Hello San Diego!

Hey all! It's been a while since my last blog but I'm back and I have updates! For those of you who don't know..Ryan and I made a big decision to move to San Diego! To sum it all up we figured life is short and we need to be experiencing! It's been about 2 weeks and we are loving our Hillcrest cottage. Were so close to shops, amazing restaurants, and bars. Last night we went on a walk to grab some dinner since we are so close to everything! So we came across a sea of food trucks! It pretty much made my day! I snapped a couple of pictures below. We got an amazing chicken tikka masala plate with naan that was to die for and an organic grass fed meat burger with the freshest veggies. It was amazing food and the quality was unbeatable. Some of the trucks have been featured on Food Network and Food Channel!

Enjoying our tikka!

The amazing burger...

Oops..we ate it all before we could get a picture..Proof that it was delicious!

The people of Hillcrest are so sweet and inviting. We had a conversation with a really nice group and they asked me to sing something for them..so I did!

Aside from all the fun adventures in our town we are also working hard to get our place together, furnished, and feeling like home! Ryan is going to build his photography network here in Diego and I am already in a band! Were called The Covertones and given the name I'm sure you figured out it's a cover band. They are great musicians and it's been a success so far! We already booked a gig! Here is a pic below. Other that I will also be working on my own music, writing more, and collaborating with new musicians. I'm eager and excited to see what San Diego has to offer! Thanks for reading!



The Covertones

Goleta House Concert with Owen Plant

The Kole's had the pleasure of singing in Goleta for a great house concert with Owen Plant opening for us. He blew us all away with his sound. If you like James Taylor and Bob Marley, Owen definitely has a mix of the two with his own caribbean feel. It was a magical night and we really connected with the audience and the stage. Thanks to the amazing sound by Roy Donkin and the great pictures captured by Daniel Seth Pagel Photography!
Thank you to all who came out to support!

Join us at our next gig at the Malibu Winery May 28th at 5PM for a great show. Be sure to bring your picnic and enjoy some amazing Semler wine!
See you there!

Gluten Free Sugar Free Apple Pie

Last night I made a glorious creation! I am on a cleanse right now where I can't have sugar, corn or soy products, alcohol, gluten and dairy. The only sugar I am allowed is 1 fruit a day and only a select few. So you could imagine I was a little overwhelmed. No SUGAR?! I am a sweets junkie..!


So here's what I came up with..
-Brown rice tortilla cut into a smaller circle (like a tart)
-1 apple thinly sliced and laid out on a baking sheet
-add cinnamon and "Just Like Sugar" It's an amazing sugar replacer that's all natural and made from chicory root and the flavoring from a rind from an orange!! It's the closest to sugar I have come across. You can find it at Whole Foods.
-a slice of butter in the center of the baking sheet to melt over the apples. (Yes! I can have butter!)
-set the oven to 375 degrees and put them in for 15 minutes or until soft with a slight crunch.
-take brown rice rounds and lightly butter. Stick in a pan and fry on low heat until a little crispy.
-take out of pan and butter with almond butter. (You can also use sunflower butter, cashew butter, or whatever your fave is!)
-layer the apples on top and enjoy!

These are SO easy to make and I finally found a yummy dessert I can eat that I didn't feel guilty about. The only sugar in this dessert is the natural sugar in the apples. Take that cleanse! If you try this let me know what you think of it!

Gluten Free and Fabulous!

Okay friends so as you know I have been gluten free for quite a while now and loving it! At first it was a question of "Well what the hell am I supposed to eat?!" Not to worry...there's tons!! And you can even go out to eat with your friends. I am seeing more and more people as well as friends going gluten free and a lot of it for health reasons. Don't worry if you're just hopping on board the train, it gets easier! You're body gets used to what you feed it and the cravings become less and less. SO my GFBF,(gluten free best friend) here are a few tips!

- When you go to a restaurant ask if they have a gluten free menu, a lot of places do! And if not alwaaays make sure you ask what's in the sauce of a dish and tell your server you have a gluten allergy so they can tell the kitchen. There is hidden gluten in everything! Salad dressing is one of them as well as soup. I tried to get sweet potato fries from a restaurant once and later found out it was covered in wheat as the batter. No bueno..

-"Bragg's Liquid Amino's" is a good soy sauce replacer. You can put it on anything though. I love to bring it with me to sushi!
- Natural Cafe is a great place to eat if you're GF. (They have Bragg's!)

- Whole Foods will be your best friend or any similar health food store. They have a GREAT gluten free pancake and waffle mix from "Namaste Foods" in the gluten free section. I have made them in my waffle maker and they are delish.
- Trader Joe's is FINALLY starting to get more gluten free foods in stock. I made some yummy brownies from a GF mix they have in the baking section. Get it!!
- Cook at home more. I know..sounds like a lot of work right? NOT! Not only is it good to know exactly what you're putting in your body but you are learning to become a better cook! (Go wifey!) If you need a quick meal grab Trader Joe's microwavable brown rice, their pre-packaged chicken pieces, some veggies,(frozen or not) and their GF curry sauce. Yum!

-The best GF bread I have EVER had is called "Udi's." They have white bread, whole grain, and cinnamon raisin. I actually love it more than real bread and makes a great grilled cheese! Available at Lassen's, Whole Foods, or your local health store. They also have pizza crust and muffins!
- Try not to eat too many corn products. That stuff is in everything! You want to get some balanced nutrition. Look for rice chips or brown rice tortillas. I like Beanitos chips. (Whole Foods)


I have a couple GF recipes in previous posts so please check it out. Also check out this site glutenfreeda.com. They have weekly recipes and tell you how to make yummy treats like Banana bread and your own "flour" tortillas.

I promise you are going to feel better and maybe even shed a couple pounds or more. Not too shabby eh?! It's all about being good to our bodies and treating it with love! Hope I've helped!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Just a few random things that I love. Fashion styles I'm into, food and adventure. Enjoy!

Mixing and matching patterns. I love this bohemian look I put together at Nordstrom.
Also, duh cropped shirts. So great with high wasted skirts or pants.

The way to my heart..sushi..

Sushi just isn't the same without great company!

Getting fit with my man.

Beautiful artwork. This is a painting I saw when I went to have Pho with the family. I was tempted to buy..

Plane rides with my babe.

Road trips

When my man makes me nice dinners..It's the best thing ever.

Nail decals. So easy and so fun by Sally Hanson. At any drug store. Thanks Erica!

Mama Kole's home cooked meals. This woman needs her own restaurant..

Picture: Golden yukon beets with jalapeno slices, goat cheese, oil & balsamic drizzle with a touch of salt and pepper. Yum!

A Celebration of Life

What a great weekend! The Kole's got to hang in Costa Mesa as we were performing at The Center for Spiritual Living. It was a beautiful service full of celebration and love filling the room! The service was all about making a change within yourself so you can be the difference and change you wish to see in the world. So it was only appropriate that we sing "Change the World."
It was so great that all my family came to support and spend Easter with us. I got to see my beautiful nieces and Bridget came too! After church we went to a cute park and had a picnic and played games. So blessed for a great time with the whole fam!

Chaaange the world, I would be the sunlight in your universe.

Mama Kole backin' me up.

Dad jammin'

The amazing Ellis Hall

Ellis singing "Man in the Mirror" a performance from the soul.

My little angels!

Mama and I with Ellis himself and his sweet girlfriend Barbie.

Great Easter!

Life happens

Sometimes in life we make mistakes and we hurt or disappoint the people we love. Bad things happen to good people, unexpected things like heart break and death. Sometimes we have the feeling like we have it all figured out just to be slapped in the face with confusion. Maybe you lose your job or wish you were in a different place. But the thing is life happens and it's okay to go through these things. There is a path already layed out for us and we just have to surrender and let it take us to our destination. So if you are going through a hard time or are hard on yourself, just stop right there and know everything is unfolding the way it's supposed to! If you're happy enjoy it, grateful in the moment then cherish it, overwhelmed then breathe, in pain feel it. It's really easy to beat yourself up and trust me I get there too. We aren't perfect and thank god for that. But know that you are never alone. We are all one..growing and changing every day. Just thought I would share and reach out to those that are having a hard time.

Be Well

"Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do"

Robert Schuller

Yesterday does not equal tomorrow. Forget the past and move towards your goals.

- Tony Robbins