Little Life Box

Isn't it nice to get things in the mail that aren't bills or subscription information for various theatres? (Maybe the second one is just me...) I've always loved getting goodies in the mail, so when the kind folks at Little Life Box offered to send me some treats I was stoked!

Little Life Box is a Canadian company and touts itself as a healthy alternatives subscription box. The boxes feature a variety of samples including beauty care, snacks, supplements and home items, with the selection changing from month to month. You can purchase the boxes monthly, pre-purchase up to a year in advance or send one as a gift.

My box arrived the week of my birthday on a day that I was working from home. Canada Post delivered it to me right around the time I felt like I needed an afternoon snack, so it couldn't have been more perfect timing.

When I opened the box, I was greeted by some pretty sunshine-y yellow wrapping and an adorable bunny-adorned card. 

I opened it up to find a wide variety of snacks, some laundry detergent samples and some bamboo cosmetic applicators. I was familiar with many of the companies whose products were included but was happy to discover a few new ones as well (including my favourite item of the bunch - the chocolate covered cocoa beans!). 

Everything was Ashley-friendly except for the Chai tea mix, though I later found out that there is an option to choose between an original or vegan box. Each month you can check back on the website to learn more about the products that are included and purchase some of them directly through the site. 

It was definitely a sweet treat to receive my Little Life Box and lovely to see a Canadian company offering a fun subscription box! 

Lunch Diaries - April Edition

Happy Earth Day!

Since I've started my new job, I'm getting back into the groove of having a more regular routine of Monday to Friday work. I have the pleasure of working from home a couple of days and then I'm in the office/kitchen on the others. It's been great inspiration for me to get back to meal planning and packing lunches - which is a great way to support the earth (and my wallet!)

I've had some yummy things pinned on various boards for awhile, so it's been awesome to try out some new recipes to make and bring for lunches. I happily enjoyed this spiralized zucchini salad a couple of times last week - it was super easy and delicious!

I'm not always awesome at preparing meals in advance (unless I make something for dinner, or do some batch prep) so I really appreciate lunches I can pull together in 10 minutes or less in the morning. This was definitely fit that criteria! I also added some goat cheese for some extra oomph and it was perfect.

To make this citrus kale salad with tahini dressing, I picked up some beautiful organic heirloom carrots to roast.

This was another easy one to make, outside of prepping the grapefruit - does anyone have any tips for ditching the pith?? I happily did and it was worth the effort, but there HAS to be an easier way, no? Loved this salad and all the components and the carrots were a beautiful, colourful touch.

On the weekend, Corbin and I had a super cute bike date in the sunshine and headed to Maha's for lunch!

I want to do a full post about my love for Maha's at some point in the future. I've been lucky to know Maha and her family for years, after I met them when I was in high school and volunteered with a youth choir. I had the pleasure of enjoying Maha's cooking and recipes and was so excited when her passion led her to opening a restaurant. It is nothing short of amazing.

On Saturday, Corbin and I landed the coziest corner of the restaurant, which was the perfect spot to enjoy my foule (a bean dish) with sunny eggs and cumin homefries. So good!

The spices, the texture, the flavours, the mix of old and new - everything at Maha's is divine and it's wonderful to see friends doing what they love! More on Maha's to come.

Do you have any go-to lunches that you love to pack?

This is 31.

When I was a kid, I definitely thought of people in their 30's as grown up. They had jobs, and kids, and a partner. I imagined that you attended post secondary education and then went off into the magical land of "grown up" where they had their shit figured out.

Well, I'm 31 today and I'm still working on it.

I went to a private college for musical theatre. I've had the opportunity to perform in shows (some amazing, some awful), be onstage, act silly in commercials, create my own work and get paid to do what I love.

I've had a multitude of jobs, quit jobs, been fired and acquired an eclectic skill set that includes musical theatre, administration, social media, event planning, customer service, nutrition, writing, health & weight loss coaching and being an executive assistant.

I've been single, engaged, dating and in relationships of various commitment levels.

I have no children, and don't have aspirations for that to change.

I still have friends I've known since I was 6, have collected friends from all areas of my life and enjoy making new friends (though I've discovered that it's a bit more challenging to do so as a so-called adult)

I've lost weight, gained it back, lost it again and have been more active than the gal who quit gym after grade 9 ever would have imagined. I've come to love my body and working actively towards nourishing it.

I've been faced with my fair share of challenges in the form of loss, health, decisions and relationships. It hasn't always been easy, but I've learned a lot and have always come out stronger on the other side.

I've travelled to England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, St. Lucia and various places in the states including New York City, Las Vegas and Florida. I'll be expanding my Canadian horizons later this year with trips to Calgary and Halifax. It's a good start, but there's so much of the world I've yet to see.

I also still buy bows to wear in my hair from the children's section and got really excited about jammies with owls on them on the weekend. Aged 31 or 4? I'm not sure sometimes.

That being said, I'm pretty stoked for what this year is going to look like.

I accepted my dream job last week and had my first day yesterday. I finally feel like my eclectic skill set is going to be well utilized in a job that challenges and fulfils me, which is so exciting. I'm in an amazing relationship with the kindest, most generous and amazing man and I have fantastic friends who are rocking their own dreams. I feel fit, healthy and strong and love my role as a coach where I get to help others do the same! I'm really looking forward to some amazing travel this year around North America and am looking forward to getting to Europe soon too.

So maybe I'm not the "grown up" I imagined I would be, but that's really ok. 31 is gonna be just fine.