Sometimes I feel like I am a bit aggressive with the titles on my food posts. I want to give you guys an idea of all the awesome things in the recipe and how good it tastes, and always end up having a title that is way longer than is socially acceptable. Whatever, you guys get me. <3

Disclaimer: I totally stole this recipe from my friend Monica. She made this for me once and it was so yummy I couldn’t not share!!

Anywho, this morning I made this delicious little breakfast plate. I love having a bunch of different food items when I eat, so that explains this plate of rather random food. For today we will just focus on those gorgeous Rosemary Sweet Potato Hashbrowns.

For some reason sweet potatoes feel like such a romantic breakfast to me. Like, a sexier version of regular hash browns. Is that weird? Haha! Either way, thats how they seem to me. “Sexy hashbrowns”… for the record I am aware of how odd that sounds

There are also so many benefits to eating sweet potatoes! To start, they are a good source of magnesium, which is the anti-stress and relaxation mineral. Sweet potatoes also contain Vitamin D! Vitamin D is the mineral that increases your energy levels and puts you in a better mood. 🙂 And though there are many more benefits, my favourite has to be that sweet potatoes’ sugar is a slow-releasing natural sugar. The benefits to having a slow-releasing natural sugar are maintaining a balanced blood sugar level and regular source of energy so you don’t have a sugar high and then low. When your blood sugar spikes quickly it often can lead to fatigue and weight gain. So yay for sweet potatoes!

Okay, now for what’s in it:

– Extra virgin olive oil

– A few small nugget potatoes

– One large sweet potato

– 2 sprigs of rosemary

– Salt/pepper to taste

Alight so this is reallll simple. Just chop up all your potatoes (quite small like I did in the photos above.) Next, finely mince your rosemary sprigs, so they are nice and tiny. Rosemary has a pretty intense flavour, so it is important you cut it up really small. Heat up your pan to medium-low heat with a nice amount of olive oil. Once the pan is hot throw in all your cut up ingredients. Cook them on medium-low heat until the potatoes are soft. Once the potatoes are soft, crank the heat up to brown them and add your salt and pepper. Mmmmm toasty brown delicious hashbrowns. Then you are done! And obviously eat them with ketchup because we are cavemen like that. 😉

What do you guys think? Will you be adding this to your next homemade brunch?!

x,

SUN!!!! I absolutely cannot get enough of the sun on the mountains. Last weekend skiing was honestly horrendous. Imagine rain at the top of the mountain… and a very grumpy me haha. So this weekend when I went up the mountain to get some runs in, I was more than happy to see how sunny and beautiful and wonderful and majestic and amazing it was up there today. (All those adjectives were needed to describe how great it was. Really.)

I think the rest of Vancouver thought the same thing, because it was so busy!! Really though, I didn’t even care. Our city needs to get some sunshine once and a while and I was happy to be able to enjoy it 🙂

It is kind of weird having my new short hair and going skiing. It isn’t long enough to stick outside of my jacket, so it does this annoying thing where it kind of tickles my neck the whole time? Super important stuff, I know guys. Just needed to share that detail about getting a “lob.” If you ski, it is kind of annoying lol.

Anyways, I after a long day of skiing in the sun, we decided to enjoy the sun for just a bit longer by having some nice cold beers out on the patio up top of Whistler. Could not have asked for a better day!

What do you guys like to do to get outside of the gym? For me skiing is definitely at the top of my list!

x,

Hi everyone! How was your Valentines weekend? I spent my Valentines Day with my family this year – such a fun night, with wayyy too much food as usual! Haha 😛 I also went skiing today, and have some fun pics to share with you later this week!

Today’s recipe is perfect if you are doing some last minute meal-prep for the upcoming week. There are literally only 3 ingredients, which obviously means it is the best kind of recipe. Clean, simple, and delicious.

This soup makes you way more full than it looks like it would. It is actually really weird haha. I usually make this if I want a cozy meal that will keep me warm on these oh-so-wonderful (not) winter days. And like I said, it makes you freakishly full. I don’t question it, because it is awesome.

What’s in it:

• 1 butternut squash
• ½ large purple onion
• Extra virgin olive oil

Okay here we go team! You ready?

Start by prepping your ingredients. Cut the squash in half, remove the innards (aka the seeds and weird stringy stuff in the very middle) and cut it up into about 1” cubes. Next, dice your onion. 

Heat up a large pot on the stove to medium heat. Put a nice big “glug” of olive oil in the pot (don’t be shy, it wont hurt you 😉 ) Once the pot is on medium heat, add in your purple onion. Make sure that you are carefully watching it because you really don’t want the onion to burn. Just make it nice and soft.

Once the onion is soft and losing its colour a bit, throw all your squash on top. Right away fill the pot with enough water so that it is just above the squash. Stir everything together and cover to let it cook for about 20 – 25 minutes. The cooking time really changes depending on how large/small your squash chunks are cut, so just feel them with a fork every once and a while to see when they are soft.

When the squash is all soft and delicious, set it aside and let it cool until it is room temp. Then, get out your blender and in small portions blend the soup until it is nice and smooth. And… That’s it! I always season my soup with herbs/salt/pepper after I am done cooking it, so that whoever is eating it can make it as salty or peppery as they like. So make sure you add some salt and pepper before you chow down. 🙂

If you want to check out another squash recipe of mine (and learn more about the benefits of eating squash), try this Skinny Butternut Squash Bowl.

This should keep in the fridge for up to a week! Hope you guys enjoy this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think.

Let’s get ready to have a great week! Love you guys <3

x,

Valentines Day!!! One of my favourite holidays. 🙂 I can literally hear you rolling your eyes as I am typing this. (Literally.) Let me finish, would you! Today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on Valentines Day, and why I love it. Lots of people find this holiday stressful, sad, or depressing. My perspective? It is a day where you can do something out of the ordinary, something special, to show how much you care. Now this doesn’t even necessarily have to be for a significant other! It can be for yourself, your bestie, your mom, your dad, your dog, your family, or the Pope. Well, probably not the Pope but you get what I am trying to say.

Valentines Day is such a perfect opportunity to appreciate all the amazing people we have in our lives, by doing something special for one another. For example, two of my friends have this ADORABLE tradition, where every Valentines Day they go together and buy discount chocolate together. Then they eat their treats together, and just hang out. This seems so silly, but I seriously think its the cutest thing ever. They take the time out of a day (when they otherwise wouldn’t have,) to spend time together and do something silly and special.

For me, I just want to make that special person feel extra loved on Valentines Day and show them how much I appreciate them. So whether you are spending Valentines Day with your family, friends, girlfriends, dog, significant other, or the Pope, make sure you do something special for them. After all, it will make them feel great, and you will feel even better. 🙂

x,

How cool is this?! If you follow me on Instagram (@robynkimb), you know that Pat and I went on a bit of an adventure the other day. We found such a beautiful spot! This gorgeous waterfall is called Alexandra Falls and is located in Whistler, Canada.

As you can see winter is still pretty much in full force here in Canada… so there wasn’t much choice as to what to wear. Jeans, a comfy sweater, and a relaxed tee for me! And obvi a pair of leather boots so your feet don’t fall off from frostbite. (I wish that was a joke.)

I totally want to come back here in the summer! Would be such a nice and romantical (Yes, that is a word. Let me have it 😛 ) picnic spot! There were all these little picnic tables scattered all around, so into it. 

Off to go do a bit of a workout! Talk soon <3

x,

Sick days the worst days. Seriously. I hate being sick! Why is it a thing that has to happen? It could just not happen and everyone would be happier. But alas, here we are. You woke up. You feel gross. You are sick. 🙁

Getting a cold happens to the best of us, but there are ways that you can decrease the duration of your sickness and nurse yourself back to health quickly. What is my favourite trick? A special hot tea made of lemon, ginger, and manuka honey. I love this magic little drink, but the majority of people who I have made this for have hated it. (All weirdos, clearly.) Sometimes you need to do things you don’t necessarily loveeee, in order to get the result that you want! My special tea –> quicker cold recovery time. Science.

Here’s the skinny on how to make my sick day tea:

• Hot water
• About 2” chunk of ginger (the more the better)
• 1/2 a lemon squeezed into water
• 1 tsp manuka/regular honey (this is optional, but good to add if you really aren’t feeling well)

Okay so why should you drink this magical drink?

1) Hydration! Lemon and water provide your body with the electrolytes needed to hydrate your body. (Winning.)

2) Cleansing! Water, lemon, and ginger will stimulate your liver to release it’s toxins.

3) Fight that sickness! Water, lemons, and ginger help fight infections. Lemon has tons of anti-inflammatory properties and helps cure sore throats and other cold/flu symptoms.

4) Water and lemon help aid weight loss! People who have more alkaline diets, have shown to lose weight faster. (This is a bit of a side note, but a happy benefit! Haha)

5) Ginger helps with all sorts of stomach problems. If you have any stomachaches or pains… reach for ginger it is amazing.

6) Honey has natural antibacterial properties. Honey stimulates the production of cells that can repair damage from infection. Hydrogen peroxide is a component of honey, and that is what gives it its antibiotic quality!

So if you are feeling under the weather today (like me) give this tea a try. It is such a comfort to me on days that I’m sick, and it feels good to know I am actively doing something to improve my health even though I am just laying in bed. I always feel better when I am working towards something instead of passively waiting for it to happen haha… Hence I will be downing this tea allll day long.

Hope you guys like this health-boosting trick! Lots of love <3

x

Today I wanted to share my favourite Lush face mask. This mask is seriously the best! I have been using it for years now, and love how it makes my skin look and feel. The mask itself is meant to reduce the look of wrinkles and fine lines. Hence I use it about twice a week, almost every week! And it is au-natural. So so into it.

This face mask is called Ayesha, and it costs about $7. It always is nice to treat yourself to a little at-home spa experience. I find I rarely make enough time for myself, and having this as part of my beauty routine forces me to take 15 minutes and just enjoy the relaxing face mask. 🙂

What do you guys do for your at-home spa treatment?

x,

Would you look at this food?! Last week I attended the Bittered Sling Bistro Pop-Up Dinner, hosted at Cibo Trattoria in Vancouver. This was the first revival of the Bittered Sling Bistro in a few years, and was it ever amazing. It was hosted by the Bittered Sling co-owners, Lauren Mote and Jonathan Chovancek. Jonathan also happens to be the Executive Chef at Cafe Medina (which we all know is next to godly.) In case you missed it, check out my review of Cafe Medina here.

This event was all about perfectly pairing a beautiful three-course dinner with equally beautiful drinks. The result? MAGIC. Seriously, every single bite, sip, and attempt-to-not-inhale-my-food-at-the-speed-of-lightening was better than the last. I am a huge bitters fan as is, and really appreciated the unique drinks that were presented at the Bittered Sling Bistro. Not to mention the food… Why did it have to end?! And when can I go back?! (Already experiencing withdrawal symptoms, clearly.)

Overall, such a fun night and I totally recommend you get your hands on some tickets for the next event!

x,

Here we are, the day of the big game. You have friends coming over last minute and you need to prep some snacks!! (Because, what is the point of football if there are no snacks…. Seriously haha.) My genius idea when making this post was to finally (because I have been wanted to share this recipe forever with you guys) share my homemade guacamole recipe. I go to the store, all stoked and stuff, and reach to pick up an avocado. They are ROCK HARD. These babies wouldn’t have been ripe for years at best. Think hockey puck status.

Being the overly-busy and efficiency-obsessed person I am, I went straight for my “guacamole for cheaters” recipe. Hahah yes, I am blogging about how you can trick your friends into thinking that you are the best guacamole maker ever.

Why would you need to know this? LIFE SKILLS (duh.) For example today, you are in the same awkward position as I am with these stupid hard avocados. Or, you are just short on time and want to make a delicious and impressive appy super quick.

So, how do I make this “homemade Guacamole” for cheaters? Here’s the skinny:

• Buy store bought guacamole. (Just do it, this will be good I swear!)
• Purple onion
• Tomatoes
• Lime
• Cilantro
• Salt/pepper to taste

Start by chopping up your purple onion and tomato into small little chunks. Put them into a bowl (rocket science.) Squeeze as much lime as you like on top of your onion and tomato. I like to use pretty much a whole lime, because I am a full-on lime addict. Now, chop your cilantro up super fine and add that in the bowl too. This is the total cheater part… add in the pre-made guacamole!!! Mix together and you are doneeee.

I made this for my boyfriend and his eyes were glazed-over with wonder at how great of a cook I am. (Hopefully he isn’t reading this…. If you are I am sorry I lied, it was for science.)

Anyways that’s it! This hack is soooo essential for anyone who is super busy, needs a last minute appy to make, or has the curse of hard avocados that have no hope of ripening anytime in 2015.

Hope you guys love this! Have fun making my cheater guac, and lets hope for a great game today!! I know I will be fully enjoying my food and drinks, and maybe will occasionally glance at the game. 😛

x,

When I was putting this post together, I seriously debated taking some “sleeping” photos of myself. Then I thought about it, and basically every single photo you see of someone “sleeping” on the internet (if they look half decent while doing it) is a lie. They are fully awake and probably have a room full of people telling them which is a more flattering “sleeping” position. ANYWAYS, I decided to spare you guys the pain of fake sleeping photos of myself and share these old modeling pics instead. (I look totally natural, I’m aware.)

Okay back to the point of this post. BEAUTY SLEEP. You need it, I need it, we all need it. Quality and quantity of sleep have a direct effect on your physical and mental state of being. Nobody likes a cranky-pants, so don’t be that person. And, studies have shown that getting between 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night is a highly powerful beauty treatment! What?? You heard me. Get pretty by sleeping. (Sign. Me. Up.)

Here’s the skinny on beauty sleep:

• Smoother skin. While you sleep, your skin cells regenerate and muscles that cause wrinkles will relax. This will promote that beautiful wrinkle-free look. 
• A lack of sleep increases inflammatory cells in the body and leads to an increase in the breakdown of collagen. Collagen is one of the primary structural building blocks of your skin, and the more collagen you have the better your skin looks! Learn more here. 
• Not enough sleep actually accelerates the aging process. Don’t give you skin cells enough time to repair? Each day of sleep deprivation will cause your skin cells to slowly break down (and this effect accumulates over time.) Bad. News. Bears.
• Too little sleep contributes to weight gain. I always notice that when I am tired I eat more (and make poorer food choices) because I think I need the extra energy because my body is so exhausted from the lack of sleep.
• If you don’t get enough sleep your blood vessels dilate, which causes dark circles under your eyes to form.
• Too much sleep also has negative health effects! Anything over 9 hours can be just as detrimental to your skin as not enough sleep. Oversleeping increases skin cell breakdown.

As you can see there are so many reasons that you should set aside enough time to sleep at night! I am a huge baby when it comes to sleeping, and will literally be the grumpiest person ever if I am short on sleep for a night. Let me tell you… not pleasant for anyone involved haha. So let’s set aside those 7 – 9 hours a night, and sleep ourselves pretty! 

x,