Sober September

Wanderlust Love

         Wanderlust, the 4 day travelling yoga festival, was in one word a: dream. 

I was lucky enough to attend the Whistler festival this past weekend ( they hold festivals across the US and Canada) and got to share an amazing experience with hundreds of other yogis. We gathered together in the sacred place that is Whistler and downward dogged our way to a high state of bliss. 

If the festival had a recipe it would have included a cup of nourishing the body, mind and soul through yoga, a spoonful of live music, a dash of amazing farm to table food,  and a sprinkle of  positive community. Whether it was the violinist leading a power flow class, or singing together in Warrior 1, it brought us all together in these moments and created a powerful connection between us all. As a new yoga instructor, I felt very inspired. 

Aside from taking part in some the most rewarding yoga classes (led by some of the best yoga teachers in the country no less), we were encouraged to hike and meditate in the trails that surrounded us. Adding this element to an already magical experience, gave me such a sense of gratitude. I felt thankful for not only this experience, but for life and everything it has to offer. Life is so beautiful when you are able to slow down and re-connect to yourself ( I am fully aware how cheesy this sounds but it is true!) 

One of my favourite classes was led by Kerri Kelly and Suzanne Sterling and took place on a mountain top. I took the gondoloa up early Saturday morning and felt the positivity the minute I laid down my mat. I was literally on higher ground at 3,000 feet! Even though I was hella sore from the day before, I got a new wave of energy once the class had begun. 

The teachers, who also work at the organization Off the Mat, shared a favourite line with us that hit a chord in me and made me get "yoga high" within minutes. She said "Let the beauty you love, be what you do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground" which is a quote from Rumi. They encouraged us to take the gratitude and love we feel during practise off the mat into the world (which ultimately is the basis of their organization- LOVE). 

*most images are my own, 2-3 are from the Wanderlustfestival.com website

All in all, there is literally something for everyone at a festival like this. It is not a granola festival for people who only eat raw food and wear clothes made of hemp (although there is some of that and I totally bought a shirt made of bamboo tree-HA)! My friend who has only dabbled in yoga here and there before this, truly felt the benefits of the practise and is now fully on board to start it regularly. 

The only bad part of the whole experience was realizing they have another festival in Mont Tremblant later this month and another one next year in Hawaii-I seriously started looking up plane tickets! Yikes!

Although I won't be able to go again anytime soon, I know that I will never forget it and I will forsure be going to the next one I can swing!

See you next time Wanderlust and thank you for having me

XOXOXO

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Insta-Maris

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Hearty Breakfast

One of the things I miss most about LA is the overwhelming amount of smoothie and juice bars on every corner. While Toronto is definitely stepping up it's game, there are no acai bowls within walking distance to me. Due to this I decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own and I have to say, I am pretty happy. It is the perfect breakfast for a weekend and soo filling!

What you will need to make ONE acai bowl:

☻ 2 Frozen Sambazon Acai Packs 

( I prefer the ones WITHOUT Guarana but they only had this kind at the moment). You can purchase from Whole foods, Goodness Me or The Big Carrot

☻ 1/2 Banana (Half for the mix and the other half for Garnish

☻A heavy spoonful of Almond Butter

☻A tablespoons of Bee Pollen

☻2 tablespoons of Raw Cacao Bits

☻Handful of Ice

☻2 tablespoons of shaved unsweetened coconut flakes

☻1/4 cup of Almond Milk

Garnish:

☻Shaved Almonds 

☻Raw Honey 

☻Handful of Carob Chips

☻1/2 a Banana

Blend all the ingredients into a Magic Bullet or Blender (minus the honey, carob chips, almonds and left over banana)  and blend until all ingredients are mixed well. Garnish with Banana slices, Honey, Shaved Almonds & Carob Chips

**I also sometimes put this creation into a smoothie cup and drink it with a straw during the week ( and when I do this, I ditch all of the garnishes obviously)

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Healthy Summer Salad

When I lived in LA, I was obsessed with this macrobiotic eatery just around the corner from me called M Cafe. Whenever I was feeling yucky (especially after a weekend of taco eating and wine), I would treat myself to a meal from here and would always leave feeling so much better. Every bite made my insides feel happy. This raw zucchini salad is one of the recipes I snagged from there and I am so happy I did.  Not only is this salad super healthy but it actually fills you up!

What you will need

Serves 2

For Pesto Dressing:

☻1 1/2 cups of Basil 

☻1 cup of Arugula 

☻ 1 tablespoon of Almonds, chopped

☻1/4 cup of Olive Oil
☻1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
☻1 tablespoon of flaxseeds

☻2 tablespoons of Yellow or Red Miso
☻1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice

For Salad:

☻ 7-8 pieces of Sun-dried Tomatoes

☻4 Medium Sized Zucchini's

☻2 tablespoons of sliced Almonds 

☻1/4 of Olive of  Oil

☻A handful of Italian Parsley

Instructions for the Pesto Dressing:
Mix all of the ingredients together and blend together in a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you can use a magic bullet- just add some water to help get things moving.

Instructions for the Salad:
1. Cut up all the Zucchini. Cut each Zucchini in half and then in halves again. Chop each of the pieces into thin Spaghetti like strips and place them in a large bowl. This is the "hardest" part as it takes some time...especially if you are an unexperienced cook like myself.

2. Finely chop up all the sun dried tomatoes and toss them into the bowl with the "noodles".
2. Slice the almonds up ( I use pre-sliced almonds as it is easier!).
3. Add in the olive oil
4. Add in the Pesto sauce

5. Mix the sauce into the bowl until it is well blended.
6. Add in Salt and Pepper to taste
7.. Chop the Italian Parsley into tiny pieces and sprinkle it on top as garnish and voila!

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Kale Edamame Salad

For anyone that knows me, knows that I love me some good solid Kale. I AM SO TRENDY!

No seriously, I did hop on the bandwagon with little to zero expectations and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it- in all forms- even in it's darkest hour (raw). 

This is an EASY salad to toss together, especially great for lunches. 

What you need for the Salad:

•Cup of Edamame

•2 Bunches of Kale

•A few Baby Tomatoes 

•Handful of Sweetened Dried Cranberries 

•Handful of Almonds

•Handful of Scallions

What you need for the Dressing: 

•1 tsbp of Agave

•1 tbsp of Olive Oil

•1 tbsp of Balsamnic

•One squeeze of a lemon

Mix all this together and voila! 

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Cool friends doing cool things

Name: Sandra Chabot
Occupation: Studying Holistric Nutrition at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition
Website: www.freetobloom.ca

I met Sandra a few years ago through a mutual friend. Throughout my time of living in LA, Sandra has undergone a lot of changes and has shifted her life in an beautiful direction. She is completely focused on her health and well being and loves to share her knowledge with others on her amazing blog- Free to Bloom. She is currently studying Holistric Nutrition at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition and once I am back in Toronto we are going to swap Yoga and Nutrition Lessons with each other! Cannot wait! It seems like "being healthy" is quite trendy right now and there is an overwhelming amount of products and information out there at the moment so I chatted with Sandra about some of her must haves, the reason for her shift

If you had to pick one food item that you could not live without, what would it be?
Clearly a really tough question, but I would say lemons. I use them every single day. They're just so cleansing and help get things moving. When life gives you lemons, you know it'll be a good day!

What's your favourite morning smoothie?
Green and packed with nutrients. Mine usually consist of either spinach or kale, zucchini, lemon, parsley, an apple or pear for sweetness, protein powder, and a very long list of additional goodies that provide me with mind-body energy for the day.

Describe a typical Monday for you.
I start every morning by tongue scraping and drinking a big glass of lukewarm lemon-cayenne water. Mondays I have school, so I head to class for the day making sure to smile at strangers on the way. In the evening, I take it easy and get myself organized for the week ahead - I’m all about R&R. Then dinner. I’m very lucky to have a wonderful man who cooks gourmet meals. Afterwards, I’ll indulge in a hot epsom salt bath with some aromatherapy. Of course, this is complementary to all the studying and FTB work I have to do.

Favourite place in Toronto to shop for healthy groceries and products?
The St. Lawrence Market is truly a gem. I get all of my local and organic produce there on Saturday mornings. Believe it or not, it’s actually cheaper to shop for two than it ever was shopping for just myself at conventional supermarkets. For all of my extra goodies I stick to Essence of Life Organics in Kensington Market or Vibrant Lifestyle in Liberty Village. Community is important. 

What made you change your lifestyle?
Energy. I needed more of it and I wanted to eliminate the bad energy. My first big shift was going vegetarian, which now after three years solid I’m slowly going off of it. Our needs change and we have to be aware of this to maintain optimal health.

5 products you think every person living in a city should not be without.

#1. A BKR glass water bottle (they are so darn pretty and sleek!)



#2.  Buffered Vitamin C for stress and immune support. 

#3. A good pair of running shoes preferably with neon on them

#4. A salt inhaler- Amazing for respiratory issues. I use it in the mornings and before bed to feel a little more zen

#5. A shower filter- both your skin and insides will thank you!

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pimp juice

I live in LA so you can bet your bottom dollar that I am going to be all about juicing (living up to the stereotype ha). Truth be told though, I started to juice well before moving to LA and have loved it ever since. I know there are some haters out there that find juicing just to be another fad but don't knock it until you have tried it.

I recently tried out a new juice company in town called Juice Crafters and I was insanely impressed. Originating in Italy ( I don't know about you but I trust Europeans), they recently came to Los Angeles a little over a year ago and have locations in Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and now Downtown LA.

I went into their downtown location to pick up my cleanse and found their place to be much more personable and friendly in comparison to places like Pressed. I felt like I was picking up juices from a family member's cool kitchen. They even gave me a free wellness shot (lemon, ginger, canyenne) topped with a fresh strawberry. Delish! I did a 3 day cleanse and definitely felt lighter before my beach vacation. Besides the weight thing, you have more energy, mental clarity and you become more aware of what you put in your system.

Check them out!

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no bake energy balls

I am by no means a cook or baker. Frankly, I suck at cooking. Grilled cheeses and cupcakes are my "specialities" and I once lit my kitchen on fire (TRUE STORY). I am slowly trying to change that though and I think if I blog about some of the meals I try to create, it will help the process.


This is a recipe that basically requires zero skills and is not only a good snack but a great item to pair with a breakfast smoothie in the morning. I make these every Sunday and have them through the week!


Ingredients:
☻1 cup of dry oatmeal
☻2/3 cup of toasted coconut flakes
☻1/2 of almond butter ( or PB)
☻1/2 of chocolate chips ( not required but I mean...why not)
☻1/3 honey
☻1 tsp vanilla
☻ a scoop of coconut oil

Method:
Stir all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let the bowl chill in the refrigerator for a half hour. Once chilled, wet your hands and roll the mix into balls of whatever size you wish ( I make mine about an inch and a half tall). A friend and I did the math and I think there are about 130 calories in each ball ( don't quote me on this though). I normally get about 15-20 balls out of a batch!

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