sweat for sweets

Hello world! I feel as though it’s been so long since I’ve done a regular, health & fitness post. Oh how I’ve missed you!

Coming back from Europe, it definitely took me a few days adjusting back to healthy food & working out regularly. Surprisingly, I feel that I haven’t lost much of my strength capacity but that my cardio is struggling harrrdddd. I guess casually strolling around Europe with croissants/gelatos/waffles in hand doesn’t count as cardio? Oh boo

Anyway, the weather has been ab-sa-frickin-loutely beautiful lately! I’m really getting into the summer vibe & can’t wait for patio season to be in full swing! Because of all the warm weather we’ve been having, I’ve been making some easy, summer meals For me, key summer ingredients are cilantro, lime, any fresh veggies/fruits + mint, making THIS drink the ultra summer fiesta -

Pimms Punch – The Ultimate Summer Drink

Ingredients -

• 1 part Pimm’s
• 3 parts sparking lemonade or ginger ale
• Chopped fresh mint, cucumber slices, strawberries + lime

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Holy yum! This was only my second time trying Pimms, but I’ve already committed it to being my drink one of my drinks of the summer! This mix would also probably be great with rum.

Anyway, I mixed this up last weekend when I had some girlfriends over for a bbq & drinks on my patio! Funny story: neither myself or any of my girlfriends really know how to barbeque (HA!).. or rather we CHOOSE not to.. so instead of actually barbequing, we put together easy finger foods. Pathetic? Possibly.

Other fun summer eats recently -

Wacky Watermelon Smoothie

-Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped seedless watermelon
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup orange juice

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Before this, I had never put watermelon into a smoothie before! What a revelation! This little baby was SOOO refreshing. Oh my word. I’m going to start using melons in smoothies this summer baby!

Another new smoothie in the mix -

Mango Creamsicle Smoothie

-Ingredients:

• Orange juice
• Skim milk
• Greek yogurt (I used plain, but vanilla would work too!)
• Frozen mango
• Banana
• Pinch of vanilla extract

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Another winner! I wouldn’t call this one refreshing as it’s definitely more thick & creamy than the watermelon smoothie, but it’s SO satisfying and delicious.

Okay now onto actual food….

Freshii now has kale! Hallelujah! I got ridiculously excited when I saw the sign. How nerdy! I ordered a kale bowl but made a few variations. In the mix – brown rice, kale, broccoli, beets, corn, + chicken with peanut sauce. SO good & a very filling lunch dish!

Capturing the very first outdoor meal of the season! A very happy moment To celebrate this joyous occasion – turkey burgers with tzatki, roasted red peppers, mixed greens, sprouts + pickle. MMM. On the side – quinoa salad with corn, black beans + cherry tomatoes and the new Bud Light Lime Mojito. I was super pumped to try this new beer (beer + mojitos = love), but was a lil’ disappointed. The minty taste with the beer just didn’t seem quite right. I give Bud Light an A for effort, though!

The new ‘Buddha’ salad at Jack Astors! Wow. I feel as though buddha and Jack Astors shouldn’t ever be in the same sentence. Anyway, this past weekend Duncan & I hung out with some friends and watched the Euro Cup… alll.. day.. long. After a full day of sports, we decided to follow it up with… more sports. Soccer all day and hockey/basketball all night. It’s alllll about balance, right? At least I had the company of good friends + good food/drinks

Anyway, so in this buddha salad: mixed greens, red + yellow quinoa, grilled chicken, candied pecans, goat cheese, pear, + apple. Basically, everything I would ever want in a salad.

And my final summer dish…

Pasta with grilled veggies! I used eggplant, zucchini, and red + yellow pepper

Now I’m off to (legally) download some new music for my iPod, which is feeling pretty neglected at the moment I’m sure. I haven’t had time to get any new music lately, so Miss. iPod (she’s pink!) is in dire need of a makeover. I feel as though there are so many good new songs out now, too – bonus!

Have a great night!

Love,

A xoxo

Questions:

• Which do you usually struggle with more after being off working out – strength or cardio?
• What are your favourite summer foods?
• Do you have any melon smoothie recipes?! I’m on a hunt for more inspiration!