Updates!

Good afternoon Friends! I hope everybody has had a good start to their week!

My Monday was pretty good as far as Monday's go. I got a bit of a late start to the day, and spent most of my day in the lab. The weather here has been awful (aka rainy) for about a month now though, so being inside isn't all bad. I had planned on heading to the gym after work to get in some cardio/weights- but when I sent my friend a message to ask her to join me she convinced me to join her for a little late night Moksha Yoga instead.


Source

(alas I was not outside- but the hot room was a wonderful alternative the the wet outdoors!)

I was really looking forward to the gym, but I am glad I was convinced to change my mind, because as it turns out Yoga was exactly what my body needed last night. The instructor just happened to be one of my favorites, who is sadly leaving at the end of the month :( She is however going to be opening her own studio in St. Catherine's Ontario, so it is good news for her.

Anyway , I got there, not too sure if I really wanted to be there- I had to use a rental mat, and the clothes I had weren't ideal for the hot room, but I decided to really push myself to my edge and get the most out of the class. It was like Tracy new exactly what I needed to get out of the class- and that is what she made it. It was amazing, one of the better sessions I have been to in a while.

One thing that really stood out for me was the encouragement to "come out of the mirror, and into your body". I find too often I will get caught up with trying to make sure my alignment is right by looking in the mirror- when really I should feeling if my body is properly aligned, and not letting myself get distracted by my reflection, and the reflection of everyone around me. I think next class I'm gonna try and go to the back of the studio, where it is almost impossible to see the mirror, and really challenge myself to feel my way through the class.

After class last night I decided that I definitely want to do the 30 Day Challenge during the month of June. Without course work, and with 10 classes a day on weekdays, and 4 on weekends I can surely find at least one a day that fits into my schedule! Plus, my friend (slash former pseudo roommate) Heather has agreed to do it with me! I'll make sure to post more details as the Challenge approaches, and you can look forward to regular updates about my progress next month!

I saw this 23 Questions thing on Gabriela's blog today, and decided to do it myself, so here goes...

1. What is your mom's best friend's name? Stacey

2. Where is the weirdest place you have a mole? I don't think I have any in weird places.

3. Who was the hottest teacher you ever had? I don't remember his name, but I had a pretty attractive student teacher in high school.

4. Have you ever made out in a movie theater? sadly yes, haha.

5. What body part do you wash first? My hair.

6. Do you hover over the toilet in public bathrooms? It all depends on where I am, and how clean the bathroom seems haha.

7. What is the strangest talent you have?

8. Do you have an innie or outie? Innie.

9. Do you parallel park or drive around the block? I don't drive haha- but I like to think I could parallel park if I had to.

10. What shoe do you put on first? right?

11. Have you ever been cow-tipping or snipe-hunting? No...never saw the point really.

12. If you had to choose to never wash your bed sheets again or never wash your towel again, which would you rather not wash? I love having clean sheets, so I'd have to give up towel washing, I'm sure I could find an alternative.

13. What was your childhood nickname? April-D.

(Such a little fashionista, haha)

14. When was the last time you played air guitar? right now- I'll blame it on the power of suggestion, haha.

15. Have you ever bitten your toenails? I have not, I remember trying once when I was little cause I read that one of the spice girls did. I couldn't reach though, thank god.

16. How do you eat your cookie? I tend to break off little pieces instead of biting right into the cookie.

17. When working out at the gym, do you wear a belt? nope.

18. Name something you do when you're alone that you wouldn't do in front of others. sing, it's for the protection of my loved ones haha.

19. How often do you clean your ears? More than I should- I'm a little neurotic about it to be honest.

20. Do you scrunch or fold your toilet paper? Scrunch.

21. Do you have any strange phobias? I'm afraid of seagulls, and really most birds.

23. Do you freak out when you feel a sneeze coming on when you're driving? Again, I don't drive, but I think I'd be ok with a quick sneeze.

Friday the 13th!

Happy Friday the 13th Friends!

Sorry for the super long hiatus- life has been crazy busy! But, I am officially done all of the courses I will need to take in my masters, so hopefully that will equal some free time to do more of the things I enjoy, and less studying :) I will still be spending most of my days in the lab, getting my research on, but without course work in the way I'm hoping that will start going more smoothly as well.

I won't bore you with all of the details of the last 3 months of my life, instead I'll just jump in at today and we'll go from there!

My Friday was no different than most, kicked it off with the usual lab meeting and spent the day with my science. On my way home I hit up the gym with the following treadmill workout (from a recent issue of SELF featuring Jillian Michaels).When I first saw this workout it almost looked too easy, do not be deceived, it kicks my butt!! In a good way of course. I followed up my cardio with the 20 min Fit-Fix circuit and then headed home.

Now I'm catching up on some much needed housework while watching some Gilmore Girls.


This was my favorite show when I was in Junior High and High School- and I recently obtained the entire series and am quickly making my way through (on season 6 of 7).

Anywho, I have to get back into the lab bright and early tomorrow morning, so I shall sign off for now.

I promise more frequent updates, perhaps even one tomorrow?

xo April

Saturdays are the best days!

Happy Saturday friends! - I hope you had a wonderful day :)

I kicked off my Saturday with a trip to the local farmers market with an old friend for breakfast.


I stopped by the Crêperie where I used to work (Crêperie Mobile) for a delicious vegan crêpe!


I got my usual...

tomatoes
onions
figs
arugula
almonds
and honey mustard vinaigrette

all folded into a delicious 100% buckwheat and vegan batter! (It looks a little messy there-but it was FANTASTIC.

While there I also picked up some pretty flowers for my room

I tried for a better picture, but the lighting in my room was awful today!

And I picked up a yummy chocolate vegan cupcake from Susie's Shortbread (the have a market booth in addition to two locations around the city).


For lunch I made an enormous and wonderful salad (just like the one I made last week with my pita pizzas!)

And for supper I heated up some butternut squash soup (This company called Imagine makes amazing, and mostly vegan, creamy soups that are just perfect on a cold day).

Other than that I have had a relaxing day at home, it is nice to have a full day all to myself!

Enjoy the rest of your day lovelies!
xo April

Good food with great friends!

Two posts in one day? I can barely believe it myself! But I just had to post about the amazing evening I had with two of my great friends Bhreagh and Lindsay!



We met after work for a long discussed (as in a year in the making) dinner at one of my favorite local vegetarian restaurants, The Heartwood.

The food there is incredible! Everything is vegetarian, and most meals can be made vegan/gluten free if they aren't already. Plus, everything is made from fresh and local ingredients where possible!

We got started with the always delicious hummus and guacamole platter- which (as you can see below) comes with fresh veggies, tortilla chips, and nice warm focaccia bread :)


Bhreagh had the bean burrito which came with rice and more tortilla chips! It looked really good (and she said it was, haha).


Lindsay went for the daily special, which was chana masala on brown rice with a side of cucumber and rice salad.
and I had my absolute favorite the classic vegan pizza. Which is covered in artichoke hearts, spinach, veggies, tofu, and an out-of-this-world garlic sauce (all on a kamut crust). It is by far the best pizza I have ever had, vegan or otherwise. Behold.

What I love most about this pizza is it is always a little bit different depending on what they have at the time (once they were out of spinach so they put kale on instead- so good!)

We all saved half of our meals for lunch tomorrow to make sure that we had room for desert. They have a fantastic selection, but we decided to split a slice of the peanut butter chocolate "cheesecake" which is 100% vegan (and 1000% delicious- and no I did not add an extra zero by mistake, it is that awesome).


After our great dinner we decided to hit the gym, since none of us had made it early in the day. We were way to full to hop on a treadmill, so instead we took over the yoga studio and did a nice hour long work-out routine that includes some great exercises for arms, legs, and abs, and finished it off with a round of the 20 minute circuit, which conveniently targets all your major muscle groups :) It would have been nice to get some cardio in, but alas, I had no desire to make myself sick. All in all it was a really nice workout, made even better by the great company.

Off to bed now though, I have an early morning lab meeting!

xo April

I've got the fever...

...and no I (thankfully) do not mean Bieber fever.

I have MAJOR puppy fever.
It's bad people- very bad.

(Specifically I want a lab puppy- or a puppy that is part lab!)

Growing up I always had several pets at a time (at one point we had 4 dogs and 3 cats)- and although having everything I own covered in hair got a little old from time to time, I loved having them around. When I left my parents house it was weird at first to not have any pets around, but I quickly got used to it.

However, lately, every time I see a dog my heart just melts. I want one sooo bad.

I spent 30 mins this morning looking at dogs to be adopted through the local animal shelter. I fell in love with pretty much everyone I saw, and It breaks my heart to know I can't take any of them home with me :( I live in a place that doesn't allow dogs, and sadly I know that I am just too busy to give a dog the time and attention that they would need right now.

BUT! I found out something really cool that I can do instead of bringing a dog home right now, that is still (hopefully) going to help get them out of a shelter and into a loving home. Perhaps this is only news to me, but in some cases shelters will allow you to sponsor shelter animals! You can help find a home for an animal by paying part of the adoption fee - therefore making it cheaper for someone who wants to take that animal home! So cool! Also, fostering animals is another possibility! So if you can't commit long-term to having a pet you can temporarily give an animal a break from the shelter life, and maybe help train that animal for their future family! Some animals might have some bad habits that will prevent them from going to a good home. By fostering one of these animals, and working with them, and training them, hopefully they will be more likely to be adopted! Plus, while you are fostering an animal the shelter will have space for another animal, so in the end you might help two animals find loving families, even if you aren't able to adopt one yourself!

So that's it folks, if you are passionate about helping shelter animals find homes but just aren't able to adopt one yourself, there are still a whole bunch of ways that you can help out!

Has anyone of you adopted a fur-friend from an animal shelter? How did you find the whole experience?

I might not be able to bring a friend home just yet- but I will be, and I wanna know as much as possible about the process!

xo April

Still going strong :)

I want to start this post off my saying how thrilled I am that it is nearly the end of January and I have been working hard at keeping each of the goals that I set for myself this year.

That is not to say that I haven't slipped up at all- just the other night I went to a local cafe for dinner instead of going home and making my own- and while it was ok, I would have been much more satisfied had I made something for myself.

As far as saving money in general goes I have been doing very well for myself- I usually have trouble with buying clothes a lot, and just spending money on things I don't need at all. The only things that I have bought for myself this month are a strap for my yoga mat, and a new tank top for the gym (which I got on sale at lulu lemon!).

I am already noticing improvements in my health as a result of heading to the gym frequently. I try to go every day, but am happy if I at least make it every second day. I am able to run longer, and faster already, after less than a month! (I have never been a runner, although I would really like to be, so being able to run for a 18 minutes of a 20 minute treadmill session is quite an improvement for me.)

I am going to try to mix in more yoga throughout the week with my gym routine for some variety, and also because it makes me feel so good.

I have a delicious new recipe to share! It isn't completely mine, although I did change it up a little, but it was suggested to me by a friend in my lab- and it is amazing!

It doesn't really have a name, but we'll go with...

Spicy chickpea tomato goodness ( with spinach!)

1 large red onion (or 2 small)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
red pepper flakes to taste
2 cans of chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes (I used some that were seasoned with garlic and olive oil)
hot sauce to taste
lemon juice
3 large handfuls of spinach

Step 1: heat oil ( I used coconut )in a pan on medium heat, add onions and heat for 5-10 mins (or until onions are translucent)

Step 2: add spices and cook for another 2 mins or so.

Step 3: add the chickpeas and tomatoes- mix. (I drained my chickpeas and used the juice from the tomatoes to add moisture- however you might find you need to add water as it cooks to keep everything from being too thick). Add hot sauce, mix, cover and let simmer for about 20-30 mins.


Step 4: Add lemon juice and spinach, cover and cook for another 5-1o mins (until spinach wilts)


Step 5: Serve and Enjoy!

As you can see this recipe makes quite a bit of food! I stored mine in the fridge to eat as lunch for the next couple of days (and it was just as delicious ,if not better, the next day)

FYI I take all of my pictures with my iPhone, cause I don't have a good camera- so the quality isn't great, but It will have to do for now.

oops

I have been horrible at updating these past couple of days (ok couple of weeks :S) But! I had a paper and a presentation that I really needed to get done for my supervisor, and now that they are done I have more time for the important things in life (ie. cooking, living, and blogging about it :) )


Two nights ago I made a HUGE pot of vegan mac and cheese! It is 100% delicious- I don't find it tastes very "cheesy", but I don't even care, because it is amazing, and the cozy familiarity of mac and cheese is definitely there. I had some for supper, and some yesterday and today for lunch! I cooked a whole box of pasta, haha, so it will last me several meals I think.

As for the recipe, I found it over at Chef Katelyn's Blog! I mixed some steamed broccoli into mine, and sprinkled a little extra nutritional yeast on top- so good!

I munched on some trail mix (raw cashews, tamari almonds, goji berries, dried cranberries and dried blueberries), a yummy organic brown rice cake, and a pear today to get me through the lab day.

I finished my science early today and was able to make the triumphant return to yoga that I have been longing for.

It happened to be snowing and very pretty on my way from the lab to the studio...


...(although because I live in Halifax the snow turned to rain by the time I finished my 60min yoga class and the walk home was less pretty)
I go to my local Moksha yoga studio where I practice in a heated room - it is fantastic. If you have a Moksha yoga studio near you I highly recommend you check it out- it will quite literally change your life! For more about Moksha check out their website!

After a wonderful class I marched my super sweaty self home to make some dinner. What did I make you ask? I thought about having more mac and cheese, but I really don't wanna overdo it and get sick of it (plus that is way too much pasta for one day if you ask me!)

SO, I made a DELICIOUS pita pizza, and an even better salad to go with it.

For the pizza I had to make my own sauce cause we didn't have any pizza sauce on hand, so I just mixed some tomato paste with italian seasoning, garlic powder, and chili powder. I spread that on a whole wheat tortilla wrap and topped it with cherry tomatoes (cut in half), mushrooms, red onion, asparagus, red pepper, and spinach. Then I sprinkled some nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes on top :) I heated it up in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 min, and then switched the oven to broil (high) for ~ 5 mins (or until the sides of the wrap start to brown).


To go with the beautiful pizza I made perhaps the greatest salad ever (or at least the best one I have made for myself in quite a while.

Spinach + cherry tomatoes + red onion + mushroom + strawberry + avocado + sliced almonds + a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and dressed with a wonderful fig balsamic salad dressing (made by Kraft).


Other than yoga today I have been doing really well with the gym lately though! I have been going at least every second day- and am definitely seeing improvements already!

That's all for now, I'm gonna go watch some gilmore girls and head to bed so that I can get up early tomorrow and hit the lab/ the gym.

April xo