Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Banana Oat Pancakes

I love pancakes for breakfast but I especially love them when they are healthy. This quick pancake recipe will fill your tummy with the goodness that your body needs in the morning to pump you full of energy.

Ingredients

1 Banana
1/2 cup of Oat Flour
1/2 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk
A tiny bit of Coconut Oil for frying

Blend All ingredients in your blender, heat your frying pan, melt a bit of Coconut Oil in the pan and cook the pancakes as you normally would.

Depending on the mood that I am in, I either top them with banana's and peanut butter or I add blueberries or strawberries to them while they are cooking.

Oat Flour can be hard to find but if you make your own at home you won't have to worry about that. Just blend up some oats until they turn to flour and store it in an air tight container.

In the winter when I was growing up my Mom always made oats for me in the morning before school and still to this day I eat them all the time. Sometimes I even eat them for dinner with raisins and cinnamon!

Oats are very nutritious, keep your tummy full for a long time, they are full of vitamins and minerals such as Protein, Fibre, B1 and Magnesium, they are low in calories and cholesterol and are also healthy for your skin!

Eat your Oats!!

xTx

Vegan Cacao Cupcakes

It is very rare that I eat chocolate but sometimes I crave it something fierce. Tonight was one of those nights.

After spending almost two hours at the gym today the last thing I wanted to do was get silly and eat a chocolate bar, nor was I about to venture out in the storm that we are currently having to buy one. So what does a chick do who is battling a craving but wants to keep it healthy? She gets creative.

Every chocolate cupcake recipe that I found had eggs, milk, oil, butter and all kinds of other ingredients that I wasn't wanting to bake with so I gathered a few measurements and went to town building this extra chocolately cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup of Almond Milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
1 cup of Flour (I used regular white flour but you could probably use coconut flour, wheat flour etc)
3/4 cup of Brown Sugar (I'm sure that Coconut Sugar would be great too)
1/2 cup of Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/3 cup of Raw Organic Cacao Powder
1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of Baking Powder
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cupcake tins.
2. Pour the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar into a bowl and set it aside while you mix the dry ingredients together.
3. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
4. Add all of the wet ingredients including the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar and stir or mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to ensure that they are fully cooked.
6. Let cool and eat!

This recipe made 12 cupcakes.

I'm sure that they would be amazing with frosting on top but they are only about 100 calories without the frosting!! Yayyy Cacao Cupcakes!!

xTx

Monday, July 28, 2014

Chai Chia Pudding

My Marmie introduced me to Chia Seeds a couple years ago when she started creating smoothies for herself. Around the same time that my Marms shared this superfood with me one of the Personal Trainers at my gym also mentioned how amazing they were so I decided to do a bit more research on them and began to eat them.

Top 6 reasons why I think you should consider eating Chia Seeds:

1. Two tablespoons (1 ounce) of Chia seeds amount up to about 70 calories and approximately 35% of your daily fibre which help your body digest food which in turn results in less hunger spurts. Given that you won't feel excessively hungry after eating Chia and also due to the fact that they absorb a ton of water, they are known to assist with weight loss.

2. Fibre as mentioned in Reason #1. Fibre is good for your overall health but narrowing it down, it helps to keep your digestive tract in order, pushes weight loss and can help prevent heart disease. 

3. One serving of Chia Seeds has approximately 20% of the daily intake of Calcium which we all know is great for our teeth and bones.

4. Chia Seeds are packed full of Protein.

5. What is a fatty acid that our bodies cannot produce but is considered to be essential for our health and brain development? You guessed it - Omega-3. And what has almost 5 grams of Omega-3 in every two tablespoons? That's right, Chia Seeds are an excellent source of Omega-3 - Especially if you aren't a fish eater. 

6. Aztec Warriors considered Chia to be magical and used them as their main source of energy and to increase stamina by producing flour with them, extracting oil from them and drank them down with liquids. It is said that the Ancient Aztec's also used them for medicinal purposes. 

I'm not going to lie though, not many things gross me out but one time I put some Chia in my water and attempted to drink it. Half way through I had to throw it away because I was so disturbed by the sliminess. Don't let that discourage you though because there are so many other ways to incorporate them into your diet. My favourite way to eat them is in Chia Pudding which is much like tapioca pudding much on a much smaller scale. If you like the taste of Chai Latte's I think you should give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

1 cup of freshly brewed Chai Tea
1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup of Chia Seeds
1 tbs of Vanilla Extract (organic if possible)

Stir well, place into a sealed container and leave over night in your fridge. In the morning you can add additional spices of Cinnamon and Nutmeg if you wish and either eat it cold or warmed up but I prefer my pudding cold.

This entire recipe contains approximately 370 calories however this amount is about 3 servings worth, resulting in each serving equalling to approximately 123 calories. 

Enjoy!!

xTx

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Cherry Bomb Smoothie

Cherries. We all love them but do you know how amazing they really are? Do you have any idea what you
are doing for your body when you eat them? Hold onto your seats, my friends because these little balls of juiciness are so good for you!

Five good reasons why you should consider eating more cherries:

1. Cherries are full of antioxidants but also contain a high amount of Ellagic Acid, Queritrin and Perillyl Alcohol which are known as three of the most potent anticancer fighting agents. When my Dad was diagnosed with cancer over 10 years ago he drank a lot of cherry juice to help with the prostate cancer that he had. He battled his way through cancer and has been in remission ever since.

2. They help relieve the pain of arthritis and gout. Gout is another thing that my Dad has suffered from so I know how painful it can be but cherries can assist with that.

3. Given the anti infammatories in cherries, they can assist with curing migraines and can increase the melatonin levels in the blood which will help you have a healthy sleep.

4. Cherries are an excellent pre-workout food and are known to lessen the pain after intense workouts and activities.

5. Although I love all of the antioxidants I have to admit that I also love that they are rich in two flavanoids (bear with me here, this gets good) - One of which I mentioned above, Queritrin and the other is Isoqueritrin. These two antioxidants work to rid the body of oxidative stress byproducts which is amazing. I'm not a Doctor and I've probably lost you so let me break it down in layman's terms - This oxidative stress nonsense does something to our bodies that quickens the aging process BUT cherries are balls of miraculous super power wonder that SLOW THE AGING PROCESS DOWN!! OMG YES!! YES!! YES!!

Ingredients

18 fresh Cherries
1 cup of fresh or frozen Pineapple
1 cup of grapes
1 Apple (peel on)
8 frozen Peach slices
1 cup of Coconut Water

Blend until smooth and drink!!

xTx

Orange Sunrise Smoothie

If you haven't tried a green smoothie yet, I highly suggest that you do. These babies are like the fountain of youth!

This green smoothie that I created is healthy, sweet and packed full of Vitamin C, anti inflammatories and antioxidants that are so good for your body. The sweet and orangey flavour of this smoothie will waken all of your senses and make you feel so healthy and happy after drinking it.

Ingredients

1 cup of Coconut Water (I prefer Vita Coco)
1/2 cup of Spinach
1/2 cup of Kale
1/2 cup of Grapes
1 peeled Orange
5 fresh Strawberries
6 frozen Peach slices

Blend until smooth and drinky, drinky! You can thank me later :)

xTx

King of Fruit Smoothie

Pineapples are often referred to as the King of Fruit because of their crown and are exceptionally good for you.

These pretty fruits are packed full of Vitamin C which assists with the integrity of organs, blood vessels and bones and they also have many antioxidants in them that help us fight off and rid the pesky colds that we get in the winter. My favourite part about pineapples would be the fact that they also contain a great deal of Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene which not only assist with your eye sight and immune system but are also amazing for your skin; and you know me, I love beautiful skin!

So you can enjoy this tropical smoothie while your skin and body thanks you!

Ingredients:

2 cups of Frozen Pineapple
2 cups of Fresh Pineapple
2 cups of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

Blend until smooth, garnish with shaved coconut, a slice of fresh pineapple and let this smoothie take you away to the tropics!

xTx

Pre-Workout Protein Smoothie

Banana's are the perfect pre and post workout food!

They contain all of the digestible carbohydrates that our bodies require for energy and the potassium that your muscles require while you exercise. It is best to eat banana's after intense workout's to prevent your muscles from cramping. I learned this from my lovey :)

I eat banana's all day but I love drinking this smoothie before I workout first thing in the morning. It wakes me up and gives me the boost that I need for my cardio training.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Silk Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Frozen Banana
1 tsp of Cinnamon

Blend ingredients until smooth, top with additional cinnamon and drink up!!


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Argan Magic - 100% Pure Argan Oil

Happy Saturday!! I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend so far!!

As many of you may know, I am a firm believer in limiting the use of cleansers on my face and try to wash with only water. I do exfoliate my face with Pür Minerals Pür Polish (which you can read more about here) 1 to 2 times a week but other than that I only wash my face with H2O. I completely understand that all of our skin varies and many people have to use special cleansers, washes, creams and so on but I won't discuss cleaning routines given that I don't really have one. What I do want to discuss is Argan Oil; which many people have heard me refer to as "Liquid Gold".

Argan Oil is by far my favourite beauty not-so-secret. It's not a secret because I share my love for it with everyone that I possibly can!

Over the past five years I have tried quite a few brands of different Argan Oil's. Zinn's Beauty Collection has always been and will always be at the very top of my list but I have found another that is in extremely close running - Argan Magic 100% Pure Argan Oil.

This oil is exactly as promoted - Easily absorbed with no residue or greasy feeling. Of course it is an oil so you can expect to see an oily finish at first but it quickly lessens as the oil soaks into your skin. If you apply it as I do, in the evening right before bed you will wake up in the morning with glowing skin.

I have found that dark circles under my eyes disappear, redness diminishes and small spots that I had on my face are no longer. Argan Oil refreshes my skin and keeps it looking young and healthy.

In the winter my daughter suffers from terrible eczema around her thumbs and on the palms of her hands which can become very red and painful for her if we don't care for them properly. Although we don't use medications, we have tried many different lotions and creams, none of which have worked for us. This past winter in Canada was the worst winter I have ever experienced in my life. Not only were the temperatures so low they were breaking records all over the place, the weather was so bad it was causing our skin to do terrible things. We weren't having any luck keeping my daughters hands under control and one night the eczema was causing her so much pain that she was in tears.

It was in pure desperation that I smothered her hands in Argan Oil and covered them in fluffy socks over night. Argan Oil is very rich in Vitamin E and Omega 6 Fatty Acids which work wonders for skin. To our surprise, when she woke in the morning her skin was no longer burning, the redness was gone and the eczema was clearing up. We continued with this routine on a nightly basis until her hands will fully cured which only took one week! As a preventative we continued to oil her hands before bed and put the socks (which she prefers over gloves because they are so soft) on over top to really seal the moisture in.

Argan Oil truly is amazing and although I only use it on my face and my babykins only uses it on her hands, I highly suggest that you try it out on any skin condition that you may have. You have nothing to lose!

xTx

It is important to note that it is suggested that those with nut allergies not use Argan Oil. Should you wish to try it, please speak to your Physician or Allergist prior to using.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

My Birth Week!

I have had the most amazing birth week and today I woke up one year younger, wiser, happier, more beautiful and more content.

The first four days of my birthday week were spent with nine amazing people! Vlad, Pat, Heather, Andrew, Paula, Travis, Janek, Fred, and T.J., I love you all! We attended Escapade Music Festival and shared a ton of love and laughs. Although my favourite DJ had issues and wasn't able to make it to Ottawa I was lucky enough to see so many amazing DJ's and experience hours of brilliant music! Alvin Risk and Kaskade were amazing. I actually cried during Kaskade's remix of Lana Del Rey's song Young & Beautiful which you should listen to here! Oh! And I saw Borgeous on the street, told him that I loved him and he gave me the biggest smile ever! I wish that I stopped him to ask for a picture!

Vlad's Mom (who I call Momsie) is a super lucky girl and won tickets to Absolute Comedy on Friday night. The comedians that we saw were hysterical and had us laughing so hard from start to finish!! If you ever have the opportunity, do not pass up the chance to see Doug Funk and Sam Demaris!! They are two of the funniest people I have ever seen and Vlad was actually called onto stage with Doug during his routine to do a little performance which was completely improvised and hysterical.

On Saturday July 5th Vlad and I celebrated our anniversary. Although we have been engaged for a long time we didn't rush purchasing our official engagement ring. When we were first engaged, Momsie gave me a super pretty set of her rings which I wear (and will continue to wear) all of the time and Vlad also gave me a beautiful band of diamonds for my birthday last year. Although I have these rings, yesterday he gave me our actual engagement ring which is absolutely gorgeous. I am so in love with him!!

Today I celebrated my official birthday with six very special people. We had a birthday BBQ dinner and cake that was by far the best cake I have ever had in my life; courtesy of fidélice Artisan Gourmet in Hull, Quebec. This Trinity cake was layered with ganache, milk chocolate ganache and white chocolate mousse and is said to be three Gods and three sins in one bite which is no lie! Yummy, yummy, yum!

Tomorrow begins a new food era in our home which we are excited about! Vlad gave me a Vitamix for my birthday and I can't wait to use it! I've been researching so much today! :)



In closing, I want to say thank you to every single person who took the time to wish me a happy birthday and share my special day with me. I love you all so much and I have had the most amazing birthday imaginable! I wish each and every one of you happiness, goodness, love and blessings right back, not only today but every day!

Life is perfect!

Tawns <3