The Universe is a Crazy Place

So, I am a huge believer in what you put out to the universe is what you are going to get back.  Like the sick thing...if you keep telling yourself you are sick, you will be sick.  If you tell yourself that you are healthy and appreciate everything your body is doing, chances are you will get sooner because your body will believe what you are telling it.  Regardless of whether or not you believe and call everything "coincidence" or what not, that's fine.  This is my story.

Anyhow, so I mentioned before that I set up an appointment with Pilates Manitoba to see what they are all about.  After all, everything I know about pilates I learned at the end of my yoga DVDs while I was in university:

So, needless to say I was in for a bit of a wake up call.  I got the grand tour of the place (but neglected to take pictures, sorry for that!) and it is amazing!  There are machines, mats, exercise balls, TRX bands, etc. its awesome.  In addition to that there are amazing women who work there and they offer a variety of classes (small classes!) that cater to every need: injured, plus size, hard core, etc.  It's pretty cool.  Anyhow, my consultation was to be half an hour, and 3 hours later I left the building (because a class was starting) with a new friendship, business partnership with Annabel, and the opportunity to not only attend the classes, but possibly become an instructor if I like it!  The classes are not just about the fitness aspect, but also the empowerment side which I can definitely get behind.  Yay!  So, I have my first class on Tuesday and of course, will let you know how it goes!!  

Why I say the universe is a crazy place is because I have been a little bit concerned about my financial situation and don't want to give up "living the dream" as I currently am and I realize that winter is always a slow time for me, however, this is my first year with no supplemental income, so it's been....neat.  Then this opportunity comes along!!  I still get to do what I love, get to attend a workout regime for trade (love the barter system!), and get to empower women with fitness AND with photography.  Amazing.  If you haven't...read The Alchemist.  It will change your life.  It's about finding your true calling and going against social norms, but also the struggles that come with it.  It's great and if you are in a place of confusion, give it a read!

 

"If you believe you deserve it, the Universe will serve it"

In other news, I have been eating relatively well, cooking all of my meals (aside from 1 meal at Cora's last week and lunch at Stella's yesterday).  I also have been watching a lot of documentaries again, which is good and bad.  I watched Vegucated on Netflix:

 

 It was a very eye opening documentary about the processing of meat and the effects on the poor animals and the environment.  I don't want to say I didn't realize it was that bad, but rather, I think I was ignorant to the fact because I love to eat chicken.  I have to say, though, after watching that I am leaning more towards a vegetarian diet.  That being said, there were a few things in the documentary that I was not a fan of.  Such as referring the challengers to the grocery aisle and advising them that they can have Oreos, frosting, and pancake mixes because they are vegan.  Well, I still wouldn't eat that shit.  Also, they ate a TON of soy product and with soy being one of the highest GMO commodities in the world, I would rather stay further away from that side of things as possible.  Needless to say, I have some research to do before I give up meat all together, but just seeing what the poor animals go through literally broke my heart.  Even the "organic" food wasn't fantastic....yes, they feed the animals better food, but it does not apply to their treatment.  So while the organic food is better for humans, the treatment of the animals isn't necessarily the greatest.  Now, with the increase in organic demand, I believe that it will continue to get worse as the big companies start to "mass produce" organic meat.  Just my thoughts.

That being said, last night Ryan and I entertained and cooked up some yummy bison burgers from the local market here in Winnipeg.  If its the last meat I eat, then it was a gooder hahaha!

 

I did however, make an amazingly yummy and relatively healthy dessert that I found on Pinterest.  It is Roasted Cinnamon Pineapple (and Peaches).  The recipe is below for you.  So easy and yummy:

 

Holy February

Happy February everyone!  I am a bit delayed in my greeting, but mostly due to the fact that I shot a wedding, suffered the photographer's "wedding hangover" (not alcohol induced, just busy induced), and spent a day editing photos yesterday!  Here I am, though, alive and unscathed!

Today's post is to get me back in gear, because you will have noticed from a lot of recent posts I have been slipping more and more and this is extremely common in any effort to change a lifestyle.  I have picked up the busyness again, which is what always gets me into trouble and I fear that is the problem.  In addition to that, this month I cannot attend the gym because of some paperwork that was forgotten.  I COULD pay $15/day but that's slightly disgusting and don't feel it's necessary.  But we shall see.....perhaps I will get stir crazy.  Or maybe it will push me to get out and try some new activities like I said I would (but haven't yet.)  In fact, I just registered to take a gyrotonics class at Pilates Manitoba to see what it is all about.  I had driven by it a few times on Academy and was extremely interested....now I find out they offer a barre class similar to that one I took in Seattle!

 

So now, that I have kind of redeemed my bad behavior I shall follow up with one of the most delicious (but probably unhealthy) suppers I have ever made.  Yesterday I made a delicious dinner for Ryan and myself as he had the afternoon and evening off for once.  I made bacon wrapped scallops, Greek foccaccia(?) bread, caesar salad, and asparagus with walnuts and goat cheese.  Now, I know there are ways to make this exceptionally healthier (turkey bacon, no bread, garden salad, and no goat cheese) however, I wanted to give Ryan and myself a treat!  If you love seafood, then this recipe is for you:

10-15 large scallops

5-7 pieces of bacon (turkey bacon if you are being healthy)

3 tbsp of butter

some garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350

Lay out the strips of bacon and then cut them in half.  Roll each scallop in 1 piece of bacon and set on their ends on a pan.  (If you use turkey bacon, you probably need a toothpick because it isn't as sticky as regular bacon)  Toss into the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until they are slightly crispy.

Melt the butter and the garlic salt in a frying pan.  Take the bacon wrapped scallops out of the oven and roll them around in the melted butter/garlic until they are browned and SUPER crispy (or as crispy as you like them) 

So, yes, that was my delightful dinner last night and while it was amazingly delicious, I also knew the amount of butter/meat was entering my system and experienced less amazing symptoms last night afterwards.  But good news, I refused to make dessert!