My Month As A Vegan!

Hello Beauties!! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and having lots of fun in the sun!!

It’s been a long while, but I always enjoy writing health and diet related posts, so this one was a no brainer!

ENTER: My Month As A Vegan!

Now as a quick disclaimer: I’d been an ovo-lacto vegetarian since 11th grade (meaning I eat eggs and dairy but no meat), Shannon since she was in her first year of university; fast track to 2013- that’s 6 years! It’s not for everyone, I totally understand that and believe you me, I did and still do heavy research about being vegetarian ALL the time. I have books on books and I’ve read countless articles. I am kind of a fact junkie on this specific topic. I’m not a dietician and  I don’t recommend it for everyone, it’s not a trend it’s a lifestyle. 🙂 Do your own research and make your own choices.

How it started:

Well it all started with one of the best/worst sources for vegetarian information ever… PETA. I do not like the PETA website, I think they’re overly pushy about what they stand for, in my opinion. I’m still a strong believer and share a lot of the same values against animal cruelty, however, it’s just too in your face for me. None the less, it’s how it all started. I don’t really want to go into details as it could be really boring for those of you who are reading this post, but just know that it was a strong enough influence to change my mind about eating meat.

What I did:

Remembering back, I think I was in 9th grade or so when I first was shown the PETA website. I immediately wanted to be vegetarian right away, but being that I was so young and still living in my parent’s house it just wasn’t an option at the time (or so my mom says). It wasn’t until Shannon was in her first year of university that my mom said it would be okay (I was in 11th grade). I did TONS of research and cooked a lot of my own proteins (My mom made the side dishes like veggies and carbs). It was crucial at that point in time to make sure that I was providing my body with all of the necessary nutrients it needed. I still to this day do lots of reading and research.

CUE: My Month As A Vegan!!!

Now I’ve always been very sensitive to dairy products. I wouldn’t say that I’m entirely classified as “lactose intolerant” but my body definitely doesn’t process it very well. I can still handle it, I just suffer through the bloating and gassy mess afterwards; therefore I always just bought soy or almond milk instead when I started living on my own! Cheese is definitely a danger zone for me, I get ADDICTED! So I just simply never brought it into the house unless it was for a special occasion. In regards to eggs: I’m not a huge egg eater and lately my ‘want’ for eggs has been even lower to the point where I stopped buying them entirely. That’s when I thought that I would start a one month, self tested body experiment where I cut out dairy and eggs entirely to see if I feel any different!

The Transition To Vegan-ism:

I started by asking my already vegan friend if I could borrow a couple of her books. My main inspiration came from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone; something I’d always wanted to read, but never got around to. It’s a great read for any of you who are doing research, or like to read up on health related subjects! It was very informative, has a lot of tasty recipes and even has different levels of transitioning into not eating meat, dairy, or eggs! Super user friendly.

I have to say all in all, the transition was very easy! I didn’t find cooking for myself challenging at all! You just simply don’t use dairy or eggs when cooking. And for those times that you do, you simply substitute for a dairy, egg free option! Like Earth Balance is a vegan friendly butter, almond and soy milks are easily used in place of milk! They even have vegan cheese and meat alternatives now! The world is becoming more and more vegetarian and vegan friendly! More than I think we know!

How I’m Feeling Now?

I feel AMAHAAZING! Lighter, healthier, and just overall better. Mind you I’m sure I’m feeling lighter because I’m not consistently bombarding my body dairy products which it hates causing me to bloat and feel super uncomfortable. I feel like I have more energy and that I enjoy eating and cooking more. It’s simpler too and fun to try combinations I never thought of.

One thing that The Kind Diet puts emphasis on for those of you who are looking to go vegan is the idea of incorporating whole grains into your diet. I’m not talking copious amounts of whole wheat bread and pasta, I’m talking the pure, unrefined whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oats and so much more! Beans also take the spotlight. Now, don’t fret! You can have beans and not be gassy by soaking them first! My advice is to buy dried beans, soak them on your own for an entire day (changing the water a couple times) and then boiling them until they’re tender. By soaking them, you let out all of the gassy properties. Fun fact hey?! As a rule of thumb, make sure you’re getting 1/4 plate whole grains, 1/4 plate protein and 1/2 plate veggies/fruits! By doing that you don’t have to worry about missing out on protein levels; one of the major concerns for those who are considering vegetarianism or veganism. To be honest, a lot of people right now get MORE protein than their body can handle processing at one time. There’s actually a lot of protein in food that you never thought, like vegetables, legumes, and leafy greens!! If you’re super concerned, try adding protein powder to your diet.

Where To Now?

It’s been almost a month since I started eating vegan and I honestly don’t see myself stopping any time soon. Therefore, I think it would be great to start a blog series of yummy, easy to make recipes! Within the last month I started making my own hummus (I’ll never buy store bought again), I’ve perfected the most amazing avocado Alfredo, and have a delicious corn and edamame bean salad under my belt!! Make sure to keep an eye out for that 🙂

Thanks for reading everyone!

See you soon

xoxo

Caitlin

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LIFE! The Caitlin & Shannon Edition – Rendition by Caitlin

Hey Guys!!

Gosh, where has the time gone? It’s been so crazy for Shannon and I the last year that we’ve barely had time to post! Lots of changes for the both of us, and seeing as I’m avoiding work I thought that I would write a post and let ya’ll know who we’re doing!

Below is a picture of Shannon and some of her school friends; look at her go! Shannon is currently across the country going to school for her MASTERS in Occupational Therapy. She’s doing such great things and finds it super rewarding to be able to learn at Canada’s Number 1 University! On the non-school related side, Shann’s stepped it up HUGE. She’s going to run her first 10km marathon, she’s doing hot yoga, and has signed up for something called Dragon Boating! (…?who knows). Even though I miss her, the masters program is only two years long and I’m sure we’ll be re-united soon.

So yes, I’ve started at a new school, yet again! Below is me in a picture with my Enactus team! (If you don’t know what Enactus is and want to hear more I can do a separate post). So I’ve started school yet again in a two year condensed program which means that I am doing about 7 courses at a time. It’s been super busy, and my involvement in extracurricular activities has been taking up a lot of time, but that’s okay because I like to be busy 🙂 Life in Vancouver is great! It rains a lot, but I feel like I’m used to it by now. I’ve met a lot of amazing people and had a blast doing as much as I possibly can! (me working as a Mentor to a small business owner for an Enactus project)

(Can you spot me in the group picture above?)

You knew it was coming; because we always want to know what Yuki’s doing!!!!:

God she’s cute.

Anywho, hope you guys are doing well and that maybe we can start getting posts up for you at least once a week!

Cheers!

Caitlin

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New Years Resolutions and a quick update!!

Hey everyone!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We hope that everyone had a safe and very happy new year celebration, as well as a joyful Christmas/Holiday break. I know for SURE that Shannon and I did.

We just got home this past weekend from our trip, it was long, enjoyable and tiring. A post to come soon — I think both of us are slightly dreading the writing of that post 😛  SOOO much info, so little time I tell yah! I thought it would be fun to do some pictures for you guys so you can see where we went, as well as an accompanying post about the trip and everything that we did. I also thought that it would be fun to talk about the cruise itself, as we have now been on two and can kind of compare.

BTW: our trip in a nutshell went something like this: Vancouver, Seattle, Chicago, Miami, The Grande Cayman Islands, Jamaica (for a brief couple of hours, more on that in our vacation blog), Labadee- Haiti, Miami, Florida – Islands of Adventure and Disney World, Phoenix, Seattle, home. Places like Chicago, Miami, Vancouver and Seattle were connecting points to our final destination of the cruise (which left from Miami), Florida or home.

Needless to say, I think that Shannon and I both suffered from jet lag as we were living three hours ahead for almost two weeks. Jet lag + no sleep = tired, cranky family. I think that I just finished catching up on my sleep to be honest. Alright, enough, if you want to hear all about our trip then a post is on its way soon! For those of you who can’t wait, here are a couple photos:

The most beautiful water.

Shannon and I with the cruise directors during Disco night. Looking very sweaty after just dancing 😛

Yup... that's me....it went something like this "oh you want a photo" then SSWOOSH next thing I know I'm in the air and there is someone trying to eat my foot.

Our waitress Foxy Roxy.

 

Our assistant waiter Ilia

On to what the real post is about: 2012 Resolutions!! Hopefully I am able to get all these accomplished throughout the year, that is if we make it that far. Do any of you readers out there believe in the world ending in December? Let us know in the comments below! Here are 5 of mine (I think 5 is reasonable, don’t you?):

1. Read at least 3 books a month. — I have found this website, goodreads.com and it’s amazing! You can add books to your “to read” list, your “read” list, and your “currently reading” list, read online reviews, browse books etc etc! I could spend all day on that site searching for books that I want to read this year. Definitely check it out. I recently read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, and FELL IN LOVE! (Mostly because it’s a movie coming out and Zac Efron is the main character… mmmmm he is soooo good looking <3) I like reading books that are movies or soon to be because it gives me an image of someone to link the characters to and that’s my favourite way of reading! Its a good read, I read it in one day… (my eyes were cross eyed afterwards cause I didn’t give them a break – not encouraged. Please take reading breaks) it was my kind of book, and Zac Efron is my kind of man. If you have any books that you could recommend for me that would be amazing!! 3 books a month, for 12 months is gonna be CRAZY, so if you want to see a book review, or have a favourite please let me know. Some books I’ve loved in the past: Something Borrowed, The Lucky One (mentioned above), The Lauren Conrad series (….yess…. it’s true, I couldn’t put them down), and Ellen Degeneres’ new book, just to give you an idea of the kinds of books that grab my attention.

2. Take more action. — Do you ever think, well I should have done that… or I wish I could be more outgoing and forward ?? I openly admit that I wish that I was more outgoing and spoke my mind a little bit more. Well this is the year folks! I’m going to take more action and go for things that I want. I’m not talking being obnoxious and rude to get to the places in life that I want to be, but things like correcting the waitress who brought me the wrong food (don’t you hate having to complain?), taking chances to get to the places I want to be, even if they are perhaps a bit unconventional (ie: school in Vancouver in September), or taking action to make sure that I am not in positions to which I do not want to be (Ie: learn to say yes and no at the appropriate times). I don’t want to be sitting around this year thinking wishing that I had taken more action.

3. Save, save, save. — I have a car that is dying, a Vegas trip in April in the works, and a nasty habit for spending my pay cheques. AND on top of that, I desperately want to be in lower mainland for school in September, which will also require me to have saved some money as it’s kind of expensive living wise down there. This year, I control my spending habits and SAVE!

4. Workout — Okay, I know this one is something that everyone puts as a new years resolution, but I only include it because I want to CONTINUE to workout and be in great shape. Shannon and I worked very hard last year in preparation for our Caribbean Christmas and I don’t want all that work to go down the drain. I will make it a point to maintain my workouts this year, because I am so proud of how far I have come. This includes maintaining a clean diet as well. The only thing that I dread about this new years resolution is the fact that it’s the same for everyone. Meaning that for the new two weeks (:P okay, I should have more faith in people, three) the gym is going to be crazy packed. I MUST find a happy medium time when there aren’t many people there…. MUST!!

5. Blog and make videos more!! — Sometimes I’m not too sure how people do it, but this year I promise to make the time to blog and record videos consistently. More beauty videos, cooking blogs, and you will definitely be seeing book reviews of each and every book that I read.

Well, that sums up 5 of my new years resolutions, I am sure that I have more, but honestly these ones are the most important, and I feel that they are all attainable. No use in making resolutions I know I will be unable to keep.

I also just wanted to give a quick shout out of those of you who read and follow our blog! The internet is such a big environment that Shannon and I are so thankful that you take the time to read what we have to say. Any suggestions or requests would be greatly appreciated. Also, please feel free to comment and let us know what you think! We always get soooo excited to see comments, cause it means that people are actually reading what we are saying, which never fails to make us sooo excited 🙂 🙂 🙂 Again, thank you so much!!!!!

Let us know in the comments below what your new years resolutions are! 🙂 ps: Sorry for the long-ish post.

xoxo

Caitlin

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Where have we been?!

Hello Everyone!

I feel like every post that Shannon and I have been doing lately, (or mine at least) we have been apologizing for being so MIA. Its been a lot busier than I think either of us expected with work and school going on right now. Between studying, work, winter coming when I didn’t want it to, taking my cat to the vet, and eating clean.. again.. it’s been crazy up in here!! I do want to do an update post, the entire house as we speak is doing another 28 days of eating clean! So we thought that we would do a couple updates as well as some sample “what we eat” posts. If you guys are interested in seeing that then let us know! I will for sure do an update post soon! As soon as this week is over!!!

I did manage to find the time to film an October Favourites video. It has been posted for a couple days now but I didn’t have the time to write a post to accompany it until now! Here we go!

Thank you for watching and reading! Miss you all! 🙂

xoxox
Caitlin

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Skincare? ….HELP!

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to talk about something that has been bothering me lately, mostly in the last week or so. I watched a couple skincare routines on YouTube, and it got me thinking….. I want a new skincare routine! The reality is that I have never really had one, and I have become obsessed with finding the perfect products for my skin online. Up until recently, I actually have no idea what I have been using, because it has always been so random! Just samples of things I get in my Luxebox, stuff my sisters have, or anything that simply cleans my face I suppose.

My point is, that I really would love a steady skincare routine. I am DYING to try a Clarisonic Mia, however I can’t buy them where we live and I don’t think I’m heading to a major city any time soon…I hear they work wonders and I want one so bad! I may eventually break down and find a website that I can order one online from. I tried to see if I could from the Sephora website, and apparently that particular item doesn’t ship to Canada…. bugger.

I have very oily skin, oily everywhere! I even use a mattifying moisturizer just to help keep the oil at bay. I also am prone to acne breakouts, and on my best day I still have breakouts or spots here or there. I have a very ugly past with acne, and was even on medication for most of my mid to late teens to keep it under wraps!! At the same time, as frustrating as it might be, I also have somewhat sensitive skin (probably due to the medications I was on when I was younger), and during the winter I do find that my skin can get a little bit flaky, as most of ours do due to the weather changing in the winter months. I don’t use any heavy moisturizers because I fear that they will break me out futher! ….. HELP!!

I thought it would be cool to share my skin type with you all, and see what you use! See you if you have any good ideas, or products that you would suggest I try!!

Let me know in the comments below what you are using! I am dying for a new routine and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

XOXO
Caitlin

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Vancouver Trip!

Hi Everyone!

So a couple weeks ago, my friend: Vanessa, older sister: Nicole and I traveled down to Vancouver for the long weekend. Vanessa and I were going down to see my BFF Chelsey!!!! (Who recently moved down to the big city for school) The trip, was… interesting. We had some car troubles, twice actually, but in the end we made it there safe and sound! We were perhaps a little shaken by everything though!

As usual, when I go to Vancouver I always end up spending waaay to much money. I filmed a haul for you all! It took me three tries, the first two were “too long” by YouTubes standards, .38 seconds too long! Darn, so I filmed it again, this time I tried to be fast in order to cut the time down.

I will post some pictures after the video!! 🙂

As some of you may or may not know, I lived in Vancouver for about 10 months in 2010. Seems like a life time ago! I decided to take Chelsey and Vanessa to a couple of my favourite spots that my boyfriend showed me when we lived in Vancouver.

I also just realized that it would be a good idea to do some swatches of the makeup products that I bought for you all! I have to run off to class, but will do it when I am home from work later!

Thanks for reading 🙂
xoxo
Caitlin

***** I did not take these pictures, my dearest friend Chelsey took these! *****

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Autumn Photoshoot!

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, I ventured out into the crisp Autumn weather to take “couple” photos with Matt. My friend Arielle took the photos for us, and we managed to get some good ones! I did some photo editing, to make them look “cute”.

Here we go!! :

Thats all! This week is going to be super busy for both Shannon and I, I have filmed my September Favourites, and have a beauty review coming up soon so stayed tuned for that 🙂

xoxo
Caitlin

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Davids Tea Stash! (Part 2)

Hello Everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday! I sure did.. .kinda haha

Anyway, check out the video below to see part of mine and Shannons Davids Tea stash!
This is only a bit of it, we still have a lot of tins in cupboard but I thought that it would be kinda nice to show you what we have, and some of my personal favourites!

Thanks for watching 🙂 Tomorrow I should have a hair tutorial up for you all!

xoxo
Caitlin

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Davids Tea Part 1!

Hello Everyone,

This past weekend Shannon and I made a trip to our local mall and headed straight for the Davids Tea shop! Probably hands down one of my favourite stores in the entire mall!

If you are unfamiliar of what Davids Tea is, it is a loose leaf tea shop where they offer a whole bunch of teas! All loose leaf, so you can buy as much, or as little as you want! The sales associates are always so pleasant, you can literally stand there for half an hour smelling any tea that you want. The best part? Each season they come out with new limited edition teas, they are always adding new teas to their lineup. Autumn is my favourite time of year, and especially at Davids Tea. Thats when they start to come out with the warm, tasty teas! Now don’t let the name of the store fool you, they sell other things too… Like the most amazing travel mugs (I have three myself), tea sweeteners, tea pots, tea steepers, anything that you can think of that has to do with tea, they have it!

I filmed a video for you all on what we purchased! I am accompanying this post with another, part 2, which is where I show you some of the tea stash that Shannon and I have going on in our cupboards! Keep an eye out for that 🙂

xoxox
Caitlin

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My 21st Birthday!

Hi Everyone,

September 2nd was my birthday, and I turned 21! I don’t feel any different, haha age to me is just a number.

I thought that I would share with you some pictures and a small haul of birthday gifts 🙂 My family and I mostly like to spend birthdays together, rather than shower each other with gifts, so most of the time its just a few small surprises.

Here we go!:

At the restaurant!

I’ve recorded a video for you all, so that you can see the amazing gifts that my friends and family gave me this year 🙂 I am very thankful to have such amazing people in my life 🙂

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIi4KL4LG_o%5D

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