Fit Friday! Drink Up!

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Drink Up! Water, that is. Water is ESSENTIAL to live a healthy life! I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times, but it's for good reason! I could go on for days about how great water is. But I personally don't find any type of advice as effective, if I don't know WHY it's important. It's just like when you're told to eat certain foods. Well why? You should be knowledgeable about what you're putting in to that beautiful body!

So why is water important you ask?

Many, many reasons. For starters, water boosts your metabolism! And who doesn't want that?? It keeps everything running smoothly in your body, and allows it to better function when you aren't dehydrated. After all, your body is made up almost entirely of water. Did you know that if you're chronically dehydrated, you can gain around 10 lbs in a year?! No thank you! When you're dehydrated, your body retains water, which means excess water weight. Your body feels deprived, so it stores it in your cells.

Are you tired? Grab some water!! Dehydration makes you tired because your body slows down, because it isn't hydrated enough. This is especially important when you're studying or reading I find. Are you reading the same paragraph 10 times in a row? We've all been there. Get up and get some water! It will help out immensely. Trust me. Along with studying, water helps with your alertness and your memory.

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It helps run your Immune System! Water helps keep out nasty germs from your body and protects your body from disease. According to TIU, White Blood Cells, which are the disease fighting ones, travel through your body in a substance made up mostly of water. And if you don't drink enough, your body, doesn't have as much of a chance at fighting anything off!

It gets rid of toxins from your body. What are toxins? Toxins are "a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation." I know what you're thinking, "doesn't that sound like a bundle of fun?!" Jk. Not at all. Toxins are bad, and in order to get rid of them we need to sweat, and replenish our bodies with WATER! That goes to all of you who plan on drinking tonight - CHUG that water!

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So how much water should you be drinking? You should drink, at least, half your body weight in ounces. I've heard that so many times from Tone It Up, it's engrained in my head!

So here are some tips!

1. Drink water as soon as you wake up. A nice tall glass. Some people add lemon, because it boots your metabolism even more. Your body has been dehydrated for ~8 hours, so the sooner you drink after waking up, the sooner your metabolism starts away.

2. Make flavoured water. I love adding strawberries, lemon, lime, or oranges to mine. Makes it more interesting! I also really like coconut water. Zico is one of my fav's, especially the chocolate!

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3. Bring water bottles with you. I usually bring 2 with me to school if I'm there for 6 hours. If I workout, I fill one up one or two more times.

4. Drink before any meal. Or even when you feel hungry. Your body sometimes confuses hunger with thirst. Water helps you feel full, so I try to drink a glass before each meal, then I eat less! :)

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So drink up! And have a happy healthy weekend!

xoxo,

Lo

p.s. this may happen:

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You can't say I didn't warn you. But don't worry, you'll get over it. 

Also, I think this is a stellar idea!

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Travel Bug Thursday! Deia, Spain

Happy Thursday All!

So, a while ago I was dreaming away, surfing around TripAdvisor, and found this little beauty!
The pictures stole my heart. I think I could just hike around all day and be in love. How lovely is this!!

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This restaurant got 5 stars by all 23 reviews!

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Apparently it's run by this little old Chinese lady and her daughter. They make everything from scratch and it's delicious. Apparently the dumplings are amazing! I know what you're thinking though - Why go to Spain to get Chinese food?? 

Well, these reviews told me what's up:

"Who does to Deia and eats Chinese food? It was a completely unexpected and delightful evening meal."
"For our one night in Deia I certainly wasn't planning Chinese, but I am very glad that we found this little gem."
"We have just returned from a week in Deia, Mallorca and we were fortunate to have this 'little gem' of a restaurant recommended to us by a resident who begged us not to tell anyone about it because the locals want it all to themselves and I can understand why."

Nuff said. The menu is cutely written on a chalkboard, and includes:

Seaweed Salad, Hoisin Ribs, homemade Dumplings and Wontons, Stir fry Asparagus w/ Chicken, Noodles with spicy Pork and fresh Vegetables, spicy Eggplant, and Pak Choi w/ Beef, just to name a few. All good reviews. 

Prices range from $23 - $45 Canadian. 

For the History buff, visit the house of Robert Graves.

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Who is Robert Graves you ask? Here's a little explanation from my friends over at Trip Advisor:

"The English poet, translator, and novelist may be best known for his memoir of the First World War, Good-bye to All That, and his popular historical novel 'I, Claudius'."

He wrote about his experiences at the front line in the war, which I think would be a really cool perspective. He lived here for most of his life, except when fighting the the World War, and the Spanish Civil War. He married twice, and he and his second wife are buried in a small graveyard here in Deia. 

But, if you don't know anything about him, they play a video that you can watch, about his life and works. I hear the view is spectacular also! It's a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

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This is the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista. How beautiful!

Quoted as a "little gem with a stunning view."

You can read more about it here.

But like I said, I would just walk around with a camera if I could and see all of this:

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Hoping to go here in the near future!

xoxo,

Lo

Favourite Five

Happy Humpday, and congrats on making it half-way through the week!!

Here are my favourite 5 things this week:

Favourite Quote:

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So, part of me feels like this is a little bit depressing. But the bigger part of me is saying "wow, holy perspective." We only have so much time. Make sure what you're doing counts.

Favourite Store Front:

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Le Petit Zinc, Paris. How cool is it that I've been here!?! Ridiculously expensive, but SO worth it! So dang tasty! This is the reason we had Subway for dinner the next night in Paris. 

Favourite Cozy Look:

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Don't you just want to have this around your neck?? You would never be cold. It oozes comfort. 

Favourite Hairstyle:

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So cute!! And totally doable. 

Favourite Perspective:

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Take me to NYC! :) Beauty. 

Have a fabulous day!!

xoxo,

Lo

Try It Tuesday! Minestrone Soup

Happy Tuesday!!

I found a new love in my life today. Different from this one, sadly. But still, I found a love of le crockpot! This baby is a genius. I don't know why I haven't used one up till now. I've always thought about it, but I never actually did it until today. So glad I did! 

In order to avoid this cold weather, I've been catching up on some Vampire Diaries and Once Upon a Time. Granted this is lovely, I feel like I should be at least a little productive. So I'm making some delicious soup! Today's recipe is perfect for the cold winter weather that is upon us! A nice warm, light, and hearty soup to keep you full. It's perfect with some fresh buns too! So without further adieu,  

Ground Beef Minestrone Soup!

(Serves 12) 

1 lb extra lean Ground Beef 

1 large Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 15.5 oz cans low-sodium Stewed Tomatoes

15 oz can Kidney Beans, drained

1.5 cups frozen Corn

2 ribs Celery, sliced

2 small Zuchinni, sliced

2 cups egg white pasta

2.5 cups Hot Water

2 Beef Bouillon Cubes

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Italian Seasoning

Directions:

First things first, brown that ground beef in a non-stick skillet. If you use just lean ground beef or more fat, make sure to drain the oil into a can and let is solidify before throwing out. 

Next, combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, celery, zuchinni, and pasta in the slow cooker. 

Dissolve the bouillon cubes in the hot water. Then combine with salt and Italian seasoning. Add it to the slow cooker. 

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. 

Have a lovely day and enjoy your soup!

Xoxo

Lo

Pranks Part I

Happy Monday everyone!!

Mondays are controversial. I know most people hate them, and I'm not saying I don't, but someone told me that that's a sad way to live 1/7 of your life. Good point right?! 

So I hope you're having a good Monday. But, since Mondays sometimes suck (especially when you have to go to school in weather like this!) -

- here's to hoping my immaturity will brighten your day! ;) 

I love pranks! I wrote about my love for it in this post, and I feel like it's a great way to not take yourself so seriously. Sometimes you need to have a little fun in life! Correction: you should always have fun! Ideally at least! 

Soo, there's this pranking battle that happened (and may still be happening...who knows....? ;)). But it all started with this. 

 

We wrote on the whiteboard of our friends' house that they needed girlfriends...among other things. (It's funnier if you know them).

To which, they then responded by posting this on instagram:

Apparently I like to use hashtags too much for their liking, Ash says "like" too much, and Alena swears she's 18. 

And so, they told us it was on. So, naturally, we took it as an invitation to prank them. Saran wrapping their cars and forking their lawn was our first choice. Sounded great....until it started to snow. Curse this Canadian weather. 

But, it actually ended up working to our benefit. We grabbed some shovels and went to work...at 3am. The things you do for pranks! Good thing it was daylight savings, so we ended up having an extra hour to sleep later. Still I felt like death the next morning. But was it worth it? Definitely. 

This was the glorious outcome of our lack of sleep. 

Front and back doors. We did leave the back screen open so they could get out in the morning, and only piled the snow halfway up that door. We really care. ;) We also made a sign that said payback and put it between the screen and wooden front doors. We walked away from the house with numb, wet feet and cold faces, but with a feeling of satisfaction. Then we saw their cars and decided to put some icing on the cake. 

We wrote things like this:

             

And this: 

And even this (among other things):

           

(This ones hard to see, but it says #like and payback). 

Hope this helps with the Monday blues! Have a great day you guys!!

Lo

Fit Friday! Recipe: Tomato Basil Turkey Burgers

Happy Friday Everybody!!

I am so stoked it's the weekend! Today, I'm giving you a healthy recipe! Get ready for some Tomato Basil Turkey Burgers! Mmmm. This recipe is adapted from Tone It Up. I made these the other night, and I've been having them for leftovers for 2 days now! They're so tasty. TIP: Make leftovers!! They make lunch easy as pie for the next day!

I like to top them with some spinach or romaine, sliced tomatoes, mustard, and ketchup! Simple and delicious! 

I originally had some issues with the recipe from Tone It Up, because of the egg white to meat ratio. Here's an essential tip! Measure out your meat before you add egg whites, and then add just enough to bind in together a little bit. Your meat should not be drowning in egg whites.....not that I've ever done that. Please, I don't make mistakes you guys. Anyway.....

Here's the recipe!

Tomato Basil Turkey Burgers

(to make 8 patties)

32 oz lean ground turkey (2 packages)

4 egg whites (use your judgement for more or less)

2 cups Spinach, chopped*

4 tbsp Olive Oil

12 fresh Basil Leaves, chopped*

1/2 - 3/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes 

6 cloves garlic, minced

Pepper to your liking

**Add breadcrumbs if necessary, I found it helped bind the patties better. 

*When chopping the spinach or basil, I like to use scissors! It makes it so much faster, and who doesn't like to save time?! Learned this little gem of a tip from K&K over at Tone It Up. 

Thaw the turkey meat. In a large bowl, mix your ground turkey with the egg whites. Add in olive oil, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and pepper. Mix well.

 Add spinach and basil leaves and fully incorporate. Lastly, add bread crumbs if necessary. 

From meat into 8 patties (if it's a little more or less that's fine). Heat grill to high for a minute, and then bring down to low. Cook for 5 minutes per side. Then, cook on low for another 2 minutes per side. Take off the grill, and serve with the above suggested toppings, on a whole wheat bun, or a lettuce wrap. I added sweet potato fries on the side with a garden salad. 

ENJOY!

xoxo

Lo

Happy Humpday! Fav Five!

Oh heyy there!

Oh? You say it's not actually Wednesday? Oh, yeah. I definitely meant to post this yesterday. But hey, I get busy! I am human. But, better late than never, right?! Wednesday is humpday, which means we have officially made it halfway through the week. So let's celebrate shall we? :) In honour of humpday here are my favourite five things of the week!


1) Fav Vine:

Penguins are so stinking cute!!

Or this one - 

I just love Harry Potter, and this is hilarious. 

2) Fav Song:

Ed Sheeran, you just melt me. That voice. It's like silk in my ears. (Weird analogy? ...Maybe, haha). 

This isn't the video I wanted, but I had a hard time putting the one I did want on here. Here's the better one. :) 

3) Fav Sparkly Thing:

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And it's only $199! What a steal! When I see things like this, it just emphasizes the sad life of a poor student. A girl can dream....

4) Fav Harry Potter Reference:

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You guys! How great is this!? 

5) Fav Painting:

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Have a great day!!

xoxo, 

Lo