yoga day.

a local yoga studio that I go to on a regular basis hosted a yogathon to raise funds for amnesty international.  what a great cause- I wanted to thank all the lovelies who sponsored me to participate in this event.  derek, mom, dad, teddy, les, bucky and gramma, meg and tye.   thank you all SO much. the studio appreciated every penny.  

they had a great set up: lots of drinks, fruits, snacks and I brought these double banana chocolate chip breakfast bars.  apparently they were good? I didn't taste one because I wanted to leave them all for the participants.  every class you entered you had the chance to put your name into a draw for some wicked prizes.  they had it so well organized and everyone was so upbeat and the atmosphere in the studio was fantastic.  there is something to be said about a room full of yogis all there to share their energy and raise awareness for equality and rights of women and children. 

unfortunately, I had to work today so I could only participate in three classes.  the three I participated in were: rise and shine yoga, vinyasa flow and then the last class of the day was fun, flight and funk vinyasa.  GOOD TIMES! what a great way to spend a few hours.  next year i'm in for all 8 classes!!

I can't imagine life without yoga- most recently it has taught me so many amazing things.  patience, awareness, gratitude and an appreciation for my whole self.  I have really gotten into my practice lately and it helps me get through each day.  I love that when I am on my mat, I know I have nowhere else to be and can completely indulge in a little time just for myself.  

I dedicated my practice today to:

a.) equality and happiness for all beings (human and otherwise) don't forget those whales!!

b.) to all the lovelies who sponsored me!

here is the process of making the double banana chocolate chip breakfast bars- which are vegan because the recipe uses dark chocolate.  great vegan treat!

 

hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I'm exhausted to say the least and still alice is calling my name. busy day tomorrow!

--m

crazy week.

what a week! I am so thankful to finally be relaxing and watching the canucks rock it out.  I managed to make it through this week alive- wrote a midterm today and feel like it went pretty well.  this week felt like a bit of a marathon, going from no school and then jumping right back into it was a huge adjustment.  I didn't have a spare minute the past four days.  I managed to squeeze in a couple yoga classes- a great vinyasa flow on thursday served as a fabulous study break.  unfortunately, the marathon doesn't end here.  the next two weeks will be equally as crazy while all our teachers squeeze in as much material as possible for the time we have left.  then a few exams and summer time!!  regardless of how busy it has been I am SO thankful to be back on campus and finishing my semester while collecting all the credits I deserve! thank goodness for no more strike.

just a few updates on my vegetarian adventures..

[vegetarian quesidillas- with purple onion, green onion, red 

pepper, banana peppers, franks red and cheese]

here is a delicious stir fry we make on a regular basis:

[lotsa veggies]

[4 simple ingredients for a delicious peanut sauce]

 [doesn't look very appetizing but it is fabulous]

[stir fry with peanut sauce and fried tofu]

peanut sauce recipe: 

compliments of: meg!

1 or 2 gloves garlic

1 T. olive oil

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

-heat oil in saucepan.  add garlic and sauté for 1 minute-ish.  make sure not to burn.  add hoisin and peanut butter stir and simmer.  turn down heat and add water to adjust thickness if necessary.  serve over delicious steamed veggies, rice or rice noodles, and tofu(or chicken, shrimp etc.)

enjoy!!

hope everyone has a great weekend!

--m

a non-guilty pleasure

heyyy everyone! so even though i have recently been on a blogger’s hiatus, i made these cupcakes today and hadddddd to tell someone about them! 

i seen this recipe on the show, cook yourself thin and decided i needed to try them.  i LOVE cupcakes, but always feel so guilty making them. i cannot say enough good things about these:

- they have little sugar, little flour and no butter or oil.

- they have a heaping cup of sweet potato in them, so you get a vegetable serving!

- the recipe only makes 12, because who really wants, ahem, i mean, needs, 40 cupcakes.

- AND best part- they are delicious and do not taste like some phony, bland weight watchers treat.

anddd they look adorable!

*cA

snickerdoodles.

this simple cookie came together in a flash with help from my fantastic mixer.

check out the recipe here- I just made a half batch considering I really don't need 3 dozen cookies in my house. they turned out fantastic! so soft and delicious- satisfied my sweet tooth perfectly.

back to the books and then a yin yang yoga class tonight.

--m

sniffles.

hope everyone had a great weekend.

unfortunately, yesterday I woke up with a cold which is so disappointing because sundays are my favourite day to enjoy with my friends and family. still managed to enjoy a breakfast with my sister but basically was on the couch for the rest of the day. I powered through love the one you're with which I actually quite enjoyed- a nice little love story. after finishing, I picked up still alice which I have been dying to read. I have heard so many awesome reviews on it and couldn't wait to get started. I am thoroughly enjoying it already :) I have a feeling this read will be slightly more intense than the last.

on another note- one of the reasons I love spring, cherry blossoms!! so gorgeous. took this photo on my brief excursion out of the house. now, back to the couch. have to review some ecology because I am back to school tomorrow! thank goodness I didn't miss out on an entire semester.

hope everyone has a great week!

--m

a morning in ladysmith.

first some more vegetarian eats:

[crackers with cream cheese and salmon]

[pierogi casserole]

yesterday morning I went to ladysmith to check out the awesome bakery. oh my goodness- it was amazing. about 6 different flavours of cinnamon buns(I brought home derek a peanut butter cream cheese cinni), so many different muffins, scones, croissants, cookies- the list goes on! and so reasonably priced. they had amazing looking loaves of bread as well.

[ladysmith trolly]

[moms raspberry cream cheese muffin]

[my delicious cheese scone]

yummmy! then d and I had a date night and went to see the movie the lincoln lawyer. we had gift certificates from christmas that we still hadn't used yet. I enjoyed a delicious frozen yogurt- my favourite!! the movie was fantastic, neither of us had really heard of it but it turned out to be awesome. I haven't been to a movie in theatres in forever that I was actually wishing for it not to end. I definitely recommend it!

happy weekend!!

--m

more photos from the park..

compliments of steff a wonderful little photographer.

--m