For Your Health

I have several loves in my life including my family, my friends, art, and food. I am actually probably what some might call a "foodie." I don't generally like terms like that, but it is what it is, I suppose. It's a funny thing for me to say, frankly, as I was once an extremely picky eater and hated eating. I think most of the food that my parents could get me to eat had to contain an unhealthy amount cheese and carbohydrates. (My diet was something like: cereal, grilled cheese, quesadillas, mac & cheese, etc.)  

Some things have luckily evolved as I have aged and I have grown to love trying new foods. I am (usually -- minus some mishaps while traveling or on holidays) very health conscious, and I have developed a sense of how foods make me feel. It is an absolutely incredible feeling to know exactly what I am consuming and how it changes my daily functioning. I think the foods that we consume can have such an incredible influence on how we feel and even how we think. I think we often forget that food is fuel, and not just there for tasting good. Thankfully, there are so many ways to have the best of both worlds! 

Here are a few of my most recent, quick and easy recipes. 

Tropical Cucumber Smoothie 

Ingredients

2 Cups Organic Kale, Spinach, Chards

1/2 Cucumber 

1/2 Fuji Apple

1/2 Cup Organic Frozen Mango Chunks 

1/3 Cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Almond Milk 

Prep the fruit for blending. Peel the skin off of the cucumber and apples with a potato peeler. Cut cucumber and apple into smaller pieces (If you have a not-so-great blender like me, this really helped!). Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I would suggest putting the larger fruit pieces in first and the greens on top. My blender had a hard time getting through all of that dark-leafy-goodness and I had to stop blending midway to stir the ingredients around a bit with a spoon. 

This recipe is perfect for one. 

Cucumber Rolls 

Ingredients

1 Cucumber 

Spread, like hummus or cream cheese 

Kale

Smoked Salmon 

** You will also need toothpicks 

Begin by cutting the ends off of the cucumber. Use a potato peeler to cut the skin off of one side of the cucumber. Place peeler perpendicular to cucumber and peel at one side of the now flat side of the cucumber. Peel cucumber into thin, flat strips. Lay out cucumber strips flat. Spread a thin layer of a spread of your choice along the strips of cucumber. Place a layer of kale on to the spread. Then, place a layer of small pieces of salmon on to the kale. Carefully roll together and apply toothpicks in an "X" to secure. 

Such A Simple Time

It's a funny thing, this time business. It has been going by at such an incredible rate to me. So quickly, in fact, that I hadn't even noticed that I have neglected to do a blog post since January! 

That's just absurd. 

* * * * * *

Spring is here in Oregon, and that means I better be ready for any sort of weather (Sun, rain, sleet, wind, hail, snow even? You name it, we have it!) and... I should probably start tucking my black clothes away into the dark end of my closet (Yes, it's color-coordinated), which consumes approximately a third of it. 

What can I say? Black doesn't stain and in my lifetime, I have accepted the fact that I am just going to be terribly clumsy, most of the time. I have learned this and tested it by watching the reaction on my older sister's face whenever I pick up anything of high monetary value. She seems to have been there most of the times I ever broke or spilled anything while growing up. She knows me well. 

The truth is, even in Spring and Summer, black is still one of my favorite colors, no…shades is a more appropriate term… It's just so simple. I have really been on a minimalist kick lately, when it comes to dressing. I am unsure where this desire of simplicity is stemming from. Perhaps, it has just developed with my age, I mean 25 is rapidly approaching! Whoa. 

There is something so nice and comforting about simple things like a minimalistic style. Maybe it's because the beauty of it is often not appreciated, and it goes unnoticed, that I find to be so intriguing. This is probably the reason you will rarely find me wearing jewelry (plus, it's just incredibly uncomfortable to me).  Perhaps, it's something entirely different, and it's associated with the fact that there is always so much going on all of the time. I think looking in the mirror shouldn't reflect that chaos too. 

Whatever the reason, I find it to be simply lovely. 

Here's a look that is somewhat in-between seasons. I was feeling bold and just went with bare-legs, but this look could easily be paired with some warm black tights. 

Blazer, Shorts, + Shirt: Forever 21
Shoes: Dolce Vita

December on the Coast

Photographer: Cody Wheeler (His Facebook)
Top: Victoria's Secret

Skirt: Charlotte Russe

Jewelry: Forever 21 

* * * * * *

This is certainly not a typical everyday outfit that I would put together, but it did work for a creative shoot that I did with Photographer Cody Wheeler. We were so very lucky as it was actually unusually warm on this day, on the Oregon Coast in December. I envisioned wearing a dress with cutouts, but I wanted a unique color combination and something that would easily tie in wearing gold. The gold accents on the top worked great for that! 

"Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something beautiful or to discover something that is true." -William Ralph Inge

Hello!

            I am Megan Hawley, the creator of ModeNarrative. Some of you may recognize me from my old fashion blog, which was titled, "Dirt-CheapChic." I retired from that blog several years ago, but I have recently decided that I would like to blog again! This time, I would expect that there will be many differences in my blog. I will still include my outfit posts, but I will also feature other bloggers, and local designers.

Many aspects of my life have changed since my old blog was active. I moved from Portland, then to Corvallis, and then to the coast. I now live on the Oregon Coast, where I operate my photography business, and work full-time. I believe that my first encounter with fashion blogging actually inspired me to look into photography more extensively,  so I am forever thankful for that. I anticipate that I will also be sharing some images from fashion shoots that I have photographed.

I am so very eager to begin blogging again!

                                                               


                                                             Sincerely yours,