11/23 Fitness for the Week & Green Morning Smoothie

Guten morning friends! 

I hope you all had a fibbity fab weekend :) 

Mine was a tad boring - it's coming up on the end of term when alllllllll of my final papers are due...so I locked myself inside with my laptop (and the Mindy Project, obvi) to try and get a head-start! 

I did manage to get out for a cloudy run. 

A bit of brunch - veggie omelette, hashbrowns and toast! 

And a nice walk through Strathcona park. 

Fitness for the Week

Here's my fitness plans for the week - HIIT-heavy since I have a busy week ahead of me! I'll have to save my running for the weekend *sniff*

Monday - HIIT 

Tuesday - Bodyweight Circuit

Wednesday - HIIT

Thursday - Bodyweight Circuit

Friday - Yoga

Saturday - RUN! 

Sunday - Active Restday :) 

Green Morning Smoothie 

Ermagerd. 

You guys - this was THE most delicious smoothie I've had in a while.

Actually, come to think of it, the ONLY smoothie I've had in a while, but never mind that. 

It's packed full of vitamins and was the perfect start to the day!

I did a bit of an intense HIIT this morning (I'm testing some routines out for a workout surprise I'm planning for you guys to follow over the holidays!!) so I also made a wrap with some peanut butter and honey as a side :) 

Green Morning Smoothie

Ingredients

1 kiwi

1 banana

1 stalk celery

1 handful greens (lettuce, kale, spinach)

1 cup almond milk 

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 tsp coconut flakes (optional) 

Instructions 

1. Put all ingredients (except the coconut flakes) in a blender. 

2. Mix until fully blended. 

3. Garnish with coconut flakes. 

4. Enjoy!

• What is YOUR go-to smoothie recipe to start the morning right?? 

I Just Want to Bang on My Drum All Day....

Hi friends!

Hope everything is going swimmingly :)

I still have quite a lot of things to wrap-up at work, but all I want to do is be FREE

[Source]

No, I don't mean that I have brought my Christmas presents to work with me so that I can wrap them. It hasn't quite come to that point yet...

 [Source]

*Sigh* Only 3 more days until...FREEDOM!!!

Workout

I have been going strong with my daily workouts that I planned on Sunday - have you guys tried any HIIT workouts this week? I gav'er with three rounds of this one this morning:

50 jumping jacks
50 bicycles
20 squats
15 tricep dips
10 front lunges (per side)
15 leg lifts
30 crunches
10 push-ups
40 Russian twists

It has been too insanely freezing in Ottawa these days [-31C with the windchill today?!] so I haven't done any runs at lunch. Instead, I ate a sprinkle-covered doughnut from the box that was left in the kitchen.

[Source]

I'm okay with it, though, because I'ma be running in warmer(ish) weather soon enough!

[Sorry for all of the e-card...I couldn't help myself, they were all too perfect!]

Have a great night!

Christmas Feast

Hi friends!

Happy Tuesday!! Hope you are all loving the sunny skies if you are in the Ottawa region!

I had an awesome low-key night with a friend of mine, who has currently set-up camp in my living room. Loaf her. We spent the night chatting away over a bottle of red wine and ended curled-up watching episodes of 'The Good Wife', our current female powerhouse lawyer inspiration :)

Workout

I did a Bodyrock workout yesterday after work [find it here]. I followed along with the video - for some reason the workout breakdown and the video don't match up...? It was an awesome workout, but it did involve burpees. 50 of them. Consider yourself warned ;)

I finally sucked it up today and went for a run at lunchtime. Loved it! It was nice and sunny outside, a balmy -6C, and the sidewalks were cleared.

Unfortunately my old running trails aren't cleared - I have to stick to the road now

Its amazing how a little movement in the middle of the day can brighten my mood for the rest of the workday - I feel nice and refreshed and ready to get back to work! I am in the middle of reviewing funding proposals, which can be a bit tiring on the mind, so I can appreciate any boost of energy that I can get ;)

Christmas Feast

Kind of poor-quality pics, but bear (bare?) with me. 

My second - yes, second - pre-Christmas feast of the weekend on Sunday night was an amazing 3 course meal prepared by my Step Dad's roomies, who moved in when my Momster and little sister headed off to Egypt.

We started off with a mushroom soup with cretons, followed by a green salad with seared scallops (not pictured - I inhaled it too quickly).

The grand finale was duck confit with sautéed spinach and goat cheese on a potato rosti from Les Fougères in Chelsea, asparagus, turnip and red cabbage.

Seriously, they outdid themselves. It was a taste explosion.

We did an awesome game of present stealing - where each person takes their turn to either open a new present or steal one from someone else who has already opened one. We do 2 rounds, and a present is 'out' after it has been stolen three times. The hot items of the night were: a bacon wallet (not actually made of bacon, but with a bacon pattern); a teddy bear that says lines from the movie 'Ted' (rated R, as in not for children); and TNA leggings (my purchase - you're welcome ladies ;)

After the game, where we worked off a bit of the meal by running around stealing people's gifts (in the nicest way possible, obvi) we had some home-made rice pudding and special coffee. It is the roomie's family tradition to sneak an almond into one of the bowls and whoever finds it in their bowl gets a special present. 

I was the lucky gal, and got a huge box of chocolates. Thank goodness for my own rommates, who have been helping me out to eat them all ;)

Hope this is getting you all in the 'oh-em-gee-I-can't-wait-til-I-can-stuff-my-face-and-get-presents-and-drink-copiuous-amounts-of-wine-with-my-fam' frame of mind. I'll (hopefully) be back tomorrow with a little guide to surviving the holiday feasts without having to buy a bigger pair of pants by the end of it.

Have a great night!

Springtime in November

Hi friends!

This is the first Saturday in a loooong time that I've actually managed to do a post on a Saturday. Great success!

I started my morning with some 'Om' time (see my post on my 'Om'-vember challenge here). Today's mantra was A Gift Resides in Every Moment

Loves it

Wine and Cheese

Has there ever existed a better combination?

I think not.

I was pretty zonked from my crazy work week, so I went over to a friends place to eat cheese, bread, meat and drink yummy vino. And watch trashy tv shows. It was perfect! And probably the reason why I managed to write a post today...gotta love easy-going Friday nights ;)

I also decided to bike to her place last night, which was the first time I got back on my bike since my little bike incident, and it felt amazing. So much better than just walking around! My friend even leant me her bike lights for my bike ride home since I am le lame and don't have any...although I do have reflectors! Safety first!

[Momster and popster, you'll be happy to know that I got back on the horse!]

My noble steed. In the dark. Woot!

Workout

It is a GORGEOUS day here in Ottawa, it feels like spring in November. For serious.

Although I usually save Sundays for my long run days, I laced up my shoes and went out for a gorgeous run along the canal. I was feeling a bit energized today, so I decided to do a little stair workout afterwards.

Since they weren't a very long set of stairs, I sprinted up and then took it easy on the way down - holding the railing - 20 times. A good little tempo workout.

I ran the rest of the way home and then did some core exercises. I definitely did not need such a think long sleeve - I was legit HOT by the end of it!

I'm off to a coffee shop now to do some research and planning for my upcoming trip - more on that soon!

Have a great day :)

Typhoon Haiyan Response

Morning friends!

I had a craaaazy busy day at work yesterday - as you may know, I work at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (D-FAT-D, for short) in the humanitarian assistance unit, which is the primary group that programs Canada's assistance for natural disasters and complex emergencies (e.g. Syria). 

After Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, a few people from my unit have been working non-stop to organize our response and unfortunately did not get the chance to enjoy their long weekend...although obviously for a good cause. I was pulled into an urgent meeting about 5 minutes after arriving at work yesterday morning and did not stop until the lights went out. Literally. Our building has started an energy-saving initiative where the lights automatically turn off at a certain time. I took that as my cue to go home ;)

Note: if you are thinking of donating to the response to the typhoon, the Government of Canada currently has a matching fund until December 9th. Essentially, it means that if you donate to a registered Canadian charity, the Government will match that amount and set it aside in another pot of money which will then be used to program even more assistance for typhoon-affected people. I would recommend any of the following organizations:

• Canadian Red Cross Society, which has extensive relationships with local organizations on the ground and can typically access hard-to-reach vulnerable populations; 
• Humanitarian Coalition, which is a group of Canadian NGOs that are experienced in humanitarian responses;
• UNICEF, which provides emergency nutrition and child protection services - super important in an emergency context; and,
• World Food Programme (WFP), which is the largest humanitarian organization and has the logistical capacity to deliver food assistance quickly and efficiently (this isn't a Canadian organization, so it won't apply to the matching funds, but it is effective nonetheless)

[Disclaimer - I don't work for any of these organizations, but if you choose to donate to another organization, I encourage you to look into their capacity to deliver assistance in humanitarian emergencies before funding to them. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions :)]

Workout

Since I didn't get the chance to go for a run at lunch today - I barely had time to eat lunch - I decided to bundle up and go for a run when I got home. It's always hard to get up the energy to go for a run when it is cold and dark outside, but I was feeling a bit lethargic after a long day and knew it would perk me up to go outside for a run. 

I'm glad I did!

Although, I have to admit...it was pretty darn cold out there. It took a bit to warm up, but once I got in my groove it was smooth sailing :)

Breakfast

I made a protein pancake for breakfast this morning and decided to go wild and add some oatmeal into the mix - best. idea. EVER! I ate it with a drizzle of maple syrup and cinnamon. Perfect start to the day :)

 

 

I came in early this morning since I have to leave on time tonight, and things are already heating up. I'll be back tonight with a review of the power yoga class I am attending with a friend :)

Have a great day!

11/11 Fitness for the Week

Hi friends,

Hope you all had a wonderful Remembrance Day. I did not make it out to see the ceremony in Ottawa, but I still held a personal moment of silence to give thanks to all of those who have fought for our country.

[Source]

I have a lot of family from the East Coast who are in the army and the navy, and I am so thankful that they have stayed safe from harm while they are on the line of duty. I hope you all took some time to send a bit of gratitude to our troops who are currently fighting for our country, and send some love and appreciation to the families of those that we have lost.

Fitness for the Week

As I mentioned, I went for a run yesterday to a friend's place. It was the perfect mixture of physical activity and functional since I am no longer biking and walking takes so much longer...it was a win-win solution to get in a bit of exercise - other than walking around Toronto, I more or less took the weekend off - and minimize the amount of time that I was outside in the blistering-cold wind :)

Here's what is in the plans for this week's workouts:

Monday - HIIT workout

Tuesday - Run @ work

Wednesday - Power yoga date

Thursday - HIIT workout

Friday - Run @ work

Saturday - Yoga

Sunday - Runday

I'll be back tomorrow morning with my routine from today, haven't quite decided what to do yet :)

Have a great night!

Food Court Lunch

Good afternoon everyone,

Hope you are all having a fibitty fab day! I am just about to head over to Mill St in Ottawa for a 5 à 7 to say goodbye to a colleague who is about to start a permanent position in another department – the dream of every government worker ;)

Its been another crazy pants day at work, so I’m looking forward to unwinding with one of these bad boys

[Source]

 Organic lager, my fav

My roomies are also having people over to commemorate the closing of the restaurant that they worked for in the market – I’ve heard there may or may not be an actual dj spinning his tracks. A lot more excitement than my usual Thursday night ;)

Workout 

I decided to go for a run with a few ladies from work at lunch time – we were all slightly unprepared for the weather, though. I think I’m going to have to start running with gloves and a head band. And a warmer long sleeve. My Army Run long sleeve just isn’t cutting it anymore ;)

Reminder of warmer days...

Food Court Lunch

I def need to start getting back in the habit of making my lunches at night – I just can’t seem to get it together in the mornings these days. 

But, hey, at least there are some healthier options in the food court at my work. My go-to vegetarian place had run out of their amazing glory bowls – le sad face – so I settled for a turkey wrap from Jugo Juice. 

  

Delicious and nutritious

Question of the Day:

• What is your go-to ‘healthy’ lunch spot?

Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

Good afternoon everyone,

How are things going with you? I haven't received too many frantic calls from the parentals about my unfortunate bike incident yesterday, so I'm assuming all is well in the world ;)

Workout

Since I didn't bike into work this morning - my brakes weren't feeling so solid after my little tumble - I decided to go for a run during my lunch break.

It's a good thing that I did because about an hour after I got back to the office, we unit received the (almost) daily email about which baked goods our colleague's wife dropped off for the day [she is taking a Cordon Bleu baking course and drops off her good for us to eat instead. We kindly accept the challenge indulge] with the following subject line: cake. lots and lots of cake. 

I should have taken a picture, but I was too busy fighting off the office crowd for a piece of delicious rhubarb & nut cake medley. Such a wonderful afternoon snack :)

Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

As promised, here is a recipe for a vegetarian chili with quinoa. I thought that the quinoa was a nice little addition, it doesn't change the consistency at all, and it gives an added boost of protein to the mix. Win-win situation, if you ask me.

Again I am so surprised at how easy it is to make this recipe - the hardest part is the prep. Which isn't hard at all, it is more time-consuming than anything else.

But I am a big fan of blasting the sweet beats and having a little zen time in the kitchen. I never believed that this could be possible - for anyone who knows me well *ahem* my old roomies *ahem* they know that I have not always been a natural in the kitchen and would generally just settle for a mixture of chickpeas and a side of cucumber. Minimal effort and basically no cooking involved.

But, hey, practice makes perfect :)

Okay...maybe not perfect, but at least it will help you make delicious chili to enjoy on a cool fall evening. Let me know if you try it out! Tell me what you think :)

Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

Inspired by Two Peas and Their Pod’s recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water

½ cup quinoa

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

1 zucchini

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 carrot

2 stalks celery

1 tbsp chili flakes

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can whole tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

Salt and pepper

Dash of sriracha (optional)

Greek yogurt (optional)

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a smaller pot and add quinoa, and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until all water has evaporated. Set to the side.

Chop all veggies to desired size [I usually leave them a bit chunkier, but they will cook faster if you chop them into smaller pieces].

Sauté onion in coconut oil in a large pot for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic, zucchini, pepper, carrot and celery and mix occasionally for about 10 minutes or until veggies have started to become softer.

Add black beans and kidney beans (rinsed), quinoa, tomatoes, tomato paste and chili flakes and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until veggies are soft and chili has reached desired consistency. [Note: I didn’t actually have tomato paste, so I left it simmer for closer to 45 minutes so that it was less watery].

Serve warm with a couple dashes of sriracha (optional), a dollop of greek yogurt (also optional).

Enjoy!