While I was having my mini-vacay this weekend, I started to think about some real hard-hitting stuff. Like… What am I going to eat during the Super Bowl on Sunday?! Life changing, I know.

Either way, I was getting all excited about what food I could prepare for friends to snack on while watching the big game. I am admittedly not a big fan of football, but I am a big fan of looking cute in a jersey. Yes, I am that girl.

So here is what I came up with. I thought I would show you two of my “appetizer hacks” in my new Super Bowl Snack series. These appies seem really impressive to guests but are stupid easy to make. Let’s be real here. Nobody has time to spend hours prepping food that will be inhaled in less than a minute. AND, we need to maximize our time allotted for putting together cute outfits to watch the game in. Priorities, people.

Today I will show you one Part 1 of my Super Bowl Snack series, and I will post Part 2 on Sunday morning. (You will see why when I post!)

If you cant already tell from the photos, these are little Caprese Salad Poppers! They are low in calories and look/taste freaking amazing. All you do is buy the mini-bocconcini cheese, grape tomatos, and fresh basil. Go ahead and pop those bad boys on toothpicks like I did in the photos above.

In a little bowl mix together extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt. This will be your dip for the Caprese Salad Poppers! These are so fresh and healthy, and chances are they will be a nice refresher between the sips of beer that will undoubtedly be happening.

Hope you are just as excited about these little treats as I am!! Have a great rest of your week, and make sure you stay tuned for Super Bowl Snacks: Part 2 on Sunday morning <3

x,

This weekend we went on a very Canadian adventure… off-roading in the mountains up in Kelowna, BC. I absolutely love to get outdoors and explore, so much fun.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might remember that I mentioned I found a really cool French company a few weeks back. Well, my order came in and I can finally share my awesome discovery with you!!

See my fab new glasses? Well, I found them from a little online shop called Polette. They are French, they are chic, and I am in love. Polette’s concept is spot on. They are all about making high quality glasses (and sunglasses… summer is coming!!) without the nasty price tag. They are an online store, and they ship worldwide!! Yes, for once Canada is not left out. I am always so happy any time a company offers worldwide shipping haha.

So, what is the magic behind Polette’s low prices and high quality? They are the only intermediary between their factory, and the end customer. SMART. And, they have a huge selection of all-original frames, which I spent far too long browsing through. Minutes turned into hours and then there I was at the checkout! 😛 Want to take a look for yourself? Click here to see their range of styles (vintage, classic, retro… all the good stuff.)

My Polette glasses arrived just before I took off for the weekend, so obviously I rocked them the entire time. Totally in love with this brand right now. If you want to learn some more about my French crush (oui oui!!) check out their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

What did you guys get up to this weekend? Let me know in the comments below! <3

x,

Lets start by saying how under-appreciated sandwiches are. As a food category, they have such an average reputation. When you think of a sandwich it is usually like “uhg fine. I guess I will have a sandwich today… boringggg.”

I am here to resurrect the glory of the sandwich!!! Yes, the glory. That word was chosen carefully and deliberately. When I make a sandwich, it is basically an art. (If I do say so myself 😉 ) It is a way I can put all my favourite things between two beautiful pieces of artisan bread. What is not to like?!

The bread? The carbs? Get over it!! Seriously. You will not (I repeat) will not get fat if you eat a slice of bread. Denying yourself of bread all the time is the ticket to over-indulging. So as I always say, remember to have balance in your diet. Sandwiches are a thing of beauty, and also so healthy. Don’t get hung up on the “carbs.”

Okay so back to it. Here’s what’s in my sandwich du-jour.

• Terra breads green olive bread (its so freaking good)
• Goat cheese
• Thin sliced purple onion
• Tomato
• Roasted turkey (<– healthiest meat option by far!)
• Sprouts
• Spinach
• Avocado
• Salt/pepper to taste

And there you have it. Sandwiches are the easiest thing to throw together, and they can taste so amazing if you use the right ingredients!

Happy sandwich-ing friends!

x,

This is pretty much as close to a uniform I will ever get. I am a huge fan of long skirts (what else is new) and any sort of little crop top. So this ends up being my outfit 9 times out of 10 haha! This black skirt is my favourite right now, and I cannot get enough of how sheer it is! I don’t think you can really see it in the photos too well but it is super sheer in person. I find it makes an otherwise conservative skirt a little sassier. 

My crop top is from H&M, and I literally paid $5 for it!! Sales are the BEST. It was actually a really loose top, but I decided I liked it better tied up like this. I was feeling bad, you know how it is ;).

Outfits like this are what I wear when I am feeling lazy and want to be comfortable, yet still look glam.  There is something just so beautiful about a long skirt… It may or may not be that they make me feel like a princess. OKAY FINE. That’s totally why. Girl can dream though, no?

Now off to have some dinner. Have a great night! <3

x,

Okay so I stumbled across GOLD the other day. There is no way that I was not going to share this with you guys. I may or may not have been Googling natural wrinkle prevention solutions. (It happened, just accept it.) I am all about prevention of wrinkles and am always looking for way to keep my skin wrinkle free. On this particular day, I was feeling like I needed to amp up my regular beauty routine a little bit.

What did I find?! GELATIN. I literally have no idea how I did not think of this before. Gelatin is basically a way to reduce (yes, REDUCE) the look of wrinkles. Kind of like botox… but no needles here. I am definitely not a medical expert, so I did my research and from what I can see gelatin really does reduce the look of wrinkles!! And obviously I just had to share the love with you. Want to know what other amazing things gelatin can do for you?

Well, here’s the skinny:

• First and foremost… reduce the look of wrinkles!! Even with sun exposure!!! **Happy dance**
• Supports hair and nail growth! Again… amazing! If you have weak hair or nails, gelatin could be the fix.
• Gelatin is also known to improve your digestion.
• A minimal source of protein (protein is still protein so yay!)
• It is great for bone strength, and can help improve joint pains. I often get sore hips from running, so this is perfect for me!
• Gelatin can help detox your liver!

Okay so how does all this business work?

Gelatin is basically a colorless, tasteless, and water-soluble protein prepared from collagen! You know, that stuff that is put in skin creams and costs the price of a brick of gold? Ya, collagen skin cream. That’s a big no-no. And here’s a little fun fact… collagen can’t even be absorbed through the skin! So hah! No more expensive creams for us.

Okay so, what is collagen? Collagen is the main structural protein found in grass-fed animal connective tissue. According to this study, “collagen is one of the primary structural elements of your skin, and providing the building blocks for this important protein can ensure that your body is able to create enough of it.”

After reading a lots of studies just like the once I referenced above, and I basically whipped out my credit card right there and ordered some gelatin pills online. Click here to see which gelatin capsules I ordered (5 bottles, to be precise haha.)

What other ways can you make gelatin a part of your diet? You can order the powder straight up and just mix a tablespoon or so into your tea at night! And the last (and best option in my opinion) are the gummy jellys!!! Adult gelatin gummy bears? Yes. Please. (I may or may not already take an adult gummy bear multi-vitamin every day… they are awesome, just saying.)

I have been taking my little gelatin capsules religiously for about two weeks now and have already started to notice a bit of a difference!! Literally can’t believe it took me this long to discover this secret.

Be sure to do your own research and see if taking gelatin is right for you! This is just what I have found works best for me 🙂 ***Also: if you haven’t noticed yet, this is NOT a vegetarian product!

x,

I think I just might be the last person on the planet to have discovered Etsy. How have I been lurking the internet all this time and never stumbled across this gem of a website?! Honestly, who knows. Etsy is a site that sells all handmade products, and people can make their own little “shops!”

I wanted to share with you guys what I ordered from the cutest little shop called Primlark! I found the necklace I am wearing in the photo above, and couldn’t not have it!! Seriously so freaking beautiful! I love how delicate the jewelry is; it makes it feel so luxurious.

I also got this super simple bracelet that totally fits my style. If you haven’t noticed, I liked to keep it pretty simple with my jewelry most of the time. So when I saw this beautiful little piece, I knew we were meant to be together. For ever and ever and ever <3 I am talking about jewelry here… is this weird? Do I care? 

The prices are also super reasonable in the Primlark shop. This made me the mosttt happy, because you guys know I love a good deal! If you want to check out the Primlark site, click here. They also do completely custom orders on request!! So bomb. Love it.

Have a great day!

x,

Today I had the most beautiful and relaxing breakfast. I mean, would you look at this food?! It looked so good I almost couldn’t eat it. KIDDING, that’s just not humanly possible.

I always try and eat lots of grapefruit because of the seriously awesome health benefits you get. Grapefruit is low in calories (!!!) and super high in nutrients. There is tons of Vitamin C in grapefruit, so I always chow down on one of these if I am feeling a cold coming on. In addition to boosting your immune system, grapefruit will: increase your metabolism (sign me up!!), prevent wrinkles, brighten your complexion, decrease junk food cravings, and increase energy. Any natural food that increases my energy is basically a done deal for me. I don’t know about you guys, but I swear there are never enough hours in the day! I like being busy, so it is nice to feel alert and energized all day long.

Okay so to the muffin. Let’s be clear here, I rarely eat muffins… if ever. They are usually just (as my Dad likes to call them) “lard pucks.” Hahaha. But really, they are just filled with straight up butter (not a healthy amount, a stupid amount) and tons of refined sugar and other nasty stuff we don’t even need to talk about.

This muffin though? 110% yes, yes, and yes again. All honesty here: I definitely did not make this one. The convenience of popping into Whole Foods and picking this precious little baby up was too real. Anyyyyways, this muffin is perfectly Skinny Belle because it is completely vegan, made with squash, has very little oil (often sneaks in as the first ingredient in “healthy vegan recipes,”) and barely any sugar. Winning! Where is the fail? I totally forgot to get the name for you guys! Even though I buy this all the time I have a tendency to just point at it and say “that one.” (Oops) I will get back to you on this, promise! 🙂

Check out some of my other favourite breakfasts… here, here, here, and here!

x,

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope you guys are all having a great week so far. I am just loving furry vests these days, and I picked this one up the other week from Club Monaco. IT’S SO FLUFFY!!! Haha seriously though. So. Fluffy. If I am being totally honest here I have no idea where my dress is from. Why? Because I temporarily stole it from my friend Elisha. Not going to lie I was the most sad to give it back. Kind of like a kid who took some candy that they probably shouldn’t have taken, but just went ahead and did it anyways. Except I am a big kid so I was responsible and got her permission. 🙂 hehe

My shoes, well, I do know where those are from! They are the pair that I can’t get enough of right now, and they are made by the wonderful Michael Kors.

Hope you like this look. 🙂 Lots of love,

x,

Smoked salmon is always such a yummy treat, and there are so many different ways you can eat it! I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff.

These little Smoked Salmon Bites are a great appy if you are having friends over, or just a nice afternoon snack. My self-control seriously diminishes when I have these babies around, I just can’t help myself!! But it doesn’t even matter because they are amazing and I love them.

What’s in it?

• Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese (don’t get the low fat kind it’s just nasty, buy the regular one)
• Purple onion
• Crackers
• Capers (I fully crushed a whole jar while making these haha! Love capers)
• Lemon

**AMAZE TIP YOU NEED TO KNOW: go to the seafood section at whole foods and buy the smoked salmon ends! These are like half the price of regular smoked salmon. They are just the bits that get cut off when they cut the salmon into those pretty shapes that they sell for the price of a brick of gold. SO, smoked salmon ends for the win! You’re welcome.

So this recipe is superrr simple. If you can’t cook at all and want to seem impressive in the kitchen, throw my little Smoked Salmon Bites together. Everyone will be all “oh my godddd these are amazing” and you will be all “ya I totally spent hours slaving in the kitchen.” LIES!! But nobody has to know. I won’t tell, promise. 😉

Okay back to the recipe. Just take your cracker and put some cream cheese on it. (SO complex, I know.) Then add your smoked salmon on top, and some thin sliced purple onion and capers on top of that! Finish these beautiful little morsels of joy by squeezing some lemon juice on top. Voila!!

There really is no actual “cooking” involved in these, but that is the beauty of them. If you are having people over, nobody wants to be all sweaty and disheveled from actually slaving away in the kitchen all day. Simple recipe = more time to spend getting dressed up. 😀

Try these Smoked Salmon Bites for an easy appy! Let me know what you guys think. <3

x,

Today is so grey and chilly, but I kind of love it to be honest! The weather is so relaxing and calming when it is like this. Don’t get me wrong, I loveeee the sun… but sometimes it is nice to appreciate different kinds weather as well. 🙂

This morning I totally wanted to just cozy up in bed, but somehow I dragged myself up and went for a nice pre-breakfast power walk. There really is nothing like walking by the ocean in the morning… just the best!

Power walking is so so so good for you. I actually can’t get over how great it is for your body, and all the amazing benefits that it has.

Want to know why you should mix power walking into your fitness routine? Well, here’s the skinny:

• Power walking burns fat even FASTER than if you are jogging!!! Whattt??? Yes, you heard me. Burns. More. Fat.
• It is easier on your joints! I don’t know if any of you are prematurely elderly (like myself lol) but when I start to get sore joints from jogging, I switch to speed walking and it always feels much better.
• Stress levels are lowered! Power walking gives you some alone time, where you can redirect your focus away from any nasty stressy things in your life. Everyone needs some “me” time! Including ME! (See what I did there?? hehe)
• Total body workout! Power walking has some exaggerated arm movements and this works out way more of those sexy muscles.

If all these health benefits aren’t enough to get you up and moving in the morning, think about this: How much easier is it to walk than it is to run. You literally don’t even have to pick up your feet! I may or may not have used that thought to motivate me to stop being a sloth and get out of bed this morning. 😛

Sometimes I just trick my mind and tell myself something is WAY easier than it actually is, so that I am not intimidated and just get out and do it. Try it… it is surprisingly effective haha!

Now, how do you power walk?

• “Heel, ball, toe” is the order your should stride in. Do quick steps like these and concentrate on planting your heel at the beginning of each step and propelling yourself through the step.
• Avoid taking super long strides, it is best to keep them quicker/shorter and more controlled.
• Bend your elbows at about 90 degrees, and do an exaggerated arm swing. I always feel so ridiculous when I do this, but whatever… haters gonna hate! 😉 Girl is getting her power walk on.
• Keep your core engaged! Your tummy should be tight and strong while power walking.
• GLUTES!!! Right so tighten those glutes, to make sure your entire core is working.

And go for it! I also love power walking because it is really fun to do with your friends. It is way easier to talk when you are not doing quick jogging to running intervals and just power walking instead. I usually go for 30 – 45 minutes depending on how I feel!

Do you guys ever power walk? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. <3

x,