CASIE STEWART

THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
LIFE

Balance, It’s a Lifestyle!

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 by the end of last year and it really got me down. Since January I’ve made planning my me-time a priority.

My happy place is laying here on my mat after a great yoga class.
BALANCE is getting ice cream after yoga!

I biked to yoga again this morning and feel super energized to kick some a$$ today. I’m really excited to take Emily to Vancouver tomorrow. It’s our first solo girls trip together. First, of many hopefully!

Remember to make time for yourself, you can’t just do work or else you won’t have room for inspiration.

Take a deep breath. Smile. Do something for YOU.

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LIFE HOME SWEET HOME

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

casiestewart, metro, biking, toronto, smile, toronto blogger, blogger, casie stewart, blonde, pixie

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.

Everyone stopped in Algonquin Park to see a moose & moose baby!

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. ☀️??‍♀️

casiestewart, metro, groceries, rockit
WAIT, HOW DID THAT BUTTER TART GET IN THERE?

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!

zuchinni pasta noodles, casie stewart, metro west queen west, toronto, rockit promo
These noodles are a thing of beauty!

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 ?
  1. Cook chicken breast in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes/until cooked, or pop on a BBQ and grill to perfection.
  2. 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!
  3. 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 to make the noodles.
  4. Heat a bit of olive oil in frying pan until it’s very hot. Toss zucchini noodles in the pan for a 2-3 minutes moving them around the whole time. They will cook super fast and you don’t want to overcook or they will get soft/mushy. Think al dente!
  5. Throw in the sauce and chicken and mix it around for a minute until warm.
  6. Add salt & pepper to taste.
  7. ENJOY! 

Note how healthy this pasta is! Pop by Amazon to get a spiralizer

Pre-mixed sauce ingredients. Smells amazing!
The noodles look so pretty! This is pre-cook.
VOILA! Fresh homemade pasta perfect for a hot summer day!

I recommend eating outside and enjoying the weather. I was so hot after my ride and I decided to stay in and watch Young & the Restless! ?✌? Yes, after 35 years, I’m still watching!

 

All ingredients from my local West Queen West Metro!

Check out some other features of the store here on the blog.

 

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Events METRO WEST QUEEN WEST

West Queen West Has a Metro Now!

West Queen West Has a Metro Now!
Heaps of prepared food. Lots of fresh juice. Massive gluten free section. Huge bread assortment including pretzel croissants (??) and Italian bread with real Italian ingredients (might be made by a real nonna?). Huge meat selection that will do custom cuts and a cool female butcher. Fresh sustainable seafood. So much yogurt. Exotic snacks. Self-checkout. Starbucks and collective art space on the lower floor. I also rode my bike there.

A new grocery store in the hood is pretty exciting. Before I lived in the West End, I was at Cityplace when the new grocery store opened up. [I actually even set up a Twitter account based on the store which I then shut down]. Everyone was so excited and that might seem a little dorky but when a new food store opens in your neighbourhood with all your fav things and fresh prepped food, your life is instantly better. So, I  biked over to the new MetroWest Queen West for a tour on opening weekend (10mins bike from home!).

This location puts a focus on local and community with organic chicken from Yorkshire Valley Farms in Etobicoke, pastries from Dufflet in Toronto, and Portuguese products from Borges Foods Ltd. in Mississauga.

v cool lady butcher!
Massive beer selection

Thanks Metro, for inviting me to the opening and the pedicab ride! Make sure to stop by and order a ready-made pizza, pick up some beer for the weekend, and grab yourself a fresh juice.

For info about Metro in-store events and other happenings, follow them on Facebook at Metro Ontario.

YES! This post is sponsored by Metro Ontario.

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LIFE

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. 

Fruit, veg, flowers from the market!
Haven’t been here for about a week so was great to get back!
Art on the wall at Drake Commissary

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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LIFE

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!

Canada Day canoe out on the lake!

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.

So good! La Croix, Kim Crawford wine, strawberries, juice

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LIFE CHEESE HEAVEN

Celebrating Canada 150 w/ Great Canadian Cheese

canadian dairy farmer, cheese, canada day, casie stewart, HBC

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.

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!

casiestewart, Canadian dairy farmers, canada 150, cheese

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.

Hand cut Charcuterie from Drake Commissary, Comox Camembert, Natural Pastures (British Columbia) + Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Cows Creamery (Prince Edward Island), Muskoka made Fig jelly, Ontario blueberries
Hand cut Charcuterie from Drake Commissary, Comox Camembert, Natural Pastures (British Columbia) + Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Cows Creamery (Prince Edward Island), Muskoka made Fig jelly, Ontario blueberries

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 than the country itself! By 1867, there were over 200 cheese factories in Ontario alone. ?

 “Our great Canadian cheeses start with 100% Canadian quality milk, which are produced by our passionate dairy farmers in a sustainable way’ said Sebastien Bergeron, Director of Marketing for DFC.

Representing the best of the best in Canadian cheese, Dairy Farmers of Canada has hand-picked three highly-awarded varieties to share as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. My favourite from the three DFC sent over is the Avonlea Cheddar. The recipe is from Scotland, and the flavour comes from the salt air, iron-rich soil, and Holstein cows milk.

My sample cheese board, I needed to test everything before the weekend ok! Canadian Cheese + Mill Street Canadian Beer

Join me in celebrating Canada and the dairy farmers who help make cheese possible by sharing great Canadian cheese with your friends and family this weekend. ???

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Tech MICROSOFTSTORE.CA

Testing the Surface Pro 4 from MicrosoftStore.ca

Testing the Surface Pro 4 from MicrosoftStore.ca

I don’t get jealous often, but it’s time to come clean! ?? For the last year or so, I’ve watched two of my colleagues at 1188 Films use and rave about, their Surface Pro devices. They use it as a tablet on set, a computer in the office, and a notepad in meetings. While here I am lugging around multiples devices… It does seem that the interactive screen is becoming increasingly utilized and well-regarded in a business context thanks to it being compact, mobile, easy to use, fast, and highly accessible.

I wanted to take one for a test drive, so when I got an email from the Microsoftstore.ca team to do just that, I was totally game!

Here we go with the Surface Pro!
As you know, I spend a lot of time on my computer.  I shift from being a blogger to working as a director with 1188 Films Inc. and doing a variety of other client-related tasks throughout the day (aka. emails galore). I’ve only had the device for a couple of days, but it’s seriously impacted my productivity. The  Surface Pro 4 is both computer and tablet, so it saves me lugging around 2 devices. It’s also small and light, so it’s easy to carry in a purse or backpack. Lately, I‘ve been lugging around both my iPad Pro and MacBook Pro which makes my purse kinda (super) heavy.

As a girl on-the-go, I found the Surface Pro to be super portable, and versatile.
It’s like powerful little studio all in one device.

The fact that the device converts from computer to tablet is a solid feature for creatives like myself.  I’m able to work on a document in computer mode, present something in a meeting in studio mode, and give directions on set in tablet mode. All in one device. You can also work on a bunch of things at the same time, great for multitasking.

Multi-tasking to the MAX
surface pro 4, casiestewart, drake commissary
Working lunch at Drake Commissary
The computer is fast (Intel® Core™ processor) and you can run heavy programs like Premiere or Photoshop with absolutely no issues. You can even edit a video and spit it out in 4k which is super handy for any editor. The battery lasts a full workday (50% more battery life than Surface Pro 3.), meaning you don’t need to drag a charger around.  (You know the struggle of finding an outlet is real. Very real).

Computer mode at the 1188 Office

I’ve been making a lot more art lately, so I was super keen to check out The Surface Pen. It’s got a wide sensor and pressure range great for detailed drawings. One of the things I noticed before I even got started is that the pen and Surface device are magnetic, aka the chances of you losing the pen are lower than with the iPad Pro. (If you have one of these devices you know what I mean!)

Using the brushes in Fresh Paint is hyper-realistic, I was painting with oil and the way the paint moves, blends and smudges is incredibly close to the real thing. I’m familiar with Autodesk Sketchbook so was glad to see it was available for Surface Pro. I use that to sign my name for the blog and the pen is very detailed, exactly like what you have it set to ex. paint brush, chalk, pencil, ballpoint pen etc.

If there was one thing I’d change, it would be to add another USB port as there is only one on the device. You can purchase a Surface Dock on microsoftstore.ca to transform your device into a desktop PC! There is a firewire cable, and you can pop in an SD or Micro SD card directly to the unit.

Overall, great device especially for students or freelancers that work on-the-go. Highly recommend for anyone with a mix of creativity and business in their life. For more info on the Surface Pro 4 or to make a purchase, visit microsoftstore.ca.

If you have any questions for me about using the device, leave a comment!

drawn on Surface Pro 4

This post is in partnership w/ the peeps at Microsoft. I really enjoy testing new gadgets and it is so incredibly cool that it's my job! Being compensated for something I love to do is a dream come true!

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS GUYS, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!

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Tech Watching Amazon Video

If you wanted to be a filmmaker, you’d be one.

I started watching a show on Amazon Video last night called I love D*ck starring  Kevin Bacon (as Dick) and Kathryn Hahn (Transparent, Bad Moms). She looks like an old friend of mine and it’s shot really well. It’s smart and beautiful. Creative. Sexy. Title is a quote from the show.

Love this shirt from Romwe (find it here!)

A few of the songs are written and performed by Lhasa de Sela and I knew right away was her voice. I love her music, my two favourite songs are La Frontera and J’arrive a La Ville. She won a Juno in Canada in 1997. I feel like maybe I should stop this show and watch it with Sean but I’ve already got GLOW, Master of None, and OITNB on hold. FYI searching the hashtag might bring you up some interesting results. 

“A married couple’s relationship is put to the test when both the husband and wife fall for the same male professor.” imdb

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LIFE YOLO

You’re young. You can do whatever you want. 

casiestewart, casie stewart, you're young, you can do whatever you want

Found this in an alley near my house the other day. I would be kinda annoyed if this was my wall but I also like the message.

This is a little reminder that you can do anything you want. Just go, get up off the couch and DO IT. Want to start a blog? Make one. Be an enrtepreneur? Do something every day to bring you closer to your goal. There is nothing standing in your way other than your own self-doubt, fear, or anxiety. Not having time or money is not an excuse. Face whatever is holding you back, head on, and make a change.

There’s no point wasting your time and energy doing something you don’t want to do. Life is short and every day you should do something that makes you happy.

I originally drew this back in 2009. It was around the time I quit a job I didn’t want to do anymore. I wasn’t allowed to do use social media at work since it wasn’t part of my job (they blocked Twitter & Facebook!). I’d removed time stamps from my blog as to hide when things were posted. I quit that job to do social at Much/MTV and have never looked back.

Since then, if I find myself in a situaion where I don’t want to do whatever it is, I quit. I find a way to get out of it or change it into something I do actually want to do.

Make the most of each day. You’ll never be younger than you are right now. ?

 

quit everything i don't like casie stewart, borderline artistic

 

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LIFE SUMMER

Throwing Shade: New Celine Sunnies

smartbuyglasses, sunnies, casiestewart, celine

I didn’t even know today was ‘International Sunglasses Day’ when I planned this post! It’s always crazy when those random days seem to line up with something you’re doing.

A couple weeks ago I received an email from SmartBuyGlasses with an offer to pick out a pair of new sunnies for summer. It’s times like this I reallllly love my blog! I’d been eying a pair of Céline glasses for a while but couldn’t justify paying full price. Well, SmartBuyGlasses is the place to go! They’ve got heaps of designer sunnies at discount prices. I really like their huge selection of Carrera and RayBan (next on my wishlist!).

FYI this jacket I’ve been wearing almost every day is now on sale!

I’m wearing the Céline ‘Tilda’ from SS15 which retails for about $500 CAD and on the SBG website they’re under $400. They’re made of acetate but have an expensive feel, as in they’re kinda heavy. I have a pretty big huge collection of sunnies ranging in price and save fancy ones like this for special occasions. They’re a little big on my head but I’m gonna try some Nerd Wax to keep them in place.

My sister throwing shade in a commercial we shot recently.

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For the record, I really wanted these glasses so when I got them email to pick out a pair I was so stoked! THANK YOU SmartBuyGlasses! 

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