Another beautiful day...

Today was another beautiful day!  The weatherman called for sun and rain, which scared me a little bit.  It's not allowed to rain in July... and it hasn't so far (knock on wood). 


Yesterday after work, Francis and I went for an awesome run around Elk Lake (10 km loop).  I was beyond excited that Francis agreed to go with me.  It was so much fun! It was in the evening but it was still very hot out.  There were a lot of people BBQing, swimming and just plain enjoying their Saturday! There were even kids swimming.  Nothing stops kids from swimming in the summertime, even if the water is freezing and it is only 22 degrees celcius.  


After our run we went grocery shopping.  I LOVE GROCERY SHOPPING!!! I'm not sure why, but it is one of my favourite things to do.  We got a butt load of fresh produce.  Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, carrots, bananas, apples, apricots, grapefruit, nectarines, cherries...and the list goes on and on....


We also stopped at Lifestyle Market to pick up a few things.  I wanted to pick up some protein powder that I like to put in my morning smoothies.  I decided on Vega's shake & go smoothie, in vanilla almond flavour.  I've had the choc-o-lat flavour before, which was amazing, but I wanted to try something new!  I live life on the edge people.  I definitely don't regret my decision.  It is incredibly tasty.  


This morning I wanted to incorporate my new protein powder into my smoothie.  I added frozen strawberries, a banana, soy milk and about 2 tbsp of the Vega to my blender and blended away until creamy and dreamy!


I put my smoothie in a bowl (makes it more fun to eat AND you can add toppings!!) and added blueberries, sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of unsweetened, shredded coconut.  It was the perfect way to start my day!  It tasted like a strawberry, banana milkshake! Dessert for breakfast? I'll take it!

Vega products are extremely nutritious.  They are dairy and gluten free, and each serving has 2500 mg of Omega -3-6-9, 11 g of complete protein (more difficult for vegetarians to get enough of) and 1 billion probiotic cultures.

Their protein powders include organic green tea protein, flaxseed, hemp protein, organic sprouted brown rice protein and an organic green food blend (alfalfa grass, organic kale leaf, organic spinach leaf, organic broccoli sprouts, spirulina).  

Spirulina, a blue green algae, is a microorganism that grows on the top of lakes in warmer climates.  Now, this may sound pretty gross, and I agree, however, its nutritional benefits may alter your view a little bit.

It is a complete protein and contains all of the essential amino acids.  It is full of potassium, and also contains calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, and zinc. It contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), and B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E. source:http://chealth.canoe.ca

How amazing is that?  If you haven't checked out their website, I definitely urge you to do so! myvega.com.

Lunch today wasn't very exciting, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy each and every bite of it.  I had half of a vegan enchilada with an avocado cream sauce adapted from www.ohsheglows.com, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes.

This shot isn't very appealing...but I'm telling you, it is so amazing.  My mom made it for dinner a few nights ago and doubled the recipe so that we'd have leftovers! Thanks, mom :)

good til the very last bite...

Because my break was a little bit earlier today, I was very hungry when I got home.  I wanted to make a quinoa, berry salad...but I didn't have the patience to wait!  Veggie burgers to the rescue.  I'm so happy I bought some at the store yesterday.

Amy's California Burgers are my all time fav.  And no, I don't buy them because of their name...okay, maybe that's part of the reason ;)  They are just so tasty.

I topped the burger with some leftover sauteed veggies and avocado.  The burger was so lonely on its own, so I decided to have a nice big salad on the side.  I drizzled some Simple Naturals dressing on top.  Fresh, crisp and delicious.

The dressing (in french - woops).  It's called Goddess Dressing.  Only goddess's are allowed to eat it :) Well...gods are allowed too I guess ;)

The final result. Mmmm.....

Some random pretty pictures for your enjoyment...

By Rook and Rose on Johnson St., Victoria, BC

They even added little crystals on the flowers.  What a sweet touch!

Well, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my night before it's time for me to hit the hay (which is pretty soon...). Hopefully I can convince Francis to come for a run with me tonight :) and maybe some Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred? Maybe not.  Wouldn't want to push my luck!

Have a great night!

Amy