MY FAVOURITE ANIME OF 2016

I didn't get to watch as much this year as I would have liked to, but I completed enough to be happy, 17 to be exact. So I've summed up a few of my favourites that I watched in 2016. If you're interested in seeing some of the other anime I've watched you can check out MyAnimeList here (keep in mind I don't update regularly yet). Hope you enjoy these! 

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YAMADA KUN & THE SEVEN WITCHES 

Now this one isn't anything crazy captivating and it doesn't reach you on a deep emotional level. Honestly this was my "casual anime" the one  where I only sort-of pay attention to while simultaneously painting my nails or online shopping - REGARDLESS, this was a fun anime. Yamada is our lead (obviously) and he's a feisty blue-haired dude who is overly dramatic. The witches are girls who either are unaware they have a special power or they keep it secret, but each has a different power. Yamada and his friends go on a mission to find all 7 Witches after discovering the pretty blonde girl was one of them and she can switch bodies! The different powers are pretty interesting. I'm honestly just a sucker for any rainbow haired girl filled anime (think, Shuffle, Sailor Moon, Sword Art Online, etc) It's a fun slice-of-lie/fantasy anime with good animation so you can't really go too wrong with this one.

ReLIFE

This one is such a unique story-line. The lead, Arata Kaizaki is dismissed as a 27-year old loser. He quit his job, has no friends, lives alone and genuinely has given up on himself (his mom has too) - until he one day meets a lad named Ryou Yoake who offers him a pill and to become a part of the ReLife Program. AKA take a pill and turn 17 again! It's like the inverse of 13 going on 30. As a part of the program Arata is sent back to high school where Ryou studies him, the trick is that Arata cannot tell anyone about the program or his real age. The series follows along with Arata, Ryou and their new friends as he navigates being 27 while living as a 17 year old high school student. I initially found this as a manga and I think I actually preferred the manga in place of this anime but none-the-less I still really liked it. Mostly due to the interested plot and the snarky/sass of the characters in it.

YURI ON ICE

I thought this anime was way over hyped - until I watched it. It's the perfect sports anime, showcasing the spirit, the sport itself with it's dynamic animation, comedy, and the perfect romance. I loved this anime from start to finish. Now I am 100% biased but the character JJ was amazing. They created a scene that was so Canadian it hurt, I absolutely loved it. A  definitely become a new-age classic in my opinion and it's definitely become a cult favourite. My only complaint was that it ended - season two can hurry up any day now!

ORANGE

This one is a drama. Get ready to cry because this really pulls at all the heart strings! Without going into too much detail, this anime is about the history of a group of friends, and if they can change what happened in the past. In their twenties these friends receive letters from their 10 year younger selves. Instructing them on what is going to happen and what they need to do in order to change the chain of events. This is a short series anime but it's worth the watch. It's nice to watch an anime that touches on such serious issues. I'd love to say more but I can't really without ruining a lot of it. All I have to say is - watch it.

NATSUYUKI RENDEZVOUS

This one is a Romance/Drama. If you were to ask, this would likely be one of my top 5 favourite EVER. This has everything I look for in an anime - beautiful artwork, a compelling story, intense emotions with a bit of comedy. IT's everything and more (at least to me). This was the third time I've watched this anime and it still never disappoints me. It's the story of Hazuki who has fallen for Rokka, the woman who owns the local flower shop. Hazuki can't bring up the nerve to ask her out, so he gets a job at her shop instead, falling more in love with her. Only thing is; she's followed by her dead husband Atsushi, and Hazuki can see him - hilarity ensues! This anime has a beautiful story line but even more beautiful art. Most of the anime is located in the Flower Shop and one thing I love more than real plants - are anime plants.

Feel free to comment your favourite anime of 2016 below and I'll check them out! 

MY 2017 RESOLUTION & GOALS

Every year I make a Resolution -  typically it's geared towards a serious lifestyle change. Additionally, I also make Goals, these can be concrete and more basic things. I like to add to this list all throughout the year. The reason I set smaller goals is because it gives me a better sense of accomplishment and I can keep track and notice the changes more without becoming discouraged.

I think it's very important to note the differences between the words Resolution and Goal - because they are two different things. In my opinion, if you want them to be effective, you need to treat them as two different things.

 VS. 

Essentially, a resolution is a commitment you are making for yourself -it's how you intend to live your life going forward. For example: Living a healthy and active lifestyle, could be your resolution.

Your goals, are things you can achieve - your objectives. For example: if your resolution was to live a healthy and active lifestyle - then your goals could be things like: Lose weight, join a gym, etc.

Now that you have an idea of the differences, below are my goals and resolution and you can decide for yourself what your goals and resolution may be.

I like to start with 10 goals, then go with the flow as I add to it.

My Goals:
- Drink more water
- Make Weekly Affirmations
- Meal prep like a pro
- Buy a nice vacuum
- Stick to the YouTube game plan
- 10K on Instagram
- Stay dedicated to your Bullet Journal
- Go to more social events
- Add more editorial work to Portfolio
- Plan and save for a trip in 2018/9

These goals honestly remind me more of a to-do list, which I believe is why if you set your Resolution to something that is more of a lifestyle change rather than a check-off you'll be more likely to stick to it. In my experience, goals like the ones above are harder to stay dedicated to when you prioritize them over your lifestyle. Your goals should be things that will help you with your resolution when they can as well.

My resolution this year is one I'm really excited about. I've already been actively doing this since November, but I really want to make it a priority for me going forward in life.

My Resolution:

Live more consciously.

To me this means, paying attention to how I react and respond to the world, how I consume, where the things I get come from, being more conscious of my relationships, etc. I think by trying to live more consciously, it'll open up my viewpoints and allow for more serenity and clarity - which I could definitely use more of.

Comment below and let me know what your new years resolution is, or if you're going to give this a try!

As always,

Stay hydrated! 

IT'S POMEGRANATE SEASON!

'Tis the season! 

 Pomegranate Season!!! 

I am very excited about this season. I could eat an entire pomegranate everyday probably. Pomegranate season can start as early as August but typically the main season is October through January. I love pomegranate for two reasons, 1) They are in season during the winter. 2) They are a delicious superfood. There are countless recipes for Pomegranates but I've put together a selection of ten really good ones. Ones that will play very nicely this holiday season.

POMEGRANATE JEWELED CHEESEBALL
I'm slowly coming to terms with my inner housewife and am working on becoming a better cook in general, but especially around the holidays. I went out of my way to make something that really looks a bit challenging. While this was actually easier than I expected, it was such a massive hit at all the holiday parties! 

SPICED POMEGRANATE COCKTAIL
Now I couldn't find vanilla cardamon syrup so I used Vanilla flavoured vodka instead and I drank enough of these that my boyfriend cut me off because my jokes weren't making sense anymore. I rate this an 9/10 holiday cocktail. 

SALTED POMEGRANATE CHOCOLATE FUDGE
My aunt was the one who introduced me to this recipe, after she noticed me stuffing extras into both my face and purse a couple Christmases back. After exchanging snappy comebacks I asked her for the recipe and it's been a part of the holidays ever since. This isn't her exact recipe but it's pretty close. If you love sweet dark fudge with fruit - LOOK NO FURTHER! 
Sidenote: Sometimes we throw some peppermint bits in it too and that's also amazing. 

POMEGRANATE & CHIA GREEN TEA
This was actually the recipe that inspired me to make this blog post. I've been on a major chia kick and recently made this in a huge batch for meal prep. I fell in love! I love drinks with the goo of chia and the sharp taste of pomegranate makes this one phenomenal green tea! Like Mamma Chia meets Pom Wonderful, I drank it all before the week was even over and need to make more asap.

CRANBERRY POMEGRANATE SAUCE
Forgo your regular cranberry sauce for a pomegranate cranberry cause! A little extra somethin-somethin to boost the flavours. I tried making this last year but my brother thought it was jam and ate the entire bowl! He said it was amazing, I was mad but I believed him.

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH POMEGRANATE TOPPING
Did you really expect me not to post a cheesecake recipe? This one is particularly fancy but basically just make yourself a pomegranate compote and top your cheesecake with it! This will be what I'm bringing to Christmas dinner this year - get ready fam.  

APPLE, ELDERFLOWER & POMEGRANATE HOT SMOOTHIE
So this one I haven't tried, although I love the taste of elderberry, probably one of my top 10 favourite flavours (shout out to sommersby & Tempt 7). I also really love smoothies, but never have I ever had a hot smoothie before! This recipe sounds too good to be true and I cannot wait to try it. Now just need to get my hands on some elderberry syrup. If you try it before me, let me know your thoughts!

TRI-LAYER POMEGRANATE MOUSSE
I haven't tried this one either but I'm sending you to one of my most trusted sources for recipes. Like most people I really enjoy a good mousse, especially chocolate. The idea of chocolate and mousse combined with pomegranate sounds delicious!

MANDARIN POMEGRANATE SPINACH SALAD
A very simple winter salad idea for lunches or sides. Simple, straight forward, but still yummy as hell. This is a really good option for meal prepping and it's a very quick salad. You could also throw some cranberries in too! 

CHERRY POMEGRANATE SMOOTHIE BOWL
I wanted to make sure this post had a bunch of simple recipes, things you could make in a hurry or in bulk or on a regular basis. This is a perfect example, plus, freeze extra pomegranate and you'll be prepped ahead of time. Smoothie bowls (or as I prefer, fruit soup) are such a good option for breakfasts or snacks. They're much more filling than you would imagine too! 

disclaimer: all banner style images in this post are not my photos - they are the photos from the recipes.