I just finished my Revolt workout and damn….my lower body is just mush! But a fantastic mush! haha. It feels so great to have my workout complete before the hubby even gets home and dinner is already prepped (meal preps on Sunday) so I have SOO much spare time. It’s the oddest feeling. I feel so much less stress now with all my meals being prepped on Sunday. My weeknights are much easier to handle with my schedule. Before, I wouldn’t actually sit down and relax till 8-9pm at night. That is a long time since I start my day at 6:30am. By the time the weekend came I was exhausted.

One thing I cannot get enough of right now is grapefruits. I love them with just a little bit of stevia, freshly squeezed in a cocktail(hint hint hint), in a salad, with some fish or as a great desert! I would consider this a desert, a very non-guilty desert and with one modification can be for all my vegans out there!

Ingredients: Yields 1-2 servings

• 1 Grapefruit, sliced in half
• 1T of raw honey (or for my vegan loves, agave nector)
• Dash of cinnamon

Directions: Preheat oven to 375c, spread honey evenly on both halves of the grapefruit and sprinkle cinnamon on. Place in oven and roast for 20-25min.

I did it again! It is MONDAY and I’m posting my Fitness Friday post. But it wasn’t because I didn’t setup a publish date, but because I’ve been sick. Yeah this weekend was spent with my bed and PJ’s. But I am pushing through, and making this happen today.

I have a confession, when I first agreed to doing this Revolt Fitness Challenge, my exceptions weren’t that high. I always compare my fitness programs to those of when I had a personal trainer.  And guess what? I have one right now! Her name is Nichole Huntsman and she kicks my arse 5 days a week. I am soooo happy I agreed to do this. It has given me motivation to achieve my personal best. I workout a couple times a week usually, but haven’t been pushing myself to my limits -till now.  And the results are showing just this. In two weeks I have lost 7.5 inches. I am firming back up, feeling re-energized and I am in full control over my body again(minus this nasty cold I have).

Check out my sweaty I can’t believe I finished that workout photos!

It has been great!

I have been taking some photos of my progress and have been going back and forth on showing them. But I think I will at the end of this uprising(6 weeks). I feel pictures will show it all. This is short and sweet, still feeling crappy, but really needed to share an updated post on this

Hope everyone had a great weekend and for all you Mom’s a wonderful Mothers Day! I will be back tomorrow with a nice healthy snack(that can also be vegan lol). This week I will be incorporating some clean meal ideas. Because right now that is my main focus!

Question: Would you be interested in joining the next 6-week uprising? I may  have something special to share with you all soon

Disclaimer: I was chosen as a Revolt Fitness Program blogger and received free membership to try the fitness program out. All opinions expressed are my own. And yes, I would pay for the program and will continue to follow it even after my 12 week commitment is up.

So I am pretty much all backwards this week. I know I have not shared a single food recipe with you and I gotta apologize. I have been really focusing on this Revolt plan and have not steered off. I have never enjoyed workouts like this since my personal trainer. And i’m not just saying that(more on this tomorrow). I will be on-call for work this weekend and plan to spend it cooking, baking & shooting some clean healthy recipes…oh and a couple skinny cocktails -hey summer is coming, let’s not pretend it isn’t!!

Since all my meals are pretty much pre-made with this plan, it has given me no excuse to come home, workout, run and spend some time working on some beauty stuff.

Check out April’s Glossybox! MORE VIDEOS! -I know you all enjoy me making a fool out of myself

I really like the Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Blush! I actually wore it today. It does stain, however doesn’t last the whole day. But did quite a good job.

The box was worth it’s value only for that lip blush, shaver and the coupons. But i’m concerned I will not be so lucky next month. I keep saying I will cancel, but thinking since I did get pretty much my money’s worth that I should let it go another month!

If you got a GlossyBox(Canadian, USA, UK, etc..) how did you like yours? What did you get in it?

Question: Do you get any subscription box services? If so, which one?

It has been 5 days since I started on this new fitness venture called Revolt Fitness. So far I have surprisingly enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I’m quite impressed with the whole scale of it. And as promised will go into some detail about it today.

I have done other “at-home” fitness programs, and they have always been a good cardio workout, but I’ve always been left with the feeling I still needed to go to the gym to lift weights. In this program, weights are included! This was a huge plus for this program.  An average week will look like 3 cardio days(don’t be fooled, we still use weights here) and two sculpt days, one for upper body and the other for lower. You will burn with love and sweat for this program. Your endorphins will push you through till the  next day, and you will wake up with the satisfaction that you are changing your life for the better! Another HUGE portion of this program that I have always felt is the most important is the diet. You will get a new menu each week of the program, and don’t fret…you will get a cheat day! I am just completing the detox, and like any detox plan, it gets boring quickly. But important to get your body cleansed and ready for just clean foods full of nutrients. I have made some modifications, but all within the allowed food alternatives

Every day a new video get’s posted on the site, Nichole will demonstrate all the exercises for each level(there is 3 fitness levels, and as you progress you can increase the fitness level. I currently do the level 2 exercises). She will then go through the sets in real time for you to follow her. Workouts are always changing, and you are always engaging new muscles. I won’t lie…..did some deadlifts this week and it was a perfect love/hate relationship with them. Oh how I have missed doing deadlifts(can you hear the sarcasm?). Another BIG plus for me with the workout videos was the music!! Fantastic music to workout to. It was new stuff and things I actually listen to while going to the gym! Major plus for me. The workouts last between 15-30min each. Of course you have rest and breaks in between.

Some of you have asked how much weight I have lost and so forth. I will be honest, part of the program is to measure, weigh and take fat %. I will only be weighing myself on the scale once a week(Friday’s). I like to go by how my clothes fit me. But I will tell you since starting the program Monday, I have lost 3.6lbs! I must say, I didn’t expect to loose that much. I have a feeling it’s the detox diet that made this happen. I don’t really have a “goal number” in mind. Just want to feel great about myself!

Tonight I have absolutely nothing planned. Probably film my video for the unwrapping of my new Glossybox & shoot a skinny cocktail drink. It’s sunny today, which may give me enough strength to go out for a run….but we will see.

Hope this Fitness Friday sees you well!

Question: what are your fitness goals this week/month/summer?

It is Tuesday, but it is also the last day of the month(can’t believe tomorrow is May 1st….and it snowed tonight! ARGH!).I thought I would share some of my favourite products that I have used this past month. And let me stress favourite!!!!!

Some of these are new some are older, but they are all things I am completely loving right now. Not all my favourites are makeup, but also some snack-y type things. Let’s get this started!

I had to do this one first!! I am sure many of you have heard of the Urban Decay Naked palette. It is one of my favourite favourte makeup palette’s. This is the second edition to that and I FINALLY got it! I won’t lie; I may have jumped up and down when it arrived in the mail. But then again, when it comes to mail- I just love getting it

Some people don’t like this palette as much as the first, but I think I might disagree. I love the natural tones on the left, and the late night smokey colours on the right. I have been using these shadows almost religiously all month, both day and night looks. I also really liked the double ended brush they included. The quality of brush is pretty darn amazing for a palette brush, but then again I shouldn’t expect anything less from Urban Decay. You can get this palette at Sephora.ca for $60 for us Canadian folks. Americans I think get it for $50. Either way, worth every penny.

For those of you that follow me on Instagram won’t be too shocked by these Essie Polishes popping up in this post. I have quickly became a HUGE fan of these. I had seen them on other fellow bloggers sites for some time now, but never wanted to pay the $11.99 for them, till they were on sale. I had no choice but to buy them…..now it has grown into a VERY fast obsession.

The colours above are “in the cab-ana” & “turquoise & caicos”. I was wearing the green one during my Glossybox Unwrapping video. Such a great colour!

This stuff is just HEAVENLY! This is Philosophy’s French Vanilla Bean. The first time I used it my husband came to give me a hug and said I smelled like cookies! Let’s be serious, we all know that is the way to any mans heart….smelling like cookies! Or well, I suppose bacon may also be another way to a mans heart, but I rather not smell like meat LOL. As you can see by how much is gone, I have been using this for a couple months. I don’t like using a luffa(the word alone is just weird, but really lets not go into that), this does cause me to have to use more in the shower however. I may have to invest in one though as this is roughly $21 a bottle!!(SHHHHHhh don’t tell George :p)

My mother in law had given me this tester of Clinque lash doubling mascara a little while ago and I just got around to using it this week…boy was I surprised by it. I usually use Maybelline’s Colossal Mascara, but this one just impressed me as soon as I applied it. My lashes were long and I LOVED the brush. I like bristle brushes. I will have to pick up a full size soon.

Another shocker with this. I was pleasantly impressed with L’oréal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream. I usually use MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid NW13, but this is great just for everyday, no hustle makeup. I had read that people found it gritty on application, which it starts off as, but it smooths out just great after rubbing it in. It has a nice light colour, matched my skin tone pretty good and without making me look more like a ghost(if that is possible). I would recommend this as a reasonably priced BB cream.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to fragrance . I don’t often wear perfume, but would rather go to a body mist for daily or for after the gym. When we go out in the evenings I do enjoy wearing something. This is Chanel’s Chance Eau Tendre. I didn’t think I would like this as much as I do, but I LOVE it. And a little goes the long way. This bottle will last me FOREVER, which is probably good as I believe it’s over $100 a bottle. Lucky for me I was given this as a gift or I doubt I would have picked it up to even smell it. It is very light and fruity, with a touch of grapefruit. Nice and fresh!

Now onto some snacks!

I recently found these at Costco and LOVE them. Just a wonderful quick and simple snack. I have to really watch how much I eat or I will eat that whole container. They call it an “Energy Blend”, it has Edamame, Cranberries, Almonds & Pumpkin Seeds(not sure why they say Kernels, they are seeds).

And last but definitely not least

I also found these at Costco and they must be one of my favourite finds. They are a gluten-free all natural bar. Can’t really go wrong with that. They had three flavours in the box, but this is my favourites

Tonight was Day 2 for me in the Revolt Fitness program, I will be doing a weekly update on Friday, but let me tell you that so far I love it! Pretty surprised by how much I am loving it. I will go into great detail all on Friday.

Nothing else really exciting over here. Just doing this program and focusing on getting that done. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great night.

Question: What were some of you your favourites this month? Have you tried any of mine?

Note: None of these products are sponsored products. All are just my favourites

This should have been posted “Friday”, but I left it as a “Draft” instead of giving it a publish date…..seriously? Sometimes I wonder how I get myself ready everyday. Sorry guys xoxo

Sometimes I say “yes” to things and think later “what did you get yourself into Destini?”. This is possibly one of those things. I said yes, not because I felt I NEEDED to do this, but thought this would be great for the summer. Even better if I could find a wonderful program that would help many of you reach some goals

Starting Monday I will be doing the Revolt Fitness Program for 12 weeks-yeah 12 weeks!

The program is hosted with the most adorable lady Nicole Huntsman. She seems very motivational and just wonderful.  I have done previous workout plans before, and thought this one is perfect for me too. When I was contacted by Revolt Fitness asking if I wanted to be part of a group of bloggers doing the program all at the same time, I wanted to check out the site and Facebook page to make sure this is something I can see worth the next 12 weeks. I quickly knew right away that this would be a wonderful program to try.

Each participant will get a 6-week workout plan and a 6-week diet plan that includes a designed meal plan. This is EXTREMELY helpful when trying to stick to something like this. And yes I did say 6 weeks, not 12 like I will be doing.  To help with the workout plan, they also have daily workout videos for you to follow that are available online. I must say that the online community for this program is the biggest plus for it. I have been on the Facebook page and love interaction from the participants and Nicole herself.

Over the next 12 weeks I will share my week with you all on Fridays. I will give you both the pros & cons of the plan, how I am feeling and anything that is bugging me. As always I will be 100% honest with you all. These types of programs don’t show results with just wish and thought, they work because you worked your arse off. I won’t try and tell you otherwise.

For more information about Revolt Fitness please vist their page or see the Facebook page here.

Don’t fret about food recipes either. I have been cooking and shooting up a storm. They will be posted weekly as per usual. That being said, you may see recipes that aren’t 100% healthy and not something that will be part of my program. I often develop/cook/shoot recipes over the weekends and share them with you all during the week.

 My weekly posts will be a submenu under “Health & Fitness”

Question: What would you like me to document during this program? What are you interested in?

Don’t be afraid, though I know I am! This isn’t going to be about food or fitness…this is about BEAUTY! I have decided to try something a little different today. And if you guys like it, I will do it more often. I have decided to dedicate some Wednesdays out of the month to review or talk about some beauty products that I use regularly or recently picked up. Now don’t be fooled (though I’m sure you weren’t) I’m not a beauty expert by ANY means. Just a girl that loves to try new things.

To make this extra different, I made a video!! Look at me all on YouTube (my brain is full of insecurity at this moment). I just felt this was the easiest way to show you guys this product!

Before I show you the video, I just wanted to make sure you all know that I don’t accept any products that I don’t think may be of some interest to my readers. I know I have been on the food & fitness run for awhile, but I just thought that some of you may also be like me and love beauty stuff too. I felt that the below product was just something that you may be interested in.

Sorry about the editing, I noticed I was rambling a lot and tried to save you guys. It is rough. I also  need to apologize for the the abundance of “um” and “so”s I used.
Update: After recording this video, I did some more research about Glossybox and other Beauty Boxes. It appears that Glossybox is on the higher end for prices for beauty boxes. It also has been known to have a lot more drugstore products. I will give it a couple months and if this is the case, will most likely cancel and try other beauty boxes.

Sorry about the thumbnail, YouTube is being difficult.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Glossybox please check out their website! I can’t wait for my next box!

Thanks guys! Please be nice

Questions: How do you feel about me sharing this type of product? And is a video the best way to show it?

When George had his surgery I knew he wouldn’t be able to eat a whole lot after. I figured soup would probably be the best bet. While he was in surgery I made this soup as I know it’s full of flavour and quite filling. This soup is vegan and gluten free, but is great for anyone!! Happy Vegan Tuesday!

Ingredients: Yields 5-6 LARGE servings

• 1 large onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2T EVOO
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 large yukon potato
• 6 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 28oz diced tomatoes with juice
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1T oregano
• 1t thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2T tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a dutch oven or large stock pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until translucent. Stir in carrots and celery, cook for 2-3 min more. Add in broth, oregano, thyme, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and potatoes. Add in bay leaf and cook for 30 to 40min, until vegetables are tender(check potatoes). Add chickpeas and simmer for another 20 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

This soup freezes quite well. I actually have some in the freezer right now!!

I have been thinking about this for quite some time now, I really want to start sharing more aspects of my life with you all. I have focused on sharing just food recipes for some time now and I had always wanted to bring more fitness/lifestyle into the blog. Over the next couple days I will start to bringing just that! Tomorrow I have done something COMPLETELY brand new. To be honest I’m a little nervous!! hehe

See you all tomorrow

Question: What is your favourite soup? Do have it often?

and

What else would you like to see more on the blog?

Happy Monday!!

First off, I just wanted to say a big giant THANK YOU to everyone that entered The Everything Guide to LIving Gluten-Free cookbook giveaway! So many of you left amazing comments. I sat there reading them with George and we were just shocked at how much gluten is affecting so many of you.  I was happy that I was able to help out in some way!

The winner of the giveaway is

Congrats! Please email me your shipping address at destini@the-healthy-wife.com

Now onto my weekend via instagram! See you all tomorrow with Vegan Tuesday.

That is quite the title isn’t it? I appreciate the fact I felt it needed to all be included. This has been a long awaited post. Things have been a little crazy around here, but thats how it goes sometimes. George finally had his surgery for his deviated septum. He is recovering, doing well and life is starting to get back to normal. The surgery didn’t go 100% as planned, he did end up having to stay in the hospital overnight due to some bleeding. He got to come home the next day and now it has been just over two weeks of recovery. I know he would have liked this to be done and over with already, but it doesn’t always go that way and the fact he is healthy is the most important part!

When I first met George I didn’t know how to cook; well that is a slight lie, I could make breakfast, Eggs, Bacon etc. But pretty much nothing else. For dinner through school I ate cereal and easy mac. Spaghetti was a stretch, but I only made that on special occasions. That was just the type of person I was in my early youth. If I baked a cake it would be lumpy and pretty much not edible and for a cake from a box, that is pretty impressive. George and I would eat out a lot, and those that have read my story know that is how I gained a TON of weight quite quickly. After doctor appointments and blood tests I quickly found out that I needed to start working out and eating correctly. This pretty much forced me to learn how to cook and now has turned into one of my biggest passions. You may all be wondering why the story? I promise it will make sense soon.  When I was really stressed out when I was younger, I never ate. I just had no desire to and would just sleep away the stress (or so my young brain thought). Now I have had stress since these times, but I guess nothing that directly affected me so much, something that I felt so out of my hands.

The day of Georges surgery I dropped him off at the hospital. The operating nurse told me how long his surgery was, recovery and roughly the time they thought he would be okay to come home or for me to come get him. I wasn’t going to leave, but the nurse assured me that he wouldn’t need me to be there. His appointment was at 7:45am so he should be ready to go home roughly around 1pm.  I said goodbye to him, kissed his head and away he went. I came home, thinking I would be extremely tired…not a morning person. But all I could do was cook. I started making a vegetarian minestrone soup…when that was done, still no call from the hospital, I started cleaning my already clean house. After I couldn’t find a crumb on the ground I decided to open up this cookbook I had gotten awhile ago. We recently figured out George had a gluten issue, and I had purchased this book that was published by a Manitoba Food Blogger Jeanine Friesen from the lovely website called The Baking Beauties. I had already read the portion of the book about living with a gluten problem, but hadn’t yet made anything from the book. I knew right away what to look for….Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. This is George’s absolute favourite cookie. Now she didn’t have this exact recipe, but did have one for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. With a few minor adjustments I was able to create a cookie that George would be able to eat.

I went away with starting to create these cookies, always watching the the clock. I started getting really ancy around noon, so I called the hospital and all they could tell me is it was finished at 9:30 and he was in recovery.I end up going back to the hospital and stayed with him seeing just how much of a struggle this surgery was on him. He was admitted later that afternoon, I left when visiting hours was over and came home to bake some more cookies. I never realized how much cooking and baking had turned into my stress relief. It had been something that never played a large role in my life other than a necessity, to a first reaction to deal with confusing emotions.

I am thankful for this recipe and thankful George is home and all is well. This book has been an absolute first resource for me on anything baking. I have such a better understanding of gluten and how to make the normal things we all love something that we can still love. Thank You Jeanine! For anyone who has struggled with gluten problems, interested in learning more about it or just wanting some darn good food! Check out her book!

This below cookie recipe is based off her Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients: Yields 48 cookies

• 1 cup butter, (I used Earth Balance to make it lactose free)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1t vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup corn starch(tapicoa starch works here too)
• 1/2 t xanthan gum
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 cups certified gluten-free quick-cook oats
• 2 cups raisins

Directions: Preheat oven to 350f, cream together the butter and sugars. add eggs one at a time, mix till blended. Stir in the vanilla. In a large bowl combine brown rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, xanthum gum, baking powder and baking soda. . Mix in dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture. Add rolled oats and raisins. Stir till all combined. Using a cooking scoop, drop cookies onto a baking sheet, bake for 8-10min till slightly browned on the bottom. Let sit on sheet for 5 min and then transfer to a cookie rack.

These will quickly go as quick as you put them on the rack! Jeanine should include a warning on these!!

Now if you made it this far after my babbling, you deserve a reward!! I will be HAPPY to giveaway a copy of The Everything Guide to LIving Gluten-Free to one of my readers!! It will run from today April 15th, 2013 – April 21, 2013. Open to Canada & US. Please enter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A lot of exciting things will be happening over the next while, excited to share it with you all!!