One of my favorite comfort foods is pasta. And although I have a gluten sensitivity, I still love to get my spaghetti or lasagne on every once in a while, but I use a great trick to avoid the gluten as well as the carbohydrates in pasta, and level up on the healthiness factor of this meal.

I kinda made this recipe up as I went, and it turned out pretty darn good, so I thought it was worth sharing. 🙂

Recipe Details

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 hours on low in your crock pot
Serving size: 1 – 1.5 cups

Shopping List / Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey for a leaner protein)
• 1 onion – chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic – minced
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper (I also used a piece of orange pepper that I had left over in the fridge)
• 2 carrots – chopped
• 2 stalks of celery – chopped
• A handful of mushrooms – chopped
• 2 cans tomato paste – try to use one that has the least number of added ingredients.
  • The Italissima brand (in the photo) contains only tomatoes and salt.
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add ground beef (or turkey). Cook until the meat is browned (4-5 minutes), making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks. Drain excess fat and transfer to slow cooker.* This process helps melt off excess fat and water from the meat, which helps make it healthier before transferring it to the slow cooker.
2. Get rid of the excess fat and add remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the skillet. Add vegetables to the skillet and cook until the onions are soft (about 3 minutes). This process helps release the flavours from the veggies before adding them to the slow cooker. Transfer to slow cooker.
3. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and herbs and seasoning to the slow cooker and mix well.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on LOW.
5. Stir well and serve with your choice of pasta or zoodles.

Enjoy!

Pasta Sauce on Zoodles (zucchini noodles)

I’m always on the lookout for easy, healthy and delicious meals to add to my rotation and in the winter months that often involves my crockpot!

This was my first try with this cilantro chicken recipe, and it turned out awesome!

Recipe Details:

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Crockpot Cooking Time: 6-8 hours on Low OR 5-6 hours on High
Serving Size: 1 cup
Serves 6-8

Shopping List / Ingredients: 

I’m a HUGE soup lover, so I thought I would give this delicious looking apple butternut squash soup a try with the surplus of apples I picked from my parents’ trees. I had a fairly small butternut squash to work with, so I cut the recipe in half – an average squash should be fine with the full ingredient amounts.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Total Time: 1 hr.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 50 min.
Equipment: Blender, large saucepan
Yield: 8 servings

Shopping List:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
   
3. Cover squash halves with foil and place them on a baking pan cut sides up. Bake until tender (about 45-50 minutes). Set aside.
   
4. While your squash is in the oven, add oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
5. Add chopped onion; cook, stirring frequently until tender (maybe 3-4 minutes).
6. Add apples, broth, ginger, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until apples are tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
7. Pour the apple mixture into the blender (in batches, if necessary). Blend until smooth. Return apple mixture to saucepan.
   
8. Take the squash out of the oven and scoop the flesh out into the blender, add milk (or almond milk in my case) and blend until smooth.
   
9. Add blended squash to the apple mixture in the saucepan and add salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over low heat, stirring frequently.
10. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with fresh apple chunks and cilantro.

If you liked this apple butternut squash soup recipe, share the love with a pin, a like, a pic or a comment below!

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about this apple crisp recipe when I first read about it – mostly because there is no butter or no sugar in it. But I thought, “Hey! I have a TON of apples, so I may as well give it a shot.”

Well let me tell you, I am pleasantly surprised by what I pulled out of the oven last night! So here, as promised, is the recipe.

Healthy Apple Crisp

Recipe Details:

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes (approx.)
Serving Size: 1 cup

Shopping List: 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
2. Peel and slice up 4 cups of apples.
   (I had a leftover peach that needed to be used up, so those are the orange bits you see in the photo below.)
3. In a medium baking dish; combine the apples with 2 tbsp maple syrup and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and mix well.
   
4. In a bowl, combine oats, nuts, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and mix well.
5. Top the apple mixture with the oat mixture in the baking dish.
   
6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until the apples are soft.
7. Clean up. There’s not a whole lot of mess…

Enjoy your fresh, delicious, 21 Day Fix approved apple crisp with a cup of tea or coffee! (In the photo: Earl Grey de la Creme black tea from Steeped Tea With Jenn)

Bonus Vanilla Shake Recipe

This morning, as I was making Adam’s vanilla shake, I wondered how good it might be with some of the apple crisp blended into it.

Um, Hello Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream!

Apple Pie Shake Recipe:

Blend together:

• 1/2 cup apple crisp
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 scoop your favorite Vanilla Shake Powder
• 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
• Ice (optional)

Did you like this recipe? Share the love with a pin, a like, a pic or a comment below!

If you’ve been following my blog and social media for a while, you know that financial freedom, time freedom and location independence have always been important to me. These are things that I have dreamed about for quite a while.

For years I have been working a day job, and taking on side projects with hopes that “one day” the side jobs would out-weigh the daily grind. But, due to the time commitment of the day job, that dream always stayed a dream. I never found the right formula and support system to make it happen.

Are You a Dreamer?

Are you a daydreamer? Do you ever sit at your desk job, thinking about the other things you could be doing? Thinking where you might be if you were location independent with financial freedom? What you would be doing? Who you would be doing it with? Which passion projects you would be working on?

• Close your eyes.
• Take a deep breath.
• Think about what that day dream looks like.
• Visualize it.
• Got it?
• Write it down.
• Read it to yourself everyday.

What would you say if I told you that you could HAVE that dream?

What would you do if you had the tools and the means to get there?

Would you give it a shot?

Becoming my own boss has given me the freedom to work on my own terms, set my own hours and do something I’m passionate about, all from any location I choose! Whether I’m  at home, at the beach in Parksville with my family, skiing in Whistler, or somewhere more exotic like Europe or Costa Rica, as long as I have an internet connection I can get my work done! My online business has taken my dreams out of my head and into my life!

If this inspires you and you’re ready to take your dreams into your own hands, try something new, be a part of a supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and dream a little bigger, drop me a Facebook message, comment below or shoot me an email for more info.

Wow! That 10 days just FLEW by! Today is the last post in my 10 Day Blog Challenge with Natalie Sisson. And as this blog post says, I am now a “Certified Freedomist!”

What is a Freedomist, you might ask…?

A Freedomist has:

Thanks to Natalie Sisson’s 10 Day Blog Challenge, I have explored all of these areas and she has helped me get clearer on many of them. Some will always be a work in progress, but the dream is there and I truly believe that it is completely attainable!

The exercise I found the most helpful and the most fun int he past 10 days was the post we wrote about Mentorship.

I honestly believe that every human being has the ability to help another. You have the power to lift up every person you meet any day of the week. Whether this is through a compliment, holding the door for them, or giving them advice on a life situation.

Knowing that I have soooo much to learn in the world of online business, it was so much fun for me to think about who I would love to have the opportunity to meet and what I would ask them from a mentorship point of view. Not only did this exercise identify questions I would have for my dream mentors, it also brought up questions that I should be exploring more for myself.

As much as I would LOVE to meet and pick the brains of my dream mentors, there is so much more self exploration for me to tackle, and this exercise helped me identify even more questions to answer for myself.

Thank you Natalie, for an amazing 10 days of self-exploration! It’s been a wonderful way for me to dive back into regular blogging and I’m excited to keep this momentum rolling in the days and weeks to come!

What’s This 10 Day Blog Challenge?

This round of the blog challenge has ended, but don’t fret! The posts are still available and there is always the Freedom Plan to take you even farther down the rabbit hole of self discovery and goal crushing!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 9]

My first location independence experience was in Bali. My aunt has a home in North Bali, so I decided to spend a month there to take a break from the riffraff of home with a working holiday.  The key to getting the work done, as well as experiencing the freedom I so craved, was balancing the two.

I found that maintaining some form of schedule was imperative to making the work/freedom lifestyle balance work. I would build my work schedule around the things I wanted to see, explore and do in Bali. Having changed my personal lifestyle somewhat (I’m much more active than I used to be), I imagine an average day looking something like this:

A Day of Freedom:

Wake up early (around 6am, thanks to the local roosters) and start the day with a 30-minute workout beside the pool, followed by a dip. My tea and breakfast is ready when I finish swimming and I check and respond to email while I eat.

Today, the plan is to visit Air Panas in the late morning. We will leave at 11am. So,I get some work done, edit yesterday’s photos and upload them to Flickr while I schedule my social media posts for the day, bearing my home time zone in mind to ensure maximum engagement opportunities.

Air Panas hot springs in Bali, Indonedia

I spend the morning working on my business and then head out for the afternoon to explore and photograph the hot springs – both with my DSLR and my iPhone for easy social media posting later.

On the way back from the hot springs, we make an unexpected stop at one of the only Buddhist temples on the island of Bali. It’s so peaceful here, I could meditate here for hours.

When we get back to the villa, it is nearly dinner time. I try to spend so time in the kitchen a couple of times a week, learning about Balinese/Indonesian cooking. (Learning local cooking is something I always like to do when traveling in new places.)

After dinner I watch the sunset from the upper deck of the villa, as I check in on my social media, respond to engagement, post images and updates from the day and spend a couple of hours working, as my home time zone is just waking up.

An Average Day of the Freedom Lifestyle

A basic  schedule for my location independed freedom lifestyle includes:

• Waking up early
• Getting my workout in, first thing
• Eating a healthy, balanced breakfast
• Spend 2-3 hours working
• Spend the afternoon exploring/enjoying my current location
• Eat a healthy dinner
• Spend another 2-3 hours working
• Head to bed

Depending on my location, this schedule may be changed up, depending on what is planned for the day or what opportunity is presented. However, the idea is to spend a minimum of 4 hours working each day.

The 10 Day Blog Challenge is Still Open!

Join the 10 Day Blog Challenge to explore your own freedom in business, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge (Sept. 20)! *Click* the image below to join!

Today’s adventure was not unlike most days, but today’s walk was a bit more special than other days for a few reasons:

The Rain

We had the first rain storm in Victoria in quite some time today. It poured cats and dogs! We caught a short break in the storm and we took advantage of it and headed out.

The Old Lady

Silka is our old lady dog. She’s a 14-year-old Weimeraner, and she will likely not be with us all that much longer. Her legs don’t work like they used to, and she gets cold quite easily – hence the rain jacket.

The Quality Time

I also got to spend quality time with my man during our walk today. Our recent engagement is still very fresh and exciting, and I love every minute we are able to spend together. (ok ok, enough of the mushy stuff… haha!)

The Good Days

Silka managed to make it through a longer walk than usual today. She has had a few health problems lately, from stomach issues, to a foot injury, to her general age issues with failing hips. I’m always so grateful and relieved when her body cooperates to give her her better days.

The Mushrooms

Thanks to the rain, the forest is coming back to life after a dry summer. Mushrooms are some of my favourite things to photograph, so finding this pine cone with tiny shroomies growing out of it was super exciting for me. You’ll find some of my other fave mushroom shots here, here, and here.

The Puddles

And of course, no walk is complete without the fur baby love of my life, Roxie! Roxie is a swimmer. If there is water around, she will be in it. Even though it rained, the streams are still dry as are her usual water holes, but we did come across a gigantic puddle for her to play in.

If I’m able to choose my own adventure for my days, dog walks will always be a part of them. Hikes, walks, swims, bike rides, as long as our beasties can be a part of it, I’m happy!

Want to design your own adventure?

There’s still time to join Natalie Sisson’s 10 Day Blog Challenge! The challenge has helped me find my focus, identify my road blocks as well as my superpowers. *Click* the image below to join!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 7]

I’ve been working at my Beachbody coaching business for a little over two months now. I’m still learning the ropes and figuring out where my momentum is going to come from, but there a couple of things that I know will make a big difference by committing 45-60 minutes every day for the next 30 days. I’m taking Natalie’s advice to take this on for 30 days as a personal challenge!

This time commitment will be shared by two tasks:

Daily Beachbody Workouts

In order for people to truly understand what I do is and the true benefits of it, they need to see the program in action. Over the past couple of weeks, I have substituted other outdoor activities (hiking, running, etc.) for my daily workouts at least 2 or 3 times a week. My commitment is to do a Beachbody workout every single day for the next 30 days. There are so many options, from yoga to bootcamp to extra ab workouts – I have no excuse to not get a workout in everyday.

Daily Personal Development

Personal development plays such a great part in transformation and growth. It is something that Beachbody encourages over and above all else. Always be learning. Always be developing yourself.

I have read bits and pieces from Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich,” and I have heard great reviews about this book, but I have never read it cover to cover. This will be the first personal development book I tackle and will read from start to finish.

The Compound Effect is another book I’ve heard is worth checking out. If you know of any inspiring books that I should add to my list, I would love your recommendations in the comments below.

There are Still a Few Days Left to Join the Blog Challenge!

I have found this 10 Day Blog Challenge to be a fantastic exercise to help me get back into a habit of writing everyday, as well as to explore where my personal road blocks are.

Do you have road blocks of your own that are stopping you from living your dream life? There’s still time to join this Blog Challenge! *Click* the image below to join!

[This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 6]

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”? ~Zig Ziglar

I strongly believe this. Looking back over my life and the groups of people I chose to spend my time with, it becomes very apparent (in hindsight) that the group members influenced each other in one way or another.

So which 5 people would you choose to have to yourself in a room where you could ask them any question you like? Who would you choose? and what would you ask them?

For me, I can name a good number of people I admire and whose businesses inspire me. My top mentor opportunities would be:

Gary Vaynerchuk

Do you follow GaryVee? This man’s energy blows me away! I love his enthusiasm for life and other people’s success and helping them get there. The blunt way he communicates is refreshing – no sugar coating here, people!. He sees the world through an interesting lens.

My question for GaryVee would be, “What is the biggest road block that new entrepreneurs hit that makes them give up just when they should push harder? And what is your advice to them?”

Sir Richard Branson

This is a man who I believe understands work/life balance. He has built up a huge empire of businesses, while still prioritizing time with family and to do the things he wants and loves to do.

My question for Sir Branson would be, “How do you switch your mind from work mode to life mode without allowing one to get in the way of the other? How do you find and maintain that balance?”

And a second question would be, “What are the initial steps you take to bring a new idea into reality?”

Anthony Robbins

I’d love the opportunity to meet with Tony Robbins. His ability to see through someone’s bullshit(even when they don’t even know it’s bullshit) is amazing! And then his ability to break through that obstacle and rebuild from there to something inspiring and motivating is incredible. My question for him would be, “What can I do better to help inspire and motivate others?”

Natalie Sisson

I suppose this one is a bit obvious, as Natalie is the leader of the blog challenge for which I’m writing this post. I’ve followed Natalie Sisson’s journey for several years now, have done a few of her challenges and her Mastermind program. I actually met her once at her book launch event in Vancouver (do you remember, Natalie?) 😉 , and as you may devise from her videos and podcasts, she’s lovely!

My question for Natalie would be, “How do you choose what to outsource and what to look after yourself? And what is your criteria for your outsourcers?”

Do You Have a List of Mentors to Share? Join the Blog Challenge!

Join in on the 10 Day Blog Challenge to explore your own freedom in business, there’s still time! You can join right up until the last day of the challenge! *Click* the image below to join!