Beautiful Curls

Whoa it's been forever! I've been crazy busy with summer, family, work and friends. This is a quick pic of some hair that I did this morning for one of the most gorgeous girls I have ever seen. She made my job super easy.

Smoothie Packs

Hello Darlings,

Day 1 of my 3 day detox is done :) It's hard, but worth it and I think tomorrow will be better. It has to be right? If it is, I might go longer than the 3 days.Fingers crossed.

My plan is that during the day, I only have water, green tea and green monster juice (post coming) then for dinner I have a smoothie. To make my life easier throughout the week, I made these smoothie freezer packs so that all I have to do is throw the chopped fruit in the blender add some spinach, almond milk, chia and flax. Done! Super quick and healthy. I would have posted a picture of the finished product, but after I added the spinach it turned into a weird brown colour. Red berries + green spinach = brown lol

My packs have banana, half an avocado, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and raspberries. I cut everything up and put equal amounts in Ziploc bags and tossed them in the freezer. When I get home from work I take one out and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes while I change into comfy clothes. This is also awesome if you like to start your day with a smoothie.

:)

Butter

Hello Lovelies,

I thought I'd share this quick tip for storing and using butter. In the US, you can by a pound of butter that has been separated into 4 sticks. This is fabulous. Here is Canada, yes we can get it (now) as well, but it is so much more expensive than our regular blocks.

I don't really use a lot of butter, especially since I'm trying to avoid dairy so I only want to keep out about a 1/2 cup or 1 stick. I do buy quite a few pounds when it goes on sale though. This is what I do to make it super easy later on. I make my own sticks and wrap them up and freeze them. Then I just take out a stick when I need it.  Easy-peazy-lemon-squeezy.

Energy Bites

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and a few other blogs and in the name of healthy eating,  I thought I'd give it a try. These things are sooo good! My mum and I couldn't stop eating them haha!

The idea behind them (for me anyways) is to have something on hand that tastes naughty and sinful, but isn't actually. This should* help stop me from eating sweets when I get an urge. These are sadly not vegan, but they could be, just leave out the honey and switch up the chocolate chips for vegan chips or carob.

 There is a lot of room for interpretation. I my self, used half vegan chips and half carob chips. You can use any combination of nut butters, or you can even toast the coconut first. That would be extra yummy. I take a couple in my lunch every day when my afternoon nosh attack comes on. These kill your apprtite and stomp on your sweet tooth cravings.

What you will need:

cup rolled oats (OLD fashioned, NOT quick)

1/2 cup almond butter

1/3 cup RAW honey

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/3 cup coconut

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (unsalted)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, OR, dark chocolate chunks

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Mix altogether and refrigerate 45 minutes to an hour

Roll into small balls and keep refrigerated...

Enjoy!

Roasted Chickpeas

Happy Sunday! I've had a pretty good weekend. Some thrifty style shopping, friends, food and drinks. Last night was out annual ladies-only martini party and as per usual it was a great time! I'm a bit dehydrated and sleepy today but all in all not in bad shape.

Today's recipe is something that I make pretty much every weekend. They are a great substitute if you feel like a savory/salty snack. A way better choice then chips. I also take them in my lunch to have as my protein with some salad or roasted veggies.

I use dried chickpeas and cook them, but canned will work just fine. Just make sure you rinse them really well and drain them for a while before baking.

What you will need:

-Cooked or canned chickpeas
-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
-Seasoning. I used Lemon Pepper seasoning, but any kind would work.

Rinse and drain your chickpeas. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Toss the chickpeas in the olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with your seasonings. Bake for an hour shaking every 20 minutes or so.

They should come out golden brown and they should be crunchy. They are good hot or cold.


Enjoy!!

Easy Onion Potatoes

Hello Lovelies!

I'm back with a super easy recipe that I found on Pinterest a while ago, but I couldn't find it again, so I'm going on memory. It turned out pretty good, but next time I think I will make some adjustments. It has a milder taste than I was expecting because onion soup mix is pretty strong. This could be perfect for some, but I'm a more is more kind of girl, so I think next time, I will also add caramelized onions, pepper and perhaps some other seasonings.


You will need:

-Washed and cut potatoes. I used about 12 smallish ones
-1 Packet of dry onion soup mix (you could try this with ranch too or any other kind of dry mix)
-Olive Oil approx 4 tbsp you can use more or less

**side note**

I added some sauteed cabbage with garlic that I made a few days ago


Preheat oven to 450° F. I peeled my potatoes but you could leave the skin on. My potatoes were a few weeks old so peeling was the only option.

Once they are peeled, wash and dry them. Cut them into small chunks and throw them into a glass baking dish. Pour the oil over the top and toss to coat. Sprinkle the soup mix over the top and toss again.

Bake for about 20 minutes, then toss them around again and bake again for about 15 more minutes. You want the potatoes to be cooked and a bit brown. If they are getting too brown before they are done cooking, you can cover with tin foil.

Happy Cooking!

It's Been So Long

Hi Darlings, Please excuse my absence, I have been super busy and actually not much to write about lol. I did however,get a new computer (Mac Mini) and a new camera for Christmas so I'll have some great pics and video tutorials once I figure out what the heck I'm doing! I haven't even really had time to sit down and really try to figure them out. Hopefully I will have some time soon. Thanks for your continued support!