Your favorite fall flavors come together beautifully in these pumpkin spice baked apples! It's the perfect easy dessert that can be on your table in about 45 minutes, and it works great with ice cream, granola, or just on its own.
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Vegetarian Summer Salad with Gardein Crispy Tenders
Nothing says easy summer dinner quite like a summer salad! This vegetarian salad calls for Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, along with a delicious homemade maple balsamic vinaigrette, goat cheese, strawberries, and other tasty additions. You can pack in all kinds of nutrients along with the flavors of the season for a delicious and satisfying meal. ...
What I Learned at The Essential Conference (& Meeting Jillian Harris!)
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend a conference with 400 other women put on by The Essential Platform. And I have sooo much to tell you about it! I want to share with you some of the most impactful takeaways I got from the conference (because I think you'll find them useful too!). And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without telling you what it was like to meet Jillian Harris! ...
Vegetarian Creamy Beef & Shells with Gardein Beefless Ground
You know I'm all about comfort food over here. So when I say something is one of the best comfort foods you can imagine, you know I mean it! And when you can make a traditionally carnivorous dish into a vegetarian option, even better! That's why I'm soooo excited to share with you a vegetarian version of one of the most comforting, rich, and delicious meals of all time: creamy beef and shells! With the help of Gardein Beefless Ground, you'll never need the traditional version of this dish again. Prepare to fall in love.
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Skillet Cornbread with Jalapeno, Cheddar, and Honey
Moist cornbread is possible and my skillet version with jalapeno cheddar and honey is about to make all of your dreams about the best cornbread recipes come true. And if you haven't had any dreams about cornbread yet, it's simply because you haven't tried this recipe!...
Creamy Tomato Sauce: A Lightened Up Version
Even though I may have called it a "lightened up version," this creamy tomato sauce for pasta DEFINITELY falls under the category of vegetarian comfort food!
It's got the rich taste and so much flavor you want in a pasta sauce, but instead of heavy cream I use...Oooh, you'll have to keep reading to find out!...
Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese
For this month's Mac of the Month, I am pleased to present Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese! It's an excellent combination of two foods that are already delicious on their own, so I expected great things by combining them...and this dish did NOT disappoint!...
Caramelized Pear and Vanilla Bean Dutch Baby
My love for puff Dutch baby pancakes is well-documented, and today I'm excited to show you another variation on a food I love so much! This version is a puff pancake/Dutch baby with caramelized pears and vanilla. It's basically the perfect brunch to make just for yourself or to serve a group! It sounds a lot more intricate and difficult than it really is, but it's actually so easy to make — you're going to love it.
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My Favorite Vegetarian Meals in London: 2018 Edition
After an absolutely incredible trip to London and some of the best meals of my life, I couldn't wait for this post. Today, I'm sharing with you my favorite vegetarian meals I had in London!
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BBG Beginner Week 4 Recap
Week Four of BBG is done - where is the time going?
I completed all of the workouts according to schedule this week! Still struggling with pushups, but feeling way stronger with squats and my cardio endurance is getting better.
This week, I'm including my Fit Bit data from the 3 strength workouts (Legs on Monday, Arms and Abs Wednesday, Full Body Friday). Even though the BBG workouts are 28 minutes (plus one minute between each seven minute set), I do cardio warmup which is why it says each workout is around 45 minutes. Do you guys like looking at this kind of data? If so, I'll keep including it!
I came down with a nasty case of bronchitis at the end of the week, so I'm a little unsure about what this week is going to look like. I don't know if I'll pause for a week and start Week 5 next week and just let my body rest, or if I start to feel better in the next few days maybe I can still fit all of the workouts in. Everything I read says not to mess around with pushing yourself once your sickness is "below the neck" (ie in your chest instead of your nose or throat), but I really don't want to miss a week! I know if I don't get the rest I need though, I risk missing out on more than a week from getting even sicker.
Until next week!
xo - C
BBG Beginner Week 2 Recap (+ Vancouver Trip Highlights!)
Week two is done! I had to modify the schedule a little bit because I was gone to Vancouver from Friday-Monday, but I still finished all of the workouts - yes!...
Starting to Workout Again and BBG Week One Beginner Sweat App Recap
Since my surgery, working out hasn't been a priority, because I've been more focused on basic bodily functions like trying to make what's left of my pancreas work. But, I'm going to London in just over a month, and I want to have the stamina and energy to do lots of walking. I also want to build muscle mass, because I've never been muscular to begin with, but after my surgery, I lost any muscle I've ever had. I'm not looking to lose weight, but I truly just want to be stronger and not want to collapse at the top of the stairs each time I make it up, ya know?...
I Need Your Help: New "Product Review" Format
I've just returned (okay, not technically true - I'm in Toronto for a loooong layover) from a trip to Florida, and I've purchased a whole heck of a bunch of new products from Ulta, Target, Glossier, and Sephora, including products you can't get in Canada, and all of my VIBRouge sale picks. My suitcase was five pounds heavier on the way home and 90% of that is makeup and skincare.
Oops.
A photo from the aforementioned vacation...
Empties: Would I Repurchase?
Sometimes it’s sad running out of a product, but it’s also strangely satisfying to finally work your way through a beauty product because I don’t know about you, but a lot of stuff I have ends up sitting unused for a lot longer than it should....
Summer Wedding Guest Dress Ideas
Bright colours, fun patterns, all lengths, and all styles are a go! Dressing for summer weddings is FUN!
Wedding season is in full swing and if you're like me, you often leave things until the last minute, and that includes finding the perfect dress to wear to a summer wedding. I've rounded up a bunch of favourites ranging from casual to beachy to formal weddings, and with price points to accommodate all budgets as well. I know many of us are crazy busy in the summer so I hope this saves you some time in finding the perfect dress to wear to a summer wedding!...
Current Faves Playlist
Whenever I don't post for a few weeks I'm tempted to start a post off by apologizing for my absence in someway but a) did you reeeeeally notice I was gone? 😉 and b) a fun hobby is meant to be just that: FUN and a hobby, and that shouldn't involve apologies or feeling obligated to post when I'm not feeling well enough to do so or that creative wand hasn't worked its magic on me.
With that being said, I'm easing back in with an easy-breezy post with my current favourite songs and it's chock-full of pop goodness. Hope you like them too! As always, PLEASE comment your current faves so I can listen to them too!
- Borderline - Tove Styrke
- 100 Letters - Halsey (really enjoying her new album!)
- Let's Get Married - Bleachers (love this new album, too!)
- Perfect Places - Lorde
- Bad Liar - Selena Gomez
- Only Angel - Harry Styles
- Want You Back - HAIM
- First Time - Kygo, Ellie Goulding
- Strip That Down - Liam Payne, Quavo
- That's So Us - Allie X
- Take Me - Aly & AJ (YES - Aly & AJ!!!!!!)
OKAY BYE!
xo - C
Holy Grail Products for Styling Fine Hair
Everyone has their strengths - and styling my fine hair has never been mine. I've never been someone people come up to just to compliment their hair. And that's okay! I have very fine hair (I've been instructed by my BFF/amazingly talented hair stylist to call it "fine" rather than thin!) but thanks to aforementioned BFF, I am thrilled with the colour of it and when she styles it, I feel like a new woman!
Three Things to Keep in Mind This Week: May 8, 2017
I'm constantly consuming content, thanks in part to working in social media, but it also satisfies my natural curiosity as well as my love of reading. I'm the kind of person who always "clicks the link in the bio" and opts to "read more."
Lately I've found that by trying to read everything, I absorb nothing. To that end, I've decided to focus on a few things each week and narrow in on consuming content about those things, or just keeping in mind the "point" of certain things I read. I want to choose to read about things I'm personally working on and how others deal with the same issues. I'm going to pick three things this week (it will sometimes be more, sometimes less) and I figured I'd share them with you incase something grabs you.
Here are three things to keep in mind this week!
1. Are Your Conversations 50/50?
Do you ever come away from a hangout sesh with a friend and realize you didn't really get any info about what's up with them? Or, alternatively, they didn't seem to ask a damn thing about you? Unless there's a big event going on in one of your lives or a specific conversation you needed to have that naturally flowed toward one of you, conversations should work both ways.
It feels really good to know someone is interested in your life and what/how you're doing. Am I giving my friends that gift of them knowing I really care and want to know what's going on with them? Am I actually listening to their responses when I ask questions, or am I just waiting for my turn to answer?
These are questions I always try to come back to because I hate the idea of one of my friends coming away from a conversation and thinking "all she did was talk about herself." I'm going to really focus on asking myself, "Am I listening or am I waiting to answer?" and "Is this conversation 50/50 in terms of questions and answers?" this week and always!
2. What Areas of Your Life Feel Forced/Which Are the Most Effortless?
Undoubtedly, there are areas of your life that you naturally excel at and tasks that you choose to do before others because they're more effortless than others. Similarly, there are likely relationships you have where trying to schedule something with that person always feels like pulling teeth, and other relationships where you're down to hang whenever the opportunity comes up and the two of you just sync up perfectly.
Some of the things in our lives that we feel forced to do are obligations we can't get out of. If you're a doctor and being kind to patients feels forced for you, you still should do it. (but also maybe don't be a doctor if that's the case?) But if you're doing things you CHOOSE to do, even though they feel forced...WHY? If you go to yoga every Thursday night because you feel like you should, don't! The world is full of things to do and life is too short to force yourself to do shit you hate.
This week I'm focusing on the things I force myself to do or feel obligated to do and WHY they might feel forced. I want to work on cutting out the "forced" things and replacing them with the effortless heart-pleasing things wherever I can!
3. HAHA, TRICKED YA!
There is no #3. You know why? I was forcing myself to think of something and according to #2 I need to work on NOT forcing things.
That feels like a good, effortless place to end today! 😉
xo - C