Favourite Things – Page 5

My Favourite Healthy Foods

May 20, 2014

Since moving to Korea, I’ve had to build a pantry totally from scratch! I’ve also had to learn how to feed myself in a foreign country, since some of my favourite foods aren’t available in grocery stores here. This has been a great experience for a lot of reasons.

First, it’s showed me that I am capable of eating well wherever I am in the world, so long as I have a few basic staple foods. It’s also taught me new skills, like how to make dried beans from scratch! Invaluable knowledge to take back to Canada with me, for sure. And of course it’s also forced me to re-evaluate what my staple foods really are! If I want specialty health foods like quinoa and flax seeds, I have to order them online through iHerb, which means I have to be mindful and consider what I actually need and am going to use.

Turns out, I really don’t need anything special to eat happily and healthfully. As appealing as ordering from iHerb is (it’s like being a kid in a very healthy candy store), most of the time my staples are easily found, even in Korea. Below is the list of the usual suspects in my kitchen – no real surprises here, folks!

Peanut butter: My current favourite is Earth Balance’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter with Flaxseed. Another favourite is Maranatha’s No-Stir. Only within the last year have I started liking crunchy peanut butter, but I still won’t usually buy it myself.

Avocados: These are hard to find in Korea, but they do sell bags of 5 at Costco, so that’s a treat. Sometimes they have them at my grocery store for the low, low price of $3.50 a pop, and usually when they do I just go for it. Treat yoself, right?

Sweet potatoes: Happily, I think almost every culture on earth eats sweet potatoes so these are everywhere here. They’re a slightly different variety from what we have back home – they’re yellower, sweeter and smaller.

Spinach: Leafy green love. I will never again take for granted the amazing convenience of pre-washed organic spinach. Here it comes still dirty and attached to its stems, which is kind of refreshing but a little more work.

Garlic: In Korea, garlic is sold pre-peeled which is so great. I love the convenience of having the cloves ready to go! Plus I pay about $1.50 for 30+ cloves.

Eggs: It was easy to continue my 30 Days to Vegan diet in Canada, but much harder in a country where the word vegetarian is often not even comprehended. That being said, the only animal product I’ve really re-introduced is eggs since cheese is incredibly scarce and expensive here and soy milk is very cheap. Who knows what my eating habits will look like when I get home, but for now I’m happy to eat eggs a few times a week.

Bananas: Of course. Always and forever. Mainly I put them in my smoothies or use them to make banana ice cream, my new favourite thing.

Almonds & cashews: My two favourite kinds of nuts. I mostly just eat these raw, as a snack.

Tofu & tempeh: No tempeh in Korea, but there’s lots of tofu. I find tempeh has a nicer, heartier texture, but both products are kind of magical. I love panfrying tofu until it’s nice and crispy and then glazing it with some kind of sauce. BBQ sauce if I’m getting my way.

Chickpeas: I have to order these on iHerb, dried. Unfortunately I can’t just pop open a can of them! I’m getting a new bag in a few days and I can’t wait to make some hummus.

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This week on the podcast, Laura and I discuss this exact subject. We’re talking about our top staple foods for building a healthy pantry. Most of mine are listed above, but the episode is also full of interesting tips about freezing food and lots of ideas for how to use healthy ingredients in your meals. You can find the show over at our blog here or by subscribing to us on iTunes!

PS. If you want to get $10 off your first iHerb order, you can use my code LWW752.

My Review of the LL Bean Quickload Travel Pack for Her Packing List

May 8, 2014

As I’ve written before, I absolutely love my backpack. It’s comfortable and sturdy, it folds open like a suitcase, the straps stow away, and it’s carry-on sized. I did a lot of research before buying the bag I was going to use while backpacking through Europe (you can see the funny/crazy/thorough spreadsheet I made here) and this is the bag that came out on top. It’s now been to almost 10 countries with me and has been a great little travel companion!

Last week I wrote a more in-depth review of my bag over at Her Packing List, so if you’re interested in more details you can check it out here! If you’re interested in buying the LL Bean Quickload Travel pack, you can find it here.

It’s one of my 24 before 24 goals to write articles for 7 websites besides my own. This is the first, and I’m proud of it.

Also, I should mention: I’m not associated with LL Bean in any way (I wish!), and this is not a sponsored post. I just love this bag and want to share the information with the world.

Washi Tape Frames and My Favourite Quotes

April 30, 2014

If you saw my post about my apartment here in Korea, I’m sure you noticed that like all apartments, it didn’t come decorated, and that there were blank walls as far as the eye could see. If you didn’t notice, it’s clearly a testament to my highly creative camera angles (ha) because trust me, they were there.

Slowly but surely, I’ve been trying to decorate as best as I can. This is a one-year living situation (that I am 2 months into already – how did that happen again!?) and I can’t paint the walls, so I’ve had to get a bit creative. Challenge accepted!

I was inspired by this washi tape frames project I saw on Pinterest, originally from Design Sponge. I was also inspired by Recite This, a website that takes any quote or phrase and transforms it into a beautiful poster with a design of your choice. So I pulled together a little gallery wall with some of my favourite sentiments, most of them taken from my Pinterest board full of quotes I find inspiring.

This project really doesn’t require a tutorial. All it takes is a little inspiration, a bunch of washi tape, and dash of creativity. I bought my washi tape at Daiso stores in Korea and Japan (the Japanese stuff was much stickier and better for this kind of project!), but you can find coloured and patterned tape at any craft store.

Print off some quotes or rip some beautiful photos out of magazines and you’re ready to go! I just put mine up in an arrangement I liked and tried my best to tape in straight lines. I failed, of course, (case in point: the above photo) but I’m still happy with the results.

Here’s my wall so far. On the left is a cute fabric flag with an ice cream cone on it I bought in Japan. The turquoise poster is just a flyer that I picked up from a stack of advertisements at the Tokyo Metropolitan building. I don’t know what either of them say, so if I have any readers that speak Japanese, please let me know! There’s also a funny little poster with the line “I’m very font of you because you’re just my type”, because I’m a nerd when it comes to typography.

Then I have a collection of some of the quotes that I love. These quotes are such great reminders of many of my favourite life philosophies and seeing them on my walls always gives me a mental nudge in the right direction.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” – Aristotle / This idea is always a solace to me when I’m getting frustrated about one particular photo, or blog post, or day of the week, or interaction with a loved one. To me, it means you have bad days but a good life. You may hate something that you create but begin to appreciate it from a distance or when you see how it works with other things you’ve made. If you make a mistake you can start over tomorrow. How you live 80% of the time matters more than the other 20%.

“I want to feel my life while I’m in it.” – Meryl Streep / I want to appreciate the special, magic, wonderful moments as they’re happening instead of after the fact, when I’m looking back. I want to be present and fully engaged for the good stuff (and for the bad stuff). I don’t want to feel like I missed the moment. These are the days!

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt / Self-explanatory, but that doesn’t make it any easier to remember. I struggle with comparison every single day. This quote reminds me to get out of my own head and try my best to stop it already with the comparing game.

“The grass is greener where you water it.” – Neil Barringham / A similar sentiment is “Grow where you’re planted.” This one reminds me that life is what you make of it. With a few exceptions, moving to a new physical place isn’t going to solve all your problems – wherever you go, there you are. And even in the cases when a change of place was really necessary for your emotional wellbeing, it’s still up to you to make it your own. To me it means: make the most of every situation and opportunity. Reach out, grow some roots, do your best. You don’t get another ride on this merry-go-round.

“No matter what the situation, we are very lucky.” – Julie Andrews / I only recently read this quote, but it struck a chord in me. To me, it just screams gratitude. Count your blessings. Appreciate all the good you have in your life. “If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.” Practicing gratitude instantly gives me a good dose of perspective in every situation.

“This is water.” – David Foster Wallace / I just printed this one off to add to my wall. It’s from a very wise and very wonderful commencement speech that I love very much. In a nutshell, it reminds me to give people the benefit of the doubt, to let go of the feelings that don’t serve me, and to try my best to be a conscious adult. You can watch an amazing version of the whole talk here.

You might notice that the washi tape is peeling on a couple of the posters. One of the kinds I bought wasn’t sticky enough for the texture of the wall, so at some point I’ll probably have to make new frames with the stickier tape or find another solution. For now, though, I love my little art installation – it keeps reminding me to live a better life.

22 Favourite Things

April 9, 2014

I turned 23 on Monday and wrote about my 22 favourite memories from the past year. Today I wanted to share 22 of the things I loved this year. The memories of all the little everyday things you love fade so quickly, but I know somewhere down the road I’ll be fascinated to know what kinds of things I was obsessed with when I was 22. Below, a list of things that made this year so awesome for me.

Ps. Since photobooth strips are completely timeless, they didn’t “make the list”. But really, they always make the list for me.

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the iPad Mini. I was lucky enough to be gifted my iPad by my father as a graduation gift and it has really been a constant in my life ever since. This year held a lot of travelling, and my iPad was awesome for reading books and magazines, navigating new cities, booking hostel rooms and more.

Bullet Journalling. This one came late in the game for my 22nd year, but I have a feeling it’ll stay with me in some variation for years to come. This system is so intuitive and smart, but keeps me organized and in control of all my information. Totally awesome.

Yoga. If last year was the year of running, this year was the year of yoga. After getting home from my trip through Europe, I fell back in love with yoga and started practicing every day. My practice got me through some tough times in the fall (sounds strange, but it’s true) and I loved seeing myself get stronger and improve. I can now do things with my body I never thought I’d be able to, and that’s an awesome feeling.

Coconut deodorant. I started making my own deodorant this year, which I know is a bit surprising! But I had such bad results with natural, aluminum-free deodorants that I had nothing to lose when I tried this recipe. Happily, it’s all natural, cheap, and very effective.

LL Bean Quickload Travel Pack. I love this bag so much. My trusty backpack has come with me through 3 months of backpacking, trips to visit friends, and it was the carryon I took on my flight to Korea. It’s maximum carry-on allowance size, durable, hinges open like a suitcase, is light as a feather and has stayed looking brand new this entire time.

Lavender. I fell in love with the smell of lavender this year. I find it so invigorating and lovely. I have a hand cream my grandmother bought me at Marks and Spencer in Wales (which I never want to run out of!) and a body wash that I love to smell when I’m in the shower. I’m planning to add more lavender to my life wherever I can – maybe a candle?

The Defining Decade & Adulting. This was my first year out of university, in the “real world”, and both these books were such great reads and resources for me. Adulting is lighter and easier to read – it’s in list format with very intelligent tips for everything from ending a relationship to properly washing your clothes, as well as some key attitudes that one needs in adulthood. I thought it was very well written and very helpful. The Defining Decade is about making the most of your twenties, and I am so very glad I read it – I’m still quoting it and spreading its ideas in conversation almost 4 months later. It was a great reminder to me to live intentionally, make conscious decisions, and to not be complacent. I think it’s a must-read.

35mm f1.8. I bought this lens for my trip to Europe, and it’s the only lens I brought with me both on that trip and for my year in Korea. It’s so versatile and has such a good focal length (on my crop sensor camera, about 50mm) so it’s perfect for shooting literally everything – landscapes, portraits, etc. I rarely took it off my camera after I bought it.

Guinea Pigging Green. This one might go without saying, but I launched the GPG podcast this year with my friend Laura and it quickly became one of my favourite things to work on. It’s so much fun, and it’s been so great to get positive feedback from listeners and to be able to reach out to so many interesting people.

Ulmon travel apps. These are the greatest apps for travellers in big cities. They allow you to navigate offline (yes, you read that right!) and get recommendations and reviews for different tourist attractions and restaurants in the city. These were priceless when I was in Europe, trying to navigate big cities like Rome and Barcelona. I was so excited to see they have one for Tokyo, as I’m going in a few weeks.

BBQ Tofu Tacos. I must have eaten these 100 times this year.

OverDrive. Another of my favourite apps this year. This one allows you to log onto your local library’s ebook database and download library books and audiobooks from wherever you are, for free! While away on my trip I constantly downloaded books from both my Ontario and Montreal libraries.

Abundance (buddha) bowls. This was definitely the year of the bowls. I made buddha bowls constantly (and got my whole family hooked on them), and then when I got back from my trip I discovered abundance bowls from My New Roots! It’s the perfect recipe, I’ve made it so many times since. I can’t wait for her to post her Springtime abundance bowl.

Street markets. I spent a lot of time wandering through street markets this year – it very quickly became my favourite activity to do while travelling. You get to see local people, eat local food, and really soak up some of the spirit of a place. Some favourites were the giant La Boqueria in Barcelona with hundreds of brightly-coloured delicious fresh juices, the antiques show behind a church in Lisbon, and of course the gorgeous Noordermarkt in beautiful Amsterdam.

Scandal. I fell for this show this year. It’s so bad but it’s also so good! I can’t stop watching it, no matter how excessively dramatic it gets. I love Kerry Washington!

Fresh & The Hogtown Vegan. Laura and I happily frequented these two amazing restaurants a lot this year. They have such delicious vegan food, some of which I’m really craving today! Both are located in Toronto.

Oh She Glows. I’ve known about Angela’s blog for a few years but this was the first year I made any of her recipes. I have since become obsessed with her because each of her recipes comes out beautifully and are always so delicious. Some favourites that I made more than once this year: banana bread muffin tops and cauliflower fettucine alfredo.

The beach & the ocean. I spent an amazing amount of time near and in the water this year, in many different places in the world. I loved swimming in San Sebastian, walking the chilly, seashell-strewn beach in Vancouver, and dipping my feet in the cold water here in Busan. And now I live near the water. I don’t think this will ever stop being one of my favourite things.

Gelato. It really was the year of the gelato! Lots of favourite gelato moments this year, many of them outside of the small local shop in my hometown with my family, others from little shops all over Europe. I’ll try to spare you excessive exclamations over how incredibly delicious they all were (SO DELICIOUS!).

You Are My Wild & Olivia Rae James. You Are My Wild was a photo project in 2013 where several great photographers took weekly photos of their children. It was always inspiring and beautiful, I’m disappointed I haven’t found something similar for 2014 yet! And I’ve been following Olivia for a few years now, but this was the year she really wowed me and the rest of the world. She takes such gorgeous photos and she inspires me so much in both her life and her work.

Cherry blossoms. I only really experienced the cherry blossoms in my last month of being 22, but they’ve really lit up my life the past couple weeks. They’re so beautiful and really give life such a special touch. How lucky am I to be experiencing cherry blossom season in one of the best places for them, Korea?!

“I want to feel my life while I’m in it” -Meryl Streep I love this quote so much, and I’ve really tried to keep it (or some variation of it) in the forefront of my mind this year. I’ve learned that appreciating and acknowledging the good moments while they’re happening is really what happiness is. I’ve tried to just be with moments instead of always trying to control or document them. I’ve also tried to notice happiness and joy and beauty as they’re happening, instead of recognizing them later when I think back on my experiences. This is a practice, and it’s not easy, but it has been very worthwhile.

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As always, reminiscing on the past year always makes me feel so grateful and content. It really was a fabulous year for me. I have a feeling that 23 will be just as great.

You can read my 21 favourite things from last year here.