lifestyle blog – Two Wild Tides

Meditterean Vibes: Healthy Pasta Salad

June 3, 2019 | Leave a Comment

I was in a rush to get to work a few days ago and needed something quick to pack in my lunch bag. I was feeling tired of the same old staples I’d been eating and certainly sick of eating unhealthy lunches from cans, boxes, and fast-food chains. Needless to say, I’d fallen into a bit of a rut when it came to meal-prepping. I didn’t have much in my fridge, but I did have some veggies that needed to be used up. Keep reading to see what I came up with (and that I haven’t been able to stop making since!)

I feel like this dish is Mediterranean-inspired. It’s super healthy with lots of vitamins and healthy fats. Plus it’s filling without feeling heavy.

What you need for the salad:

1 cup pasta (use gluten-free if desired)
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1 tbsp hemp hearts

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

For the dressing, you’ll need:

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cane sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a dish, then toss with salad ingredients. Other ingredients that would taste good are olives and feta cheese. Enjoy hot or cold!

Let us know if you try this recipe by commenting below, sending us an email, or reaching out on social media, @twowildtides.

Happy meal-prepping,
char

East Coast Trail: La Manche Village Path

May 23, 2019 | Leave a Comment

I spent Victoria Day (a.k.a. May Long Weekend) the best way possible: outdoors exploring a place I’d never been. La Manche Provincial Park has been on my list for quite a while. It’s only 45 minutes outside of St. John’s and has a lot to offer. There are swimming holes, a campground, and a hiking trail. And not just any hiking trail– one of the East Coast Trail paths runs right through the park. La Manche is the perfect day trip for anyone who just needs a little break from the city.

La Manche Village Path runs from the suspension bridge in La Manche Provincial Park to Bauline East. The website says it goes all the way to Tors Cove, which I guess is correct but the sign marks the trailhead in Bauline East so we didn’t bother with the Tors Cove arm.

If entering the trail at the suspension bridge, you can park in the provincial park for a fee, or at the end of La Manche Road for free, which is about a kilometre past the entrance to the park. Drive down La Manche Road until the end, where there is a small parking area and a sign (pictured below) which marks the entrance to the trail. After about a kilometre and a half of easy walking, you’ll reach La Manche Village and the suspension bridge. This was honestly the best part of the whole hike. La Manche Village is a former settlement and you can still see many of the foundations of the homes that used to exist there years ago. It’s kind of an eerie feeling to stand in the very spot where someone once cooked, slept, laughed, and loved. The suspension bridge replaced the original bridge which was destroyed by waves (hard to imagine on a gorgeous day like the one we experienced) and is quite unique in the province, especially so far off the grid. Plus, the views from this place are amazing. It’s worth checking out, even if just for a perfect picnic location!

Once you’re finished soaking up the gorgeous views, waterfalls, and historic abandoned village, head across the suspension bridge and onward on the trail. Doctor’s Cove is only a short hike from the bridge. There are a few flights of stairs as well as some solid inclines, so you’re in for a bit of a workout but nothing brutal. Doctor’s Cove is a steep downhill to a rocky beach area which is so peaceful and secluded. Another great spot for a picnic. Totally worth the climb back up to the trail. We even got a small little glimpse of an iceberg that was peeking out from behind a cliff.

Honestly, once you hike up out of Doctor’s Cove, don’t bother heading all the way to Bauline East unless you’re truly just out for the fresh air because there isn’t much to see on the rest of the trail. It’s basically a backroad ATV trail. We didn’t go all the way to Tors Cove because we were bored with the trail. But please, let me know if we missed something amazing because we will go back again! From my experience, La Manche Village Path is an amazing afternoon hike if that’s all the time you have. Take your time, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy the scenery.

Have you hiked La Manche Village Path? What’s your favourite path on the East Coast Trail? Let us know in the comments or on social media (@twowildtides), we love hearing from our readers! And please, check out our other posts about the East Coast Trail hikes that we’ve done:

happy hiking,
char

My Yoga Practice

May 9, 2019 | Leave a Comment

I’m a (very) amateur yogi and proud of that. Yoga is a type of fitness activity that is great not only for the body but also for the mind and soul. It opens doorways to building strength, achieving mindfulness, and getting in touch with your self and your body. There are unlimited ways to practice yoga, and there is no such thing as a right or wrong way to practice in my opinion– do what feels right for you. There are many variables that influence the way you practice yoga; from the gear you use, to the setting in which you practice, to the poses and flows you accomplish.

Our favorite gear:

Block- this helps with poses that would otherwise require a deeper stretch than you feel comfortable with. Use a block for support and to help ease into those difficult poses. We use this one from Lululemon.
Strap- this also helps with easing yourself into those deeper poses that require a little more flexibility. Remember to know your limits so you do not hurt yourself! We also grabbed ours at Lululemon.
Mat- these are self-explanatory! You can get mats that are pretty inexpensive (I claimed a free one from a cereal box once!) and they work just fine. If you want something a little more durable, though, try one of these Prana mats available for purchase at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Towels- why would you need a towel for yoga? If you do hot yoga, you will know why. A larger towel that extends to the length of your yoga mat catches sweat and keeps your feet from sliding off the mat (yeah, you get that sweaty!). A smaller towel to wipe your face throughout class is handy too. You can get these straight from Prana.
Clothing– yoga pants are everywhere these days, and they aren’t being worn just for yoga! Although you can find yoga clothes in pretty much any clothing store, elephant pants from One Tribe Apparel are our new favourites because they are made sustainably in a non-exploitive work environment, and they help save elephants!

Our favorite settings:

In class. Modo Hot Yoga is our favorite yoga studios to attend, as they are super friendly and offer great classes for all skill levels. Haven’t tried it before? Karma classes are only $5 on Friday nights for beginners– what’s the karma? Your $5 goes to a local charity!
At home. Picture this: gross weather, broke student, no time. Ten minutes in your bedroom or living room is all you need for a successful practice. Make sure to sufficiently clear your space so you don’t hurt yourself!
Outdoors. We love yoga on the beach, where you can enjoy the sounds of crashing waves and seabirds. Or in a grassy area, on a beach, or in your local park, so if you lose your balance your fall is soft.

Our favorite poses/flows:

When I practice alone, I typically follow a YouTube video (I love this one!) or I just do the poses that I like and feel comfortable with from memory. This can be tricky– it is hard to remember poses and the safe way to accomplish them, but this comes with time. When I practice in class, my favorite is Moksha Flow.

Favourite pose? Definitely vrksasana, a.k.a. tree pose. It makes me feel so rooted (pardon the pun!) and balanced.

What poses are your favourite? What gear do you recommend? Let us know if you try anything from this article, we really love reading your responses! Or tag us on twitter, instagram, or facebook @twowildtides

Have a great week!
-char

Foolproof Grocery List

May 6, 2019 | Leave a Comment

Grocery shopping can quickly become expensive and a dreaded chore– unless you shop at Costco and enjoy ALL the free samples. In order to maximize your time, budget, and health, check out this foolproof grocery list that we created. For your convenience, download it to your phone or print it off and take it to the store with you.

Modify this to meet your own dietary/budgeting needs. For example, vegans or vegetarians would obviously eliminate the animal-based protein. I usually buy one or two items from each category every week or so. Balance is key.

Happy grocery shopping! (and don’t forget to treat yourself!)
-char

I Ate Exactly Like A YouTuber For A Day

December 10, 2018 | Leave a Comment

HealthNut Nutrition is one of my favourite blogs and YouTube channels. Nicole Goncalves is a vibrant personality and beyond talented in the kitchen. I love following her recipes and meal preps, watching her grocery hauls, and reading her blog posts. It’s even better that she’s Canadian! Nicole’s “What I Eat in a Day” videos are some of my favourites to watch because I get so many good meal ideas from them. That’s why I decided to follow one for an entire day– from the first glass of water to suppertime.

I decided to do this mostly for the fun of it. But also to try some new meals, learn about simple ways to eat healthier, and to see how I’d feel at the end of the day. I have a healthy diet, but I find myself making the same recipes all the time and finding it hard to resist temptation. I wanted to see if HealthNut Nutrition could teach me any new tips and tricks. Click here to see the video I chose to follow for the day. Keep reading to see how it went!

The day started with chugging a tall glass of water. Which was great, as I was feeling a touch hungover. Then I drank another glass of water, this time with lemon and ginger. I never knew there was such an easy way to juice fresh ginger, just grate the ginger and then squeeze the juice out of the pulp with your fingers. It was so easy! I expected it to be gross, but it tasted so good and really woke me up (hangover=gone). I’ll be drinking this most mornings from now on!

For breakfast, Nicole had chia seed pudding with mango-lime puree, topped with banana and granola. I’ve made chia seed pudding many times, but never with coconut milk. The coconut milk made the pudding set much faster than almond milk, which is what I normally use, so breakfast was ready in 30 minutes rather than having to prepare it the night before. The mango-lime puree was simple and delicious. Overall this was a tasty, filling, and healthy breakfast that energized me for the whole day.

Over the course of the morning, I got some work done, sipped herbal tea (Nicole drinks herbal coffee, but that wasn’t available in our local grocery store), and made the HealthNut Nutrition One Bowl Hemp Banana Bread Muffins.

I was pretty excited about lunch. The Mashed Avocado Salmon Tartine looked mouthwatering in the YouTube video and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. Although in the video Nicole had it with tuna, the original recipe called for salmon so I went with that as I prefer salmon over tuna. This was also the first time I tried veganaise and I was pleasantly surprised– it’s just as good as classic mayo. Lunch tasted as good as it looked, and I was getting jealous stares from my sister and boyfriend who claimed they “weren’t hungry” when I offered to make them some. They won’t turn down my offer next time! Nicole and I share a love for Bubbly water, so this went perfectly with my lunch too.

Throughout the afternoon, I got lots more work done and sipped more herbal tea. I’m a big green tea drinker anyway, so having this much tea wasn’t anything new for me. I finally dug into the aromatic muffins I made in the morning and they were scrumptious. You’d never guess they are healthy! I was even told, “they’re the best muffins you’ve ever made.” Thanks, Nicole– I’ll be saving this recipe to use again and again! Like her, I may or may not have eaten three.

I’m someone who enjoys cooking but has trouble coming up with creative meal ideas, so learning a new recipe for supper was awesome. This twist on a Nicoise salad with chicken and a soft boiled egg was really tasty and made for a balanced meal. I’ve always had trouble getting soft boiled eggs right (who likes runny egg whites? Yuck!) and Nicole’s directions helped me nail it– a soft centre with perfectly cooked whites. The chicken, potatoes, and green beans were tasty too.

Overall, this was a great day with great food. I felt full all day but not bloated or sick. What did I learn? How to juice ginger pulp, how to make chia seed pudding with coconut milk for a better consistency, the best muffin recipe ever, and how to cook the perfect soft-boiled eggs. I really recommend all of these recipes for you to try. I know you will enjoy them!

Let us know if you try any of these recipes by commenting below or on social media, @twowildtides. Be sure to check out @urhealthnut on Instagram, HealthNut Nutrition on YouTube, and the HealthNut Nutrition blog!