Hello Everyone!

Happy Tuesday to you all!  Today is a very special day as it is my sisters birthday and we are going to enjoy the day together and then the family is heading out to dinner tonight.  I just love birthday celebrations!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and emails on my last post on the quick and easy red soup and of course Hudson’s new accessory. He loves the attention

I have been lacking these last couple days on the baking.  I am sad about this because baking is my way to escape and relieve stress and I decided for 3 weeks I was going to stick to this 7 day vegan meal plan that I found on the Vega site and commit to it.

My reasons for following this diet was really to see if I noticed a difference in my energy.  Following a vegan diet isn’t just about eating potato chips because there is no meat, but I have noticed over these last few months that it is really important to get variety, proper protein, and nutrients. The vega brand is my favorite and I know they have their stuff together when it comes to a well rounded vegan diet, so I figured heck, I will give it a try and see if they way the food is being combined makes a difference in the way my body absorbs it.

I learned that when you combine pumpkin seeds with a citrus fruit your body will absorb the iron way better! Who knew?!

I am on day 2 today and it feels really great to have all my meals already planned!  On Sunday I made a list of everything I needed and loaded up!

Yesterday was a little difficult as I am such a snacker…..I wanted to eat cookies, and more fruit and I said “No” I am sticking to this so I drank a lot of water and tea’s when I felt my inner snacker appear!  It was hard, I am not going to lie.

The funny thing is through these last 2 days I have noticed that I eat a lot just because it is there and I might not even be hungry at the time. Do you find that with yourself? Being at home is different than when daily office trips were made as my lunch was always set and packed and had no option to add to it.  But now, wow, I could graze all day when I am home!

Day 1 of my challenge:

Breakfast – 3/4 cup of quinoa with almond milk and 1/2 sliced apple sprinkled with cinnamon

Lunch – 1/2 apple, orange, and banana with vega fruit “dip” – 1/2 serving vega meal replacement and 1/2 tbsp hemp seeds.

Snack – 3 (I had 5…shhh) dates with nut butter

Dinner - 3 cups salad with 1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup chick peas. 1/2 avocado.  Dressing was 1/2 tbsp evoo and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar.

Snack – 1/3 serving vega with water

Day 1 down and now onto day 2!

Surprisingly I had a lot of energy yesterday and I went to the gym in the morning worked the treadmill out and my weights and then went down to the treadmill AGAIN with Ryan in the evening!  That is a lot of treadmill for me in one day

Have you ever followed a set meal plan?  Do you have any tips for that snacky feeling that pops up between meals?!

XXOO

Kris

Howdy Everyone!

How was your weekend?  I can’t believe it is Sunday evening already and the weekend is all over.

Our weekend was full of beach visits, meetings, shopping and eating  When we go out on our weekend treks we always bring a whack of snacks with us to keep us fuelled and fresh. I made a total of 3 batches of these orange-cocoa cookies! I didn’t eat all of them myself, I did share and handed some out as our days went on

Today was a tad rainy and when we came home we decided it was a perfect night to make some soup….well it turned out more like stew – Hearty, Beefy, Good.  Minus the Beef of course!  Lentils were the mean protein source of this soup!

Instead of my usual bouillon cubes I went a little more high class today and used this Pacific Natural Foods brand Vegetable Broth – Amazing!

Here is the red soup:

Easy Red Soup:

2 large beets
3 carrots
1 onion
2 broccoli heads
1 large sweet potato
1 1/2 cups lentils
1 tbsp evoo
1 500 ml vegetable broth
2 cups water
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In your soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion

Cook onion until tender, add chopped carrots and beets

Pour in the broth and water, add lentils, broccoli and sweet potatoes

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, season with salt and pepper and serve!

This is such an easy and nutritious soup!

Since last week I have been drowning myself in organic pineapples from Whole Foods.  I can’t stop eating them.  On Saturday night we made a special trip to whole foods just for my pineapples….I am that crazy in love with them right now!  I don’t know about you, but my favourite treat is pineapple and chocolate so tonight after my coffee meet up with my good friend Melissa I ate some of this:

Tasty, Sweet, Chocolaty Goodness!

Take some good (It has to be GOOD pineapple) and add some delicious dark, vegan chocolate chips!  I usually melt some chocolate and drizzle it over my pineapple chunks, but I didn’t have the time for that tonight.  Just straight to the goods for me!

Tomorrow I will be sharing something I am starting with you all!

OH!  I almost forgot – Hudson got a new harness today! Isn’t it spiffy?  Thanks mom and dad, you are the best grand doggie parents ever!  I tell ya, this guy is so spoiled.  Last week my sister bought him a bag of all natural peanut butter and parsley treats, and my nana treats him to some good ol’ german sausage whenever he stops by.  He thanks you all

What is your Favourite fruit to drizzle with chocolate or pour chocolate chips over?

XXOO
Kris

Hello Everyone!

Are you having a beautiful Thursday?  I sure am!  Let me tell you why

On my way to the gym this sunny afternoon I decided to check my mail box to see how many cheques (wink, wink) I had received in the mail today, to my surprise I received better – FOOD!

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my package from Navitas Naturals to see a package of Palm Sugar!

So I quickly did my cardio and weights and rushed back to the kitchen to start bakin’

I feel I have been living in a cave and can honestly say I didn’t know much about these brown, sweet granules, so I googled and learned about so many health benefits this sugar also has.  As you all know, I only use sweeteners with a low Glycemic Index and I was smiling ear to hear when I read how low palm sugar was.  I was loving this stuff when I read the GI levels, but then I continued to read it is high in magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, and vitamin C and B’s! Wooohoo…..you can have sweets and benefit too

I found this write up on Palm Sugar on the Navitas Naturals site.

What exactly is Palm Sugar?

Collected by hand, palm sugar is the crystallized nectar of the coconut sugar palm blossoms. A natural and healthy replacement for all types of sweeteners, palm sugar enhances just about any recipe.

General Uses:

• Palm sugar tastes, looks, and performs very similar to brown sugar.
• Use palm sugar as a 1:1 replacement for cane sugar, or as a 2:1 replacement for agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey (condensed sugars).
• Palm sugar easily dissolves in hot beverages, and is also excellent for baking.
• Palm sugar enhances the flavors of other sweet elements – in particular fruits, smoothies, and grain-based dishes and sauces.

Ok, ok, so these are what I made:

Orange-Cocoa Buckwheat Cookies

Delightful!

You can find the recipe for these soft, moist cookies here.

For more information and recipes with palm sugar please visit the site www.navitasnaturals.com

To purchase navitas naturals products in Canada please visit - www.isuperfood.com and for my US friends please visit www.navitasnaturals.com

Will this product be a staple in my baking cupboard as of now?  Of Course!

Have you ever used Palm Sugar?  Do you use Navitas Naturals products?  If so, which ones?

Enjoy your Friday everyone!!

XXOO
Kris

Howdy Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying your beautiful Wednesday morning!  It is half way through your week and I know everyone starts to feel a bit better from this day on.

Yesterday was my Life Coach appointment and it was very beautiful!  I went over exercises with her to strengthen my intuition. I know my intuition is strong, but do I listen to it always?  No.  Do I know I should?  Yes.  I tend to “test” it and realize after that I should have done what it was telling me to do.  So I am strengthening it as it is just a muscle I need to work a bit

I have been on a mission to seek out new and fun protein sources for us two crazy vegans and I decided to get a tester packet of the Manitoba Harvest hemp powder.  In the past I know this tasted like feet but I decided I would try to jazz it up a bit.

Easy Berry Protein Blast:

2 tbsp hemp protein
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
2 cups water

Place in a blender and enjoy!

So I decided this wasn’t a bad tasting bevy.  Obviously this protein does not taste good just with water, but mixed with sweet fruit and berries it is masked and tasty!  You get some great benefits from Hemp Protein – Hemp Protein Powder can supply any diet with a vegetarian source of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre, chlorophyll and a complete, balanced gluten-free source of the essential amino acids.

You can read more about the benefits of Hemp Protein here on Manitoba Harvest’s site.

My daily diet question for today is – How do you regulate night time snacking? I feel a couple hours after dinner I am starving again and I want to snack….but it seems so close to bedtime!  Are you supposed eat before bed if you are hungry?

Do you always follow your intuition?  Do believe it will always lead you correctly?

XXOO
Kris

Howdy Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend?

I did!  It was full and fun!  Here is my weekend re-cap

Saturday was jammed packed helping a friend move quickly out of there place and then it was off to the grocery store and home to make some treats before we headed to my aunt and uncles for dinner.

I made the best version of Turtles I have ever had. I think they are actually way more tasty than the real ones  and they are healthy and vegan!  I found the recipe on my favourite site to find desserts – Elanaspantry.com

Elana uses macadamia nuts to make the original.  All I had was pecans, so they turned into Turtles!

I am a chocoholic…..I admit it.  I do not eat it daily, but when I do eat it I savour it…..and love ever second of the lingering taste

Pecan Caramel Clusters:

½ cup roasted almond butter 
½ cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla 
½ tsp sea salt 
1 cup pecans
1 cup dark chocolate 73%

Directions:

1. Combine almond butter and agave in a medium saucepan over low heat
2. Stir in vanilla and salt, then add pecans
3. Allow mixture to cool a few minutes
4. Drop mixture by the tablespoonful onto a parchment lined dish
5. Place dish in freezer for 10 minutes
6. Melt chocolate in a medium saucepan over lowest heat possible, stirring continuously to avoid scorching
7. Remove dish from freezer and drop chocolate over each caramel cluster, spreading gently to coat
8. Store macadamia caramel clusters in freezer
9. Remove from freezer just before serving (if left out for long they become quite messy)

Please go to ElanasPantry.com to find the original recipe

Of course yesterday the city with Buzzing with Hockey Fever and it was so amazing to watch and feel the energy here!  When Canada won the game the streets were going nuts and people were screaming and yelling and letting off fireworks, it was such a wonderful experience to be a part of.  It warmed my heart to be the host to this years Olympics and I can honestly say I am sad they are gone!

Today I went over and met my friend Sandi’s new baby girl – Anna- Sofia! She is the cutest little thing, with the most perfect shaped head and big eyes!  Holding a baby feels so good and makes your heart warm

I purchased her the cutest spring outfit from The Gap!

Healthy Leggings!

The Cutest Spring Coat!

A few of my friends are now having there own little families and I think it is so cute!

After my visit I cam home and made a Caffeine, dairy free latte……well not really, but it tasted good.  It was Teeccino, with warmed Rice milk and cinnamon = Delish!

When did you have your first baby?  Or when do you want your first?  Do you have a set age?

I look forward to the comments!!  Now I am off to get some work done and eat a turtle

XXOO
Kris

Happy Saturday Everyone!

It’s a busy morning around here!  I am making vegan turtles, have a webinar with Ryan, helping a friend move and then I have to get to my produce store and trim the dogs nails.  Phewwww!

We are going to my aunt and uncles for dinner tonight and well I don’t want Hudson’s nails clanking on their hardwood, so we need to trim them, but he hates it.  Normally we take him to the vet, but Ryan figures with the help from my dad they can do this themselves.  Hudson gets this high pitched squeal on when he is in “danger” and it breaks my heart…..wish us luck!

I can’t wait to post pictures and the recipe to the delicious vegan turtles I am making!!  They are in the freezer and look fab!

Yesterday afternoon after my gym time I came home so hungry and I wanted a healthy quick snack so I made my own “no bake granola” or “cereal”

No Bake Cereal:

6-10 pecans
2 dried figs (diced) or raisins
2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp flax meal
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!  Raw cereal!!  Sooo yummy!

Pumpkin seeds are not my favourite unless they are mixed in a cereal, bar or on a salad that has dressing on it.  I can not eat a handful of pumpkin seeds and enjoy it!

For my health however, I add them to things.  Pumpkin seeds are a great anti-inflammatory and help with joint issues, back pain and arthritis.  They carry many healthy minerals (magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc) and are full of protein and good fats.  These little suckers are wonderful to incorporate into your diet if you are suffering from skin issues as the zinc, good fats, and the anti-inflammatory properties will help from the inside out!

I purchase these seeds, raw, organic and in bulk!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Do you like pumpkin seeds?  How do you incorporate them into your diet?

XXOO
Kris

Happy Friday Y’all!

Are you having a beautiful morning?

I am so excited to announce the winner of the Daily Detox Drops Give Away!!

The lovely lady that’s name has been pulled out of the hat has been such a hoot to follow and I really love reading her blog daily.  I seem to leave this blog smiling all the time

Ameena at FancyThatFancyThis.com – You are the WINNER!!!!

Congratulations and I know you will love these drops

Now onto the next topic of convo today – COOKIES!

This is kind of a funny story…..This just shows how many things I have on my mind right now.

I started to bake these cookies and realized half way through I was completely out of vanilla and agave! What the heck?!  This is not like me at all to let my baking stash to dwindle down this low.  So I had to improvise.  Dates.

I soaked some dates in warm water  for 5 – 10 minutes and placed them in a blender and made a paste.  This was my agave

I also added some shredded carrot and pumpkin pie spice to mask the lack of vanilla!

These babies turned out really, really Great!

By Accident Cookies:

2 cups pecans (or nut of choice – almond flour, etc)
1 cup oats
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/3 cup flax meal
1/2 cup date paste
1 small shredded carrot
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Place nuts and oats in a food processor or blender and blend until fine

Add spices, raisins, sea salt, baking powder and carrot to the flour.  Mix well.

In a separate bowl add flax, nut butter, date paste and coconut oil.  Mix well.

Add wet to dry and mix.

Roll into balls and place on a greased baking sheet.  Press with a fork.  Bake for 13 minutes.

These cookies are so Healthy!  Great for people who really watch their sugars and have to stay away from sweeteners

Date morning at Starbucks!  Does it get any better?

Chat later!  Congrats Ameena!

Have you ever baked with out a sweetener?  Have you ever forgot an ingredient as making a dish or baked good?

XXOO
Kris

Howdy Everyone!

Happy Wednesday to you all!

I am sitting here in my living room sipping a cup of Teeccino and figured it was a great time to write my blog post.

On Monday night my mom and I went to a “back on track” seminar where the speakers went over how to regain your vision and bring back proper nutrition.  The reason this seminar was held is because everyone at this time in February have fallen off their New Years Resolutions band wagon.  Have you found yourself slipping back to your old “comfortable” ways?

Stats show that roughly 70 days after New Years people fall off these hopeful resolutions.  So this seminar was to bring us all back into our vision for this year.

I can not say I have fallen off of mine.  But this was a great refresher for me.

I learned a lot from the nutritionist who spoke and was able to ask her many questions which I absolutely love!  For some reason my eating and health consume me and I get in this trance when I am around people that believe the same things I do about food for the body.  It was fab!!

The largest tip / topic she discussed that really stuck with me was the importance of CHEWING your food until it is in a liquid state. I almost fell off my seat. I am the fastest eater you will ever meet. I am done when people are still on their appetizer!

(source and more info here)

“WOW” I said to myself as she was going over what happens to the body when you don’t chew your food properly and the symptoms you will see currently in your body that are linked to ill chewing.

How many times to chew each bite you ask?

30 – 50 times or enough to make sure it is in a liquid form.

To make a long story short, digestion starts in the mouth and not the stomach as most people believe.  When food enters your mouth, saliva forms ready to coat the food to be taken down to the stomach where the acid is waiting to break it down.  Our tummies don’t have teeth, so large pieces of food can’t be broken down.

What happens with the food is it will start to get trapped in your intestines along the walls causing toxins in the body and many physical issues.  Plus, if our bodies are meant to absorb the nutrients and then release the waste this can not happen properly if the food is too large and stuck.  No nutrients will be used and no eliminating will be done after every meal as it should

Since Monday I have been chewing everything 50 times!  It is so hard to get used to as I am was such a fast eater!  Salads take me forever to finish.

Smoothies and soups are to be fully coated in saliva before being swallowed. I figured I had to throw that tid bit in as that was a question asked at the seminar and well I think we all drink a smoothie through the day here!

Properly chewing your food will increase your energy, relieve bloating and gas and make you feel a whole lot better!

I challenge you all to chew each bite of 1 meal a day properly.  I know every meal to start might be too much, but 1 is easy.  Your body will thank you

Like I said I am rocking this chewing with all my meals and notice a difference already……and a sore jaw….but that will pass

These golden gems just came out of the oven.  They are made without a store bought sweetener!!!  I will post the recipe tomorrow!

REMINDER – You still have time to enter for the Daily Detox Drops Give Away!  I will be closing the this contest at 8pm Thursday, February 25th!

Do you chew your food 30 – 50 times?  Are you up for this challenge?

XXOO
Kris

Happy Monday Everyone!

How was your weekend?  Mine was super wonderful!

We went down to the jam packed downtown core of Vancouver and squeezed our way through many party people.  It was a lot of fun to feel all the energy pouring out of our beautiful city! The whole world is together in one place and the vibe is very warm and friendly.  For you that live here know what I am talkin’ about

We started our 5.5 hour walk (yes……5.5 hours) down by the flame and made it around the whole downtown core and back to the center to get a spot for the fireworks.

I packed so many snacks with me on our adventure and still by 8 pm we were starving so I stopped in at a grocery store and picked up a bar I have never tried before – Perfect 10

I had the Cranberry Chocolate bar and it was AMAZING!

(source)

I love finding new treasures when out, especially raw ones!

Here are some pictures from our night out:

Ryan at the flame

Me and the rents walking the streets

Me, Ryan and Hudson……Hudson was the life of the party!

Ryan made this video for his blog!  It shows just how beautiful and crazy the streets were!

Remember to ENTER your name for the Give Away!!  Check it out here!

Do you get stressed out in large crowds?  Do you take your own snacks with you when you go out?

XXOO
Kris

Hello Everyone!

Happy Weekend to you all!

YES, it is another give away here on my site!!

I love giveaways, because I love giving and I love watching my favourite people receiving!

Everyone knows I have been taking these wonderful all natural Daily Detox Drops.  I am giving some away to one lucky winner!

The benefits of these Daily Detox Drops are pretty amazing:

• Weight Loss
• A heightened sense of energy
• Increased mental clarity
• Eliminate discomfort caused by negative bacteria
• Eliminate candida and built up parasites

Daily Detox Body Cleanse

Daily Detox Body Cleanse is a multipurpose combination of organic plant acids (phytic, multic, glutamic and others) in the base of plant glycerine, and is a result of 25 years research and experimentation.

Daily Detox Body Cleanse can prevent the spread of bacteria, fungi and viruses while maintaining optimal health. It may protect both humans and animals from illnesses caused by salmonella, e coli, clostridium and other pathogens, found in food and water. It is 100% organic and does not create resistance in pathogenic microorganisms.

Detox drops help to eliminate discomfort caused by negative bacteria, virus (stomach flu), candida, and parasites.

My own testimonial:

Since using these drops daily I have noticed a difference in my weight, especially in my thighs *blush* as this is where I hold most of it…….ugh..

Also if I have any bloating or tummy discomfort these drops help right away!  They rock!!

To Enter:

1. Tell me why you would think you need these drops
2. Tweet this Give Away
3. Add a blurb about this giveaway in your next blog post

Easy as pie, isn’t it?

The contest will close on February 25th @ 8pm PST. The winner will be announced on Friday February 26th!
Please remember to let me know if you did all 3 things asked above and I will enter your name 3 times into the draw

Best of luck to you All!  I can’t wait to see who the lucky winner is!!

You must tell all of your Friends!

WOOO HOOO I love Give Aways

Well we are off to some Olympic Fun!  Downtown here we come!

Have a great night Dolls!

XXOO
Kris