Good evening!
I got up this morning after sleeping in and decided to have a restful morning. No work, no housework, no heavy workouts…was great!
I was feeling a bit tired so I just did some stretching and a little bit of yoga for about 20 minutes, followed by about 5 minutes of meditation. Yes, you heard me right- I meditated! I am not good at meditating because my mind is always spinning.
I find that meditating is easiest for me in the morning. I am much more peaceful and it is a bit easier to zone out. I just put some slow music on (Enya– love her) and laid down and closed my eyes. No better way to kick off the weekend.
Today I went into the city to meet up with girlfriends. It has been a while since I have gone into Toronto so it was a nice change of pace. While I love our new life out of the city, I will always love going into the city for entertainment.
This morning I did some baking.
I made the Banana Apricot Spelt Oatmeal Cookies from the other day. I didn’t have any banana though- well, it was all in the freezer for Banana Soft Serve and Green Monsters!
I subbed out the banana for 1/2 cup applesauce. It worked like a charm. They tasted great, but I still prefer the banana chunks.
I made the girls each a baggie. Apparently I AM an 80 yr old! :mrgreen:
[Fast forward: Happy customer #1]
Today was a very cloudy, yet mild, day in Toronto…
But my company was a ray of sunshine!
I met up with Krissy, Alex, and Laura today.
We passed by Much Music so I took a picture like a tourist. ;)
And also a random puppet show…
Things I’m afraid of:
- Spiders
- Clowns
- Puppets (newly added to the list today)
Then, we went to Fresh of course.
I snagged a table and ordered a lemon tea as I waited.
Then I ordered a ‘Create Your Own Juice’ when the ladies arrived:
I ordered:
- Pure Coconut Water
- Kale
- Ginger
- Ginseng
- Beet
A pretty scary mix!
But it arrived and it didn’t come with kale or beets- maybe the server didn’t think I could handle it? I didn’t feel like returning it though so I just drank it anyways. It was quite tasty with the coconut water!
Alex and Krissy:
Laura and I:
Laura was one of the first friends that I made in my new high school when I moved from NB to Ontario in grade 12! She is such a sweetie. Laura and Eric grew up together too!!! They lived in the same town and went to school together from PRESCHOOL until high school graduation!
Krissy had the soup of the day with cornbread (she said the cornbread is to die for!)
Alex had the Middle Eastern plate- falafel balls, hummus, tahini, pita:
Laura asked me what I recommended for her and I suggested the Energy Bowl. It is still my favourite bowl at Fresh to this day!
It has marinated tofu, rich coconut curry sauce, chick pea and vegetable stew, cukes, tomato, red onion, sunflower sprouts, and tahini sauce. The coconut curry sauce is INCREDIBLE.
I decided to try a new bowl, so I ordered the Jerusalem bowl today. It is made up of: grilled spinach, tomato, cukes, parsley, red onion, sunflower sprouts, olive oil, tamari, mixed herbs, lemon and chili powder, and a HUGE mammoth scoop of hummus in the middle.
I swear they must have known about my addiction to hummus!!!
This bowl was really good. It is probably my second favourite.
A peek inside after I demolished two thirds of it…
My ONLY complaint about Fresh is that their three locations are very very cramped. There is no room to move at all. The tables are about 6 inches apart so we felt like we were invading other’s space if we had to walk by. I’m sure the rent is not cheap in Toronto though so I can see why they would not have a large space!
Then Laura and I went to see Valentine’s Day!
My sad attempt at taking a picture…I’m not sure why the screen is white in my pic!? A ghost screen perhaps. ;) I swear we saw an actual movie!
I thought the movie was really cute, but it wasn’t as funny as I was building it up to be. Laura said the same.
We also spotted this clever advertisement on Queen Street West:
It is an advertisement by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC). You can drop your magazines into the slot to support ‘shedding your weight problem’. I have never seen an ad like this before and I thought it made quite a bold statement.
What do you think about this ad- effective or not? Does it make weight preoccupation seem too simplistic? Are there any magazines in here you WOULDN’T include?
~~~
I am currently enjoying some Banana Soft Serve and cacao nibs and preparing for what could be a very exciting morning!
Size Healthy Contest winners will be announced on Monday. There are so many entries! I think I am going to have to post the pictures over the course of next week so I don’t crash my blog. ;) If you still want to get in your entry, fire it off to angela [at] ohsheglows.com with the subject line Size Healthy Contest.
Have a great night! :)
I like the campaign, but also think that some of the magazines (like Shape or Oxygen) have great success and inspirational stories, along with some really yummy recipes. Fashion magazines would be my first choice for discarding since they really represent a false idea of what a woman should look like (really … aren’t most models in the NEGATIVE numbers now??).
I really liked that Mediterranean platter – that would be my choice! Too bad they didn’t get your juice right – I would have complained!
K
I love your baggies! :)
I think that advertisement is pretty cool – definitely an interesting idea. I have to admit that I still love reading those magazines and get a lot of inspiration from them – but I do get discouraged every once in a while when I see a model missing a belly button because of airbrushing (yes, how insane is that?!) so I definitely see their point.
I think I’m off to make myself some banana soft serve! Have a great night, Angela!
First and foremost, Enya is the BEST for meditation! (I’m like you in that I struggle to keep my mind quiet, but her music really helps!)
In terms of the ad, I think that it does a good job when it comes to disordered eating more so than eating disorders. Eating disorders are so complex, and they go far beyond dieting magazines and airbrushed models (although those things are certainly triggering for those with EDs!) But for those who struggle with the slightly less severe symptoms of disordered eating, an ad like that raises awareness and empowers women to go beyond obsessions of food and weight.
I think the ad is great for the average person — it’s true those magazines project an ideal that is not realistic. I think for the a person with self-esteem issues, the ad might be “Oh, cool! Other girls think these magazines are crap, too!” but for someone with an eating disorder, though perhaps the original thoughts would be the same, the disorder obviously run deeper than a few magazines.
On a lighter note, all of your food looks amazing!! Looks like you had so much fun! :)
I agree with the campaign. I stopped buying magazines because I am tired of them trying to tell you how to get to your “dream size” (instead of Size Healthy!) by not eating for 2 weeks, when it’s about changing your entire lifestyle and not a diet for a few weeks. And it’s ridiculous how airbrushed some of the covers are… magazines are further and further away from reality these days.
I was really jealous of all the food! Looks sooo yummy!
i think that advertisement is very bold in a really good way…there are so many times i’ve compared myself to women in magazines, it’s ridiculous! Viva la Size Healthy!
Loved having lunch with you, girl! Just what I needed!! LOVED that you featured your happy customer… ;-)
Let’s not go so long without a meet up. xo
Whyyyy have I not made the banana soft serve yet. There is no excuse! I never buy enough bananas…silly!!!
Oh all the food looks soooo good. I wish I had restaurants like that around me. I love that advertisement. It is bold, but it makes a statement and I love it. We need more of that.
Mmm the food looks SO good! I am a huge hummus lover too so I completely understand your obsession! :-)
About the ad.. I think it’s very effective yet also important to note that some magazines (a few) don’t belong in there. I don’t see it, but Marie Clare recently declared that they are going to be more careful about models and weight issues. They also have a new column featuring a “plus-size” fashionista showcasing her difficulties and successes with shopping. It’s really interesting!
I love the banana softserve. It’s so pretty in that fluted bowl with the cacao nibs.
I love the idea for the magazines. Obviously EDs are a lot deeper than a few magazines but the ad makes a bold statement–and I think that’s the point.
We are going to Toronto first week of March if you have other places to recomment that would be great! I mentioned you on my blog today! Thanks!
I wish Fresh would open up here in Los Angeles…I still remember how great my visit to the U of T location was and that was in November!
I too stopped buying magazines and when my subscriptions run out on a few of the others I am not going to renew. I just don’t feel the need to read them anymore! I prefer books.
I love that ad :D
what a delicious meal out!
What a fun meetup. It looks as though you all had a blast. Fresh looks delicious. I wish he had a place like that around here.
LOVE the idea of magazine dumping to “shed” our weight problems. Advertisements DO play a role in what is trendy and considered “beautiful”. As much as we women know in our minds that being that skinny is not necessarily natural or healthy, a lot of us can’t help but secretly wish we were that skinny. ::sigh::
I’m an American (specifically from the Philadelphia area), and I remember the first time I set foot in Toronto, I was so impressed by how CLEAN your city is! Wish Philly was that clean :)
Love your blog, by the way :)
Looks like you had a wonderful outing. The ad campaign is very bold. Which brand of cocoa nibs do you buy?
I love Fresh I am so craving their sweet potato fries and miso gravy.
Yum! The one thing I miss the most about living in Toronto is Fresh. I can’t believe they have a new bowl!!!
Also, that ad campaign is brilliant, really makes its message clear IMO.