a whole month went by

hi,

it's been a good long while.

i've been traveling around the u.s. and abroad for various reasons... mostly preparing myself for the year ahead as i take on applying to college. 

yeah, i'm applying to college this year.

i don't really believe it either. 

i'm slowly realizing how much i'm growing up. not completely, but a little more fast that i'd like. 

i think i'm going to be ready though. i'm ready for a new push into life and a slow close of what i think is adolescence. 

i've been writing a lot, just not here obviously – supplements and essays and drafts about me and who i am. that's a bit weird... a quite large portfolio of autobiographical writing. 

i went out today with my friend and took photos for the first time in a long time. i've never actually done street photography before. this was my first shot at it. i kind of love it. 

summer's halfway over. i'm just a little ways there.

love, 

izzy

⌇

banana pancakes for the win

Banana Pancakes

Jack Johnson

why don't you listen to one of my favorite songs about banana pancakes by while we take off on this journey through my absolute love and joy for the world of pancakes.

ah yes, pancakes. a joy, a beauty, a grace, a special hole in my heart filled.

there's something so perfect, ya know, about their fluffiness, sweetness, toppings, and stack-ability. a treat of all shapes and sizes and colors and complexities. wow. 

and no appreciation post for this beloved food could go without a video on the art of its creation. hello, buzzfeed tasty - the only thing from them that i actually enjoy.

don't laugh at me.

anyways, oohs and ahhs aside, my pancakes are also pretty awesome.

i got a little inspiration from jeannette who used collagen powder in her pancakes for a little bit of skin + hair boost. 

these are kind of like your average 1 egg + 1 banana pancakes, but better. i've tried those pancakes countless times and i never got them really right. these were 💯.

---

best banana pancakes

serves 1

-

what you do

1. add everything in a small bowl and mash away with a fork until there are small chunks of banana left

2. i sort of do a last whip with the fork just to make sure everything is combined

3. heat a pan on medium heat with some coconut oil spray. once hot (check by dropping some water on the pan and seeing if it sizzles), spoon various heaping tablespoons into the pan. 

4. cook through (they don't really bubble around the edges, so watch closely) and flip. repeat.

5. stack, serve with almond butter and bananas like me, or just some plain maple (though it's sweet enough already, fyi)

what you need

• 1 medium banana
• 1 large egg
• 1 scoop collagen powder (i use this)
• 1 tablespoon almond butter/pb
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• dash of vanilla
• dash of cinnamon

---

go give these a go!!!!!!!

⌇

r/AccidentalWesAnderson

isle of capri motel, new jersey. 

sketch restaurant, london

petra, jordan

ostel hotel, east berlin

wildwood crest, new jersey

rhone glacier, switzerland

---

i have an obsession with wes anderson and reddit. i love fantastic mr. fox and moonrise kingdom and the grand budapest hotel, but especially fantastic mr. fox. i feel like each setting of each film is intentional in the grander color scheme of the entire work (as i'm sure every director tries to achieve -- but most obvious in wes anderson films). 

i love the pastels and the tones and the "is this real or am i just dreaming?" feel of all of his works that can't really be replicated anywhere else. it's surreal. wes makes fantasy in real places, a dreamy reality. 

naturally, when i found the subreddit r/AccidentalWesAnderson i was reminded of how magical the real world can actually be, according to what magical means in the world of wes anderson.

these places exist. these colors exist, and i want to have the chance to explore all of them.

"that's the kind of movie that i like to make, where there is an invented reality and the audience is going to go someplace where hopefully they've never been before. the details, that's what the world is made of." - wes anderson

⌇

dear papa,

thank you for everything.

enjoy your papas and sundays everyone.

⌇

chia! chia! chia!

okay. this is not really a recipe at all. 

for some reason i really love chia pudding. it's light, filling, and it's a do-whatever-the-heck-you-want-with-it kind of breakfast.

as i'm watching sense8 and writing this post, i realize that chia pudding is actually pretty awesome. the seeds themselves are full of fiber, healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fats, protein, and super cool vitamins like calcium. 

i also like to just eat vanilla pudding and drink my coffee in the mornings. it's the perfect summer breakfast.

you should try it.

---

really-can't-mess-this-up chia pudding

serves 1

-

what you need

• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• cinnamon? almond butter? cacao powder? orange zest? matcha? you name it.
• berries
• nuts
• seeds
• maple syrup
• patience

what you do

1. stir together chia seeds and unsweetened almond milk (and your selected mix-ins) in a small jar or mug. cover and put in the fridge for approx. 3 hours or overnight.

2. uncover. serve with fruit, nuts, and seeds of your choice. drizzle with maple syrup. sprinkle with love.

---

⌇

really healthy halvah ice cream

it's been, what, not even 24 hours since my last post? that's almost like a new record.

i told you these recipes are going to be coming out really fast.

View fullsize

View fullsize

i woke up this morning with like 8 bananas in my freezer and halvah on my mind.

naturally, i realized i could make that really healthy ice cream that everyone is always talking about and halvah-ify it. duh. makes so much sense.

naturally, i made this sundae around 9 o'clock in the morning when everyone was still sleeping (including the dog) and didn't wake up anyone? (still questionable). regardless, it's a miracle. 

and the most awesome thing about this recipe is that's a sundae (and it's sunday). which means, toppings!!!

the ice cream was made 1000x better by some tangy coconut yogurt (i use coyo), warm tahini, and chopped salty pistachios. holy heck.

oh yeah, and i made a video.

---

healthy, sugar-free halvah wtf sundae

makes a lot of ice cream, like 10 servings

-

what you need

• 8 bananas, chopped and frozen overnight
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup stirred tahini
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• coconut yogurt
• tahini, warmed
• chopped salted pistachios
• sesame seeds 

what you do

1. blend bananas in a food processor until smooth. with 8 bananas, i had to scrape down the sides around 5 or so times. add almond milk to help with the banana-to-ice-cream-ify-ing process.

2. once the frozen bananas are smooth and velvety, add in tahini, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. process again.

3. taste test (for good measure). serve immediately with coconut yogurt, tahini, pistachios, and sesame seeds or transfer ice cream to a large freezer-safe container. 

4. if storing in freezer, take ice cream 10 minutes before serving to soften and then serve with those halvah toppings.

---

yeah, it's that awesome

⌇

steel cut oats + exciting news ??

hello friends.

monday is my last day of school. (a little hoorah for living through junior hell month).

i have some cool news.

minimalmeals is back (if you remember it. even i even forgot it was a thing).

it's been up for a few days and i've been cooking a lot, focusing mainly on whole foods with the occasional ezekiel toast. i'm not as keen on baking for some reason. i've matured, you know? i prefer savory things now...

well,

all this really means is that i finally have time to start writing recipes again (and posting them)!!!!!!!! very exciting. very. i've missed this whole food-make-post thing a lot, and i'm already revising things and thinking about new food things and doing all the things!

can't you tell i am incredibly excited. anyways, the next few posts will be just recipes so i can have some links for my recipe page. 

first things first, let's do the basics.

---

steel cut oats (for the win, and for the humble)

serves 1

–

WHAT YOU DO

1. in a small saucepan, bring almond milk and water to a boil.

2. turn heat down to low and add salt.

3. stir in oats and cook uncovered, stirring every few minutes, until thick and creamy, 20 minutes. stir maple syrup. (add extra water/almond milk if too dry).

4. serve with berries, almonds, hemp seeds, or other toppings of your choice and a splash of almond milk because milk is always nice.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup steel cut oats
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• pinch of sea salt
• berries
• almonds
• hemp seeds

---

yours truly, izzy

⌇

this is a post about eggs

i am a big fan of eggs. i really like eggs (like really, really).

why am i writing a post on eggs? because eggs are important to my existence as a living being, and i believe they deserve to have a post dedicated to them. 

also, let's get down to some scientific business here. eggs are super duper rich in vitamins, nutrients, good fats, and protein. they contain all 9 essential amino acids, and minerals and nutrients like iron, phosphorous, selenium, and vitamins A, B12, B5 and others. in other words, eggs are a superfood that don't contain the words "acai," "spirulina," "grass," or "baobab." nice.

they're pretty great. 

eggs come in all forms in recipes, so i want to share with you my favorite things to do with this beloved ingredient. 

–

shakshuka (especially from greenkitchenstories) is both an eggs-for-dinner and dinner-for-breakfast sort of dish. it's a good share (or just eat entirely by yourself) food. so in other words, it's pretty great for basically anything you want.

–

these simple scrambled eggs. there is little known to me that is as great as simple scrambled eggs. this recipe has a few extras that make the scramble so, so fluffy. aka the best scrambled eggs ever.

– 

i'm pretty sure you know of izy. her baked eggs with spinach, ricotta, and leeks is one of my favorites for a lazy sunday brunch. like the shakshuka, these eggs are great for sharing, but also great for some solo breakfast-ing. RICOTTA is always the answer.

– 

this french toast is indeed eggy and fancy. heck, throw in some orange zest on top and you got a fancy one-fourth of a four course breakfast. the roasted almonds give this toast a nice crunchy finish. so, i dig it. 

i hope you enjoy my egg rant

viven los huevos. 

⌇

"i am right now"

System.out.println("Hello, World!"); 

as the school year is inching (very, very slowly) to a close, everything else seems to be picking up. i see why, but at the same time i'm getting incredibly overwhelmed by work and school and not being (in my mind, creatively) productive. 

the thing that's been on everyone's mind is college. college or school. school and college. school in preparation for college. college in preparation for beyond. beyond in preparation for... even further beyond? i'm getting overwhelmed by that too. 

it feels like every adult asks me, "where do you want to go?" expecting me to have a few universities or professions on my mind. i usually say, "i don't know," and they say, "okay" and stop the conversation. even though my seniority "status" will finally be attainable in just a few more weeks, it's difficult for me to look as far ahead as everyone expects me to. 

like, yeah, i'm going to be heading off to a college in just a few more than 365.3 days, but then again there's still 365.3 days until then. maybe ask me, "what next? what are you focusing on now?" while i'm still getting to that point. i mean, usually i have to ask to myself that anyways. 

because i really mean "i don't know" when i say "i don't know" because i don't... know. i'm almost eighteen now. people tell me that i have my goals straight and my life pretty much figured out, but i don't want it to be like that. 

i can say that i know who i want to be, but not where i'm going to be. right now, i'm right here, with a research paper, a critical analysis paper, 3 AP exams, and a literature exam on my hands. what's next is what's right now. i'm dealing with what's right now.

⌇

found artists: javier de riba

i forgot i had drafted this almost 2 months ago. 

javier de riba turns disarrayed spaces into orderly ones in his exhibition "flors," painting geometrical mosaics on the floors of abandoned buildings. both the photos and behind-the-scenes video of his work are breathtaking and undoubtedly satisfying. 

his work reminds me how much i underestimate the power of simplicity in art and how it can transform a space or even an entire place regardless of its imperfections. i think that is what javier aims to achieve: art that reveals the beauty of a space that does not seem beautiful.

“it moves me to think that one day these floors harbored experiences and helped form a part of someone’s daily life, and now finally rest forgotten.”

“through my intervention, i allow this sensation to flourish and offer a testimony to these past lives.”

hello again.

⌇

getting to where i'm going

in my english class, we were given the task to create something inspired by walt whitman's "song of self", which described the individual's search for her own identity. our project was supposed to most authentically represent ourselves in a physical, verbal, or visual medium.

naturally, i chose photography.

here was my introduction to my project:

"it was hard for me to figure out what aspect of my identity i wanted to talk about when the medium in which i wanted to present my project is my identity. the next most logical thing i could about is how art has become a part of who i am. the answer is new york city."

enjoy

⌇

it's hard to stay positive

image by bydvnlln

image by joel

image byfayznasir

my poster for the women's rights march

`````

i've never wanted more than

to fight back

to call back

to protest

to represent me, to represent others, to represent who we are

it's hard to stay positive in a time like this

it's hard for me to have hope

but this is the time when i stand stronger

and i am stronger every day

i will fight, i promise.

izzy

⌇ 

this 4-day weekend

for the past 3 days or so, henry and i have been traveling new york city. i've been taking video and shots and everything nice and stuff, so be on the lookout for that sort of thing in a bit.

here was our itinerary:

friday

– la esquina, little italy

– morgenstern's finest ice cream, lower east side

saturday

– brooklyn bridge, brooklyn

– smith canteen, carroll gardens

– brooklyn heights promenade + piers

sunday

– ost cafe, east village

– stumptown coffee, west village

– saigon shack, west village

– minetta lane, west village

– the high line, chelsea

and we're off.

⌇

xmas in 4k

this was our N/R (family) christmas.

merry christmas and have a happy holidays!

⌇

first snow

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

dear you,

we got our first christmas tree with jenny (our dog) today. 

it was snowing and foggy and eerie and empty and beautiful.

jenny, who was born in the cayman islands, is obsessed with the snow.

she's like us: beach-born, energetic, and overall kind of crazy. it was no doubt she'd love the snow as much as q and i do. 

we got a twelve-foot tree. it was so big the guys who owned the little tree farm had to use a tractor to drag it to our car. it smelled like christmas all the way home.

it smells like christmas in our house now.

i hope i got good pictures.

happy holidays.

⌇ 

absurdity

1/ PREPOSTEROUS

in !!! itself a- short about........ absurdity,! weirdness,%% unexpectedness,**`!! mystery, irony, ??? ? /!! // ....?!

-

2/ SLOW FOOD

sMAsH!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!1!!1!!!1!!!

-

3/ SWEATPANTS

¡¡¡déjä v¨üuuu ovër án∂ ovér ánß øvër ágäín maStERpieCE!¡

- 

4/ RESUME SUPPLEMENT

a resume in ÄRT%&vïDÉO form. uh we(i)rD!!!

–

welcome to absurdity. i've been into cool weird stuff lately. like cool cool weird weird videos. they've gotten me through this week and will probably get me through the next and the next and the next and the next and next next next next and next next infinite next. 

thanks, bye conGRaTs!!!!

⌇ 

and, thank you

View fullsize

View fullsize

yogurt panna cotta . pumpkin pie and ginger ice cream . roasted yams and delicata with yogurt and pomegranate . kale salad with persimmons and tahini dressing . roasted green beans and whole grain mustard . mashed potatoes . stuffing . turkey . gravy cranberry sauce with jalepeños . roasted cauliflower steaks with capers and olives and parsley . berry crisp .

i am thankful for life

i am thankful for opportunity

i am thankful for people and family and friends and love

i am eternally thankful for everything

enjoy your holidays 

be thankful for everything that you have

love,

izzy

⌇ 

street parallels

keannumartinez + that-hal + riversdiliscia + mikelyon + facultybacteria 

jenschmitz + joji + vincentjamesv + febsmatic

it's almost thanksgiving break. i'm tired and sleepy and drained. 

a lot has happened in the past month. a lot of which i have a lot to say, but not a lot i want to say here. i've been waking up stronger. i'm waking up stronger every day.

on other notes

i've been inspired by more raw photographs lately. open ones. real ones. and i think the easiest way to embody this rawness is through street photography. i think the coolest thing is seeing parallels between street photography from different cities and photographers, and how colors and lines and shapes overlap. 

i tried to show that. 

i'm ready for gravy.

happy saturday.

⌇ 

a month from then

the human condition is a installation of the works of various artists in an old, 40,000 square-foot hospital. i thought it was cool and weird and unique and gloomy and just beautiful; the pieces brilliantly match the geometric and sharp shapes of the hospital. i just wanted to share its awesomeness.

-

as for me, i'm back. it's been 48 days since i wrote my last post. that's a pretty long time. i've been taking a little hiatus from social lately. it's been nice to just not stress about having to curate and post things on all of my platforms. i started junior year 29 days ago. i turned seventeen 19 days ago. i'm a year older since we last talked. 

i've been thinking about this sort of kinetic energy of stress. i think a lot of the time i feed off of other people's stress and they feed off of my stress and other people's stress, and it just becomes this sort of eternal and cyclical exchange of anxiety. i mean, i get it. we're getting older and we have more responsibilities and work and independence. we're almost done with high school. i realize that every once in a while and it just scares me. i love the idea of a new and limitless world. we're practically there.

i've been pretty good about it my monthly freak-outs, though it's taken me almost 3 years to figure it out. i keep reminding myself that i'm okay. that even though i have no control of time and other people and their decisions, i have complete power over what i do and how i perceive and change my community. there's been a lot of broadened thinking lately. i think i've matured a bit from it. 

good night.

⌇ 

found artists: ben clement

this is ben clement. i'm not really sure how i stumbled upon him, but i think i'm in love with the website as much as the photographs. 

photog rapher   ''' / creativ     e  director      ' '  i;///   jj                editor

cool.

happy friday

⌇