Raw Bites

A recent bout of flu that lingered for more than 2 weeks and affected our entire family convinced me just how much I need to change some things in my life. For one, I absolutely need to incorporate some kind of physical exercise into my daily routine and secondly, I have to start following a more healthful diet - something that I have read a lot about in the past few months and which for me, means eating as many raw meals as possible.

• Photo via TreeHugger •

Being home with the flu, I had the chance to try a few raw recipes, and every time I was amazed at how easy and quick they are to prepare. So, on my journey to a more healthful diet I thought that it would be a lot of fun to share some of the foods I try my hand at, in a new blog series called "Raw Bites". Stay tuned for lots of raw goodness ahead!


❤ On this day last year, I revealed my love for pastels and picked a few eco-fashion favourites: Pale in Comparison

Guilty Pleasures: Happy Shower

I have started this blog as a way to document my passion for living green as well as my journey to getting there, and so far I have chosen to focus only on my successes. I believe that with any challenge, as long as I keep going and strive to get better all the time, then I'm okay. However, I've realized over time that it wouldn't be fair - or realistic - to pretend that this journey has been a string of successes. There are plenty of obstacles and temptations along the way, and I've decided to share once in a while the things that get me to make some exceptions - my guilty pleasures.

First up is the Nivea Happy Time Shower Cream. It's been a while since I have switched the majority of my skincare to all-natural products, but truthfully, I have yet to try a natural body wash for the shower. There are just so many tempting scents out there, and this is one of my most recent favourites; I think it has such a summery scent, and it's clearly impossible for me to deny myself anything summery!

Let me know, what are your guilty pleasures?

Sartorial Motivation

It's no secret that I'm wishing winter away, even though it's been the shortest and mildest one we've had in many years. I can't even contain my excitement when I think of spring and I'm looking forward to everything that it's about to bring with it: pastel colours, green grass and flower buds, along with longer and sunnier days! Clearly it's quite hard to think about winter still, and almost impossible to get motivated to put together nice, cold weather outfits, so I need all the inspiration that I can get. Many weeks ago, I stumbled upon this new (to me) sustainable fashion brand, Studio JUX, and their Fall/Winter 2011/2012 collection photos are just what I needed to see. Now that spring is getting close, I'm ready to let go of the thick knits but keep the colour palette of sandy neutrals and colourful accents, with fewer dark colours.

Mint is everywhere these days, and I think this picture shows that men can take on the trend just as effortlessly as women do.

• All photos via Studio JUX •

The Light Of Day

This week-end was wonderful. There was nothing special about it, in fact it was filled with mundane things and activites: study sessions for an upcoming exam, time in front of the computer and TV, and basically all sorts of things around the house. But it wasn't the way we spent the days that made them wonderful - though they were wonderfully quiet and relaxing days - it was the days themselves. From the moment we woke up until the sun set, we were blessed with wonderfully clear, bright skies. I found myself countless times gazing out the window at this beautiful sight.

The sun shined constantly and the snow kept melting, letting little bits of the ground we haven't seen in months show through. It was the warm temperature, the bright blue skies, the happy rays of sunshine - the promise of spring and nature's return to life - that made these days wonderful.

I often complain about winter and dream about living in places where warmth and sunshine are a constant presence. But to be honest, I don't know if I could deprive myself of these first hints of spring and the hope they bring with them. Almost like a new year on the calendar, spring to me is a new beginning, another chance to start over. These days fill me with happiness. They fill my heart with light, warmth and hope.

Welcome spring! We're so glad to have you here again!

The Winterless Province

For spring break this year, I booked a trip to Vancouver with my brother. We were looking to relax from our busy school schedules and discover the beauty of this city that, until now, we had only read about but never visited. Having made practically no plans of what to see and where to go before arriving there - exams and school projects be blamed - we ended up making our schedule as we went along each day, and our experience proved to be quite enjoyable - save maybe for the infamous rainy weather that was quite intense almost our entire time there and a cold I caught a day before returning home (and that I'm still trying to shake off).

Be warned that a picture-heavy post is following, seeing as I had a hard time keeping my camera turned off at any time.

On our first full day in Vancouver, we decided to stay away from the rain and visited the Vancouver Aquarium. There were so many beautiful creatures there - and some curious ones too! - that it proved to be quite the overwhelming experience, and we spent almost the entire day taking it all in.

My favourites were definitely the jellyfish and the dolphins that we even saw in a fun little show!

After the Aquarium, we got our first glimpse of the stunning Stanley Park.

On another day, we decided that the best way to squeeze the most into it would be with a guided tour. In the almost 8 hours that we spent with our tour guide, we saw so many places and learned so many things about the city, that this day will be one that I will always look back on fondly. Because it would be too much to share everything we did that day, I will focus on the highlights.

We stopped at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, where there were so many things to do, all surrounded by the beauty of nature, that we could have easily spent the entire day there, not just the hour and a half that we had alloted for it.

After crossing the bridge - a nerve-wracking but unforgettable experience - we were awaited by the Treetops Adventure and the CliffWalk, among other things.

We also stopped at Lowden's Lookout and witnessed some breathtaking views.

On our way to the Granville Island Public Market (where we stuffed ourselves with food and tried macarons for the first time), we passed the beautiful English Bay beach, where the Vancouver Polar Bears take a dip in the water every January 1st.

The last stop of the day was the Vancouver Lookout where it was clear how seamlessly the city blends old(ish) and new, nature and manmade constructions.

Before heading to the airport on our last day there - which, ironically, after a trip filled with rain, was incredibly sunny - we took a drive through the University of British Columbia campus, and couldn't believe our eyes at the beauty that we saw. It definitely made our departure quite bittersweet.

To cap it all off, despite a few setbacks here and there, our Vancouver visit was wonderful. I realized that it is most definitely an outdoorsman's city, one that I think sets itself apart from most other big cities in the world with the way in which it fully embraces the natural world that surrounds it. There are so many things about this trip that I will remember dearly, but the many beautiful views of the mountains and the city in the distance surely take a special place in my heart. I can only hope that I will return many, many times in the future. We've seen many beautiful places, but so many more remain to be seen.

I also put together a short video of some highlights from the trip - sadly, the best that my camera and limited skills allow me right now - which includes a few of the panoramic views that impressed me so. Hope you enjoy it!

Have you ever been to Vancouver? What's your favourite place there?