so I just went from there with my outfit:




I’m wearing my so-called Mom jeans (which pretty much sands for unflattering but inexplicably cool -mine are the real vintage deal: my mom’s by Giafranco Ferre), belt to keep the aforementioned jeans up, red top by weekday and holey, unidentifiable cardigan, originally my mom’s circa when I was born. You can’t see them but I wore converse. Oh and red lipstick cause it matches the top :)   




So, are you coming to the 70’s?

What would Sunday be without pancakes?

…think about it.


It would just be a weekday. (And no, for once I’m not referring to Weekday, whose clothes you might sacrifice your pancake-eating habits for…*)

I got the recipe from here (by now you know I’m a big fan!) and I also plan on giving the apple crisps a go :)







So come on over to the dark side and allow yourself to relax with some easy-peasy Sunday morning noon cooking, a nice cup of your favourite tea/coffee/soy latte/smoothie, and… **

- tumblr: other people call it procrastination, I call it inspiration. Nothing like gazing at beautiful/funny images to relax after a long week. Exhibit A: This illustration that makes me so impatient for Girls season 3! (more here)




- your bed. Unbeatable.

- a museum visit. Dress cozy and take your time engaging with art.

- cook some more. If you hate cooking then do skip this, but I find chopping vegetable etc. very very therapeutic.

- a good book. It’s been a long time since I read, but an assignment for this weekend is to read Cloud Atlas, so I have no excuses, hehe! I’ll keep you posted on whether I finish it or not what I thought of it.




- some nice, relaxing yoga. I promise you’ll feel like you’re floating on a little cloud afterwards.

- catch up with your favourite TV show. It’s OK, it’s Sunday, you’re allowed.

- get excited about Christmas. It’s finally time :)

- if you insist on working (and I know a lot of people are busy these days…) then try this little website called Noisli. It’s chromotherapy + customizable sounds that help you concentrate/relax + a distraction-free basic text editor. So no excuses! ;)






Whatever you do, have a happy Sunday!

*clearly not me, though ;)

**note: this is not an exhaustive list…

What';s the best hat in the world?

The best hat in the world is the one your dad bought you. The one your little sister has in orange. The one that has a huge pom pom on it. The one that’s so fluffy and warm inside that all your friends wanna steal it. The one that’s so nice you don’t wanna take it off when you’re indoors. The perfect hat is love at first sight.






PS: I’m going on a prolonged no-contact-lenses cure thanks to a nasty eye infection I got last month… At first I despaired, but it’s helped me come to terms with my glasses, and with my more ‘natural’ look (I barely use eye makeup when I wear glasses). So every cloud, folks…

'Autumn'

Seasons may change, but you’ll pretty much always find me wearing my trusty H&M coat (it’s so nice, people don’t believe it when I say I bought it there!), zara men’s sweater and my dad’s old shirt underneath, old jeans and/or converse… :)

I’m now counting the days for Sinterklaas -what about you?

Going out

I’m wearing: zara t-shirt, weekday jeans. h&m coat, zara pumps and DIY clutch. Thanks to E. for taking these pictures!

Lately, when I go out, it’s not about being pretty and girly in twirly skirts and colours and shit. Instead, it’s about clean, powerful lines and minimalism. Personally, I find myself much more confident in such an outfit; I feel like myself, not like I’m impersonating a princess -and that, I think, is what makes it sexy in my opinion. This is not a manifesto against dresses, I’m only making the point that wearing clothes that aren’t the most feminine (black jeans, a t-shirt, a mannish coat) in such a way that is so boldly and unmistakably feminine makes me feel empowered  instead of flashy and frivolous.




If you’re interested in finding out more about the femininity discussion and where I get some of my ideas underlying what I write here, look up Judith Butler. She’s a very important gender studies scholar and proposed, among other things, that gender is a social contruction and not an essence we are born with. She argues that our gender and sexual identity is only the result of our performing it; and there are many ways of doing that. But don’t just take my word for it; Parker’s Critical Theory textbook (a must-read introduction to literary and cultural studies) has a useful intro on Butler and on gender studies in general.




A close-up to show you my self-made clutch. Isn’t it beautiful?

Carrot, Cumin & Kidney Bean Burger, 9p

Link: Carrot, Cumin & Kidney Bean Burger, 9p

These rock my world. I make them and save some for lunch the next day and I eat them in a pitta with tomatoes and/or cheese and they’re awesome :)

I'm so excited!

A couple of weeks ago I watched Almodovar’s latest film, I’m So Excited (trailer here). It wasn’t his best, but I always enjoy Almodovar! The next day I woke up late and I didn’t have time or energy to think of what to wear… so I decided I’d just copy the look of a character in the film. Paz Vega plays a mentally disturbed artist who tries to commit suicide wearing the clothes of her ex boyfriend. Her outfit is really simple, a shirt and some jeans held up at the waist by a simple black belt:



She has braids and wears red lipstick.



This is my take on the outfit:







I couldn’t pull off the double braids so I just did one instead, although later I kind of dropped that, too. But you have to give me props for everything else! I’m wearing red lipstick, my thrifted navy silk shirt, my mom’s old Giafranco Ferre jeans, my belt that I stole from my dad, and my mallorquinas (because they’re Spanish so I figured they’d go with the rest :P).




…Unfortunately I had to wear a coat because Amsterdam is not Madrid, but whatcha gonna do?

My way: risotto-style pasta with smoked salmon, cream, peas and lemon

Yes folks, I invented a recipe and it was LEKKER (=yummy in Dutch).

Say pretty please and maybe I’ll pass it on? :)

Because winter is coming

…and so I went and bought the most impractical thing I could find -on sale though, mind you!




sandals by weekday




OK; they’re a bit funkier than I usually go for but I think they’ll be fun -and the heel is not too high so hopefully I can do a bit of walking/dancing in them… once summer is here. Oh yeah. The only drawback of buying these now is that now I have to sit tight and wait for summer till I get to wear them… at least outside the dorms, because obviously I’ve worn them inside already -otherwise what’s the point? ;)

Hi hello how are you?

…well I guess I’m doin’ fine.

You don’t get the song reference? Really?! OK, it’s from this song. Educate yourself.

Going back to the style pages though, I love these shorts so much that I had to find a way to wear them in colder weather! Even though they’re made out of white cotton, I think they work in this outfit, partly because everything else is pretty dark and not summery, and partly because pockets make you look instantly cooler. No, seriously. Trust me.



I’m wearing a thrifted blazer, american vintage sweater, my mom’s old shorts (here in the summer edition), awesome polka-dot tights (which have already ripped) from primark and my h&m wedge booties. And lots of eyeliner ;)


Also, not that I particularly care about being ‘on trend’, but apparently black and white (or “monochrome”… is that the same thing? I’m so confused) is very big this winter. This past year I’ve found myself steering towards fewer, more subtle colours. I’ve never been one for flashy things, but this time it’s becoming really radical. I tend to associate sophistication with more muted things, and, on the other hand, I just find it harder to combine many colours without feeling like a rainbow -fun, but definitely loud and not very sophisticated. I do think you can look chic wearing colour… but I also think that it can get a bit too much very easily, so a lot of the time I just feel safer in my neutrals. But every once in a while it’s good to challenge yourself -let’s see how that goes :)




Thanks to S. for taking these pictures!

Things that inspire me

Edward Said. Because usually it takes many people’s small contributions to finally arrive to an earth-shattering, history-making conclusion, yet he managed to (literally) single-handedly conceive the theorization of power relations -and not just those between Orient and Occident. He has made a radical impact by making us aware of hegemonic discourse, producing theoretical framework for all ‘otherized’ groups to use, and penning one of the most influential texts in the 20th century.

Taste Before You Waste!

Taste Before You Waste is an organization started by a student in my University. They pick up food (mostly fruit and vegetables) that supermarkets can’t sell any more because it’s not 100% perfect. Normally supermarkets throw this food out, and (I think) they give most of it to charity and, once a week, they bring back a load of fruit and veg for us poor students! I think this is not only a great initiative -most of the time the food is perfectly eatable and you don’t waste anything, but also (on a more selfish note) a great way to eat healthy food for free!


This past week, I made leek and parsnip soup from 2 big leeks and a parsnip that I picked up. All I added was an onion, a bit of carrot I had left and a stock cube… and guess what -it was yummy! I had it with a grilled-cheese-and-tomato pitta.





And yesterday I got (among other things) a big bunch of coriander which I’m so happy about. I proceeded to make carrot-coriander-pea burgers. I usually make them with beans not peas, but I thought I’d experiment and they were great! I have my burgers in a pitta bun with tomato, cheese or mushrooms if I’m feeling fancy. I had one for lunch with green tea latte (what I call green tea with soy milk and vanilla sugar) and strawberry yogurt :)





I also got some bananas which are great to eat just as is, in a smoothie, or, if you want a healthy dessert, here’s what I discovered you can do: peel a banana, wrap it in tinfoil, twirl the ends closed (like a candy wrapper) and pop it in the oven on about 200 for 20 minutes or so (you want it to be soft). Delicious as is, with a little cinnamon or vanilla sugar sprinkled over or (if you’re not feeling that healthy) with some ice cream!

Last but not least: those Halloween pumpkins make very yummy soup (or curry), so don’t let them go to waste!

My needed 'essentials' shopping list

…because it’s the weekend and I feel like shopping. Ok, admittedly some are more ‘essential’ than others, so I ordered them by priority -right now I’m focusing on the top three.


Blanket scarf

Black flat leather ankle boots

Sweaters (mostly chunky ones -I’m always cold these days!)

Jeans

Jersey skirt

Leather jacket

Brogues

High-waisted denim shorts

Throwback Thursday?

I’m wearing: my mom’s old shorts which I may or may not have abducted from my sister’s closet, my dad’s old Massimo Dutti denim (or chambraaayy, if you prefer) shirt and Greek leather sandals (which barely left my feet during the holidays).


OK, OK, wrong social platform. But this past summer’s outfits seem so far away already that the title only seems appropriate. And while I type this in my cold room while everything is dark and depressing outside, these pictures are here to remind me (us?) that yes, it is possible for the weather to be perfect, for the sun to shine, for your tanned skin to be deliciously exposed and for you to embark on new adventures and not have to worry about homework.

Anyways, lyricisms aside, this is what I wore to go out for drinks while we were in a Greek island. In typical Cristina fashion, almost everything is second hand :)







I’m wearing: mom’s old sleeveless shirt (beautiful, if only ironed… :P), h&m shorts passed on by my Greek bestie <3, African bag and my Greek sandals.

These shorts felt just right if quite sexy in the Greek heatwave, but back in Amsterdam they seem obscenely short… But I’m showing anyways cause I think that they work well with the top which is a bit more chic . I also wore this out for drinks (I promise, I’m not an alcoholic!).

Aaannd that’s it. No more summer nostalgia until we get respectably close to the summer again. Expect lots of coats, tights and layers from now on… although i’ll miss my bare legs, arms and back, and the way the summer makes me want to wear a little bit more colour than usual.


Special thanks to E. for taking these pictures!

Londres

Look at my brown legs! I didn’t take that many pictures in London, but it was loads of fun!




Obviously, being the nerd I am, I spent ages at the Tate -by the way isn’t it awesome that the museums in London are free? FREE! :D

Invest in...

No, not a cashmere  sweater, nor designer shoes (I’ll save  that for later)…


The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.




It contains some of the most crucial texts ever written by the most important, celebrated and controversial thinkers (in the Western world at least). And given how carefully selected the texts are, how well-written the introductions and how thorough the footnotes, how meticulously and thoughtfully edited the anthology (down to the several contents tables), it is the best value for money you can get -provided you actually crack it open, of course.


Go on, don’t be afraid! Illuminate your mind a little. (You can thank me later)

What's cooking?

This past summer, I discovered the beauty of couscous. You only have to mix it with water from the kettle and it’s ready in 2 minutes! I mix it with fresh chopped veggies, olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings for a filling and yummy salad.

Here’s a lunchbox I created: home-made hummus with parsley, cucumber sticks and couscous salad with parsley, sundried and fresh tomatoes, and cucumber.




I also like adding lentils to my couscous, they’re filling and full of protein. And cottage cheese is always a nice accompaniment:




Another thing I finally mastered is making omelettes. I cook them gently on one side till they’re almost ready, sprinkle with whatever ingredients I’m adding (this one was sundried tomatoes, parsley and gouda cheese), fold them in half and serve.




And finally, another of my super simple dishes is broccoli pasta -it’s genius because you simply wash and break the broccoli, then drop it with the pasta in boiling water. When the pasta’s ready, so will the broccoli be, drain and season however you prefer (depending on my mood, I use olive oil, butter, lemon juice, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and/or chili powder). Voilà! (Apologies for forgetting to take the picture until after I’ve devoured half the dish!)

Oh, summer...

top and shorts: both my mom’s old



I forgot to show you these shoes! They’re traditional spanish esparilles and they’re cheap and lovely. Unfortunately it’s too cold to wear them now…

Man, I miss the summer -but then again I have Christmas to look forward to, right?