Thursday, August 25, 2011

my new diet

So I have been figuring out some things about myself lately, and I have realized....I can't eat like I'm 20 anymore! Waaaaahhhh. This has been an ongoing problem, to those of you who know me well, I have had stomach problems for years. I've always known that my stomach gest really mad at me for eating crappy, but it's definetly gotten worse over the years. I don't go out to Mcdonalds all the time or eat fast food, and I very rarely drink pop or eat junk food. Still, it's more about the fact of eating over processed foods or foods of covenience; things with too many sugars, starches or preservatives. I've always known that my yeast levels are high and this summer they went through the roof and caused me alot of health problems, never to mention the normal bloating and gut rot my tummy was putting me through.

It all came to a head when I went home to sask and was travelling around. Well we all know you don't eat as well when vacationing. It was all so go go go, so that I didn't really have time to eat well. Unless I was going to get a salad when we went to Mcdonalds, and you know I'm not going to do that when everyone else is having a burger! Again, it wasn't all 'junk food', but lots of carbs and a lack of any proper fruits, veggies or FIBRE in general is gonna do that to you. By the second day I got to my moms I was a mess and spent the better half of a day in bed. Of course to her it looked like I wasn't taking care of myself, and she gave me the naggy mom lecture, which frustrated me even more. Suffice it to say, I felt I had hit a wall and enough was enough. By the time I got home I was committed to turning over a new leaf. But then it was off to Vegas 3 days later so that didn't help! Surprisingly I ate pretty good in Vegas, that was partially because I didn't want to be sick during my trip! (pepto is my best friend, how sad!)

Now I am home, and slowly but surely, through lots of effort on my part, my body is sorting itself out and I am feeling better. I went grocery shopping and bought a fridge full of fruits and veggies, spelt bread, lactose free milk, sugar free and gluten free products(buckwheat waffles rock!). Because I am learning, through depriving myself of certain things, and then reintroducing them, that I definetly have some food sensitivities. I have noticed that milk, or rather lactose is most certainly a culprit; if I eat ice cream or anything straight milk, like milkshakes or cream soups, I get super bloated and yucky. Although yogurt, goat cheese and super aged cheese like old cheddar seems to be fine, so I get my dairy fix too. Interesting fact; did u know that super aged cheese has virtually no lactose in it? So it's good for all you sensitive cheese lovers. I still get my cereal in the morn due to the lactose free milk, and eggs are fine too. So I'm not suffering that much, I've just had to readjust some things. No pasta for now and limited white rice, and cut down in the sugar, which I'm learning is in EVERYTHING. I've got naturally sweetened jam and stevia, which helps. And I'm really learning to read the ingredients of anything I buy. Basically, if I can't pronounce it, I'm not buying it. So I'm eating at home alot, but I'm enjoying it, cooking new recipes and trying new things. I'm really excited about it and think it'll really pay off in the end!

checking in

Where to start? I feel like its been fovever since I blogged, well it has been almost 4 months. It was a combination of busy, working, vacationing and just being a little lazy about blogging. Gotta keep this point form or it'll take forever. Justin came to see me for a week in July, which was nice, I feel like I don't see my little bro enough so it was nice to spend time with him. He is going into grade 12 and of course is in his teenagery years so there's a lot of growing to do still but I'm hoping he figures it all out!

Its been a whirlwind month, I went home to saskatchewan to visit family and friends for a week, and then went to vegas after that. All I can say is as nice as those trips may have been, I am so happy to be home! Travelling wreaks havoc on my body and digestive system. I will leave descriptions of both home and vegas for another blog, there's a lot to share there! For now I am glad to be home and back into a normal work/life routine. I am actually looking forward to fall, and buying some new boots and jackets and scarves. Summer was nice, but we here in Vancouver didn't have that nice of a summer until august, so I am kind of over it and ready to see it go. Maybe it's because I'm excited over all the fall shopping I get to do!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

OMG I love my conditioner

I don't often do this, but I love these products so much i have to rave! First is my Organix shea butter conditioner.


It's thick and makes my hair soft and silky, but the main reason I love it is just for the smell alone! It's sweet and tropical and oh so acddictive!I find myself getting crazily excited for showertime just so I can get a good whiff of this conditioner. And it's not only me that feels this way. I met up with my brother the other day, and when I hugged him he said, "Your hair smells so good!"
Continuing with the hair trend is my Live Clean Argan Oil Smooth and Shine cream.

I got a haircut recently, and my hairdresser said my hair was really dry; in part because of my styling products. I have curly hair so I need to use products to control the frizz and define my curls. She said alot of products like mousse and gel have alcohol in them, which is drying for your hair, and to try a hair creme instead and see if it made a difference. Well it has. I love this stuff. This and a little hairspray to finish and my hair is good to go! This stuff smells great too and leaves my hair soft and frizz free. I don't have to use alot, it goes a long way, so my hair doesn't feel weighed down at all. Plus it has argan oil, which is a natural oil thats a great moisturizer. So there u go.
Argan infused products are becoming popular, and I'm a big fan. I'm also loving my Josie Maran Argan Oil Lip treatment.


It comes in this cute little pot and works wonders. For some unsolved reason, when I am stressed, or even if I use certain face products or my skin gets too dry, I've been getting this weird little rash on the corners of my mouth. Its red and cracked and not comfy at all. Ever since I've started using this I don't get the rash at all. Plus it smells and tastes great too. Its not greasy but it gives a nice light shine to my lips. My only (small)complaint is that it doesn't last super long and I have to apply a couple times. But over all I'm very happy with it. I like to put it on at night right before I go to bed so it can sink in and do it's work!
These are all little things that make my life a bit easier, but sometimes you have to enjoy the little things. The big things don't always come along often, so why not get joy where you can?

Friday, April 8, 2011

I love my new job!

Just a little blurb here to follow up; I am so happy that my ship finally came in! All those months of worry and struggle have paid off, I feel like I'm getting back some of my good karma at least. My new job is great, I've been at it a couple of weeks. Everyone is so nice and helpful, works hard, and it's a professional but fun atmosphere. My employers do everything by the book and care about their business and employees. Im treated well, feel valued and am given 5 good shifts a week. The customers are nice, unpretentious and generous. We are almost always busy and I always have something to do. It's getting nice out now and we are getting busier every day. So all in all Im super happy with my work, it's about time! I've been able to start catching up on things and bills in my life and even treat myself here and there. I can't tell you how good that feels!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

New new job

I've had the opportunity finally to catch up with myself and do a little self reflection on the last couple of months. Boy it's been an interesting ride! I've been through about three different jobs; one that still has not paid me for 8 weeks of work, one that laid me off, and one that only gave me 2 shifts and then 'were not busy enough to give me anymore'. I experienced many different emotions at this time, from despair, hopelessness and anger, to happy optimism and inspiration. I am glad that the worst of it is over, let's just say I am viewing my current circumstances with hesitant optimism. With that being said I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I have a new job(again), which seems to have the most promise out of all my recent work exploits, and I am eager to see if my initial feelings are true. It is a lounge/restaurant on commercial drive, close to my place, and seems to be fairly busy most of the time. They recently renovated the whole place, and it has a good vibe. They have 40 beers on tap and have a ton of flat screens to catch the hockey games and ufc flights. It also looks like the girls make really good tips. I've worked 2 shifts so far and my third is tonight; they said I would be getting a larger section as well which gives me a bigger challenge. So I'm crossing my fingers that the third time(job!) is a charm! I have many goals that I've put on the back burner for too long, due to not having a stable job, so I'm hoping this will enable me to get back on track!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Guilty pleasures

What are your guilty pleasures? I definetly know what mine are; they range from tv programs to food items and lots of girly things. But I thought it would be fun to actually make a list of them. (just to see how sinfully indulgent I really am!) Now remember that quite often guilty pleasures are bad for your health or wallet, that's why we call them that!

1. My fave t.v shows! This is a list of have to have to have to watch every week or else! Smallville, House, The Real Housewives of OC, and Being Human. Right now I'm really loving Being Human, it's this new series on Syfy, and the story and actors are really good. Ok, I have to admit I am a sci/fi freak, and I'm partially influenced by the fact that I am in love with the guy that plays Aiden the Vampire (Sam Witwer). He is soooo hot!




Real Housewives of Oc is my girly pleasure for sure. Filled with drama, shopping and lots of bling! What more could a girl ask for!It caters to my 'what if I were a millionaire' side. I do take it for what it is though....shallow. But after all this a blog about guilty pleasures!

Also as a general sidenote, I also love almost anything on the Space channel, so that's a guilty pleasure for sure, I can leave it on and usually theres something on there that I'll watch. Favorites are definetly anything Stargate or Star Trek. Yes, we have established the nerd factor, get over it! Also love love love W network, HGTV, and Food Network, for the obvious reasons of interior design and food, but I'll get more into that later.

2. Ahhh, one of my favorite things in the world....food! Good thing I eat healthy most of the time, and have a good metabolism, because I love food too much! I'm going to start with the 'junk food', because thats deinetly the basis for guilt. No one feels guilty eating a piece of celery! I'm more of a salty than sweet person, but I do have some favorite desserts. But I'm going to start with savory. These are of course things I don't eat often but when I do I sure enjoy them! For snacks I love plain lays chips with a big bowl of onion chip dip. For canned crap I love any kind of chef boyardee. For frozen stuff I love a thin crust all cheese pizza with lots of ranch for dipping. For lazy cooking I love cheeseburger macaroni Hamburger Helper. For home cooked meals I love Meatballs in gravy with mashed potatoes. Favorite cheese for crackers is brie. For fast food junk I love a big fat cheeseburger and a poutine. Now for sweet. Favorite store bought ice cream is Ben and Jerry's chocolate with brownie chunks. Favorite 'I baked it myself' item is apple crisp or frosted cupcakes. Favorite pop is cream soda or root beer. Favorite chocolate bar is caramilk or bounty. Sigh....they all sound so unhealthily wonderful. Well these are the main junky things I eat when I want to be naughty!

In general, I also love greek, persian and italian food, but of course there's alot in those genres that are healthy. One of my favorite going out for dinner treats is the Keg, which I know is cliche, but it's always consistently good. I love to go there and get a garlicky caesar salad and a medium rare steak and wash it all down with a nice peppery shiraz. That's my idea of heaven!




3. This one is very simple. Shopping! Whether it be for clothes, shoes,electronics, makeup or home decor, I never get to do it enough for my liking, but when I do it I always feel a little guilty! Some of my fave stores are Sephora, Town Shoes, Aldo, Guess, Sirens, Winners, Lululemon, Mantique, HomeSense, MAC, Fairweather, Future Shop, Costa Blanca, and hehehe Walmart, never to mention all the cute little private owned boutiques like The Jean Queen and Rio Azul. Happy dreamy face ensues......

4. As a culmanation of many of these things, would cuddling with my puppy while eating my fave snack and watching my fave program be the ultimate in guilty pleasure? Look at that face!