Favourite Five

It's favourite five time my friends!!!! :)


Favourite Quote:

Nuff said.

Favourite Game:

If you don't know, I'm a psychology major. Plus I'm very interested in health. Put two and two together and this is what you get. It's so important to keep your brain active...especially by doing different things. If you just do crosswords everyday, that's good to an extent, but you're only using one area of your brain. It's important to workout many areas of it. My aunt is big into brain health, and in fact, she has a website she's re-doing right now. You should totally check it out though! She has a lot of great information and some awesome games and apps. But either way you should click here to try out a game for free! It's from a website called BrainHQ. PS, you don't necessarily have to sign up - you can just click 'skip' instead. 

Favourite Summer Reminder:

Summer is almost here!!! And this picture just makes me think of summer days at the beach. Although those will not be too common for me (living in the city and working almost everyday this summer), I still like to dream! And I'm hoping to make at least one trip this season!

Favourite Living Room:

This reminds me of Mindy Lahiri's apartment in The Mindy Project (funniest show ever). It's so cute and fresh with all the colours and furniture. Although it's not all that practical for men to live in...so might as well do it while you're young! ;) 

Favourite Summer Treat:

Freak this looks AMAZING!!!! S'moreos - I'm going to make this happen sometime...some holiday or birthday so I can actually eat it!

Love you all and seriously, thank you for actually stopping by! You are all gems! ;)

Lo

Wedding Playlist…that people will actually dance to!

Mi Amigos!! Thanks for stopping by today! :) 

My beautiful sister just got married!! I'm so happy! She made a beautiful bride! In the spirit of weddings, I've decided to make another post about it. 

I got put in charge of the wedding playlist for the reception. Mostly I just tried to avoid Y.M.C.A., the Chicken Dance, and the Macarena. I also wanted to have songs that have a solid beat, that people will actually want to dance to. That being said, you have to keep in mind all generations that will be there and appeal to them too. So, there are a few songs, by request of my Mom and Dad, plus a few that older generations will appreciate.

Wedding Songs (that people will actually want to dance to) from LoRo8 on 8tracks Radio.

p.s. It doesn't show up in Chrome for some reason, but it will in Safari!

Enjoy!! 

Love,

Lo

Getting Fit for the Wedding! A Workout & Recipe!

Hi guys!!

Today is my sister's big day!!! Gah! I'm so excited for her!! Since this wedding has been a large focus the last 4 months this week, I'm continuing with the theme into my Fit Friday post!!

Here's a quick picture of the cute Bride & Groom To Be!!

This is Emily and Russell. (They're models in case you're wondering. Not actually, but I had you going there! But based on this picture, I'm certain they will have beautiful babies).

This is really Emily and Russell. Presh!

Moving forward!

I'm sure you guys know that I love Tone It Up. Last year, they came out with a Wedding Series! They came out with tips and a few great workouts (among other things, if you buy their nutritional plan)! So, I thought I would share with you one GREAT workout that you can do to tone up before any wedding you'll be in, or even attending! Summer is approaching, so you might as well tone up a bit ;) Dreaming of long days on the beach!!...that is if I take a vacation, since there aren't any really close to me. But let's not focus on that now!

Here is the greatest wedding toning routine that you will love! Do it 2-3 times! ;)

Here's the follow along video!

If you go to their post here, you can download a free printable! Or just click and save as here :)

In addition to the workout, Tone It Up also posted about a juice recipe that they have, especially for brides ;) (but really, we all can have it!)

Here's the recipe!

1 cup kale

1⁄2 large cucumber

2 apples

1 tsp. Cinnamon

8 oz. coconut water

Once kale, cucumber and apples are juiced, shake it all up with cinnamon and coconut water. Sip and enjoy.

 Happy Wedding Season! 

xoxo,

Lo

Weddings & my Favourite Five

Hello my lovely people!!

This week is pretty crazy for me - 3 finals (2 today and 1 Thursday) and my sisters wedding (which includes a bridal shower Wednesday, a bachelorette Thursday, the wedding Friday, and the reception Saturday). Oh and my other sister Sadie (the one who lives in korea) is coming home today!!! I'm a little worried about how well I'll do on my Thursday final....

Anyway!! This post will be short and sweet...and wedding themed! :)

Favourite Engagement Picture:

I mostly like the flowers in her hair. :)

Favourite Reception Area:

I love the light colours and lights! It's so elegant. 

Favourite Bouquet:

SO bright and pretty!!

Favourite Men's Outfit:

He is looking finnnne in that suit! I seriously love it when a guy is in a nice, well-fitted suit. So attractive.

Favourite Hair:

I don't know what it is, but I LOVE lots of flowers in hair for weddings. It's a must for me. :)

Love you all,

Lo

Happy Easter!

I know I'm a day late, but yesterday I was busy spending time with the fam! Which I hope you were doing too! I went over to my Oma and Opa's for dinner and we made and ate dinner together, had an easter egg hunt, and played Chicken Foot. It was definitely a good day. I took a quick moment during all the commotion to look around and realize how lucky I am to have my family. 

(How cute is this little guy?! I can't get enough of him! Note his shirt ;))

It's a nice feeling when you don't even have to be talking to anyone to feel a part of something great. I love my family.

It's helps when my aunt makes tasty cupcakes!

Plus the Easter Bunny came in the morning and dropped some treats off!

But anyway....

Candy and family are great! But they aren't the thing we should be focusing on the most during Easter. I have to admit that I was kind of a butt, and didn't really think about the real significance of Easter until I got to church. And then I kind of forgot about it when I was with my family. But when I got home, it was so nice to scroll through my Facebook news feed and see so many posts about Jesus Christ and his atonement and sacrifice for everyone. 

The reason we celebrate Easter is because of Jesus Christ's death. As part of God's plan for us, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to come down to Earth, as an example for us, and then ultimately take upon him our sins in Gethsemane (so He knows EVERYTHING we have ever or will ever go through), and die on the cross as a sacrifice, so that we don't have to live in sin forever. Because of Him, we can be forgiven for our sins. Because of Him, we can live with our families after we die. Because of Him, there is no "till death do us part". I am so grateful for Jesus Christ's sacrifice, and to God for letting his beloved Son do this for us.

Here's a great video explaining the last days of Jesus' life and his atonement for us.

 

And since you're already here, why don't you watch this quick one too?!

Because of Him, guilt becomes peace, regret becomes relief, despair becomes hope. Because of Him, there is no end.

Happy Easter my friends.

Love,

Lo

Happy Running Playlist

Hello lovelies! Thanks for stopping by!

So I was at the gym on Wednesday, and I had a really good playlist going, and I realized how important it is to have great music to motivate you while you're running. Good music takes your mind off of running, or at least motivates you to keep going - that is scientifically proven.

SO, I figured that I should make my own playlist of my favourite songs to help me on a run! Courtesy of 8tracks, here it is:

Happy Running from LoRo8 on 8tracks Radio.

If the playlist doesn't appear above, here's the link! Happy Running!!

Love, 

Lo

Best Travel Movies!

Hola mi amigos!

It's been a looong time since I've done a travel post, but recently I've felt inspired! The other day, I decided to search Google for the "Best Travel Movies," and this post came up. He listed 25 of his favourite ones. So, since I've had some extra time on my hands the last few days (which should really be used for studying), I decided to watch a few. I watched A Good Year, which I would give a 3.5/5. It was good and had beautiful scenery, but didn't hold my attention as much as others. You can watch the trailer here though and decide for yourself! 

Another one I watched was A Map for Saturday. I loved this one! It's a documentary showing the ups and downs of backpacking life. It's so real and made me want to go backpacking even more! This guy quits his job in New York and goes travelling by himself for 11 months. So rad and so inspiring. You can watch the trailer here:

I tried to embed the actual video on my blog, but couldn't, so here's a link to watch it! Do it and you won't regret it! I promise.

Let me know if you like it below or if you have any comments! Did you end up watching A Good Year? If so, let me know what you think!

Favourite Five!!

Happy Wednesday!

This week I've been thinking mostly about working out, my sister's wedding, Easter, and finals. Most of the initial ones are because I've been trying to avoid thinking about finals. Finals really just suck. But hey, that's not what we're here to talk about! Instead, let's talk about happy things, shall we?!?!

On to my favourite five of the week,

Favourite Treat:

Gluten Free Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars. Although I'm not eating "dessert" right now, I still like to look at dessert on Pinterest. Although, I'm not 100% sure if these would count as dessert? Thoughts?? I feel like when I say I'm not eating dessert, it means not any refined sugar or chemicals, or generally things made with mostly white flour. Let me know your thoughts! Because I'd really like to give these puppies a taste-test! Find the recipe here. She also says in the above that she made it with a mixture of white and whole wheat flour and it turned out good top, so you might want to try that! You could probably just do oat flour entirely too. So many options, I love it!!

Favourite Quote:

I've actually been thinking about this recently. I wish it was normal for people to be entirely honest about how the feel.

Favourite Pretty:

Gah! This outfit is so classy! I love the nude pumps, trench coat, fresh cut tulips, and striped dress. Makes me think of spring! Although...a much warmer one than we're having currently.

Favourite Wedding Tip:

I've loved this blog for about 2 years now. This girl does the most beautiful makeup I have legit ever seen. I'm hoping that when I get married I can afford to fly her to me! ;) A girl can dream! Anyway, since my sister is getting married in a little under 2 weeks, we've been constantly thinking about wedding things. This post give AMAZING wedding tips, plus a tutorial! Score!

Favourite Fitness Post:

I was talking to my soon-to-be brother in law last night about how I get frustrated when people eat whatever they want and still manage to get ripped or toned. I love dessert and yet I feel like when I eat it, it automatically turns to fat in my body, whereas it barely affects other people (slight exaggeration). But he reminded me that a big part of it has to do with metabolism. And what's a great way to increase it (other than drinking water!)? Never underestimate the power of lifting weights! This post explains it perfectly!

Have a great day all you lovely people!!

Love,

Lo

Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers

I feel like I've been on some Mexican kick lately. Last week I made a healthy Crunch Wrap Supreme and now this week I'm making Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers. What can I say, the Mexicans have great flavour!

Anyway, this recipe is relatively easy. I kind of worked off of this recipe from LaurenConrad.com, but altered it a lot.

You need:

1/2 can pre-cooked canned chicken

1 tbsp Taco Seasoning

1 Bell Pepper

1 cup Spinach, stems removed

1 Tomato, chopped

1/2 cup quinoa, already cooked

1 slice Light Havarti Cheese (other cheeses will work just as well)

2 Eggs, over-easy

Directions:

Step 1: If you haven't already cooked quinoa, do so now. It should take roughly 20 min, allowing time to cool. Once it is cooked, pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds.

Step 2: Place drained, canned chicken into pan and sprinkle taco seasoning on top. Heat the pan to medium/medium-high and mix the chicken and seasoning together for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Take chicken out of pan and cover to keep warm. Add spinach and tomato to pan and sauté them for 3 minutes, or until spinach wilts. *I didn't even use any oil here, because it didn't seem necessary with the juice from the tomatoes. Then add quinoa to mixture, allowing it to heat up. 

Step 4: Mix chicken with tomato, spinach, and quinoa mixture. Add half a slice of cheese to each bell pepper. Then add the mixture above, and stuff the inside of each pepper half. 

Step 5: Place the peppers onto a baking sheet, with a non-stick mat, and cook for 15 minutes.

Step 6: When you have about 4 minutes left on the timer, start cooking your eggs, as you like them. Once the timer goes off, place the eggs on top of your peppers and serve. Enjoy!

If you have any questions, let me know! Did you try it? Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear!

Thanks for reading my lovely friends!! Have a great day!

xoxo,

Lo

How Sugar Affects Your Body!

The other night I was looking around on YouTube and came across this channel called The Lean Machines. I saw this picture, and was like yeah, I guess I'll take a look.

I'm not blind, so obviously I took a look at it. They are actually super smart! Plus they have English accents (Can we please date?)! I watched one of their videos on what sugar does to your body and found it super interesting. As you probably know, I'm cutting out a lot of sugar from my food right now, so I like to be educated about what's happening.

Sugar is tasty. But it also can be highly abused. It can lead to crazy insulin spikes in your blood sugar levels and lead to the storage of fat as a result. I find that when I'm told to do something, I won't stick to it as well as when I know why I'm supposed to do it. These guys break down what sugar does to you in simple terms.

If you liked this video, check out their channel here! I love Tone It Up, but when I have guys asking me about fitness, I feel like I don't have as much advice for them since TIU's directed towards women. The Lean Machines are like the male version of Tone It Up. So any men who casually read my blog, here is your fitness bible! ;) They have plenty of workouts, informational videos, and recipes. Obviously the information is pretty much the same (we're all humans!), but there are obvious differenced in men and women's bodies, hormones, etc. 

SO, if you wanna look like those guys above (or the female equivalent), start following! ;)

Wishing you happy days and beautiful bodies!

Lo

Favourite Five: Pretty Little Things

Did you guys see my tasty Mexican treat?!? I'm not even bragging (mostly because I didn't come up with the base recipe), but it is for real soo tasty! And it only takes like 10 minutes max to make. Just do it. You won't regret it.

So it's that time again, hump day!! You've made it halfway through the week, so you might as well enjoy it!

Favourite Hairstyle:

Reese Witherspoon is beautiful! Ever since i was little and saw Legally Blonde, I wanted to be like her. And this hair!! Ah! So pretty. Unfortunately there's no tutorial that I can find, soo I may end up making one. We'll see!!

Favourite Houseware:

How beautiful is this table?! It makes me think of the beach, but it also looks like it could be used in a variety of environments. I love pretty wood. I know that's so random, but I do. That's what happens when you grow up with a Father who's a general contractor!

Favourite Swimsuit:

Speaking of beaches....I want to go!! This nice weather that's currently hit makes me want summer now! But I'm actually really happy that it's warm at all. Now, anyone want to donate to my anthropologie fund? It's only $120! ;)

Favourite Flowers:

Something about flowers just brightens my mood. I really love them. Although I'm not a huge "roses girl". I like anything bright and cheery. And daffodils! I had these in my backyard when I lived in Ontario and I loved them!!

Favourite Quote:

You guys know I love quotes. And I also really love Audrey. She's smart, funny, and pretty. Of course I look up to her!

Try-It-Tuesday: Healthy Crunch Wrap Supreme!

So I realize that today is not actually Tuesday, but these things happen, right? I'd like to think that I was sooo busy with my super exciting and eventful life, but actually yesterday I just went to school, did some laundry, did some church stuff, hung out with an old friend, and "studied" (as in a tried...and got distracted by Pinterest....classic). Anyway, clearly I need some more self-control. Although not having dessert for 6 months definitely takes some of that...so I don't feel too bad. I plan on studying a lot today though, and not that I've written that for all the internet world to see, I have to!

So today I was looking on Pinterest for some hip flexor stretches (more on that later, because my mind is BLOWN!) and my stomach started growling, when I remembered this amazing recipe I tried about a year ago. It's a DIY Crunch Wrap Supreme.

The one from Taco Bell actually isn't that bad calorically speaking. It comes in at a whopping 540 calories, with 7g of saturated fat, "0g" trans fats, 1210mg sodium, 71g carbs, 6g sugar, and 16g protein. So yeah, it's tasty, but is it worth it when you can make your own healthier version at home!? Of course not you guys!! 

The recipe that I found called for sour cream, flour tortillas, taco seasoning (which actually isn't all that good for you), and ground beef. Ground beef is not bad (although the more lean, the better), but I had some shredded chicken that I figured would take less time to make, and would be healthier. Win-win!

My tweaked version of this uses healthier subsitutes so you can feel better about your choices...how cliche does that sound?? But for real. You'll be healthier and probably can have 2 if you really wanted, without the effects on nasty chemicals and such! :) 

So, this is what you need:

(2 Servings)

2 large tortillas*

1/2 can shredded cooked chicken

4 tsp taco seasoning (homemade is wayy better for you!)

2 dollops Non-fat plain Greek Yogurt

1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheese

shredded Lettuce

diced Tomatoes

* I would've preferred a whole wheat tortilla, but my mom just bought these spinach pesto ones that are about 140 cals/serving, so I figured I could use it too.

**If you want more of a crunch, the other recipe calls for tortilla chips. I opted out, but if you find organic or gluten free ones, those would be a healthy substitute! They have some great ones at Costco!

Step 1: Add chicken to skillet with taco seasoning, just to heat and mix. Cook on medium for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly.

Step 2: Assemble all ingredients! This representation was a classic case of "Lauren's eyes are bigger than her stomach", but that just means leftovers, which is a win in my books.

Step 3: Put the tortilla in the microwave for 10 seconds to heat it enough that it will bend easy. Lay the tortilla out, and place shredded chicken, cheese, a dollop of greek yogurt, and top with tomatoes and lettuce. If you want to add the chips, add them after the cheese and chicken.

Step 4: Fold as the photo above shows, folding one edge up towards the centre and repeating in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Fold so that there is no hole in the middle. The original recipe says that if there is though (like the first time I made it), add a piece of tortilla to the centre.

Step 5: Pour grapseed or olive oil in a pan and cook on each side for 3 minutes on medium-low.

Step 6: Enjoy! It's SUPER delicious!!

love, 

Lo

Fit Friday! No Dessert Update

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

I'm so happy it's Friday! The weather is lovely (+9 right now!!), the sun is shining, I'm done all my papers for the semester, and I don't have any homework or studying to do! It's really so lovely. I am having a great day today, despite being sick. :( Colds and sore throats get ya! Oh well, mostly I'm just excited about this weather. I'm sure that if you live outside on Canada, you think that's cold, but trust me, it's amazing. I even saw a guy in shorts and a T-shirt outside today....but that was a bit much though, even for me.

Nevertheless! I'm happy. And I hope you're happy to! If not go outside and feel the sun on your face. It does wonders!

This is basically how I feel...but with more clothes.

On another note, I wanted to give you a 1.5/2 week update on my no dessert challenge! So it's been about 12 days since I stopped eating dessert, and it's actually been pretty good! Trust me though, I HAVE been tempted. I went to a church activity on Monday and they had 5 different types of cookies and a buttload of chocolate milk...drool...That one was hard, so I had to walk away.

Another hard one was after I went out for Zumba on Tuesday, a bunch of us went to Famoso for dinner. I totally forgot that we were going before and I ate dinner before Zumba. So sad. Famoso is amazing. Sooo I decided to have a tasty salad - the Gorgonzola Walnut Salad - it was dang tasty! So I was just enjoying my salad and then everyone wanted to get the Nutella pizza. FREAK! Nutella is my weakness. It smells good, it tastes good, and I'm pretty sure it has comforting properties. Anyway, my friends ordered it and I didn't even have one bite! Lauren: 1 Life: 0.

I was pretty happy about it, although I think the rest of my friends were enjoying it more than I would have anyway...

They' were loving that pizza...among other things.

Anyway, overall it's been good so far. I've found that the less I eat those chemicals and refined sugar, the less I want them...for the most part.

That's all for now! I'll keep you updated!

Ciao!

Lo

Favourite Five: Smile!

Hello lovelies!! 

I have to apologize. I've been so bad at keeping up with posts lately. That happens in life sometimes! But better late than never right?! So here is your weekly break! Enjoy. :)

Favourite Quote:

Mother Teresa is seriously a gem. I wish I could've known her!

Favourite Smile:

This totally makes me think of my sister! She's been teaching English in Korea since August annnddd she's coming home in 20 days!! I'm incredibly excited to see her beautiful face!! 

Favourite Wedding Idea:

Speaking of sisters! The reason my sister is coming home from Korea is because my other beautiful sister is getting married!! Holy crap! I can't believe it's almost the day! Less than a month now. But anyway, there's something about globes that I find intriguing. I seriously love this idea for a guestbook!

Favourite Funny:

Two of my favourite things: Pugs and Antione Dodson. 

Favourite Pretty:

Fresh cut flowers. How lovely!

HAVE A LOVELY DAY! :)

xoxo,

Lo