There is nothing like a classic little mini skirt! Especially this ribbed white one I got at Forever 21 the other day. Speaking of Forever 21… would you check out these DEALS?! You all know I love a good sale here and there, so I had to share this with you. Each week different items are 21% off in their online store! Not bad if you ask me. This is a great way to add to your wardrobe for summer, without breaking the bank.

My shirt I got a while ago from a brand called Fever. I love the “power business women” look it has, so I usually wear this with a long pencil skirt if I have an important meeting to go to. Totally into the little pearls on the sleeves, super cute. I matched them with some big Birks pearls I had at home. 

Will you guys be checking out the Forever 21 sale?! I know I will…. it is a killer deal! And me gusta sales. (A little Spanish for my belated Cinco de Mayo celebration haha)

x,

This recipe though. Can’t get enough of it!! It is so rich, buttery, and delicious. This is the shit that I dream about. I kid you not. I dream about food. Is that normal? Probably not… but I mean, there are far worse things in life. 😉

My Cinnamon Pecan Squash is so filling, you can totally enjoy it as a light lunch or dinner just by itself! A great vegetarian option for my veggie friends out there. 🙂

Here’s what’s in it:

• Acorn squash
• Pecans
• Golden sugar
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees celsius. Now take that beautiful acorn squash and cut it in half, removing the seeds with a spoon. Place face down on a buttered baking pan, and bake for 30 mins. While the squash is baking take your pecans (just use as many as you like! I like to add lots and lots of pecans… so I use lots…. lol) and crush them up with a spoon. Combine the pecans, golden sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. 

Once the 30 minutes is up, take the acorn squash out of the oven. Flip em over and lovingly (yes, lovingly. Everything done with butter must be done with love) rub a nice big slab of butter over each piece. Now cover the top of them with all the other ingredients you just combined. Put the squash back in the over for another 20 minutes, face up. And that’s it! 

Okay I know this might seem like it takes a long time, but remember friends… longer recipes = more time to have a glass of wine or 5 while it cooks. 😉 Because that’s how we do around here.

What do you guys think? Will you be making this for dinner? The good news is, if you have leftovers it tastes great cold for lunch the next day. Comment below with your thoughts!

Oh ps… if you like squash you should also try my Skinny Butternut Squash Bowl. 

x,

Free People… Just can’t get enough of this brand! I am in love with the hippie chic look, so this is perfect for me. I think the embroidery on this piece totally makes it. Little touches like that can make an outfit so much more exciting. My shoes are by a company called Woolrich, and you can check out another outfit I wore them with by clicking here.

Okay so I know it is spring now, and it is that time of year when you should probably get a lighter nail colour. Not sure why but I absolutely love getting my nails done in super dark colours. Every time I go to the salon I tell myself I will get a nice light girly colour, but it just doesn’t happen haha. Whatever makes me happy, right?! Dark nails ftw.

What do you guys think of this jumper? Let me know in the comments below!! <3

x,

Confession: these didn’t even make it to a plate. I literally could not take the two seconds it takes to move them from the baking pan to the plate because I was so excited to eat them. Haha!

If that isn’t proof of how delicious these are, I don’t know what is. My Skinny Belle Balsamic + Goat Cheese Figs are for sure one of the easiest and best appies. They are super quick to make, and the flavours are ridiculously rich. I mean…. would you look at those figs?! So yummy. You really can’t go wrong when you combine all fresh and natural flavours. It just always seems to work out great.

Here are the ingreds:

• Figs (should be very soft)
• Plain goat cheese
• Balsamic reduction (I like this brand)

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees celsius. Cut all your figs in half, and cover them with your balsamic reduction of choice. Put as much goat cheese on top of the balsamic glazed figs as you like (sweet baby jesus… Dying of happiness over here.) Pop those little guys in the oven for about 8 – 10 minutes and you are good to go!

Baking the figs really brings out their flavour, and the result is amazinggggggg. It’s a great appie to make for dinner guests, but if we are being real here there is no way in hell you will want to share these. 

Enjoy, friends 🙂

x,

Sometimes making just a little twist on simple things can make them pretty amazing. And I am all about having easy ways to make things a little more special. This hairstyle, for example, is one that I do quite often because it is so easy to do but still makes it look like you took the time to do something a little special with your hair. And it takes 5 minutes… max. I mean… what’s not to love?!

To do this quick look, take the upper half your hair into a nice half-ponytail. Make sure you use an elastic band that is similar to your actual hair colour so it blends in nicely. I bought these awesome Goody bands that are a “blonde” colour, and I loveeee not having that awkward black hairband in my light hair. It just looks way better I think. 

Okay back to the hair here. Once you have your half-ponytail, take the remaining hair below and tie it in a ponytail too. Now, take the top ponytail and right above you tied it with the elastic make a little split in the hair, and bring the ponytail up, over, and through the hole you made. Do the same with the bottom ponytail. Now, pull the hair from the top ponytail through the hole you made in the bottom one. Take your hands and mess up the hair a bit, and thats it! You don’t really need to mess it up but I personally always prefer my hair to be a little messy. 😛

Like this hairstyle? Check out this simple updo too. 

x,

I don’t know if you guys understand how hard it is to make post titles. Like, I want to give you the best possible idea of how freaking awesome the recipe is…. this always leads me to trying to list as many ingredients as possible in the post title. If I had my way each post title would look more like “GARLIC PARMESAN FRESH ITALIAN PARSLEY LEMON OLIVE OIL PASTA – SO GOOD YOU NEED TO MAKE IT NOW.” But really that would not fit on anyone’s screen and I would just end up looking like a crazy. Anyways, I just wanted you all to know the struggle is real over here. Very very real.

Alright team. This pasta is killer. Summer is coming and I am all about fresh flavours, and eating as much seafood as possible! This Skinny Belle recipe is soooo easy and the flavour is just unreal.

What’s in it:

• Spaghetti
• Large handful fresh Italian parsley
• 3 garlic cloves
• Frozen shrimp (or fresh if you are ballin like that)
• Lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Ground sea salt
• Pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese

Start by boiling a pot of water with a pinch of salt in it. Cook your spaghetti as the instructions say on the package, or until al-dante. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and stir in a little olive oil to stop it from sticking together in the pot. Set aside.

Now you need to prep your parsley. Wash it thoroughly then chop it up really fine. Once this is done take a frying pan and cook your shrimp as directed on the packaging. I used pre-cooked shrimp so this only took a few minutes. 

In a separate frying pan heat up a few generous “glugs” of olive oil to medium heat. Add in your parsley and let soften up for a few minutes, then add in about 3 cloves of crushed garlic (or however much you prefer.) Let this simmer together for a few minutes. Now, add your cooked pasta to this mixture. Take your fresh lemon and squeeze it on top! Add your salt and pepper to taste, and finally add the cooked shrimp. Mix this all together and then garnish with fresh parmesan cheese! Anddddd done!!!

SO YUMMY. This is a really big comfort dish to me, and a regular occurrence in my kitchen. What do you guys think?! Will you be making this Skinny Belle recipe? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

Also if you want to try a a different pasta sauce recipe, check out this Skinny Bolognese Sauce recipe. 

x,

YOU GUYS. Are these pants unreal or what? I had way too much fun wearing these the other day. These pants neeeeeed to be taken dancing. I can see the high-kicks on the dance floor already. Hold on, this is probably why I rarely dance. Ya on second thought I am just going to stick to my safe spot near the bar if I wear these out, the danger of embarrassing dance moves is way too real. 

Anyways, I got these pants at Zara! They have them there right now in Vancouver, so if you live here make sure you pick up a pair while they last. They will be so light and comfortable come summer time, I’m stoked. If you like these pants check out these other Skinny Belle wide-legged pant looks by clicking here and here. My top is from Brandy Melville (in Switzerland) and I got it last summer. 

The jewellery I am wearing is a mix of new/vintage pieces, and to be honest I can’t quite remember where I got it all haha. I tend to just buy rings and bracelets as I see them. My shoes…. welllllllll I just didn’t feel like wearing real shoes this day so Havaianas flip flops it was. Why? Because I fight the system and do what I want. 😛 hehe

What do you guys think of this outfit? Are you into the hippie look like I am? These pants totally reminds me of the 70’s which is a big part of the reason I love them so much. Tell me what you think in the comments below!

x,

Alright so I promised you guys I would share what I have been taking to improve my skin! I truly believe beautiful skin happens from the inside out. It is so important to treat your body well, and eat a nutritious diet, and get enough beauty sleep. That being said, it can’t hurt to go the extra mile and give yourself that added boost you need to make sure that your skin is staying strong, healthy, and wrinkle-free.

I love to plan. Planning is basically my first love in life. If you plan for something, you can make it happen. And I like to make things happen haha. SO, I am planning to take care of my skin, and keep it looking as young as possible. It is much easier to prevent a problem than it is to fix one, especially when it comes to something as important as your skin!

So…. May I introduce you to one of my daily supplements, Borage Oil! Borage oil is made from the seeds in the Borage wildflower commonly called the “starflower.” (So it is vegetarian… yay!)

Benefits:

• Restores natural moisture and smoothness to skin
• Has anti-inflammatory effects on the skin
• Regulates water loss and protects skin from damage
• Treats skin disorders (ie eczema) and removes the inflammatory symptoms associated with these disorders!
• Treats acne and rosacea

Borage oil has one of the highest amounts of the essential fatty acid called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). This is the fatty acid that your body uses to reduce inflammation and protect your skin. Winning! You can order it online by clicking here, or pick it up at pretty much any natural health store. 

As I always say, I love taking this product and I have found that it works really well for me. Please make sure you do your own research before adding any supplements to your diet!

Lots of love 🙂

x,

Hey guys! Hope you are all having a great week so far. Today I wanted to share this super simple outfit I put together for dinner the other evening. Like I’ve said before, I am totally a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. Right now I am really into oversized button-ups as well! They have a super-chic “I-just-stole-this-from-my-boyfriend” kind of look to them, which I think is killer. 

The button up I am wearing here is from Brandy Melville, and my jeans are from Citizens of Humanity. (What else is new. Haha!) Check out other posts on my fave Citizen jeans here and here. Okay back to my shirt… Part of the reason I like this top so much is the cut along the hem. The way that it cuts up around your hips is super flattering. I find if the cut along the bottom hem of an oversized shirt is just straight, it is much less flattering and quite a bit less interesting. You know?

The shoes are from Shellys London (I picked them up at The Bay for those of you from Canada.) I love how simple and utilitarian they look. It makes them match with wayyyy more items in my closet, which makes life significantly easier (at least when it comes to getting dressed!)

Tell me… what is your favourite part of this outfit? I want to know!!

x,

This is a major staple food for me. I eat some sort of combination of toast and avocado pretty much every single day. There are probably a million different avo/toast combos I could throw together, but today I practiced my very best self-restraint and kept my shit together and just made one. I was standing there in my kitchen debating making about 10 different avo/toast creations and shooting them all at once but realistically that is a bit much. I mean, I don’t want to come on too strong to you guys or anything. LOL. Ya so anyways, this is one of my fave avo/toast recipes to make.

Here’s the skinny on what is in this glorious stack:

• Silver Hills Bakery’s “Little Big Bread” (so good, you should buy it)
• Avocado
• Roma tomatoes/grape tomatoes
• Lemon juice
• Coarse sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Cilantro

Toast the toast. Put everything else on top. BOOM. That was easy.

Okay so why am I so into avocado? Other than the fact that is tastes delicious and is basically natures version of butter. Here are some of my favourite things about eating avocados: 

1) Healthy fats!!! These are the best. Why? They make your skin glow, increase vitamin and mineral absorption, and help boost your immune system. Another added benefit of eating healthy fats is how they keep you more satisfied and fuller for longer. Happiness!

2) High in fiber! There are about 6 – 7 grams fiber in half of a regular sized avocado. Eating avocado will significantly improve your digestion.

3) Potassium! Avocados have more potassium than bananas. Potassium is known to reduce blood pressure, build muscle, and preserving bone mineral density. Pretty important stuff if you ask me.

If you arnt already hopping in your car to go buy some avocados I am not sure what is wrong with you. Haha! Kiddingggg 🙂 But really, this is such a tasty meal you need to try it. The best thing about toast and avocado? It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner. Amazing, I know. 😉

x,