Four Healthy and Quick Breakfast Recipes

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but sometimes when we are in the morning rush it can be hard to find time to whip up a nutritious and tasty meal. Whenever I am in a hurry, I turn to these trusted breakfast recipes to fill me up and make me feel energized and ready to take on the day. Here are my top four healthy and quick breakfast recipes.

Banana Honey Oatmeal

1/3 cup of quick-cooking oats

¾ cup water

½ - 1 tsp of raw honey (depending on how sweet you like it)

½ a banana chopped into small pieces

1 tbsp hemp hearts or unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Combine the oats and water in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on how high your microwave settings are. Stir in the honey and chopped banana. Sprinkle unsweetened shredded coconut or hemp hearts on top for an extra boost of nutrition.

Greek Yogurt Chia Seed Parfait

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

½ - 1 tsp raw honey

½ cup frozen fruit

2 tbsp chia seeds

Add the Greek yogurt to a glass jar or container of your choice. Stir in the honey and chia seeds. Top with frozen or fresh fruit. Store in the fridge overnight and enjoy the next morning!

Almond Butter Banana Toast

1 slice of sprouted whole wheat bread

1 tbsp almond butter

½ a banana sliced

1 piece of dark chocolate chopped (optional)

Toast the bread and top with the almond butter. Add sliced banana on top. Sprinkle with chopped dark chocolate for an extra treat!

Avocado Egg Toast

1 slice of sprouted whole wheat bread

1 hardboiled egg sliced

½ avocado sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Toast the bread and add the sliced avocado and hardboiled egg on top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

There you have it, my favourite quick and nutritious breakfast recipes, I hope you enjoy them! What are some of your go-to breakfasts?

-Sarah

DIY Sugar Scrub

Spring is here which means no more bundling up! Since my skin is still dry from the harsh winter, I like to use a body scrub to make my skin smooth and glowing. You can buy scrubs at LUSH, The Body Shop, and at drugstores, but making your own is cheap and easy!

Here is the recipe for my favourite sugar scrub:
2 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Mix all of the ingredients together and store in a jar or an air-tight container. Scrub onto your skin in the shower and rinse off for glowing, soft skin!

What's your favourite body scrub?

I'm a LUSHie!

I've walked past it a hundred times, smelling the delicious sweet aroma floating through the mall, but I was too scared to go in. The shelves full of soaps, lotions, and bath bombs were too intimidating for me. Finally my curiosity won and I walked through the doors of the LUSH store in Polo Park Shopping Centre.

Before I had the chance to get confused, a friendly LUSH employee came right over and asked me if I needed any help. She explained to me the different shampoos, lotions, soaps, and other products they sell and I quickly found quite the stash of new products to try. 

I got the Curly Wurly shampoo, which smells like a tropical coconut party and even has bits of real coconut in it! I also got a face cleanser called Let the Good Times Roll and it smells so good it makes me want to eat it. But my favourite product that I purchased is a hand and body lotion called Charity Pot. 100% of the money from every Charity Pot sold goes to grassroots charities across the globe. There are even a few Manitoba charities that they donate to. 

The best part about LUSH is that all of their products are made in Canada out of fresh, natural ingredients, and they aren't tested on animals. 

If you haven't ever been in a LUSH store you should go. You'll quickly get hooked and become a LUSHie like me!

The Best YouTube Beauty Gurus

A few months ago, while I was stuck inside because of the insanely cold weather, I stumbled upon the YouTube beauty community. After a few videos I was completely hooked! The videos are a great way to see and hear honest reviews of new beauty products, sort of a "try" before you buy concept.

Here are my favourite YouTube video gurus!

Essiebutton

A Canadian girl living in London with a lot of awesome makeup tips

ViviannaDoesMakeup

A London girl's take on beauty and fashion

RachhLoves

A Canadian new mom with an obsession for all things beauty

MakeupTIA

An American YouTuber who uploads new videos every Wednesday

Bring on Spring!

The first day of spring is in three days but it still looks like December outside. It seems like winter will never end, so I decided I'm bringing spring into my life regardless of the weather! Here are my top four ways to bring spring into your life, with or without snow!

A Pop of Colour

Put away your dark, jewel toned winter wardrobe and bust out some brightly coloured clothes (just stay away from neon, you can save that for summer)! Layer a bright tank under a cute cardigan, wear a colourful statement necklace, or (if your brave) rock a patterned dress with leggings underneath. Hudson's Bay has a huge assortment of spring coloured clothing and they always have sales, so hurry in!

A Fresh Face

No more burgundy lipstick, dark brown shadows, and deep coloured blush, it's time for spring makeup! Here are my favourite products to create a spring look!

LIPS: Mabelline Color Elixir in the shade Captivating Carnation
CHEEKS: Clinique Cheek Pop Blusher in the shade Peach Pop
FACE: Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer 
EYES: Urban Decay Naked3 Palette 
           Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
         

Rain Boots

Nothing is better than splashing through puddles in a cute pair of rain boots! I just got a cute pair made by Dav. They are really stylish and don't look as dorky as the yellow ones I used to have when I was little. You can pretty much find rain boots at any of your favourite shoe stores and they come in so many cute colours and styles. I feel so British when I wear mine, I love it!

Spring Nails

Paint your nails a bright, happy hue and you will be feeling springy in no time! My favourite colours are all from Essie's spring collection, I wish I could wear all of them at once!

What are your favourite ways to bring spring into your life? 

Argan Oil Beauty Products

I first heard about argan oil a few years ago and since then it has found its way into tons of everyday beauty products. Argan oil comes from the kernels of the argan tree, which is found in Morocco. The oil can be used in your hair, on your skin, and it can even be eaten. I use a drop of it in my hair every morning and a little bit on my face before bed. For hair, argan oil really smoothes out frizz and hydrates dry ends. For skin, argan oil moisturizes and gives it a nice glow.

Check out this video from Josie Maran about how argan oil is made.

Here are my favourite argan oil products!

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil

One 'n Only Argan Oil Treatment

Live Clean Exotic Nectar Argan Oil Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner

What are your favourite argan oil products?

February Beauty Favourites!

February was a big beauty month for me! I went through my makeup collection and realized that it was time to buy a few new "essential" beauty products. Okay so some things weren't necessarily essentials but who's keeping track anyway? Some products were a hit and some were big misses but I'll save those for another blog post. So without further ado here are my February beauty favourites!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation 

This was hands down my favourite foundation this month. It is so easy to apply and gives a really good amount of coverage. It's also really fast to apply it so I used it on mornings when I had really early classes. It lasts pretty much all day and seems to look even better a few hours after I apply it. Like a lot of other Tarte products it contains Amazonian Clay, which is super cool. Check out Tarte's Amazonian Clay video here. Overall, I love this product!

Benefit Hervana (Blush)

This is the perfect blush for every day makeup looks. The blush is a swirl of three different shades that blend to create a beautiful pinky-purple colour. It also has a bit of shimmer in it which brightens up your cheeks. Perfect for spring!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow

I wore this eyeshadow almost everyday this month! Read my blog post about it here.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

I love this concealer! It has a really creamy texture, it goes on smooth and doesn't dry out during the day. It works great for hiding dark under eye circles and blemishes. It's an essential part of my makeup bag!

LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub

My lips were so dry and chapped this month so I used this lip scrub every morning to exfoliate them. This stuff smells so good, like caramel popcorn! The best part about this product is that it is completely edible! Once you scrub it on your lips you can lick it off! Yum!