Sorry for being MIA

HI FOLLOWERS, 

We apologize for being absent for a while. We are currently under construction, and on our way to revamping our blog for you! We will keep you posted. Happy Friday friends :)

J & C

Melodies & Sound... [ Part 4]

Here are more of some of  C's favourite tunes!

The Royal Concept- On Our Way

Vance Joy- Riptide (FlicFlac Edit)

The Family- Smile

The Lighthouse and the Whaler- Venice

The Matches- Wake the Sun

The California Wives- Purple

The Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition

Kanye West, Rihanna & Paul McCartney - 4 5 Seconds

Phoenix- 1901

Peter Bjorn & John- Young Folks

The Paper Kites- Paint

Two Door Cinema Club- The World Is Watching

City and Color- The Golden State

American Authors- Believer

Nada Surf- Always Love

Sweet Thing- Change of Seasons

Bronze Radio Return- Shake, Shake, Shake

Awolnation- Kill Your Heroes

Shiny Toy Guns- Season of Love

DVVBBS & Borgeous- Tsunami

Farmer's Market Finds

The small town I have called my home for the past 4 years is home to a year round farmer's market. Every Saturday morning downtown Guelph can be found crawling with university students and families walking about with fresh local farmed goods and the taste of cold pressed juices on their tongue. Not to mention some fresh salsa from the local mexican restaurant Salsateria. Here are a few of my finds.

New York in December

There's nothing I love more than New York City,however, I've never been there during the holiday season. Right after finals my family and I headed down to the states to visit J, and my sister and I couldn't resist taking a trip into NYC for a night. Here are a few pictures of the city through my eyes.

Rockafeller Center

at restaurant Elan

Washington Square Park

H&M on 5th Avenue

Chelsea Market

Kale It What You Want

I'm sure you've all heard of kale, it's one of those new trendy vegetables. Some people are unsure of its benefits, and don't find big leafy greens very tasty. Kale is so nutritious and you can have it in many different ways without having that bitter taste. Before we get into recipes let's talk about its benefits:

Antioxidant Properties
Kale has high concentrations of Vitamin A,K and C, all of which are excellent antioxidants and have a variety of uses.
          Vitamin A- growth and development, maintenance of the immune system, and good vision
          Vitamin K- reduce risk of cancer, modifies proteins required for blood coagulation, and in the bone and other tissue
          Vitamin C- essential nutrient in all humans, required for many metabolic processes in the human body

Other Benefits
-Kale is rich in many minerals such as copper, potassium, manganese, phosphorus and iron.
-Lowers blood cholesterol levels which reduces risks of heart disease
       
 Don't forget though, too much of something isn't good for you either! People taking anticoagulants (blood thinners) like Warfarin should avoid eating kale because of the high levels of Vitamin K. It also contains naturally occurring substances that can cause an interference in calcium absorption, so avoid eating high amounts of dairy at the same time as Kale.

Despite the potential and rare toxicities of Kale, overall it is an extremely healthy vegetable that everyone should try and include in their diet! My favourite way to eat Kale is as Kale chips. It's very simple and takes about 15-20 mins. Here's my sister's recipe that I use!

recipe for one bundle of kale
Step 1: Chop up Kale (you can even use the ends)
Step 2: Coat kale in olive oil
Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
Step 4: Add salt and pepper
Step 5 (optional): add cayenne pepper, crushed chillie flakes or any other seasoning's you wish to add
Step 6: Bake in oven for 15-20 mins at 350 F

Voila!

They may not look the greatest but I promise they are delicious!

Other great ways to include kale into your diet:
-add them into fruit smoothies (you can't even taste the kale, because the fruits overpower it!)
-add into soup along with some swiss chard
-mix chopped pieces into ground meat when making home made meatballs or burgers (recipe soon to come)

We hope after reading this that you give kale a try and enjoy it! Let us know how you incorporated kale into your diet!

Melodies & Sound... [Part III]

So a while back J gave you some of her musical favorites, now it's my turn to bring you some of my favorite musical gems. Enjoy!! 

Blind Pilot- Half Moon

Born Ruffians- 6 5000

Broken Social Scene- 7/4

Coldplay- Ink

Hunter Hunted- Keep Together

Rooney- When Did Your Heart Go Missing

Local Natives- Sun Hands

Lord Huron- Ends of The Earth

The Lumineers- Submarines

The Sam Roberts Band- Bridge to Nowhere

The Weeknd- Wicked Games

Young the Giant- Anagram

Imagine Dragons- Rocks

Blind Pilot- We Are The Tide

Vampire Weekend- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Drake- Trophies

Matt & Kim- Daylight

Of Monsters And Men- Dirty Paws

John Mayer- Wildfire

Ben Howard- Keep Your Head Up

Don't fret I've got more coming! Stay tuned...   xoxo C