hand sanitizer

hand sanitizer is not the sort of thing i would normally use, to be honest. creating superbugs, and whatnot... but there are times when it's really nice to have. camping! picnics! being around children! 

like everything else, i am fairly certain that i can make it just as well as any big company. i'm also interested in a less environmentally impacting option. less chemicals, less harsh on my already dry skin, etc. 

i read quite a few recipes online, and this is what i came up with. it's not 100% natural, but i'm really happy with how it turned out! 

this recipe makes a small amount (as you can see, the bottle above is not full) about 1/4 c or so. 

lunch!

 

mmm! this is what i often eat for lunch - half an avocado with salt, pepper and garlic powder, mango, spinach, basil, green onions, and nori to wrap it all up. 

so tasty. i really don't see a problem with wrapping everything in nori.  

fresh vegetable & herb pasta

this is one of our favourite pasta dishes!

you can add cheese or not, it's up to you. this time around, i put feta on matt's and used vegan daiya pepperjack on mine! i also often make a similar pasta to this with goat chevre mixed in, it's very tasty. 

peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream

oh man.

i actually don't know how i lived without an ice cream maker. i feel like my quality of life has tripled since i got this magical machine. 

matt was saying the other day that he needed a treat, and this is what we came up with. i have to say i am a huge fan of the peanut butter/chocolate combo. this is (in my opinion) the best ice cream recipe i have come up with so far. 

deviled eggs

i totally wish i could eat eggs!!

although i found out in the last couple of years that i am allergic to eggs, deviled eggs were always a favourite of mine as a kid, and i had a few requests to make them recently. they are such an awesome summer snack, and make a fabulous contribution to a potluck. 

i also love that you can make as many or as few as you want - although i've never ended up with leftovers!!

daily smoothie

i almost always start my day with coffee and either a bowl of granola with fruit, or a smoothie.

depending on the time of year, i'll use either mostly frozen fruit, or mostly fresh. i also use a scoop of protein powder, just because it makes my smoothie a little more filling, and adds a great touch of vanilla flavour! 

i use almond milk, although rice, soy, hemp or whatever kind of milk you fancy would work well too! 

this recipe makes one large smoothie!

crocheted hats!!

hey guys!!

you should totally check out my new gallery of crocheted hats! 

i have been teaching myself to crochet, and i’ve put up a bunch of pictures of my work. once i feel a little more confident, i’ll put together some tutorials for you!

maple pecan pudding

i was having a really bad day the other day. i was tired, i had a sore back, i was feeling sad about coming back to the real world after my amazing 10-day vacation, and to top it all off, i smacked my head on the counter. i needed a treat.

so i whipped up this fabulous pudding. it was just the thing to bring me to my senses and put a smile on my face. maple syrup. pecans. does it get any better than that?

also, if maple pecan is not your style, check out the chocolate and vanilla options!

don't you just love summer?

i think one of the best parts of summer is being able to buy fresh local fruit. it's always so much tastier when it's been ripened on the tree!

today i am enjoying some of my fabulous homemade granola with almond milk and berries!

low calorie strawberry banana muffins

i work from home, but i have to go into the office a couple of times a month, so when i do i try to bring a little treat for my hardworking office colleagues. last time i was there, it seemed like EVERYONE was on a diet... so i wanted to bring a little treat, but nothing that would ruin their diet or make them feel guilty for indulging in!

i used a strawberry banana muffin recipe (which i'm sure i'll post some day ;) and made some adaptations to make it healthier and lower-calorie. i substituted apple sauce for butter, threw in some whole wheat flour, and used agave syrup instead of suger. (agave is still sweet, and as such fairly high-calorie, but it's much less processed, and because of how sweet it is, i was able to use less than the original recipe called for). if you don't have agave, you can substitute for another natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup.

i made them in my mini-muffin tin, and they came out to only about 50 calories each, which means if you made them normal-muffin size, they'd be 100 calorie muffins! not too bad!

i have not tried making these gluten free, but since they're banana-based, i'm sure it would go well. also, if you throw in some egg replacer or flax seed/water mixture, they are vegan! whoo!