#TBT Travel Post: Toronto

I am fully aware that the whole #tbt thing is for instagram, facebook, etc. But I'm bringing it to the blogging world because I am in love with this place and forgot to blog about it. While we were living in Pennsylvania, we decided to go to Toronto for our anniversary weekend (quite a while ago now...). It was such a great weekend! We went to a bunch of thrift shops and markets, fun foodie stalls, and a SHOE MUSEUM!Vintage lovers and hipsters--Toronto is the place for you!

  Are you my mummy? (nerdy Dr. Who reference for my fellow fans)

 The Bata Shoe Museum was awesome! Four floors of heaven. 

 

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Anniversary | Canada | Toronto | Travel

One Week of Green Smoothie Recipes

Brandi and I have been trying to be more healthy lately (Brandi's better half, Bobby, and our brother Connor are also along for the ride). We got a pass to the gym a few months back and have been fairly consistent at going. "Consistent" as in one to two times a week. We're working on it.

We've slowly realized that we not only have to exercise, but we also have to eat healthy if we're planning on seeing any results. This is the worst! I've always exercised so that I could eat anything that I wanted!!!! After a fair amount of time distressing, binge/guilt eating, yo-yoing, etc. we've found a fun, easy way to eat a little bit better on our baby-step path to healthier lives :)

What is that magical first step do you ask? Green smoothies!! We spent a long time scouring Pinterest for the best recipes and methods. But, as we all know, Pinterest can be overwhelming... We got bored, kept making excuses, and never got around to actually making the smoothies. That is, until we came across this genius idea that is perfect for lazy people (like us). Here's the million dollar idea: Green smoothie bags!! Here's what we did:

Our goal was to make a smoothie for each member of our family (6 people total) for one week or 56 smoothie bags. (I think. Math is not my thing.)

We purchased and prepped a bunch of fruit and veggies! We picked a few of our favorites, as well as some of those things that you know are healthy for you and that you should eat, even if you don't understand how anyone could have ever discovered that it should be eaten by humans (kale-we're talking to you). Our total cost was about $55. Sounds a little pricey, but if you think of how much a Jamba Juice costs, this isn't that bad. We figured this comes out to like 80 cents per smoothie. 

Next, we created an assembly line. Looks slightly dysfunctional, but there was a method to our madness. Do whatever works for you. This is a judgement free zone.

 Finally, we just started making up smoothies. We didn't follow a recipe. We just put fruits together that sounded like they went together (super technical, we know). We then added the gross, healthy stuff (cucumber, carrot, kale, spinach) into each of them, desperately hoping that the fruit would win in the flavor battle. 

Here are the recipes that we came up with:

Menu:

Day 1	Green grapes, pineapples, cucumber… surprises (random fruit left over at the end)
Day 2	Green grapes, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, apples, spinach
Day 3	Strawberries, banana, kiwi, spinach
Day 4	Cucumbers, carrots, pineapple, strawberries, spinach and kale
Day 5	Mango, apple, pineapple, cucumber, spinach and kale
Day 6	Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, carrots, spinach, kale
Day 7	Green grapes, pineapple, kiwi, cucumber, spinach, kale

Here is what we ended up with:

We labeled each bag, threw them in the freezer and started making them each day. It was as easy as adding water!! :)

Results: 

- A quart ziplock bag is big enough for two people. We had a lot of smoothie bags left over after a week because each bag made a lot of smoothie. We probably ended up making closer to 70 servings of smoothie.  Some days I would share my smoothie with both of my parents, and I still had a giant cup to drink. 

- All the smoothies weren't awful tasting, however Day 5 and Day 7 were legitimately delicious!! That combination of flavors totally masked any unpleasant flavor from the vegetables. They were also a pretty color, which is not something we can say for all of the other smoothies...

See look how pretty:

- Although we've been slacking on the gym, we all feel pretty great. One benefit of green smoothies is that they seem to curb hunger. I don't feel the need to eat as much as I used to. Another plus: I don't feel as bad when all I eat is cereal and peanut butter because I know that I'm getting my servings of fruits and vegetables.

So, in conclusion, I'm sure a dietitian would be horrified by our health habits, but this is something that we've found that works for us lazy, busy people. I hope it works for you too! So throw out the recipes and become a green smoothie prepper. 

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LDS Sister Missionary Tips: What to Wear

Hello future sister missionary!!
Before my mission, I stressed far too much about clothes/shoes/accessories etc!!! So I’ve written this to hopefully help save some other sisters a bit of trouble! I served in the France Lyon Mission, so these tips will be geared more towards Western European Missions :)

Clothes

I’ve always wondered how Elders deal with wearing the same thing every day. Maybe that is why they are always so obsessed with their ties...anyway here’s some tips on how to avoid feeling like a cartoon character with a closet full of the same one outfit while still having a practical wardrobe.

Thrift Store:

The majority of my mission clothes came from thrift stores. Most of the clothing held up for my entire mission, but I had to replace some of it. Make sure you find quality stuff. All your clothes will get beat up, so it’s not necessary to buy everything new.

Stuff not from Downeast or missionary mall:

It’s great to match with the other 40 sister missionaries in your mission, but sometimes you might feel like a clone. It’s fun to have some cool, vintage-y items that only you own.  So go ahead and buy that fun skirt that no one else will have! You can find these items in thrift stores if you are good at looking. Or you can find them online on websites like Etsy! Here’s a link to my sisters’ Etsy shop for inspiration!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/InfinityAmpersand

Asos:

If you are stressing to find skirts that are long enough, go look on Asos!!! My first transfer of my mission, I was introduced to these wonderful skirts and dresses. So naturally for Christmas, my mom sent me a bag full of lovely, modest, comfy skirts and dresses from Asos!! True, a lot of missionaries have these skirts, but they go with anything—including that fun, vintage stuff that you find at thrift stores or online! Perfect for those I’m-just-gonna-put-on-the-first-thing-I-see days. 

http://us.asos.com/Women-Skirts-Midi-Skirts/x2dtb/?cid=12906&WT.ac=CP|WW|skirts|head|midiskirts&CTAref=Cat_Header

Stay dry and warm

You see, when it’s raining and all the people go inside, missionaries stay outside.  You will spend a good part of the day outside, so don’t be cheap when it comes to rain and winter gear. Three essentials for me: Hunter Boots, Totes Umbrella and waterproof raincoat.

Umbrella:

Totes, medium size. Don’t get a cheap umbrella. You’ll end up replacing it over and over.

http://www.totes-isotoner.com/totes/product/totes-sport-manual-umbrella.do?sortby=ourPicks

Raincoat:

My brother-in-law shared with me a great way to test if your raincoat is truly “missionary waterproof.” Stick the sleeve of the coat under a running faucet for 10 minutes. If the water seeps through, return it!!  If not, it is satisfactory! I thought it was a bit over-the-top, but I put my raincoat to the test. It kept me dry for all 18 months. I had a ¾ length, hooded, black raincoat from Urban Sierra Designs. I loved it!

https://www.sierradesigns.com/womens-apparel/rainwear

Rain boots:

I had two pairs of Hunter boots on my mission. One was half-calf length that worked well with knee-length skirts and a pair of ankle boots for all skirt lengths.

http://us.hunterboots.com/product/original-short-wellington-boots

http://us.hunterboots.com/product/original-chelsea-boots-0

Put some warm socks in these rain boots and they double as waterproof winter boots!! I’ll never buy winter boots again! These are pricey, but worth it!

Remember Umbrella + Raincoat + Rain boots = happy missionary!

Happy Feet

I know that everyone wants to look all cute and still be comfortable... Well its only sort of possible. Here’s my two cents on shoes.

Sunday/Conferences:

1 nice pair of flats for Sundays and Conferences. Yes, just one. Let’s be honest, there are H&Ms and such, and if you are like me, you’ll want to buy things when you are there. Who goes to some place like France and doesn’t buy anything? Save some money and space in your suitcase to buy things when you get there.

Walking/Everyday:

2 pairs of comfortable shoes (you could get away with one). Yes, the ugly kind. There are various levels of ugly. You don’t have to go really, really ugly.  But you also don’t want to walk around all day in a little pair of flats. I loved my shoes from Earth Origins!

http://www.earthorigins.com/

Boots:

See ‘’stay dray and warm’’

I hope some of these tips were useful!! I hope you all have wonderful missions!! Don’t worry too much about the clothes and such! Bring what you think you should, and make due with it!! It’s kinda like how we show up to our missions and we hand over to the Lord all the knowledge, talents, experience, etc. that we have, and He makes it work. Actually He does miracles with the little that we give Him. So, if any of this has stressed you out, forget it and HAVE A GREAT MISSION!! 

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Fashion | LDS | modest