Blogmas | Do THIS before you create your reality with a #VisionBoard

We are 18 days out from 2023.  I hope between the get togethers, holiday meals and gift giving your are making time for YOU.  As a mom of daughters, with a full fledge and progressive career with ambitions of growing my business – goal setting has always been my thing.

But with the new year I definitely try to be more intentional.

Below is the process I’ve developed over the years + sharing my vision board capturing visual cues of all the areas I’m setting goals in (wellness, learning, career promotion, financial abundance, family, friends and world travel).

  1. Retrospective on the past year: I use the life audit wheel and do an audit of the areas of my life that went really well (10) and the areas that I felt I could have put more effort towards or that could have gone better (1 being the lowest on the scale)
  2. Write in words what the life audit showed me: This is really about writing down what went well and what didnt.  So now you have two representations of the past year.
  3. Get clear on what you want to achieve: Now taking the written retrospective, write down all the things you want to achieve.  Be as detailed as possible.  And also make room to jot down the feeling you have when you think about these achievements.  And most importantly, write down actionable steps to get where you want to be (full disclosure: this will take you more than one sitting)
  4. Pinterest, pinterest, PINTEREST! You are gonna grab all images that show you achieving everything you clearly articulated in step 3.
  5. Make you vision board: Now you are going to make a visual representation of what you wrote in 3. Before you make your vision board, make a gratitude list, meditate, light a candle, clense your crystals – just be in the most receiving space you can be in!  Once you love what you’ve created (also: this could take a few tries) PRINT it out, save to all of your desktop wallpapers & make sure you look at it multipe times a day.

You’ll notice a pattern here, we think, write and visualize.  Repeatedly.  Why? Because the brain can’t tell the difference between something actually happening/how it feels when you achieve something vs when you just think about achieving it & feel the feelings.  Once you brain believes you’ve achieved it, you’ll starting behaving in a way and taking actions in the direction of that achievement.

BONUS: Do future journalling – everyday of the new year, potentially as part of your morning journalling practice.  This is where you write down everything of the day as it it’s already happened (ie: these will be the actionable steps you wrote down in 3 aboce).  Again tricking your brain into thinking you’ve already achieved the accomplishment but on a daily basis.

Vision Board, Pinterest, Mood board, Future, Goals, New Years Resolution, Goal Setting, Happy, Abundant, successful, wealthy, prosperity, vitality, wellness

Want more? Follow my Blogmas 2022 journey here!

Blogmas | “Bring a Board” Easy Charcuterie idea!

I’ve noticed recently this cute party with friends idea which is a take on the classic potluck! 

Instead of having your friends bring a slow cooked or oven baked meal, have them bring a board. 

Some board ideas include:

  • S’mores 
  • Fries and dips (sweet potatoes, waffle fries, tater tots)
  • Donuts
  • Build your own tacos 
  • French toast, pancakes and waffle + toppings
  • Cheese fondue
  • Movie snacks (think popcorn, concession candy, pretzels)
  • Tea & biscuits

Sharing a beginner charcuterie board that I made for a get together recently.  Super easy to put together and the best part of finding a creatively aesthetic of putting it all together 🎀

Want more? Follow my Blogmas 2022 journey here!

Our Experience at Valarie in the X Hotel

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to check out the fantastic roof top patio at the X Hotel.

Valarie is boasted as Toronto’s newest nightlife concept with an innovative Japanese menu, inspired cocktails amidst unparalleled views the six.

What we ate:
Cocktails: Single Malt on the rocks, Espresso and Cosmo Martinis
Food: Truffle Fries, Maitake Mushroom (bowl) & Truffle Teardrop (sushi roll)
Food Menu

The mushroom item was delicious.  Crispy and with a truffle flavour. 

And the martinis were perfect (flavourfull and strong!)

The entire rooftop is lined with a glass balcony – so you get views of the lake, Mississauga, the downtown core and the lake of course.

And of course I only got pictures of the CN Tower.

The views and cocktails really made it for me, although I wish they had more food items.

Over all it was a great experience (we tried to ignore the early 2000s clique vibes between patrons and the restaurant staff).

We got reservations through OpenTable, but I think a walk in is worth a try!

It’s time for another chocolate cookie recipe

It’s been 3 days of “back to remote” learning. 3 days too long!

Sending good vibes to all the parents who are finding themselves in the 3rd lockdown (which means doing everything all of the time).

With that said – I’ve got a few things to share 1) an amazing new cookie recipe and 2) a few things that are keeping me focused.

I’ll start with what’s keeping me focused:

  1. My morning routine! Meditate & Journal – helps to get my mind right and even if the days goes to sh!t, at least I took some time to set up my mindset
  2. A daily walk: I try and go in the morning but if meetings don’t allow for it, I get my dose of vitamin D and forrest vibes in the mid afternoon
  3. Daily workout: Whether it’s a fully body releasing stretch or a heavy lift day, workouts are a way to increase movement in my day after sitting at my own work desk or hunched over a JK’s desk
  4. Prioritizing a personal goal: whether it’s reading for 10 minutes, making some art or making progress on a project – making time for myself makes me feel good

And for the days when even the above doesn’t work, we will always have a great cookie ;)

Sharing a new recipe I tried: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie (because sometimes making cookies does WONDERS for the soul)

Tropical Smoothie & Life Changing Habits

TLY_Tropical_Smoothie_Bowl_Life_Habits

I read this recently and had to share!  Insanely easy habits that will change your life!

♥ Make your bed every morning

♥ Make to do lists based on your life goals (fail to plan or plan to fail!)

♥ Eat more spinach

♥ Get up & Move

♥ Read more

♥ Ask for forgiveness instead of permission

♥ Sit up straight

♥ Take the stairs more often

♥ Mute or unfollow (most) social media accounts

♥ Avoid decision fatique

♥ Sleep more

PS: you gotta try this EASY tropical smoothie bowl!

Add to a blender: Frozen Fruits (strawberries, mangos, pineapples, mangoes), banana, almond milk and a shot of lemon juice (very important as it adds to the tanginess) – soo good!

Once blended well, transfer to a bowl and top with your favs!  Blueberries, almond slivers, granola, coconut flakes & chia seeds (other options include: walnuts, hemp hearts, kiwi, blackberries/raspberries or chocolate chips!)

5 Ingredient Vegan Cookie Dough Bars

Vegan, Chocolate Chip, Cookie Bar, Healthy, Fitness, Sweet, Dessert

OMG!  This FIVE clean ingredient INDULGENCE is so good and addictive.  I’ve made this recipe several times, rounding measurements up and by half – each time it turned out equally good.  I’d even think it would taste amazing with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt!

Vegan, Chocolate Chip, Cookie Bar, Healthy, Fitness, Sweet, Dessert, Flatlay

The texture is so incredibly like raw cookie dough but without the butter, eggs or white sugar.  The coconut oil helps everything stick together perfectly.   But the real star is the almond flour (I used the Kirkland brand blanched almond flour from Costco).

Pinterest, Recipe

You could definitely make this for a potluck by swapping the 1/3 cups for 1 full cups, all other ingredients would be to taste.


Want more cookie recipes?  Check out this vegan, gluten & guilt free cookie, granola that tastes like cookies, 3 ingredient breakfast cookie or this chickpea chocolate chip cookie (ha! don’t knock till you try it!)