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Time To Smell The Flowers…

Mar25

Good afternoon friends! Is anyone else riding a wave of emotion? One minute full of hope and driven to get through this and the next minute full on panic?!? No? Just me? I know it’s not just me! We are all in this together and it’s ok to admit it’s hard.

Today I had my spirits lifted by a porch delivery of a huge bucket of citrus coloured flowers from Floral support.

Floral Support is a local wholesale flower company that specializes in all sorts of floral decor for weddings, parties, or just your weekly bouquet! Given the current pandemic situation the world is facing I think it’s fair to say every industry has seen massive slowdowns, shut downs and lay offs. The only silver lining to that is more people are safe at home through this! Or they should be! The flower industry is no different, with a multitude of canceled events and weddings there are greenhouses full of beautiful flowers that no longer have a destination. Even when the world shuts down the flowers keep growing. That’s where Rachel from Floral Support decided to step in and try to find these flowers a home!

Rachel recently started the Floral Aid Project on Instagram to help support local growers & farmers and to bring some color and beauty into our lives while we are all unable to leave our homes. Rachel is offering contact free drop offs and pick ups of these beautiful buckets of flowers for the wholesale price of $50. You get to pick between 3 color schemes, Spring, Citrus, or Jewel. To get your own bucket delivered simply contact Rachel on Instagram, the Floral Support website or email info@floralsupport.ca

If you’re looking for a way to bring some color into your home, wanting to help support our local businesses and farmers or simply need a distraction by way of arranging beautiful flowers definitely look into the Floral aid project!

Epicure Azteca Tortilla Soup

Jan5

It’s that time of year again! A new Epicure catalogue has launched with lots of new products and meal solutions. I thought it might be fun to review some of the new products and share my thoughts.

If you aren’t familiar with Epicure it is a local to me Canadian company that aims to inspire clean eating through their line of gluten free, sugar/salt/fat conscious line of spices, mixes, and meal solutions.

In the spirit of full disclosure I should mention that I am an independent Epicure consultant! That in no way means I will withhold my honest opinions on these products. This is not a sponsored post in any way and I have purchased these products at my own cost.

So, on to the soup!

I followed the directions on the package using the water option instead of broth. The ingredients and directions are extremely simple. You boil the water and seasoning, add in tomatoes, boil again. Meanwhile rinse the black beans. Add beans and corn and simmer.

To serve top with Greek yogurt, cheese,avocado, lime juice, and tortilla chips if you wish.

Now in all honesty I found the soup incredibly bland after following the directions on the package. Next time I will definitely use broth over water.

After trying it as prepared according to the package directions I went ahead and added in some salt, taco seasoning, red garlic sensel, and a few other things to give it more of the flavour I was expecting/looking for.

I also added two chopped Roma tomatoes because I like chunks or tomatoes in my taco soup.

I don’t mind at all that I had to add salt to this soup. In fact I think that is a good thing given how many packaged mixes and soups are sodium heavy. I’m not one who adds much salt in my cooking but I will when it’s needed. I will admit I wasn’t expecting to have to add so many extra ingredients/spices to this soup to make it more flavourful. On the other hand it’s easier to add ingredients to your liking then to try to cover up a flavour you don’t like in a package mix.

Once the soup was done and topped with the toppings mentioned above and cilantro I very much enjoyed it but again I don’t think I would of enjoyed it very much had I not tweaked it to my liking.

With that being said would I make this again? Absolutely! I would make it using broth and set out knowing what I want to add. I’m also looking forward to trying this with the addition of veggie ground round (or ground beef for the meat eaters). I would also use this mix in other recipes, I’m thinking a taco casserole.

This product is not at all what I was expecting as a quick meal solution/soup mix but it’s a product I will happily use as an ingredient in my own creations.

Easy Like Sunday Morning…

Sep9

Easy my ass! I’ve been laying here awake since 5:30 am (it’s now 7:18am) and I’m yet to get up because I don’t want to wake up Jacob! We can’t have another early morning for him because early mornings lead to ridiculously cranky afternoon and meltdown evenings! So for now I lay here and be thankful for my phone and the internet! The past few days have been tough because Jacob and I have both had a cold. It never fails that I get afflicted with sickness in early September. I took Friday off work and spent the day in my pj’s. It was a much needed day of rest. Saturday was much the same but we did venture to get groceries and got some fresh air out on our patio briefly. I feel like this time of year is my planning time. Planning the rest of the year! Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, etc. I love Fall. The colours, the crisp leaves, the leggings, hoodies, boots! The pumpkins, the food! Speaking of food! Jacob and I baked this lovely banana bread yesterday morning. The recipe can be found HERE. He absolutely loves baking! He asks every weekend if we can bake! He loves to share his (our) creations. Yesterday he took half the banana bread to Grandma and Grandpa and shared the rest with his cousins. He pretty much melts my heart daily. Well my friends I’m going to be brave and attempt to sneak out of bed (only because I really have to pee). Stick around this week as I’m planning on sharing/reviewing some new Epicure products as well hopefully sharing a post on the CSA box we’ve been getting all summer!

Clean Living Buying Club! Veggies, Community, Health! 

Jan29

I recently got the opportunity to take part in a new veggie buying collective organized by a lovely lady named Maria.  Maria has organized an awesome program so local families can pool their funds and buy organic, locally grown produce at a great price.  

 The veggie buying club is a fantastic  way for local community members to access fresh, healthy, organic produce while supporting local farms and keeping dollars in our own community and nearby communities. 

 I am excited to take part in this as it embraces supporting local farms, and eating healthy! Plus it brings together community members! All great things in my eyes.   

 The club currently offers two boxes, a 5 pound harvest and a 15 pound harvest box. Both boxes contain an assortment of veggies and herbs that will change with the growing seasons!  They also offer a juicing box. 

This weeks farmer and harvest boxes contained kale, chard, carrots, beets, a variety of potatoes, leeks, herbs, garlic and the option of wheatgrass add ons.  

 We have already eaten the white potatoes, carrots, and rainbow chard, All of which have been delicious, fresh and flavourful. 

Maria is in the process of getting more farms and local products involved! Hopefully soon the collective will have one stop access to local eggs, honey, seeds, etc.

I am throughly impressed that Maria has give up her own time and energy to bring something so amazing to her community. 

If you’re interested in taking part in the collective or just looking for more information check out The Clean Living Team website. 

Quitting… 

Dec9

We all have a thousand things to do this time of year! Lets face it, we have a thousand things to do at all times during the year.  Life can be overwhelming at times and for me yesterday was one of those times. 

Yesterday I made the decision to quit Weight Watchers. I am both saddened and relieved by this. I am saddened for a few reasons, mainly because I will miss the weekly visits with my meeting friends. I’ve made some strong friendship connections since joining in June. I know I will still see those friends, just not as frequently. I am also saddened because by quiting im losing my built in accountability of a weekly weigh in.  Back in 2011 (before my Lupus got bad) I had amazing success with Weight watchers. I lost over 50 pounds in a year with the program! Of course my life was very different then and I had amazing support from a friend, freedom/ability to workout when I wanted, much less responsibility, etc. This time around my success has been much slower. I’ve lost 15 pounds since June 1st. I realize my illness and my new Mom life are both factors in my slow loosing and I accept that. I make a point of eating healthy and doing what I can when I can, that to me in itself is a success! Not all victories are revealed by the number on the scale or the size of my pants!!

You might be wondering why I quit given I just told you all about my success!  I quit because I can’t get behind the new program released this week.  The changes are substantial and I can’t wrap my head around a program that says I can have a beer for less points than a glass of milk!  I can eat heavily processed/ chemical laden brand name potato crisps for less points than a 1/4 avocado.  In my opinion the points values of many foods no longer represents their nutrition!  I can’t force myself to follow a program that doesn’t give me enough daily points to have oatmeal with milk, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter for breakfast. A green salad with 4 oz of grilled chicken, 1/4 of an avocado, & 1 tablespoon dressing for lunch, and a high fibre wrap with 4 oz lean protein, 1 oz of cheese, veggies and salsa for dinner. Plus one serving of Greek yogurt and berries for a snack!  That’s three healthy meals and one snack and according to the new program I wouldn’t have enough points for that. 

When a program starts to cause more stress than health benifits it’s time to throw in the towel.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not throwing in the towel on healthy eating! I’m just throwing in the towel on paying $60 a month to be stressed out when making healthy choices!! 

  

We Choose Huggies! 

Nov29

I was recently given the opportunity to review Huggies little movers diapers. Influenster sent Jacob a complentary package of little movers diapers for testing and review purposes. It’s safe to say they are now our go to diapers! 

 When Jacob was born we tried Huggies but found they didn’t work well for him as he constantly wet through the sides! As the months passed and Jacob’s little body shape changed the brand of diapers we were using no longer kept him dry!  We were happy to give Huggies another try and quickly learned the Little movers line was exactly what we were looking for!! 

I’m happy with these diapers as they lock away wetness and keep Jacob dry during his constant crawling & furnature walking adventures!  They also work well at night. 

I also appreciate the fact these diapers are unscented and are very gentle on my little ones delicate skin! Jacob never gets redness or diaper rash with Huggies little movers! To me that is a huge factor when making my diaper choice! I also like the fact I can buy these diapers in a huge box at Costco and save a bit of money. 

I highly recommend giving these diapers a try if you have a little mover on your hands!!  Thanks Influenster for giving us that chance to share our opinion on Huggies little movers! 

Keurig 2.0 K200 & Van Houtte Specialty Coffee Review 

Sep30

As some of you know I was lucky enough to be chosen by Influenster to receive a complimentary Keurig 2.0 K200 Brewer and Van Houtte specialty coffee for testing and review purposes.  While these items were provided to me free of charge, I guarantee you these opinions are my own.  

 Let’s start with Keurig 2.0 K200.  I love the coffee maker! No really I’m seriously smitten with this shiny little black despenser of hot coffee goodness!! 

As a new Mom who often has her hands full in the morning the K200 is a life saver. It’s fast, easy to use and doesn’t take up a ton of counter space! I love being able to pop in a K-cup, push a button and a few minutes later my coffee, tea, or hot chocolate is ready to go!! 

 I love that with this machine I can brew a single cup of coffee or an entire carafe when friends and family stop by! I also love that it despenses hot water! I’m a big tea fan and this definitely makes life easier. 

Im also enjoying trying all the varieties of pods available for the Keurig Brewers! I found a local store that lets you pick out 24 K-cups for $17.99! I’m not going to lie, it took me over 30 minutes to pick out 24 K-cups!  

 On the topic of coffee variety and K-cups, Influenster also sent me Van Houtte coffee’s new specialty collection. I received their new cappuccino and vanilla latte coffees.  

 These new coffee are a two step system consisting of a powder and the coffee k-cup. Simply dump the powder in your mug and brew the k-cup into the mug then stir! Super easy coffee house inspired drinks at home!  

 They are definitely a step up from your regular K-cups and quick easy specialty coffee when you can’t get to your favourite coffee house. 

I enjoyed both varieties but I liked the vanilla latte the best. Both varieties have a Sucralose flavor I could live without but overall they are a nice change.  At 110 calories they also fit nicely into my day as a sweet treat. 

Thank you Influenster  for including me in the Keurig and Van houtte Voxbox! I’ve throughly enjoyed trying these products and sharing my opinion! 

RUNLOVEBOX

Sep29

I was recently lucky enough to have the opportunity to receive a Runlovebox to review and share my thoughts!   I heard about this new company through Seawheeze and was more than excited to see this box show up on my door this past Saturday!

 Runlovebox is a monthly subscription box company based out of Vancouver BC!  They are a new company that is already doing great things! Runlovebox is the brain child of Alyssa, a busy triathlete who is also a Family medicine resident!  I love ambitious women and I think starting a business while a full time Resident counts as seriously ambitious!!  Alyssa knows how hard it can be for busy runners to get their hands on new products and knows we don’t always want to commit to a full size version of something prior to trying it. With this knowledge her vision was born! 

Each month for $15 Runlovebox subscribers will receive a box full of running goodies! My favourite part of this subscription box is each month is based around a theme! Septembers theme was “The Early Bird”, a collection of things to help runners start their day off right!  More on that in a minute!  I also really enjoy the fact that Runlovebox takes the time to list the company information of each goodie to save subscribers the time of sourcing out company info. All the info is listed right there on the included card!  It’s nice to know where the products come from and how to get our hands on more of the things we love!

Okay on to the goods!!  

 I love local products, so I was excited to find Orgins coffee in this months box!! Based out of Vancouver, freshly roasted organic artisan coffee! Delicious!   My faveorite sample this month was the Go Macro Chashew butter bars! Oh my gosh, so yummy! I found these were great to grab in the morning when I was wrangling Jacob to get his day started!  You really can’t go wrong with these bars as they are vegan, non-gmo and delicious!   This months Runlovebox also included Burt’s Bees lip balm! This is a welcome addition at this time of year as my lips start to suffer in the crisp air and running outside makes them worse!  I love the addition of peppermint in this balm! I’d recommend this balm to anyone who suffers with dry lips.  A genius product addition I found in this months box was the paper shower! A large wipe to freshen up after a run and a dry towel wipe to dry off.  This is such a great idea to keep in your gym bag or purse for after a run or a workout! I love running at the park and often feel gross afterwards and avoid even quick stops before going home. With this product I can wipe sweat away and not feel so gross prior to getting a shower!  Also included were Nuun hydration tablets. Electrolyte drink tabs without added carbs! At 8 calories each they are much easier on the diet than other sports drinks.  Plus they taste great! It’s safe to say I am seriously impressed with Alyssa and Runlovebox! The fact it is a local company is the frosting on the cake!! I think $15 a month is a great price for the opportunity to try out products and sample goodies! 

If you’re a runner or even a walker check out Runlovebox. A monthly subscription would make a great gift for the runner in your life. There is no minimum on the number of months you must sign up for so ordering one month or a number of months as a gift is easy. 

Check out this great subscription box! You won’t be disappointed!

RunLoveBox
  

Naturebox Review

Sep17

I’m a big fan of healthy, fun snacks so when I got my free Naturebox I was super excited to bust into it!  

 Naturebox is a monthly subscription box that ships right to your door. You can choose 3 or 5 snacks and add on premium snacks like turkey jerky for an additional fee.  

 Naturebox allows you to pick your own snacks each month from a huge list of snacks. They have something for every type of snacker! Sweet, salty, crunchy, soft. Nuts, cookies, dried fruit, crackers, popcorn, etc. 

It took me a while to pick out what I wanted to try but I finally settled on Prailne pumpkin seeds, Peanut butter yum yums, Harvest nut mix, Sweet and Salty nuts, and Whole wheat strawberry fig bars.

It is safe to say I enjoyed all my selections but the Harvest nut mix was my favourite!  

 I am a huge trail mix fan and the flavours in this mix were delicious! I loved the corn and the cracker sticks! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a slightly salty, crispy snack. 

My second favourite selection was the Praline pumpkin seeds. 

 These are sweet little bites of crispy goodness! They are a very Autumn feeling snack thanks to the pumpkin pie spice. They cured my sweet tooth without breaking the calorie bank!

My next favourite snack was the Sweet and Salty nuts. 

 I am a big fan of nuts on salads and these mixed sweet and salty nuts where perfect for that!! They weren’t overly sweet or salty, as Goldilocks would say “Just right!”

Next I tried the Peanut butter nom nom’s.  

 Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about peanut butter!! Very amorous is how I feel for those who don’t know!! These were tasty little treats but ring in at 100 calories each! It is hard to eat just one as they are like soft little cookies but 100 calories each seemed high to me.

My final snack was the Whole wheat strawberry fig bars.  

 I enjoyed these and think they would make a great snack to grab to keep in my bag for those days we are out and about longer than expected. They packed a big fig flavor and the whole wheat made them feel more healthy than a traditional fig cookie.

Over all I really enjoyed my Naturebox sample box and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys healthy snacking.  A box of 5 full size snacks will run you $19.99 a month and you can cancel your subscription anytime or order your box more frequently as you choose. In my opinion the price is totally fair given the high quality, full size snack you receive. 

I’m definitely looking forward to picking next months snacks! 

Check out Naturebox here!!