Finally SUMMER has arrived in Ontario!!!

I’d like to thank mother nature for waking up and getting this show on the road!

My gosh it is so hot out there today. Our thermometer reads 34C/93F out there! Still no A/C on though…! We are doing good with our no AC challenge! But man oh man this house is HOT! I have the fan blowing on me now. :D

I found a new food I am addicted to…

BOOM BOOM POW!

BLACK EYED PEAS!

I soaked them overnight in the fridge and then I cooked them on low-medium on the stovetop for about 40 minutes. It was my first time ever having BEP and I loved them!

Nutritional profile:

Black-eyed peas, 1 cup (boiled)
Calories: 160
Protein: 5.23g
Carbohydrate: 33.5g
Total Fat: 0.63g
Fiber: 8.2g
*Excellent source of: Calcium (211mg), Folate (209mcg), and Vitamin A (1,305 IU)

[Source]

I am obsessed with this mixture now!!!

• 1 cup cooked Black Eyed Peas
• 1 cup Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 avocado

Heat in microwave covered with a paper towel for 1-2 minutes on high. It is honestly so quick and easy. I have been doing so much baking the past few weeks that I have had no time or motivation to turn on the oven for dinner! This meal took me all of 3 minutes to throw together and it is super healthy!

I served mine in a high protein pita along with 2 dollops of Unsweetened Soy Yogurt:

This was off the HOOK delicious!!!

I ate the leftovers in the bowl and had it with an Amazing Grass Green Monster!

I don’t know why it is, but when it is this hot I have ZERO appetite! All I have been doing is drinking green juice to stay hydrated!

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Aunt Bun’s flowers are doing well!! They have made the transition to outdoors!

Last night my mother in law goes: “I think you have a new tree growing on the porch.”

We looked out to find this WEED the size of a bush!!!

I think my poor mother in law almost had a heart attack!!!! LOL!

Let’s zoom in shall we…

I felt like I had let the amazing gardener herself down. I vowed I would get to the gardening this week now that life has returned to normalcy (that was before I took on 4 more orders this week!!!). The weeds are truly embarrassing though and I will be weeding (I just wrote wedding!) this week! How disgraceful! lol.

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Inspiring email of the day:

“Hi Angela,

I’ve been meaning to email you for a while and thank you for doing such wonderful things with your blog.  I’ve been so inspired by your honesty and story.  When I first began reading food blogs last year, I was entrenched in in very disordered eating and dangerous amounts of exercise.  I was addicted to the scale, the lists of foods that were off limits to me were practically a mile long, and my portions sizes were just absurdly small.  Blogs showed me what a normal amount of food and exercise was, and eventually (and slowly), I was able to apply that to my own life. 

But, I really don’t think I could have made that transition without reading blogs like yours, which made me realize I am not alone in any of those struggles.  I am so grateful for the support you provide simply by writing and believing in your values so strongly.  The fact that you have recovered and are living so freely made me realize that it is both possible and worth it to stop the obsession.  The more I read your thoughts, the more I was able to start making actual strides in my own life.  It still shocks me how much progress I’ve made, how free I feel today versus a year ago.  Every time I feel a struggle come on (and that happens less and less), I find myself so much more capable of trusting my decisions and believing that health is more important than anything.

I wrote a post today that was inspired by all the positivity from bloggers like you and Caitlin.  I’d love if you read it!  http://thewholeplate.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/beautiful/

Really and truly, thank you again for leaving such a positive mark on the world.

I’ll be reading for as long as you are writing!
Leslie

Leslie, you are one amazing woman!!! I feel so inspired by your story and I thank you so much for sharing.

I wanted to encourage all of my readers to please read Leslie’s post called Beautiful…it gave me CHILLS!!! She tells a very heart breaking story about the fashion industry in which she had first hand experience with.

I got Order #3 done today and I have order #4 tomorrow. man was it hot in the kitchen today with no AC!!!

I am still waiting to hear about regulations for me to ship goodies to the US.

As a side note, my Canadian orders are now going in full swing, so order away! The website is being updated on a continual basis with my new products. You may notice that some products have received the BOOT for now. That is because my NEW food processor is broken (LONG story!) so I have had to remove a few of those things for now. Shoot your orders to globakery@gmail.com !

I believe Eric and I are going Biking tonight. :) Should be some fun X-training for a change. We certainly have MUCH better weather than last time!

Coming up Wednesday Morning:

See you tomorrow morning for some never seen before Wedding Rehearsal and wedding pictures!!! I will be showing you the venue, the people, the decor, and the outdoor ceremony spot!

Tonight’s Question:

Have you ever tried Cliff Shots or other energy gels/drinks when working out? I have read that it is a good idea to take these with workouts longer than 1 hour. I have been thinking of trying some out but I wanted to get some opinions first! Are any of them vegan or all natural too?

PS- The Liquor stores could be striking in the tonight at midnight (probably) and there is utter madness around town….90 minute line ups ate the LCBO!!!

I love my mom!

Gosh I miss her when she is away.

Today was so much fun…my mom, stepdad, and I tended to the gardens outside. :) My stepdad taught me soooo much about the plants around our property. He knew every single tree and flower and plant on the whole yard, it was pretty crazy!

Hyacinth (left) and Daffodil (right):

Snow Drop:

Stopping to take a photo op:

We had so much fun!

My mom and I discussed Shop 4 A Cause and we talked about things my mom and stepdad could donate!

My mom is going to auction off some beautiful purses and some other things! My stepdad gave me two $50 Esso Gas gift cards up for auction…….sweet! Who doesn’t want a $50 gas gift card??

My stepdad in the woods, looking for firewood :)

Around 6pm we came inside to get cleaned up and then we took our parents out for dinner:

I had a Mixed Green Salad with balsamic vinaigrette:

It was so delicious!

Then I had a veggie, cheeseless pizza with the following toppings: tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, and pineapple (I used to hate pineapple on pizza but I loved this!):

Oh and extra sauce. :)

Hello lycopene!

I ate half the salad (shared with mom), 1 glass of chardonnay, and half the pizza. I can’t wait to have this pizza for leftovers tomorrow.

And finally….your questions about the tea box answered! I must have gotten 15 emails about this box! lol.

Where did I get that bamboo tea box that I bought for Leah?

I got it at a Canadian store called Benix.

I took it to a key cutting store to get engraved. :)

They are calling for 26C/79F and sun tomorrow…it is going to be another fun filled day outside!

So far on the agenda tomorrow:

• Another run outside
• more gardening
• baking
• shopping

My parents just went to bed and Eric and I are in the office doing some work. He is working overtime this weekend and I am working on interview questions for an upcoming media feature for Glo Bakery- it’s going to be good! I am fading fast though so not sure how much longer I will last working on this.

Yes, I forgot to post about the BBBC Challenge today- it was just too busy! Sorry about that! Better late than never right??

Day 29 + 30 (April 24, 25th): Visit Polly’s awesome blog, Yoga is Yummy, and do one of her 10 minute yoga videos! Polly is not only a sweetheart, she is an amazing yoga instructor and a great friend of mine. This weekend, I am going to do:

Here is to the beginning of a healthy, fun, and happy weekend! Enjoy it! :)

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. — Anonymous

Did I mention that I like big salads?

Me and big salads go way back. In university I used to have a big tuna salad every day at lunch, complete with bagged zero-nutrient iceburg lettuce.

You know the bagged kind of iceburg lettuce that is supposedly ‘pre-washed’ and comes with tiny slivers of carrots and radishes?

Yea, that kind. I used to live off it.

It was quick and easy- and calorie free! What can I say, my priorities were not quite in order in university.

Fortunately, my salads have improved over the years. :)

I know chose nutrient rich greens such as spinach and romaine lettuce. And I load on the healthy toppings!

The Big Salad:

• 1 full head of organic romaine lettuce (PC Brand)
• 4 tomato slices
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 cup Black beans
• Black Pepper
• Kraft Balsamic dressing
• 1 small organic carrot
• 1/3 Red Pepper

There is so much goodness in this meal I could barely contain myself!

The 1 cup of black beans adds 12 grams of protein and 10 grams of fibre to this salad. Perfect mix’n!

With a side of toast + super lycopene packed tomato paste:

With a side of calcium and Vit D:

After lunch I was stuffed. Probably more stuffed than I was after yesterday’s lunch. Although I still managed to fit in a sample of a banana cake ball that was eying me from the fridge!

They are super yummy! I can’t wait to finish the experiment!

Eric and I were hard at work on our date :)

I did about 1.5 hours of yardwork and burned an estimated 200 calories.

Dumping all the leaves in the woods:

I found a tree to do pull-ups on…I couldn’t even get myself up half-way! It was pathetic. I need to work on that one.

 Lily of the valley in the picture above (I think?).

Busted! I found Sketchie sleeping all over my freshly washed Lulu clothes!

I came in and was wishy washy whether I wanted to get my workout over with then or if I should wait until after our errands. I opted to just hit the treadmill for a 2 mile run. I figured I would not be in the mood to workout once home, especially after showering and drying my hair + makeup!

Workout details:

• Duration: 31 mins
• 2 mile run (4.8 mph, incline 7%) + 5 min walking cool-down
• Max heart rate: 162 bpm
• Avg heart rate: 149 bpm
• Feel the burn: 252 kcals

I figure with the yardwork + 2 mile run I burned about 450 calories or so. Not too shabby! We got lots accomplished in the front and backyard too. Pretty much all of the flower beds are raked, weeded, and leaves/sticks removed.

Ok, we’re off like a herd of turtles to run our errands! Ikea, Running Room, Bulk Barn (maybe), Fortino’s, etc! Hopefully I can find some storage containers at Ikea so I can start reorganizing my kitchen with all of my baked goods.

Enjoy your day! The lovely sun just came out here and it is 23C out!!! Loving it!

See you tonight for Part 3 of the baking experiment and a delicious vegan casserole!

Since the weather was so beautiful outside today, I decided to do some gardening for my ‘exercise’ of the day:

I raked, and raked, and raked the flower beds! Until I got some nasty blisters! I put gloves on but they didn’t help.

Tulips??

The plant below looks like chives…I’m so confused! hahaha.

More Orange: I had some delicious lemon water for mini breaks. It was so refreshing! In the summer I love making flavoured waters with lemons, oranges, cukes, strawberries, etc.

Progress!

Some yoga stretching. :D Complete with a creepy gardening glove!

Beautiful Crocuses!

I raked for 1 hour and 25 minutes! Well, that included some mini breaks :) Before I started gardening I threw on my Heart Rate Monitor just to see what kind of calorie burn this type of exercises produces.

‘Workout’ stats:

• Duration: 1 hour 25 mins
• Max heart rate: 111 bpm
• Avg heart rate: 90bpm (so low! I swear it felt harder)
• Feel the burn: 200 kcals

Not to shabby for an ‘off’ day of exercise! :) As I mentioned in this morning’s post, I decided to take today off of formal exercise because my quads and glutes were sore from my outdoor run yesterday. I think I got a great arm workout today from all the raking! Today was a great example of cross-training.

Not all exercise needs to come in the form of ‘traditional’ exercise to be effective! Sometimes it is fun to just get outside and play.

And to reward myself for my hard work, I took out the lounger from the garage and set it up on the deck!

Of course I had to test it out!

Once inside I was starving! I had this huge, juicy orange to keep the orange theme going. :) Then I had not 1, but 2 bowls of cereal! My cereal included Spelt flakes, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and ground flax. I was finally satisfied after 2 bowls!

I also nibbled on a protein bar + other things while I waited for Eric to get home for dinner. Today wasn’t the best example of ending mindless eating I will admit!

Dinner was a wrap…yes, again!

I am obsessed with these wraps lately! I need to start making my Spelt tortillas again and saving some moula. ;)

The toppings:

• 1/2 avocado
• 2 T tomato paste
• 3 cup cooked spinach
• black pepper
• 1 Money’s Gardenburger
• 2 tomato slices

It hit the spot! But of course I knew something amazing was cooking in the oven…

I present to you, part 1 of my next baking experiment!

Part 1 = Vegan Banana Cake

I modified this recipe found here.

Yes, that’s right. I crumbled the whole cake apart!

But not before I served myself a piece of cake- the cook needs to sample! And then I went back for another. It was that good! I used toasted walnuts and it made the cake. Finally the hunger monster inside me is satisfied today! :)

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 and Part 3 of the crumbly cake experiment- you won’t believe what I am making with this!

I leave you with the infamous Sketchie:

His new thing is opening cabinet doors in the office, crawling in them, and hiding!

What weird and wonderful things do your pets do?

The grass is ris,

I wonder where the birdies is!

Did anyone else’s dad ever recite that when they were younger? My dad still says it to this day! haha. I did a quick google and someone said that it came from the 50’s. Sorry dad! lol.

Today is all kinds of good. Let me tell you why.

1. It is hella warm and sunny. As in 16C/60F.

2. We have flowers coming up in the garden.

3. I went on my first run outside of the year.

4. I had a really good ‘steamed’ spinach monster this morning.

Ok, I just had to delete a bunch of exclamation marks because I was getting a wee bit excited.

More wonderful perennials coming up:

My mother in law was going through all of the flowers in the garden with me yesterday and I think I remember 5 out of 10 (Daffodils, tulips, hostas, lillies, and lily of the valley)! There are so many. If you remember, we bought Eric’s parents house from them, so she has been running this beautiful garden the past 20 some years!

I told her I need a Gardening BootCamp!

I have never gardened before so I am a bit ‘green’ so to speak. :)

But I have big plans for gardening! I want Eric to build me a vegetable bed too. :)

Daffodils (left) and does anyone know what that is on the right? She said it is amazing when bloomed.

I was out of kale so I made a delicious peppermint spinach green monster today! Since spinach is more bioavailable (absorbed easier) when cooked, I decided to steam my spinach before blending this morning. I steamed it for about 5 minutes until it started to just wilt.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups baby organic spinach
• 1 cup Almond Breeze
• 1 T flax
• 1 organic peppermint tea bag (just the mint, not the bag, lol)
• 2 large icecubes (to chill up the warm spinach)

It was fabulous!

                                  I enjoyed it on the deck while inspecting plants!

After some work, I got hungry again and had a large banana with 1-2 T of my homemade almond butter (so good!) before my workout.

I decided since it was so beautiful outside I was going to try running outside for the first time this year and the first time post injury!

First, I did a quick 1/4 mile warm up on the treadmill (4.8 mph, incline 7%) and then I did a couple ‘test loops’ around the house. I was good to go!

Workout stats:

• Duration: 46 mins. (this includes the 7 min warmup before I left home)
• Max heart rate: 166 bpm
• Avg heart rate: 136 bpm
• Feel the burn: 330 kcals

Instead of running on the pavement, I ran on the gravel on the side of the road. It was perfect and cushy!

I also ran quite slow. I’m sorry I don’t have my speed and distance stats today, I forgot to put my food pod on my sneaker. I have to re-calibrate it today since I took it off over the winter. The next run I do outdoors I will have speed and distance stats for you all!

All and all, I was pretty stoked about my run. I ran for about 39 minutes straight without having to rest. It felt amazing!

One thing I noticed again was how low my heart rate was. While running, I would say my heart rate was around 130-135. This is in part because I was going slow, but also in part because I have trained my body to workout at high inclines. I did one hill today where my HR got up to 169, but that was the only major hill. I LOVE hills! Am I nuts or what?

My knees have been a bit sore while running the past week or so. The pain goes away after the run, but I am going to pick up some knee sleeves to help.

My question to everyone today is this: Do you have any good knee exercises you can recommend that I can do for weak knees?

I really need to build up the muscle around my knees if I am going to be running again.

Day 21 (April 16): If the weather is nice where you are, I want you to get outside for some exercise today! It has been a long winter. I find that getting outside changes things up and renews motivation in one’s exercise regime. Especially if you are used to working out indoors like me! Also, do three sets of Wigg’s infamous ab exercises! Enter her exciting Itunes giveaway while you are at it!

I love leftovers! So quick and easy for lunch the next day.

Dining Alfresco:

With a Tazo Green tea:

Toast with tomato paste:

1/4 of the Bean and Lentil Protein Packed Casserole from last night:

4 large melon slices:

Superb!

Then I had 1/2 a larabar along with my calcium/magnesium and Vitamin D pills (for stronger bones!):

Well, back to work. Tax studying + receipt tracking.

I hope you are having a fabulously healthy day!