Lifestyle

Cheers to the weekend friends! So glad that I get to spend the weekend at home because May was an intensely crazy month for me, I barely spent anytime at home this month due to work travels. I’m so excited to be spending time at home with the husband and finally get the chance to enjoy our newly renovated kitchen (more to come on that!)!

With so much business travel that went on over the past few weeks, instead of kicking off the weekend with a cocktail, I decided to throw together an insanely delicious mocktail instead. I took my brand spanking new SodaStream Power Machine for a spin and I’m truly amazed. With just some water and a quick hit of a button, I was able to make quality soda water right from my own kitchen. Not only does this save me time but it is super handy for cocktails and drink recipes, there are also many more added benefits of carbonating at home!

Read further to see how to make your own Black-currant Lime Mocktails!

The month of May is the perfect time to get the gardening gloves out. I’ve never been much of a gardening expert and actually have struggled to keep my plants alive! With limited gardening knowledge and a small outdoor area, it’s always been a challenge incorporating gardening projects into our busy schedules.

Last Summer, I did manage to attempt a small gardening project and grew our own planter box herb garden on the third floor terrace of our townhouse and surprisingly, it did survive a couple of months! I loved having fresh herbs on hand, where I was able to combine them in our favourite food and drink recipes.

This year, I’ve got some lofty growing plans to not only improve the herb garden, but also beautify our terrace, entrance way, and indoor space with fresh potted and planted flowers. Though I’m slightly intimidated by these projects, I’m super thrilled that I’ve been asked to join the 2016 Scotts Gro Crew, where I’ll have direct access to gardening experts, advice and premium Scotts® Miracle-Gro products, such as Miracle-Gro Flower Magic and Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix to assist me through my #IGrewIt Journey! I hope you’ll follow along as I’ll be sharing what I learn with you over the next few months!

You’ve heard it way too many times, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”, and friends, it’s totally true! I can’t go a day without breakfast. On the weekends, Kyle and I have the luxury of time, which means we typically indulge when it comes to preparing for our breakfast or going to one of our favourite brunch spots in the city.

During the weekdays we are often super rushed in the morning and prepping a hearty yet healthy and delicious breakfast can seem like a challenge. But, it doesn’t have to be!!

I came to master the art of creating a variety of breakfast bowls. My latest invention combines the usual ingredients such as yogurt, fruits, and granola but I added Genuine Health fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ products to make them extra protein packed!

With Mother’s Day coming this Sunday, I couldn’t help but to reflect on what my mom and I have in common. I would like to think that I inherited some of my mom’s best traits, such as loyalty, kindness and someone that values family and friends. The one thing I am sure of is that my mom and I both enjoy a good bargain. For special occasions such as Mother’s Day, she never asks for gifts and always prefer that my sister and I save up what we have. Shopping for my mom is a tough task because it’s got to be a good bargain!

Pulling together a special gift certainly doesn’t have to be costly, I decided to challenge myself to a style savings spree at the DIXIE Outlet Mall, where I snatched up some really great items (at discounted prices) and curated what I call a Mother’s “Day-Off” Gift Box because every mom out there deserves a day off this Sunday!

Read further to learn how to put a fancy gift box together in time for this Sunday!

Every start of a new season, I love trying some new beauty products to suit the needs of the change in temperature and mood. Spring is such an exciting time, it’s when we finally all come out of hiding and start to introduce bright colours and fruity scents to our daily routine. I came across a few new beauty items that I’m so excited to use on the daily, and most of all share them all with you

Have you added any new beauty finds to your vanity this Spring?

This video tutorial originally appeared on Mode.com

The weekend is just around the corner and I often look forward to entertaining friends and family. If throwing an extravagant dinner party doesn’t interest you much but playing the “Haute Hostess” is, I guarantee you’ll love this simple entertaining inspiration that requires little work from you but offers huge impact for your guests.

Get ready to round up the #squad for brunch at your place because I teamed up with Mode to reveal my secrets for creating a fun (and seriously delicious) DIY buffet station where guests can decorate doughnuts and make mimosas just the way they like them!

Watch my latest video to see how to prepare your own DIY Doughnut and Mimosa Bar just in time for the weekend or Mother’s Day!

I really enjoy having a cup of coffee or espresso after a nice meal, I find that it’s such a great substitute for dessert without adding the extra bit of calories. However, from time to time, I LOVE adding dessert into the mix because let’s face it, they’re just way too tempting! A few weeks ago, while I was brewing a cup of coffee after dinner, I ran out of milk. I improvised and created a makeshift affogato dessert by adding some vanilla ice-cream. It was so delicious! My unplanned affogato dessert was such a success that I couldn’t help but to attempt again.

This sprinkle version is a fun and modern take on the classic affogato dessert.

It was prepared with a scope of Sprinkle Party Cake ice-cream and topped with a shot of Nespresso espresso! Keep reading for the full recipe!

When it comes to food, I prefer variety. There really isn’t too many food items that I would consider eating on a daily basis, but I can say that yogurt seems to make the list. Whether it’s preparing breakfast parfaits, fruit milk shakes, or a photo-worthy smoothie bowl, I love combining my favourite yogurts into these recipes. With the warmer season fast-approaching (one would hope!). I wanted to create a frozen yogurt treat that was not only healthy but tasty while satisfying my sweet tooth.

I was recently introduced to the new IÖGO pouches large format and I’m so impressed with it. These large pouches are perfect for me because I go through so much yogurt on a weekly basis. The pouches are extremely practical and prevents any mess and spills.

I promise you, these frozen fruity yogurt bites will take you less than 10 minutes to prepare and ready to enjoy once they’ve had some time to cool off in the freezer.

Read further for the full recipe.

I want to share a very personal story today. It’s not one that I’ve talked about openly. And though many close friends and family know that I’ve battled with episodes of Alopecia Areata (spot baldness) for almost a decade, I’m still quite emotionally sensitive to it. However, since the last onset of my condition, I’ve learned to cope with it and found a personal way to recover from it.

I have Alopecia Areata, there is no preventative measure, no treatment, and no prediction of when it may occur, and when it may decide to stop.

I feel inclined to share my journey (and a very special thanks to Aveda Canada for encouraging me to do so and pampering me with my first hair treatment since). For those of you who suffer from alopecia, it’s important to know that though there is no cure, there are steps you can take to recover, emotionally. Like all other diseases, treating from inside out, is the best remedy!

Keep reading my personal journey.

It’s always been an annual tradition of mine to tackle a major deep clean session at home around Spring time. In my opinion, there is something extremely rewarding about tackling those hard to remove stains, perfectly bleached white towels, or getting rid of all the soap scum on bathroom tiles. The smell of a spotless home is almost just as good as heading out for a nature walk. Some people find cleaning cumbersome, and trust me, when it comes to a busy week the last thing on my mind is pulling out my cleaning supplies. However, I do find cleaning somewhat therapeutic and actually do quite enjoy the act of cleaning once I’m in the right mindset (I know crazy, right?).

As the first weekend of April is just approaching, I thought I’d share my top 5 Spring cleaning hacks!