Showin’ Her the Ropes! Girls Trip to Vancouver, British Columbia ✈️

It’s just after 10om in Vancouver and I’ve been up since 5:30am EST. Emily and I have been travelling all day. It’s been pretty great! This is her first trip alone with me and it’s her first media trip ever. Tomorrow we’re on location with Subway Canada visiting Windset Farms for a planting & picking day while we enjoy beautiful British Columbia. We landed here about 11:30 PST and she was swimming in the hotel pool by 12:30. Since it’s our first trip together, I wanted to make it special. Instead of doing touristy things, I shared a few of my favourite activities to do on a media trip the day before our scheduled activities.  Travel can be exhausting and there’s nothing I really love more than sitting in a hotel room, having room service, and working away on my computer recharging my batteries. Here’s what we got up to today! Safe to say she said things like “we have the best lives” and “we’re queens“. Looking forward to tomorrow! We’ll be at the farm at 9am for a day of fun and to see where Subway harvests vegetables for locations across the country. I made a storyboard on the plane ride here to direct the video we’re creating. It’s gonna be great! Follow along on Instagram Stories or Twitter. In the afternoon we’ll be back at the hotel for some pool, and Friday night room service + movies in bed before heading home Saturday. My hope for this trip is to leave her with some great memories and good travel habits. Ok, I might be setting her up for ‘fancy’ travel habits but there’s nothing wrong with starting that young! OK, Boss Baby is almost over, time for bed!  

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Balance, It’s a Lifestyle!

Yesterday I was rushing around after being in ‘cottage mode’ for the last few days. I have a bunch of work to get done and will be hustling into the night to get things done by tomorrow. Today is crunch time before Thursday. Tomorrow,  Embot and I are going to Vancouver for a shoot on Friday, then home Saturday. Next week I’ve got a big client presentation w/ 1188 and a speaking gig. Safe to say, I’ll be spending a lot of time at my computer until then. I think one of the most important things I’ve learned to manage over the past few years of not having a ‘regular‘ full-time job is BALANCE. You can easily get caught up in doing all the work and/or going to all the things. Before the start of this year, I knew I needed to make a change. I was feeling uninspired, unhealthy, and my brain was dull and clouded. I considered quitting my blog and whenever that happens, I KNOW it’s time for change. After my solo trip to LA in January, I came back feeling renewed and inspired. I mentioned the sound bath I went to and how it really made an impact on me. I started back at yoga end of January and have been averaging 3-4 times a week since. I book my classes at the start of the week and in order for me to miss a class, it has to be work or something I really want to go to. I used to spend so much time going to events, sometimes more than 2  night but those days are few and far between lately. I’ve had to prioritize my time and that involves staying home, going to yoga, cooking, sitting on the couch, reading, drinking less, getting sleep. I think I’d tuckered myself out…

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My New Fav Summer Meal + WE SAW A REAL MOOSE!

In the last 24hours, Sean and I drove for nearly 12 hours. We were in Stoney Creek near Peterborough for the weekend, left there Monday morning to get to a meeting in Arnprior for 2, then across through Algonquin Park, up to Parry Sound, then back to Muskoka, and home to Toronto today. It was nice driving together and seeing the sights, but after all that time in the car, I couldn’t wait to get home, ride my bike, do laundry, and make something healthy. We’d been eating mostly roadside snacks (chipwagon, pizza, etc) so I was really craving vegetables.  Hopped on my bike when I got home and zipped over the new West Queen West Metro. Didn’t realise how hot it was out so I was pretty sweaty lol but it was so nice to be back on the road. ☀️??‍♀️ If you’ve seen my tweets you’ll know I got a spiralizer. I didn’t know I wanted one but now I am obsessed! I’ve been making zucchini noodles with avocado cream dressing topped with grilled chicken. It’s so light and delicious. I made it today when I got home scroll done for deets, it’s so easy! What You Need to Make Perfect Summer Zucchini Avocado Pasta Zucchini (for noodles) Chicken breast (optional) For Sauce Avocado ? Shallots Cherry tomatoes ? Garlic Olive oil Basil ? Cook chicken breast in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes/until cooked, or pop on a BBQ and grill to perfection. While the chicken is cooking, spiral those noodles. If you don’t have zucchini or a spiralizer, use regular noodles. The sauce is really the best part! Mix garlic, onion, avocado,? tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil in a Magic Bullet, Food Processor, or some other mixer thing. Set side for a minute. It’s time…

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Things That Are Distant Though Near ☀️

Sitting outside yoga and feeling happy. The sun is bright, air warm, I’m sipping coffee at a picnic table before biking home.  Had a pretty magical day yesterday, took Steph to Drake Commissary before her flight. After, I walked Queen West and popped into the Trinity Bellwoods farmers market to pick up some stuff. What a gem that place is, there was a babe playing guitar and singing, lots of fresh flowers,  vegetables, fish. I got an organic chocolate fudge popsicle and sauntered down Dundas on my way home. I wasn’t listening to music but it was so lovely it was like there was a soundtrack playing.  Went to yoga last night and this morning which makes me feel back on my game. ??  After so many days at the cottage I was really missing my vinyasa flow. We did yoga outside today and it was so nice. The sky was a bright blue and breeze warm.  Finally replaced this little thing aka my personal photographer. It’s a Bluetooth remote for your phone. It works great and aside from photos you can use it for Snaps, Stories, or Boomerangs. Ordered on Amazon via Prime after I lost my other one. ??? In other news, Lauren and I are doing something crazy today for the new Spider-Man movie. Make sure you are following my Instagram for Stories as they happen! ? With love, 

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Long Live the Weekend – Love You Canada!

Been having a pretty relaxing weekend. Can’t believe it’s already Monday. Back to the city tonight or tomorrow. I love being up here but I’m looking forward to going home. Feels like I’ve had more time at the cottage than home lately! My friend Steph is here from New York City. Sean and I met her last year at Anamaya Resort in Costa Rica. [Read about it here!] The weather has been a bit meh but it’s finally nice and sunny today. We created a super tasty wine spritzer with Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc mixed with La Croix, strawberries, and a bit of juice.

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Celebrating Canada 150 w/ Great Canadian Cheese

What a nice surprise it was to receive this package, cheese! ??? To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Canada, Dairy Farmers of Canada is highlighting three distinct Canadian cheese from local cheesemakers.  This weekend I’ll be hosting a friend from NYC at the cottage and treating her to wine and great Canadian cheese. TODAY IS A GREAT DAY…. ??? #CanadianCheese pic.twitter.com/noMdZbbViU — CASiE STEWART ☀️ (@casiestewart) June 27, 2017 Canada has a tradition of producing high-quality, great tasting cheese. A couple years ago I was in Montreal and visited Fromagerie Au Gré des Champs, one of the top cheese makers in the province. It was so cool to see how and where cheese is made. Tasting fresh cheese really gave me an appreciation for it. Safe to say my suitcase was loaded up with cheese for my trip home! Growing up I didn’t eat a lot of cheese but *luckily* I grew out of that lactose allergy in my teens. I had hardly tried anything other than cheddar and mozzarella before Sean and I  started dating 7 years ago. Since then,  he’s shown me a whole new world of great cheese! There’s so many great varieties, and ways to eat it; sharp ones, super soft ones, melted cheese in general, cheese with garlic, on crackers, with potatoes, pizza, fruit, or my personal fav, with vegemite on toast. A Bit of History Cheese making in Canada goes back to our French and English heritage, “French settlers brought over methods for making soft, ripened cheeses, while United Empire Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, introduced the distinctly British characteristics of cheddar“. In my research, I learned cheese making in Canada can be traced back to the early 1600s but it wasn’t until 1864 when the first cheese factory was set up. Cheese making in Canada is older…

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