Oat Crepes

I could honestly eat crepes every single day of my life and NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER get sick of them. I can't emphasize "never" enough.

This crepe recipe is super healthy, super easy and super low in those pesky little things we refer to as "calories'. This recipe consists of approximately 350 calories in total and it makes 3-6 crepes depending on how big you make them.

As a side note, I make my own oat flour by blending oats in my Blendtec for a few seconds.

Oats are so healthy! Eat them!




Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Oat Flour
1/2 Cup of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Ripe Banana
2 Tbs of egg whites

Directions: 

Blend ingredients together, melt a tiny bit of Coconut Oil in the pan you are using over a medium heat setting and gently swirl the the crepe mixture until it is thin and even. Once you see the crepe bubble in the centre and around the edges (this should only take about 30 seconds) you can flip and heat on the opposite side. Add more Coconut Oil to your pan and repeat the above steps until all of the mixture has been used.

Plate your beautiful crepies and top with fresh fruit, compote, peanut butter, maple syrup or anything else clean and healthy!

Enjoy!!

xTx

Blendtec vs. Vitamix

The morning of my birthday on July 6th my fiancé gave me the best gift ever! A Vitamix!

I had been waiting to purchase a Vitamix for what seemed like forever but I was always hesitant because of the amount of money that I would have to drop to purchase one - It was a serious investment. I was so shocked, excited and full of happiness when he gave it to me that I actually cried! It was such a sweet gift and so thoughtful of him to buy it for me on my special day. Not only was I the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing guy in my life but I was now the luckiest girl in the world with a Vitamix!

In a super short time my Vitamix and I became BFF's as we concocted all sorts of different smoothies and recipes. I was in health heaven!

On July 22nd, only 16 days after my birthday I was blending ingredients for a batch of Date Squares that I was making and my Vitamix broke! There I was minding my own business as happy as can be and smoke started coming out of my machine!

The next day I called Bed Bath and Beyond where it was purchased, advised them that we had misplaced the receipt and told them what had happened. They had no concerns at all and told me to stop by with the blender. Fortunately I still had the box which made matters much easier given that I couldn't find the receipt (which I ended up finding when I came back home!).

When I went into BB&B I found out that they were no longer carrying Vitamix blenders but I had two choices - They could either order me one or I could go to another store to pick one up if they still had one on the shelf. Apparently the Vitamix that my fiancé had purchased was the last one that they had in stock at this particular store.

Prior to finding this information out I was in the blender aisle looking for a Vitamix when a sales rep came over to help me out. In conversation she mentioned the above information and that BB&B were no longer carrying the Vitamix and they would only be selling Blendtec's. She went on to share that Blendtec's had many more options and blenders to choose from so I of course became intrigued. While I was in the store I googled a few reviews (I'm a review junky) and asked the girl who was helping me what her opinion was. She was all for Blendtec, as were a few other employees that stopped by to talk to me so I gave it a go! I'm all for change and trying new things at the drop of a hat but I called my love to make sure that he was okay  with my decision seeing as he had purchased the blender for me. Because I had my heart set on a Vitamix for over a year before he purchased one for me, he was a little bit hard to convince when I told him that the Blendtec would be the way to go, but he of course gave me the freedom to make the choice to switch.

And besides, this was the perfect opportunity to try both machines seeing as the Manager of BB&B advised me that if I wasn't satisfied with the Blendtec I could take it back (with the receipt) and they would track a Vitamix down for me. They have such an amazing customer service team and return policy.

I made the switch and am I ever glad that I did!! Blentech opened up a whole new world of wonderful for me!! Don't get me wrong, the Vitamix is and amazing machine but the world of Blendtec is true heaven. I've had quite a few people ask which I prefer better so below I have listed some of the pro's and con's that I have opinionated from using both machines.

The Top 6 Pro's of the Vitamix Professional Series 750:

1. It blends smoothies into the smoothest, silkiest and creamiest drinks you could ever imagine.
2. It comes with a tamper for all of those hard to blend foods (like frozen banana's which I blend a lot of).
3. The plastic lid is easily removed by turning to the left or the right.
4. It runs fairly quiet and has an extremely strong motor.
5. The blender comes with a DVD a book and a beautiful binder packed full of recipes.
6. The jug is quite a bit stronger than the Blendtech jug.

The Top 9 Pro's of the Blendtec Designer 725

1. The Blendtec Designer 725 has a 3.4 peak horsepower motor.
2. The base includes a brightly illuminated touch interface that allows you to blend manually or specifically by the press of one button. For example, if you want to make a smoothie you press the smoothie button, it blends and stops automatically when done.
3. There are only two blades inside of the machine which allows for super easy cleaning and they are dull so you will not cut yourself while cleaning your blender.
4. The WideSide jar makes tampering very easy with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. Blending so quickly allows a greater amount of nutrients to stay in the food that you are working with.
6. I find that the blending in the Blendtec is much faster than the Vitamix and my smoothies always come out much smoother than the Vitamix smoothies did.
7. The Blendtec comes with an 8 year warranty.
8. The Blendtec Designer is approximately $80 cheaper than the Vitamix Pro.
9. The jug can sit on top of the base neatly underneath my kitchen cabinets.

The Top 6 Con's of the Vitamix Professional Series 750:

1. All of the blending is done manually which can be frustrating if you are unsure of how to blend properly. Over blending can heat the food that you are blending which in turn removes a great deal of nutrients from it.
2. There blades inside of the jar are very sharp so you have to be extremely careful if washing by hand.
3. The jar is very narrow which can be a pain when blending certain foods causing them to get stuck under the blades.
4. The Vitamix comes with a 7 year warranty.
5. I have raised kitchen cabinets in my home and the Vitamix would not fit underneath my cabinets while the jar was stacked on top of the base. I like to leave my blender on my counter for convenience but I had to place the jug on the counter beside the base in order to make it fit.
6. The Vitamix Pro comes with a 2.2-peak Horsepower motor.


The Top 4 Con's of the Blendtec Designer 725:

1. This blender is quite a bit louder than the Vitamix.
2. It doesn't come with a tamper so be sure to purchase soft spatulas or wooden spoons.
3. The gripper lid can be frustrating as it takes a bit of effort to push it on and the clear plastic vented lid that can be removed has four flimsy, square arms on it that I am always concerned I am going to break.
4. Unfortunately the Blendtec doesn't come with a binder full of recipes and information.

While the Vitamix is a great machine, you can see that the Blendtec has definitely won my heart. I use it at least two times every single day and I can't imagine being without it.

I wish you lots of luck if you decide to venture into the world of blending and I am sure that which ever blender you choose will be the correct blender for you!

You can check out my Food. Just Food. page for some healthy blender eats and enjoy the


recipes of which I have created.

Much Love,

xTx

Raw Super Patties

I love snacks that are sweet and healthy because I know that when I eat them I don't have to feel guilty about what I'm consuming. To fill my sweet need today I whipped up a batch of no bake Raw Super Patties that turned out really good! Not only are they good like this but I imagine that they would be amazing as a base or crust for a raw dessert as well.

Ingredients

1.5 cups of Raw Almonds
1.5 cups of pitted Dates (I prefer Parnoosh Dates over Medjool)
1/4 cup of Goji Berries
1/4 cup of Pumpkin seeds
2 tbs of Flax Seeds
2 tbs Bee Pollen
1 tbs of Acai Powder

Directions

In a high speed blender or food processor, blend the Raw Almonds and Goji Berries until crumbly. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until the consistency is even and you are able to pack it together between your thumb and forefinger.

Form into Patties and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Put in the fridge to set for a couple of hours and serve cold.

Delish!

xTx

Super Healthy Date Squares

When I was younger Date Squares were definitely not at the top of my Favourite Eats list. Actually, they weren't on any list. I despised them!

A couple of weeks ago I was craving some squares that tasted like the ones my Mom used to make so I got creative. The recipe below is the end result of something I could easily become addicted to! I ate these bad boys for breakfast too given that they were so healthy!

Dates are extremely easy for our bodies to digest and are full of Vitamins A and K which help protect your eyes and are great for your skin! How can you possibly say no to a dessert that is so good for you?!

Ingredients

Date Crust:
1 1/2 cups of raw Almonds
1 1/2 cups of whole Oats
1/4 cup of Flax Seeds
1/4 cup of Coconut Oil
1 tsp of Sea Salt
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
15 dates with the pits removed

Date Filling:
36 Dates with the pits removed
3/4 cup of Water

Directions

Process the Almonds, Oats, Flax Seeds and Salt into a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture reaches a crumbly form. Once desired consistency has been reached, add the dates and continue to pulse until the dates have been incorporated into the mix. Remove from processor and place into bowl.
Melt the Coconut oil in a microwave or small pot and add the oil and Vanilla Extract to the blend of nuts and dates. Mix well and put a portion of it aside so that you can sprinkle it over top of your finished product. Push the majority of the mixture evenly into a square (I prefer using glass) pan.
Moving onto the filling, blend the Dates and Water together until very smooth. Place the date mixture on top of the crust and spread out.
Top with the remaining crust mixture, cover and put into fridge to set for about 1 1/2 hours.
Once the Squares have been set in the fridge, cut and serve!

Clearly there is nothing bad in this recipe so don't be afraid to consume. I'm sure it covers all of our food groups :)

xTx

Banana Boat Crepes

I loooooove crepies and have a new addiction to Buckwheat so I put two and two together to create this banging four ingredient crepe recipe.

The Buckwheat Flour was made with whole groats by blending them in my Blendtec and the same was done with whole Oats to make my Oat Flour. I love the nutty earthiness of the two flavours combined.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Buckwheat Flour
1/2 cup of Oat Flour
1 cup of Almond Milk
1 ripe Banana
A tiny bit of oil for cooking - I prefer to use Coconut Oil

I like my crepes and pancakes dense but if you like you're thinner, add more Almond Milk.

Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Heat frying pan and place a tiny bit of oil into the pan, melt and swirl it around. Once the oil is heated pour about 1/8 of the crepe mixture into the pan and tilt it until it is thin and even throughout. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on medium heat, lift edges with a butter knife or flat egg flipper and turn over. Cook on opposite side for about a minute, remove from pan and place onto plate. Repeat with the remaining mixture until it has all been used up.

This entire recipe makes 6-8 medium sized crepes and consists of approximately 400 calories. Share the recipe with one of your favourite peeps and you're eating only 200 calories for breakfast!! Yes, please!!

I served the crepes in the picture with a Peanut-Cacao sauce that I mixed up but this morning I served them with 100% Canadian Maple Syrup and fresh Raspberries.

One of my all time favourite Maple Syrup's is produced in Quebec, Canada by Pinowood. It's amazing :)

Enjoy!

xTx

Banana Oat Pancakes

I love pancakes for breakfast but I especially love them when they are healthy. This quick pancake recipe will fill your tummy with the goodness that your body needs in the morning to pump you full of energy.

Ingredients

1 Banana
1/2 cup of Oat Flour
1/2 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk
A tiny bit of Coconut Oil for frying

Blend All ingredients in your blender, heat your frying pan, melt a bit of Coconut Oil in the pan and cook the pancakes as you normally would.

Depending on the mood that I am in, I either top them with banana's and peanut butter or I add blueberries or strawberries to them while they are cooking.

Oat Flour can be hard to find but if you make your own at home you won't have to worry about that. Just blend up some oats until they turn to flour and store it in an air tight container.

In the winter when I was growing up my Mom always made oats for me in the morning before school and still to this day I eat them all the time. Sometimes I even eat them for dinner with raisins and cinnamon!

Oats are very nutritious, keep your tummy full for a long time, they are full of vitamins and minerals such as Protein, Fibre, B1 and Magnesium, they are low in calories and cholesterol and are also healthy for your skin!

Eat your Oats!!

xTx

Vegan Cacao Cupcakes

It is very rare that I eat chocolate but sometimes I crave it something fierce. Tonight was one of those nights.

After spending almost two hours at the gym today the last thing I wanted to do was get silly and eat a chocolate bar, nor was I about to venture out in the storm that we are currently having to buy one. So what does a chick do who is battling a craving but wants to keep it healthy? She gets creative.

Every chocolate cupcake recipe that I found had eggs, milk, oil, butter and all kinds of other ingredients that I wasn't wanting to bake with so I gathered a few measurements and went to town building this extra chocolately cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup of Almond Milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
1 cup of Flour (I used regular white flour but you could probably use coconut flour, wheat flour etc)
3/4 cup of Brown Sugar (I'm sure that Coconut Sugar would be great too)
1/2 cup of Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/3 cup of Raw Organic Cacao Powder
1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of Baking Powder
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cupcake tins.
2. Pour the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar into a bowl and set it aside while you mix the dry ingredients together.
3. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
4. Add all of the wet ingredients including the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar and stir or mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to ensure that they are fully cooked.
6. Let cool and eat!

This recipe made 12 cupcakes.

I'm sure that they would be amazing with frosting on top but they are only about 100 calories without the frosting!! Yayyy Cacao Cupcakes!!

xTx

Chai Chia Pudding

My Marmie introduced me to Chia Seeds a couple years ago when she started creating smoothies for herself. Around the same time that my Marms shared this superfood with me one of the Personal Trainers at my gym also mentioned how amazing they were so I decided to do a bit more research on them and began to eat them.

Top 6 reasons why I think you should consider eating Chia Seeds:

1. Two tablespoons (1 ounce) of Chia seeds amount up to about 70 calories and approximately 35% of your daily fibre which help your body digest food which in turn results in less hunger spurts. Given that you won't feel excessively hungry after eating Chia and also due to the fact that they absorb a ton of water, they are known to assist with weight loss.

2. Fibre as mentioned in Reason #1. Fibre is good for your overall health but narrowing it down, it helps to keep your digestive tract in order, pushes weight loss and can help prevent heart disease. 

3. One serving of Chia Seeds has approximately 20% of the daily intake of Calcium which we all know is great for our teeth and bones.

4. Chia Seeds are packed full of Protein.

5. What is a fatty acid that our bodies cannot produce but is considered to be essential for our health and brain development? You guessed it - Omega-3. And what has almost 5 grams of Omega-3 in every two tablespoons? That's right, Chia Seeds are an excellent source of Omega-3 - Especially if you aren't a fish eater. 

6. Aztec Warriors considered Chia to be magical and used them as their main source of energy and to increase stamina by producing flour with them, extracting oil from them and drank them down with liquids. It is said that the Ancient Aztec's also used them for medicinal purposes. 

I'm not going to lie though, not many things gross me out but one time I put some Chia in my water and attempted to drink it. Half way through I had to throw it away because I was so disturbed by the sliminess. Don't let that discourage you though because there are so many other ways to incorporate them into your diet. My favourite way to eat them is in Chia Pudding which is much like tapioca pudding much on a much smaller scale. If you like the taste of Chai Latte's I think you should give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

1 cup of freshly brewed Chai Tea
1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup of Chia Seeds
1 tbs of Vanilla Extract (organic if possible)

Stir well, place into a sealed container and leave over night in your fridge. In the morning you can add additional spices of Cinnamon and Nutmeg if you wish and either eat it cold or warmed up but I prefer my pudding cold.

This entire recipe contains approximately 370 calories however this amount is about 3 servings worth, resulting in each serving equalling to approximately 123 calories. 

Enjoy!!

xTx

Cherry Bomb Smoothie

Cherries. We all love them but do you know how amazing they really are? Do you have any idea what you
are doing for your body when you eat them? Hold onto your seats, my friends because these little balls of juiciness are so good for you!

Five good reasons why you should consider eating more cherries:

1. Cherries are full of antioxidants but also contain a high amount of Ellagic Acid, Queritrin and Perillyl Alcohol which are known as three of the most potent anticancer fighting agents. When my Dad was diagnosed with cancer over 10 years ago he drank a lot of cherry juice to help with the prostate cancer that he had. He battled his way through cancer and has been in remission ever since.

2. They help relieve the pain of arthritis and gout. Gout is another thing that my Dad has suffered from so I know how painful it can be but cherries can assist with that.

3. Given the anti infammatories in cherries, they can assist with curing migraines and can increase the melatonin levels in the blood which will help you have a healthy sleep.

4. Cherries are an excellent pre-workout food and are known to lessen the pain after intense workouts and activities.

5. Although I love all of the antioxidants I have to admit that I also love that they are rich in two flavanoids (bear with me here, this gets good) - One of which I mentioned above, Queritrin and the other is Isoqueritrin. These two antioxidants work to rid the body of oxidative stress byproducts which is amazing. I'm not a Doctor and I've probably lost you so let me break it down in layman's terms - This oxidative stress nonsense does something to our bodies that quickens the aging process BUT cherries are balls of miraculous super power wonder that SLOW THE AGING PROCESS DOWN!! OMG YES!! YES!! YES!!

Ingredients

18 fresh Cherries
1 cup of fresh or frozen Pineapple
1 cup of grapes
1 Apple (peel on)
8 frozen Peach slices
1 cup of Coconut Water

Blend until smooth and drink!!

xTx

Orange Sunrise Smoothie

If you haven't tried a green smoothie yet, I highly suggest that you do. These babies are like the fountain of youth!

This green smoothie that I created is healthy, sweet and packed full of Vitamin C, anti inflammatories and antioxidants that are so good for your body. The sweet and orangey flavour of this smoothie will waken all of your senses and make you feel so healthy and happy after drinking it.

Ingredients

1 cup of Coconut Water (I prefer Vita Coco)
1/2 cup of Spinach
1/2 cup of Kale
1/2 cup of Grapes
1 peeled Orange
5 fresh Strawberries
6 frozen Peach slices

Blend until smooth and drinky, drinky! You can thank me later :)

xTx

King of Fruit Smoothie

Pineapples are often referred to as the King of Fruit because of their crown and are exceptionally good for you.

These pretty fruits are packed full of Vitamin C which assists with the integrity of organs, blood vessels and bones and they also have many antioxidants in them that help us fight off and rid the pesky colds that we get in the winter. My favourite part about pineapples would be the fact that they also contain a great deal of Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene which not only assist with your eye sight and immune system but are also amazing for your skin; and you know me, I love beautiful skin!

So you can enjoy this tropical smoothie while your skin and body thanks you!

Ingredients:

2 cups of Frozen Pineapple
2 cups of Fresh Pineapple
2 cups of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

Blend until smooth, garnish with shaved coconut, a slice of fresh pineapple and let this smoothie take you away to the tropics!

xTx

Pre-Workout Protein Smoothie

Banana's are the perfect pre and post workout food!

They contain all of the digestible carbohydrates that our bodies require for energy and the potassium that your muscles require while you exercise. It is best to eat banana's after intense workout's to prevent your muscles from cramping. I learned this from my lovey :)

I eat banana's all day but I love drinking this smoothie before I workout first thing in the morning. It wakes me up and gives me the boost that I need for my cardio training.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Frozen Banana
1 tsp of Cinnamon

Blend ingredients until smooth, top with additional cinnamon and drink up!!

Argan Magic - 100% Pure Argan Oil

Happy Saturday!! I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend so far!!

As many of you may know, I am a firm believer in limiting the use of cleansers on my face and try to wash with only water. I do exfoliate my face with Pür Minerals Pür Polish (which you can read more about here) 1 to 2 times a week but other than that I only wash my face with H2O. I completely understand that all of our skin varies and many people have to use special cleansers, washes, creams and so on but I won't discuss cleaning routines given that I don't really have one. What I do want to discuss is Argan Oil; which many people have heard me refer to as "Liquid Gold".

Argan Oil is by far my favourite beauty not-so-secret. It's not a secret because I share my love for it with everyone that I possibly can!

Over the past five years I have tried quite a few brands of different Argan Oil's. Zinn's Beauty Collection has always been and will always be at the very top of my list but I have found another that is in extremely close running - Argan Magic 100% Pure Argan Oil.

This oil is exactly as promoted - Easily absorbed with no residue or greasy feeling. Of course it is an oil so you can expect to see an oily finish at first but it quickly lessens as the oil soaks into your skin. If you apply it as I do, in the evening right before bed you will wake up in the morning with glowing skin.

I have found that dark circles under my eyes disappear, redness diminishes and small spots that I had on my face are no longer. Argan Oil refreshes my skin and keeps it looking young and healthy.

In the winter my daughter suffers from terrible eczema around her thumbs and on the palms of her hands which can become very red and painful for her if we don't care for them properly. Although we don't use medications, we have tried many different lotions and creams, none of which have worked for us. This past winter in Canada was the worst winter I have ever experienced in my life. Not only were the temperatures so low they were breaking records all over the place, the weather was so bad it was causing our skin to do terrible things. We weren't having any luck keeping my daughters hands under control and one night the eczema was causing her so much pain that she was in tears.

It was in pure desperation that I smothered her hands in Argan Oil and covered them in fluffy socks over night. Argan Oil is very rich in Vitamin E and Omega 6 Fatty Acids which work wonders for skin. To our surprise, when she woke in the morning her skin was no longer burning, the redness was gone and the eczema was clearing up. We continued with this routine on a nightly basis until her hands will fully cured which only took one week! As a preventative we continued to oil her hands before bed and put the socks (which she prefers over gloves because they are so soft) on over top to really seal the moisture in.

Argan Oil truly is amazing and although I only use it on my face and my babykins only uses it on her hands, I highly suggest that you try it out on any skin condition that you may have. You have nothing to lose!

xTx

It is important to note that it is suggested that those with nut allergies not use Argan Oil. Should you wish to try it, please speak to your Physician or Allergist prior to using.

My Birth Week!

I have had the most amazing birth week and today I woke up one year younger, wiser, happier, more beautiful and more content.

The first four days of my birthday week were spent with nine amazing people! Vlad, Pat, Heather, Andrew, Paula, Travis, Janek, Fred, and T.J., I love you all! We attended Escapade Music Festival and shared a ton of love and laughs. Although my favourite DJ had issues and wasn't able to make it to Ottawa I was lucky enough to see so many amazing DJ's and experience hours of brilliant music! Alvin Risk and Kaskade were amazing. I actually cried during Kaskade's remix of Lana Del Rey's song Young & Beautiful which you should listen to here! Oh! And I saw Borgeous on the street, told him that I loved him and he gave me the biggest smile ever! I wish that I stopped him to ask for a picture!

Vlad's Mom (who I call Momsie) is a super lucky girl and won tickets to Absolute Comedy on Friday night. The comedians that we saw were hysterical and had us laughing so hard from start to finish!! If you ever have the opportunity, do not pass up the chance to see Doug Funk and Sam Demaris!! They are two of the funniest people I have ever seen and Vlad was actually called onto stage with Doug during his routine to do a little performance which was completely improvised and hysterical.

On Saturday July 5th Vlad and I celebrated our anniversary. Although we have been engaged for a long time we didn't rush purchasing our official engagement ring. When we were first engaged, Momsie gave me a super pretty set of her rings which I wear (and will continue to wear) all of the time and Vlad also gave me a beautiful band of diamonds for my birthday last year. Although I have these rings, yesterday he gave me our actual engagement ring which is absolutely gorgeous. I am so in love with him!!

Today I celebrated my official birthday with six very special people. We had a birthday BBQ dinner and cake that was by far the best cake I have ever had in my life; courtesy of fidélice Artisan Gourmet in Hull, Quebec. This Trinity cake was layered with ganache, milk chocolate ganache and white chocolate mousse and is said to be three Gods and three sins in one bite which is no lie! Yummy, yummy, yum!

Tomorrow begins a new food era in our home which we are excited about! Vlad gave me a Vitamix for my birthday and I can't wait to use it! I've been researching so much today! :)



In closing, I want to say thank you to every single person who took the time to wish me a happy birthday and share my special day with me. I love you all so much and I have had the most amazing birthday imaginable! I wish each and every one of you happiness, goodness, love and blessings right back, not only today but every day!

Life is perfect!

Tawns <3

Keep Calm and Get Caked

As always I have been wayyyyy too busy to blog. I always laugh because I have good intentions of sitting down to write but never have enough time and when I do have short spurts of time I just want to veg out with my fam-jam. Today is a lazy Sunday. It's all about soccer and vegging - Except I thought I would incorporate a bit of writing into this veg sesh.

On Easter weekend my fiancé and I took a one nighter road trip to Toronto to celebrate his besties birthday by going to see Armin Only - Intense. 

To start with, I have to throw a shout out to the hotel that we stayed at - InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel. What an amazing stay we had! I didn't get a picture of the room we stayed in but it was absolutely amazing, a King Junior Suite (Room 2002 - The 20th floor). The entire room was spotless, the bathroom was huge with tons of counter space to wreck while I got ready to go out, the shower was perfect and the living room that was decked out in natural wood furniture with tones of purple throughout was spacious enough to get our pre-dance on. Even though the fridge was stocked with literally every beverage imaginable from water to pop to liquors and beer it was a little pricey. One can of ginger that I purchased amounted to $5.50 so I don't even want to begin to consider how much the alcohol charge was. The bed was super comfortable and made out in the best duvet and pillows I have ever experienced - They were so white and so fluffy and warm, it was like a little piece of cloudy heaven. It really couldn't get any better but the InterContinental is directly connected with the Metro Toronto Convention Centre so walking to and from the Armin event was easy peasy. The staff, service and room price were all top notch, so much so that I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone; especially if you have an event to attend at the MTCC. Absolute perfection!

The doors for Armin Intense opened at 8pm and the show started at 9pm. The production was very well put together with live instrumentals, singers, acrobats and phenomenal lighting. The music was absolutely out of this world and I have to admit that this was one of the best shows I have ever been to. Music generally takes me over and although I'm not a huge Trance fan (even though I have listened to Armin for years) Armin's show made the feeling inside of the building so intense that I cried, I laughed, I sang and I didn't stop dancing - for 5 hours straight I might add.

I wasn't aware of this until the show but Armin's brother plays a mean guitar. I don't want to ruin anything for those of you who may be attending Intense but at one point during the beginning his brother destroyed the guitar so well that I couldn't contain my tears. It was beautiful.

Like my fiancé always says, there really is nothing better than the feeling of thousands of people focused so deeply on one person, one stage, one song. It's a unity like no other and Armin did a bang up job owning this. What a legend he is, I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!

The photo below is compliments of my fiancé. I try not to take my phone to shows because I don't want to lose it so my fiancé is always my photographer. Just look at that skill ;)

On top of Armin's show I have to add that the venue was perfection. The workers at the MTCC kept the floors and bathrooms so clean (there were people on the floor and in the bathrooms cleaning at all times), the bars were set up well, the staff was over the top friendly and the entire production very well organized. Maybe I'm a drag for saying this but organization at events this large means a lot to me. It means that I don't have to kick garbage out of the way to dance, I'm not slipping on spilled drinks, I don't have to wait excessive amounts of time to get drinks and I'm not having to use a disgusting washroom because quite frankly, no girl wants to have to use a dirty loo. Great work, MTCC!

This Saturday we attended a DNA show at the Ernst and Young Centre in Ottawa where Steve Aoki, Rebecca & Fiona, AutoErotique, Nause and Stefano Lasne were on stage. 

Sadly I missed AutoErotique, Nause and Stefano Lasne because I forgot my ID (I'm ridiculously forgetful and usually count on my fiancé to ensure that I have everything in check) so I had to go back to my house to get it. By the time I made it back to the EY Centre, through the line-up outside, through the ID check, through the coat check and then through the pat down Rebecca & Fiona were on stage and killing it I might add! Female DJ's make me proud especially when they are as good as these two. I actually had to bring my phone back with me from home so that I could find my fiancé when I arrived (and I didn't even lose it!!) so I was able to take some of my own pictures - Yayyy!!

Steve Aoki headlined and did an amazing job. My fiancé had seen him before at the Veldt but it was my first time seeing him live and witnessing his cake throwing. I didn't want to get hit with a cake but the guy in the picture (to the right) with the Keep Calm and Get Caked shirt did hahaha. I think that Aoki threw six cakes into the audience. He had his infamous raft with him too but it didn't stay afloat on top of the crowd for very long. There were two girls on top of it riding the waves but within a few seconds some guy climbed on top and destroyed the rave rafting as quick as he got up...and they all went crashing down :( The lights were amazing and the sound was perfect! I went crazy when he played Boneless and Tommy Trash's remix of Ladi Dadi with Wynter Gordon. Ladi Dadi has held a very special place in my heart since my fiancé introduced it to me in 2012. I would post the video that my lovey took of Ladi Dadi but you can hear me screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs and I totally destroyed the song - Sorry to all of the people around me that had to witness that :)



All in all these two shows were amazing and we had a great time at both. We even took my fiancés parents to the Steve Aoki show and they loved it too! His Dad was thoroughly impressed with AutoErotique's sound and his Mom of course loved everyone. It was amazing having them there with us - We had so much fun! I love that they were so open to go, especially when so many people have such negative opinions about EDM shows. I know that more people are going to start realizing that EDM is about the beauty of the music and the artists creating the music, it's about the feeling of unity that I discussed above and the positive energy that an entire venue of people can create when they focus. My fiancé swears up and down that we as people would be able to do amazing things if we always focused as positively and passionately as we do at music shows.






I'm excited for summer and all of the upcoming shows that are in the making. One of which I will be seeing my favourite DJ of all time - Chuckie! Eeeeeeeeee! I get crazy excited when I think about it.

I would like everyone that reads this to fall in love with EDM as much as me. I will start you out with a few songs that my amazing fiancé has dedicated to me with love - Enjoy <3

John Legend - All of Me (Tiesto Remix)

Avicii - Penguin (Club Mix)

Steve Aoki feat. Wynter Gordon (Tommy Trash Remix)

Tawns xoxo

Photos © Copyright, JustTawny, 2014

Hashtag EDM

Like most people I spend a lot of time listening to music.

I listen while I'm driving to work, I listen while I'm at work, I listen as I drive home, I listen at home.

Essentially, music is always around me.

Most of my evenings from 8pm-10pm are spent at the gym, where of course I have music blaring into my ears from my workout playlist.

The music playing over the sound system at the gym is always the latest mainstream hits where Beyoncé is battling it out with Rihanna and Lady Gaga is going toe-to-toe with Justin Bieber. Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Kanye West and then Bon Jovi. Don't get me wrong, all of these artists are great and I can rock out to their songs with the best of them but I'm not a mainstream type of girl and I can't stand listening to this music while I'm working out because it's so mundane.

I need music that hits hard, has a mass amount of bass, motivates me, keeps my spirits up and makes me smile while I'm sweating my tush off. There is nothing better than going full out on an elliptical feeling like you want to jump off and dance because the music you are listening to is so good!

Recently I have had a few people ask me what my favourite workout music is, so here you have it - All 58 songs on my current workout playlist, in no particular order :)

1. Internet Friends - Knife Party
2. Antidote - Swedish House Mafia & Knife Party
3. Apollo - Hardwell & Amba Shepherd
4. Bangarang - Skrillex & Sirah
5. Better Run (Afrojack Remix) - Tocadisco & Nadia Ali
6. Cry - Bingo Players
7. Rattle - Bingo Players
8. Breaking Up - Chuckie & Amanda Wilson
9. Can't Control Myself - Krewella
10. Can't Stop Me (Tiesto Remix) - Afrojack & Shermanology
11. Cascade - Tommy Trash
12. Tik Tok - Chuckie & R3hab - Bob Sinclar feat. Sean Paul
13. Breaking Up Quasar - Mike Ramirez Mashup
14. City of Dreams - Dirty South & Alesso
15. Concrete Angel - Gareth Emery & Christina Novelli
16. Datsun Tropicalia - Torro Torro & 2 Edit
17. Dear New York - Firebeatz & Schella
18. Deviance - Excision & Datsik
19. Devil's Work - Miike Snow
20. Easy - Mat Zo & Porter Robinson
21. Electro Dude - Chuckie & Glowinthedark
22. Eyes - Kaskade & Mindy Gledhill
23. Fall Into the Sky - Zedd & Lucky Date feat. Ellie Goulding
24. Feed the Dada - Dada Life
25. Follow You - Deniz Koyu &Wynter Gordon
26. Generation 303 - Nicky Romero
27. Greyhound - Swedish House Mafia
28. Hands High - Afrojack Remix
29. Hell Yeah! - Tiesto & Showtek
30. Holdin' On (Skrillex & Nero Remix) - Monsta
31. I Could Be the One - Nicy Romero & Avicii
32. Iron - Calvin Harris & Nicky Romero
33. Hook - Joachim Garraud
34. Kill The Noise vs. Tristam and Zealot - It's Rocket Science Mix
35. L'Amour - Bingo Players
36. Tomorrow (Luis Canela Bookleg) Laidback Luke vs. Dimitri Vegas
37. Like Home - Nicky Romero & Nervo
38. Nuke - Wolfgang Gartner
39. Oh What a Night (Lil Jon feat. Claude Kelly) - Chuckie Remix
40. Oh My (Dirty Dancer) - Alvin Risk Remix
41. Pair of Dice - Tiesto & Allure
42. Breakn' a Sweat (The Doors & Skrillex) - Zedd Remix
43. Toulouse - Nicky Romero
44. Who is Ready to Jump - Chuckie
45. Ladi Dadi (Steve Aoki feat. Wynter Gordon) - Tommy Trash Remix
46. Rock n Roll (Porcelain Black & Lil Wayne) - R3hab Remix
47. Mek Money - Chuckie, MRK1 & Doctor
48. Let the Detroit Bounce - Chuckie
49. So Far So Good - M.F. Mike
50. We Run the Night - Jeremy Gygi Bootleg
51. WTF!? - Nicky Romero & ZROQ
52. Sleaze - Knife Party
53. Years - Alesso
54. Slam the Door - Zedd

55. Mush Mush - Bassjackers
56. King  of My Castle (Wamdue Project) - Chuckie Mutfakta Edit

And last but not least, my two favourite mashup's mixed by my very own in house DJ <3

57. Sweet Sweaty Saga ( Avicii, Cazzette, Zedd, Skrillex & Gareth Emery) - VictorVee Mashup
58. So Far So Hooked on Ladi Dadi (Mikey Enriquez, Joachim Garraud, Steve Aoki & Tommy Trash) -VictorVee Mashup

So there you have it, my favourite DJ's and songs that keep me moving!!

And now I'm off to the gym...

Tawns xoxo

"I want you to see what you should have seen all along. What others see. More importantly what those who love and know you best see. The girl. The woman. Her beauty and her singularity" ~ One Black Dress

I wear many titles.

I am a daughter, I am a granddaughter, I am a niece, I am a cousin, I am a sister and I am an aunt. 

Although I love my family, unfortunately there are times that I'm not the best title bearer. I admit that I'm not exactly the best daughter and granddaughter - I should call and visit more. I'm not the best niece and cousin - I should text and chat more. I could use some work on being a good sister and aunt - I should be with my siblings and my nieces more. Sometimes life gets so busy that you put some of your titles on the back burner and let them simmer; we all do this.

One title that I bear was a title that I chose - My largest title of all. 

With this title, there is only room for improvement. Although I am well aware that no one is perfect, I do not feel that this title allows for failure. With this title I must be sympathetic, empathetic, trusting and honest. I must provide guidance as a leader, never being a follower. I must teach and listen. I must be understanding, open and engaged. I must be unselfish and giving. I must be comforting, forgiving, patient, kind and loving. 

I am a mother.

I became a mother on March 14th, 2004, I was still a baby myself - Young, afraid and uncertain. It took everything I had some days to stay strong and smile but I did it. I did it because I wanted to teach my daughter the beauty of life. I wanted her to grow up well-rounded enough to understand that even though I may not ever be the perfect mom, I will always be sympathetic, empathetic, trusting and honest. I wanted her to know that I will always guide her, I will never let her stray. I will forever teach her what I feel is right from wrong and she will know that if she doesn't agree I will listen to what she wants to bring to the table. She will know that I will understand her, I will be open to her feelings and thoughts and I will always be engaged in what she has to say. She will understand the importance of living an unselfish life because I will teach her to give and share her gifts. She will know that I will comfort and forgive her, I will be patient, always kind and I will love her unconditionally. 

From a tiny seed she will be cultivated into a strong and beautiful woman. This is my promise to her.

As we all know, so many girls and women these days lack self-esteem. I see posts all over the Internet and media about how we feel as though we are not good enough. We are too skinny, we bear too much weight. Our hair isn't long enough, it's the wrong colour. Our nails are too long and not manicured just so. The clothing we wear isn't as fashionable or expensive as it should be. We shouldn't wear so much make-up and our skin has too many flaws. Sometimes our bottoms are too big, sometimes too small. Our breasts aren't the best, we should have them reduced or enlarged. The bridge on our noses are too long, our eye lashes not long enough, our fingers aren't elegant and our toes look misaligned. We are too short and sometimes too tall. We have acne and scars and too much hair on our legs. All of the negative things that imprint fallacies into our daughters minds. It is my duty as a mother to ensure that my daughter doesn't just grow up hearing that she is beautiful but that she believes and knows that she is. 

Fortunately life never takes a break and is steadily teaching and preparing me for lessons that I must share with my daughter. One of the most beautiful lessons of all was gifted to Angelina and I.

Through a mutual friend I had heard of Leanna Dawn and the One Black Dress campaign that she had launched. Intrigued by her photography work I dug a little deeper to fully understand what her campaign was all about. I found that it was a campaign for women of all creeds, ethnicity's and ages - Strong, gorgeous, powerful women. A campaign to show the world that no matter who we are, no matter what we do, we are women; standing united in a world that is only as negative as we make it - Wearing the same, One Black Dress.

I had contacted Dawn regarding a photo session but funny enough, I planned to put it off because I wanted to lose some more weight before I did it. How contradictory is that, right?

Out of no where one afternoon my fiancé told Angelina and I that we had to get ready to go shopping. He didn't tell us where we were going and neither of us bothered asking - It didn't seem like anything abnormal. 

We drove about 15 minutes away from our house, all the while I was under the impression that he was taking us to a new shopping centre in our area. We pulled up a little side street, we stopped and he put the car into park asking us to get out. At this point I had no idea what we were doing. He appeared excited as he and Angelina got out of their side of the car and then came around to meet me at my side. I reluctantly started asking him where we were. "Whose house is this? What are we doing? What is going on?" I kept saying. Between all of my questions, giving nothing back but a smile he ushered us up the walkway to the front door and rang the bell.  

At the door stood one of the sweetest and warmest women I have had the opportunity to lay my eyes on. 

"Tawny" she said, "It's so nice to meet you, I'm Dawn". 

Still I had no idea what what going on, who this precious woman was, what I was doing, why my fiancé was so excited, Angelina was even puzzled. 

"You know who I am" Dawn said. "You know who she is" my fiancé sounded in. 

"No, I'm sorry, I don't know you" I chimed in. "What is this about?" I continued as we went inside and closed the door behind us. 

"You are here because your fiancé wanted you to do a One Black Dress session. He loves you so much!"

 

Dawn continued to share with me that my fiancé had contacted her privately to set up a photo shoot. He told her a bit about me, shared how much he loved me and set up our surprise date. 

We went into Dawn's prep area to  have my make-up and hair done. My hair was curled and she added a bit of foundation to my face, some lip gloss and some mascara. Nothing more because she had strict instructions from my fiancé to make sure that I was as au naturel as possible. He wanted to show me the beauty that he sees when he looks at me and he wanted Angelina and I to both understand how gorgeous we are. Awww, I know - He's so sweet! 

Once my hair and make-up was done I was taken to meet the infamous Black Dress. There she was on a display stand in one of Dawn's dressing rooms. A simple black dress, nothing fancy, as plain as plain can be. 

As I got dressed I stood in the mirror thinking that I needed my eye liner. No one ever sees me without my eye liner! I hardly had any make-up on! I hadn't lost the weight that I wanted to lose! Is this dress going to fit properly? I don't want to do this! It was unbelievable, I was almost panicking!

As the dress fit every other woman that had put it on, it fit me like a glove too. It was magical!

I opened the door of the dressing room and there stood my fiancé. He had the biggest smile on his face and told me how beautiful I was. He calmed me and I knew I was ready.

Our session was approximately an hour long, maybe a bit longer. It too was simple. The only lighting we used was natural sun light. No special tricks, no special props. It was me, Dawn, her camera and One Black Dress.  

When I was done, Angelina came into the shoot. My fiancé had gone out and purchased a black dress for her so that she was able to share a part in the campaign of beauty. Although Angelina was slightly nervous at first she owned the camera and loved every minute of it. 

Through my fiancé's vision, my daughter and I were taught that we didn't have to be afraid to show the world our flaws that day. We all  have them and we are all beautiful. This is our world and in our world we not only have the choice but the right to feel empowered, self-confident and beautiful in our skin. 

We have the right to flip our sexy hair whether it be long or short and click our perfectly trimmed nails on tables. We have the right to flash our crooked smiles and bat our short eyelashes. We have the right to embrace the beauty of our bodies and dress however we like even if we purchase our clothing at a second hand store. We have the right to cross our long legs and curl our imperfect toes. We have the right to be proud of our skin and each scar that we bear. 

We have the right to be perfectly flawed.

As my daughter nears her 10th birthday in only five days I look back reminiscing on each lesson I have taught her as well as those she has taught me. This lesson by far was one of the most important she and I have learned together and for that I sit here with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face thanking my fiancé, Dawn and her beautiful black dress.

XO Tawny

If you are in the Ottawa area, please reach out and book a One Black Dress session for yourself. There is nothing more empowering than expressing yourself, opening up and capturing your beauty in stills.

Men too are entitled to feel gorgeous and in changing the world one person at a time, One Black Tie will be launched Spring, 2014 for all of the wonderful men in our lives. Leanna Dawn is currently looking for men to take part and will be taking submissions until mid March for the inaugural shoot that will be done in April. You can message Dawn on Facebook here, ladies!

Photos © Copyright, Leanna Dawn Photography, 2013

It's Nice to be Back!

I have wanted to get back into my blog for so long! So many exciting things have happened in my life over the past while, I really should have stayed consistent with my blog. Everyone knows how much I love reviews and I have lacked on sharing so many things lately.

Over the past few months I have been very lucky to have travelled down through the U.S. to Florida and across Canada to Alberta. Travelling to all of these places and experiencing so many things makes me one lucky girl!

I have stayed at some amazing hotels, experienced some of the best music shows and I have eaten at some of the greatest restaurants. I have also had the opportunity to do some really fun things like stand up in a wedding, model for the One Black Dress campaign and I was super lucky to have received an invitation to dine in a private dining room for a Christmas gathering on Parliament Hill. While I was there I signed Nelson Mandela's memorial book that Canada sent to South Africa. I was crazy and went white water rafting and also had the opportunity to take a trip on a gondola up to one of the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains! On top of all of the above I have found some really great new make-up and beauty products too :)

See! All very exciting things that I could have shared with you!

Maybe I will pick up from here and entertain myself by blogging while I wait the rest of this rotten winter out. I have said it before and I will say it again - I am 100% Canadian. You will NEVER hear me complain about our Canadian weather but this winter is taking a toll on me. The cold never breaks and the snow never stops. So for the first time in my life I have complained that I want the winter to end. This year I kick the winter nonsense.

While we wait for all of this gross snow to melt I thought I would share a few pictures of some of the fun times I have had lately. 

BabyGirl and I modeling for the One Black Dress campaign - http://www.1blackdress.com. I didn't realize this until tonight but you will find Angelina and I on the "Why One Black Dress" page. Very cool!



Photo cred's to the ever so lovely Leanna Dawn at www.leannadawn.com

Here I am hanging out at the very top of the Rocky Mountains :)

The view I had from the top of the mountain. Breathtaking. 

I drank a Chai Latte at the highest Starbucks in Canada.

Getting silly with the ice sculptures at Lake Louise in Banff, Alberta.


The stunning Ice Castle in the middle of the lake. For this one moment in time it was just Lake Louise and I.


Watching Duck Dynasty (my favourite show) on my flight to Calgary, Alberta. 

Me and my bear hat from Calgary - We are too cute!


Nelson Mandela's memorial at Parliament Hill the night that I dined there.


The lights outside of Parliament are always beautiful during the Christmas season!


The inside is beautiful as well!


Here I am sticking my tongue in my beautiful cousin's ear during her wedding photo sesh.


Lunching with BabyGirl at Antipasto Restaurant in Mont Tremblant when the weather was warmer!!!!


BabyGirl and I at Universal Studios in Florida.


Cry-laughing at Dane Cook's Just For Laugh's show in Montreal.


An AMAZING show at New City Gas in Montreal.


Ohhh! We also got a puppy! This is our little toy poodle, Ninja :)


Fun pics, right?! I know! Some of those were taken towards the end of 2013 but so far 2014 has been amazing! Hopefully life doesn't get so busy that I can't keep up to my blog again. It's nice to be back :)

XO Tawns

Photos © Copyright, Tawny Gelinas, 2014
One Black Dress Photo Credits and © Copyright Leanna Dawn Photography, 2013