Today is moving day again…but this time we actually get to move into our new condo! We are so excited and are hoping that we will have internet tonight so I can actually do a good blog post. Alright blog you later but in your spare time check this out…because something exciting is coming!
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The Hubz has been wanting to do some hiking this year and we haven’t made it out in the past month and half so today we decided to hike part of the Long Trail which is conveniently located near my parents’ house. We did a 6 mile hike; the hike was basically straight up the mountain and we came across some great views where we stopped to have some snacks.
Our first stop was Prospect Point a this great lookout where we took a few photos and shared a Lara bar.
Next stop Roundtop Shelter (almost to the summit of Roundtop Mountain) where we enjoyed Nuttzo with jam and beautiful view.
Most repulsive smelling place ever---the outhouse- no we didn't use it
After hiking a yummy grilled tofu sandwich and baked sweet potato fries were in order…however hunger made me forget to take a picture.
So if you haven’t heard my good news over twitter yet here it is: WE’RE FINALLY MOVING! Yes, we finally found out that we can move into our new condo on Tuesday which is great because living in my parents second living room just isn’t working for us. It’s been nice staying with them just not their living room as well as driving an hour+ to work every day. I do have some bad news though….my camera battery died- BOOOO- and I can’t seem to find my charger because it’s probably packed up in all of our belongings. However thanks to my job I have my iPhone so I will be able to take some mediocre iPhone photos until I find my battery charger.
However I have some photos thanks to our rental agencies website of our new place, well not of our place but of other condos in the same complex to give you an idea of what it will look like before it is filled with our belongings.
So these photos are an example of what our place looks like but are not exact.
Living Room
Kitchen with a dishwasher! Love it!
Master Bedroom from the Bathroom view
Master Bathroom with view into the guest bathroom (yes there is a door between the two bathrooms as well as access to the guest bathroom from the hall it's a little awkward but we don't mind)
Now it’s time to get down to school work and enjoy my coffee.
Hi Bloggies! Thank you all so much for your support regarding my last post. I appreciate it so much!
Anyways back to business, it has been crazy hot here….like nearly 100F.
When it is this hot out raw foods/salads are the perfect thing to cool you down. Lunch today is amazing, refreshing and cooling- Massaged Kale Salad, Sauteed Portobellos (cold) and brown rice salad.
We also had it for dinner last night
Massaged Kale Salad
Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, washed and ripped into large pieces
1 avocado
1 lemon, juiced
1/2t garlic powder
1t salt
1/2 pepper
dash of cayenne
1T nutritional yeast
Directions:
Place everything into a bowl and then take your (clean) fingers and massage everything into the kale for 2-3 minutes; until evenly coated. Let sit for 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings and serve!
Brown Rice & Veggie Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, day old brown rice
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Dressing: (whisk together)
1T dijon mustard
1t agave
2T red wine vinegar
2T olive oil
Directions:
Toss everything together and serve. However this is best made at least 30 minutes prior to eating so that all the flavors can marry.
Alright Bloggies this is short because I have to get back to working.
The Hubz and I were not going to publicize our pregnancy until we were at least 12 weeks so it may seem strange now that we have decided to publicize our loss. Last week, the day before our 8 week and first midwife appointment, something just didn’t seem right and after an ultrasound it was confirmed I had a miscarriage for the 2nd time. Over the last week we have been dealing with the loss of our pregnancy and are doing fine, it’s never an easy thing but we have the support of each other, our family, bosses and the few friends who knew.
So why am I writing this post and telling the world? I received a wonderful gift from Earth Mama’s today and I just felt like I should post and let others know that things like this happen even to healthy people and that there are great resources out there to deal with losses like ours. I was originally going to do a post for Earth Mama’s about their tea but when I lost the pregnancy I let them know that I would no longer be doing a post and that the shouldn’t send the product to review. They sent me the most kind and caring note back expressing their sympathy for our loss and to my surprise I received a few wonderful items today: Harmony Tea and Seeds of Hope.
It brings tears to my eyes that people I don’t even know can be so supportive and caring about our loss. I think that it is important for others to know that there are things out there to comfort women who are dealing with loss of pregnancy. During our last miscarriage my husband and I felt lost and a lack of support resources. There are so many resources out there for postpartum or loss of a child but miscarriages seem to get pushed to the side; for those of your who know someone that has experienced one or you yourself have know that it’s heartbreaking and an extremely emotional experience. I would like to note that Earth Mama’s have not asked me to do a review of these items but that they were sent as a sympathy gift and I felt that it was important to pass on that there are things out there for those who are dealing with such a loss.
During our last miscarriage Kristen Suzanne of Kristen’s Raw was such an inspiration and role model for me during our hard time. Reading her posts helped me through my hard times; I actually went back to her post at this point and just felt more at peace with things because her fertility ups and downs have kept me positive. I would like to mention that Kristen just had a baby girl Kamea which gives me hope that even with our struggles someday we will be able to have a our baby of our own. Congratulations Kristen & Hubby! I recommend that if you are pregnant, thinking of getting pregnant, are dealing with a pregnancy loss or fertility struggles Kristen is a great resource.
Once we move into our new apartment (hopefully this weekend) we will find a beautiful pot and plant our Seeds of Hope. I want to thank everyone for their support during this hard time and say Hubz I love you.
Update: I just found out at I have extremely low progesterone which may be the reason why we have had issues staying pregnant; http://www.buzzle.com/articles/low-progesterone.html Do you know of any natural ways in which to increase progesterone levels?
I have been loving breakfast lately and have whipped up some great treats for the Hubz and I. Monday morning we enjoyed some banana bread protein pancakes with agave glazed fruit and of course enjoyed with Kicking Horse Coffee– I am addicted to this stuff!
Agave Glazed Fruit (for more than 3 people add more fruit and and extra tablespoon of agave)
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
3T agave nectar
Directions:
Preheat a griddle.
In a small bowl blend the wet ingredients until mostly smooth; it is okay to have some small banana chunks. In a large bowl whisk all of the dry ingredients together. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in and stir together. At this point you can add a little more non-dairy milk if you like your pancakes thinner otherwise it’s time to cook.
Spray the preheated griddle with cooking spray and drop 1/4 cup of pancake batter on it. Cook 3-5 minutes on the first side and 1-2 on the second side until light and fluffy.
Top your pancakes with the agave glazed fruit and enjoy!
Since the weather has been crazy hot the past few days I’ve decided to keep it light and make some cooling coconut yogurt parfaits. This morning I even made my dad a greek yogurt parfait since he was up bright and early with us. I layered coconut yogurt, strawberries and a blend of oats, chia seeds and flax meal.
Hey Bloggies Hubz here to bring you a product review of my new favorite kitchen gadget!
A couple of months ago, the fine people at Sodastream sent us a Sodastream Jet Soda Maker and a whole host of flavours to sample.
As someone who used to drink way too much soda, the soda stream is definitely a great product. While the upfront cost may be a little intimidating, it doesn’t take long for it to be paid back. When you take into consideration the cost of the flavours and the cartridges it works out to about $0.25 per can of soda or $0.25 per litre of soda water.
It’s also wonderfully convenient. It’s nice to be able to make some seltzer to mix a drink or some soda to go with your meal whenever you want.
We were also provided with many different soda and water flavourings. The flavours were similar to those of mainstream soda brands. One good thing about adding your own flavouring is that you are able to control how much you add. I found this great because it would allow me to control how sweet the soda was. My favourite soda flavours were the cola and lemon lime. My favourite of all though were the “MyWater” flavourings. These flavours are made from natural ingredients. With a little drop of the flavours, you could add a little punch to your drink.
There is a lot less sugar and calories in these sodas than commercial sodas (and they have no High Fructose Corn Syrup), but this comes at the expense of combining sugar with the artificial sweetener Splenda to keep the calories low. To avoid the artificial sweeteners, you can stick to the MyWater flavours or by coming up with your own flavours for the sparkling water.
Overall, I think the SodaStream is a great value for people who drink a lot of soda and seltzer.
Disclaimer: SodaStream provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
