New Blog

Hey everyone!!

Finally got up the new design on a self hosted domain!! Please go check it out HERE :)

Regular Programming Will Be Back On The Weekend

As you may have noticed already, I have been a bit absent as of late. I have been letting the creative juices flow and will be letting you in on the results this weekend. Please bare with me through this little blogging absence, I promise it will be worth the wait :)

photo credit: suttonhoo via photopin cc

Sunday Smart Eats: Smoothie Edition

Lately it has been smoothie madness in our house! Almost every morning since Christmas we have had smoothies for breakfast.. I confess, might be a weeeee bit addicted over here. It's all good though. Smoothies are yummy, nutrient filled breakfast that doesn't leave you feeling sluggish afterwards. Because really, no one wants to start the day sluggish.

I've tried experimenting with a few different fruit combinations and thought I would share them with you today for this edition of Sunday Smart Eats :)

This one I call Cherry Goodness. More like goddess! I have always loved maraschino cherries and this summer I finally tried fresh cherries and fell in love. They add a very unique and yummy flavour to smoothies. Combined with some blueberries and you get an awesome punch of antioxidants.

Cherry Goodness

Serves 1
+ 1/2 medium sized banana
+ 3-5 chunks frozen mango
+ 3-5 chunks frozen pineapple
+ 1/2 cup frozen cherries
+ small handful frozen blueberries
+ splash of oj
+ scoop of your fav protein powder
+ enough coconut milk to blend all ingredients

This little concoction is a pretty basic smoothie. Matt loves strawberries so I make this for him in the mornings when I'm feeling nice. ;)

Strawberry Time

Serves 2
+ 1 medium sized banana
+ 1/2 cup frozen mango
+ 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
+ 4-5 frozen strawberries (depending on the size)
+ splash of oj
+ scoop of your fav protein powder
+ enough coconut milk to blend all ingredients

And last but not least, what I call Mean Green. This is the first green smoothie I tried to make on my own. I think I drank this 4-5x a week for about a year. Can you tell I get obsessed with things I like?

Mean Green

Serves 1
+ 1/2 medium banana
+ 1/2 cup frozen mango
+ handful of spinach
+ scoop of your fav protein powder
+ splash of oj
+ enough coconut milk to blend all ingredients

Now, a couple of warnings notes... I'm not much for following recipes. Which results in it being surprisingly difficult to write recipes. When I actually make these smoothies I don't do any measuring. I just kind of eye ball it and make adjustments as I go. One day I might use more cherries than the last or less pineapple than the last. These are ever evolving.

I have also been known to add other random ingredients in the kitchen like milled flax seeds (during blending) or chia seeds (after blending, I hate the texture once they are all cut up) or even some avocado. Avocados add some to-die-for creamyness if that's you're kinda thing.

I also thought I'd share with you my current protein powder of choice. We have been loving Allmax Nutrition's isoNatural unflavoured whey protein. It really is flavourless which we prefer as most flavoured protein powders have an artificial flavoured, yucky after taste. And the whey protein doesn't upset our stomaches. I would love to find a vegetable based protein powder that I like but I find them more expensive and yucky tasting.

And finally, the nutribullet. This thing is an absolute wizard when it comes to smoothie making. When I had to use a blender my smoothie kicks would last a few weeks to a month. With this little nugget of goodness, I don't know if I'll ever stop having smoothies for breakfast on a consistent basis. It's easy clean up, it's powerful and the to go cup options make it easy to take to work. Love.it.

Have you tried smoothies for breakfast? What did you think?

Acadia University's Annual Orchid Display

 I think my camera and I have officially made up. I was never really mad at my camera but I felt like I was all out of creativity and inspiration. So to the camera bag for storage my beloved friend went. Sure, for the last 2 years I have brought it out every now and again but we never really got along all the best. But now, we've officially made up and have been making some crazy beautiful love babies. Check out what we came up with a few weeks ago at Acadia University's orchid display.

The orchid display happens annually so keep your eye out for next years event! And isn't Acadia beautiful?! This is only a small part of the campus but it's an utterly beautiful university. Makes me wish I had applied here!

March Monthly Wishes

I can't believe it is March already. How did this happen? I think February being a shorter month made it fly by more quickly. That being said, March can fly by too if it wants to because I am ready for some warmer weather!!

February's Wishes

1. Post 3x/week - I think I did pretty good with this goal last month. I ended up with 11 posts for the month which is an average of 3 per week. I'm definitely getting into the habit of blogging more so I should be able to maintain this for the next while. Then jumping up to 4/week!
2. Practice yoga 3x/week - This was a total bust this month. My wrist was actually the worst it has been this month so I didn't want to aggravate it any more than necessary. One of my goals for this month though should help to strengthen it. Hopefully a regular yoga practice is in my not too distant future :)
3. Spend more time reading - I think I did a fantastic job with this one! I ended up finishing The Fault In Our Stars by John Green and I'm about 2/3 of the way through Think Like A Man, Act Like A Lady by Steve Harvey. I watched the movie for this book and trust me, the book is just as good as the movie. Reviews for these books are on the way :)

March Wishes

1. Get back to the gym - As you may know, I used to be a personal trainer at a local gym. When I stopped personal training I had gotten so sick of that environment that I didn't get a gym membership when I left. Since then I have gained almost 20lbs!! I guess I'm carrying it well because no one has really noticed but it has been making me very self conscious. Since I can't go to yoga classes and Matt gets a great gym membership deal through work, we have decided to get back to the gym together.
2. Launch the new blog design - Now that this is becoming more a part of my life, I really want an online space I can be proud of. Therefore, I have been browsing the templates available online and have found one I absolutely adore! I will be making some modifications to it and then launching the new design before the end of the month! Stay tuned :)
3. Dedicate time each week to calligraphy/art projects - I have been getting the creativity bug like crazy the past few weeks. So my mom and I signed up for an online calligraphy course. I haven't gotten my supplies yet in the mail but as soon as I do, I will be carving out time in my daily schedule to start learning the techniques. Until then I will be working on the other craft projects that always seem to be on the go in our house. ;)
4. Plant my seeds for spring - I like to think I have a green finger but the truth is, I kind of just stumble my way through with gardening. This year Matt and I will be focusing on having our own little sanctuary on our tiny balcony and I would like to have some plants on display there.  So far I have lavender, cherry tomatoes and basil to plant. Do you have any gardening tips to share? I could definitely use them!

What are you going to be focusing on accomplishing this month??

Sunday Smart Eats - Tips for Healthy Eating

Did you know that March is nutrition month? I didn't until a couple of days ago and decided then that I would do something special here in honor of nutrition month. Each Sunday during the month of March I will be talking about something food related. Recipes, facts, tips, etc.

To start it off, I want to introduce you to some of the habits I have picked up that have helped me to eat healthier.

A recent grocery haul.

 1. Meal Planning. This is something I have done on and off for years and find it has so many benefits. The first, and most important recently, is that you end up saving a lot of money. When Matt and I plan out our meals for the week we end up using up all of the fresh fruits and veggies we buy (big yay!!!) which means we end up spending less money. We use up our leftovers and in general, end up buying less food when we do our groceries. This is something that I find tough to keep up when I'm feeling lazy but it's definitely worthwhile.


 2. Easy Snacks. I am a snacker. Well, I am an eater really, but I enjoy my snacks. I find when I get home at night after a long day at work, snacks are my go to craving. Therefore, having healthier options around makes it a lot more forgiving for the waistline. I like to keep a variety of nuts/dried fruits around the house. I've been especially hooked on pistachios as of late. We also keep things handy like clementines, crackers with cheese, popcorn, melons, etc.

3. Weekend Prep. Which brings me to my final tip, prepping your food. One of the things I hate most about cooking meals and eating healthy is the amount of prep work that goes into it. Therefore, I try to do as much of it in advance as possible. Usually, after we get our groceries on the weekend, I'll do as much prep as I can for our snacks/meals. I'll cut up our watermelon or cantaloupe so it's easier to snack on during the week. I'll make a big batch of chili, corn chowder or soup for quick lunches. Sometimes I'll even chop up my veggies ahead of time. That way when I get home from work I just need to cook. I find it makes cooking a healthy meal less of a daunting task if at least some of my prep work is already done.

Have you had any success with one of the above tips? Do you have any good ones of your own? Share with us below in the comments section :)