This is 32

I celebrated my 32nd birthday on April 8th and I've gotta say, I still feel very similar to how I did last year on my birthday. 

I celebrated my special day with some of my very favourite people and lots of great food. It was a Friday, so I started the day with a workout and then had a great day at work. We finished early and I had a beautiful walk in the sunshine and a manicure.

In the evening, Jessie, Lindsay and Corbin joined me for a spectacular dinner at Tori's After Hours. I've been to Tori's Bake Shop before (which is an all vegan bakery in the beaches with a really great selection of gluten free options). I had wanted to check out the After Hours for awhile, and my birthday seemed like the perfect excuse to do so!

The food was AMAZING. From gnocchi in a cheese sauce that I wanted to slurp up with a straw, to an incredible cheese plate with delectable gluten free crackers, amazing vegetables and a chocolate chip cake to top it all off - I couldn't have asked for a better menu. The kitchen even sent out a bonus mushroom pate appetizer because we were wearing birthday hats.

If you're in Toronto, I highly suggest checking it out - especially if you're with a small group! It's a great opportunity to order a bunch of dishes and sample the menu.

Corbin and I continued the festivities the next day with a delicious brunch at Harvest Kitchen followed by cupcakes at Almond Butterfly. 

Oh gosh, so good!

Corbin was leaving for Europe for a month a couple days later, so it was extra nice to have some quality time together. It was another beautiful, sunny day so we enjoyed the sunshine together and got to have a really nice meal! Harvest Kitchen is a great option for vegetarians and omnivores alike with lots of gluten free options. And Almond Butterfly just has the best gluten free cupcakes in Toronto - hands down. That weekend they had chocolate peanut butter cookie dough cupcakes that both Corbin and I devoured. 

I had a wonderful weekend and couldn't have asked for better company or more delicious food!! It was exactly what I hoped for and I felt very spoiled by all the love. 

In honour of my birthday, I started to make a list of all that I've learned in 32 years and it developed into a manifesto of sorts.

Those are the ideas I plan to live by as I head into this new year of my life! 32, let's do this.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday messages and wishes -- I truly appreciate it!! xo

Weekend Adventures

This weekend I had a lot of 'me' time and I feel like it was well deserved. July was an amazing month, but boy was it busy! After Fringe, I was basically in the city for less than a week. I took off to Nashville for an incredible experience at Summit, came home for 4 days and then got back on a plane to go to Alberta for 10 days. I'll be blogging more about both of those trips -- I can't wait to share all that I learned / saw / did / experienced - ahhhh!!

My weekend started off with a super fun party in the east end of the city to celebrate the first birthday of the Confidential Musical Theatre Project. I've had the pleasure of performing in 2 shows with this company and both have helped me grow as a performer! It's an exhilarating (and terrifying) experience that I think every actor should pursue. I got to sing "I Still Believe in Love" from They're Playing Our Song and broadcasted it live on Periscope (you can follow me @ashleydtl to catch those sorts of things!) It was an awesome night and I had a blast connecting with fellow performers and reflecting on all that has happened in a year!

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. Since I moved to the west end of Toronto (after being an east ender for a loooong time) I've been discovering all sorts of great places in my hood to substitute all of my old haunts. I decided to explore Roncesvalles on Saturday as I was looking for a dress to wear to a wedding in September.

Most of my wardrobe comes from Damzels and I had wanted to visit the west end location for some time - it did not disappoint! I found myself trying on countless dresses and had to choose between a bunch of dresses for the wedding. I found a beautiful green dress to wear and also grabbed a sweet bamboo t-shirt that is so soft! I love the service when I go to Damzels and always leave happy.

Since it was a 'me' day, I treated myself to a quickie mani at The Ten Spot and enjoyed some huevos rancheros for brunch at The Ace. 

In between brunching & my manicure, I checked out all sorts of neat little stores on Roncesvalles and had a lovely afternoon! I picked up some awesome cards at Scout and coveted some beautiful jewelry and handbags at Frock. After I nearly walked all the way down to Queen Street, I walked back up to where I had parked my bicycle and biked to the Junction in the sunshine to get a cupcake at Bunners.

Peaches and cream? Heck, yes!

It was a perfect day to be out on my bicycle and walking in the sunshine, exploring different neighbourhoods that are close to me. I maybe capped all of that off with a nap - that's what weekends are for, right?!

How was your weekend? Do you have any favourite spots in the west end of Toronto?

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?

Nutty Coconut Zucchini Noodles

I learned to cook by following recipes and essentially teaching myself. I'm working on being more confident in my culinary abilities and feeling more freedom to adapt recipes and create my own.

This recipe came out of a craving for zucchini noodles!! While I really enjoy zucchini noodles raw, I sometimes like to sauté them a little bit to change the texture and enjoy a warm dish (especially when it's really chilly outside!). If you don't have a spiralizer, you could use another type of cooked noodle or serve the veggies & tofu in the sauce over quinoa or just on their own. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand when making this dish.

Nutty Coconut Zucchini Noodles

Recipe adapted from Eat Good 4 Life
Makes 4 servings

1 large zucchini
2 tbsp. coconut oil, divided
1/2 block extra firm tofu, cubed
4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 broccoli crown, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 baby bok choy, chopped
2 cups snow peas
1/2 cup organic natural peanut or almond butter
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp. gluten free tamari
1 tbsp. red curry paste
juice of 1 lime
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cashews, chopped

Spiralize your zucchini and set aside.

Add 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil to a small pan. Add tofu and a splash of tamari and sauté until tofu is browned on all sides. Set aside.

In a large pan, add 1 tbsp. coconut oil and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add red pepper, bok choy and broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add snow peas and cook for another minute.

While the veggies are sautéing, heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté zucchini noodles for 2-3 minutes until softened. Set aside.

Add the nut butter, coconut milk, tamari, red curry paste and lime juice. Stir / whisk until sauce is combined and veggies are mixed in nicely. Add tofu and zucchini noodles, stirring well to make sure everything is well combined. Heat for another couple minutes and serve warm.

Serve with chopped green onion, cashews and a lime wedge.

Meal Planning Magic

Meal planning is something that I used to be really good at and made a BIG priority for myself. But since I've been living on my own, it's been a task that has dwindled on my list of priorities. Because my schedule can be all over the place, I find it more challenging to set a day to do my grocery shopping and meal prep and then stick to a meal plan when I'm running from worky to Corbin's house to rehearsal and everywhere else! I end up spending more money on take away food than I would like and I come home to a house that doesn't have a tonne of choices in the fridge and pantry.

This week I set out to be more diligent with my meal planning. I set a goal to bring a packed meal to all work shifts and rehearsals and made myself a little meal planner, complete with my schedule for each day. I'm happy to say that I was pretty successful!! I made some delicious meals, saved lots of money and had a great time cooking with Corbin on Monday and Tuesday.

Here are a couple of my favourites from the week!!

This taco salad from Choosing Raw was unbelievable!! We loved it so much!! I made the filling with walnuts, lentils and sundried tomatoes and changed up the spices a bit. The guac was incredible and cashew sour cream is one of my very favourite things. We enjoyed this for dinner one night and by lunch the next day I was CRAVING it! I love leftovers!!! We will be making this again. And again. And again.

I made these veggie bowls back in March for Corbin's birthday and we were obsessed with the ranch hummus that was on top of them! When I was looking through Pinterest trying to decide what to make for dinner on Tuesday, they popped up and I knew we had to have them again. I think they were even better the second time! We used fresh herbs in the hummus which made it extra green (and extra yummy) and had a handle on how to make the polenta this time around. They were so good! And also provided great leftovers for the next day. There are a lot of components, but with two of us pulling everything together in the kitchen it was actually pretty easy and came together in about 40 minutes.



For a treat, I decided to try out this One Bowl Gluten Free Banana Bread recipe and it turned out so well! It was really easy, I had most of the ingredients on hand and everyone who tried it really enjoyed it. They were also surprised that it was gluten and dairy free, which is always a good sign! It was just delicious banana bread. I will definitely be making this again! (Actually today, as I want to bring some to my cast for our last rehearsal tomorrow)

I'm really proud that I stuck to my plan this week and had a blast in the kitchen. While my meal planning may not be as structured as it used to be, I can still make it happen if I make it a priority! If you're super and on the go like I am, take the time to get some groceries and make a couple of yummy meals that you can enjoy throughout the week. Your tummy and your wallet will thank you!

What are your best meal planning tips? What was on your meal plan this week??

8 Tips for Enjoying a Healthier Thanksgiving

I can hardly believe that it's already October. The air is getting crisper and the sun is going down a whole lot earlier. The leaves are beginning to turn and I'm craving everything pumpkin! I busted out my legwarmers yesterday and have embraced the fact that I can no longer get away with just a jean jacket outside.

It is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and I'm looking forward to spending some time with family on Monday. It can also be overwhelming to navigate a big meal with family when you're trying to embrace a healthier lifestyle. I've been doing some brainstorming and enlisted the help of some friends on Facebook and Twitter, and came up with the following list of tips to enjoy a healthier Thanksgiving meal.

1. Make great food choices leading up to the meal. Have a stellar breakfast and lunch or snack so you're not ravenous when you sit down for dinner. It will help you make better choices during the meal and ensure that you're eating to nourish yourself and enjoy the food, and not eating because you are starving!
   
2. Take the time to do a workout during the day on your own or take advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and take a nice walk or run. Getting some activity in will feel awesome and give your day some balance and 'you' time (which is especially helpful if you're having a lot of family time!)
   
3. If you're the one making the meal or can influence the chef, ensure that there are some awesome, healthy options included. Ditch the butter and cream. Have a selection of beautiful veggies, make a delicious fall-inspired soup or try some healthier alternatives to classic dishes like cauliflower mash, mushroom miso gravy, lentil loaf, a great shepherd's pie or vegan pumpkin pie. There are endless possibilities to what your meal could look like and it's a wonderful time to try something new, perhaps creating a new tradition.
   
4. When you're filling up your plate, make half of it veggies! You'll get a lovely assortment of goodness, while being able to feel great about your meal and still leaving room for more indulgent choices.
   
5. Be sure to enjoy your favourite parts of the meal. If you love stuffing, have stuffing! If you're a pie person, enjoy some pie! Practice moderation and work on enjoying your food rather than feeling guilty.
   
6. Skip the things that don't excite you and since you're an independent person, you don't have to eat certain foods just to be polite. Aunt Ida will forgive you. I promise.
   
7. Remember that it's not the last supper. For real. It's seriously just another meal and you don't need to eat everything in sight, just because it's there! If you celebrate Christmas, you're going to be seeing all of those foods in a month and a half anyway. There's also nothing stopping you from making/having pumpkin pie or stuffing on a non-holiday. Just sayin'.
   
8. Make it less about the food and more about giving thanks. Focus on the things in your life that you are grateful for and the time you get to spend with your family and friends. 

I feel thankful for so many things in my life right now: my incredible relationship, my wonderful friends & familia, my health and the opportunity to do so many things that I love! Life is pretty sweet and I'm looking forward to having some time to reflect on all of that this weekend. 

I hope these tips are helpful for you this weekend (and give my American friends a head start on their plans in November!) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone xo

What are you thankful for?
What is your favourite tip for enjoying a healthier Thanksgiving? 

Birthday Shenanigans

I love birthdays.

I love:
- getting excited about them
- celebrating them
- procuring/creating fantastic gifts and cards
- enjoying treats & festivities
- the chance to hang out with my favourite people

I enjoy celebrating my own birthday and reveling in the 'birth month' whenever possible. In the weeks leading up to my birthday this year, I wasn't sure that I was still going to feel the same way since it was a birthday that ended with a zero.

*gasp*

I lived to tell the tale and have to say that it was probably the best birthday I've had in recent memory. Maybe ever. 

It started over the weekend with Ethiopian food, wine and dancing with some of my very favourite people. Corbin captured some stellar photos of our dancing shenanigans with silly poses, photo bombs and some hilarious expressions from people in the background. I went to bed a very happy gal.

For my actual birthday, Corbin planned a whole day of fun for me. He did an amazing job planning an incredible day full of things that I love including great entertainment with a music theme (Twenty Feet From Stardom during breakfast, an adventure to see Frozen and front row tickets for Elegies in the evening), super delicious food (yummy breakfast bowls, sweet cupcakes from Urban Herbivore and a wonderful dinner at Khao San Road) and the most thoughtful gifts, all the while wearing birthday hats.

I had no idea what to expect from my gifts. I knew that he had been working on something for hours in the days leading up to my birthday, but really had no clue as to what "it" was. When the clock struck midnight on April 8th he presented me with a card and adorable happy owl stickers. In the morning before breakfast he gave me an adorable giraffe who I decided to name Winthrop (I felt an Old English name was appropriate and liked that it referenced The Music Man which is one of my favourite musicals!)



After breakfast Corbin presented me with the gift he had been working on for days.
Inside the bag I found two handcrafted pink and black, sparkly tickets to New York City.

I started bawling! They were beautiful and so thoughtful and I was so excited at the prospect of going back to my favourite city with my love! I don't know when we'll go just yet, but probably later in the year while the weather is still nice. So exciting!! Best. Gift. Ever.


It was certainly a birthday to remember and for the first time in a long time it felt like a really special day. I'm so thankful for my friends who made this month awesome and to Corbin who really went above and beyond in making my birthday truly fantastic by being incredibly thoughtful and wonderful. Being in love while surrounded by love is pretty much the best gift I could ask for.

Here's to a new decade!

Adventures in New York

It's been more than two months since my latest trip to NYC, but unfortunately it's taken me this long to get this post up! While unfortunate that it's taken me this long, it's lovely to reminisce of such a lovely visit to my favourite city with my favourite person!

After visiting NYC twice a year in 2011 and 2012, I was itching to go by fall 2013. Corbin had never really had a proper visit to New York, so we decided to go together in November. There was a bunch of things happening around that time that I wanted to go to and so many restaurants that I wanted to visited and Corbin told me to go ahead and plan the itinerary - so fun! Here are some of the highlights from our time there.

Amazing Meals

The food in New York is always a highlight for me. I love adding to my list of incredible Ashley-friendly restaurants and visiting  all of my favourites. This trip certainly did not disappoint!! On our first day we stopped at two of my very favourites: Sun in Bloom and Pure Food and Wine. We had a wonderful brunch at Sun in Bloom as soon as we arrived and it was totally worth the jaunt to Brooklyn!

Amazing sweet potato soup, breakfast burritos and scrambled tofu were gobbled up and enjoyed immensely. Our dinner at Pure that night was beyond words; everything was phenomenal and worth the 2 year wait since I had last eaten there.

Everything at Pure was unbelievably delicious from the kale salad and raw cheese plate to our tamales and Pure's signature zucchini and heirloom tomato lasagna and our epic desserts along with sangria. It was such a special, memorable meal and Corbin's first experience with gourmet raw food. Writing about it makes me want to hop on a plane and go eat there right now... Other amazing meals included more trips to Brooklyn for Buttermilk Channel

and two visits to Champs (yes, it was that good!)

as well as a lovely breakfast at Peacefood Cafe on our last day. New York was good to our tummies and so easily Ashley (and Corbin!) friendly.

Wonderful Treats

The treats that we had in New York deserve their own description - they were so good!! We ended up making two visits to Babycakes because we couldn't get enough!

Round one included a pumpkin eclair, cookie sandwich, churro and samoa donut. Round two had another cookie sandwich, a scrumptious scone and a pumpkin chip loaf that Corbin was adamant about getting (he said it was delicious!) I think it would be really difficult to pick a favourite from all the treats we sampled as everything was so delicious! Babycakes is just heavenly, but probably good that it's far away from my daily existence so I can only go there for treats when I'm in the city! The other noteworthy treat that we had was at Chloe's Soft Serve Fruit.

It is an awesome alternative to froyo or ice cream that is made with fresh frozen fruit and therefore has no dairy or gluten and is crazy delicious!! So many flavor options and toppings make for a really awesome and allergen friendly dessert. It's been on my list for awhile, and I will definitely be going back again and again!!

Incredible Theatre

I always feel inspired by the calibre of theatre and performers in NYC and this trip was no exception. There were some really cool shows happening while we were there and we really enjoyed everything we saw. Part of the reason we went to NYC over that weekend was because Jason Robert Brown was doing a concert at 54 Below. JRB is one of my very favourite musical theatre composers and it was wonderful to finally see him in concert and get to meet him (briefly!) after the show.

He played songs from so many of my favourite shows (The Last Five Years! Songs for a New World!) as well as some from shows that are on their way to Broadway (or should be!) He had an amazing group of singers with him and a stellar band; it was a great night. We also got to see Bernadette Peters in A Bed and A Chair which was really awesome.

She is such a talent and I loved Wynton Marsalis' arrangements of Sondheim with a full jazz orchestra and the rest of the cast including Cyrille Aimée, Jeremy Jordan and. Norm Lewis. I also made my third visit to The McKittrick Hotel for Sleep No More and it still continues to be the most captivating piece of theatre I've ever experienced. It was Corbin's first time and it was really cool to discuss our different experiences and approaches to the show. The ambiance at the McKittrick before and after the show was incredible and we just loved the jazz bands playing throughout. Before we left Toronto, I received a Facebook invite from Drew Gasparini for an industry reading of his show Crazy Just Like Me starring some phenomenal performers (Alex Brightman! Jason Gotay! Andrew Kober!) and was ultra stoked to realize that it was happening while we were there. Both Corbin and I adored this show. It was funny and smart with such a talented cast and great music. It's already won some awards from various festivals it has been a part of and I can't wait to see where it goes. I felt so blessed to see so much great theatre while we were there and certainly felt inspired to up the ante in my own work!

Adventures and Magical Moments

Corbin and I are pretty good at having a lot of fun together and New York was just an even bigger playground for us! We had the best time exploring the city and discovering things together. We visited with some lovely friends including the always delightful Sheryl (complete with her NYC Marathon medal!!)

We ventured to a New York Islanders game,

experienced the MOMA (for free!), walked along the Highline, navigated the NYC Metro and discovered all sorts of cute art

made all sorts of new friends and frolicked in Central Park (complete with a photo shoot - thanks Corbin!). 

I often feel that extraordinary things happen when I'm in New York and this trip with Corbin proved this theory to be true once again. All sorts of really neat, magical things kept happening to us in the city. We found parking everywhere (super close to wherever we were going). We were upgraded to the dining room at 54 Below and got to sit DIRECTLY IN FRONT of Jason Robert Brown. We experienced the city at the top of an incredible rooftop in Washington Heights. When we walked into Peacefood Cafe one of our very favourite songs was playing. Simply wonderful.

All of these things + the amazing adventures, theatre, treats and meals culminated into an unforgettable trip with my love and I can't wait for us to travel more and head back to NYC together for more fun!!