Orange Julius for Breakfast!

Holy macaroni! What a whirl wind of a few months it has been! Between Nursing school and extra courses, there wasn’t much time to tend to my lovely blog, but sweet summer is upon us! Okay so! I have the most lovely recipe to share! It is a copycat Orange Julius. I really have developed a hatred for anything warm in the morning, I know I’m weird. I have accepted it.

Orange Julius CopyCat

• 1 medium banana (chopped up)
• 1 cup Orange Juice of your choice
• 1 cup of milk of your choice (I used Silk almond unsweetened vanilla)
• 2 scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder of your choice

1. Put the liquids in your blender first
2. Add your protein powder
3. Add banana little by little and allow the blender to fully blend each piece. As this happens your smoothie will become light and frothy.
4. Enjoy!

 

Best thing since the Iphone

So lately I have been working at decorating my house.  This has been beyond rewarding and super exciting.  Sadly, as I try and collect photos of my life and friends I came to see that this wasn’t a possibility; I don’t take photos…ever.  So I began scouring the net for something to possibly take better photos with. A friend of mine allowed me to use her high powered point and shoot camera, however, upon taking this baby out for a spin not only was it bulky and cumbersome, but people made fun of me! Alright, so that idea was out. Next up I was looking for something I could use with something I always have on me – my phone. My first product I purchased and ordered was the Optrix case and lens set. 

After this arrived I was BEYOND excited.. however, I found shortly after that it was also bulky and the case was hard to use as an everyday option… I found myself sliding the bloody thing on and off constantly. I also found the overall lens quality to be subpar. The fisheye not very fisheye-y if you catch my drift. I have posted two photos I took with the Optrix lens.. as you can see, minus the absolute hateful expressions on my lovely’s faces, that the quality isn’t all that great either. For the price of a whopping 200 US dollars I promptly sent this back.  This option would be really fantastic for someone more outdoorsy than myself. If I did excessive amounts of hiking or kayaking I would want something like this.  However, for my everyday use it just wasn’t for me.

 
So I was back on the prowl for an everyday lens option that would suit my lifestyle. In my search I came across the AMAZING Equal Shop. I was so excited for this baby to arrive I barely could stand it. When it arrived (Note: it arrived super quickly! Unless you’re me and have zero patience, then it was FOREVER) I was so excited I ripped open the package like a total child.

The gist of this gadget is your phone fits in a very small and sleek case for everyday use.  When you’re all ready to take a photo you simply slip the 4-in-1 lens onto the case and off you go. Easy and fast! The flip-out design makes it really compact. I keep the case on my phone and just keep the lens safely in my purse until I want to use it.  I had the opportunity in the first few weeks of having it to take some really awesome shots in a variety of different settings. The day after I received my lens I was supposed to go to the Sick Individuals concert, so I was really excited to see what this baby could do. I was able to test it out at Celebrities Nightclub when Sick Individuals came to town!

Despite the poor conditions, the pictures turned out fabulously! Take a peek! If you’re interested in learning more or purchasing it give equal shop a visit! CLICK HERE

 

What a day to be alive

Heart Palpitations

If you haven’t heard of this unreal comic strip, you do now… I shed real tears when I read these.

La Brasserie

 Have you ever felt really really underdressed for an event or a party? Or just entirely out of place? Working in the heart clinic all summer I found myself walking by a delicate little restaurant on Davie st known as La Brasserie; even the name tasted fancy as it left my lips. (We just won’t mention the fact that I failed French in high school…) So finally as the summer neared it’s end I finally tried it out. To my dismay, my first attempt at LB failed due to their awful hours. I tried to sneak in for my lunch, but due to the fact that they don’t open until 5, that didn’t work out so well.  So, yet again, I gave LB a go… I waited outside the restaurant for it to open, which in fact was 5… on the dot. I took a seat inside, I have to give it to them.. the lay out gives the restaurant the Parisian quaint feel they for. While the food was good, I found the service nearing on pretentious ground.  My server was neither warm or welcoming. She was abrupt and to the point, I wouldn’t say she was rude.. just bland. Definitely not the type of service I would tell my friends about. The food was delicious, that I do have to hand to them…. It was that typical high end restaurant .. I left hungry.  My bill was a lofty 75$ with a glass of wine and dessert. I was fairly disappointed and likely won’t return.

Ghost.

No matter how long it’s been the memories still creep up on me. I know I posted this song before, but this time of year always gets me… I can’t seem to forget you. xo.

Sea to Sky Gondola

So a few weeks ago I had someone from our Easterly-colder counterpart, Calgary, come visit me. I was left with the task of coming up with the coming up with a schedule of Vancouver’s best and brightest attractions. I came across the gondola a few months back and bought tickets on a whim.  They were quite expensive, but who cares when its THIS FREAKING PRETTY?! The best part, which was an all together surprise for me, THEY SELL LIQUOR AT THE TOP. Hold up, so you’re telling me I can not only get a world class view, but I am also ALLOWED TO HAVE A BREWSKI, gee whiz, I may never leave. Seriously, the air up here is fresh and clear, the view is world class, even as a local I was in awe.

Kayaking in Deep Cove

So I finally sucked it up and actually took a day off to crush some of my bucket list items. As much as it pained me to give up the time, it was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle this summer has become. So I had a lovely visitor from Calgary make his way westward, leaving me to do all the planning for a few days.  Two birds, one stone, bam let’s get some bucket list done.

So if you haven’t made your way to Deep Cove to do some kayaking, you need to. It is quiet and serene. The perfect getaway without having to go too far!

 

Coco Curry

okay, so if you haven’t noticed I am going through an intense coconut phase. I had a whim a few evenings ago to make coconut curry from scratch.  What I had done is marinate my chicken for 24 hours in a coconut curry marinade I picked up at Save-on Foods.  After this I chopped the chicken into small pieces.

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1/2 onion – thinly sliced
•  3 tablespoons cloves garlic, minced
•  14 ounce can light coconut milk
•  14.5 ounce can stewed, diced tomatoes
•  8 ounce can tomato sauce
•  3 tablespoons Splenda  

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, or marinate overnight as I did.
2. Heat oil and curry paste in a large skillet over medium heat for 2-5 minutes.
3. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
5. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. (The photo is pre-simmer)

Coco-nutty brownies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Protein Powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla or Chocolate Almond Milk
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1/2 cup coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, I used 8×8.
3. Place oats in blender and blend for a minute or until they resemble the consistency of flour…. Or just use oat flour!).
4. Transfer oat flour to medium bowl then whisk in protein powder and cocoa powder; set aside.
5. Combine applesauce, egg, honey, vanilla and almond milk until smooth and well combined.
6. Add to dry ingredients and mix together until just combined.
7. Warm coconut oil and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over very low heat; stir continuously until all chocolate chips and coconut oil have melted together. (You can also heat them in a microwave safe bowl for 30-45 seconds.)
8. Gently stir into brownie batter.
9. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and cocnut on top; sometimes I like to swirl them in the batter with a knife.
10. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until just cooked through and the top has set.
11. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool completely.
12. Once cool, cut into bars — please note that bars should be kept covered in the refrigerator and enjoyed cold!

I doubled the batch and froze half, they freeze marvelously!

Soft Peaks…

Alright, so if you have not BEEN to Soft Peaks, you have not truly lived. Seriously, the Soft Peaks website describes themselves as, “The special “handcrafted” Soft Peaks recipe is made with Avalon organic milk, a touch of sweetness, and is then churned to smooth perfection. The result is a refreshing and creamy dessert that is all-natural, and lower in calories and fat than ice cream. In addition to organic milk, organic cream, organic milk powder, and organic stabilizers/ emulsifiers (all of them are Kosher certified), we use dextrose to replace generically modified sugar (GMO) like high fructose corn syrup when we make our ice cream.”

Now I don’t speak eloquently when food is involved. Basically, its just real ingredients that by osmosis makes it REALLY good. I dragged my blonde counterpart here and I thought I nearly killed him. He gushed about how good it was for several hours. I giggled.