My fav quote from “What I talk about when I talk about running”

I recently read “What I talk about when I talk about running” by Haruki Murakami. If you are runner, I’m sure you’ve stumbled upon this as a book to add to your TBR. I found it beautiful! Haruki Murakami’s stoic sharing of running as an act of meditation, resiliency and goal setting completely resonated with me. And because he took those themes and applied them to being an artist (him being a writer) was the icing on the cake for me.

The book is a very easy read and can be easily finished in a day. For me, books really come alive when they have ah-ha moments – really good quotable parts of the text that make me stop and write down what I read. Here are a few of those moments (and moments of me running as well!)

Commute & Read (Library Books as much as possible)

The most important thing we learn at school is the fact that the most important things can’t be learned at school.

I’m the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it, I’m the type of person who doesn’t find it painful to be alone. I find spending an hour or two every day running alone, not speaking to anyone, as well as four or five hours alone at my desk, to be neither difficult nor boring. I’ve had this tendency ever since I was young, when, given a choice, I much preferred reading books on my own or concentrating on listening to music over being with someone else. I could always think of things to do by myself.

Say you’re running and you think, ‘Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore. The ‘hurt’ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.

People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life.

Sometimes taking time is actually a shortcut.

Being active every day makes it easier to hear that inner voice.

I just run. I run in void. Or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void

The HEALTHIEST muffins I’ve ever made

When you think of healthy foods, what do you think of?
For me it’s foods that have healthy ingredients, like spinach and no added sugar or added flour.
So when I heard about these spinach muffins, I knew I had to give them a try.

I also love that you can hide the healthy food in a fun food but still not completely disguise it (I mean the muffins are green!)

For balance you can definitely add dark chocolate chips (like I did) or a use wheat flour (I always prefer oat flour in my baking) or white sugar (if that’s your preference).

The real star is the SPINACH – so don’t mess with that!

The muffins turned out kind of like banana bread and you can’t taste the spinach AT ALL!

So happy to have tried baking again (it’s been a hot minute), and sharing more healthy-ish but quick baking recipes I LOVE!

QUICK & EASY breakfast quiche!

A few years ago my husband and I watched Suits. Truth be told, we watched it more for our personal amusement of identifying Toronto Landmarks. However, this was also the time I learned about Meghan Duchess of Sussex. This was right before she joined the Royal Family but more the creative mind behind The Tig.

I love me a good lifestyle and fashion blog but I only caught a glimpse of The Tig, before it was taken down because Meghan became a Duchess.

But alas I digress. Well not exactly! I recently watched “With Love, Meghan” and she made a quiche. It actually inspired me to do the same. So I did what any other millennial middle working mom – went to tiktok to find an easier version of the hard to make recepies that I know I’ll never make.

Enter this quick and easy crustless quiche! Read below and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Large Tortilla
  2. 4-5 Eggs
  3. 1.25 cups of cottage cheese
  4. Chopped veggies of choice (I have leftover: red pepper, asparagus)
  5. Cilantro
  6. Garlic Pepper
  7. Salt and Pepper to taste
  8. Shredded cheese

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees
  2. Spray pie pan with olive oil or butter
  3. Shape tortilla into pie pan
  4. Mixing all ingredients except cheese and pour into pan lined tortilla
  5. Top with cheese
  6. Bake for 30-35 min
  7. Let cool, slice and enjoy!

How you dress is a reflection of your personal reality

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt a personal conviction to leave my house “dressed up”. I would always have my make up done, my accessories on point and ready to take an outfit shot #OnceAFashionBloggerAlwaysAFashionBlogger.

But along came motherhood, a pandemic, all sorts of geo-political situations and the desire to feel put together was cast aside. I lost “my why” or at least felt it was drowned out by all the noise around me.

However a few years ago, I remember leaving the house with a baby tow and in a very unflattering outfit (think: saggy sweatpants and uggs) feeling extremely embarrassed at the thought of running into anyone, that I vowed to never do that to myself again. It wasn’t the “running into” someone that bothered me, it was “I don’t care about myself” mentality that made me realize that in fact I do care about myself (a lot!).

How you dress is a reflection of you personality. And your personality is just your personal reality. Dr Joe Dispenza’s theorizes that our thoughts, feelings and actions (including how we dress, present ourselves etc) shape our personal reality. If the action of dressing your best forms your personal reality – a strong connection could be made for dressing in a way that represents your best and highest self – whether that be aligning your personal reality to that promotion, business owner, professional athlete or just a hot mom ;)

In all honestly, it’s been a journey to find my personal style again, but it’s fun to shop my closet, save outfit ideas on Pinterest or invest in some great pieces.

Some days I love what I’m wearing, and I sometimes still leave the house in an outfit that doesn’t hit the mark – but I’m giving myself grace (as one should!)

In an attempt to keep myself motivated, sharing a few reasons why I choose to dress well in hopes that it will inspire others to rethink their own style journey.

  1. Demonstrates confidence: How we dress creates an impact on how we are perceived by others but also how we perceive ourselves. Luckily confidence can be cultivated and is usually starts with self-love and self-care. An easy way to figure to show yourself love is buy wearing things that make you feel confident. But what outfits make you feel confident?
    An outfit that fits well and feels good – is a great place to start. Next your follow your intuition as it tell you pretty quickly that an outfit will increase your confidence. You’ll have a pep in your step, you’ll stand taller, you’ll radiate a sparkle and you won’t even need to look in a mirror to confirm – you’ll just feel it
  2. Attracts positive attention: Call it what you will: “first impression”, “pretty privilege” or “divine feminine” – dressing in a way that exudes these attributes will get you some stares but it will also give you power. You will also be perceived as more competent which in turn builds trust and credibility. I know some people will say “but we shouldn’t be judge by our appearance” but unfortunately it happens – so why not use it to your advantage. People will be drawn to you, doors will be held open for you, friendly conversations and kind stranger interactions will be had. This is all to say is that you’ll be surrounded by positivity. And in today’s world – sprinkling more positivity into our day is a MUST!
  3. Encourages creative self expression: I love to be artistic – and being creative with outfits is a form of self expression just as making a painting, junk journaling or photography would be. We all have a unique identity and show casing it in how we dress allows us as individuals to express that uniqueness and experiment with our creativity.

Evening Skincare Cocktail

Creating a skin care routine is the best thing I’ve done for my skin and my self care routine. After a few months of experimentation I’ve been able to find a combination of vitamins (in the form of serums) to help my skin restore, replenish and rejuvenate over night.
…Enter my evening skin care cocktail ;)

I like to switch up the products to address different aspects of skincare. Doing this is actually called “skin cycling”

Multi Peptides + Copper, Hyaluronic acid, Multi Peptide Lash/Brow Serum, Creamy Eye Treatment, Water Cream

Beauty Elixar, Nacinamide, Retinol, Ultra Hydrating Night Mask or Dewy Skin Cream

Nacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, Caffeine Solution (eyes), Eye Repair cream, Hyaluronic Moisture Cream

I like to use both mid level and drug store products. But finding what works did take some trial and trial. ;)
Adopting a skin care routine is a personal practice. What I love about my routine is that it isn’t a 20 step routine. Some days can be a little more elaborate, but I always have this 5 minute routine for my every day!

8 course menu in a Cave!

I’m not a foodie, but I know trying new restaurants with friends is a love language.

The three core pillars of a restaurant experience are: ambiance, service, food (aesthetics high up on priority).

I’m also someone who will go to a new restaurant, not for the food – as a priority, but for the vibes. I love seeing and surrounding myself with beautiful things. So of course, gorgeous restaurants and how the chef’s make art on a plate are no exception.

My friend and I recently checked out And / Ore and it was spectacular. We specifically went to the Below Ground dining room.

And / Ore did not disappoint. From the moment we entered we were treated with a friendly smile, courteous service and beautiful things to look at everywhere.

The Below Ground dinning room offered an 8 course tasting menu. I had seen pictures of the plates online and thought I’d have to grab a pizza afterwards (lol). But little did I know that 8 little plates would really add up!

The presentation of the food (and the taste of most dishes) were amazing. And just check out the view of the inside, it’s like you are in an actual cave!

If you haven’t been then I highly recommend it. The menu is seasonal and uses local ingredients so I plan on going again with the Hubz.

Would love to hear of any new restaurant experiences in Toronto – do share in the comments!


Love & Light
B