5 Tips For More Energy

Being thin doesn’t always illustrate the epitome of healthy. Ever hear of the term “Skinny Fat”? That’s right, just because you’re thin/skinny doesn’t mean you’re fit and healthy. Perhaps you’re feeling lethargic and don’t quite understand why. Have you looked at what you’re eating? Here are some quick and relatively easy ways to have more energy every day.

gummy-bears1) Cut out the sugar
It’s obviously okay to indulge once in a while, but having your afternoon pepsi, or morning iced coffee can give you too much of a spike in your blood sugar. Causing you to have a ton of energy but then you literally come crashing down and need another ‘fix’. Not only that, sugar is addictive and clearly doesn’t do you any good. Eat a balanced diet, preferably free from processed foods. What I’ve been doing lately to curb my sugar cravings is having a few mini m&ms sprinkled in my homemade raw nut trail mix.  It satisfies my sweet tooth without over indulging.

 nuts2) Healthy Fats
Avocado, oils, and nuts are both healthy fats which keep you fueled and full until your next meal. If you incorporate these into your snacks or meals you’ll be less inclined to reach for sugary snacks throughout the day. Don’t forget you can use avocado on your salads with some homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing topped with nuts or seeds.

water-bottle3) Hydrate yourself
Did you know that you should be drinking HALF your body weight in ounces of water, every day? Weight 140lbs? You’ll need 70 ounces of water. If you have a desk job like me, grab a cute water bottle and only fill it up half way. That way, you’re more inclined to drink cooler water (I’m not fond of room temp water) and bonus? Once you’re done you get to stretch your legs and walk over to the water filter/cooler to fill’er up.

4) Most important meal of the day
Please don’t skimp on breakfast.  It truly is the most important meal of the day. If you’re in a rush, why not cook up some egg muffins each week? The Boyf & I eat two every morning so the dozen doesn’t last that long in the fridge. Have some fresh bananas, fruit or tomatoes handy and pre-washed, ready to grab and head out the door.

5) Greens
I realize the most ignored and avoided foods are the dark green leafy vegetables. But they’re the most important super foods we have! Not everyone enjoys salad, so incorporate your green veggies into a smoothie! Thrive Juice Bar makes a delicious chocolate avocado ganche smoothie that tastes just as good as a McDonald’s chocolate shake. No joke.

What do you do to get more energy? Do you have any tips?

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She’s pregnant!

My friends from Newfoundland, Allyson and her husband Robb moved to South Korea over ten years ago. We’ve stayed in touch throughout the years and have been talking to each other on Facebook, sending Christmas cards in the mail and never losing track. I honestly thought I wouldn’t see them for a few more years. Well, ten years is a tremendous amount of time without seeing a good friend. I never thought they’d move back to Canada.

One of the primary reasons they’re moving home? My friend is expecting a baby girl!

On their excursion back to The Rock they had plans of stopping in Ontario. I knew I had to meet up with them, regardless of their location. Thankfully, they are staying at a friends house not too far from me. I didn’t have my car this weekend so I took public transit into Toronto and hung out with them all day Saturday!

The first thing I did when I knew I’d be seeing them before I was home in Newfoundland, was do a baby shop for the expecting parents. If any Mommy-To-Be’s love a good bargain, head over to Bonnie Tog’s. Nothing was over $12. I kind of got out of control shopping for a little girl. All I’ve ever shopped for were nephews or little boys! Girl clothes were so fun, check out the goodies!

How cute are those Oshkosh overalls?! Those plus the little leggings are my favorite. Oops, got them in the photo twice, that’s’ how much I like them. Ha ha.baby-clothes-for-baby-vAll piled into this cute bag.baby-bag-for-V

This weekend I met up with them both in Toronto, and like a bad rash I stuck with them all day not letting them out of my sight, ha ha.

Pointing at her pregnant 5 month belly!omg-shes-pregnantThe parents-to-be!!!allyson-and-robb

We decided we were going to get some grub. We started walking around downtown Toronto and I thought I’d bring them to Hot House Cafe, a restaurant I went to in June (side note, I’m wearing the exact same outfit. Oops!. But unfortunately I walked in the completely wrong direction (for a really long time lol) and by the time we looked at a GPS we were too hungry to back track. We ended up in the gay district and directly across the street we saw a decent looking restaurant called Hair of the Dog and decided to pop in there to sit down and catch up on the last ten years.

Every menu had a different pup. Super cute.hair-of-the-dogMissed them so much!!!lunching-with-Allyson

We sat down and ordered some drinks. Beer and martini’s for Robb & I. Water for the Momma.beer-and-martinis

Allyson started opening her baby gifts. baby-clothes

After Allyson was done opening her gifts, they both had a favor to ask of me. Apparently. Hmm?? Well it was the best news of the year for me. Allyson and Robb asked me to be V’s God Mother! How crazy exciting is that? I gladly accepted the request. SOOO thrilled!!

Our sever asked what was up, and I told him that my friends and I haven’t seen each other in years and he suggested he take a photo of us all at the table. So nice of him.three-of-us-at-hair-of-the-I ended up ordering the chicken club. Pretty tasty.chicken-club

Once we finished our lunch, we chatted for a really long time at Hair of the Dog. We decided to leave and go for a stroll to a cafe for dessert. We popped into a Starbucks and sat outside for another bit, telling stories about their travels literally all across the globe. Their new nick name should be the Globe Trotters. It’s amazing to hear about the places they’ve visited throughout the years.

Two lemonades for the ladies, a coffee for Robb and some dessert. starbucksThis particular Starbucks location closed down at 5pm, so we literally got kicked out. At that point Robb & Allyson had to head back to their relatives place as they were heading out for supper later on in the evening.

So it was time to say my goodbyes. Not for ten more years, just for a few months, as I like to fly back to Newfoundland 3x/year I’m likely to see them in October during Thanksgiving. saying-solong

Until next time, you two!untilnext-timeQuestions for you….

What’s the furthest you’ve ever traveled?
I’ve been to British Columbia, and Ireland but I haven’t been to South Korea, Fiji, France or all these amazing places like my friends!

Are any of your friends pregnant?
Just one of my friends at the moment!

How often do you see your parents?
I see mine 3x a year.

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Quinoa caprese chicken salad

quinoa-headerQuinoa caprese chicken salad. That’s a mouthful. Try and say that three times fast, then backwards.

It’s what was for dinner one weeknight after an evening full of back-to-school shopping for my nephews. See what I bought them.

I’ve never had one of the famous fresh caprese salads before. So I decided rather on having a light supper I’ll have a semi-light supper and incorporate quinoa, chicken and pine nuts into the mix. Sounded good, so it must taste good, right?

quinoa-caprese-chicken-salaSo easy guys.

Grab a box of quinoa and cook it in chicken broth. Prep your tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes and sliced them), chicken, pine nuts, basil, and bocconcini cheese (Not gonna lie. Definitely had to look at the image in order to spell that fancy cheese correctly). bocconcini cheese
To die for. Didn’t really realize how strong of a taste basil has. First few bites I was doubting the meal, but once I got into it — it was numba one. I would definitely recommend. It’s so quick and easy to put together too. Plus, hello bonus? I have leftovers. This will definitely be a weekly staple in the household. May not add fresh basil each time. quinoa-capreses

What do you cook when you’re too tired/lazy to make a meal?

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