Miss Ashley

Spice Education.

2012-01-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

There is more to spices than what meets the eye. Have you ever considered the quality of the spices you purchase in your local supermarket? Probably not. I know I didn't. I mean, if I was at Whole Foods or another natural grocer and needed a spice, I'd buy it there but I didn't exclusively buy organic spices. The key to buying spices is to buy non-irradiated. It likely won't say on the package but I can bet most supermarkets are selling irradiated spices. What is irradiation you ask? I'll fill you in.

The bottom line is irradiation damages the quality of any food in order to kill microbes, pests, and bacteria. The ionized radiation process breaks up molecules and creates free radicals. While the free radicals have the ability to kill some bacteria, they also bounce around in the food causing damage to vitamins and enzymes. The free radicals also combine with existing chemicals, like pesticides, forming new chemicals called unique radiolytic products (URPs). What are examples of URPs? Benzene and formaldehyde are two of them, but there are some URPs that exclusively pertain to irradiated foods as well.

The number one reason why companies are irradiating spices is to increase the shelf life of their product. While that may sound good to some (most importantly the government and the Canadian Nuclear Association), all it leaves us with is a degenerated food product since most of the valuable qualities of the herb or spice are killed off.

If you would like to get the most from your spices, choose organic, non-irradiated spices. If you're wondering about spices you currently own, just e-mail the company or research online! As soon as I found this out, I threw away all of my spices. That may sound dramatic, but I don't want to eat potentially carcinogenic and essentially dead food. Today, my collection of spices from Simply Organic were delivered so I can now enjoy my organic, non-irradiated food!

Back to Basics: Chewing.

2011-12-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

Are you ever consiously aware while you're chewing? Probably not. These days, we tend to eat on the go, while distracted, working, thinking of absolutely anything else, but we don't focus on the art of chewing. You might laugh when I say art, but I think you'll understand after you give consious chewing a try. It's really hard.

We discussed chewing in depth in one of my classes a couple months ago. On the way home from school, I was hungry so I decided I'd practice chewing. I chewed a segment of a mandarin orange 77 times. I thought my brain was going to explode. It felt like the hardest thing I'd ever done. I'm sure my digestive system was thankful. Aside from the obvious of chewing food so that it can easily be swallowed, here are a few other reasons why you should spend time chewing:

- The body uses less energy to digest the well-chewed food, since the teeth and saliva have done some work. Food that hasn't been chewed sufficiently, requires more work from the body and takes away from other jobs it could be doing to keep you healthy!

- The molecules of the nutrients in the food are quickly released and assimilated while chewing.

- The longer the food stays in the mouth while chewing, the better the tongue can recognize all of the wonderful flavours. The tongue then sends a message to the brain and the brain sends a message to the digestive system. This allows the digestive system to release the appropriate digestive juice needed for that particular food!

The next time you're eating - count how many times you chew each bite on average. Slowly try to increase the amount by focusing on what you're doing. Do your digestive system a favour!

Sweet & Sour Chicken.

2011-12-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

I said I was going to get better at making meals in advance. Mission accomplished. Now, let's just see if this can contine. Dan bought me some beautiful glass locking food storage containers that I've been eyeing up for awhile, so I was excited to use them. I despise using the microwave, so I'm excited to be able to reheat my food in these little gems using the oven at work.

I started by making the Sweet & Sour Chicken. It smelled amazing and proved to be a successful dish! Who wouldn't love these tender chicken morsels with pineapple, garlic, and ginger?!

Sweet & Sour Chicken from Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp raw honey
2 cloves organic garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp organic crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts (about 4 breasts), chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 organic medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
1 organic medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
1 organic small yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 3/4 cups)
12 sprigs fresh organic cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, optional

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and sauté for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add pineapple and cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately over rice for a complete meal, if desired.

I didn't use brown rice, and instead used quinoa spaghetti from Gogo Quinoa. If you or someone you know, is Gluten intolerant, this pasta tastes like the real deal! It is delicious and I'm so excited that I get to eat this wonderful, clean food for lunch today!

Back to Normal.

2011-12-27T13:42:00.001-08:00

I'm over halfway through my Christmas break from school, and I know the later half is going to fly by. Time off just has a way of doing that. I haven't accomplished any school work that I had planned on, in order to make my New Year just a bit easier, but I suppose I do still have some time!

Tonight's New Year preparations will include making homemade marinara, Sweet & Sour Chicken, and Gardener's Shepherd Pie all from Clean Eating Magazine. Around the holidays, I am a total slacker when it comes to cooking. This results in me eating not so great foods and feeling a little squishy. So, here's to getting back on the healthy cooking train and removing the squish. I'm planning on making the few dishes previously mentioned so we have some quick "go to" meals for nights I'm at school and other busy times! Making meals on Sunday's and freezing them really needs to be fit into my schedule come the New Year.

I love the holidays, but I also love when life goes "back to normal" if there is such a thing. Getting back into a routine of cooking healthy, wholesome foods and exercising is so refreshing and puts a bounce in my step.

What are your goals for the New Year?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of my blog loves! Thank you for hanging out with me and reading my posts! Wishing you and your family all the best this holiday season and a New Year filled with love, peace, and many blessings!

Christmas Eve & Pumpkin Spice Pancakes!

2011-12-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

During a Trader Joe's trip sometime in November, I bought a few cans of organic pumpkin puree in anticipation of the holiday season. My baking time was limited, so I still had three cans up until a week ago when I made these pumpkin pancakes for me and Dan.

I have to share them with you because they were delicious! They were the perfect balance of pumpkin and spice. I think I'm going to have to make them again this week, since I still have two cans left. Plus it's just really gratifying to make anything that I "pin" on Pinterest!

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally from good 'ol Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups organic, whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or 2 Tbsp. brown sugar)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt
4/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
1 large organic egg
2 Tbsp. organic butter

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, agave, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir with a fork to combine. Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, egg, and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat a greased skillet or griddle over medium heat. When hot, add a 1/3 cup scoop of batter to the pan. Let cool until bubbles begin to form on the top surface. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook the second side until golden brown. Serve with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, and/or whipped cream. (Or, be boring and just serve with agave nectar like me.)

Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you are all stress free and ready for a fun day tomorrow filled with family, love, and food!

Favourite Things: Christmas Blog Swap.

2011-12-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

I have to give a huge shout out to Leigh and Lindsey for putting together such a fabulous blog swap for Canadians! Sometimes we can feel a little left out up here in the great, white North, but we had a blog swap of our very own!

My swap gift came from Bonnie, who was SO sweet. My package arrived at work and made my day. Unfortunately, some (uhh, most) parts of it are missing from the photo. What can I say, she sent me some homemade granola that was out of this world. It's all in my belly. It was made from cranberries, sun butter, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds! Packed with nutrition, just the way I like it! She also sent me an adorable frame ornament. I'm going to put in a photo of me and Dan from this Christmas! She also sent me a running magazine, and some yummy Cranberry scented bath lovelies from The Body Shop. It was absolutely wonderful and I can't thank her enough! Here is my lame photo with half of the gift missing.

I will use this magazine to motivate me to get back into a good running routine post Christmas madness!! I'm looking forward to it!

Holiday Sticky Buns!

2011-12-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I've been seriously missing around the blog world. I miss writing posts, but even more than that, I miss reading yours. I can only imagine all of the Christmas fun I've been missing. I have fun stuff of my own in store - a secret santa swap, pumpkin pancakes, and cinnamon sticky buns!

Tonight, cinnamon sticky buns! I was watching Barefoot Contessa today with Dan, specifically her Christmas special "Barefoot in London." I enjoyed. I have actually never watched her show before, but she has taught Dan a few things previous to today - which are apparently top secret. I was going to tell you, and then he looked over to see what I had written and said "you can't publish my secret. How am I going to be the best if everyone knows?" He was serious. haha

You may have watched the special, but if not, she made some sticky buns with puff pastry. They looked amazing and reminded me of some cinnamon buns we had at our employee appreciation last month. These needed to be made.

Dan is very sick right now, so I went to the store to get ingredients for grilled cheese and soup for dinner (delish!) and knew I just had to buy the few ingredients I needed for the sticky buns. We were both excited after dinner and were watching the clock to see how much time had passed in anticipation of the thawing puff pastry.

Well, friends, they are as good as they look! I made 6 with raisins (not a fan, but someone else in the house is) and 6 with dark chocolate chunks. I should have put the chocolate on the top after baking, but you live and you learn. I baked it into the sticky buns and most of it crisped up on the top, but there are a few chunks baked in between the rolls which make them even more delicious.

Holiday Sticky Buns

Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

12 Tbsp unsalted organic butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:

2 Tbsp. unsalted organic butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine 12 Tbsp. of butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 Tbsp. of the mixture in each section of a 12 muffin cup pan.

Lightly flour a wooden board surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Brush the whole sheet with 1 Tbsp. of the melted butter. Sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and a 1/4 cup of raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard to even edges. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, about 1 1/2 inch each. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second shed of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes (or less, keep an eye on them!), until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes only, then invert the buns onto a non-stick surface, and cool completely.

"Eggnog!"

2011-12-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite delights around Christmas time is eggnog. I'm not a fan of all the sugar and weird modified milk ingredients is the conventional brands. As of yesterday, I cut out dairy from my diet too, to try and eliminate some respiratory issues I've been suffering from. This obviously was somewhat upsetting to me since I adore the nog.

I'm a google fanatic, so this prompted me to "google" (yes, it is a verb) vegan eggnog. I came across the Post Punk Kitchen recipe, that you can find here. I was intrigued that it had avocado in it, but assumed it was for thickening and I believe I was right!

Oh my word, blog friends. This vegan "eggnog" is amazing! If you're vegan, or you're just a eggnog loving health fanatic like me, I highly suggest you make it! It is the perfect consistency and just filled with love!

Happy December!

2011-12-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Where have I been while I haven't been blogging?

- Finishing up my Business & Leadership courses! (DONE! Super big yay!)
- Falling in love with my MacBook Pro!
- Working on my first case study for holistic nutrition!
- Listening to Christina Aguilera's Christmas music - my fav!
- Welcoming my boyfriend home!!!!!!

The beginning of December has proved to be very busy and exciting! I have lots of fun recipes I want to share with you to help me (and you!) get into the festive spirit.

Tomorrow I'll be making vegan "eggnog" along with some vegan "eggnog" cookies (totally made them last week and used baking soda instead of baking powder - whoops!) and will be sure to post about them!

I hope you're all having a fabul0us December so far! School break starts on the 15th and then you won't be able to get rid of me!

Happy Birthday! Happy Monday! Happy Graduation!

2011-11-21T09:10:00.001-08:00

First of all, Happy 30th Birthday to my sweet boyfriend who is once again stuck in the field!

Annnd, Happy Monday to all of you! I had the most amazing run this morning (despite the rain and slushies) and can already tell it's going to be a fabulous week!

I have some other exciting news, I graduate from my BCIT program this week! I have my last final to do on Wednesday and then my many years of part time classes are over! I still obviously have my nutrition program, but it's just nice to be done one chapter! So, I guess I'm a qualified business manager and leader now? Haha.

As a graduation present to myself, and partly as a Christmas present from my loved ones, I bought myself a MacBook Pro! I couldn't be more thrilled! I ordered it online (whyyy I didn't just go to the Apple store is beyond me!) but I'm practicing patience, or trying to, and awaiting its arrival in 8 short days! Until then I will just stare at it longingly...

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Boundary Bay Moustache Half Marathon!

2011-11-07T09:21:00.001-08:00

Oh boy, I'm SO glad that is over. This half marathon was filled with learning experiences. Let me share those with you.

1. Always charge your iPod the night before. I was so focused on making sure my Garmin was charged, I totally forgot about my iPod. I could have used my iPhone, but I updated it last week on my new laptop and have yet to transfer music over. First fail.

2. The first 5K were great. At that point, I stopped for some gatorade/water. The gatorade did not agree with me at ALL. I felt awful and sick to my stomach for the remainder of the race and many hours post race. In the future, I will stick to water only.

3. I will not sign up for long races past August or warmer months. It was freaking cold. Thankfully, I went to the Running Room and bought gloves, but my muscles had a very hard time warming up. Not to mention the course was right on the water so that added to the cold.

4. I will also not sign up for small races. The Chicago Rock 'N Roll Half was obviously huge compared to this one. There is something to be said for the energy the crowd and fellow runners bring to such an event! The location for this race was beautiful so there are definitely no complaints there, but it's hard to maintain motivation when you feel like you're running alone! If it wasn't for the pylons/markers, often times I would have thought I wasn't racing at all!

Before the race!

Home stretch!

I'm so glad I went and ran it. I got my cute, little moustache medal!

First major event down for November!

November Excitement!

2011-11-04T11:42:00.001-07:00

Blog friends, I feel like I'm bursting with excitment due to November's arrival! I used to loathe the Christmas season. I'm not sure why, but that is no longer the case. Over the past few years, I have grown to adore Christmas and everything it brings - warm, hearty foods, Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks, advent calendars, decorations, gingerbread, and family time.

Things have been busy around these parts, but while procrastinating from studying, I've managed to start my Christmas shopping and even wrapping? *gasp* I know. Productivity is at an all time high. (PS. My grades have not suffered so it's all good.)

Anyway, I thought I'd share my exciting November events with you! I know my presence has been fleeting lately, and I can't promise that will improve over the next couple months but bear with me.

This Sunday, November 6th, I have the Boundary Bay Moustache Half Marathon. Part of me thinks I should give myself a break and just bail on it since I haven't had time to train, or even run for that matter, but I miss it. If it's frosty and rainy like it was this morning, I can't make any promises, but if it's sunny, I'll give it a go! I don't need to be a superstar - I just want to ~~finish~~ get my moustache medal (so cool!).

After another week of school madness, I leave next Friday to go to Detroit for my friend Jamie's wedding! I couldn't be more excited to be there for her special day!

Other November events are my mom's 50th birthday, Dan's 30th birthday, and Dan finishing up his course on November 24th and making his journey home! So.freaking.excited. Approx. 28 days!

That is my month in a nutshell. I'm looking forward to everthing this month brings! I will do my best to document the events to share with you!

Happy November to you!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T15:16:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe it's already Halloween weekend. Last year I had a surprise visit from my love which involved us buying Halloween costumes and heading out to party. I was a cat and Dan was a tequila slinger. He was so freaking cute it's not even funny. Anyway, I will relive his cuteness while I'm celebrating this Halloween. What am I doing you ask? Oh, you're going to be so jealous.

This year, I'm going to "dress up" as none other then the precious Sleeping Beauty.

Source

Not only will I dress up as sleeping beauty, but I will be playing the part. This girl needs sleep in a big way. With school three nights each week, I've been in the groove of not going to bed until 12am (every night, whoops!), which is late for me. This week I must get my sleep and it will start tonight. Tonight's agenda - study cards and sleeping.

I hope you all have a fabulous night dressing up and celebrating this fabulously fun holiday! Stay safe!

Celebrate Organics!

2011-10-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Let's celebrate Organic Week!

Some of you may be wondering why on earth it's so important to eat organic foods - especially fruits and veggies! I'll tell you why!

1) One of the most obvious benefits is the fact that organic foods aren't grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, nor do they contain traces of chemicals so there is no negative affects on the body.

2) It tastes better! Many people may think it all tastes the same, but honestly knowing that it is produced organically, and often locally, makes it a million times more fresh tasting to me.

3) Organic food is good for the environment! Not only do I not want to ingest chemicals, but they aren't any good for our soil, air or water either. It's not safe for our generation or responsible due to the harm we're causing future generations!

4) When it comes to dairy, meat, and poultry, going organic has become a big deal to me. I am much happier when I know the animals have not been confined in a cage for their lives while eating God knows what. When explaining to anyone why I choose organic eggs, for example, I say "I like happy chickens!" And it's true - love the happy chickens.

There is a vitality in food. When a carrot, or other vegetable has to fend for itself without chemicals, it becomes stronger and offers many more nutrients for use in our bodies. There are so many elements to consider - like soil quality, location of farms, and ethical treatment of workers. It is up to each of us to decide what resonates with us and what we feel is most important.

Many families can't afford to buy all organic food, but if at all possible, focus on organic when buying the "dirty dozen" fruits and vegetables. They include: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.

What is one food item you are going to buy or eat this week that is organic?

Giving Thanks.

2011-10-11T09:49:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in Canada, so it was a weekend filled with festive celebrations! We had family dinner both Sunday and Monday night - how fabulous! I was in charge of cooking the turkey - I took a crappy cell phone photo for you all.

Tom was a beautiful little bird. I also made stuffing and it was fantastic. I almost want to make it again this week - is it wrong to make stuffing when it isn't Thanksgiving or Christmas? Why don't we eat it more often? Hmmm, strange. Anyway, I want to share the recipe with you, but I forgot to take a photo and something about posting a recipe sans photo seems so wrong. I guess I have an excuse to make it again? It had butter and bread obviously, pine nuts, parsley, fresh sage, shallots, onions, and spices. Yum.

Since it is Thanksgiving after all, I should list some things in my life that I'm grateful for. You know, every year that passes, I just become more blessed in life, and feel an immense amount of gratitude for absolutely everything.

I am grateful for...

1. Skype - I can "see" Dan even when we can't be together for the holiday.

2. My family - immediate and extended - they are such amazing, beautiful people and I'm so blessed to be able to spend my life with them.

3. Nanny's Trifle - My mom and her parents were born in England so traditional British foods are made to perfection!

4. Opportunities - There is really nothing in life I feel held back from or feel I can't do. This past year, I went on my second adventure to Thailand, (almost) completed all of my business program, began my RHN program and love it, all while spending the majority of the past year separated from my best friend and love.

I hope all of my fellow Canadians have a fabulous holiday that gave you much to be thankful for!

Happy October!

2011-10-02T22:07:00.001-07:00

Not to wish life away or anything, but I'm ridiculously excited that it's October. First of all, I can hardly even believe we're this far into 2011. I swear it was just the new year. I've been told that as I get older, the years will pass even more quickly which is a scary thought.

Why am I so excited for October? It means Dan will be home in two months! He's been gone three months so far and it's a great feeling being over halfway. We're both looking forward to his return and the fact he won't be leaving any time soon after!

I celebrated October 1st by spending the day in Cawston, BC with my parents. There is an organic farm, Harker's Organics, 4 hours away from home. We haul their produce into Whole Foods, so we thought it would be nice to check out the farm and support them during their annual Harvest Moon Festival. I'm so glad we went!

We arrived and immediately fell in love with all the fall décor. It provided some inspiration for me to pack up my flip flops at home. I've been having an unusually difficult time attuning to fall this year, but the festival definitely helped. They had a chef on site bbqing and creating fabulous food made with the organic produce. Along with the organic fruits, the farm owners, Troy and Sarah, use the fruits to make organic wine. It was so delicious! They have approximately 30 acres of land, but it is so inspiring when you see for yourself all that they are producing in that "small" area!

Here are some photos from the day!

Five for Friday.

2011-09-30T07:44:00.001-07:00

1. The way your face lights up when my picture initially loads on skype.

2. Watching Dinner Party Wars with you. I can't watch it when you're not here.

3. How I have to always hang up the phone when our conversation is over because you don't like to.

4. Cuddles on the couch that turn into me falling asleep. I swear I stay up late when you're not here, it's just that your so cozy.

5. Greeting you/being greeted after a long day.

How to Procrastinate...

2011-09-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Anyone need help in this department? I am pretty sure I would be qualified in discussing how one goes about procrastinating. I have perfected the art.

With my new school program comes a lot of tests. A LOT, friends. As in each "course" is approximately two and a half weeks long meaning the "midterm" comes one week and the "final" comes the following week - every.single.week. Yep. I'm realizing this is my demise for the next year (actually 11 months! Woohoo!) so I better get used to handling the stress. I have a test tomorrow so the studying procrastination has begun.

First thing this morning I watched an episode of Dead Like Me. I am currently addicted to this show and have been watching it on Netflix. Then, I had to drink some Kombucha and make some breakfast. (Okay, so being well nourished might actually be important in terms of studying.) I ate a piece of Steady Eddie bread with almond butter on it. As I'm eating it, I realise I actually despise my toast with regular old almond butter - I like the chocolate stuff! (We have discussed this love previously.) When I ran out of the yummy chocolate goodness, I decided I should rotate to reduce sugar consumption and eat the plain almond butter, but I think I'd rather not eat it at all. I had already made the trip to Costco and bought the big jar of Maranatha Almond Butter before having this revelation, so I had to find a way to use it. A little search over at Pinterest gave me an idea: Flourless Sugarless Almond Butter Cookies. Sounds good, right? Well, sounds good FOR you but are they really tasty? I just had to give them a whirl.

Coming out of the oven they smelled amazing. They were quite crumbly, but taste absolutely fabulous. Who even needs chocolate almond butter now? Honestly. I have wild ideas of making this healthy treat completely unhealthy by crumbling it on vanilla ice cream. Delish.

Ingredients: (adapted from I Heart Wellness)

2 flax eggs (mix 1 Tbsp ground flax and 3 Tbsp water (or almon

d milk) PER "egg")

2 cups all natural or organic almond butter

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1/4 cup carob chips

Directions:

First, mix the flax eggs in a medium sized bowl and let them sit for 5 minutes. After the "eggs" are ready, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Once mixed, spoon mixture onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Voilà!

Well, it's almost 10am now and the procrastination must end. Excuse me while I go study. Happy Wednesday!

Wild Fermentation Workshop.

2011-09-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, this past Wednesday I went to the Wild Fermentation Workshop, hosted by The World In A Garden and Julie Beyer of For the Love of Food. Julie actually goes to my school and has just begun the second year of the two year program to become a holistic nutritionist. I met her a few weeks ago at the Whole Foods Living Naturally Fair and was mesmerized and inspired by her knowledge!

The workshop was great. I knew next to nothing about fermenting foods before we began the session, and I left with so much knowledge. We made fermented beets, ginger carrots, kimchi, and sauerkraut. I'm not a fan of sauerkraut, especially after a bad experienced with juiced cabbage a couple months ago but I was excited about the other concoctions!

Honestly, it was a lot of work. Seriously I give people that actively ferment, can, jar - whatever you want to call it - serious props. Fermented foods are incredibly good for your digestive system and fermenting also reduces the amount of anti nutrients found on our live foods. (I will discuss anti nutrients with you soon! It's something I learned this week and previously had never even heard of!) Here are some photos from the event:

The workshop was held at Organic Lives and I highly suggest that if you live in Vancouver, BC, you take a visit! The food looks amazing and I'll be returning asap to have a wholesome and delicious dinner! Their smoothies look out of this world as well! Also, their macaroons are absolutely fabulous! It looks like some of their products can be shipped to different countries so US foodies check it out!

Photos courtesy of Alicia from The World In A Garden

Five for Friday

2011-09-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

I have had such a crazy week and have SO much to blog and share with all of you, but I honestly don't know where to even start. I will articulate my thoughts over the weekend and hopefully have some interesting blog posts produced for next week. Maybe you can help me out - what would you like to know more about in terms of healthy eating or maintaining a healthy lifestyle? Digestion, clean foods, fermenting (learned a lot about that at a workshop on Wednesday night so you'll likely hear about it anyway), organic foods, vitamins/minerals, water purification? What interests you? I'll leave you to ponder that - please leave a comment with any suggestions!

Now, for my five for friday -

1. You remembered I had a test this week and wished me luck even though I know you're ridiculously busy with your own work/tests/stress. :)

2. You miss me lots. I love that.

3. Butter is allowed. ;)

4. You listen to my countdown nonsense. Almost half way!

5. You are so so cute and help me with directions even when you're across the country.

I love you and can't wait to see your sweet face again!

PS. I'm literally smiling at my computer. :)

Ashley and Dan take on North America!

2011-09-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

It's been just over two months since I took an amazing trip with Dan across North America. It was last minute, quick, and tiring but nothing short of absolutely perfect. There may never be another opportunity to drive across this large continent ever again and it was so fabulous to take on this "first" together.

Did I mention the drive was quick? Ha. I was sad to leave Dan knowing I wouldn't see him for five months, but pretty happy to get back to work for a "break." Spending 14+ hours in the truck was tiring. I did help drive but Dan was a determined super trucker and kept going when I would have been inclined to find the nearest hotel. Since the purpose of the trip was to get to New Brunswick as quick and safe as possible, there weren't many opportunities to stop and enjoy the scenery. I was pretty sad we didn't get to stop in Wisconsin for some cheese, or venture off route and go see NYC but we'll save that for another time.

First stop: Seattle: We were waiting for his route letter, or what my American friends would call "orders." We were anxious to get on the road, but didn't want to go too far from home just in case there was a quick change of plans. We ended up spending the night in Seattle waiting, and waiting, until we finally got the call. The road trip begins!

We drove through Washington, quickly through Idaho and Montana, stopping approximately an hour or so outside of Billings for a night's sleep. I think my favourite part of this entire day was while driving through Idaho and me and Dan saying back and forth "Idaho" - "no, youdaho!" I think you had to be there, but it brings a smile to my face just thinking about the entertainment Idaho brought to the oxygen lacking truck cab. It was a mostly dark drive, and I'm sad that we didn't get to see much of Montana in the daylight because in the morning we saw from a distance the mountains we drove through and they would have been fabulous to see (I think!). We slept at a truck stop - this little Canadian was very impressed with how nice most of them were! In the morning we drove for awhile and then stopped in a small town, of which I did not catch its name, and had breakfast in one of three restaurants. It was the only one open. I felt like I was in some alternate universe, but it was fun in its own right.

We got some pretty photos in Idaho, but they are on Dan's camera since I was driving.

I think this was Montana! It's hard to remember.

Look close: "Home On The Range" - loved that! North Dakota

I'm pretty sure this was the Largest Holstein Cow, in ND. Important stuff.

Really excited to hit Minnesota (purely for the Mall of America!) although we did not stop. Haha We did stop in St. Cloud, Minnesota for some much needed rest.

Interesting. Our friend in Wisconsin.

Hi cheese, bye cheese. :(

You know your desperate for touristy photos when...

Chicago! SO excited to see a big city!

Michigan! Home of my sweet friend Jamie! I was very excited to see this state!

Pretty sky. We met Jamie soon after this for a very late dinner and drinks. It was amazing and while we didn't take a photo (Hello! After many hours of driving and very little sleep over the last couple days I was in no state for a photo documenting our visit!)

After we met up with Jamie and her fiance, Ryan, we drove through Michigan and back into Ontario, Canada. In this photo you can see the bridge connecting the US and Canada and at night it was so beautiful but unfortunately I was too preoccupied trying to find somewhere to sleep and not so much interested in photos. Oh, this is the morning when we also thought we lost our passports. Driving until 3am is not good!

Dan drove through Ontario and we came back down into the US through New York. There are no Ontario photos because I was extremely tired and pretty much slept the entire day. Poor Dan. He was content, I swear.

We had no money left after all of the NY tolls. Sad day. Haha

EW! I almost forgot that I don't like this state because it houses Boston, who took the Stanley Cup away from our precious Vancouver Canucks last season. I refused to buy any souvenirs (the Stanley Cup Champion glasses made me sick!) and I drove through this state like a bandit! I will not condone what they did to us! ;)

We drove through New Hampshire late at night and slept in Portland, Maine, I think. I know it was Maine! It was extremely late and I think we got three hours of sleep that night. We were SO close to New Brunswick and Dan was anxious! I, on the other hand, was miserable and cranky.

We got to stop at Dunkin' Donuts - finally! I wasn't terribly impressed. I'll stick to Tim Horton's.

Back in Canada and almost at our destination! It was exciting!

Base housing - looks familiar!

We made it! Thankfully, even after the lack of sleep, I have very fond memories of this trip. Dan had to inprocess right away and I flew out the next morning after a cancelled flight. I wish we had more time to enjoy each other and all the wonderful states, but we made the best of it! I hope I didn't bore you to tears with these photos. I really just wanted to document it for myself so we can look back and remember the wonderful trip!

Have you been on a long road trip? Where did you go?

Quinoa Casserole.

2011-09-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

In honour of Slow Food USA's $5 Challenge coming up on Friday, September 16th, I made this delicious quinoa casserole. While I don't live in the USA, nor is Slow Food Canada participating, I've decided to participate in this wonderful event myself. Basically, the $5 challenge is to make a slow food meal for friends, family, or neighbours that costs no more than $5 per person. Slow food shouldn't have to cost more than fast food.

Here is the perfect recipe if you would like to do this in your own home! It was definitely FAR less than $5 per person especially with the amount of meals it made.

Ingredients:

2 medium squash or zucchini, sliced
1 28 oz. can of whole or crushed tomatoes
3 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 large onion, diced
1 whole red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic
1 pound ricotta cheese
pinch paprika
pinch of fresh or dry thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper
Mrs. Dash seasoning
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

First, prepare the zucchini. Slice it (not too thin!) and place them slightly overlapping on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. You want them to soften slightly but not soggy.

While the zucchini is baking, prepare the sauce. Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to a medium pot on medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the onion and peppers. Once partially cooked, add the canned tomatoes along with a pinch of salt and pepper, some paprika, and thyme. Stir this together and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Then add the quinoa! Let it simmer for a few more minutes until it thickens. Once the zucchini and sauce is ready, it's time to put it all together. In a buttered 9x9 baking dish, spoon a thin layer of sauce in the bottom. Then ad a layer of squash/zucchini and crumble on ricotta. Continue layering and finish with a layer of sauce.

As you can see from the photo, my casserole didn't end with a layer of sauce. It was good with the zucchini and ricotta on top too! This recipe is so versatile. In the future, I'd love to add some mushrooms and be a bit more generous with the spices. I was concerned it was going to be too overwhelming with all the Mrs. Dash (I'm obsessed!) I was adding, but it actually could use more flavour. If you want to make it even more hearty or meat lover friendly, beef could be added too!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes and then serve.

Do you have a favourite healthy, economical, "go to" recipe? If so, please share! I'd love to try it!

New look!

2011-09-12T09:32:00.001-07:00

How fun is it when you rearrange your bedroom or another space in your house? It's fun, right? It makes you motivated to keep it clean, provides you with great sleep, and in general, gives you a happy feeling!

Well, that's what I've done here! Fran, from Small Bird Studios , gave my blog a much needed makeover! I was looking for something cheerful and inspiring rather than the dark, black space that existed before. This new look will inspire me to get to know my blog lovelies better and give more of myself to you.

I am loving RHN school and have fun things to share with you. I promise my blog won't become some soapbox where I rant and rave about all things nutritional. I just want to provide inspiration for others to lead a wholesome life. After all, this is why I'm taking the program in the first place. Over the past two weeks, I've learned many things and think "I need to share this on my blog!" There are so many misconceptions (like butter being bad for you - the fact that it isn't totally bloggled my mind) and other fun things that you would benefit from knowing!

So, here is to a new space, inspiration, and blog growth! Thank you all for following me on this journey!

Five for Friday.

2011-09-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

1. You text me asking how my test went.

2. We're skyping right now now and you left me to go get your laundry. haha Thank you because I almost forgot to do my five for Friday.

3. You are cute when you vent about work.

4. You finally caved and got the internet which I'm grateful for since we can have skype dates! yaaay!

5. You think I'm pretty even when I feel grungy. I love you for that! :)

Delicious Chocolate Vita Muffin Knock Off!

2011-09-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like Vita Muffins? They are the perfect little treat when you're trying to watch what you eat. Who likes that they cost $6 for 4? I'm sure quite a few people would put their hands down. While I'm perfectly okay spending more on things that are healthy for me, I'd much rather bake my own if possible. Well, blog friends, it's totally possible. In fact, these muffins aren't as good as the Vita Muffin version, they are far better. That's just my opinion though.

I've been eating really whole foods lately. Avoiding sugar, excess flour, and sodium. I've basically been sticking to a "clean" diet filled with fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Well, usually, when it's time for PMS, I'm all over anything with those sweet, little, white, granular bits. Not this time! I baked these muffins to give me the chocolate I crave but without flour, refined sugar, and all those other nasty ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup oats

3 egg whites

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar substitute or 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp stevia (I used 1/2 cup agave nectar)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I may have used slightly more...)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cup muffin pan with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips. Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.

Place muffin tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven, distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin. Place muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes at 116 calories per muffin! Perfection! You can find the original recipe here.

Protein Trail Mix Cookies.

2011-09-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

First Pinterest love. (I have multiple now, but these cookies got me hooked.) They are healthy, delicious, and just plain amazing. I made them for the second time last night and love eating one (or two!) with fresh berries for breakfast or an afternoon snack. I just love that there is no refined sugar in them.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp flax seeds (ground into meal)

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used carob chips for fun and love them!)

1/4 cup raisins (I don't like raisins so I substituted for a bit of the other nuts/carob chips)

1/2 cup vanilla protein powder

3 Tbsp honey (I used hazelnut flavoured Agave nectar)

3/4 tsp salt (omitted)

1/4 tsp vanilla

stevia to taste (I didn't find this necessary)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine ground flax with milk and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add flax mixture to dry ingredients and combine. The mix may seem dry, but this is normal. To make cookies, spoon the dough into your hand and pack cookies. Place the cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until slightly browned. Let them cool completely on pan before transferring to an airtight container.

Please just do yourself a favour and go buy all the ingredients for these tasty (and healthy!!!) protein packed treats and try them for yourself! They are SO simple!

PS. Look forward to Monday's post! You are in for a serious treat. While these cookies were my first Pinterest love, they are no longer my favourite!!!!

I have a problem...

2011-09-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted to Pinterest. I'm in love with the site, just like pretty much everyone else. At first I refused to sign up because I already have a StumbleUpon account and really, why would I need something so similar? Boy was I wrong!

With Stumble Upon, everything is scattered and completely disorganized. With Pinterest everything fits onto its sweet little board in utter perfection. The best part is I've actually made a couple recipes that I've pinned (with great success I must add!) and even used one of the inspirational quotes I pinned as my Facebook status update. It's all so wonderful.

I will be sharing a recipe tomorrow that I made that is absolutely fantastic! I also have some great plans for my other pins coming up so stay tuned!

Follow me!

Five for Friday.

2011-09-02T10:44:00.001-07:00

1. You helped me figure out my bluetooth that you bought for me two Christmases ago. I'm sorry I failed it for so long but I LOVE it now! :)

2. You thought of flying home to surprise me for the long weekend. The saying "it's the thought that counts" totally applies here. I wish flights didn't cost a fortune!

3. 7 weeks down, approximately 14 to go. Must be thankful for small mercies. We rock.

4. I'm always thinking about you which in turn makes me happy.

5. You are always concerned that I'm getting out and having fun. It's cute.

I love you! Happy Labour Day long weekend!

Back to School!

2011-08-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

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Is anyone else getting ready to go back to school? Is anyone wishing they could catch a break from regular, old life and just be a student again? Haha. I'm apparently one of those people who can't take any serious absence from attending classes. Since high school ended, I haven't spent much time completely outside of a classroom. I became an esthetician, then attended school part-time for business management and leadership, and now I'm starting up classes to become an RHN. I would like to think I'll take a hiatus from all things school related for awhile after this program, but I just can't promise anything. There are soo many health realted studies peaking my interest! I don't think I'll ever be able to learn enough.

Along with my new school year and new classes, my blog is going to get a new look very soon! I used to enjoy my dark, little blog, but recently I've been feeling I need some vibrant colours. I am happy and feeling really positive, which needs to be reflected in my blog! So, here's to a new school year and a soon-to-be new blog look!

Five for Friday.

2011-08-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

1. It's your 30th birthday soon and I'm more excited than you are.
2. When I'm feeling down in the dumps you are always so positive and able to lift me back up.
3. I checked my "Note" app today to see if I had written anything down to tell you. It read: "Thank you for always understanding."
4. You're mine.
5. You'll be home in 15 weeks (hopefully!) and spending all your time with me (ha!) thus making "five for friday's" much easier on me. There are endless reasons why I love you, but it will be fun when you come home and refresh my memory!

Race Recap.

2011-08-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

All week I have been wanting to update you all on the fabulous race that was, but I've been lazy and sort of tired. It happens.

I flew out of Seattle into Chicago on Friday afternoon arriving around 10:30pm. Jamie had already arrived so we made our way to our hotel (picking up a bottle of Skinny Girl Margarita on the way - yum!). After a long night of chatting and laughing we finally went to bed so we could make it to the Expo on Saturday! Oh, we made it alright, but this girl was sleepy. I can't sleep in to save my life so I was still up at 7am with burning eyeballs since the time difference was actually 2 hours ahead for me. That's what happens in a whirlwind weekend trip.

The expo was SO MUCH FUN. Oh my goodness, if I could go to an expo dedicated to health and running every single day, I would be the happiest girl on the planet. It's like one big, giant health food store - sort of. Anyway, it was amazing. We got treats from Bear Naked, MGD (nothing like some 64 calorie beer to carb load!), Snickers Marathon bar, XSport Fitness, Larabar, and sooo many others! The Chicago Rock 'n' Roll souvenir area was wonderful too! I got my obligatory shot glass. After the Expo, Jamie introduced me to Qdoba. It was love at first bite - seriously.

After plenty of walking around, we went to Pizzeria Due for some intense carb loading. I ate a BBQ chicken deep dish pizza and I swear it is what got me through my run the next day. So satisfying. After yummy pizza and drinks, we waddled back to our hotel, falling asleep at 9pm to get ready for our big day.

Sunday morning came a bit too soon, but we did get lots of rest and were ready for the big day! The race didn't start until 6:30am but we arrived an hour early to Grant Park and found our corral. I don't like being rushed or late, so this was perfect knowing we had plenty of time to relax and get our mojo going!

The race itself went really well considering my lack of training of late. After drinking 1litre of water prior to running I did have to stop for a pee break at 1km. It was probably for the best though because at least I didn't have to wait in any lineups later. The first 10kms felt like a breeze, which is more than I can say for my training runs. It was nice having people to pass because it gave me inspiration and energy. In the 10k race I did in June, it was so small that I felt like everyone was passing me which kind of becomes demotivating. We were determined to take it somewhat easy and enjoy Chicago while running this race so we took some breaks but not many. I can't even describe how amazing it was to be in such a large crowd of people sharing the same passion and enthusiasm. Around mile 11 it started to rain and we were getting tired so we walked for awhile. At mile 12, we decided to run right to the finish line. All I have to say is longest.mile.ever. We kept running and running and finally I spotted the finish line which gave me the extra boost to get through!

Post race, we received our two beers (yay!), a banana, snacks, water, and had our photo taken! I felt it was all really well organized from picking up our race packets and swag bags at the Expo, to getting water/cytomax throughout the race, and receiving our medals at the end. It was all seemless and I would definitely recommend Rock 'n' Roll races to others and hope to run more of them myself! We actually met a man from the Competitor Group at the Expo and he said they were thinking about coming to Vancouver next year so hopefully they do!

(Sorry, adding photos to my posts messes up the formatting lately! Excuse the large spaces!)

Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Abby from flying high with my flyboy on winning my giveaway! I used a random number generator (came up with number 4!) but I can't figure out how to post it. I'm in way too big of a hurry trying to get out of the house to get to Chicago so you'll just have to trust me!

Abby, if you can e-mail me your address that would be fabulous! I'd love to send it off to you today!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Can't wait to give you the full recap on Chicago when I return!

Chicago Bound!

2011-08-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I leave for Chicago to have a weekend away with my wonderful friend Jamie from Jamie Loves. We met briefly last month when I drove across North America with Dan (I guess I should blog about that trip?) so I'm really excited to be able to spend more time together than just a couple hours! We're going to be running the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon on Sunday! It's my first half and I'm very excited!

I will be drawing for the Giveaway tonight! I will annouce the winner early tomorrow morning. Happy Thursday!

I love Mondays.

2011-08-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

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Some people despise this precious day and get the Monday blues, but I personally, adore Mondays. Nothing like a fresh start every single week.

Things I'm happy about this Monday:

- I'm another week down without Dan. There are still plenty of weeks to go but we must take baby steps. Worst case senario: 16.5 more weeks. Let's not think about that.

- I get to meet my fabulous friend Jamie in Chicago this weekend for the Chicago Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon! (the half part should be interesting given my lack of running as of late)

- I've lost 10lbs in the last few weeks since I said goodbye to Dan in New Brunswick. Goodbye vacation eating and hello clean, whole foods. (Vacation foods will resume in Chicago, that I can promise. Deep dish anyone?)

- I finished my last paper for my Leadership 3 class on Saturday which means I have three weeks free from school work until I start my last business class (ever!!) and my RHN classes (love!).

- It's sunny and I mean, who can be in a bad mood with glorious weather? Not this girl.

Happy Monday to all my lovely blog friends! What is putting a smile on your face today?

** Don't forget to enter my giveaway! **

Giveaway!

2011-08-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

I mentioned last week, that I would be having a giveaway in honour of starting school to become an Registered Holistic Nutritionist this September!

If you're interested in healthy food, you must enter this giveaway! Here are the goods so far:

Chocolate PB2 - Healthiest PB ever!, a Spirulina & Ginseng Bounce Energy Ball, PB Larabar, a couple packets of Emergen-C, 1 bottle of Liquid Greens Cholorophyll, a pack of all natural gum, Cocoa Kissed Savi Seed, Prarie Naturals Greens Force, and most importantly a MacaSure Organic Chocolate Bar. Most of these products I've tried and love, some are even new to me! They are also primarily Canadian so my US blog loves have the opportunity to get some products that are totally new to them! I spend way too much time in health food stores, so I have no doubt there will be more yummies to add to this giveaway as the week goes on!

To enter!

1. Follow my blog!

2. Leave a comment telling me one healthy thing you're going to do for your body this week!

3. Make a post about my giveaway on your own blog!

When you have done one, or all of these things, make a separate entry for each! (Max 3 entries)

The contest closes on August 11th, 2011 at 11:59pm so make sure to enter before then! Goodies will be mailed on the 12th so you can enjoy asap!

Good luck!

Summer Favourite & Giveaway!

2011-07-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

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After eating a bowl full of delicious, fresh, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with greek yogurt, chia, and cinnamon on top, I felt inspired to tell you all that fresh berries are hands down my favourite thing about summer. What a great way to start a sunny Saturday.

Now, on to the even better stuff. I'm going to have a giveaway in honour of my new path to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist! More details to come next week!

Five for Friday.

2011-07-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

1. Eminem came on the radio on my way to work this morning and I thought of how we listened to him while driving through Michigan. haha

2. You called right after my meeting on Wednesday to find out how it went.

3. You support me in all of my craziness.

4. You don't know it yet, but when you come home you will be my case study and I can test all my healthy ways on you. Be warned. :)

5. We're two and a half weeks down! Ha.

A New Path...

2011-07-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have been contemplating what I want to do with my life for some time now. It's been somewhat of a struggle for me over the last five years or so because how are you supposed to know where you are going when you have no idea where you want to go? It was difficult, but I've been directed into an area I'm very passionate about!

In September, I'll be beginning classes to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN). The program is 1 year ( I can choose afterwards to go for 2 years to get an advanced diploma) full-time, which is actually only two nights per week. There is a lot to learn, so it's going to be challenging, but most importantly very fun because I am so interested in health, food, the body, and the way it all works together!

If you're wondering what an RHN is exactly, here is the description from the school's website:

"R.H.N.s™ Registered Holistic Nutritionists™, (or, Registered Holistic Nutritional Consultants™ in the Atlantic Provinces) (or, Holistic Nutritionists™ or Holistic Nutritional Consultants™ in Alberta) are professionals trained in Natural Nutrition and complementary therapies, whose principal function is to educate individuals and groups about the benefits and health impact of optimal nutrition.

Mainstream medicine does not emphasize the significance of poor nutrition as a major cause of a wide range of health disorders. Although most people are aware of the benefits of sound nutrition, the range of conflicting information available to the consumer is often confusing. RHNs™ guide their clients through the maze of information from books, magazines, supplements and diets on the market. They work with clients to identify and help correct the nutritional causes of diseases, and they are qualified to design personalized diet and lifestyle programs that optimize health. Many RHNs™ also contribute to the health and well-being of Canadians by writing articles for prominent health care magazines such as Alive and Vitality."

I am so excited! I can't wait to start the program so I can start assisting others in maintaining healthy, fulfilled lives!

Juice!

2011-07-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

After what feels like a million hours of talking about juicing, cleansing and the whole catastrophe, I'm actually going to make a positive post about it! I bought my juicer on Friday night and boy have I been having fun. I made a trip to the market and got all sorts of fun veggies like beets, kale, fenugreek, ginger, and a host of other things!

This morning's juice is blogworthy. Seriously, it is amazing. I've only taken a few sips so far because I'm waiting for it to chill in the fridge for awhile, but it's fantastic.

Look at that gorgeous green colour. Pure health.

You might be curious to know what is in this! Half a head of romaine lettuce, 3 stalks of kale (don't think they are juicy enough!), a lemon, 2 apples, and a small piece of ginger. Obviously this isn't all of it, it made quite a bit! I highly recommend.

Five for Friday.

2011-07-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

I miss...

1. your help in folding up the fitted sheet. I just can't get it right.
2. your organizing.
3. seeing your excited face when I get home from work.
4. hanging out on Sundays and doing fun things with you like going to the farmer's market.
5. spending time with you in the truck (while driving across North America) just being content in each other's presence.

PS. Totally off topic - Bava juice is having a tough time figuring out how to get the product to me and keeping it fresh. I've decided I don't want to do it right now because it's been too stressful so I think I'm going to buy a juicer and do my own thing. I will keep you updated but I just wanted to let you all know in case you were wondering where the fun cleanse posts were!

Happy Friday!

Delay...

2011-07-20T08:36:00.001-07:00

I am sad to report that there has been a delay in the cleanse. Bava sent out my cleanse on Monday for next day delivery by 8:30am. Apparently, Canada Post fails in a really bad way and STILL haven't delivered it. Nevertheless, Bava is really stepping it up so kudos to them! They had another cleanse out for delivery bright and early this am with a courier company so it will reach me tomorrow morning.

Yesterday, I was a VERY unhappy person while waiting for my cleanse to arrive. I didn't eat until 2pm because I was oh so hopeful it would magically appear. It didn't but the Chinese food I ordered was amazing. Note to self - never do that again because bad (but yummy!) food choices are made.

So, stay tuned, blog friends for my reviews on their product in the next few days!

ETA: The first cleanse delivery was delivered this afternoon. It wasn't pretty. The postal worker placed the juice on the reception part of my desk and it dripped out everywhere. Drip may not even be the right word. Exploded would be a better description. Pressure had built up and the caps (which are strong!) and popped like champagne corks. I wish I took photos because it would have been entertaining to you, I'm sure. Tomorrow will bring new juice, a positive attitude, and a happy, healthy cleanse. Can't wait.

Happy Monday!

2011-07-18T07:40:00.001-07:00

Remember the cleanse I mentioned last week? Well, it starts tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited about three days of drinking juice! Tomorrow morning, bright and early, 12 wine bottles filled with a variety of juices will arrive at my door for me to consume for the next three days. I am a pretty clean eater, but regardless of that, it's good to cleanse every once and awhile. I've done a store bought cleanse before where you still eat foods, which really isn't the point. Rarely does our body ever get to cleanse our digestive systems. It takes 12 hours of not eating solids before our body begins to cleanse! By this point you may be thinking I'm nuts, but look at these yummy flavours and tell me you wouldn't love it? (Okay, so I'm fully aware at times it's not going to be easy, and I will be sure to track exactly how I feel and give you a run down mid-week.)

Introducing Good Morning Bava, a blend of beets, carrots, celery, lemon, apple, parsley, and lemongrass.

Lemon/Cranberry concetrate with a blend of lemons and cranberries to add to your water throughout the day!

Good Afternoon Bava, a blend of broccoli, parsnip, cucumber, kale, granny smith apples, asparagus, watermelon, and mint.

Good Evening Bava, a blend of grapes, cabbage, blueberries, grapefruit, papaya, pineapple, watercress, and ginger.

Mmm, can't wait for this one! Feel like a nut milk Bava with almonds, sesame seeds, dates, vanilla beans, anise, fenugreek, nutmeg, cardamon, black pepper, and gloves. (Mmm, chai!)

Well, there we have it! My Canadian friends can get these juices ordered fresh here. There are no preservatives in them whatsoever, so they only last for four days max. I will post updates throughout the week letting you know how I'm progressing!

I feel like...

2011-07-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

...I'm always posting "where have I been" posts because I'm so sporatic with my posting. This time, I've seriously been places not just sitting around thinking about blogging!

Dan put his name in for a position last week to be an instructor for an Army course in New Brunswick, and within 48 hours we were leaving to drive across North America! It was crazy and amazingly wonderful. We hit a million states and a couple provinces. I have added SO many places to my "states visited" and "provinces visited" list. It was a four day journey so we didn't have a lot of time to stop and soak up the sights, but we did stop to see my beautiful friend, Jamie. We had yet to meet in person (although we do have plans for Chicago Rock 'n Roll Marathon next month!!!!) so it was great to finally spend time together! Her fiance was in town so our guys got to meet too, which made it all extra fab!

So, alone I wait for another four months or so until Dan comes back! I have been feeling a little squishy lately due to the "boyfriend just returned from 10 months away - eat and drink whatever you want" mentality so here I return back to healthy eating. Next time he comes home, I swear I will maintain my healthy eating and not fall off the bandwagon. In an attempt to kick start my healthy eating habits, I've just purchased a juice cleanse that will be delivered on Tuesday! It sounds amazing and has great reviews so I can't wait! I will have more details on that next week!

I miss you all loads and will getting back into the swing of things here! I have lots of photos to share with you soon!

First 10K!

2011-06-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Can someone please tell me why I am so bad at updating? I wish I was better. I will work on it.

I wanted to update you all on my first 10K! Last Sunday I ran the Freedom Run 5000 to raise money for girl's schools in Afghanistan. It was such an amazing cause and I was so glad to be a part of it! The run itself went okay. I have had some breathing troubles for the past couple weeks. It turns out I've been low on Omega 3's so I've been taking fish oil capsules like it's going out of style. Hopefully it fixes me up soon! I was also struggling with allergies since this race was held in a farm area! I had some great support - Dan, my mom, and my grandparents!

I have my next 10K coming up on July 9th for the Underwear Affair which will be SO much fun. Thankfully, it's in downtown Vancouver so I don't think my allergies will be acting up as bad. Wait until you see my outfit for this race!

Here are some photos documenting my first race!

Before the race!

Crossing the finish line!

My cheer team (minus mom!) & me post race!

Five for Friday.

2011-06-24T15:26:00.001-07:00

1. We can spend the evening playing Island Paradise on our mobile phones and be completely content.

2. You always fill up my water bottle before we go out.

3. You tell me to go to the doctor for every (seemingly little) thing because you love and care about me.

4. Even though you hate running, you support me and even ran with me the other night.

5. You made me laugh when you asked if the "race kit" I have to pick up for my 10K this weekend includes rocket shoes. I wish.

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-06-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Where we camped this past weekend.

Source

Oh, hi!

2011-06-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

Dan came home last Thursday and it's seriously been a whirlwind since then! A quick weekend recap: trip to the US for cheap gas and Trader Joe's (love!!!), laptop shopping and buying (another love!), BBQ's, Canucks games, more BBQ's, three dozen cupcakes baked, and newly bought furniture built. It was nothing short of perfect yet busy and hectic all at the same time. Clearly, there just hasn't been time for blogging, but I feel like I have so much to say, so time will have to be made.

Oh, just a little fyi, too. For some reason, Blogger at work is not letting me comment on your precious blogs. It's frustrating, but I'm just going to have to make a point to read at home after work, and not on my lunch break. I have been reading though and I'll be catching up tonight so you can all expect a zillion comments from your blog posts from the past few weeks. I miss you!

Obviously, life is as perfect as it can get now with Dan being home. We're adjusting really well and it's so amazingly fabulous having him home. Lonely days are gone for now, although there is another short (6 weeks, haha) separation looming. It will be a piece of cake.

Half marathon training is still going wonderfully. I have been slacking for the past few days since Dan got home but tonight I'll be running my first 7 miles (11.4km for my fellow Canadians!) which I'm excited about!

Anyway, I hope you're all well. Can't wait to catch up with you all tonight!

Icing & Exciting News!

2011-06-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Icing is one of the greatest parts of a cupcake, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I have always just spread the icing on the cupcake with a knife. I've been seriously lacking.

My sister asked me to bake cupcakes for her boyfriend's graduation coming up this weekend so I knew I had to get my butt in gear and make some pretty icing. I went to Michael's and bought a Wilton Cupcake Decorating Set. I kind of figured my cupcakes would still look like a 5 year old made them, but I did surprisingly well! There is still lots of room for improvement, but I was in a rush before work this morning so giving myself time I think I can get close to perfection!

I will post photos of the grad cupcakes once complete but here are my testers for now!

I have another VERY special person to make cupcakes for this week also!!! Dan is FINALLY coming home!!! He'll be here by the end of the week and I (obviously!) couldn't be more excited!

Five for Friday.

2011-05-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

1. You encourage me to go out and have fun.

2. You support me in my quest to complete a half marathon.

3. You'll be home to me (finally!) in just over a month at MOST. Come on, Army! :)

4. You listen to my crazy happy rants about peanut butter.

5. You love Trader Joe's as much as I do, so I'm excited to have an extravaganza when you come home!

Stuffed Peppers.

2011-05-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

I like stuffed peppers, but recipes for them always seem like they have a million ingredients. There is a #1 pet peeve of mine. When I look at a recipe, it happens as follows: Look at photo first. Yep, looks delicious, what do I need to make that? WOAH! One million ingredients? Nope, doesn't look that good. The thought of making that particular recipe vanishes. I'm a lazy cook, what can I say.

Instead of spending numerous hours buying tons of ingredients and measuring them to make some delicious peppers, I tend to throw a bunch of random food items together and just let it happen. Tonight, it worked.

Before baking peppers!

Seriously, what would stop you from eating that? SO amazing.

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers, top removed

1 cup quinoa, cooked

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 small zucchini

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 container of Trader Joe's Chili Feta

dash of soy sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. Italian spices

pinch of paprika

salt & pepper to taste

I know it's kind of weird. Chili feta, soy sauce, italian spices...it's random.

Directions:

Saute vegetables in olive oil over medium heat until softened. Mix in spices and soy sauce. Once combined, remove from heat and add cooked quinoa and feta. Spoon into peppers. Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

My ingredient amounts are approximate since I literally just threw them all together without thinking. I can't wait to eat one for lunch tomorrow!

Overhaul.

2011-05-24T13:57:00.001-07:00

I may or may not have completely overhauled my 10K training schedule today. By overhaul, I actually mean I threw it away. Oh, I'm still running the 10K's but I have bigger things on the horizon.

On August 14th, I'll be running the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon with Jamie from Jamie Loves! We started our running journey together by doing the Couch to 5K ages ago so it will be ridiculously exciting to meet up and actually run together!

I have a page on my blog that was for my 10K training, but I will be turning into a page for half marathon training so you can keep up with me there! I am so excited!

Some Things I'm Loving...

2011-05-20T09:03:00.001-07:00

I've been missing this week. I'm not sure why. Work is busy as always and summer class just started up. Not that I've even started on any school work yet. I have a paper due Monday so maybe I should work on that. Anyway, work and school are not necessarily things I'm currently loving the most (but do love...sort of.)

Anyway, this week I've become obsessed with a few things and you need to know about it.

1. My tumbler has seriously increased my water drinking while at work. Move over Camelbak, I have a new love.

2. Dark Chocolate Almond Butter. Pretty sure it's the best thing since sliced bread. Love it on my quinoa pancakes or by the spoonful...whatever.

3. The Canucks. Definitely not a new love, by any stretch of the imagination, but the love is growing as the Stanley Cup Playoffs progress. My dad took me to the game last Sunday (row 4!!) which was amazing! I said I would buy a t-shirt if they won, which they did, so here I am in my new shirt!

Five for Friday.

2011-05-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

1. You're coming home!!! (When the Army makes us stop waiting...)

2. You said you'd bring me cupcakes until you realized that's sort of hard to do when I'll be picking you up from the airport. Maybe I'll bring you cupcakes instead. ;)

3. We'll be taking a fun step when you get home! I'm excited.

4. You promised not to surprise me again.

5. You're cute and I love you.

Jet-lag Boredom.

2011-05-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

I got home from Thailand around 10am Vancouver time last Tuesday after not sleeping for 48 hours. I was determined to stay up until at least 8pm so I could get into a normal sleeping pattern. What better way to keep yourself awake then by baking muffins! I adore muffins, but they are always so unhealthy (even if they are the devious bran muffin which one would think is healthy!) so I avoid them and eat them rarely.

I came across a recipe for Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Muffins and thought I'd like to try it! They are delicious and don't cost me 400+ calories like their unhealthy counterparts! I even froze some to keep them for my lunches and by the time noon rolls around they are defrosted and still just as tasty!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I reduced to less than 1/2 cup and it was sweet enough)
1/2 cup quick oats
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cup Greek yogurt - plain
1/4 cup skim milk (I used almond milk)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups blueberries (I used a mix of berries since that's all I had. I also used frozen but when the blueberry season is in full force I'll try fresh!)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, brown sugar, oats, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, oil, egg, and lemon rind. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in frozen berries. Scoop into muffin tin, filling 2/3 full.

3. Bake in center of oven for 30 minutes!

I am still adjusting from my trip. I sleep at the right times, I just get tired much earlier than normal resulting in me waking up far too early too.

As I briefly mentioned in a previous post, Dan's deployment has been cancelled. This means he'll be coming home!! I don't know when he'll be home because paperwork and out-processing have to be completed but I'm crossing my fingers it's not too long! I've been busy cleaning my place because I have a feeling it will be spontaneous! He's trying to get on a course which will take him away from home again for six weeks, but after that, we'll be living like a regular old civilian couple for awhile!

Oh, and I happened to notice that this is my 100th blog post! So happy 100th to me!

Elephant Hug!

2011-05-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

How precious is this? One of my favourite moments in Thailand to date!

I have some delicious recipes to share with you this week! Yummy posts to come!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

2011-04-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm unexpectedly back from my trip! I wasn't supposed to come home until May 7th, but my friend couldn't meet me in Bangkok on the 26th of April like planned, so I changed my flight! If you want to read about my trip, you can here. I had an absolutely amazing time. So many precious moments - like an elephant hug!!! Those photos are on my sister's camera so I'll post those later! We ate delicious food, tanned a little too much, and soaked up the wonderful Thai culture!

Here are a few photos from my trip:

Songkran Festival - Thai New Year where they splash you with a ridiculous amount of water and rub clay or baby powder on your cheeks! It's messy!

First of many delicious pineapple shakes!

Me on Karon Beach, Phuket!

Hello! & Goodbye!

2011-04-10T20:08:00.001-07:00

I have seriously been lagging in the blogging department. I haven't been reading or writing. I've been super busy getting ready for my trip to Thailand (I leave tomorrow!!!) and have had zero time to write here! Hopefully I'll be able to post while I'm gone, but if you'd like to keep up with my travels I can send you the link to my travel blog. A couple of you e-mailed me for it, but it wouldn't let me reply to your e-mails so if you'd like it e-mail me directly at a_cantafio@hotmail.com.

I hope you're all well and I hope to catch up with you soon!

P.S. Dan's deployment has been cancelled! That's really the only big news I have. More on that at a later date.

Quinoa Pancakes.

2011-03-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever eaten Quinoa? I tried it once before, but knew I had to try it again when I found a recipe for quinoa pancakes! This nutritious seed comes from South America and is packed with wonderful goodies such as protein, iron, calcium, maganese, and potassium. It has been known to help prevent Type 2 diabetes, childhood asthma, heart disease, gallstones and migranes (me, me, me!) It's good for us and I can see a quinoa fest in my future.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup skim milk (I used almond milk)

2 Tbsp maple syrup (I didn't have any, so I added butterscotch chips and bananas instead)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cool.

2. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and cooled quinoa. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and maple syrup. Whisk liquid mixture into quinoa mixture until combined.

3. Heat large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. In batches, add batter to pan by 1/4 cup amounts. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles form on surface and edges are golden. Turn and cook another 2 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup if you desire. I had peanut butter on mine and it was delicious!

Hi Loves!

2011-03-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hi blog friends!

I've been missing and for a wonderful reason! Two weeks ago, Dan showed up completely unexpectedly at my office with half a dozen adorable cupcakes in hand (can't forget those cupcakes!) We enjoyed our time together visiting friends and family, a wonderful weekend in Whistler, and lots of alone time. It was a great refresher to get us through until we see each other again! He left on Monday so I'm adjusting back to my usual routine. My biggest gripe? The cold bed. Brrr!

I'm keeping myself busy by working on papers and assignments to wrap up this semester! I can almost see the end in sight! After that, Thailand! Speaking of Thailand, I won't be blogging about my trip on this blog while I'm gone for safety reasons, but I'd love to share the link to my traveling blog with my readers. If you're interested, please comment or send me an e-mail and I'll give you the link!

There isn't much else going on with this girl right now, but I thought I'd stop in and say hi! I think I have a few photos to share of Dan's visit so I'll be sure to do so soon!

Five For Friday.

2011-03-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

1. You gave me the best surprise ever flying across the country to visit without me knowing!

2. You graced me with not only with your presence but with six delicious and adorable cupcakes!

3. You arranged for us to go away next weekend and sweet talked my mom into giving me the time off work.

4. Your cuddles!!!

5. You made this Five For Friday SO incredibly easy!

I love you!

Happy Tuesday!

2011-03-01T10:04:00.001-08:00

I'm very happy to report no bad moods have ensued this week and I don't intend for sadness in the near future! Horray!

I spent the weekend watching season one of Vampire Diaries. No word of a lie, I've watched 9 episodes since Saturday. Kind of sad, but I'm obsessed. Oh, and I like Stefan. He's so precious and Edward like without being creepy and gross.

I also got digital cable yesterday! I had to go meet the dude to hook it up and then came back to work. I was SO distracted all day knowing I could go home and watch The Bachelor at 5pm instead of the regular 8pm. So wonderful. I was able to watch that, finish a paper, and then watch the vamps. Success.

In other happy news, I received an award from sweet Jillian over at Iron & Sunshine!

Upon receiving this award, I must tell you five things about me!

1. I can't drink water out of a glass. I feel like it takes on the taste of glass and I just don't like it.

2. I love homework for the most part.

3. I've laughed way too many times at the scene in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective where he's kicking the package at the beginning of the movie. I'm not sure now why I thought it was so funny.

4. I love cupcakes. I wish they were healthy so I could eat them everyday.

5. I want to learn how to fly a plane. I will do it.

I am passing this award on to my lovelies:

Jamie Loves

Adventures in Italia

home is where the heart is

In The Blink of An Eye

Erasing Shades of Grey

A Distant Memory.

2011-02-25T09:54:00.001-08:00

Sure, the week started out with the Monday Blues, but they are just a distant memory now. The rest of the week was joyous and this weekend is going to be fantastic!

Tonight, I'm heading to a friend's fundraiser for the Relay For Life event supporting Canadian Cancer research! I'm looking forward to the silent auction, food, and visiting with friends!

This morning, I signed up for two 10K races! I have never run a race and while starting with a 5K might make the most sense, it seems somewhat uninspiring to me! I already know I can run 5K no problem, so I'm looking forward to training for 10K!

I have signed up for the Freedom Run 5000 10K on June 26th to raise funds to held educate girls in Afghanistan. I couldn't pass this run up. It's a small gesture compared to the large sacrifices my boyfriend will be making throughout this year in Afghanistan doing his part. I'm really excited for this one.

The second run I signed up for is The Underwear Affair 10K on July 9th to raise money for below the waist cancers like prostate, ovarian, and colorectal. It looks like SO much fun! People come out in great outfits and I have no doubt it will be a wonderful time!

So many fabulous things to look forward to!

Five for Friday.

2011-02-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

1. You keep me warm.

2. You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better.

3. You keep me in the loop. :)

4. You told me you wouldn't go on another deployment that required more than six months of training ever again. (Documented here for future proof. haha)

5. You always tell me you love me.

ps. I love you too.

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-02-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot my precious Wordless Wednesday! From today on, I vow to take all the photos myself! Hopefully this will encourage me to get out there and practice!

Monday Blues...

2011-02-22T08:16:00.001-08:00

...will NOT roll over into Tuesday. Just sayin'.

I was in quite possibly the worst mood ever yesterday. I didn't want to talk to anyone or socialize whatsoever. After a good night's sleep, I was still feeling a little funky on this fine Tuesday morning, but made the decision to be happy. I will think my way to happiness.

One sad thing from yesterday, is there is no more Meet Me On Monday. Bummer.

In order to maintain my good mood (or work towards it!) here are some happy things from this weekend:

- I took a photography class and learned the DSLR basics

- I bought a new iPod since mine went missing for $100 cheaper than retail

- I had a skype date with my love

- I had a nice lunch with my parents on Sunday

- I had another generous donation for the Thai babies!

Fun thing for this evening! It was my brother's birthday on Sunday, so tonight we're heading to The Eatery, the most delicious sushi restaurant in town! My brother has never been, so I'm looking forward to introducing my favourite sushi to him!

Here's to no more moody Monday's - only happy ones!

Five For Friday.

2011-02-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

1. You signed an e-mail you sent me as "Dan your biggest fan." Made my day.

2. You made sure to buy me roses with a vase so I wouldn't have to put them in a juice jug like I did last time you spoiled me with a grogeous bouquet.

3. You visited me in my dreams last night. Even if it wasn't such a great dream and made me wake up sad because you're not physically here, it was still nice to see you.

4. You inspire me to be a better person.

5. Just thinking about you puts a smile on my face.

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-02-16T11:46:00.001-08:00

Meet Me On Monday.

2011-02-14T14:23:00.001-08:00

1. Did you get any Valentine's Gifts?

I sure did! How lucky am I? They are absolutely gorgeous! :) Thank you sweetie!

2. What is your favourite topping on something toasted?

I'd have to say Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter.

3. Do you pick out your outfit the night before?

No. I like to see how I feel in the morning to decide what I wear.

4. What food item do you absolutely despise?

Eggplant.

5. Righty or Lefty?

Righty!

Five For Friday : Valentine's Edition.

2011-02-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

1. You sent me the perfect Valetine's Day e-card. :)

2. Even though we aren't together today, the day is still perfect because you are my Valentine.

3. You enjoy reading my blog. It makes me feel loved.

4. This time last year, we were in Seattle thinking we'd go to The Melting Pot (silly us with no reservations!) but regardless of the chaos the night ended perfectly. I love that sometimes crazy moments become the best ever simply because we're together.

5. This time next year, you will be home.

6. OMG! This is a bonus because I just got the most gorgeous delivery of red roses I've ever seen in my life! I love you! (Pictures to follow this evening!)

Happy Valentine's Day, love!

Happy Week.

2011-02-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have a week where a million minuscule things happen that just make it so ridiculously amazing?

I feel blessed always, but it's like this week was just totally aligned in my favour. I can't even remember anything negative happening. How great is that? Someone said "Thank God it's Friday!!!!" And I thought, "No, hang on a second! I want to keep living this week!!!" Please don't end week - I like you!

Do you want to know why it was so fabulous? I'll tell you as long as you promise not to laugh. Small things make my day.

1. I ran to work three times this week and it just gets me in the right mood!

2. I ordered flowers on behalf of Dan and myself for friends of ours. One couple lost their son and the other couple had a beautiful gift in the form of a sweet, baby boy. We sent them the same bouquet, filled with beautiful bright yellow and orange flowers. On this particular day, there was a Groupon offering for a flower service all over Canada and the US. How wonderful!

3. I got some school things straightened out that had been bothering me and affecting my GPA. The beautiful people in Student Records corrected the mistake which has now given me peace of mind.

4. I had some dental work done two weeks ago but didn't expect any reimbursement from my insurance provider. It was my lucky day though because I received a cheque covering almost the full amount! Happy day!

5. I spent some time with my mom! We just went to the mall and then she came back to my place for dinner. Mom time is always a good thing!

6. Speaking of mom, she sent me this amazing quote which I found so much peace in. "When we say to you, make peace with where you are, we want you to make peace with where everyone is; we want you to make peace with the world events; we want you to make peace with where your friend is in relationship with where your friend wants to be. We want it to be all right with you where anybody is."

7. Countdowns. 42 days until the end of the semester. 58 days until Thailand. Less than 100 until I see Dan.

Did you have any small, wonderful things happen in your week?

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-02-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

2 months and 2 days away. Today, I'm sharing some photos I took on my last trip!

Meet Me On Monday.

2011-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

1. Did you watch the Superbowl?

Negative. Instead, I took a trip down to the US to fill up on cheap gas and stock my cupboards with Trader Joe's! Much more exciting!

2. What is the last book you read?

Elixir by Hilary Duff. I read it in 3.5 hours early yesterday morning! It was surprisingly good!

3. What is your favourite kind of cake?

Chocolate hands down.

4. Do you snore?

No.

5. Do you play an instrument?

I played the piano for 8 years when I was younger but honestly couldn't play anything now.

Five for Friday.

2011-02-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

1. You make your own hilarious lyrics to Ke$ha.

2. You reminded me I hate getting pruney hands so I probably shouldn't take the second job that involves washing dishes.

3. You like the cards from someecards.com I send you.

4. Regardless of how crappy your day was, you'll always listen to my whining. :)

5. You answer my ridiculous texts freaking out when I fail technology and do whatever you can to help.

I love you!

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-02-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Meet Me On Monday.

2011-01-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

My friend, Abby, started this on her blog today, and I thought I'd start too so my readers can get to know me a bit better! It is courtesy of Java at Never Growing Old!

1. What do you put on your hot dog?

I enjoy ketchup and banana peppers on my hot dog! Yum, now I want one.

2. Do you play Sudoku?

I don't play often but I do enjoy it!

3. What is your favourite vegetable?

Tie between cucumbers and cauliflower.

4. Do you colour your hair?

Yes, usually every six weeks except for when my hair dresser goes on maternity leave like she is now. Hopefully the baby comes soon and she gets back to work!

5. What is your favourite brand of clothing?

I don't have a favourite. I enjoy a bit of everything.

Five for Friday.

2011-01-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

1. You listen to my silly work stories.

2. You care so ridiculously much about your friends. I think it's super cute you want to shop for gifts from across the country so they're truly from you, even though I'd gladly do it. SO cute. :)

3. You call me every day to see how P90X is going. It's fun to be doing it "with" you.

4. You always ask how I am.

5. When we were compromising on husband and wife duties, you took on my two least favourites. Now, can you please come clean my counter? It needs you.

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-01-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Thank you Pioneer Woman! Click here for the link to the recipe!

Beautiful Day!

2011-01-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's pouring here in Vancouver and absolutely ugly outside. Thankfully, I am in a ridiculously good mood regardless!

Here are some fun happenings that are taking away any chance of me having the Monday blues!

- I'm starting P90X today and pretty excited about it.
- I didn't gain any weight over Christmas (unless I lost it in the last couple weeks...)
- There are only two months left in this semester!
- Thailand in less than 80 days (and VERY soon after I get home will see Dan)!
- I was sick last week and I'm feeling 100% back to normal now!

So many happy things!

What are you excited about for the coming week?

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are all in harmony. - Gandhi

Five for Friday.

2011-01-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Where did the week go? I can't believe I haven't posted since my last Five for Friday.

1. You give me news about stuff and things as soon as you have it.

2. You helped me get a free download of P90x.

3. You console me when I'm upset and never make me feel silly even though there is a pretty good chance I am being silly.

4. You make waiting easy because you're more than worth it.

5. You helped me get my computer fixed which I'm forever grateful for because we can continue our Skype dates!

Five for Friday.

2011-01-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've done Five for Friday! I've been busying giving the boy real life love. I'm not having a great time adjusting to him being gone again! Three weeks at home formed somewhat of a routine that I'm currently working on getting out of!

1. You did my laundry when you were home on leave. I appreciated it because it gave me the opportunity to spend more time with you when I was home from work.

2. You're so cute and shared your favourite moments with me on the way to the airport.

3. You are beyond generous to me and my family.

4. We're 3/5 goodbyes down! Only two more goodbyes and we get to say hello for good! Can't wait!

5. You made dinner with me the last night you were home for your friends. You even rushed to the store at the very last minute to get eggs and milk for the yorkshires that I thought I needed and didn't. Sorry. :)

Black Forest Cake

2011-01-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

As a surprise for Dan before he left, I decided to make him Black Forest Cake. Cakes aren't something I have really baked much, I prefer little cake morsels like cupcakes. They're much more manageable.

While I definitely became frustrated while making the cake, in the end all was okay and it turned out well! I'm not a huge fan of this cake to begin with, but I have to admit it was yummy!

You can find the recipe here.

Worst Blogger Award.

2011-01-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

It's official. I'm giving myself the Worst Blogger Award. I have seriously slacked over the holidays and it's time to end the hiatus.

Happy New Year!!

The holidays came and went with a flurry. I'm having a hard time believing it's already the middle of January! My time with Dan was amazing and went by way to quickly.

Some exciting news!!!! I was going to go to Thailand in June but because of some concerns with Dan's schedule and my plans, Stacey and I decided it would be best to go in April!!!!! We couldn't be more excited! Another new development is that my sister, Mellie, is going to come too! Her school has graciously allowed her to miss two weeks of school so she'll volunteer with us and come to Bali with us too! Then, we'll send her off and head to the south of Thailand to lay on the gorgeous beaches. It will definitely help time pass before I see Dan again and is giving me something to look forward to!

I have some great recipes to share from the holidays and will work on doing that in the next couple weeks!

Tis the Season...

2010-12-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

to head out of town! My love arrived in town on Friday and we're heading up to his mom's for a few days before coming back home to celebrate the season with my family.

I just wanted to wish all my fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas!

Grandad's Pick: Mince Tarts.

2010-12-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

Grandad loves Mince Tarts and Nanny really wasn't into baking them for him this year! I used the same pastry recipe as Dad's butter tarts, and filled them with premade mincemeat. Grandad thouroughly enjoyed them!

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-12-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Parasailing in Cancun - 2007 - Best week ever!

Dad's Pick: Butter Tarts.

2010-12-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

My dad loves Butter Tarts so naturally, he wanted me to attempt to make them. When I asked him what made good butter tarts, he said "they need to be creamy." As someone who doesn't enjoy this particular baked good, it's hard to know what exactly he means by creamy. I figured I had to start somewhere, so here we began. They got two thumbs up, although I have yet to get feedback as to whether they are, in fact, creamy.

Butter Tarts
makes approx. 16

Ingredients:

Filling

1 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Pastry

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. icing sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. ice water
1 egg

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the pastry, sift flour, icing sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Pinch shortening into small cubes and rub lightly into the flour mixture until broken into crumbly pieces. Whisk vinegar, ice water, and egg with a fork in a separate bowl. Pour around edges of flour mix and pull together to form a ball. Flatten into 2 disks and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out to 1/8" thick and cut 4" round. Form circles into small muffin pan.

For the filling, combine raisins, butter, sugar, syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Heat on the stove at low heat until butter is melted and the mix is warm. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and eggs. Fill the muffin pan 2/3 full. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Childhood Desires.

2010-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

I always received amazing presents from ~~Santa~~ my parents, but regardless of how blessed you are, there is always something you didn't get. While shopping down in the States on Sunday, I was ridiculously excited when I came across the Candy Land game. I never had it as a child but always wanted it! Now as a 24 year old adult, here I am purchasing a game for those 3+. Go figure.

I remember my favourite toy, which I received from Santa, was an Ariel doll. She sang and was the greatest thing ever, at that time. I noticed that year, that my Santa present was wrapped in the same paper as another gift under the tree, so I think my believing Santa started to falter around then. He did good on his last year though!

Was there a toy you desperately wanted as a child? Have you fulfilled your want? What was your favourite present ever as a child?

Mom's Pick: Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies.

2010-12-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Mom requested Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies which got my Christmas baking off to the right start! They are delicious!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Makes approx. 20

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour until it forms into a ball. Add chocolate chips. Roll into 1" balls and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Christmas Yummies.

2010-12-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

I used to be the Grinch. I was the little girl who yelled "Christmas is officially OVER!" as soon as I'd unwrapped my gifts. I couldn't feel the festive spirit - but that has all changed.

There is something about being able to decorate your own space regardless of how small it may be. Baking in your very own kitchen also adds some inspiration and spirit of Christmas. Having someone to love and enjoy the holidays with makes all the difference too. I couldn't be more excited to have Dan come home for Christmas so we can spend a reasonable amount of time together enjoying one of the best times of the year.

Classes are over, presents are wrapped and now I'm spending my time trying to busy myself which really isn't that difficult of a task. I have the Christmas baking bug. Right now, I'm catering to family requests. Last night I baked Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies for my mom and Butter Tarts for my dad. From what I've heard, butter tarts are a Canadian thing. To my American lovelies, do you eat them? I'm not fond because I don't like raisins, but they're a big hit with the raisin lovers!

Tonight I'm going to be baking Mincemeat Tarts for my Grandad and later this week will be making Oreo Rice Krispies Squares for my sister. All of this baking will help time fly before my love comes home!

Watch for some yummy posts this week!

What are your favourite holiday treats? Any suggestions for things to bake?

MIA.

2010-12-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. I seriously never thought I would neglect my precious bloggy this bad.

It's almost mid December. Can someone tell me how this happened? No complaints from this girl. Only one week until Dan comes home! I couldn't be more excited to spend three weeks of uninterrupted time with him.

I finished my last final today and I am thankful classes are over for Christmas! January 4th is going to come way too quick but I only have two more semesters to go!

It's time for me to hit the hay and get some beauty sleep before work tomorrow. I just wanted to stop in and let you know that I haven't forgotten you and I'll be around more, I promise.

Lazy Saturday.

2010-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

First of all, Happy Birthday Dan!!! He's stuck in the field for five days, but I still have to send him some birthday love!

I'm seriously not feeling work today. I wrote up my answer to a discussion for school about monitoring employees internet access at work awhile ago. Ironic, huh?

I'm also sort of annoyed. Most of you know by now, that I'm heading to Thailand in June to volunteer in a baby home. A couple people have said "why wouldn't you just volunteer at home. People here need help too." Hearing this is somewhat counterproductive. I'm really not trying to take it personal, but I feel like saying to them, "oh, so where is it you volunteer again?" fully knowing they don't at all. Honestly, I work my butt off, go to school, and I'd really like to do a little good while vacationing somewhere I love. What's so bad about that? So, to the people who think they need to offer me your opinion? Don't.

Here is a photo of me in Thailand. Man, I love that place.

In other news, finals are coming up in a few weeks and I'm ridiculously excited for this semester to be over! Major studying begins Monday!

Five for Friday.

2010-11-19T10:50:00.001-08:00

1. You thank me for every little piece of mail I send, even if it's just a silly card.

2. You stick up for me.

3. You told me you didn't want to be selfish, but you want to spend as much time with me as possible over Christmas.

4. You take care of me even from far away.

5. You made me the most delicious breakfast when you came home a couple weeks ago and I know you secretly loved that I took a picture to use for my Five for Friday. It was so yummy.

Postcard Swap!

2010-11-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

In general, I have just sucked at life lately. I mean, I'm happy...but not so my posting has been taking the brunt of it. I swear I'll get back into the swing of things! Thankfully this semester is almost over, and I'm less than a month away from having Dan home for a whole three weeks.

Amidst all of that, I signed up for Jess' Postcard Swap! I love her fun blog events! So fun. Anyway, I received my postcard this week! Seriously, who doesn't love mail that isn't someone wanting your money? It is wonderous.

I was lucky enough to receive a postcard from my dear friend Abby! She lives in Baltimore, and that is where my postcard is from. I love it! Thank you, Abby!

If you really love receiving postcards in the mail, I highly suggest you join Postcrossing. I joined at the beginning of the year as part of my 101 in 1001 (which failed, by the way) but I still participate randomly when I come across some fun postcards!

First Award!

2010-11-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Good morning lovelies!

I received my very first award for this blog from a new blogger friend, Kelsey - The Stylish Blogger Award!

Isn't it cute? It reminds me of SATC! Upon receiving this award, I'm supposed to tell you seven things you don't know about me! I'll follow Kelsey in making those facts style related!

1. I adore scarves. In the winter, and even cool summer days, you will find me wearing one. My favourites are made from wool, but I also love my light summer scarves from Afghanistan.

2. My favourite clothing staple this season is my faux leather jacket from Guess. It's adorable and one of the best quality faux leather jackets out there, in my opinion!

3. One item I have to splurge on is good quality jeans!

4. It is fashion over function when it comes to shoes! On one of my first dates with Dan, he took me to the beach where I wore these adorable four inch heels. He probably doesn't even remember, but I had to impress!

5. I wore flip flops up until last week. Aside from the sun, they're my favourite part about summer! I'm looking forward to stocking up when I go back to Thailand!

6. I have an obsession with colour matching. It's dangerous.

7. I secretly wish I could live in New York (actually, I'd rather London) and be a fashionista like Carrie Bradshaw wearing the latest and greatest!

I feel like I have a million exciting things to share with you all! I have been in somewhat of a posting funk lately, but I need to get out of it! I hope you're all having a fabulous week!

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-11-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-11-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Where have I been?

2010-11-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

Well, blog friends, I guess it's about time for a real update.

For the past two weeks or so, I have been beyond consumed with studying for midterms. The studying has proved successful and now I'm going to enjoy the last six weeks of classes before finals and then Christmas break!

I'm currently enjoying a week with my love! He had some leave he had to take, so I have him for a whole week! Time feels like it's going way too fast, but I'm very thankful that I'm able to take some time off to spend with him. I'm a very happy girl right now!

Thai donations are also coming in full swing! My Uncle Mike and Auntie Helen made a $100 donation which was incredibly generous! Thank you both so much! The spare change jar (or vase...haha) at work filled up for the first time today, so it has been emptied so I can tally it up and start again! Look for the photo in my Wordless Wednesday post tomorrow!

Happy November!

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-10-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

No more thank you. Only six hours to go.

Five for Friday.

2010-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

1. You'll be here this time next week. I cannot tell you how excited I am.
2. Thinking about seeing you makes me unable to focus on things I should be focusing on - like studying!
3. I'm excited that the next time I talk to you, I'll be seeing you shortly after! Still not liking the field...
4. Almost three months down.
5. Oh, and you'll be here this time next week. See #2. I cannot focus!

My list is really disappointing this week because I am SO distracted! Bye bye upcoming week! I want you gone. :)