My Nana used to say ‘as long as you have a book, you’ll always have a friend’. I love finding friends in all different kinds of pages and I thought maybe I could share my 2020 bookshelf with you.
In later posts, I will try my hand at reviewing* the books I’m reading (*will muse for paragraphs about the things that moved me and the lines I did not understand), but for now I figured I would get something out of the way.
I am a morning person, and there is nothing I love more than opening the pages of a book while enjoying my cup of coffee.
Yes, even on work days. Yes, even on weekends. Yes, a sunrise is my favourite feeling. Yes, I wake up earlier than I ‘need’ to just to do this. Yes, there’s a chance I am a little crazy – but I feel like my days are better when I start them rooted in calm.
What are you reading right now? Any suggestions? And when do you read? Mornings? Right before bed? Are you not a reader? Have you picked up reading recently? So many questions for you! Let me know below!
First things first, my diet mainly consists of bowls. What do I mean by that? If you take a look at our Instagram, you will see that I rarely ever eat off a plate. I am a bowl person. I never noticed this until I started documenting it for Instagram, but my guess would be it’s because of how I plan my meals.
When I am thinking about what to cook, I usually plan my meals like this: a whole grain/carb, at least one or two vegetables, a protein, and a sauce/dressing to tie it all together. And that’s it. I do this every single day. This bomb burrito bowl is a perfect example:
I am a big fan of intuitive eating and rarely find myself sticking to a meal plan. If I am craving something – like sweet potatoes – then I won’t enjoy anything else. That being said, I like a well-stocked kitchen because come dinner time, I need options.
So that brings me to the post topic for today: what’s in my fridge. I want to mention up front that there’s a lot more plastic than I usually have because we are currently getting our groceries delivered. I usually try to limit plastic as much as I can and am still trying to! But with this current climate, it’s been more of a challenge. If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them! Also this is very much what my fridge looks like, no insta aesthetic here, just a very real look at what food we like to stock up on weekly.
Top shelf: This is where we keep our plant-based milks. We usually have an oatmilk and a soy milk. We love oat milk in our coffee and soy in our smoothies (and for making amazing vegannaise!) Then I like to always have some fruit on hand for easy access. We had berries, but I ate them all, so in this bowl are apples, plums, and some ginger. My boyfriend always eats yogurt and granola for breakfast – every single day – so we always have yogurt on hand. In the back, we keep pure maple syrup from Quebec and a big jar of homemade veggie stock.
Middle shelf: I always keep my nuts and seeds in the fridge because our apartment tends to be on the warmer side. I always buy my nuts and seeds in bulk (it’s cheaper, but don’t get me wrong, they are still expensive!) I always have plenty of seeds on hand: pepita (pumpkin), sunflower, and sesame. And I mix up the nuts depending on the price/what we feel like: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and cashews. I always try to have a little bit of cashews on hand to make creamy sauces. I also have dried dates for a little sweet hit and some black sesame seeds on this shelf. Not in the fridge: hemp, flax, and chia seeds are stored on our windowsill (not in direct sunlight) because we go through them quickly.
One of my favourite hacks is how I store my lettuce. As you can see here, we have a giant tub full of greens. After grocery shopping (or in this case, when we get our delivery) I take the time to wash, dry, and cut my lettuce storing it in this tub so it’s ready to use. I love romaine, green leaf, and red leaf lettuce in particular and always have a variation of the three. I find the weeks when I store the lettuce this way, we eat way more salads than not. Also here is a bag of spinach for green smoothies.
Bottom shelf: some tofu, cucumber (again, the plastic makes me sad), mushrooms, homemade pickles, homemade pickled red onion, and nut butters – usually peanut and/or almond. I think way in the back are some cheeses – mozzarella, vegan mozzarella, parmesan, and some salami for my boyfriend’s homemade pizzas.
In the drawers: cut up celery, carrots, and broccoli (again another prep method that I highly recommend), some fennel, and zucchini. The other drawer has a big bag of kale, bell peppers, and citrus. We eat lemon and limes almost daily and always try to keep them on hand.
Not pictured: on the door we have some condiments: Ssamjang sauce, some miso, hot sauce, agave, soya sauce, some ketchup, and we also keep fresh herbs wrapped in a wet cloth on the door. Also yeast and some of our vitamins are stored here.
That’s it! We have a ton of pantry staples that we eat frequently too: homemade granola, oats, bean pasta, etc. My freezer is also stocked with berries, some veggie meats, and more greens. We also always have potatoes (both sweet and regular), onions, and garlic.
I hope you found this helpful! We plan to share some delicious recipes in the future in this space as well more food tips and pantry tours. We love food. We love to eat it, talk about, and can’t wait to share it with you!
Disclaimer up front: These suggestions are only if you are feeling inspired to move. If this post is triggering to you in anyway, please know you are beautiful, you are trying your best, and you are enough.
One of the most surprising things for me during this quarantine period has been how much I have missed the gym. Up until my early twenties, I was not a fit person. In fact, past me would NEVER believe that the words “I miss the gym” would come out of my mouth. Working out was never fun for me. It was punishment. It was guilt-ridden. I always felt like I was never enough, never doing enough. There were cycles of trying new things and failing. I would have never been caught dead in a gym as it was always a scary place. Then I did some hardcore work and reframed my thinking about it (after getting thoroughly addicted to running.) I stopped thinking about it as EXERCISE and started thinking about it as MOVEMENT.
See EXERCISE is good, great actually. It’s really important, but it also is a triggering term. It evokes images of plans, programs, diets, and bodies that are entirely unachievable for some people. MOVEMENT can mean anything. It can look like anything and evolves day to day. Some days movement is squatting your personal best, other days it’s a quick 20 minute walk around the block to clear your head. Some days it’s not even leaving the apartment, but cleaning out your closet (more on that later).
Movement is something I strive for daily. It’s how Laurel and I talk about our active lifestyles. We believe in moving to feel good, whatever that means for you in the moment you are in. No guilt.
So that being said, here are some tips I have been following during this time to incorporate movement into my life at home:
Act as if you are still commuting
For some of us, our commute served as a key part of our daily movement. I used to walk at least twice a day and from the subway stop. This was such a great and easy way to get in two 20+ minute walks without even thinking. I know I was going to feel this loss immediately when we started to work from home, so now I treat the beginning and end of the day like I am still going to commute to work. Before I sit down to start my day, I go for a quick 20 minute walk around the block (practicing safe distancing, of course). At the end of my work day, I do the same before I start cooking. It’s a really nice way to break up the work day.
2. Invest in a foam roller
I don’t know about you, but I have traded in my work office for a shotty glass table that is far from comfortable to work on. I had purchased a foam roller years ago when I was in physiotherapy and it’s the best end of day activity. For just 5 minutes, I treat myself to a little roll and feel all the tension in my muscles melt away. It’s really nice to just breathe and focus on my body for even a few minutes. I never ever regret taking this time for myself. Not sure what exercises to do? Here’s a really nice breakdown of some rolling techniques to try.
This is me, loving up on my foam roller. Disclaimer: this is not a foam rolling exercise
3. Daily Plank Challenge
Planking is one of those exercises that I hate to love. On one hand, they are hard and uncomfortable. On the other, I know it’s working wonders on muscles that I need to strengthen (hello back, abs, shoulders, stabilizers, everywhere.) I always try to incorporate them in my regular gym routine, but regular and routine are both words that don’t exist right now. So instead, I am trying to plank everyday for as long as I can until I fail. It requires nothing from me, but getting down on the ground and holding it for as long as I can. I don’t have to change, I don’t need to roll out mats or do the mental gymnastics normally needed to work out. Usually I try it out right after my workout for the day, but if not, it’s usually on a random work break.
4. Garden, organize, or clean!
Again, this is about movement and not feeling the guilt that can be associated with working out. The best way to move? By doing something productive! Now I don’t have a garden (oh how I wish), but I have a closet that is in constant need of organizing. And I have books, hundreds of them actually, that need a good thorough tidy. And I have laundry that needs to be done, and a pantry that could do with organizing… and the list could go on. I honestly feel like house work, chores, garden work, playing with kids, all count as daily movement. Next time you feel guilty, think about all the work you’ve likely done to move your body in a day. You’re doing your damn best!
5. Find a fitness challenge that inspires you
Whether it’s a 30 day yoga challenge, a daily walk for an hour, or something more intense, find something that inspires you to MOVE. For me, I have been doing a fitness program from a book that’s all bodyweight/circuit training. I love it because it leaves me huffing on the floor and has been a great substitute for the gym. But it’s not going to look like that for everyone. And it doesn’t look like that for me everyday. In fact, the goal of movement shouldn’t be calories burned or exhausting yourself. It should be to get out of your head and into your body. It’s about showing yourself some love and expending some energy.
What’s your favourite way to move daily? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
I want to start this by saying I know how lucky I am to have a job right now, and job security into the future. The firm I work for is one of those ‘too big to fails’, for which I am thankful.
Much of my day-to-day revolves around helping Canadian entrepreneurs succeed, and so now more than ever it feels like there are never enough hours in the day. I also feel like there are hundreds of articles, posts, and quotes telling you how best to work from home, which to me is overwhelming. It looks like so many other people have it figured out with the best at-home workout routine and homemade sourdough bread in the morning. My days are sometimes filled with delicious, homemade food – true. I am working on being more active during my days – yes. But I’ve also eaten a skillet cookie for dinner, ordered in food at least once a week, and sometimes feel like I am not doing this whole phase right.
But I feel like the truth is somewhere in between- there are going to be good days and tough days and there’s no one way to do it right.
Productivity is going to look different day-to-day. My ability to check things off the never ending to-do list will some days be a victorious exercise backed by a triumphant soundtrack, while other days barely more than an act of survival. As someone who struggles with work-life balance at the best of times, this period of office chair to comfy couch being no more than 10 steps apart, is particularly challenging for me.
All I know for certain is that I love being outside, so I moved my desk out to the sun-room, and that my pup’s sweet face can make any not-so-great day so much better. I love that I now get to work with her next to me.
How have you found the transition to staying home? What works for you?
Have you ever met a person who makes you question everything you’ve thought to be true about yourself? Your parents, teachers, bosses, and friends have told you one thing for years, and then one person comes along and turns that on its head.
A little while ago, I met my version of this person. It felt like no matter what I did, I would never be good enough – it was not possible to measure up. And after months of bracing for impact, I started to believe the blows. Until my sister looked me in the eye, quoted our dad, and said, “Just because she says it, does not make it so.”
All this time later, there are only a few things I am certain of – you can never be too full for mint chip ice cream, snow is magic from Mother Nature, a sunset is my favourite colour and a sunrise my favourite feeling, coffee in the morning is the universe’s way of saying ‘I love you’, and you are the only one who gets to define your you.
Roots & Reverie 