Hey everyone! I have a new blog! Be sure to check it out!
www.alexespayje.wordpress.com
ALL my love! <3
Loh
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I'm back!
Good morning everyone,
As you all know (if you have followed me before) I take time from my blog. By time I mean days, months or sometimes even up to a year but I always return ;) This time I return simply because I've done some serious reorganizing of my life (i.e. apartment, friends, family and career) and I thought this would be the perfect time to start blogging again. Most of the time when I return to blogging I always change my blog around and have a new concept - I'm very eclectic in that sense. I'm always getting my hands dirty with something new. So you will just have to stay tuned this time to find out what I'm into because THIS time even my elbows are dirty and I'm super-dee-duper excited to share this BIG news with all of you! It's just going to take some time.
Cupcakes, sunshine and unicorns,
As you all know (if you have followed me before) I take time from my blog. By time I mean days, months or sometimes even up to a year but I always return ;) This time I return simply because I've done some serious reorganizing of my life (i.e. apartment, friends, family and career) and I thought this would be the perfect time to start blogging again. Most of the time when I return to blogging I always change my blog around and have a new concept - I'm very eclectic in that sense. I'm always getting my hands dirty with something new. So you will just have to stay tuned this time to find out what I'm into because THIS time even my elbows are dirty and I'm super-dee-duper excited to share this BIG news with all of you! It's just going to take some time.
Cupcakes, sunshine and unicorns,
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Bum day!
Good morning everyone!
I hope you didn't have too much difficulty with yesterday's routine. I didn't want overexert myself (as I mentioned) and I've never worked my back out before so just to be extra cautious I only did 2 rounds.
Now attention ladies! It's bum day! Today is a thigh and glute work out for a bigger butt! One of my main concerns with walking 5 miles a day was losing my butt. So when I saw this post on Youtube today I was over joyed! I can't wait to get back from my walk and try this. I really like finding routines that don't need equipment. I'm a firm believer in using your own body weight to the best of your ability. Especially as a girl, you don't want too much muscle tone! So leave the weight lifting to the guys ;)
Last night I swear I made the best dinner I've ever made in my entire life (in my opinion). I'm sure my ex boyfriend would appreciate the BBQ ribs and potatoes I would make over this LOL! But I'm trying to change my food style and let me tell you... It was SO good! I didn't want to stop eating!
Recipe:
Directions:
This salad was also scrumptious! I ate half a head of romaine lettuce before dinner!
Recipe:
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber
Tomato
Feta cheese
Light zesty Italian dressing
I planned on making hummus yesterday but some things came up and I didn't get the chance. I will post my recipe tomorrow because it is part of my lunch for today. I have a dentist appointment at 5:30 so my day is revolving around that. I usually do my work out between 3 and 4 but today I have to finish my breakfast and hurry out the door for my walk and get back to do my routine and start getting ready to leave for my appointment. Afterwards I'm meeting up with a girlfriend and we're going for a long evening walk with our dogs!
Phoebe isn't very good with other dogs but lately she seems to be getting better with more exposure. So I've been trying to bring her around my friend's dogs to get her used to being around other dogs. She's definitely made progress but will not tolerate dogs that we encounter on a walk or in public at any time. If she knows that I brought her to meet another dog she seems to deal with the situation a little better and has more tolerance.
I'm off to get a start on my lunch, walk and routine!
Have a great day everyone and good luck with the work out! :)
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
I hope you didn't have too much difficulty with yesterday's routine. I didn't want overexert myself (as I mentioned) and I've never worked my back out before so just to be extra cautious I only did 2 rounds.
Now attention ladies! It's bum day! Today is a thigh and glute work out for a bigger butt! One of my main concerns with walking 5 miles a day was losing my butt. So when I saw this post on Youtube today I was over joyed! I can't wait to get back from my walk and try this. I really like finding routines that don't need equipment. I'm a firm believer in using your own body weight to the best of your ability. Especially as a girl, you don't want too much muscle tone! So leave the weight lifting to the guys ;)
Last night I swear I made the best dinner I've ever made in my entire life (in my opinion). I'm sure my ex boyfriend would appreciate the BBQ ribs and potatoes I would make over this LOL! But I'm trying to change my food style and let me tell you... It was SO good! I didn't want to stop eating!
- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken
- Sun dried tomato and oregano dressing (I use Kraft)
- Broccoli
- 1 onion
- A few fist fulls of spinach
Directions:
- Marinade your chicken in sun dried tomato and oregano dressing and cook for 30 minutes at 350
- Heat pan on medium - high with a teaspoon of butter and add your onion and spinach when there's 10 minutes left on your chicken.
- Steam your broccoli when you start to cook your spinach and onions
This salad was also scrumptious! I ate half a head of romaine lettuce before dinner!
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber
Tomato
Feta cheese
Light zesty Italian dressing
I planned on making hummus yesterday but some things came up and I didn't get the chance. I will post my recipe tomorrow because it is part of my lunch for today. I have a dentist appointment at 5:30 so my day is revolving around that. I usually do my work out between 3 and 4 but today I have to finish my breakfast and hurry out the door for my walk and get back to do my routine and start getting ready to leave for my appointment. Afterwards I'm meeting up with a girlfriend and we're going for a long evening walk with our dogs!
Phoebe isn't very good with other dogs but lately she seems to be getting better with more exposure. So I've been trying to bring her around my friend's dogs to get her used to being around other dogs. She's definitely made progress but will not tolerate dogs that we encounter on a walk or in public at any time. If she knows that I brought her to meet another dog she seems to deal with the situation a little better and has more tolerance.
I'm off to get a start on my lunch, walk and routine!
Have a great day everyone and good luck with the work out! :)
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
Monday, April 2, 2012
Perfect weekend
Good morning!
Today I woke up early because last night my mother came home and threw 2 chocolate bars at me (I can't resist chocolate) so I'm drinking my green monster (which by the way is the best one I've ever had due to my almond milk) and going for a 5 mile walk early and working out for an hour when I get back.
As I mentioned I'm going to stat sharing my routines with you guys! Today I'm going to work on my chest and back which obviously involves arms as well. My upper body strength is embarrassing so that's something I want to work on. I found this video this morning and I'm hoping I can complete it but it's going to be VERY difficult. Remember to only push yourself as far as you can go. If you go beyond that point, you're going to be over exerting yourself and extremely sore the next day. Another thing I'd like to mention is epsom salts for your bath! They're really good for relieving muscle pain after a hard day of working out.
Saturday night I decided to head into town to pick up a few grocery items and while I was in town I had the urge to buy a bottle of wine. Needless to say a couple glasses turned into...
The whole damn bottle... and a shot of sambuca. Oak Ranch Estate white zinfandel is my favourite wine ever!! I haven't drank in a really long time and I really didn't feel like going to the bars or to a house party. I just wanted to stay at home, read my book, have a nice bath and hang out with my dog. My parents went away for the night so I had their king size bed to myself and enjoyed the luxury of their 50" flat screen too!
I also experimented with a stir fry for the first time. I didn't follow a recipe so it was all instinct and I have to admit that it wasn't that good but I ate it anyways. I think it was because the noodles sucked! I thought they were similar to the Asian cuisine noodles, but they're SO not. They were basically Mr.Noodles. I can't even tell you what I used for the sauce because I don't remember lol but here's the picture.
This is my FAVOURITE salad! I eat this EVERY DAY! It's SO SCRUMPTIOUS! I can't go on enough about how yummy this salad is!
Recipe:
Spring mix
Strawberries
Walnuts
Creamy poppy seed dressing
Cherry tomatoes (I don't put them in)
Today I'm making a green tea toner for my skin because it has so many benefits! I'll share them with you tomorrow alone with my hummus recipe!
Have a great day everyone!
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
Today I woke up early because last night my mother came home and threw 2 chocolate bars at me (I can't resist chocolate) so I'm drinking my green monster (which by the way is the best one I've ever had due to my almond milk) and going for a 5 mile walk early and working out for an hour when I get back.
As I mentioned I'm going to stat sharing my routines with you guys! Today I'm going to work on my chest and back which obviously involves arms as well. My upper body strength is embarrassing so that's something I want to work on. I found this video this morning and I'm hoping I can complete it but it's going to be VERY difficult. Remember to only push yourself as far as you can go. If you go beyond that point, you're going to be over exerting yourself and extremely sore the next day. Another thing I'd like to mention is epsom salts for your bath! They're really good for relieving muscle pain after a hard day of working out.
Saturday night I decided to head into town to pick up a few grocery items and while I was in town I had the urge to buy a bottle of wine. Needless to say a couple glasses turned into...
I also experimented with a stir fry for the first time. I didn't follow a recipe so it was all instinct and I have to admit that it wasn't that good but I ate it anyways. I think it was because the noodles sucked! I thought they were similar to the Asian cuisine noodles, but they're SO not. They were basically Mr.Noodles. I can't even tell you what I used for the sauce because I don't remember lol but here's the picture.
This is my FAVOURITE salad! I eat this EVERY DAY! It's SO SCRUMPTIOUS! I can't go on enough about how yummy this salad is!
Spring mix
Strawberries
Walnuts
Creamy poppy seed dressing
Cherry tomatoes (I don't put them in)
Today I'm making a green tea toner for my skin because it has so many benefits! I'll share them with you tomorrow alone with my hummus recipe!
Have a great day everyone!
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Dairy free
My energy levels are ridiculously low lately! All I want to do is sleep! I can sleep at any given time no matter how many hours of sleep I've already banked. If I have a 4 hour nap at noon I can go back to sleep as soon as I wake up or stay up and go to sleep at a normal hour. I'm always tired! Which lead me to start thinking more into my diet. As much as I think I'm eating healthy... am I really?! What vitamin or nutrient could I be low in? Could I be anemic? Could I have low iron levels again?
When I got to the iron question in my head is when I started realizing I really don't eat a lot of red meat (main source of iron) at all anymore. Besides my burger at Harvey's on Thursday I haven't eaten any in a very long time. I have an appointment to get blood tests done on Wednesday so we will see for sure what is going on then. Last time I had my blood work done I did have an iron deficiency along with a vitamin D deficiency. I thought that I took care of my iron deficiency because I was eating more red meat after I found out but as I mentioned there hasn't been much in my diet lately.
Cutting dairy out of my diet is something I've been trying to do for a very long time. Lately it's been easier than any other time I've tried. Mainly because when I drink milk I break out like crazy and I'm on a mission for looking great along with feeling great so dairy has to go. ALSO, dairy restricts the absorption of iron. I used to make my own almond milk for my smoothies and I really miss doing that. So, last night when I did my grocery shopping and found a bag of organic almonds at the superstore for $3.99 I couldn't resist! So I bought them and today I'm going to make my almond milk :) It's a very simple process and super easy to make!
Vanilla Almond Milk (yields 2-3 cups or so)
1 cup almonds, soaked 8-12 hours beforehand if it’s possible
4 cups water
6 dates or 1/4 cup agave
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or the contents of a vanilla bean)
So first thing is to soak your 1 cup of almonds in water over night. Then rinse them off and put them in your blender with 4 cups of water. Once they're blended well you need to strain the almond pulp from the milk. The best thing to use for straining is cheese cloth but I just use a tea towel. It takes a long time to strain it completely but when it's done it will look like this...
When you've strained the pulp from the milk you can add the rest of your ingredients. The coolest part about this process is the pulp ;) which you can use as an exfoliant for your face and body! I love this stuff! I keep it refrigerated and bring it to the shower with me when I go and use it all over. It also moisturizes as it exfoliates so you come out smelling, feeling and looking yummy ;)
Then you have your milk! Which you can put in your cereal, smoothies or even just enjoy a glass of it whenever you'd like! Here's some other fun things you can do with almond milk...
Chocolate nut milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 2 tbsp raw cacao nibs or unsweetened cocoa powder
Cinnamon milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 1 tsp cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg
Chai milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Sugar-free vanilla milk: In place of the dates, add stevia to taste
Source
I'm off to soak my almonds (why does that sound dirty?) and make a Green Monster! Have a great day everyone!
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
When I got to the iron question in my head is when I started realizing I really don't eat a lot of red meat (main source of iron) at all anymore. Besides my burger at Harvey's on Thursday I haven't eaten any in a very long time. I have an appointment to get blood tests done on Wednesday so we will see for sure what is going on then. Last time I had my blood work done I did have an iron deficiency along with a vitamin D deficiency. I thought that I took care of my iron deficiency because I was eating more red meat after I found out but as I mentioned there hasn't been much in my diet lately.
Cutting dairy out of my diet is something I've been trying to do for a very long time. Lately it's been easier than any other time I've tried. Mainly because when I drink milk I break out like crazy and I'm on a mission for looking great along with feeling great so dairy has to go. ALSO, dairy restricts the absorption of iron. I used to make my own almond milk for my smoothies and I really miss doing that. So, last night when I did my grocery shopping and found a bag of organic almonds at the superstore for $3.99 I couldn't resist! So I bought them and today I'm going to make my almond milk :) It's a very simple process and super easy to make!
1 cup almonds, soaked 8-12 hours beforehand if it’s possible
4 cups water
6 dates or 1/4 cup agave
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or the contents of a vanilla bean)
Chocolate nut milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 2 tbsp raw cacao nibs or unsweetened cocoa powder
Cinnamon milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 1 tsp cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg
Chai milk: To the recipe for vanilla almond milk, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Sugar-free vanilla milk: In place of the dates, add stevia to taste
Source
I'm off to soak my almonds (why does that sound dirty?) and make a Green Monster! Have a great day everyone!
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Hunger Games ♥
Please note: It's recently been brought to my attention that there are a few grammatical errors in my posts. I would just like to say they're an accident! It's because I'm usually in a huge rush (today is no exception) to complete and post them. I'm sure you've noticed that I forgot a word and it's because I'm speed typing haha! Today the spacing between paragraphs is funky because I don't have enough time to mess around with the layout. So please bare with me :)
So I went to see The Hunger Games movie last night. Of course, with theaters comes chocolate (my krypotonite) and I could not resist because I totally took a hit off of a joint before I went in (Ha!Ha). So stoned little old me goes to Shoppers Drug Mart and what do you know? My favourite Cadbury milk chocolate bar (the hazelnut one) is on sale for $4.00 and a large bag of peanut M&Ms (another favourite) are on sale for $1.99. I was completely done both before the movie was half way through! I devoured them like I had never tasted chocolate before. THAT'S what happens when you smoke weed kids. You get cravings (the munchies), you give into your cravings, you spend every penny you have in a convenient store and then you get FAT. So when I get home from the city today.. I'll have to do some crazy friggan work out! Which I will post tomorrow.
But let's deal with my guilty feelings right now and teach you readers about the BENEFITS of chocolate ;) I did some research when I got home last night and this morning when I woke up. Only to find that there are some wonderful things about chocolate that people do not speak about enough!
10 Health Benefits of Chocolate:
...Of course most of these don't really apply to peanut M&M's but I'd like to make believe they do!
Now, onto my thoughts and feelings about the movie. I will post a spoiler alert before I ruin anything for those of you who have yet to see it. First and foremost I need to say that I wish they had picked a more attractive Peeta. Simply for the fact that they portray him to be this perfect, funny and charismatic guy in the book and in the movie - he's kinda boring. The feelings between Peeta and Katniss didn't seem as strong as they did in the book and they definitely didn't show enough of Gale and Katniss. However I did miss the first part of the movie due to my undeniable cravings. I started watching right before they announced the tributes. I also didn't fall in love with Rue the way I did in the book. I thought her acting was very poor. *SPOILER ALERT* I wasn't nearly upset when she died in the movie as I was in the book. *END OF SPOILER ALERT* I will give them credit for Caesar and Effie though. They chose impeccable actors to play both parts and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that they both met the expectations of the readers. I also think that Jennifer Lawrence did a really great job as Katniss.
We've been the greatest of friends since I was in grade 9. Words cannot express enough how much I appreciate this girl's friendship. I love her to to death! ♥
I'm skipping my smoothie today, GAHHH! I literally feel like I'm going to die. Chocolate last night AND I have to skip my green smoothie today?! Fudge!! I don't have any frozen berries right now! I have to pick some up when I get back from the city. Speaking of picking up food... I've noticed how easy it is to make a grocery list now that I'm eating healthy. When you're thinking about starting to eat healthier it's really difficult to come up with meal plans and shopping lists. However, once you actually start cutting things from your diet it becomes easier and totally natural to make a grocery list that contains nothing but vitamins, nutrients and wholesome "do your body" GOOD-ness!
I'm in a hurry to get out the door so I will have to post a recipe tomorrow or later today when I get back. I may even post my work out! It will be my first "two post" day! Stay tuned!
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
So I went to see The Hunger Games movie last night. Of course, with theaters comes chocolate (my krypotonite) and I could not resist because I totally took a hit off of a joint before I went in (Ha!Ha). So stoned little old me goes to Shoppers Drug Mart and what do you know? My favourite Cadbury milk chocolate bar (the hazelnut one) is on sale for $4.00 and a large bag of peanut M&Ms (another favourite) are on sale for $1.99. I was completely done both before the movie was half way through! I devoured them like I had never tasted chocolate before. THAT'S what happens when you smoke weed kids. You get cravings (the munchies), you give into your cravings, you spend every penny you have in a convenient store and then you get FAT. So when I get home from the city today.. I'll have to do some crazy friggan work out! Which I will post tomorrow.
But let's deal with my guilty feelings right now and teach you readers about the BENEFITS of chocolate ;) I did some research when I got home last night and this morning when I woke up. Only to find that there are some wonderful things about chocolate that people do not speak about enough!
10 Health Benefits of Chocolate:
- Chocolate reduces stroke risk
- Chocolate boosts heart health
- Chocolate fills you up ;)
- There's evidence that say chocolate may fight diabetes
- Chocolate protects your skin
- Chocolate can quiet coughs
- Chocolate boosts your mood! :)
- Chocolate improves blood flow
- Chocolate improves your vision
- Chocolate may make you smarter ;)
...Of course most of these don't really apply to peanut M&M's but I'd like to make believe they do!
Now, onto my thoughts and feelings about the movie. I will post a spoiler alert before I ruin anything for those of you who have yet to see it. First and foremost I need to say that I wish they had picked a more attractive Peeta. Simply for the fact that they portray him to be this perfect, funny and charismatic guy in the book and in the movie - he's kinda boring. The feelings between Peeta and Katniss didn't seem as strong as they did in the book and they definitely didn't show enough of Gale and Katniss. However I did miss the first part of the movie due to my undeniable cravings. I started watching right before they announced the tributes. I also didn't fall in love with Rue the way I did in the book. I thought her acting was very poor. *SPOILER ALERT* I wasn't nearly upset when she died in the movie as I was in the book. *END OF SPOILER ALERT* I will give them credit for Caesar and Effie though. They chose impeccable actors to play both parts and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that they both met the expectations of the readers. I also think that Jennifer Lawrence did a really great job as Katniss.
He's totally flippin' dreamy! ♥
My friend Shannon is coming to the city with me today for my doctor's appointment. Here's our favourite picture of us from my crazy 20th birthday. It was taken right before we ran out the door to catch our cab to the bar.
My friend Shannon is coming to the city with me today for my doctor's appointment. Here's our favourite picture of us from my crazy 20th birthday. It was taken right before we ran out the door to catch our cab to the bar.
I'm skipping my smoothie today, GAHHH! I literally feel like I'm going to die. Chocolate last night AND I have to skip my green smoothie today?! Fudge!! I don't have any frozen berries right now! I have to pick some up when I get back from the city. Speaking of picking up food... I've noticed how easy it is to make a grocery list now that I'm eating healthy. When you're thinking about starting to eat healthier it's really difficult to come up with meal plans and shopping lists. However, once you actually start cutting things from your diet it becomes easier and totally natural to make a grocery list that contains nothing but vitamins, nutrients and wholesome "do your body" GOOD-ness!
I'm in a hurry to get out the door so I will have to post a recipe tomorrow or later today when I get back. I may even post my work out! It will be my first "two post" day! Stay tuned!
Love, Happiness and Inspiration always,
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Going bananas
Yesterday before Erin and I went for our walk we made a salmon pasta dish that was nothing less than exquisite! We had a hard time restricting ourselves to one bowl. Due to calories and carbohydrates we had to and that's why we wanted to eat our meal before we went power walking for 5 miles. I also ate a banana on the walk and 28 ounces of water. I heard that bananas give you more energy when you're working out, so I wanted to test this theory. I didn't notice much of a difference so I came home and did my research (they contain mainly sugars, so they basically give you a guilt free sugar rush for your work out) and was surprised to discover that bananas have a variety of amazing health benefits to them and I wanted to share them with all of you!
You can help of these problems just by eating a banana once a day! I put mine in my smoothie every morning and now that I'm talking about it I do notice a huge difference in my heart burn. I haven't had one problem since I started my smoothies!
I'm a little sore from my work out yesterday and I've decided to start posting the routines I do every day so that you can also do them if you'd like! I cannot believe the difference in my body since I've started working for the last 3 weeks. I believe it's mainly my diet that is keeping the weight off but definitely the exercises building the muscle tone. I can see my abdominal muscles! My love handles have shrunk by 50%! I'm fitting into clothes I never thought I would again! It's such an incredible feeling seeing my hard work pay off. As an added bonus I feel absolutely fantastic!
When I say "diet" I don't mean it in the sense that I'm dieting! I mean it as in what's in my diet every day :) So speaking of my diet... here's the YUMMIEST lunch I was speaking of! I just finished the leftovers for today's lunch!
So here's the recipe:
1 cup of organic brown rice pasta
1 can of salmon (in water, never oil!)
1/2 of a green pepper
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 white onion (red would be better)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
I'm taking the day off today from working out and even walking because I'm entirely too sore to walk. The muscles around my knees are killing me! I'm going to soak in the bath and read Catching Fire for a while and hopefully that will relieve some of the pain.
Have a great day everyone!
Love, Inspiration and Happiness always,
- Stress relief
- Reducing depression
- Anemia
- Constipation & diarrhea
- Eye sight protection
- Healthy bones
- Healthy kidneys
- Blood pressure
- Heart burn
- Morning sickness
- Smoking
- Ulcers
- Nerves
- Mosquito bites
- Stroke risk
You can help of these problems just by eating a banana once a day! I put mine in my smoothie every morning and now that I'm talking about it I do notice a huge difference in my heart burn. I haven't had one problem since I started my smoothies!
I'm a little sore from my work out yesterday and I've decided to start posting the routines I do every day so that you can also do them if you'd like! I cannot believe the difference in my body since I've started working for the last 3 weeks. I believe it's mainly my diet that is keeping the weight off but definitely the exercises building the muscle tone. I can see my abdominal muscles! My love handles have shrunk by 50%! I'm fitting into clothes I never thought I would again! It's such an incredible feeling seeing my hard work pay off. As an added bonus I feel absolutely fantastic!
When I say "diet" I don't mean it in the sense that I'm dieting! I mean it as in what's in my diet every day :) So speaking of my diet... here's the YUMMIEST lunch I was speaking of! I just finished the leftovers for today's lunch!
1 cup of organic brown rice pasta
1 can of salmon (in water, never oil!)
1/2 of a green pepper
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 white onion (red would be better)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
I'm taking the day off today from working out and even walking because I'm entirely too sore to walk. The muscles around my knees are killing me! I'm going to soak in the bath and read Catching Fire for a while and hopefully that will relieve some of the pain.
Have a great day everyone!
Love, Inspiration and Happiness always,
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