IT’S TACO TIMEEEE!!!

Which everyone knows is the best time. Because… tacos…. obviously.

Today I was having a major craving for veggies. All of them. So when I put these tacos together I kinda went wild and put lots of yummy vegetables in there. I know, a wide variety of vegetables is SO crazy. I am a party animal. Someone needs to hold me back because I am getting out of control.

There was also an almost-fire incident with my wooden spatula today. Okay if I am being honest here it was fully on fire. Like, the spatula was in flames. Soooooo make sure that when you put your wooden stirring tool down beside a gas stove, it is far enough away from the burner to not catch fire. Needless to say the spatula did suffer some casualties. But I am nurturing it back to health as we speak so nobody panic. It shall be well again soon.

Aside from the spatula/fire incident, these tacos were on-point. They were ohhhhh so flavourful and ohhh so satisfying.

Here’s whats in ’em:

• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 fresh jalapeño
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 1 yellow zucchini
• 1 purple onion
• Salt
• Spicy seasoning mix (think pepper, chili, paprika, onion, garlic, and cayenne. I buy this mix here.)
• Salsa verde (green salsa) 
• coleslaw (purple cabbage, white cabbage, carrots. You can usually buy this pre-mixed at your local grocery store, or you can make it yourself if you are a champ like that.)
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro
• Soft corn tortillas

Lets do this, team.

Before you heat up any pan/do anything, I like to chop all my veggies just so its done and out of the way. So slice up your peppers, jalapeño, portobello mushrooms, zucchini, and onion. Next, take the majority of your cilantro, remove the leaves from the stems, and coarsely chop it up. I like the pieces of cilantro to be pretty big (because, flavour.) Save a few whole leaves for garnishing your beautiful beautiful tacos.

Okie dokes. Now that everything is prepped, put some extra virgin olive oil in two separate frying pans. Turn the heat on medium and wait a few minutes for them to warm up.

Anytime I am cooking with portobello mushrooms I cook them in a separate frying pan. This is because their colour tends to rub off on the other veggies giving them a highly unappealing brown colour. So ya, separate pan for the mushroomies.

Once the pans are warm toss the portobello mushrooms in one, and all the veggies in the other (which would obviously be the larger pan but you knew that lol.) Cook them while stirring over medium heat, and add your salt and spicy mixture to them while they are cooking.

Get them corn tortillas a little warm in the microwave, and put them on a plate. When the veggies are done, put a nice little stack on each tortilla. Top with your store-bought coleslaw and finally add as much salsa verde on top as your little heart desires. Add a few more whole leaves of cilantro on top, and you are done!!! So so so beautiful. If this isn’t beauty, I really don’t know what is.

ENJOY!!! And let me know how it goes for ya. 🙂

x,

Happy Sunday everyone!! Hope ya’ll are having a great weekend. 

These photos are from a beauuuutiful hike I did the other day in Vancouver. Just wanted to pop in and say a quick hello, because I am busy doing old-people things like laundry today. Like, I am not sure you guys understand how much laundry is going on right now. Girl needs to get it together and start doing laundry on a regular basis. Literally what I do is just keep buying new clothes because I am too lazy/hate doing laundry. Hahah yup. I wish I was kidding. #responsibility #adulthood 

ANYWAYS, I will be over here up to my eyes in laundry. Hope your Sunday is a lot more exciting than mine right now! (Slash give me tips on how I never have to do laundry ever again cuz it sucks lol)

x,

Today I want to talk about something that is so important to me, and makes up a major part of the Skinny Belle lifestyle: balance. “Balance” is such a simple concept, yet is so vitally important to your overall health. Balance can be applied to all parts of your life, but today I want to specifically talk about balance when it comes to your eating routine.

Let’s start by talking about diets. I am going to be clear about this… DIETS DON’T WORK. They suck. By diet, I am referring to a short-term extreme change in your eating pattern with the end goal being to lose weight. Let me tell you (being real honest here,) if you can name a diet… I have tried it. That’s what 8 years of modeling gets you. And that is also why I am here for you! To share my experiences, lessons learned, and finally the great balanced lifestyle tips and tricks I have cultivated.

So, what did I learn about diets over my years of modeling? Well yea you might lose a few pounds in a short period of time, but you sure as hell can bet that you will gain more than you lost back. Extreme diets can bring fast results, but they are definitely not long-term ones. Your body craves nutrients (a wide variety of them at that) and diets do not give you all the nutrients you need. I promise you, if you start doing random diets in an attempt to “lose weight” you will just end up binging after. This is because when you deny yourself of wholesome nutritious food, your body will crave a bunch of crap you probably wouldn’t have wanted to eat otherwise. I know when I know I “can’t” have something that pretty much makes that thing I “can’t” have be the only thing on my mind haha.

The solution to diets?

The Skinny Belle Lifestyle.

Seriously, this shit works. (And remember, today we are just talking about food!) This is a way of thinking and being. NOT a diet. This is how I have maintained my health and well-being for many years now. 

Okay so what are the main principles of the Skinny Belle Lifestyle?

BALANCE

I am all about it and all over it. Yes I eat natural, wholesome foods 80% of the time. The other 20%, I am inhaling nachos at my favourite pub or crushing M&M’s like it’s my job. Or chocolate. Or pizza. Holy crap I love pizza. I want a pizza. Okay but you get the point. The majority of the things you eat should be natural, clean, and healthy. Things that make you feel like a freaking queen when you eat them. The other 20%, are the things that the devil might eat. But you love it anyways because you’re a bad bish. And you will eat them without feeling guilty, because you deserve to enjoy all the best things in life. <3

LOVE

Love the food you eat, and love your body. You are beautiful, you are unique, and you are different than every other person on this planet. And that is what makes people so awesome! How much would it suck if we were all the same. My god… would be so boring. Anyways, my point is: love what you put in your body. When food is created with love and care, it shows. Nobody created a McDonalds Big Mac with love. Ever. That delicious Turkey Bolognese Sauce you made for your man, that is made with loveeeee. And is filled with nutrients. And is so delicious. To be truly balanced in your eating, you need to love the food you are eating and love how it makes you feel.

NEVER SAY NEVER

There was a very dark time in my life when I was a vegetarian. For two whole years I didn’t see the light of day. LOL I kid! I had my reasons, and I still stand by my choice. That being said, completely eliminating something from your diet is no good either. I used to have dreams about drinking gravy. That is not normal. Part of the Skinny Belle Lifestyle is to never say never. Saying “I will never eat chips again EVER!” Will make you dream about chips. You will see chips in your boyfriends face. You will try to eat his face (not in a good way.) It is just bad news. Just make sure you don’t put anything “off limits.” Unless you are allergic to something/have dietary restrictions, then stay far away from those foods haha. (**Side note: total love & respect you veggies and vegans out there <3 This was just an example of myself dreaming of gravy when I couldn’t have it lol)

LISTEN

Listen to your body. Eat mindfully (or try to.) To be honest this is something I am still working on. I love food, I love to eat, and I get excited when I eat. Sometimes when you are eating the most delicious dish ever it can be really hard to listen to your body and slow down, and feel when you are full. This is all about being mindful. Be mindful of your portion size, and know when your stomach is telling your brain it is full.

And that’s it ladies and gentlemen! The Skinny Belle Lifestyle principles. Balance, love, never say never, and listen. Simple.

One of my main goals with Skinny Belle was to share my favourite tips and tricks to living your healthiest lifestyle, while still enjoying all the best things in life. I am by no means perfect (hence BALANCE and my 20% nachos time hehe) and am just sharing what I have found to work for me. As I always recommend, make sure you do your own research and find out what works best for you. This is just what has worked for me, and I have found living a balanced lifestyle to be the best way for me to stay fit.

What do you guys think of these principles? Would you add anything to this list? Do you use any of these in your daily life?? Feel free to share in the comments section below <3

x,

Not sure if you guys noticed yet but I kiiiiiind of have a thing for low-back dresses. There is something so sultry about them, I just love it. It’s like, you are being modest because you are covering up in the front but then BOOM all of a sudden you are a badass from the back. Business in the front, party in the back. (Oh my god…. this description is getting out of hand. Mullets are coming to mind. Must stop.)

Okay so ANYWAYS, this is another great look from the Billabong Fall ’15 line that I am clearly all over. The relaxed beachy vibes of this collection just get me and I really feel at home in the clothing. Have you guys ever had that? Where you put something on then right away it just feels… right? Abbbbsolutely love that feeling. That’s how you know you have something that suits your personal style. When you feel comfortable in whatever it is you are wearing. For me, this dress is it.

Check out Billabong’s site to find more beautiful pieces like this! 

x,

Sweet mother of god. This. Yes. 

This magical, creamy, delicious, luscious, and sensational recipe needs to be in your life. Like, yesterday. (The excessive use of adjectives was totally necessary. I swear.)

My Skinny Belle Avocado + Goat Cheese Toast is one of my staple meals, for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner. That’s right. It covers all three meals of the day. So if you are feeling like a bad b, you could totally crush this for every meal of the day. Or in my case, if you are just too lazy to come up something different to eat lol. I may or may not have done that one or twice in my day. (Ok three times…. jeeze.) 

This recipe will take you about 1 minute to make, and even less time to inhale (with no shame) as you give little to no attempt at eating it in any sort of slow and controlled manner. At least thats what I do haha. TMI? Nah, we are past that here. Real-talk only. hehe 🙂

I love quick recipes for busy women, which is why I knew I had to share this one with you all today. You are my people. My goal-crushing, slightly foul-mouthed (at least I hope you are otherwise you are probably mortified by me haha), fashionable, fit, and beautiful people. So this is why I love to share recipes like this with you. We are important people, with things to do and places to see. Aint nobody got time to be slaving away in the kitchen for hours. All you need to know is how to make simple, clean, and delicious foods that are efficient. And that my friends, is where I come in.

So, what’s in my Avocado + Goat Cheese Toast?

• 1 soft avocado
• 2 heaping tbsp of plain goat cheese (yaaaaaaaassss)
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp flax seeds
• 2 tbsp pepitas
• Your favourite bread (I have an abnormal obsession with Terra Breads Green Olive Loaf)

Alright so like I said, super duper simple recipe.

Pit your avocado and scoop that beautiful green and creamy inside into a bowl. Add your goat cheese, lemon, and salt. Mix everything together, but don’t completely blend it smooth. Just mix it enough so the goat cheese “disappears” into the avocado. It tastes way better if the avocado isn’t completely smooth. You want some good sized pieces of avocado to stay together in there.  

Now, cut a nice thick slice of your favourite bread and pop that bad boy in the toaster. Lightly toast it so that it’s a little golden brown but not crisp. We don’t want any biscuits around here. Once the bread is ready, put a very generous amount of your Avocado + Goat Cheese spread on top. Heaps and heaps is just the right amount. 😉 Top this with as much flax and pepitas as you like! 

And there you have it! A delicious meal or snack (if eaten in a smaller and more responsible portion size haha) for any time of the day. This recipe usually keeps me full for a really long time because of all the healthy fats in the avocado and richness of the goat cheese. 

Okay going to go gobble this down. Because YUM. Will you guys be making this recipe anytime soon?? Comment below!

x,

Hey guys, happy Sunday! I wanted to post these photos today and share something I have been thinking a lot about lately.

JUST DO IT.

Nike’s genius slogan says it all.

Often times it can be difficult to get yourself up, out, and ready to conquer the world. This can be applied to your job, business, or even your fitness routine. No matter what you are trying to achieve, you really need to just get your ass up and do it. Starting is the best way to accomplish something.

I really do use the “just do it” slogan in all aspects of my life. For example, my fitness. Often times (ok all the time) I post photos from my favourite sporting activities on just the sunny and beautiful days. Well, that’s not necessarily how it is every time I get active. Take the photos above. These are from last week when I hiked up Seymour Mountain in Vancouver. It was raining and horrible outside, and as you can see from the photos I was literally drenched. We ran into some other hikers on the way down and they asked me if I had jumped in the lake because I was so wet. BUT, it was a really great hike and I got out there and did it. Word on the street is the view from the top is pretty cool too, but I will have to see that next time when there is no fog/rain haha.

It is really important to me that I am always improving my fitness and setting new goals for myself. If I were to wait for only the sunny days to get outside and conquer mountains, I wouldn’t be working out very frequently and my skill/fitness level would begin to deteriorate. My point being: the shitty days make you appreciate the sunny ones that much more. So get up, go out, and just do it.

Alright team, that’s enough from me. I want to know how you are going to apply the “just do it” mantra to your life. Your job? Trying new things? Tell me in the comments below!

Let’s be action takers, risk seekers, and goal crushers together. Deal? Deal.

x,

Yesterday’s lunch situation was on-point. I was happy to be invited to a women in business lunch in the British Properties. There was an amazing motivational speaker at the event, who got me SO fired up on life. She spoke about playing to win, and how women can go from “successful” to “powerful” in the business world. That is my kind of shit right there. I totally love hearing the inspirational stories of others, and the powerful messages they have to share. Needless to say, the inspo was real.

Okay so now on to the important stuff. The food. High tea is seriously the best. Why? Because everyone knows that calories don’t count when things are miniature. Fact. LOL ok I am totally kidding, but really…. mini things are the best. Everything about high tea is so cute! I especially couldn’t stop eating those delicious pink mini-macarons. They were fucking fantastic.

ALSO. I have a public service announcement to make about macarons. A macaron is a small French confection that is meringue based and filled with buttercream (or something of the like.) A macaROON is a coconut or almond cluster. They are not the same thing. So pleaseeeeeee for the love of god don’t be going around saying how much you love macaroons when you are really talking about macarons. Please. Otherwise I might get a fork and take it to my eye. LOL. Kidding……….

So ya! Great high tea with a really inspiring group of women. It was honestly so amazing to be around such a great group of likeminded women, and meet some cool new people. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! And remember folks…. macaron, not macaroon. 😛

x,

This. Dress.

Yes.

All of it.

Okay can we talk about how fantastical this dress is?! I felt like a fairy-princess-sea-mermaid-queen while wearing it. Not sure if I was able to fully portray my fairy-princess-sea-mermaid-queen vibes in these photos, but hey. I did my best.

This outfit marks the second episode of Skinny Belle’s Billabong in BC series. And if you can’t already tell I am FEELING this dress. For real. It is pretty much the perfect thing to wear to any event. And the colours are to-die-for. Basically it’s my kind of dress is the point I am trying to get across. 

What do you guys think? Do you like this Billabong maxi-dress look? Or are you more or a short-dress kinda girl? Comment below!

x,

Today I want to let you guys in on one of my top hair styling secrets. Beach waves. See examples by clicking here and here. This hairstyle is perf for summer for sooooo many reasons. It is relaxed, fun, and holds up well in that summertime heat. By “holds up well” I mean you can get gross and sweaty and still look like a total babe. Looking like a babe is KEY during the warmer months. Babe status must be achieved. Beach babe. Babe-sicle. Babe-ilicous. Babe-tastic. K I’m done. You get the point.

Moving right along……

So this is pretty much how I do my hair all summer long. And this is a trick that you need in your life. Yes, need it. It takes two seconds, and costs…. Well…. Nothing. (<– FO FREE. My two fave words.)

We have all seen the “beach sprays” sold in salons that cost like a million dollars. (If you think about the ingredients, that exaggeration won’t seem like such an exaggeration haha.) I have bought these beach sprays, used them (you are like no shit get to the point), read the ingredients, and concluded that they are a total waste of money. Girl can make that stuff at home. Then obviously share the love on Skinny Belle. Because that is how we roll around here.

Everyone knows “natural looking” beach waves do not come naturally. (Kind of like the classic I-woke-up-like-this “natural” makeup look that takes a significant amount of effort and boys just think that’s how we actually look.) BUT, even though my beach waves may not come naturally but they are sure as hell a quick-fix beauty solution! Legit takes like 30 seconds to get yourself looking like you just went for a casual swim/surf in the pacific ocean.

Okay so how do I make my home-made beach spray?

1) First thing you need to do is go to the dollar store (or drugstore whichever you’re feelin’) and buy yourself an empty spray bottle. Make sure you can adjust the nozzle so it sprays a fine mist and not a power-jet like stream of water. Cuz aint nobody want to be spraying a water-gun at their head. We want misting action here, people.

2) Once you are home from the store, turn on your tap water. (HOLY CRAP GUYS I KNOW THIS IS GETTING NUTS.) Fill the bottle with warm water. Then, take your sea salt (make sure it is sea salt and not regular salt. We want beachy waves not…. table salt waves…………..) and add it to the bottle. This is all approximate, and you can adjust the amount of salt you use based on your hair type. As a general rule about 1 cup of water to 2 rounded tsp of sea salt is a good proportion. I like to add a little more because I like my hair to be really wavy. Note that the more salt you add the “crunchier” your hair will get haha.

3) Now, here is where your hair type will change what you do. If you are a lucky betch and have super healthy & strong hair, you should curl you hair as you regularly would. Then, spritz your beach spray all over! If you are one of us common folk with weak/fluffy/damaged hair (aka me)…. YOU WIN! (not really but let’s say just go with that) All you need to do is spray the beach spray on your dried (and un-styled) hair and tustle it about and you are good to go.

4) When you spray the beach spray in your hair will be wet (science.) Run your fingers through your hair then let it dry on its own. DO NOT brush it after you run your fingers through it. It will look bad. I promise.

So there you have it!! Also I feel the need to let you guys know that this really does work best with hair types that are already naturally a little bit wavy, as this trick is a great enhancer for already fine/wavy hair. 

I am so stoked to share with hair styling tip with you guys, because it is perfect for summer and I can save you about $60 a bottle on store-bought beach spray. #winning

Soooo what do you think? Will you be trying out my homemade beach spray this summer? Tell me in the comments below! <3

x,

My friends over at Billabong and I have teamed up to bring you my favourite picks from their Fall 2015 line! And let me tell you guys… this stuff is unreal. 

Let’s start by talking about Billabong. They have consistently been one of my favourite brands since…. well… forever? Beachy, sporty, casual-yet-glam. Sign. Me. Up. 

Over the next few weeks I will be releasing Skinny Belle’s Billabong in BC series. This is a collection of photos featuring Billabong‘s Fall 2015 line, in some very typical West Cost BC locations. The great thing about a brand like Billabong is that it is so versatile. You can wear the same outfit on the beaches of Hawaii all the way to the rainy coast of British Columbia… And that is exactly what I will be showing in my Billabong in BC series.

Today’s pics are just the beginning! It gets better. (My male readers are like please woman… it does not get better than bikini pics LOL.) But really, there is so much more good stuff to come!

These photos are so authentic “West Coast” it’s actually ridiculous. It was freaking raining while we shot these. RAINING. That is how much I love you guys. I get naked in the rain for you. 😛 (Because that’s what love is, right?)

One of my favourite movies of all time is Blue Crush. Anyone feel me on that one?? If you claim you didn’t like it you are clearly just lying to yourself. Because it was awesome. Surfer babes and beaches. What’s not to love? So anyways, there is this epic scene of Kate Bosworth surfing in this little camo bikini. I obviously HAD to have it. #LIFEGOALS. If you also want to feel like Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush, you can pick up my bikini bottoms here and my top here. 

Make sure you head over to Billabong‘s site and pick out your favourite Fall 2015 pieces! Get ready to see more of my top picks with Skinny Belle’s Billabong in BC series. 

x,