All posts in category art & culture

Recovery Food & Ottawa Roundup

While the last week of my life brought a whole new meaning to the phrase Spring Fever I seem to have finally made it through. Hooray!

As I was recovering, I received some lovely emails wishing me well (you’re all so sweet!) as well as a few asking me to post about my nutrition choices while recovering from an illness. I’m not sure if I follow any hard fast rules, I usually just give myself what I crave. This week that meant a lot of green smoothies, soups (lentil, butternut squash, tomato, etc.) and Ezekiel Toast Sandwiches with either almond butter, banana and honey or avocado and egg. I definitely favour starchy vegetables like carrots and potatoes and I can’t seem to get enough of oranges and kiwis (which also happen to be extremely high in Vitamin C).

Here’s a little cheat sheet:

In celebration of feeling a zillion times better, I am (finally) sharing some lovely shots from last weekend’s road trip…Broken down by category of things I love.

1) COFFEE. Bridgehead. Mandatory in Ottawa.

2) VEGAN EATS. 3 Course Lunch @ Zen Kitchen. I’m obsessed.

Butternut Squash Soup with Pepitas

Organic Greens

Vegan Reuben with smoked tempeh, house fermented sauerkraut & thousand island dressing on rye bread. Side of house made frites. 

3) CHEAP MANICURES.

4) Shopping BROWSING JEWELLERY.

5) DANCE PARTY!

Primping ensued… (We kept it real classy with beer cups….)

NDMA Live @ Fall Down Gallery (Accompanied by Live Model Body Painting)

Rafter Brews…

Hot date.

I don’t know why but something about this trip got me excited about summer and more summertime road trips…Look out Montreal ;)

8 Comments
by the healthy hipster on March 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, coffee of the day, cooking tips and tricks, photojournal, road trippin'

Posted by the healthy hipster on March 25, 2012

http://healthyhipster.ca/2012/03/25/ottawa_roundup/

Weekend Roundup: Kale Salad to Electro-Goth Dance Parties

Here are a few things that I came to realize this weekend….in no particular order.

1) I only want meals in bowl-form lately.

 Breakfast

1.5 servings rolled oats cooked in soymilk for some extra protein, topped with 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup trail mix

Lunch

2 Whole Eggs Scrambled with Curry Powder, Mushrooms and Spinach. Served over a (buried) sweet potato and topped with 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cup hummus and some more trail mix

Dinner

Kale Caesar Salad from Live Organic Food Bar with Eggplant Bacon, Raw Croutons & Marinated Tempeh

2) Rest days are my new best friend.

The past week or so I have been taking more days off the gym than on because my life has been so hectic and I’ve been doing a lot of walking around the city on my search for a new place to live. Also a lot of anxious fretting…does that count as a workout? Anyways I was pretty sure my first day back this morning was going to be brutal but to my surprise I had much more energy and stamina than usual. I even managed to complete a set of full bridges (also known as full wheel in yoga or sometimes reverse pushups) which is huge for me. A lack of upper body strength made bridges the bane of my existence during my days as a dancer.

[Source]

This little personal success reminded me that giving your body extended time - not just a day but a whole week or two off – to rest and recover might be just what you need to avoid burning out and help you break through your own fitness plateaus.

3) I can still stay out past 2am.

Unlike many folks my age I wake up early. And do things. Things like cooking breakfast, reading the newspaper, moving my body in some way, grocery shopping and (very occasionally) cleaning my house. I get razzed about this all the time but honestly I like my morning routine and lovingly accept myself for the nerdy proto-grandma that I am. But I definitely can’t (nor would I want to) keep this schedule all the time…Sometimes it’s a Saturday night and one of your favourite bands is playing and your friends are out and you just want to dance till an unreasonable hour….


TRUST LP RELEASE PARTY @ WRONGBAR. TORONTO, ON.
[Source: PinkMafia]

STILL GOT IT.

4 Comments
by the healthy hipster on March 5, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, breakkins, city livin, midday munchies, whats supper

Posted by the healthy hipster on March 5, 2012

http://healthyhipster.ca/2012/03/05/electro-goth-kale-sala/

Healthy Hipster Q&A + A Long Weekend Roundup

Good morning everyone! And those of you living in Ontario Happy Family Day! Is that the worst name for a civic holiday of all time? Possibly. But I have a long weekend in February so who’s complaining?

First up, some exciting news! The Healthy Hipster was featured by Toronto-based sassfactory & pilates instructor extraordinaire Brittany on her blog Fine Tune Pilates. So if you want to hear me rant about exercise trends, scrawny hipsters, the fine art of gym fashion & songs I can’t stop listening to….Read the interview here.

I haven’t spent much time at home over the long weekend so my eats have been extremely grab and go. Reheated steel cut oats, almond butter & jam sandwiches, crackers, baby carrots & fennel, heaps of hummus & about 3 bars of dark chocolate have been my main sources of sustenance. Since these don’t sound like pretty pictures to me, I figured I would dedicate today to a photo journal of the things I officially deemed more important than elaborate meals this weekend.

Stuff I bought:

Tickets for two shows I am crazy excited for in March.

This almond milk cortado @ Capitol Espresso in Parkdale.

New jewellery. I saw this in a little vintage store and immediately exclaimed “IS THAT AN EAR CUFF!? ” Clearly it is now MY ear cuff.

Stuff I did:

Stopped into one of my favourite bars up on Bloor St. West The Piston…Don’t let the all black paint job or the lack of sign fool ya, it’s a friendly little spot that also happens to host some great live music shows. Thursday was no exception as one of my absolute favourite Halifax import bands The Taste tore the place down with swoonworthy Harry Nilsson style pop jams.

The Piston. Source: BlogTO

I also popped into Nobody Writes to the Colonel to wish a happy birthday to my good pal Graham Wright. I’d never been to this spot before but it’s warm, cozy atmosphere put everyone in a particularly adorable mood I think.

[Cute, fuzzy red pics courtesy of Spencer MacEachern]

Friday was a big ol’ Motown dance party called The Big Sound, featuring a local Toronto indie bands singin nothin but the hits. It. Was. Amazing. Don’t believe me? Watch this.

And you guessed it, I’m off again to enjoy this last day of long weekend freedom! Although I must say I’m looking forward to posting some new recipes this week as domestic self is feeling rather abandoned at the  moment and the kitchen is calling my name!

8 Comments
by the healthy hipster on February 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, best of the blogosphere, city livin, coffee of the day, photojournal

Posted by the healthy hipster on February 20, 2012

http://healthyhipster.ca/2012/02/20/healthy-hipster-qa-a-long-weekend-roundup/

EAT EM UP: SATURDAY LINKS

London-based, Nigerian-born designer Duro Olowu serves up a visual feast of West African, 70s inspired print. [TMagazine]

Fashion how-to: defrumping oversized sweaters.  [Refinery 29]

A visual history of Toronto’s yuppie-laden Liberty Village before all the loft conversions. [BlogTO]

Au Revoir Simone stole Miu Miu’s glasses…allegedly. Sweet melodies be damned, I always knew those girls were trouble. [NylonMag]

More reasons to love David Lynch. [Guardian]

Montreal electro-pop singer Grimes loves Mariah Carey & Tumblr. Displays passive aggressive disdain for Lykke Li. [Pitchfork]

Science still doesn’t understand female orgasms, but wants you to have more of them. [Women's Health]

Happy Saturday Procrastination Day!

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by the healthy hipster on February 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, best of the blogosphere, city livin

Posted by the healthy hipster on February 18, 2012

http://healthyhipster.ca/2012/02/18/eat-em-up-saturday-links/

Sunshine & Avant/Garde Inspiration

I am not in the kitchen today. Or the gym. I am in the sunshine. It’s 7 degrees in February and all I want to do is play outside.

So instead of a standard post I am sharing an assortment of things that have been inspiring me over the last week.

Memories of this fantastic production of Cruel and Tender by Canadian director Atom Egoyan.

While the play itself had some interesting thematic content I was completely enamoured with the cinematic quality of the staging. Visually stunning.

Photo Credit: Torontoist

Going to live theatre makes me feel just as giddy and excited as I did as a little kid. And I still HAVE to save my ticket stub and program.

A few snapshots of design details I fell in love with at the Interior Design Show. For some reason I keep returning to these ones.

Woodland Playchair.


Faux Cowhide Alphabet Rug.


Porcelain Tiles.


Water & Wood Dining Table.


Crystal Accents.


Neon Canadiana.

I also can’t stop falling in love with this digital portrait series called The Avant/Garde Diaries. I especially love this one on Rosmarie Köckenberger’s post-industrial cafe/urban garden in Berlin.

Hidden in a 600 square meter big garden in Berlins’ neighborhood Kreuzberg, Rosmarie Köckenberger welcomes her guests, friends and residents to have a coffee and a warm chat in her KJOSK. An almost 50 year old, white painted double-decker bus is used as a mom-and-pop store where people can play Super Mario together, eat local sausages and have a after work beer. Rosmarie offers with her KJOSK a special place, overgrown with greens, to settle back from the bustle of a big city in a familiar atmosphere.

Off to enjoy the day! Hope you’re finding inspiration in unexpected places on this Monday afternoon…

2 Comments
by the healthy hipster on February 6, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, city livin, get n'spired

Posted by the healthy hipster on February 6, 2012

http://healthyhipster.ca/2012/02/06/sunshine-avantgarde-inspiration/

GET FESTIVE. CRAFT//CONCERT//PARTY.

Is it just me or has the first stretch of December flown by! Between working three jobs (ya you heard that right) and holiday preparations, it feels like I haven’t had a moment to spare. My meals and gym trips have been pretty dull so let’s move straight to the good stuff…HOLIDAY FUN!

First snowfall! Caught one on my nose and couldn’t stop giggling…

I kicked off the Holiday Season in a big way this past weekend with a whole buncha seriously festive activities. Here’s a little rundown…

CRAFT.
City of Craft, to be precise.

This is my absolute favourite craft show of the season in Toronto and I look forward to it every year. This year it was spread out over two buildings and while I didn’t come home with my usual armloads of stuff, I was terribly inspired by everyone’s hard work.

Pendants and knitwear and leathergoods OH MY!

Isn’t there a DJ at every Craft show? That’s a thing outside of West Queen West right? Ahem…

Ultimately I left with some beautifully printed paper items that made the whole visit worthwhile.

Photos courtesy of Celine Kim.

CONCERT.

A little festive music with some old friends, the boys from Toronto’s own Tokyo Police Club. I went to the last of three shows they sold out at the Phoenix, which is an all-ages venue in Toronto that I used to go to all the time in high school. The whole night was nostalgic and adorable, basically a heartwarming holiday blast. It was almost too wholesome due to the median age at the show being about 16. I felt a bit too old to be there I must admit….

The highlight of the night was when they brought out the fellas from Born Ruffians, The Arkells, Said the Whale & The Fabulous Yawn to sing a rousing rendition of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”


I warned you it was wholesome.

Don’t worry. We more than made up for it at the after party later in the evening. Healthy Hipster Holiday Kryptonite = Tequila & Soda. And no, you don’t get to see those pictures ;)

PARTY.

Every year my Jewish father throws a Christmas party at his loft (Yup. Modern Family has nothing on me).

A Kir Royale (Champagne & Cassis Blackcurrent Liqueur). My holiday drink of choice.

I promise I’ll be bombarding you with loads of recipes & holiday food + fitness tips in the coming weeks but for the moment….

How are you kicking off your Holiday Season?

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by the healthy hipster on December 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, city livin, photojournal

Posted by the healthy hipster on December 14, 2011

http://healthyhipster.ca/2011/12/14/get-festive-craftconcertparty/

PARTY LOCAL.

Hey folks -

Sorry for the mini hiatus but it was birthday week in these parts and I have been busy PARTYING MY FACE OFF.

whatever maybe that was me partying my face off when I was 4…

Here’s a rundown of what the party really looked like this year…as I celebrated my 25th:

  • Bought 2 grey autumn sweaters with my mum (this and this)
  • Picked up an incredible pair of hiking boots at Mountain Equipment Co-Op – courtesy of the backwoods ranger (aka. my mom’s partner in crime)
  • Drank a few too many whisky sodas at the Holy Oak, one of my favourite little cafe/bar combos out on Bloor St. West

Photo Source: Blog TO

  • Ate delicious trail mix birthday cookies from Cool Hand of a Girl thanks to the Magical Megginz
  • Enjoyed a locally sourced birthday dinner at the Keriwa Cafe. I will review this restaurant soon but let’s just say it couldn’t have been more Healthy Hipster approved. They had birch on the walls and bannock bread on the menu. It was simply beyond.

Photo Credit: Toronto Life

MacIvor still gives me chills.

It was a show called His Greatness, about Tennessee Williams living in 1980s Vancouver. These tickets were courtesy of my pops, whattaguy!

A Young Tennessee Williams: Sass & Swagger

  • I also got to enjoy a delicious birthday brunch at Zocalo, a foodie hotspot in the Junction Triangle I’ve been meaning to try for ages. (A friend tried to explain where precisely the J.T. is but don’t ask me to explain…I let him lead the way. I like the feeling of not knowing where to go until I get there)

Photo Source: Blog TO

In Sum: I spent the day with the friends and family I love, supporting the businesses, restaurants and artists that make my community so wonderful. Sure I do these things every day, but on my birthday it felt special. Simple. But it suited me.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday? Home Cooking or Restaurants? Do you like to go adventuring or do you enjoy staying local?  
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by the healthy hipster on October 20, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, gettin personal, lovin local, restaurants and take-out

Posted by the healthy hipster on October 20, 2011

http://healthyhipster.ca/2011/10/20/party-local/

EAT/ART/REPEAT

Today was one of those Saturdays when I left the house with no plan at all, but by the end of the day I realized I spent it doing just what I wanted.

Grabbed lunch at one of my favourite West end haunts, Cafe Bernate.

My standard order...Bernate Salad with chicken and a side of crusty bread

Dark roast coffee + steamed almond milk + REFILLS. Bad news.

Then I made my way further west to Trinity Bellwoods Park to check out the events of the day which just happened to be the…

Lucky me!

The park served as the perfect canvas for all the lovely art pieces on display, with a bright blue sky and autumn leaves as far as the eye could see.

Everyone was lying around being stupidly adorable…And there were babies and puppies galore!

I didn’t want to be that guy taking photos of all the art, but I couldn’t help snapping a shot of these adorable little terrariums by local artist Jessie Trott.

Stopped in for some more caffeine and sustenance at a little organic food stand school bus.

munched on one of these baseball-sized banana apricot oat cookies. Wholesome sugar free nommm...

Sometimes nothing beats an adventure in your very own neighborhood to start the weekend off right!

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by the healthy hipster on September 17, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, city livin, get n'spired, healthified treats, lovin local, midday munchies, photojournal

Posted by the healthy hipster on September 17, 2011

http://healthyhipster.ca/2011/09/17/eatartrepeat/

Pride Weekend Roundup

Happy Pride Y’all!

Summer solstice be damned, Pride weekend always represents the real kickoff of Toronto summer for me. This year was actually my first time being in the parade, the dyke march to be exact, and lemme tell you it was absolutely amazing! What at an incredible sense of  community & solidarity I felt marching along so many strong, sassy & totally fierce ladiez.

me and my super sassy friend kay representin' for femme ladies everywhere

And how were the pride parties, you ask?

WELL lets just say that weekends like this remind me that sometimes “healthy” is about more than just good eatz.

Living well, supporting your community & celebrating the RAD people in your life…

…make for one very happy, (mostly) Healthy Hipster. ;)

Do you ever bend the rules of “healthy” living for “happy” living?  How did you celebrate this long weekend? 

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by the healthy hipster on July 3, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture, city livin, lovin local

Posted by the healthy hipster on July 3, 2011

http://healthyhipster.ca/2011/07/03/pride-weekend-roundup/

Good Music Addendum

After you listen to all that heartbeat blasting electro music you’re probably gonna feel like punching yourself in the ear. So as a public service I’m following my last post up with this good music addendum. Go listen to my friend Graham’s new record Shirts Vs. Skins. The whole album is streaming for free right now at Spinner.ca.

While Graham Wright is most likely known for his day jobs playin keyboards for Tokyo Police Club & yammerin about music and junk on CBC Radio 3 he’s also got top secret healthy tendencies including (but not limited to): overusing his jack lalanne juicer, mowing down on bowls of kale at Toronto’s Fresh Restaurant and….you guessed it….running like a pro! Keep your eyes peeled ladies, you might just find this one bombin down Bloor St. one day.

3 Comments
by the healthy hipster on June 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in art & culture

Posted by the healthy hipster on June 28, 2011

http://healthyhipster.ca/2011/06/28/addendum/

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