Pasta pasta pasta. Is there a better comfort food? Whenever it is a bit chilly out I always want to cozy up with a big bowl of pasta.

Usually I am all about the regular wheat pasta (cuz YUM), but lately I have been feeling like eating a little bit healthier. There has been a lot of junk food happening in my world. Think: M&M’s, chocolate, chips of any and all kinds…. etc. Remember that post about eating healthy 80% of the time and junk food the other 20% (aka the Skinny Belle Lifestyle)? Well the past few weeks for me have been a little more like 60% 40%.

**I will have a post coming soon on how to bounce back from lifestyle slip-ups!**

Lifestyle slip-ups (aka eating a bunch of crap food for a few days) happen to the best of us. I am definitely not perfect and it happens to me too. Birthdays, vacations, parties… that shit can get you haha.

Anyways, let’s just say the size of my ass has been increasing at an alarming rate. So to help get things back in balance I made this dinner with kamut grain pasta instead of wheat pasta. Kamut grain is easier to digest than wheat because of the high quantity of dietary fibre. Kamut grain also has way more protein than regular wheat! So, yay healthy choices 🙂

Want to try this super flavourful dish for yourself?

Ingreds:

• Kamut grain pasta (I like this brand)
• Pitted kalamata olives
• 3 – 4 cloves of minced garlic (I like to put lots cuz yolo and flavours) 
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley 
• Feta cheese
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Cracked sea salt

Step 1: Start by cooking your pasta, and just follow the directions on whatever kind you end up buying. Beware, kamut grain pasta cooks WAY faster than wheat pasta. So read them directions reallllll careful. 

Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, roughly chop up your fresh Italian parsley.

Step 3: Set pasta aside when it’s done cooking, strain and mix in a little olive oil. Put a pan on the stove (medium heat) and add a few generous glugs of extra virgin olive oil.  Add the parsley, kalamata olives, and garlic to the EVOO. Let simmer for a few minutes to get niceee and flavourful. 

Step 4: Add your pasta and spinach to the pan on top of the other ingreds. Stir everthing about so it is all mixed and then squeeze the lemon juice over all of this big beautiful mess. Uhg, so hungry while writing this up. Struggles. 

Step 5: Put on a plate (duh, I know) and then add your crumbled feta cheese on top. And finish the whole deal with some fresh cracked salt and pepper. DELISH.

You are welcome. Your Monday night dinner just got that much better. Anddddd you will feel great after eating this because you chose a healthier option! 

Little side note about kamut grain pasta though, it doesn’t quite hold together as well as regular wheat pasta. Not the worst thing ever, but just an FYI 🙂

Okie so what do you guys think? Yay? Nay? You likeeeee? Comment below 😀

x,

The time has come again where I put edibles on my face and post the photos on the internet. Remember that time I put coffee grounds all over my face? Good times. 

Well folks, there is indeed a method to my madness. The coffee –> face incident had purpose. I do that shit on a weekly basis. (Read more here about my coffee scrub! It’s actually unreal.) And now I would like to introduce you to my Greek Yogurt Mask. This calms, cleanses, plumps, and exfoliates your skin. This mask makes an appearance every few weeks or so in my house. Obviously rotating through my other fave masks like Lush, Vanilla Sugar Scrub, and Coffee Scrub.

There is something about a nice face mask that really just makes me feel like a new woman. Doing face masks on a regular basis is full on adulting if you ask me. 

So what is so great about this mask? Your skin will feel clean, refreshed, plumped, and clear after you use it. The ingredients are all natural and can be easily bought at any grocery store (if you don’t already have these things in your fridge!)

What’s in it:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened/unflavoured natural greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup quick rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Start by washing your face with soap and water, and pat it dry. Now, mix all your ingredients in a bowl and generously apply the mixture to your face. Lay down, and just chill there like a boss for about 5 – 10 minutes. The cinnamon will sting a little bit on your face (just FYI so you don’t think you are dying when that happens) but it’s a good thing so just stay chill. I SAID STAY CHILL JESUS. 

*Ahem.* 

After you have relaxed with your mask on for 5 – 10 minutes, wash it off by splashing water on your face and gently rubbing the mask off in little circles (exfoliation for the nationnnnn.) Make sure you get alllll the  mixture off, then you are done! Dry your face and put your regular skin cream on.

Do you feel like a new woman?! Because I felt freakin’ fabulous after doing this mask. Comment below if you tried it out, I want to know what you think!

x,

Really though, is there anything more satisfying than a nice big plate of fries? Especially when you know that they are actually good for you. Yes, fries that are good for you. Welcome to my world friends.

These fries are nutrient packed, and obvi not deep fried (because that needs to be saved for treatin’ purposes only.) Sweet potatoes are good for you for many reasons, my favourites being their low sugar content in comparison to yams andddd the fact that they are packed with antioxidants. Yes. All of it. 

My Sweet Potato Fries are great for any night of the week and are super quick and easy to make.

Here are the ingreds:

• 1 – 3 medium sweet potatoes
• coarse ground sea salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dried basil (or fresh if you have it around!)

Ready? Let’s go:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 F.

Step 2: Cut sweet potatoes into medium sized wedges and toss in a bowl.

Step 3: Cover sweet potatoes with your EVOO, basil, and sea salt. Spread out evenly on a baking tray and pop in the over for 35 minutes.

Step 4: Crank the oven up to “broil” for 3 minutes to brown the fries. 

And you are doneeee! I like to enjoy these with ketchup because I am ratchet like that. And because ketchup is awesome. 🙂

x,

THIS HEADBAND THOUGH.

If it was socially acceptable to wear flower headbands every single day I probably would. They make me feel like a special fairy princess. My mom even told me so. 

Anywho, this headband is the shit and you can pick it up right now from Urban Outfitters. The location I bought it at sold out when I went back a few days later so go quick! Makes sense considering it was music festival season and all. 

My jumpsuit, romper, playsuit (whatever you call it) is from BCBG and I also think I will go ahead and live in this. It is so soft and comfortable. Also, the versatility is real. I wore this to a wedding, and the next week dressed it down and wore it out to lunch with a friend. #winning

x,

Happy Sunday friends!!

Today I would like you to meet my Nectarine Pancake Cobbler. A healthy breakfast that tastes like crack. (Ad companies, you are welcome for this genius slogan idea. It really can be applied to any and all breakfasts here on Skinny Belle. I will start collecting my royalties anytime now.)

This “cobbler” (it’s more like a pancake/cake thing on top of baked fruit… hence the confusing title) is filled with nutritional goodness and void of crap ingredients like refined sugars etc. Just the way I like it. Wholesome, healthy, and freakin’ delicious.

What’s in it:

Pancake Cobbler stuff

• 1/2 cup spelt flour (or regular flour)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp maple syrup (buy the real pure maple syrup. For the love of god please don’t use Aunt Jemima)

Cobbler Filling stuff

• 2 nectarines
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp spelt flour (or regular flour)

Okie dokie. Let’s do this.

Step 1: Preheat your over to 425 F. After the oven is getting nice and toasty warm, generously prep 2 oven-safe cups with coconut oil. (I usually take a paper towel and rub the oil around inside the cups so your paws don’t get all grubby 😉 )

Step 2: Slice up them nectarines into nice little cubes. Gently combine all the cobbler filling ingredients in a bowl. Separate the fillings into the two oven-safe cups you prepped, and put them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Step 3: While the nectarine filling is baking, combine all your pancake cobbler ingredients in another bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Step 4: After the fruit is done baking for 10 minutes, take it out and reset the oven to 375 F.

Step 5: Scoop your batter on top of each of your cups and put them back in the oven for another 35 minutes.

Step 6: Try not to burn yourself by inhaling these little cups of joy right when they come out of the oven. I put this step in because I definitely burnt my mouth and now it hurts really bad :(. Learn from my mistakes, friends.

This is the perfect thing to make for you and your man on a nice Sunday morning. It is reasonably simple and tastes amazing. I may or may not have eaten both of these to myself….. But a lady never tells. 😉

Will this Skinny Belle recipe be making a feature in your kitchen anytime soon? Comment below!

x,

Saving the best for last…… this beauty one-piece swimsuit marks the final episode of Billabong in BC on Skinny Belle! It has been such a great experience collaborating with Billabong. Not only has it made me feel all surfer-girl-call-me-kate-bosworth-like (yes, I can dream 😛 ) but it has been a pleasure working with the Billabong team. 

It has been SO LONG since I have worn a one-piece swimsuit. Why on earth would I ever have stopped wearing them. They are freakin’ bomb. Maybe it was because I was traumatized as a child when my mother forced me to wear a full body one-piece. No, this is not a joke. I legitimately had to wear a “swimsuit” that went from my ankles to my wrists. Like… my FULL BODY was covered. Think wetsuit status. Yes, I was that ginger kid on the beach. Let’s not even get into the hats I was forced to wear as a child. Okay so my mother did have really good intentions (making sure my skin didn’t burn and I stayed sun-safe blah blah) but MY GOD must that have traumatized me if I only brought out a one-piece now at age 24. (<— insert like a mil crying/laughing emojis here hahaha)

So now you know of my ginger-child horrors. Enjoy that from the safety of your own home. And please for the love of god, never do that to your children.

Okay got way distracted there. Anyways, point being I am all about them one-pieces now. Check out what other beauty one-pieces Billabong has in store by clicking here. 

Hope you guys love this Billabong in BC series as much as I do! What was your fave episode? Tell me in the comments below 😀

x,

Kaleeeeee salad. This baby is a staple in my world. There is something about kale that is so…. adult. Like, look at me go. I ate KALE today. Not just normal lettuce, but nutrient-packed kale.

And okay so kale mightttt not be the most exciting food, but if you dress it up right it tastes damn good if you ask me. So why should you bother eating kale? Well.. there are TONSSSS of health benefits. 

Here are my faves:

• Kale promotes healthy skin and hair!! Yaaaaasssss give it to me. 
• It is great for good digestion. Healthy insides = winning.
• Improves bone health due to the high amount of vitamin K.
• Kale supports the health of your heart! 

So even though kale isn’t super exciting in terms of it’s taste, it is an important thing to mix into your diet. AND, my dear friends, I am here to help you make it taste great. Example 1: my Blueberry Kale Salad.

What’s in it:

Salad stuff

• Thin sliced almonds
• Radishes (about 5 or 6)
• Generous handful of fresh blueberries
• Dino kale

Dressing stuff

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Squirt of dijon mustard
• Dash of maple syrup
• Fine ground salt
• Pepper

Okie so start by putting all your ingredients for your salad dressing in a little jar a shaking about. Set that bad boy aside.

Now, chop up your dino kale so that it is sliced nice and thin. Take a potato peeler, and slice up your radishes. Or you can use a knife to do this, but I yolo’d and used a potato peeler lol. Take your kale, radishes, and blueberries and put in a large bowl. Cover in your dressing and toss! Put that on a plate and generously sprinkle your sliced almonds on top. Doneeeeezo. 

What do you guys think of this salad recipe? Will you be trying it out? Comment below!

x,

Howwwwwww much fun is this outfit you guys?! 

This past weekend I attended my cousin’s wedding in Edmonton, Canada. It was a big week-long wedding that was a really cool blend between a traditional Indian wedding and a North American wedding. Obviously I took this opportunity to wear an Indian sari to one of the events — the actual wedding ceremony.

Not going to lie, it was a bit of a challenge getting the whole thing together because it was pretty much just meters and meters of fabric that you wrap around yourself. Girl figured it out though, and I like to think I did a pretty good job :D. Other than the fact that I wrapped the inside layer way too tight, and ended up feeling like a sausage stuffed in its casing when I walked because my legs were way too close together. But hey, a small hiccup in an otherwise well-executed outfit. 

A big congratulations to my cousin and her new husband! The ceremony was so so beautiful, and the entire wedding was a big success.

x,

Is this not the most amazing thing you have ever seen? I was legit almost crying I was so happy while I was eating it. Not sure if that is normal or not but whatever let’s just roll with it.

This recipe was stolen from my girl Chrissy Tiegen. Let’s put this out there, her life is just winning. She is married to John Legend AND she came up with this bomb-ass recipe (amoung many others.) I am obviously a crazy fan-girl (again, normal?) so when I cooked her Spaghetti Squash Al’ Forno I knew I had to share the love with ya’ll. Because this dish is a beautiful beautiful thing.

We also need to talk about the beauty of spaghetti squash. It is basically imposter spaghetti that is way healthier for you. Vegetable spaghetti? Kind of sounded like bs to me when someone told me about it. I was like ya right I will enjoy some lame squash as much as I would pasta. Go away. But really, this is an awesome alternative!! Not only did I tolerate it, I… I… loved it. (I know I said the L word so quick. Look at me go getting all emotion n’ stuff.)

What’s in it:

Squash stuff:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Sauce stuff:

• 1 medium white onion
• 4 tbsp butter
• 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Large handful of fresh basil

Topping stuff:

• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
• 1 piece of provolone cheese
• Approx 6 leaves of fresh basil

Alright, as per usual let’s start by prepping our ingredients so we can enjoy a generous glass of wine while cooking and not be running around the kitchen like a chicken with it’s head cut off. Cut your squash in half and remove all the seeds with a spoon. Dice up your onion, set aside. Take a large handful of fresh basil (don’t bother with dried basil for this, just get the fresh stuff it will change your world) and roughly chop it up. Finally, grab your cheese and slice it up into nice thick slices.

Food prep… done!

Now, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take your squashy squash and rub oil all over it, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place face down on the tray and pop that bad boy in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes. 

While we wait for the squash to cook….

Sauce time! Put 4 nice and generous tablespoons of butter into your saucepan. Turn the heat onto medium, and toss in your diced onions. Cook these for a few minutes (be careful they don’t start to brown) then add in your crushed tomatoes. Put your garlic through a garlic press and add in the sauce. Finally, add in your chopped basil. Stir occasionally and simmer for the rest of the time the squash is cooking. It should get niceeee and thick while you cook it. 

Once the squash is done, take it out of the over and flip over the halves so the insides are facing up. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce over the top of each squash. Add some more of your chopped basil on top. 

HERE COMES THE CHEESE PEOPLE. This is my favourite part of this whole recipe. I am sure you can tell from the pics but I was very aggressive with my cheese application. But really, when am I not aggressive with my cheese. It is just way too good haha. So anyways, get all up in your cheese’s business and put a nice thick layer of mozzarella. Top THAT with another layer of provolone. (You can never have too much cheese and that is a fact.) And finally, put those last few whole basil leaves on top for garnish.

Put the squash back in the oven with the broiler on high for 4 minutes. 

You you are doneeee!!! 

Oh also, the best way to eat this is to take your fork to the edges of the squash, and pull inwards and up. To get all the delicious spaghetti squash out 🙂

What do you think?! Will this be your Sunday night dinner?

x,

Okay so I have a confession to make. I have pretty much been living in jumpers for this entire summer. They are THE easiest outfit to wear and look semi put-together while doing it (with minimal effort.) Because really, think about it… jumpers are basically adult onesies that are socially acceptable to wear in public. #WINNING. And all you have to do it throw one of those bad boys on and you are out the door looking fab. Which is efficient. And you guys know how much I love efficiency. Efficiency is the key to life. Really… haha. Being efficient means you have time to fit all of your favourite things in. And I dare you to tell me you know someone who doesn’t love doing all their favourite things!

Moving right along…. *ahem*

My Billabong in BC series continues! I absolutely love this jumper, for many reasons other than the efficiency of wearing a jumper (LOL.) If you guys don’t think I am weird yet I am legitimately concerned for you. K so ANYWAYS, this jumper from Billabong is unreal. It is low-backed and comfy as ever. The fact that I don’t have to wear a bra with this is just fantastic. Because, freedom. (Anyone feel me on this??)

You can order your own Billabong Jumper by clicking here. 

What did you guys think of this episode of Billabong in BC by Skinny Belle?! Which is your favourite so far? In case you missed them, check out Skinny Belle’s Billabong in BC episode I, episode II, and episode III. 

x,