I'm Officially Working from Home!

Back in January, I was laid off from my job as a drafter for a construction company. It was my first job after college and although it helped me pay bills and I enjoyed working there, it was not a job that I could see turning into a career. It was day in and day out of steel construction so you can imagine it got really boring for a girl who studied interior design in college.
After being unemployed for five months, I was finally hired by a small architecture company in town as a part timer. I learned a lot from that job and I was especially grateful because it was my first design-related job.  As much as I loved it, I was not working as many hours as I wanted and being an independent contractor, job security was an issue.
Now, after working my first design-related job for the past five months and applying to countless firms and designers, I finally landed an interior design job!
It was total luck and looks like a job that I can grow in to. I'm working for a design/build company in Napa as a CAD drafter. It's full time and the principal designer said that I will also have the opportunity to try my hand at designing as well!
I'm super stoked and one of the perks is that I will be working from home. I've never had to work from home before and have already been warned by a number of people that I will soon be apart of the "I'm Never Getting Out of My Pajamas Today" club. In an effort to not end up dressing like a frump, I made this little "Sleepy Chic" outfit. Something cute but comfy. Something that I can throw on but not be embarrassed in if someone came knocking on the door.  Cute, no?
Welp, tomorrow is my first day...wish me luck!

Working from Home by masikawa featuring cuffed pants

Paleo Apple Pie

So it is Fall (kind of... it's just starting too cool down in the Bay Area) and after seeing this post on tumblr, I decided that I wanted to bake an apple pie. My mom has an old tree in her backyard that grows these delicious red apples and always gives me a large bag of them to bring home.
Since I am still on the 30 Day Paleo Challenge, I looked up a paleo friendly recipe online and man, did I score. This recipe is not only simple but it is delicious too (and gluten free)! I found it over on Midlife Army Wife.

For the filling you will need:
10 apples – peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup raw honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon


The recipe calls for 10 apples but I don't think I needed quite that many so I would say use 6-10 apples depending on the size that you have.
Midlife Army Wife says, "Over medium heat, cook the filling ingredients until the sauce has thickened and coats the apple slices.  You want the apples to stay a bit firm, or else they will end up too soft after baking.  When thick, remove from heat and set aside to cool while you work on the crust."

For the crust you will need:
9 eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup of honey
1 cup of coconut oil (heated to liquify)
2 cups coconut flour (amount varies)

Preheat oven to 350.
Put eggs, honey, and coconut oil in the food processor and pulse until smooth. (I used a hand mixer and it worked out just fine.) Mix in the flour a little bit at a time until it looks like dough. Midlife Army Wife says, "If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour, but be careful not to dry it out."
Divide the dough into two halves, one for the bottom crust and one for the top.


Grease a 9 inch pie pan with coconut oil and then press the dough into the pan evenly to cover the bottom and the sides.
Fill the pan with your cooked cinnamon apples and then use the rest of the crust dough to cover the apples.


The dough was too delicate to roll out into one piece to cover the pie so instead, it is recommended to roll out smaller pieces and then place them together over the apples like a puzzle.


Bake the pie at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes and cover the edges of the pie with foil if they start to brown too much.


Midlife Army Wife recommended letting the pie cool over night before covering it. This will prevent the crust from becoming too soggy. I let mine cool over night and it was perfect the next morning.


The pie was delicious! It crust wasn't too sweet but if you took a bite of crust with a bite of the cinnamon apples, it was just right. I even heated a piece up in the morning and had it for breakfast.
All of my taste-testers, my parents and my boyfriend, all enjoyed the pie. My mom even requested that I bring her more! There will probably be more apple pies in the near future because this baby is definitely a guilt-free treat!

Paleo Cupcakes

I have a major sweet tooth and since I eat mostly paleo, my beloved sweets have been cut out of my life. However, some awesome people in the paleo community have created paleo friendly recipes for sweets and other comfort foods so this weekend I decided to make cupcakes.
You should note that even though these are technically alright to eat on the paleo diet, they are a once-in-a-while treat because they are still too sugary for you. 
I found the cupcake recipe at Elana's Pantry which also linked me to a frosting recipe as well.

For the cupcakes you will need:

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt (I just used regular salt)
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ⅓ cup honey

1. Pulse together dry ingredients in a food processor
2. Pulse in wet ingredients
3. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and scoop ¼ cup into each
4. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes
5. Cool and serve

Makes 8 perfectly moist cupcakes. My dad compared the flavor to an Almond Joy which is one of my favorite candy bars so, woo-hoo!

For the frosting:

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and coconut oil
2. Stir in vanilla extract
3. Place frosting in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to thicken
4. Remove from refrigerator and whip frosting with a hand blender until thick and fluffy
5. Frost over Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes

You must, must, muuust refrigerate the frosting for 15-30 minutes. I forgot about the frosting and it just solidified to a giant sauce pan shaped chocolate bar so I had to reheat it to start over. I'm not too sure about the flavor of this frosting. No one else complained but I've never really been a fan of the coconut oil flavor and that was all that I picked up on while eating the frosting.

All in all I would say there is barely any difference between these cupcakes and normal cupcakes. My three taste testers also approved them so I will say that this paleo recipe is here to stay!

California Academy of Sciences

 I wanted to do something fun this long weekend and I wanted to get out of the house. My first idea was to go down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium but after getting up too late on Saturday and then realizing that it takes almost 3 hours to drive down there, Alex came up with the great idea to spend the day at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco on Sunday. I had not been to there since I was probably 12... way before the remodel so I was pretty excited to not only see the exhibits but to see all of the new renovations. Here are a few pictures I took... in the 4 hours that we were there, I took almost 200 photos so you're pretty lucky that I could narrow it down to this many. There were just too many things to see there!

Candy Haul

Yesterday we bought candy. Lots of candy, which is unusual because for the most part, we (and by we I mostly mean I - he still love his Honey Bunches of Oats) have given up processed foods. However, when I saw that purple package of Choward’s Violet mints (the same one I’ve seen floating around Tumblr) I knew I had to try them.

Then I saw the Bon Bons. The same chewy goodness that I used to buy from the French Club back in high school. How could I resist?

Not wanting to feel left out, Alex picked out a candy too.
“Happy or fizzy cola?” he asked.
“Fizzy!”

They may be empty calories but gosh dern-it, they are tasty.

Weekend Project

It's Labor Day weekend! Woo-hoo! And since my boss is on an architectural pilgrimage to Chicago (she says you can't go to Architect Heaven without a voyage there), I have an extra long Labor Day weekend. What to do, what to do? I definitely have a lot of things to do... like today for example:

That's a pretty boring list (minus the Days of Our Lives action with my momma) and I want to do something fun and creative this weekend!
Maybe you follow me on Instagram (@masikawa but probably not since I don't have too many followers on there). I recently posted a photo of my balcony at my new apartment:

It's a cute little space with a lot of potential (that little wind chime came with the apartment, haha). We've lived here for about a month and the balcony still looks the same. My plan is to spruce it up with some plants- probably succulents since those are almost Marika-proof, some seating, some lighting and something to hang on the wall.
Lately, I've been seeing photos of sparkly garland floating around tumblr and pinterest. The most popular photo being of Emily Schuman's of Cupcakes and Cashmere:

(via Apartment Therapy)

That gorgeous garland comes from ConfettiSystem.com. It's a bit pricey for myself so I thought, "Why not do it yourself??"

After a bit (and by "a bit" I mean one Google search) I found a simple DIY-version of an outdoor friendly garland. 

 

(via Prudent Baby)

It's a no-sew project which is perfect for me because I haven't touched a sewing machine since 2002 (I took a Home Ec class in 8th grade and made a pair of shorts!), and it's made of fabric which will hold up against rainy weather. 

 (via)

Doesn't that look awesome? I think it's cool "wall art" for the exterior and makes it party-ready. Go here for the tutorial. 

Now I just need to head to the fabric store to get my little DIY project for the weekend going and hopefully my balcony will be a little more exciting!

30 Day Paleo Challenge: Completed!

 

I did it! I finished the 30 Day Paleo Challenge that my dad's work had us do. I have to say, it wasn't easy, especially the first week when all I was eating was plain salads and craving a double chocolate brownie. Luckily, with the support of my family, boyfriend, the Challenge group, and a few inspired recipes, I got through it and I'm so glad that I did. I feel so good! So much energy and the best part is that I don't really crave sugar anymore...well, I still want that brownie but the thought of what the sugar does to my body and insulin levels veer me away.
Yesterday was the last day of the challenge so today my mom and I headed over to my dad's work for a end-of-the-challenge Paleo Potluck. There was so much delicious food and everyone looked so good! Everyone saw results and most (including myself) plan on continuing with this lifestyle.
So just to break it down, for 30 days I didn't have any: sugar, carbs (breads, pastas, rice, noodles...omg I miss noodles!), or dairy (cheese, milk, etc.).
I did eat a lot of: veggies, fruit (that had lower levels of sugar), meat (BACON), and eggs.

Here are my results:
(In 30 days)
Weight:   -4.6 lbs.
Bust:      +1/4 inches
Chest:    + 3/4 inches
Waist:     -1 inch
Hips:      -1.5 inches
Thigh:    -3/4 inches

I'm so excited for these results. I've been trying to get into shape all year and while saw some results, I knew that I wasn't eating as clean as I should or could. My weight would fluctuate and my body just did not feel good. This challenge was just the jump start that I needed in order to be successful.
Above are pictures of some of the foods I ate. They are all paleo friendly (yes, even that ice cream!) and tasty!
I can't wait to see more results in the future!