Lately I’ve been feeling a weird sense of panic that my “young” years are numbered. Though I’ve always known life is short, it seems with each passing year that it becomes more apparent. I love the age I’m at right now and would love to stay here forever. It’s not to say that I’m not looking forward to all the excitement that’s going to come my way in the future; it’s just that this age is full of exploration, opportunity and little responsibility. I love being able to take off for a weekend without much concern. I love being able to meet up with friends for after-work dinner + drinks. I love spending the whole time in the park with D and not having any responsibilities to come home to. I want to make sure that I make a conscious effort to squeeze in as much fun as possible, have a healthy sense of spontaneity + appreciate every moment that passes.

So, without further adieu, my summer {want} to-do list… like a to-do list, but way more fun!

There are also a ton of exciting things on the agenda for the summer, including a ton of birthday celebrations (a handful of my best friends, mine, Duncan’s), a thank-you BBQ to everyone who has helped out with the investment unit, a two-week road trip to New England with Duncan, bridesmaid dress shopping for a best friend’s wedding, a few cottage weekends, a girls trip to Osheaga music festival in Montreal, our seven-year anniversary (AY YI YI!) + a wedding!

What are you looking forward to this summer? Any fun activities or weekends planned? Write it out, get it on paper + start checking off all your fun plans from now until Labour Day!

Love,

A xo

So, on the nights where trash reality TV episodes on Slice, Twist or TLC are sounding way more appealing than spending time slaving over a hot stove, I have a few quick, easy go-to dinners that are still satisfying and healthy, but take under 5 minutes to put together.

• Monster greens smoothie (aka a massive smoothie with spinach &/or kale and sometimes protein). The one pictured below is actually super filling! It contains chocolate milk (regular, almond or any kind of milk would also work), a banana, two big spoonfuls of all-natural peanut butter, a few sprinkles of flax meal, 1 scoop of protein powder + the biggest heaping handful of spinach that my wee hands could contain.

To get that extra boost, my lazy dinners almost always contain a smoothie. If I’m feeling like I need a little something more, I’ll add:

-

-Hummus + crackers with assorted fruits + veggies

-Corn chips + pico de gallo or bruschetta

-Scrambled eggs with sautéed spinach

-A quick salad with mixed greens/spinach, whatever fruit & veg we have around the house, nuts + balsamic dressing

-Sweet potato fries (they go with anything, of course!)

-Quinoa or brown rice pasta with whichever prepared tomato sauce is in the house

-…orrrrr, back in the good old days when I was able to have gluten without feeling crappy, I would toss an easy grilled cheese or sandwich together. Unfortunately because all gluten-free bread tastes like it was made in the devil’s kitchen, this is no longer a possibility for me

….andddd it looks like this lady knows how to put together a lazy dinner herself

Do you have any go-to, lazy dinner ideas? Please share I’ve been having a lot of these lazy dinners lately, as D has been working like a mad men on some different projects. Of course, take out is always an option as well! Funny side story about that, actually. This past Valentine’s Day, Duncan and I ordered our first round of take out together. First take-out in over two years living together. Isn’t that a little nutty? I’m pretty sure most people living in the city do this on a weekly basis! Anyway, it was a delicious Thai order that I’m currently getting a craving for just thinking about…

***

In other news, I’m currently shopping around for a new moisturizer, so if anyone knows of any spectacular ones (preferably with SPF), please do let me know! I had a really awkward moment in Sephora today when I was chatting to a sales rep. about his recommendations. He gave me two of his top picks, neither of which I was totally sold on. I thanked him for his help and then casually strolled around and looked at other options. There weren’t many people in the store at the time and he wasn’t helping anyone else, so he kind of just watch me NOT taking his advice. I could feel his eyes on me the whole time thinking, “that stupid girl. She’s not taking my brilliant advice.” Then I got all flustered because I wasn’t finding anything else and I felt awkward asking any other reps for help when he was in plain view, so I caved & just got the initial product he recommended. It better be good

***

Andddd that’s a wrap! I hope you have enjoyed this very random post of mine and that you’re getting excited for the start of the weekend VERY soon. Any plans?! Friday night I’ve got TWO girls nights to attend (talk about fun overload), Saturday night I’ve got a date night planned (which is so necessary as I haven’t really seen my boyfriend for more than 30 minutes at a time in WEEKS), and then Sunday will be dedicated to spending with my wonderful dad to celebrate Father’s Day (we’re going to see Star Trek in 3D!)

Love,

A xo

QUESTIONS

• What are your lazy, go-to dinner options?
• Have you ever had an awkward experience when asking for advice in the store? Is it only me that gets flustered with this?
• Weekend plans?! Spill the beans, people!

Nothing like a little vintage Will Smith in your life to jazz things up! Though I’ve been back from Miami for about two weeks, I realized that I have yet to give you an update! Let me tell you first that from the time I landed to about yesterday, it was non-stop madness and I didn’t even have time to tackle my sand and beach-laced dirty clothing pile, let alone hop on the computer for my favourite past time (the blog, duh!). It just so happens to be a very busy (and exciting!) time at work right now, so right after rolling into the office after vacay I had about six events to attend/work. This called for some very late nights/technically mornings when it went into “AM” territory, but now things are slightly more under control and I was able to do some laundry, re-group and now get on here to spend time with you lovely folks!

So, as I sip on my banana-pb-chocolate smoothie and wait for my nails to dry (new colour. very excited about it), I’ll re-cap the wonderful long weekend that has since been named The Wolfpack/Tornado Did Miami

My mom and I booked this trip with our very closest family friends, whom I’ve known since I was about 16 months old. They used to live right next door to us, but have moved throughout the years and we’ve managed to keep in touch! They are pretty much our family and we spend virtually every holiday together. Needless to say, we always have a lot of fun together

We left on the 2:45 PM flight out of Toronto to Miami on Friday, May 24. Of course, prior to departure, a glass two {large} glasses of wine were required to get me onto the flight (read: intense flying anxiety). Wine always does the trick though, I’m telling ya!

Don’t worry, my wine isn’t an awful orangey-red colour that chalice you are seeing would be Meg’s Bloody Mary (or Caesar? I can’t remember).

So, I survived the flight (PHEW! Always a big relief). Touching down in Miami was beautiful, particularly the views of Miami Beach!

On the cab ride from the airport to our hotel in South Beach, I loved looking at all the art deco buildings. My favourite element was the pastel colours against the palm trees! It honestly felt like I was out of North America and into the Caribbean!

The best surprise was upon checking in, we realized we had been upgraded (thanks to Alison’s lovely boss) and we were able to have access to the Club Level. SCHHHWINNNGG! This meant unlimited food + drinks (yes, even alcoholic) for us. Big win! And probably the best way to start off a vacation EVER. I love free ANYTHING, let alone three days of unlimited wine + delicious food. What a dream.

On our first night out, we headed to YUCA, an authentic Cuban restaurant. This was a very fitting choice, given the strong Cuban influence in the area. I was most excited to try the “best mojitos in Miami”.. and they didn’t disappoint (though technically I didn’t have any other mojitos for the remainder of the weekend so I can’t verify that bold claim).

Day 2

Our first FULL day in Miami we started bright and early (waking up at 7 AM on vacation was not my choosing, believe me). After grabbing a free breakfast in the lounge (SCORE!), we did a bit of wandering and shopping. Check out how gorgeous this All Saints store is? I love the old sewing machines.

After browsing items that I could not afford, we went on a food tour through Miami Food Tours! We did the SoBe Tour De Forks, which was led by the founder of the company, Kelly. Kelly was an awesome guide and led us around the city with stops at six unique eateries. She made sure to stop along the way to point out interest architectural or cultural landmarks and was very knowledgeable about the history of Miami and, of course, about all the wonderful food we tried! What I loved most about the tour was that it was a little bit of everything – we covered about 2 miles (= a little bit of exercise), learned tons about the city, and got to sample some truly interesting dishes from restaurants that we probably would have never stopped in. Kelly really tries to stray FAR from the “tourist trap” restaurants on Ocean Drive and stuck with the local picks.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the beautiful sun at the pool! How incredible is that view?? Take me back now!

After probably a little bit TOO much sun and heat, it was back to the club lounge for more free wine + mini appetizers. This began the night which would later give the five of us the “tornado” nickname. Without getting into details, I’ll just say that the we had quite a fun/wild night out that I will remember for the rest of my days hahah!

We went to the Delano hotel for dinner, which was by far the COOLEST place I’ve ever seen. I would love to go back there someday, preferably during the day, to admire its amazing-ness. After dinner we headed to the Fontainebleau for a few more cocktails before calling it a night!

Day 3

After a bit of a slower wake up, we got ready and headed out for our boat tour. Luckily the weather was on our side & we had a beautiful day of sunshine for viewing all the insane homes around the Miami area. Gotta say, my favourite part of the tour was going around Star Island to see all the glamorous mansions belonging to celebrities. The island has so much history and has been inhabited by some pretty famous peeps, including Elizabeth Taylor, Edie Piaf, Sylvester Stallone and P.Diddy (hahahha does he even fit in the same category?!)

After a relaxing day and a few walks on the beach, we headed out for the last supper at Escaopozzo, an organic Italian restaurant. It was a very (comparatively) tame evening that ended with us in bed before 11 PM!

Day 4

On our last morning in Miami, we woke up early and went for a long watch on the beach (funny, even just saying “long watch on the beach” makes me feel cheesy). It was really nice, relaxing bonding time with my mama and I loved every moment of it It was nice to get some exercise before the flight (we ended up walking around 6 km) and also soak in every last ounce of sunshine before heading back to chilly Toronto!

As you can probably see from my pictures, our weekend in South Beach was an absolute blast. South Beach is such a vibrant, beautiful place that I’m definitely hoping to return to at some point down the road. It was so nice to get away with my mom and the girls and just enjoy some lady time It was an amazing trip that I’ll never forget!

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Anddddd this post is already out-of-control long, so I probably shouldn’t continue any further hahah. We still have lots to catch up on, so I’ll be back soon with more, including my Summer Want-To-Do list! I hope your June is off to a great start!

Love,

A xo

QUESTIONS

Have you ever been to Miami? If so, what were your favourite things?

Have you been away on a girls trip before? Where? This wolfpack needs suggestions for our next adventure!

Saturday, I woke up with a sore throat, but thought that it was one of those “pre sick” sore throats that never actually turn into anything. Ooooh man, I couldn’t be more wrong. I went over to Duncan’s investment unit and helped the guys paint, along with some other lovely ladies. We worked all day and sported some pretty sweet outfits involving baggy sweats and tees and sassy painting hats

Check out that sexy Benjamin Moore hat. The best part was how flat and stiff the “beak” part was. It was almost a shelf. I felt like Mario/Luigi in Mario Kart.

After a few hours of inhaling fumes, Duncan and I went to a TFC game. I started feeling continuously more sick, so when we came home around 9 PM, I crashed on the couch and made kindly asked my sweet sweet boyfriend to go get my some NyQuill (lifesaver) and popsicles.

.. and that’s where the excitement of this sunny, long weekend ENDS. The rest was spent sipping tea, making an insane amount of green smoothies, eating a box of popsicles, sleeping for 12+ hours at a time, and attempting to keep my eyes open long enough to read some books. It was one of those cold/flu combos that hits HARD and FAST. My whole body ached and I had those charming fever/chill combos. YUM. Also.. whooooo gets sick just as soon as the weather is turning amazing? This girl, apparently Not happy about this!

I attempted to do some form of physical movement over the weekend by doing a “yoga for immunity” video. It was actually really great and helped my sore bones/muscles. I recommend it for any time you’re feeling less than stellar and want to get a good stretch in.

I sincerely hope your weekend was a little more exciting than mine What did you get up to?

PS – have you heard of Gizoogle? It’s basically a search function that terms websites into gangstah-speak. It’s quite amusing, IMO: http://www.gizoogle.net/.

Here’s what Gizoogle had to say about Sweat for Sweets.. I mean.. Sweat fo’ Dopes. I think my favourite part is the ‘Welcome biaaaatch’ on the sidebar.

For my Canadian friends, I hope you enjoyed the first long weekend of summer and have a great start to your SHORT work week tomorrow! And for my American and international readers, your Monday is now officially over and the weekend is getting closer!

Love,

A xo

PPS – Miami in 4 days! WOOHOO!

Ahhhh, well. Now that it’s officially spring and about to be summer, we must enjoy! Am I right or am I right?

Anyway, back to the title/point of this post… today I did a great, efficient workout that I couldn’t wait to share with you guys! As I’ve designed it, the workout will take you 12 minutes to complete; meaning, it can be done EVEN if you don’t think you have time. No excuses! I love short circuits, because oftentimes when I’m not in the mood to work out, I can be motivated by the thought of a short one and then once I’ve started, I can typically finish off a 45 minute-1 hour workout. That said, even if you don’t have time to fit in a full workout, this is a great way to fit in some fitness into your day!

This workout is super quick, simple (it can be done at home and doesn’t require any equipment) and effective. By mixing muscle-toning moves with bursts of cardio, it torches fat and calories, while also firming up all areas of the body! It’s also impossible to be bored when doing this, since you’re always moving from one thing to the next. By the time 12 minutes is up, I have a sneaky suspicion you’ll be up for more

How you can use this circuit workout: You can complete this on its on for those days you don’t have time (or energy!) to do a full workout; you can use it to supplement your other workouts and follow with your usual cardio or weight routine; or, you can repeat this circuit as many times as you like (I suggest 3-4x through) for a full session.

The numbers I’ve put beside each of the exercises is simply a guide if you aren’t comfortable or able to time yourself at the gym. If you do want to use your abilities as a guide, I recommend writing down how many reps of each exercise YOU can do within the prescribed time. Your challenge: complete this workout 3x/week until the end of the month, bumping up your number by two reps each time. It’s a sure way to continually push yourself further!

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In other news, I’m kind of in love with the new Great Gatsby soundtrack. Has anyone seen the movie yet? Wait, scratch that, I don’t know if it’s even officially out yet? There’s just been so much press on the film lately that I feel like it is! In any event, the music is fantastic and includes some of my yee old favourite artists, including Jay-Z, the XX, and Lana Del Ray! It’s also got lots of new-to-me songs and a few 20’s-era flapper-esque jazz that I have a secret adoration for.

Also, I just found out yesterday that the popular TV show that I thought was called “Downtown Abbey” is actually “Downton Abbey.” You know when you think something is a certain way for a long time and then it’s not? It’s kind of a jarring experience hahah. I was going around thinking, “why is everyone saying downtown so weird when they talk about this show?” Embarrassing. At least I had my revelation in front of Duncan, who is used to my unusual antics and thought nothing of it.

I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far!

Love,

A xo

PS – are you planning on seeing the Great Gatsby? Have you read the book? Have you seen any great movies lately?

By the way, have you ever tried Melona? Fun story: Duncan and I always wanted to try them when we saw them in the grocery store, but refused to buy them until they went on sale. We waited and waited for months (you’d think I have self control or something) and then they DISAPPEARED! It was so sad and we thought Melona’s were extinct and never returning again. Then, the moment they arrived back on the scene (maybe a few weeks later), we snatched up a box, NO SALE. They are Korean-style popsicles that are kind of a weird texture. They ingredients are terrifying and I haven’t heard of half of them, but they taste delicious.

Other than the debauchery that existed everywhere I went today, it’s been a pretty swell afternoon. Oh, other than waking up to a RED, nasty eye. I had a momentary freak out and thought it was pink eye (WHO gets that anymore?!), but after an hour or two, the redness went away. Phew.

This morning I had one of those lazy wake ups. You know the kind when you’re just so comfortable in your blankies and you know you aren’t going to fall back asleep but you don’t have to be up for anything in particular so you just lie there for like an hour? Yep, it was one of those and it was glorious I haven’t had a morning where I haven’t had somewhere to be in a while, so it was REALLY nice to just relax and enjoy. Now, if only I had someone to bring me breakfast (or at least a tea) in bed… sigh… a girl can dream!

Alright, so, after my breakfast smoothie (milk, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, flax, kale + maple syrup) + tea, I headed to the gym for a workout. My buns were sore from my leg workout yesterday, so I focused on abs, arms + cardio. I did the following beach ready arms + abs workout below once through and then did 30 mins of incline intervals on the elliptical:

If anyone has any questions about what any of the exercises above look like, please feel free to ask me or simply do a Google image search and you’ll find an illustration of the exercise

I don’t know about you guys, but my “trouble” spot is definitely my stomach and I wouldn’t mind giving it some TLC before the summer hits. I’d really like to work on having more definition there.. not like six-pack styles, but just more toned. So from now until Miami in 13 days (oh yeah, I don’t think I mentioned that on the blog yet but.. I’m going to South Beach!!!), I’m going to be more conscious of sneaking in ab exercises everyday + upping my cardio. Starting on Monday, I’m also going to try to limit my sweets (always a problem; hence, the reason for my blog name), with the exception of some indulgences along the way, including whatever comes my way on the long weekend (I’m thinking lots of BBQs and patio beverages).

So, speaking of Miami by the way, I welcome any suggestions of places to see, restaurants to eat at, things to do, lounges for drinks, etc. from anyone who has been to South Beach before We already have a ton lined up, but I’m always open to hearing more from you guys!

I hope you have a lovely rest of your weekend and enjoy your Mother’s Day tomorrow. Take a moment to thank all of the incredible mothers in your life, whether they be your girlfriends, grandmothers, mother-in-laws, step mother, aunts, cousins, sisters, or your mother herself! I truly believe that moms have the most hardest and most important job in the world, so it’s important to take time to thank them for all that they do! XOXOXOXO

Yes, my title today is cheesy. But it’s absolutely the best way to describe my life this weekend.

SUNSHINE

The weather in in Toronto has been absolutely PERFECT. In fact, I’m writing this post as quickly as possible so that I can get back outside to soak up some sun! It seems that we went straight from winter to summer, which, hey, is alright. I was cursing MOTHER N (Mother Nature, duh) all throughout April, but am now seeing that she did have something up her sleeve

..to celebrate this amazing weather, it only seemed natural to eat a humungous fro-yo on Friday afternoon. Nothing beats the tart fro-yo from Freshii!

SMILES

I’ve got tons of reasons to smile, and the sun definitely does play a part in that! I swear, if I lived in California or anywhere that had sun and warmth practically all year round, I would be the happiest person ever. I’m already a bubbly person, but I think I would be over-the-top if I had sufficient vitamin D levels all year round.

Anyway, this weekend has been full of fabulousness. Thursday night I went out for dinner + a “night out” at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) with some of my university girlfriends. Duncan and I caught up with some friends of ours on Friday over some adult beverages, which was a lovely time. I hadn’t seen them since the end of last summer, so it was really amazing (& necessary) to catch up!

Yesterday, Kerry came over to bake some cookies with me to then bring over to our boys who were working hard ALL day on a home reno. I’m usually a complete disaster in the baking arena, so I was amazed when our oatmeal chocolate chip cookies actually turned out. It must have been Kerry’s magic. Oh and I think my new + adorable apron from Urban Outfitters had something to do with it too Just to be good soccer moms, Kerry and I also sliced up some orange peels for good measure. When we went over to see the guys, they were dirty, tired and very thankful for the sustenance

NOTE: the chocolate chip smears on our teeth were not intentional. We are natural pirates So pretty, right?

Today I’ve been doing some errands around the house, walking outside a bit and doing some groceries. As I was going through the grocery store, I was SO happy because almost everything I picked up screamed summer to me (burgers! mango! limes! berries! spinach!). Yes, I’m a food nerd and I know it.

Today is an official REST DAY because my hamstrings are screaming in agony after all the one-legged deadlifts I did yesterday. I actually followed this BIKINI BODY TONE UP FOR SUMMER workout from Canadian Living, which I find quite humorous because I have this misconception that the workouts in CL are usually less intense than ones from Women’s Heath or other fitness magazines, but clearly I’m paying for that now

Tonight I’m going to a concert with D, my old roommate from university and her boyfriend. A concert on a school night?! I know, pretty wild. We’re hoping to sneak in some tacos and margaritas before hand in honour of Cinco De Mayo!

SNEEZES

Okay, now on to the not-so-fun part. I’ve been DYING this week from seasonal allergies. Like, for real. I can’t remember the last time it’s been this bad. Is anyone else out there suffering? Anyone? Anyone?

Even though I’m routinely taking anti-histamines, I still feel like I’m constantly going to sneeze (the looking-into-light trick doesn’t work for me ), my eyes are red and watery and I-want-to-rip-them-out-because-they’re-so-itchy, I’m exhausted and have the worst headache, and I’m literally sneezing approximately every 7 minutes.

Does anyone know of additional seasonal allergy remedies?

Some tips + tricks I’ve heard are:

-shower + wash hair at the end of the day so that pollen doesn’t transfer onto bed sheets or pillow cases

-if exercising outside, do some in the early morning or evening (not mid-day)

I also know to avoid the foods that are cross-contaminated with the pollens I’m allergic to (mainly birch), which is associated with Oral Allergy Syndrome. Unfortunately for me, birch pollen is loving this weather:

Any tips you have would be welcome by me … or if you’re suffering, we can commiserate together!

And now.. I’m off to enjoy the sunshine + read some magazines outside! Have a beautiful rest of your Sunday, and..

Love,

A xo

PS- Are you planning on celebrating Cinco De Mayo? If so, how will you celebrate it?

Anyway, how has the rest of the week been? Mine was one of those weeks that seems to go by really slowly, even though you’re super busy and don’t have a moment of relaxation time (except for when I watched Bridezillas and Pregnant in Heels back-to-back on Slice TV last night. I swear Slice TV has the best content of all channels. Any other trash TV lovers out there?? heheh)

Highlight of the week? This gem of a soup I put together…

If you like Thai food, curry, cilantro or peanuts, then this soup is for you! It took just 30 minutes and was heavenly

Thai Curry Chicken Soup

Serves: 2-4 (depending on how hangry you are!)

Time: 30 minutes

What you need:

• rice noodles (enough for four)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Thai yellow curry sauce
• 1.4 cups coconut milk
• one chicken breast
• one diced red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup. peanuts, crushed
• as much cilantro as you can handle

What to do:

1. Bake chicken breast in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and start cooking rice noodles; meanwhile, you can put the rest of the ingredients together and let the broth start brewin’

2. Simmer broth, curry sauce and coconut milk in a large saucepan over medium heat. Dice pepper and add to broth.

3. When noodles and chicken are finished cooking, add to saucepan.

4. Chop cilantro and put desired amount in saucepan. Ladle soup into bowls + garnish with peanuts.

5. Enjoy!

***

I hope you have a lovely Friday tomorrow and a great start to the weekend! Here in Toronto it’s the beginning of the HotDocs Film Festival, which is a celebration of a wide variety of documentaries from all over the world. I have a love for documentaries and have not been disappointed when I’ve been in past years, but really want to go EVEN more this year. I kind of made the decision a few days ago that I want to be a film buff.. soo.. this seems like a good place to start, oui? I highlighted approximately 23 films I want to see over the next few days, which, of course, would be physically impossible. We’ll see how far I get!

Love,

A xo

QUESTIONS

• Do any film festivals come to your city? If so, do you attend?

Over the past few months, many people have mentioned they noticed my lack of posting and wondered why. When I explained that I was just-so-busy-I-could-barely-squeeze-in-sleep, I thought of the slight irony of a healthy lifestyle blog: if I really wanted to continue blogging throughout the time of madness, I could. However, it would mean NOT putting in the time to work out, sleep well, socialize or take the time to cook healthy meals. Kinda silly, no?

Anyway, HI HI HI. So good to be back! I actually feel kind of really rusty in my blogging style and even the WordPress interface hahha. How sad is that?! Hopefully I’ll come back into it quickly and with a little practice

So.. now that we can be friends again.. how was your weekend?

Mine was pretty good, though I must admit this “BLAH” weather is seriously cramping my style. I never used to think my mood was that influenced by the weather, but that theory has been trumped by the string of nasty, cold, damp, depressing, less-than-spring-ish days we’ve been having here in Toronto! Duncan and I attempted to “embrace” the spring today and went on a long walk when we realized it’s pretty much been crappy weather for the past 5 months (November.December.January.February.March.April so far). UGH! Thank gawddd we got to go on tropical escape this winter (oh yeah. that happened. we went to Costa Rica!)

Friday was spent finishing up my LAST assignment for school! YAY! This ends three years of part-time study while having a full-time job. I must admit that the subject matter hasn’t been too difficult, but the workload has been consistent enough that I feel like I rarely ever had spare time. Evenings after work were spent completing readings and finishing assignments. It’ll be really nice to get back into some of my hobbies After struggling through the last few words of the assignment, D and I celebrated by bumming on the couch with some AMAZING wine (a new find!) and a movie.

Saturday was spent going to the gym, going to a coffee shop with D, chatting on the phone with my Mama, cleaning the apartment and getting some stuff around the house done, and then going to a MEXICANO party! My bestie Lisa had a Mexican-themed party at her house, complete with tequila, sombreros and tacos. They really did it up and made some fancy, delicious tacos with pulled pork, refried beans, amazing salsas, and some other vegetables I had never heard of before. GOOD TIMES I must say that it was really nice to do something a little different and share some good food and drinks at home rather than going out.

Today was pretty much the most relaxing Sunday ever, which is always welcome I made an incredible (if I may so myself!) teriyaki salmon tonight. It will be entered into the dinner rotation, better believe!

Teriyaki Sesame Salmon with Veggies

• Serves: 2
• Time: 20 minutes (10 min. prep + 10 min. cooking time)
• Ingredients:
• 2 salmon fillets
• 1/2 c. teriyaki cooking sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp. water
• 2 large radishes, grated
• 1 tbsp. chopped chives
• 1 c. cooked brown or sprouted brown rice
• What to do:
1. Start cooking rice according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Place salmon in baking dish lined with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
4. Brush tops of each fillet with 1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce, coating evenly. Sprinkle each fillet with sesame seeds.
5. Stir water into remaining sauce and pour around salmon, then bake for 8-10 minutes.
6. Remove salmon from heat. In a small bowl, mix radish and chives (drying radish if necessary). Serve salmon over rice and dress fillets with remaining sauce from baking dish + top with radish mixture.
7. ENJOY. yum. yum. yum.

This recipe is SO simple, easy and quick to throw together. It’s ridiculously good and super healthy as well, so I recommend giving it a try It can be served with any vegetable, but preferably a green one, like green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts or broccoli.

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday night and a restful start to your week tomorrow.

Love,

A xo

Yes, I realize that’s a bit of an aggressive statement; however, I’m standing by it. I made this soup about a week ago and still think of how amazing it was. It’s perfectly tasty, perfect for a chilly winter’s eve, super healthy + easy to make. A winning combo if you ask me

Now that I’ve built it up, I really hope it lives up to the expectations (if you try it out).

Here goessss..

Mexican Chicken Soup

Prep time: 30-minutes

Cook time: 20-minutes

Serves: 6

You’ll need:

• 2 tbsp. (50ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled + chopped
• 1 796-ml can of diced tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/4 tsp. dried cumin
• 1/4 tsp. dried coriander
• 1/8 tsp. chilli powder
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked + shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 avocado
• few handfuls of corn tortilla chips
• 4 cups chicken broth

Get cooking:

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken breasts with drizzled olive oil for 30-minutes. When cooked through, shred chicken.

2) While chicken cooks, chop onion, carrot, bell pepper + cilantro.

3) Heat oil in a large pot + sauté garlic, onion, carrot + bell pepper until they start to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, spices + chicken broth, while stirring.

4) Bring to a boil, reduce heat + simmer for 10 minutes.

5) Add corn, black beans + cooked, shredded chicken. Continue to simmer for 4 minutes.

6) Divide among bowls + top with cilantro, lime juice, avocado + crumbled tortilla chips.

7) Enjoy

You’re welcome

The combination of the lime + cilantro make my taste buds do a happy dance.

I’ve been really into home-made soups this winter. I find them to be the most comforting, delicious things to have for dinner on chilly nights. I also love making a huge batch for dinners & lunches and then also freezing some for later days.

Do you ever make home-made soups? What are your favourite combinations/recipes?

***

And how’s the weekend going, my friend? Today has been QUITE the lazy day for me, not going to deny it. With a gym in our condo building, it’s easy enough for me to feel sufficiently productive if I go to the gym + then putter around the condo. There have even been days where I haven’t left the house! Pathetic, right?! I did go to the gym this morning, though, I swear! It was nice to actually do some cardio + weights after doing yoga all week (Duncan and I bought a one-week unlimited pass to a studio around our place and have been going as much as possible).

Last night I went out for dinner at Oliver & Bonnachini with some of my best girlfriends. It was an awesome night of good food, drinks + chatter and just the best way to end a very stressful week.

What are your plans for the weekend? I hope you enjoy every minute!

Love,

A xo