Yellow, purple and pink colourblock

Lately, I've been inspired by colour wheels to try new combinations. This eggplant-hued top doesn't get worn much because most of my pants are equally dark. Instead I tried it with a bright and cheery lemon-yellow skirt from the other side of the colour wheel. The skirt is a bit lumpy around the waist, so I tend to wear it with a wide belt, blazer or untucked top. Pink shoes completed the colourblock effect.

xx

Skirt - Thrifted (Caroll) (most recently here)

Top - Yildizi (from Vietnam) (also here)

Shoes - Guess via Winners

Earrings - Jacob

Pasta with anchovies, roasted tomato and eggplant

This mouth-watering dish is simple yet elegant, and does a standout job highlighting the freshness of a few key flavours - ripe tomato and eggplant, creamy roasted garlic, salty anchovies, and freshly-picked basil. It was loosely inspired by this recipe, and instantly became a new favourite. I'm already looking forward to making it again.

Serves 4.

 

To prepare vegetables:

Thickly slice 3 large tomatoes and 2 small eggplants, then toss in 1T olive oil and place on baking sheet. Cut top off 1 head garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Roast tomatoes, eggplant and garlic in oven at 325. Remove garlic after about 45 minutes, continue roasting tomatoes and eggplant for another 15-20 minutes.

To make pasta:

Cook 375 g whole-wheat spaghettini according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking water.

To prepare sauce:

Thinly slice one large sweet onion. Sautee with 1/2 T olive oil and 1/2 T butter over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and starting to brown. Add roasted tomatoes and eggplant, garlic squeezed from bulb, 1 can whole tomatoes and about 20 chopped anchovy fillets. Gently break up canned tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Bring sauce to a boil, then add 3/4 cup red wine and reserved cooking water. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste with pepper and a dash of chili flakes. 

To serve:

Toss sauce with pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and torn basil leaves.

 

Streamlined stripes

I'm making an effort to give items I don't often wear a chance by purposely building an outfit around them, like this sleeveless blouse. I thought the stripes and colour scheme called for a modern, streamlined look. I added a black pencil skirt with exposed zipper, simple black envelope purse, wedge sandals with bold black elastic straps and glass-bead necklace. I wore my hair straight and kept my makeup simple.

xx

 

Top - Charter Club (Hand-me-down)

Skirt - Zara

Purse - Marie Claire

Sandals - Bandolino
Necklace - RW & Co.

Ring - Reitman's

Salmon steaks with black olive tapenade

This recipe has a great flavour-to-effort ratio, and I was able to get two very tasty dishes out of this black olive tapenade.

To prepare tapenade, thinly slice two medium-sized sweet onions. Saute onions over medium heat with 1T butter and 1T olive oil, sprinkled with 1 tsp sugar. Stir regularly until onions start to brown. Remove, chop finely and add to mixing bowl. Chop 1/3 cup black olives, 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes and add to bowl, along with 2 tsp capers. 

For dinner, I spooned the tapenade over two salmon steaks, then cooked the steaks at 425 until skin was opaque and flaked easily (about 12 minutes in my oven).  

For lunch, I tossed the leftover tapenade with a can of tuna and a can of artichoke hearts and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar. 

70s colour palette

Until recently, I never would have mixed olive and kelly greens. But they worked when worn with accessories that picked up the mustard and fuchsia colours in this dainty floral top.

xx

Skirt - Mexx

Tank - Lorelai via Road Trip

Cardigan -  Jacob

Shoes - Guess via Winners

Purse - Thrifted (Chloe)

Sunglasses - Boathouse 

Earrings - Le Chateau

Sandra Dee?

This outfit has a sweetly retro vibe that reminds me of a pre-makeover Sandra Dee in Grease. The flipped hair was fortuitous, the resulted of my helmeted bike ride to work. My work pants are a study in boring navy, grey and black (and one buttercup pair) so I'm very excited to have added these cropped jade trousers to the mix, courtesy of a Gap Friends and Family coupon (thanks M!)

xx

{This is the closest thing I have to Sandra Dee, post-makeover.}

Pants - Gap

Tank - Hand-me-down

Cardigan - Consigned (Coupe)

Shoes - Guess via Winners

Clutch - Coach

Necklace - Gift

Pendant - Hand-me-down

Bracelets - Hand-me-down and Le Chateau

Tailored summer neutrals

I wore this to dinner with a dear friend who was visiting from Australia, and again a few days later when we had extended family in town. My 16-year-old cousin O took the photos and of course we had fun with it. She suggested I stand on the diving board and pretend to jump in, and I decided to try a handstand on the lawn. In the midst of it all, I realized I completely forgot the bring the belt I'd worn the first time around. Oh well. I tried to convince O to get in a photo with me but she was too shy. She's a beautiful dancer and artist, and has a poise and sense of self I wish I'd had at her age!

I picked a slightly matte orangey lip colour, which looks more red here, to play off the neutrals in the rest of the outfit and wore my glasses as another black accent. I turned my scarf into an infinity version with a couple of strategic safety pins.

xx

{I meant to wear this belt with my outfit. Use your imagination.}

Tank - Dynamite (also here and here)

Camisole (underneath) - Joe Boxer

Shorts - Gap

Shoes - Guess via Winners

Scarf - Consigned

Watch - Kenneth Cole

Earrings - Witchery

Sailor stripes and florals

I'm making an effort to wear pieces that tend to languish in my wardrobe, like my thrifted midi skirt, and to better mix-and-match. I think this outfit was successful on both counts. The belt used to belong to Tinfoil Tiaras and looked great...once I moved the buttons. (That girl has the tiniest waist!) 

Later, I remembered the photo below of Clemency Poesy, which I'd seen in My Instyle magazine over a year ago and had really loved. I think it was subconscious style inspiration for my outfit. Wouldn't both of these be ideal for a day of shopping in a beachside town in the south of France? (someday....) 

Today's my birthday - yay! I kicked off the weekend with a beautiful and rejuvenating hour and a half hour long bike ride along the Ottawa River with a friend. Today it's supposed to be deliciously hot and sunny. I will be spending the afternoon and evening lounging around my parents' pool with extended family and waiting to indulge in some chocolate cheesecake after dinner. 

xx

 

 

Skirt - Thrifted (Joseph A.)(also here)

Top - H&M

Belt - Swapped

Hat - Winners

Sandals - Thrifted (George)

Earrings - Laura

Ring - Winners

Good-for-you chocolate-berry smoothie

This healthy smoothie is one of my post-workout go-tos.

In a blender, combine 1 handful fresh strawberries, 1 handful frozen mixed berries, 1 3/4 cups almond milk, 2 heaping tablespoons low-fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 serving chocolate-flavoured protein powder, 1T flaxseed.

If you don't have chocolate-flavoured protein, try substituting 4 squares of melted good-quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. I also like Ovaltine for a hint of malt flavour.

Pencil skirts and high-necked lace blouses

I was happy to discover the curve-creating powers of this outfit - strategic seaming on the skirt, delicate ruffles at the neck and sleeves and a waist-cinching wide belt. I twisted my hair into a French roll to play up the retro vibe. 

What are your curve-enhancing (or downplaying) tips?

xx

 

Skirt - Mexx

Blouse - Max Studio via Winners (also here) 

Tank - RW & Co.

Belt - Swapped (Salena's Collection)

Wedges - Clarks

Bracelets - Le Chateau and Joe Fresh

Earrings - Walmart