Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Game changer.

I dedicate this one to everyone who thinks asparagus is gross. I’m slowly getting warmed up with cooking and taking photos in my home kitchen again, so this is pretty much an introduction to all the yummy meals I will be preparing this summer! Judging from the photo of course, you can all tell that this was delicious.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Asparagus tossed in a mix of spices (Italian seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and a little bit of paprika).

Wrap asparagus in bacon (you can do either groups of 2 or 3) and sprinkle a little more seasoning on top. Place in the oven set at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Oh yes.

Summer Fitness – Tips for Lowering Your Carb Intake

I understand that summer has finally arrived, which also means that it is “I shouldn’t have ate that” and “summer body” season. In my personal opinion, I’m not a fan of the last minute fad diets that people go on to achieve whatever goal it is they have for the summer. I prefer making small changes over a long period of time as I find that leads to solid and long term results. I could easily say that I am on a ‘low carb diet’ however I’ve been maintaining this eating pattern for so long that I just consider it to be a new lifestyle. So here are some tips and advice on how to cut down on the things that we hate (but love so much at the same time omg cake) and feel good while doing it!

1. Say No to Bad Carbs

• Bad carbs include refined sugar (candy and cake, I was also very upset to find out they aren’t vegetables), white flour, white rice and this might surprise some of you but white potatoes are bad carbs as well. Refined carbs are digested so quickly that they cause your blood sugar to surge, which basically puts your body in “fat storing mode”. They leave you hungry and craving more carbs which leads to weight gain.

2. Say Yes to Carb Alternatives

• If you must consume carbs such as bread or pasta, it’s best to opt for a whole wheat option as it won’t send your blood sugar soaring. For a total replacement of carbs you can try things such as lettuce wraps, spaghetti squash and cauliflower (mashed cauliflower surprisingly tastes just like potatoes!)

3. No More Sugary Drinks

• I’ve gone about 2 years now without consuming a carbonated beverage of any kind. I no longer drink pop, before I decided to stop I used to drink root beer and iced tea almost everyday! I admit I miss root beer a lot but knowing the amounts of sugar hidden in most of these drinks I just can’t bring myself to drink them anymore. Instead I drink water or tea, and I don’t use sugar in my tea either. 

4. Travel with Snacks and Fruits

• One of the biggest reasons why I found I would consume unhealthy foods is because once I got hungry outside of my house, I’d have no choice but to buy junk. It always helps to pack an apple and a handful of nuts before you leave the house, it also helps you save money! 

5. Plan out your Carb Meals

• Instead of cutting out carbs altogether, I like to choose a meal of the day where I can incorporate it, and then eliminate it from my other meals. For example I may choose Breakfast to be my carb meal for today and have a slice of toast, then just eat meat and veggies for my other two meals.

I hope you guys find this helpful! I pretty much live by these rules and I’m very happy with how eating less carbs makes me feel! Happy Friday everyone! xoxo

We’re Back!

It was an amazing experience throwing our first pop-up shop in the fall last year and I’m happy to announce that we’re back for round 2! This year our Spring/Summer pop-up is being held at the Norman Felix Gallery downtown Toronto on May 24th through to the 25th. Everyone is invited to come check out all of our carefully selected shoes, apparel and accessories, nothing is over $20! Also very exciting is that we will have both men as well as women apparel this year (last year we carried mostly only women’s). I really hope everyone gets a chance to stop by! We have extended our event to 2 days this time so you all have no excuse

Last week my partner and I met with photographer Julien Bowry, who takes really lovely pictures might I add, to start getting some shots done for the promotion of our event. These are just some sneak peek photos for my loyal Wordpress followers, they haven’t even made their way to our Facebook page yet so feel very special. Anyway, check out some photos of a couple of the women’s apparel you guys can look forward to finding at our pop-up! I will follow this post up with a preview of mens apparel in a couple days!

FiveNDime Shopping Party

May 24-25th at the Norman Felix Gallery – 627 Queen Street W, Toronto

Get 10% off your clothing when you mention LisasPlate!

For more photos by Julien Bowry check out http://lesydej.tumblr.com/

Asian Style Chicken Wings and Roasted Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes

This is the last supper I will be preparing in my Waterloo kitchen. I can’t believe how fast time went! I’m really going to miss cooking meals for my roommates and forcing them to try new things haha. Had it not been for them, I probably wouldn’t have posted recipes so often on here.

For the last supper I prepared Asian style chicken wings that were marinated in ginger, lime and garlic with a side of cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes. I have to say, sweet potatoes are my most favourite thing right now! I currently have this small obsession with sweet potatoes and I’ve been eating them non-stop. But anyway, in my opinion roasting them with lots of cinnamon and butter is the best way to cook them.

I will post the recipe I used for the wings below! Hope everyone had an awesome weekend!

Ingredients:
12 chicken wings
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice + zest of one lime
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

Wash chicken wings and pat dry.

Make the marinade by mixing the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice and zest, honey, chili sauce, and sesame oil in a large bowl and blend well.

Place the chicken wings in the bowl and coat the chicken wings with the marinade, turning over the pieces to coat evenly.  Cover and marinate the chicken wings for several hours or overnight.

Preheat the broiler.  Cook the chicken wings on a foil-lined broiler pan for 12-15 minutes, or until the juices have no trace of pink when pierced.

Serve with lime wedges.

xox

The New Division – Starfield

Officially one week left before I AM FREE!! My last exam is on the following Tuesday and I’m slowly but surely getting some studying in. I have never before felt so over school than I do right now, but I’m hanging in there. Recently I’ve been looking at my music posts on here as an alternative to going completely ghost during my busy periods, but I realized it’s really a great way to share another one of my interests. Too many times I hear great music and think, “I can’t believe there’s people out there who haven’t heard this”. So I will continue to post songs on a regular basis.

Since I’m on the brink of having a lot of free time I’ve been considering doing something new that will greater emphasize my passion for food and healthy eating, perhaps in the form of videos?

In the mean time, I want to know what you guys will be up to this summer! Will you be going on any exciting trips or be having fun in your own cities? Let me know!

xox.

Blueberry Pear Crisp

Classes are finally over for this year which means I can use my mornings to whip up yummy (and healthy) breakfasts! This took only 5 minutes to prep and then it was baked for about 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for those mornings where you’re in a rush since you could easily get ready while it’s baking. Ideally you’d probably eat something like this with ice cream, but at 9 am it goes perfectly with vanilla yogurt so good!

Here’s the recipe! For my own I used smaller amounts to make a single serving.

Blueberry Pear Crisp

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Ripe Pears (About 4 Medium Large Pears), Peeled, Cored & Chopped
1 Cup Dried Wild Blueberries (Or Fresh or Frozen)
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Topping:

1 1/4 Cup Regular Oats
1 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon                                                                       1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter (12 Tablespoons), Diced

Directions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Butter a 9 inch casserole dish well.
In a bowl, toss together the pears, blueberries, sugar, and cinnamon.
Dump the fruit into your casserole dish and spread evenly across the bottom.
In another bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon.
Add the diced butter, and using your fingers rub the butter into the other ingredients well until you have a crumbly mixture.
Sprinkle the topping over the pears evenly covering them and bake until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Spinach Salad with Fruit, Cashews and Goat Cheese

As much as I love eating salad, I have to say they can get pretty boring. I can only eat caesar salad so many times before it starts to lose it’s appeal. So to switch it up a bit, I made a spinach salad with pears, mandarin oranges, cashews and goat cheese. The goat cheese I used is one that has a cranberry and cinnamon coating which added amazing flavour, and for dressing I made a maple vinaigrette.

Finally some warm weather where I am I hope everybody has a great weekend.

Also wanted to say hey to my new followers for this week, thanks for subscribing!