After a long silence, I'm back.

Hi everyone.

I know, I know, I've been very quiet here on my end. Life is crazy, things get in the way, and honestly, I wasn't sure if anyone was actually reading the posts or not. I'm back to post a few insightful tidbits that I've learned along my way to optimum health. I've learned a lot about myself personally and have been able to really think outside the box on a few things. Seeing new clients, having a few issues of my own and diving back into the wide world of research and life long learning, I'm starting to realize, now more than ever, that there is some pretty sketchy dietary advice out there, some pretty sketchy and downright dangerous fad diets (ie. low to no carb - paleo - which seems to be all the rage right now, and ones that even SOUND healthy -insert raw diet here- and I understand there is "real" science behind raw diets, which is all well and good until people start to get sick because it simply doesn't work for certain constitutions - again, one size does not fit all). I've been broadening my horizons and thoughts on nutrition, digestion, and what I've always known, how one diet DOES NOT fit all. Never has, never will. We all have very different constitutions, very different levels or rates of digestion, and different requirements all round. I've done the low carb thing (for me it was VERY short term to regulate blood sugar - 4 weeks or so is all, and definitely moderate as far as animal protein went, certainly not to Paleo extremes) and yes, you do lose "weight" but "weight" isn't necessarily fat, and long term proper studies have shown that low carbers do not lose more weight than any other kind of diet, they just drop the weight a little quicker initially. Never mind ruining your kidneys, colon and brain. I've done 100% raw and crashed after a few months, and I was one of the ones 'doing it right'. Didn't work for me or anyone else I know who's done it. That being said, it's a fantastic SHORT TERM cleanse option and it does in fact work for some long term, so I've been told. I advise most people to visit their natural health care practitioner first to get an understanding of their bodies and personal needs and to find out what time of year they should be partaking in a raw diet. Nasty things happen when you do it at ill suited times for certain constitutions. You will NOT feel better, but worse, and can damage your digestive system. I  personally was stuck on my 'high raw' diet. Turns out, high raw only works for me during the hot summer months, definitely not in the fall, winter and most likely spring. So to get back on point here, the perfect diet is very individual and is important not only in weight management, but in how you feel, your energy levels, how you sleep, how you function day to day, how often you get sick etc. Nutrition is of the utmost importance. You are not what you eat but what you absorb. There are many factors that play into what kind of diet is best for you. You can't go wrong with whole, clean foods. That being said, the ratio and how you eat these foods are very individual. That's where it gets interesting and finding a good natural health care practitioner to work with is very important. It will mean the success or failure in your long term health goals. As I've mentioned before on this blog, I have a local practice where I do Iridology, Reflexology, Kinesiology, and Herbalism along with nutritional counseling which is always included in the initial visit. There's my shameless plug. Be sure to check in with your doctor or natural health care provider before making any drastic changes to your diet. I can't stress that enough!

Super Sore Muscle Liniment Recipe

Good morning!

Today is the last day of July and I can't believe how fast time is flying by. Summer's going to be over before I know it (not that I mind, Fall is definitely my favourite time of year) and the woodstove will be back at work.   I foresee some issues with dragging my butt to the gym when it's still dark out though, and I'll have to pack in my frozen breakfasts for something a little, oh, I don't know, warmer? Enter baked oatmeal! YUM! Anyway, on to the point of this post. I totally overworked my calves last week (to injury point, yes, I know, stupid....) but in my defense, calves are a funny muscle to work because it never really feels as though you're overworking them. You don't find that out until a day or two later and then you can't walk for a week. Well, you can walk, you just look weird. I provided many bursts of uncontrollable laughter to the people around me. I was told I walked like the creature from Pan's Labrynth. Awesome. So needless to say, I've rested my calves well and used my trusty homemade linament. It works better than anything I've ever bought and it's cheap and easy to make. It's oil based and has cayenne in it, which gives it an orange-y colour, so it may stain. I haven't had trouble with it, but please, don't use it with your favourite white clothes.


Homemade Liniment


1 Tbsp grapeseed or other light oil
1/2 - 1 tsp Cayenne pepper (stir it in, if you have sensitive skin, please add a little then skin test)
5-10 drops Peppermint essential oil (again, add slowly and do a skin test after each addition)

**If you want a solid liniment, add a little (and I mean a little, you won't need much at all for this recipe as it's a small amount) melted beeswax and let it harden into a balm. If it's cool outside or in your house, you can also use coconut oil as a base. Keep in mind as the temperatures climb, the coconut oil will melt.

The cayenne causes deep heating and brings blood to the area, while the peppermint gives you the cooling. You should feel a warming/cooling sensation just like you would with a store bought brand, this is just a safe, natural alternative. If you don't feel warming, add more cayenne, if you don't feel cooling, add more peppermint. I have had success using Eucalyptus essential oil as well, and a blend of both Peppermint and Eucalyptus. Spearmint and Wintergreen work too.

Shake or stir to mix. Apply as needed.

KEEP AWAY FROM EYES AND FACE AND TENDER BITS!!! Wash  your hands after you apply.

A Fitness Update: My Adventures In Bodybuilding Thus Far.

I haven't posted for a while regarding my workouts and fitness so I thought I'd update everyone. I recently found a new bodybuilding partner who has kicked my butt back into gear and out of my stagnant lifting routine. She has a plan, a program and heavy determination. I always had the heavy determination, it was the program I was lacking, enter my bestest bodybuilding bud ever! Her program has officially kicked my arse all over the gym and then wiped the floor with it. Even my toes are sore. I haven't been sore from a workout, no matter how hard I pushed (even to the point of near injury) in months, so this is a welcomed pain. Back on track and hitting it hard. My gains are incredible thus far, even with my willy nilly fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants routine I was following before. This new program has certainly kicked things up a bit. This makes me happy. I also did enough research, talked to enough people and came to the conclusion that it was probably time to start supplementing. I had (have) plateaued, and I was frustrated. So along with a mostly raw, 99.9% plant based, whole food diet I have incorporated a CLEAN Creatine HCl (which does NOT cause intestinal upset, bloating or cramps and the only ingredients on the label should be Creatine HCl - capsule form is best) and CLEAN all natural BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids), both to aid in repair therefore building strength and endurance. Today is only day three....I am going to try this out for 2 months (the supply I bought) and see how I feel and if I think it's worth carrying on with. It's the Creatine that can be iffy. Some people get great results, some get next to nothing. The BCAAs are very important though, so I'll probably end up sticking with them for sure, and if I see vast improvement with the Creatine, I'll stick with that as well. So far, so good. I'm considering posting before and after pictures here on the blog. I have some before pictures (almost before pics, I had only been hitting the gym lightly as a re introduction for about a month or so....not much in the way of gains...still just skinny), I would like to get some pics done this weekend and then again in 6 weeks when the 12 week program is complete. (I have NOT been along for the full 12 week program, I stepped in half way through, but I had basic weight training/bodybuilding gains prior to, so it should give a pretty good idea as to the transformation you could expect from the program following it through from beginning to end). The final 4 weeks of the program is cutting and getting competition ready. I'm going to tweak it as I'm already cut (very little body fat) and I want to continue to build. I will follow the routine, just use heavier weights than cutting calls for and continue with my active rest breaks between sets. The 12 week bodybuilding program we are following is NOT for the faint of heart. It's tough. REALLY tough, but SO effective. My partners gains (which I've seen thru her weekly pictures) BLOW my mind. Amazing. The key to getting the body you want is CLEAN eating, hard work and persistence. Abs are made in the kitchen :). There is no truer statement than that. Stick to a whole foods diet and you'll have the tummy you want in no time. I'm loving this journey so far. Absolutely LOVING it. Ladies, bodybuilding and weight training is the way to go for a toned, sexy, strong body. Have a great day everyone, I'm off to the gym!

The Perfect Hot Summer Morning Breaky (or snack, or dessert)

A while back I threw a concoction together with the hope of satisfying a few cravings. I wanted something not too sweet, a little chocolatey, a little fruity and frozen, but I didn't want sorbet or ice cream. I threw a few simple things together and what I got did the job, and did it well. Shortly after taking my first bite, addiction set it. I originally made this as a dessert and quickly realized that it would make a great breaky/snack or pre or post workout snack, for a warm day of course (there are frozen ingredients and I'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold, so enter warm, sunny morning or roaring fire in the woodstove). It's simple, delicious and packed full of nutrients. So let's get to the ingredients:

*Frozen raspberries (you could probably use any kind of frozen berry, I just adore raspberries....Blueberries would be yummy too)
*Almond Milk (or milk of choice - I used the unsweetened original Silk brand)
*Unpasteurized Honey - If you have issues with honey, maple syrup would probably be really good too or if you're ok with using agave, try that. 
*Hemp Hearts
*Cocoa Nibs

Put a layer ( a couple of handfuls) of frozen raspberries in a bowl and pour some almond milk over them (don't drown them though, you want to be able to see some raspberries) - The almond milk freezes around them, sooo good!

Drizzle honey(or liquid sweetener of choice) over the raspberries and top with a generous serving of hemp hearts and cocoa nibs.

Repeat. Easy on the almond milk for the final layer, just pour over the berries to coat them - they almost look like yogurt covered berries when the thin layer of milk freezes on them.

I do two layers and my bowl is full. And when I'm finished eating, so am I.

And there you have it, a simple treat fit for breakfast or anytime of day. Be careful though, it is addictive :).

Amazing Almost Raw Gingerbread Balls in 5 Minutes!

Since I've been refined sugar and wheat free (and I don't use chemical sugar substitutes) I've had a craving for my most favourite type of cookie (well, a close second to chocolate chip), GINGERBREAD! Yum. I used to love making gingerbread houses and plastering on as many smarties as I could possibly fit onto the roof and anywhere else I could make them work. There is NOTHING more delicious than chocolate and gingerbread. Unfortunately there is no chocolate in this recipe, only soft, delicious gingerbread cookie balls, or shapes....Whatever you do with the spicy goodness is up to you. It'll take 5 minutes, that's it. 5 minutes to bliss. Here we go....

You'll need a food processor. A Vitamix may work, I've never tried it though.

1 cup almonds
1- 2 tsp cinnamon
1 - 2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbs organic molasses
1 Tbs vanilla extract
Pinch salt (optional)
1/2 Cup organic dried apricots
1/2 Cup organic dates

***Please note that these are all approximations. Your dried fruit may be wetter, dryer etc, you may need more or less. I like really spicy gingerbread, so I used the larger amounts, but again, use your discretion and add to your personal tastes. With the molasses, I just eyeballed approximately 2 Tbs. If your dough is too wet, add more nuts, if it's too dry, add either more fruit, molasses or vanilla extract.


Directions:
Place your almonds and spices into your food processor and process until well combined and finely textured. Add your molasses and vanilla extract while the processor is running. Begin to add your dried fruit slowly and allow to process a bit with each addition before adding more. Keep an eye on the consistency. You want your dough to form a ball in the processor, then you know it's not too wet and not too dry. Roll into balls or refrigerate for a little while to cool the dough, roll it out and cut into gingerbread men or whatever you like. Best stored in the fridge. Enjoy!

Sweltering Summer Heat Relief With A Delicious, Easy Sorbet

It's been progressively getting hotter here by the day for the past week or so. The dogs are dying, I am dying and my cat, the weird creature that he is, seems to want to sidle up beside the nearest HOT body and cuddle. No one is impressed with this....Not in this heat.

So, to try to cope, I whipped up an amazingly simple and delicious sorbet (or sherbert of sorts as I added a little almond milk). I absolutely LOVE my Vitamix in the summer. There's nothing it can't do! So on to the amazalicious, super easy, sugar free sorbet.

Grab your Vitamix, other high powered blender or a food processor might even work (I haven't tried, so I'm not sure) and pour in about 1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice - I used Silk Almond milk, it's by far my favourite. SUPER thick and creamy. I used the unsweetened one), one fresh nectarine, two frozen bananas, and 2-3 cups of frozen strawberries. I've learned a trick with my Vitamix and making sorbets and other frozen desserts - don't fill it much past the 4 cup mark or it's pretty difficult to blend, so base your amount of strawberries loosely on that parameter. I think for this batch I was closer to the 5 cup mark, but it worked fine with some aggressive tamping. Once all of your goodies are in your blender, turn it on, increase the speed and flip the super speed switch (Vitamix's have this set up). Blend and use your tamping tool to push the ingredients into the blades until it's smooth and four 'pillows' or mounds form. Once those mounds form, stop blending and serve your delicious sorbet. I had some leftovers, amazingly, so I poured what was left into popsicle molds and froze them. An incredibly easy, healthy, summer treat. Feel free to use any fruit you like, just make sure the majority of it is frozen (and by majority, I mean close to all of it), or you'll end up with something closer to a smoothie, which is still really great and you can pour it into popsicle molds for healthy frozen treats on a stick. Who doesn't love treats on a stick?

Optional additions and/or garnishes that are super yummy:
Mint leaves, lime juice and zest, lemon juice and zest, cocoa nibs, leave the milk out and have more of a traditional sorbet, add more milk (preferable pre frozen in ice cube trays) for something more like ice cream - full fat canned coconut milk makes AWESOME ice cream, really rich and creamy.

Vegan Cheese Review

So, in the sweltering heat that transpired yesterday, I decide that I was going to make tortilla pie...Good plan. Cook black beans and steam the house out for two hours raising the humidity to unearthly levels. Cook homemade corn tortillas in a dry cast iron pan sending those lovely, wiggly, eyesight distorting waves of heat off to play in the incinerator that I call a house. And for the finale, turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake the thing. Wow. Yes, Good idea. Not. So. Much. At any rate, I finally got a chance to try out Daiya's Pepper Jack cheeze. It's good, not "WOW" good, but good. It's creamy, VERY creamy and melty. It would make a great creamy/cheesy hot dip. The flavour is decent, but not overly cheese like. I will say it does make a good substitute though, and I think adding in a little nutritional yeast to the mix might have raised the bar a little. It's a little oily once melted, but not disgusting. Would I buy it again? Yes, probably. I would like to try making a pizza or even poutine with it and I think I'll try the cheddar kind next. Like I said, this stuff is creamy beyond words (once melted and hot, of course), like warmed cream cheese. I like that about it. Very soft cheese- esque. When I get around to trying it in a variety of dishes, I'll report back with my experiences. If anyone's interested, here's the gist of the tortilla pie that I made:

3 homemade corn tortillas - masa harina and water to form a dough.
Approximately 2 cups pre soaked and cooked black beans stewed with veggie stock, cumin, coriander, garlic, onion, taco seasoning (homemade), fresh cilantro and chipotle.
2 diced peppers (I used one red one orange)
3 diced small roma tomatoes
Salsa verde (or enchilada sauce - whichever you like)
Daiya Pepper Jack cheese.

Layer all ingredients starting with one of the tortillas. Top the final lid tortilla with a little more salsa verde and some more cheeze. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so.

All in all it was a success. I did manage to eat half the darn thing, so that says something :). And even better? The corn tortillas combined with the black beans makes this meal full of complete protein. (Not that you have to complete a protein at each meal. As long as you get the proper amino acids throughout the day, your body will do it for you, it's smart like that).

I had some black beans and diced veggies left over, so I mixed them together, added some avocado, lime juice, more fresh cilantro and topped a salad with the black bean - salsa/guacamole mixture. YUM!

Vegan Cheese Review Pending...

So I caved in and splurged on a vegan version of Pepper Jack cheese. I was originally planning to make a healthier version of poutine (which could still happen), but mostly, I wanted to make a tortilla or enchilada pie. I was going to use my go to vegan cheese solution - nutritional yeast - but curiosity got the best of my skeptical self and I purchased a bag of Daiya brand cheese. The ingredients on this cheese actually impressed me - it's totally allergen free - no soy, no casein, no wheat and the list goes on. Plus, it was made with actual food products, not some strange concoction of science experiments that somehow end up as some kind of franken-food. I know what everything in the ingredients are and I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't. I haven't got around to actually trying it yet, but I forsee a tortilla/enchilada pie happening this weekend at some point and I will be sure to share my findings. I'm a little leery to try it straight out of the bag as I'm not quite that convinced it'll be palatable...But this stuff is actually supposed to melt.....Melty, cheezy goodness. Well, those are my hopes anyway. I really don't miss dairy, and believe me, my body certainly doesn't miss it either, but there are a few things I'd like to have once in a while; pizza, poutine, nachos, grilled cheese sandwiches, even vegan scalloped potatoes or vegan cheese scones. These things are all treats, certainly NOT part of my daily or even weekly/monthly routine.

Well, it would appear that Summer has finally decide to arrive here on the West Coast and I'm going to head out there an enjoy it in case it decides to take another holiday.

Get out there, get your daily fill of vitamin D and enjoy the sunshine! Don't forget, berries are almost in full swing! Be sure to get your hands on those sweet little gems packed full of fiber, antioxidants and vitamins! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, oh my! And when September rolls around, we get another burst of delicious blackberries! YUM!

MIA.....But Back....

So I'm now well into my bodybuilding/weightlifting routine as a vegan. The results are good. Great, in fact. I've done physical jobs in the past, always been fairly active but never have I gained muscle faster or recovered faster than I have since I converted to being vegan. To be honest, since January, I have slipped up a handful of times indulging in sushi (a couple of times), one steak (YUCK - totally lost my taste for those....), a piece of organic pepperoni and fish tacos. That being said, I felt pretty gross after eating the red meat, and just ok after the fish. I feel better with them totally eliminated. I have more energy, less digestive issues, less bloating, and all round just feel lighter. I'm a high raw vegan. Or high raw plant based, whichever works. I don't like titles, I don't like labels, but I am constantly asked how I eat, so I guess, to make it easy for others, plant based seems very self explanatory. I personally find it VERY easy to eat this way. Oh, and another benefit, which I should mention if anyone out there plans to make dietary changes, since I've been vegan the pain I experience daily from serious injuries caused by an MVA 4 years ago have significantly lessened. Very significantly. This was a very welcome side effect :). So all in all, this was a very good change for me. I was high raw before, but did eat some meat (maybe a few times a month). My meat intake had decreased to almost nothing over the past couple of years, so the transition was pretty easy. I'm really loving how I feel and the results I'm seeing at the gym! Anyone out there who doesn't think you can gain and maintain muscle, weight lift or body build being vegan is very, very wrong. More and more professional MMA fighters, athletes and bodybuilders are becoming vegan, and they're not only still holding their own, they're WINNING! :) Welcome to clean eating and a strong, healthy body!

Workshop

So tonight I did another workshop. I really like doing them for a few reasons. I like that the people who attend CHOOSE to be there. They read the description of the workshop, find that it interests them and they attend. They want to learn. The subject matter is important to them. This is especially important to me because the workshops I put on are all about health, wellness and well being, not only of the individual, but of their families and the planet. It makes me happy when people attend. It shows me that there are people out there who not only care about themselves, but in cleaning up the way they do things, they care about everything around them too. Makes the world just a little bit brighter for me. It was a really great group tonight. To be fair though, it usually is. It was small, which was also good. It allows for more conversation and more interaction. It's more personal, and I like that too. It's nice getting to know other like minded people, even if it is just for a few hours. I really had to muscle through this one though, I'm fighting the flu and felt less than good. Actually, I felt less than even mediocre. And now it's late and I feel less than human. Oh well, this too shall pass. A good night's sleep and a couple of flu busters and I should be good as new in no time. All in all, feeling like poop aside, it was a really great night. I hope they enjoyed the workshop as much as I did.

Mineral Makeup Photos

I am working to get the mineral makeup photos up on the website. The first few colour blocks of eye shadows are up along with a description of each colour. I am hoping by the end of the weekend or mid week next week to have pretty much all of the makeup photos done with descriptions. Don't forget, if you live locally, you can come and shop at my house or email me your order, I'll get it ready and we can figure out a good time for pick up and payment. Easy peasy!

Don't forget about hosting makeup and body care parties. What a great way to restock for spring, try before you buy, get the ladies together and have a good time! The hostess will get perks :). Also, my body care line is great for guys too!! Toners double as aftershaves, face scrubs reduce or eliminate ingrown facial hairs, body butter are great for rough, calloused hands and EVERYONE loves the whipped soaps!

Check out the pics so far: http://www.divineearthbodycare.com/mineral-makeup.html

Do You Like Salad Rolls?

I LOVE salad rolls. Mmmm, do I ever. Nutritionally, they're kind of void of anything really. White rice paper, white rice vermicelli, a couple of small pieces of cilantro or thai basil leaves, usually a bit of carrot and iceberg lettuce/napa cabbage and a couple of prawns and/or pork. And then there's the peanut dipping sauce. I do love the sauce. I don't love that it's peanut though. Last night, I threw a few simple ingredients together to make a quick salad dressing and the stuff made my nutritionally dense salad taste like a salad roll sans the wrap and noodles (and the meat products and the peanuts). I wasn't intentionally trying to do this. I just threw some random things together, drizzled it on my salad and voila, a vegan, peanut free salad roll salad. It honestly did taste just like a salad roll. It was really good. I didn't use any rice vermicelli, but you absolutely could to make it even more salad roll-y (like lazy salad rolls ;)). Just cook and cool your noodles, stir in some dressing, top with your salad and drizzle a little more dressing onto your greens and then gently combine the two.

 Here are the ingredients. I didn't measure anything so just make it to suit your taste and the amount you require. You won't be disappointed!

*Roasted Almond Butter (enough for as much dressing as you'll need, this makes up the dressing base)
*Nutritional Yeast (to taste)
*Unrefined Sea or Himalayan Pink Salt (to taste) - I actually found it didn't NEED the salt, but definitely taste it for yourself and see.
*Chopped cilantro (I used a lot in my salad, so you can either add a fair amount to your salad, or add it to the dressing, or both, it's up to you)

That's it!! Drizzle on your salad and enjoy! You could get really creative and sprinkle some roasted almond pieces on top for garnish, and yumminess, of course.

New Gorgeous Eyeshadows

I had a chance last night to really check out the 5 new eyeshadow shades that are now in stock. They are gorgeous colour shifters. Really great colours! 2 new green shades; Spring Mist (pale, misty, shimmery green with silver undertones and flashes of purple, WOW) and Deep Sea Green (description to come later, this little guy has been help up a day or so, but I promise you, it's gorgeous), Purple Gold (Light to medium shimmery purple with beautiful gold flashes), Plum Honey (A mid tone shimmering plum with flashes of honey gold) and last but certainly not least, Honey Gold (gorgeous shimmering honey colour with golden flashes, great as a highlight but enough tone to use alone as a shadow. Really rich colour, not yellow-y at all). I'm definitely snagging one of each for myself. My eyeshadow collection is starting to get out of control, perhaps this is yet another obsession of mine ;). As usual, the foundations are fantastic and I got a couple of smaller cream foundation/concealer to try in the most popular foundation colours. We'll see how those go. I'm typically skeptical of cream concealers, but I am currently using one in a concealer format, not a cream foundation format, and it works great! I do LOVE the powder ones though. They are awesome and the blend wonderfully. Don't forget, all of the makeup is PURE mineral makeup, no additives, no chemicals, no animal products (it's ALL vegan) and the makeup is actually GOOD for your skin. What more could you want! :)

Restocks!! Some New Goodies!!

The foundations have been restocked and there are also a few new eyeshadow colours! So gorgeous!

Kitchen Gadgets

I think I may be obsessed with kitchen gadgets. I currently have, as permanent fixtures on my counter, a Vitamix Blender, Commercial Cuisinart Food Processor, Excalibur Dehydrator, a kettle, of course, and quite often my Cuisinart mini processor/wand mixer multi tool dooey is out too. This doesn't even cover the stuff in the pantry! To be fair, I think the only gadget that has gone unmentioned and is in the pantry due to infrequent use is my hand mixer. Believe it or not, the stuff that ends up staying on my counter gets used, and used a lot. My dehydrator has been getting quite the workout lately making me a seemingly never ending supply of delicious raw kale chips. YUM. These things are the best and I love that I can eat them on the days I just don't feel like salad (this is a rare occurrence, but has been known to happen.) AND the days I want a chip-like snack, I can eat the WHOLE bag and not feel guilty! They're really an awesome snack. I'm not sure I could actually pick a favourite kitchen gadget, since my favourites are always in use, and there's not just one! Do you have a favourite kitchen appliance? What do you prepare most often using it?

Recipe Rant

I follow a few blogs myself, as I'm sure many of you here do as well. I mostly follow food blogs, because, well, I love food. I tend to follow food blogs because along with loving food, I also love to cook. I'm a total fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants cook who always has a note pad and pen in the kitchen with me so I can record my delicious creations ('alway's' may be a slight exaggeration, and 'slight' is a little closer to 'colossal') but I DO try my best to record what I did, usually after the meal has been eaten and enjoyed. Heck, if it wasn't enjoyed, why would I write it down? I have a few 'signature' dishes that I had zero help from the internet in creating that are really popular with friends and family, and as time goes on, you'll see them posted here. That being said, when you snoop through enough blogs, recipes and the like and you're bound to find something at the very least similar, and a lot of times, pretty much the same. That's the nature of cooking and creating. What drives me totally insane is when some commenter accuses the blogger of stealing the recipe (I just saw this on a much loved blog that I follow and it really ticked me off). Are you serious? And really, why do you care? If I EVER post a recipe that I didn't create on my own, I either ask permission to post it on my site and give credit where it is due or I'll just link the recipe and you can get it off the other blogger's site. I've seen a TON of "my" recipes all over the net and I know full well they weren't stolen from me because I've never posted them, and I know full well I didn't steal them from someone else either. This happens with anything and everything, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Heck, I've seen recipes that I've come up with out of the blue almost word for word (or ingredient for ingredient) in a cookbook that I've purchased. It happens, and you know what, it's no big deal. The recipes are posted on blogs for everyone to enjoy, so why can't we all just do that? Make delicious food, share (or not, especially if it's chocolate, hehehe) and enjoy! Rant over. More recipes to come soon! If there are any particular recipes you are interested in, let me know! :)

So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt UPDATE :)

Do you recall how I said I wasn't sure just how MUCH I liked this stuff? Well, given that I've been trying it with all sorts of added delights the past couple of days, I feel the need to clarify just how much I actually LOVE this. I've swirled vanilla extract and a touch of honey in it and topped it off with cocoa nibs, hemp hearts and banana, YUM. I've swirled molasses into it (I love molasses) and again, YUM. Tomorrow I think I'll stir in pineapple and kiwi. So those of you who are vegan, lactose intolerant or just want to try something new, don't hesitate. The price tag is a bit daunting, but check for sales. I know I will! I can't vouch for any of the flavours outside of the plain, but a little birdie told me that the vanilla is really good as is the blueberry :). I'm sure they're all definitely worth trying.

Vegan Coconut Based Yogurt Review - So Delicious Brand

So I recently tried the So Delicious Vegan Coconut (soy and GMO free) cultured yogurt. It's different. Not really similar to typical yogurt, but I do like it. I bought the plain one (to avoid excess sugars). A friend of mine bought the Vanilla one. He liked it, a lot. He had the same opinion though, definitely different than yogurt, but still yummy. I'm not sure I'd buy it often though. For one, it's quite expensive, and second, as I said, I do like it, I'm just not sure how MUCH I like it. It's really hard to describe the flavour. You can taste coconut, it's smooth and creamy and VERY thick with a slightly sour aftertaste (though this may be due to the fact I got an unflavoured one). What I DO like about it is that it's cultured, which means it has LIVE probiotics in it, and who couldn't use more probiotics? I'm going to see what other uses it may have outside of just being a yogurt. I think you could use it to make a "cream" sauce, add it to smoothies, make pudding type dishes out of it, possibly add some vanilla and honey and use it as a whipped topping, add it to oats....I can see MANY uses for this stuff :). If you decide to try it, let me know what you think. If I get creative and use it in some recipes or for other things and it turns out well, I'll post about it :).

Vegan Recipes to Share?

If anyone out there has some great vegan recipes that you'd like to share, please do!! People think that being vegan leaves very little to eat. That opinion couldn't be further from the truth. My diet has expanded and includes so many more foods cooked or prepared in so many vastly different ways, I don't think my diet has EVER been so wonderfully diverse, and tasty. Diversity means more nutrients, more enzymes, a more balanced diet and better health. It's totally up to you as to what your food choices are. People are also under the misconception that you can't be vegan without eating a ton of soy. This is so untrue. I do not eat soy or tofu, PERIOD. It's far from healthy. If going vegan is something you've been thinking about and have questions or concerns, please, feel free to ask them, I am more than happy to answer. Vegans are vegan for a plethora of reasons. Some for health reasons alone, some for moral issues, some for a bit of both and some just because they want to.  I am BY NO MEANS preaching that everyone should eat a plant based diet. That is your choice and you have every right to eat the way you want and the things you want, without judgement. I don't believe in giving people a hard time for their diets, no matter what they consist of, unless of course you come in to see me and have a myriad of health concerns/problems. In that case, it's my JOB to analyze, pick apart and explain to you WHY your diet is making you sick and what you need to change in order to regain your health. That's what you're paying me for ;).

Vegan diets also vary to crazy degrees. I know over weight, unhealthy vegans (these ones typically stick to processed crap 'foods' and empty calorie junk - just goes to show, no matter which lifestyle choice you decide to make, there is always room to do it in a very unhealthy manner) and I know vegans who look and feel at least 10 years younger than they are. They are at their optimal weight, some are body builders, they rarely, if ever get sick and they eat nothing but whole, clean foods.

So however you eat, HAPPY EATING! And most importantly, enjoy and savour your food!

I will continue to post some of my best recipes and feel free to try them out!

The Best Asparagus. Ever.

Ok, this turned out soooo well I can't believe I hadn't tried doing it before. It'll require soaking a cedar plank and firing up the BBQ. All you need to do is wash your asparagus, salt and pepper them, place them on your prepared cedar plank, stick it on the BBQ and let the plank do it's magic for about 5 minutes. Asparagus cooks pretty quickly (especially on the BBQ) and they can go from underdone to overdone at an alarmingly fast pace, so keep an eye on your veggies. These tasted so good. Smokey, crisp and absolutely delicious. This is my new favourite way to cook asparagus. I suspect any veggie would be amazing done this way. I'm going to try peppers and squash next. If you are cooking something on the BBQ using a cedar plank, you can just place your veggies on the grill on the upper rack (unless your BBQ is on low) and they'll still get the same amazing flavour.

Roasted Butternut Squash

I love butternut squash. I actually like most squash, but butternut is definitely one of my favourites. The other night I decided i wanted to cook it a little differently than normal. I usually just bake it with some kind of filling, or bake it and top it with some kind of sauce but I've been on a roasted veggie kick lately and wanted to try that out. What I did was skin and cut my raw butternut squash into chunks (similar to preparing potatoes for roasted potatoes), put them into a bowl and tossed them with fresh crushed garlic, sea salt and black pepper. You can add a touch of oil (grapeseed or whatever you like), but I don't think it's necessary. I lined a cookie sheet with tin foil, spread out the squash and popped them into a 425 degree oven for approx. 20 minutes. Time will depend on the size of your chunks and how well you want them cooked. They turned out wonderfully. If you let them cool a little on the tin foil, they're very easy to remove.

Restocks and Scent Sneak Peek

Hey! I've been super busy but have been meaning to post a few things over the past few days, which will indeed get posted...Some new delicious recipes being part of the fun! (Or most of it :) ). But first, all of the body care restocks will take place no later than Friday :). Creamy Cleanser, Scrubs and Whipped soaps will all be back in force :). I have a few new scents brewing as well. With the Spring theme in mind, I have a lovey Sweet Spice, which is just that. Spicy and sweet (not holiday sweet, but deliciously bakery sweet yet not sickening. Think sweet vanilla spice cake topped with pear). I've also made a lovely sweet floral scent, Spring Bouquet. This isn't your typical 'gramma' smell at all, there is no rose component (which can kind of drive it to the old lady or soapy perfume realm). It's packed with the sweet scents of Spring, Ylang Ylang, Carnation, Lilac and a hint of Vanilla. This is not a heavy, heady scent and there's a touch of a 'green' scent to it to keep it light. I've added a few deeper scents to the mix to round it out, Frankincense, Black Pepper and Leather. I will write full scent descriptions soon, once they are perfected :).

The Most Delicious Gluten Free, Processed Food Free Vegan Pizza....EVER.

I have been meaning to try this for ages, so tonight was the night as I was really craving pizza. What I wasn't craving was the heavy, glutinous flour crust, the grease and the junk filled cheese, so I made a pizza using Socca as the crust and nutritional yeast as a cheese replacement. Wow. Absolutely delicious, probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had, traditional or not.

This was my pizza: Socca topped with tomato sauce, black olives, red peppers, green onions, tomato and a very generous serving of nutritional yeast (not only does it replace the cheese, it's PACKED full of Vitamin B12). So yummy and it made a great stand in for traditional pizza. It actually tastes better and is so much healthier. I wasn't sure if it would suffice for the craving, but it absolutely did. You can find great Socca recipes on the net, but I'd be happy to post one here if you like. Just let me know! :)

Shipping Button Modification

The shipping options will NOT be at the bottom of each page, they have a page of their own called "shipping options". Simply go there before checking out and choose your shipping option. Any shipping overages will be refunded, for example, if you choose the large bubble pack and I can in fact fit your order into the small one, I will refund the overage to you (the small bubble packs actually fit pretty large orders, so unless you have multiple 8 oz jars in your order, you're probably safe choosing the small option). But, if you choose the small bubble pack and your order will not fit, there will be a delay in shipping as I will have to notify you and the balance owing will need to be paid in full before your order ships out. I'm also looking into FedEx and Purolator for across Canada shipments as Xpresspost seems to get really pricey.

Website Cart/Shipping Issues

I'm working my butt off over here to get the website up and ready for purchases. I'm adding paypal 'add to cart' shipping buttons that you'll need to click - choose the appropriate one for your region - and we'll be good to go. They will be located at the bottom of each page. Please remember to only click this button ONCE per order. I will not have time to sift through orders to refund double shipping charges. Just double check your cart before paying :). I'm hoping to have it ready for tomorrow and no later than Wednesday. I'll post a little note when all is good to go. Thanks so much for your patience everyone!! Until then, feel free to submit  your orders to me directly via my email address - kmacara@hotmail.com. I will then send you a total with the shipping included. I am currently basing shipping on a flat rate using the large bubble pack Xpresspost packs (safer that way). If I can fit your order into the smaller one, I will refund the difference in shipping to you. The small ones fit quite large orders actually, but I don't want to base it on the little ones and have to chase down the difference in cost, I'd rather refund you guys the overage.

ETA of Sold Out Goodies

All of the sold out body care should be back in stock Monday, March 19. There's a good chance the makeup may be available by then too, but I feel better pushing its ETA about a week later. I'll keep everyone updated :). Thanks so much for your patience.

Kale Chips - Part Two

I may have a new kale chip recipe to post. One that's oil free. I'll test it out tomorrow, and if it's good, I'll post the recipe. Although, it will be very similar to the previous recipe just without the oil. I'll let you know if it works out. I do LOVE kale chips and would love to eliminate the oil if possible. YUM!

Happy Saturday! Ooops! Make That Sunday!

Does this ever happen to you? You could swear it was a different day than it is? I've been a day behind for a week now. Why? Why does this happen? I have a fairly set schedule of things that I need to do during the week, which makes me wonder how on earth I get to various appointments, meetings etc. on the appropriate days and I STILL have no idea WHICH day it actually is. Baffled. Totally, utterly baffled. At any rate, it is in fact Sunday and it just doesn't feel like one. I haven't done my usual Sunday routine stuff, and just a short while ago I realized that I missed doing my usual Saturday stuff, which includes grocery shopping. Ugh. My dogs have no food, I have very little, so it looks as though I'll be taking a trip to the grocery store, on a Sunday afternoon. Now, doesn't THAT sound fun? I have a feeling everyone who lives in the Valley and works a set 'during the week' schedule will probably be there too. Wonderful. Barf. But, if I don't go, both dogs and I will go hungry and I can't have that. So off I go to brave the insanity that is the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon. This is what happens when you can't figure out what day of the week it is. O.o

Back to You

Is there anything, such as, products (of any kind really), health questions, diets (since there are probably a bazillion that are 'all the rage' at any given moment), nutrition, supplements, etc. that you would personally like to see discussed on this Blog? Feel free to comment under this post with your ideas and wants. As many of you know, and it's stated in my Profile, I am a certified Holistic Healthcare Practitioner, so the information that you will receive regarding your questions will, in fact, be accurate and coming from someone who is actually educated and didn't just 'surf the net' for an answer. The internet can be a very harmful place when it comes to finding real information. You never know who it's coming from and what the information they are giving is based on, if anything. I'm game to answer any simple questions that you may have. If you have personal health concerns, you may feel free to book an appointment with me, as I do do this to make a living. But simple inquiries? Fire away! Education is key when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. There are so many 'fads' that follow absolutely no common sense or science and in fact can be very dangerous. If you have personal questions for/about me, feel free to ask. I look forward to hearing your thoughts! :)

Product Updates

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I am out of Creamy Face Cleanser and running very low on a couple other items (whipped soap and face scrub). I am just about out of foundation, but I do have a couple of fair colours left. All the raw materials have been ordered, so with Canada Post being as awesome as it is, it could be anywhere between 10 days and 3 weeks until things are restocked. I will keep you updated here, on my website www.divineearthbodycare.com and on the FB page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Divine-Earth-Body-Care/159000724171429. Sorry for any inconvenience, but the goodies will be back in stock SOON :).

The Versatility of Coconut Oil

Since we're (or more accurately, I'M) on the coconut train, I thought I'd post about just how versatile coconut oil is. Always try to choose organic, extra virgin coconut oil if you plan to eat it (yes, you heard, or rather, read that right, coconut oil can do many things, only one of which is be eaten!). Coconut oil has a very long shelf life and one of the highest heat tolerances of all the oils. Grapeseed oil is another great choice for cooking, among other things, but that's a whole other post entirely. You should never cook with olive oil, it has a very low smoking point and becomes toxic if heated to too high a temperature. Coconut oil has a light coconutty flavour and makes a wonderful oil to use when cooking any kind of food, especially Thai. I use it in place of butter or margarine in baking and it works really well. I like it for everything, in fact, I even use a little in the pan to cook my pancakes. Mmmm. Coconut oil is the only oil that the body utilizes for energy immediately instead of storing it as fat. It's provides a great pre workout boost. It's high in lauric acid which is antiviral, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal and antifungal, and is also antibacterial. Internally it wards off many unwanted guests including candida, influenza, measles and many, many more.

 Now here's the fun part. It's also fantastic for your skin and hair. It makes a great makeup remover, busts wrinkles, acts as mild protection from the sun (about SPF 15), moisturizes and all those things it does internally, it does externally. It's properties make it a great treatment for ringworm, athletes foot, rashes, acne, lesions and many other skin disorders. It's great as a moisturizer for troubled teenage skin AND dry, mature skin. I use a little in my hair when it gets flyaway and static-y. It's really great. I have a tub in both my kitchen for cooking and in my bathroom for body use :). I love my coconuts!!

A Trip to My Favourite Place on Earth...

...THE HEALTH FOOD STORE. Yeah, I know. Probably not what you were expecting, but hey, we all have our weird obsessions. :). I'm seriously like a kid in a candy store there! I get excited on my way there, I look at EVERYTHING and I usually drop and wad of cash. Today's trip was no different. Scored some awesome, awesome deals and it made me think of posting a couple fantastic, easy, coconut based recipes for all of you "I can't tolerate" or "I choose not to eat dairy" people out there (I fall into both categories for the most part). I thought I'd also throw a review of a coconut coffee creamer in here too.

 So Delicious Coconut Creamer

I LOVE coconut. I love young Thai coconut, I love shredded coconut, I love coconut milk, coconut water, coconut based sauces, the works! And I recently discovered THE best cream replacement, So Delicious Coconut Coffee Creamer. So good, SO creamy. I've tried every product on the market and was getting close to just trying to like my coffee black. I just can't do it. Thank goodness for So Delicous! It's soy free, dairy free and pretty much junk free. I personally prefer the unflavoured one, mostly because I don't care for sweet coffee. What I DO love, are the other flavours toned down by mixing them with the unflavoured version (because I do love the other flavours I just personally find them far to sweet for my taste). Sooo, on to the flavours: French Vanilla. YUM. One word describes this baby. YUM. Creamy vanilla yummy-ness. Now, onto the Hazelnut. You can definitely taste the hazelnut goodness. Creamy, delicious hazelnut. Yep, another YUM. So there's no risk in any of them. They are simply awesome and are the one and only cream replacement that can hold it's own, and well. Be warned though, they are sweet, very sweet. So now on to the coconut based recipes :)...

Dairy Free Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream

Buy a high quality full fat can of coconut milk (Organic Thai Kitchen is my personal favourite. This WILL NOT work with low fat coconut milk). Open the can and pour/scrape the contents out into a bowl and let sit overnight in the fridge. The liquid will end up separating out from the solid, and full fat cream portion will get super thick. You'll want to pour off  the liquid portion and save it for something else. Sometimes (rarely) you'll get a bum can. If you open your can and the whole thing is liquidy with no solid portion, just cook with it, it won't thicken or separate so you won't be able to make 'whipped cream'.

In a bowl, combine the coconut cream portion with 1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract (and coconut sugar or sugar of your choice to taste - if you like sweet whipped cream) and whip very well. Voila! Delicious vegan whipped cream. You can top pancakes, waffles, fruit, pie, whatever you like.

Coconut Butter

This is a delicious spread that you can use on toast, pancakes, eat right out of the jar with a spoon, add cocoa and a bit of liquid sweetener (honey etc) and make a yummy chocolate coconut butter, top muffins or cupcakes, whatever you like. It's super versatile, really easy to make and will save you a TON of money (the coconut butter that you buy at the store will require a small loan....).

Take a cup or two of shredded UNSWEETENED coconut (preferably organic) and put it in your food processor or Vitamix. Turn it on and let it run until it forms a creamy, buttery paste. In the food processor it takes about 10 minutes, in the Vitamix, it takes about 2 minutes. It does not need to be refrigerated and has a low melting point so it's easy to spread if kept at room temperature. It's a great alternative to using oils in baking too, just melt it first like you would if you were using coconut oil. Oh, and this is NOT coconut oil, it's coconut butter, the coconut meat blended into a yummy, creamy butter.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl....YUMMO

Here's a nice change from oatmeal. It's really great, and the best part? Quinoa is a complete protein. Enjoy!

I usually make 1/4 cup, but I'll post the recipe for a 1/2 then you will have enough to either share or have a larger serving for yourself :)

*1/2 cup quinoa (if it's not pre rinsed or you're not sure if it is, make sure you rinse it really well or it will be bitter)
*1 cup non-dairy milk (I like mine best with almond milk or coconut milk)
*Vanilla
*Cinnamon
*Honey (optional - if your milk is sweetened, you may not need or want the honey)

- In a pot, combine your quinoa with your non dairy milk (you can add a pinch of salt if you like). Bring to a boil with the lid off, then cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
- Scoop your cooked quinoa breakfast into a bowl and add a little more milk if you want. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and honey. Enjoy! 

Dismal, Rainy, Sleepy Day

Wow, talk about torrential rain.  Add the wind and we officially have a monsoon. Or hurricane, or typhoon, pick your favourite moniker. My three critters have the right idea for today (the third is hogging the wood stove), cuddle up and don't bother looking out the window. I, on the other hand, have big plans. Well, not so much big, but considering how unmotivated and sleepy this weather is making me, ambitious. Gonna head out to the gym and hopefully that'll energize me a little. But first, my coffee (complete with a cinnamon stick, YUM)...Then, my workout. Then home to refuel with something new and delicious. I have a thing for Raw Kelp Noodles at the moment, so a new sauce is in order, let the creating begin! I'm jumping on the raw wagon for a while as I think I've been indulging in too many heavy/cooked foods, feeling bloated. That should spur on some great new raw recipes to post. If my new sauce idea turns out as good as I'm hoping, you'll see it here :).

When Tree Sap Strikes, Here's What To Do...

Ok, this may be the one and only downside to having a wood stove; the evil sap monster...So I head outside to grab an armload of wood, in my new hoodie, of course. Why oh why would I put something grubby on to do such a quick and easy task? This is exactly why a lot of my clothes have paint stains on them...I never learn. Anyway, I dump my wood into the wood holder thingy, step back outside onto the deck and proceed to brush off bits of bark when lo and behold what do I see? A big blob of goo. At first I thought some poor little slug got smooshed on me, which was bad enough, but oooh nooo, it was worse, MUCH worse. Sap. Ugh. Slug would have been a lot easier to wash out. So, being me and not owning anything that even resembles industrial stain remover, which I highly doubt would have worked on sap anyway, I get thinking. MUST.SAVE.HOODIE. Think, think, think. Hmmm, what removes sticky, gluey messes? Rubbing alcohol. Of course, I have none of that either, but what I DO have is some old hand sanitizer (it's a miracle it somehow avoided being thrown out for this long). I squirt a blob onto the sap stain, rub it in and voila, no sap, no stick, no mess. Hoodie saved! Everyone wins and no one sees the inside of a garbage can. So if you ever have a run in with sap, whip out the ol' hand sanitizer and save your clothes!

Homemade Shampoo and Conditioning/Detangling Rinse

I've been "poo' free for over two years now and I absolutely love it. So does my scalp, my hair and my wallet. My hair is twice as thick, has tons of body and is super shiny. I never have an itchy scalp and my hair is always manageable (and I have a TON of it). It's much softer and I no longer use any kind of hair product, I don't need too. It's probably one of the biggest favours I ever did for my hair, that, and of course using henna a couple times a year. You'll find recipes below for both hair cleanser and detangler/conditioner. 


Hair and scalps that have been stripped by using commercial shampoos for years *may* go through a sort of detox/transition phase. You  may notice your hair gets oilier for a while, but once your scalp figures out it doesn't need to compensate for being stripped of ALL oils, it will settle down and regulate its oil production. I can now leave my hair unwashed for 3-4 days, sometimes longer. I typically don't, but the point is that I COULD. I had really oily hair before, and 2 days was a stretch. There are adjustment explanations included to use as a 'tweaking' guide to help you find the best ratios for your hair/skin type.


You know what else is really cool? This is a safe alternative for your pets! Next time Fido needs a bath, leave the chemical laden 'doggie shampoo' on the shelf and reach for this! I would personally leave the baking soda out when washing your hound though, unless (s)he's a smelly mutt or really oily and even then, scale it back to about 1/2 the amount. If your cat needs a bath, DO NOT USE ESSENTIAL OILS. They are toxic to cats.

**Your shampoo will be watery, not thick like the commercial stuff, that's why I recommend using a squirt bottle (condiment bottles from the dollar store work well and a lot of them have measurements on them). It will also have no foaming action due to the lack of detergents and sulfates. It's more of a cleansing rinse than a traditional shampoo, but you don't need the foam to get clean hair :). It may take some getting used to, but it's so worth it!


Shampoo

In a squeeze bottle (even an old shampoo bottle) use approximately 8 oz of either black tea, herbal tea, soapnuts liquid or water and add 2 TBS or so of baking soda and any essential oils (if you want). The baking soda will cleanse all build up and oils out of your hair, it's too base to just leave so be sure to follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse. This is what I use as the post shampoo rinse, it smooths/conditions the hair cuticle, acts as a shine enhancer and restores proper pH to both hair and scalp.

Saturate your hair, massage into scalp, you can leave it for a couple minutes if you like, then rinse.


Rinse or Conditioner 

Mix approx 6 ounces of water and 2 ounces of cider vinegar in a squeeze bottle and add essential oils of  your choice if  you like. You WILL NOT smell like vinegar once your hair is dry :).

Apply rinse to hair, you can leave on for a few minutes or just rinse out.

If your hair is really fly away, use less baking soda in your 'shampoo' or go heavier on the rinse (add more ACV). if you hair still seems oily, use more baking soda in your shampoo or ease up with the vinegar blend :) May take a little trial and error, but I'd NEVER go back to regular shampoo and the "natural" ones are SO overpriced. You're still paying mostly for water. And most of the 'natural' ones are NOT chemical free.

All of this is SUPER gentle on the scalp. I add essential oils to my rinse only. Mostly peppermint and rosemary. Sometimes Lemongrass, so nice!

Photos to accompany recipes?

Is anyone interested in 'seeing' the recipes once made? I can post photos if you like : )

Wanna know the cure for a cranky body? Hit the gym and follow it up with a delicious dinner!

Today when I woke up my body decided it was cranky. CRANKYYY. So, I headed out to the gym to teach it that there's no room for cranky. A little hard work deserves a reward, no? Of course it does! So the reward is a super yummy dinner consisting of flourless cornbread and spicy black bean soup. Mmmmmm, talk about comfort food, without the guilt! And oodles of complete protein (that doesn't come from our furry friends). Such an amazing, satisfying late lunch/dinner. I added a small vegan ceasar salad as an appie, 'cause who doesn't love a good appie?

Here's the Black Bean Soup Recipe (soup is kind of individual, so use this as a guideline and adjust to your taste):


*Approximately 1 litre of veggie broth (either homemade or store bought)
*1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped into very small pieces, stems and all (or more if you love cilantro, like me...I also garnished the top of my soup with fresh cilantro once is was in the bowl, yummo!)
*1/2 a can stewed tomatoes or two small fresh tomatoes diced up
*Approximately 1 1/2 cups black beans (either canned or home prepared)
*One can corn kernels (Try to use organic corn products when possible. Anything non organic is GMO)
*1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped (you can use a hotter pepper if you wish, I would have if I had known I'd bought a dud jalapeno....How can you call yourself a jalapeno if you have no heat?)
*Salt (to taste, I don't like putting amounts for salt, everyone's different)
*2 tsp cumin (more if you LOVE cumin, like I do)
*1 tsp Coriander (optional)

Put everything into a pot, except the canned corn and black beans then bring to a boil and simmer about 15 minutes or so. Taste your soup, adjust seasonings to your liking. Add the black beans and simmer another 10 minutes. If your soup seems to watery and not chunky enough for you after you add your black beans (don't forget you're going to be adding a whole can of corn), feel free to simmer with the lid off and reduce your soup a little. Reduce heat to low and when it's just off a boil, add your canned corn (you don't want to boil the corn, just heat it, or it'll get all mooshy). Continue to cook until your corn is warmed through.

Serve with warm cornbread. I'd post the recipe I used, but it's not mine. I'll see if I can get permission to link the site from here if anyone's interested.

A quick, yummy, revamped childhood snack.

Ok, so peanut butter and peanut products never find their way into my home. There is something (in my opinion) seriously wrong with them. As a kid NOT ONE kid I knew had peanut allergies. None, zero, zilch. And now, it's an epidemic. And the allergies are insanely severe. Very scary. I blame this on improper storage of the nuts (actually, peanuts are legumes) which allows toxic molds to grow on them. Many people are extremely allergic to these molds. YUCK. So peanuts and peanut products are a no go for me. I bet if the peanuts were stored properly and not old/rancid by the time they reach the grocery store, there would be a far lesser problem with them. Walnuts are another biggie for being rancid by the time you buy them. Ever tried a fresh one? I thought I HATED walnuts until I tried fresh ones. Mmm, they are so good. Ok, enough of the nut rant and on to the food :).

Remember 'ants on a log'? Yep, celery topped with peanut butter and raisins.....I used to love that. A super quick, easy snack. Well, here's a safe, super yummy version for all you "Ants on a Log" lovers. Here are the changes (and delicious ones at that):

*Instead of peanut butter I topped the celery with Sunflower Seed Butter (made solely from dry roasted sunflower seeds, organic, of course) and currants (only because I'm not a huge raisin fan, I much prefer currants). You could top your celery with any type of nut or seed butter or even try Tahini for something different. But I have to say, Sunflower Seed Butter seems to be the tastiest of the ones I've tried so far (I find almond butter incredibly bland). You could make a sweet nut/seed butter by blending it with a bit of healthy sweetener such as dates, honey, coconut sugar etc. and then top with cocoa nibs instead of currants or raisins. YUM!

Something a little different....

I thought it was time to post a new recipe. A NON food related recipe. Yup, you heard right....No food here. Although, this recipe is in fact comprised of completely edible food stuffs, though I'm not sure eating it would be all that enjoyable. Intrigued yet? Keep reading.

I've had quite a few people ask me for my homemade toothpaste recipe recently, so I thought I'd post it here. It's super simple, chemical, fluoride, artificial sweetener and Sodium Laurel Sulphate free. Be warned, it does NOT foam (due to the lack of sodium laurel sulphate, which is a commercial degreaser and I recommend keeping it away from your mouth (and body)). It may take a little time to get used to but it's so worth it. Your teeth, gums and body will be happy!! Did I mention it actually builds dentin (so it will make sensitive teeth less sensitive and stronger) and wards off cavities? There are no strict measurements, just blend according to your taste and texture preferences.

*3-4 parts organic coconut oil (anti microbial and anti bacterial)
*1-2 parts baking soda (or more, depends on how you like your toothpaste)
*1-2 parts Xylitol (again, according to your texture and taste preferences. Xylitol comes in granulated form) Xylitol tastes sweet, but it is a sugar alcohol, so it has no effect on blood sugar and doesn't rot teeth. In fact, it strengthens teeth and has been proven to ward off cavities much more effectively than fluoride.
*Essential oils of choice (optional). I like to use peppermint, tea tree or naiouli and spearmint combined :). Myrrh is great for gum health.

In a bowl, cream/mix the baking soda with the coconut oil using a spoon or fork or whatever works for you. Add the Xylitol and mix well. Finally, add the essential oils (if you choose to use them) and blend well. Your toothpaste should be a pastey consistency, not crumbly. If it's crumbly, cream in some more coconut oil. Store in a clean/sterilized container with a lid. You can use a popsicle stick or something similar to scoop out what you need onto your toothbrush.

A quick note: At warmer temperatures coconut oil liquifies, so I suggest keeping this somewhere a little cooler in the summer months, depending on how warm your house gets. If your toothpaste DOES melt, not to worry, just pop it in the fridge or freezer briefly until it solidifies again. If it gets too cold, it'll be pretty hard to scoop out of your container, but you can warm it gently to soften it up. DO NOT introduce water to your toothpaste or it will spoil on you.

More food. Yeah, I know, it's an obsession.

Not too long ago I discovered Socca. There is nothing you can't do with this amazing flat bread. You can  pour a small amount of the batter into a pan and swirl the same way you make crepes and use it for wraps (or even dessert crepes, so unbelievably good), you can add veggies/herbs to the batter and make savory pancakes (batter adjustments are needed, but I will post those with the recipes), you can cut the traditional Socca into triangles and serve it with dips or hummus, use it as bread for a sandwich and even use it as gluten free, yeast free, highly nutritious pizza crust (it'll be thin crust style). I think it's the most versatile food I've ever come across and it's absolutely delicious. Simple and quick to make, gluten and grain free and packed with healthy goodness. Socca is served in France at street vendors as a snack. YUM. I will post the insanely easy recipe soon.

A quick note: You can either cook traditional Socca in the oven OR you can cook in on the stove top in a cast iron skillet. It's totally up to you :)

Dinner and Dessert

Not feeling hungry lately makes me a very picky eater who doesn't think of food when she's not hungry. That, along with zero idea of what I might want to eat, inspired me to create two super delicious new things this evening. One for dinner. One for dessert.  The ideas had to: Be quick (to keep me from deciding to just bag the whole idea of dinner all together), healthy and really tasty (so I'd actually EAT the food...Not having much of an appetite really makes the quality and taste of what you do eat very obvious. It's really easy to get turned off a meal). This is what materialized.
One: Vegan Ceasar Salad Dressing. The great thing about this little beauty is how ridiculously easy it is to make. I tossed a mix of baby greens and romaine in this and topped it with Roasted Chickpea Snacks in place of the croutons. SO good.
Two: Banana Topped With Raw Vegan Chocolate Pudding and Cocoa Nibs. Wow. That's it. Just wow. And easy. So easy this could become a frequent snack around here. Chocolate and Bananas.....YUM.
If anyone's interested in the recipes for these, let me know and I'll be sure to post them :)

Roasted Chickpea Snacks

Wow, these things are incredible. A great replacement for fat filled, greasy, empty calorie potato chips. These also make a delicious addition to any salad.

*Canned or home prepared chickpeas (as many as you like)
*Enough Grapeseed, Coconut or any other heat stable oil to VERY lightly coat the chickpeas
*Sea Salt (to taste)
*Pepper (to taste)
*Garlic Powder (to taste)

Rinse and drain your canned chickpeas, or use your home cooked chickpeas. Dry them on a towel. Put all your chickpeas into a bowl and drizzle a tiny amount of oil onto them, just enough to very lightly coat them, and stir. Add all of your seasonings and stir to evenly disperse the spices. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for approx. 40 minutes tossing them every ten minutes to ensure they don't burn.

Feel free to mix up the seasonings. You can use anything you like: Cumin, Curry, Paprika, Cayenne, Nutritional Yeast, Sage, Rosemary or even try something sweet like Cinnamon, Allspice, etc. I would like to try them with wasabi powder, kind of like wasabi peas. YUM!

Chocolate, of course!

My life would be so terribly empty if it weren't for chocolate. To be clear, cheap chocolate can stay happily in it's package on the shelf. I'm a chocolate snob. BIG TIME. It's gotta be good. It's gotta be refined sugar free and it's gotta be decadent. So, I recently decided to try out Organic Cocoa Nibs. These are NOT sweet at all. They are basically cocoa beans smashed up into little tiny pieces. Real chocolate chips. They are my new love. My new obsession. I use them anytime I can on anything they will go with. I've topped vegan sugar free chocolate pudding, added them to delicious chocolate truffle-esque balls that I seriously LIVE on, and am going to try adding them to raw fudge, raw ice cream and every other raw dessert recipe I can come up with. They are amazing, they are a superfood, they are packed with antioxidants. EVERYONE should have these. They are unadulterated chocolate. YUM! They are pricey, but SO worth it.

Vegan Creamy Pesto Cheeze Sauce

Here's the first recipe addition. It's vegan and it's RAW! All I can say is YUM! This is a versatile creamy cheeze sauce suitable for pasta, salad dressing or anything that requires something cheesy and yummy! I've used it on Raw Kelp Noodles and for a dressing on shredded cabbage and carrots, DELISH! It's so rich you'd never guess it wasn't laden with dairy!

Makes 1 Serving: (super easy to double, triple or quadruple the recipe)
1/2 a ripe avocado
1 tsp nutritional yeast
pink or sea salt to taste
1 tsp basil (triple if using fresh)
1 small clove garlic
1/2 - 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (or more - to taste)

Place all ingredients into a small food processor, magic bullet or something similar. Process until smooth.
**if you've added the cider vinegar to taste and your sauce is too thick, you can thin it with water if you like**

For a plain cheeze sauce, omit the basil and garlic.