The Social Home

What to do with that Extra Room formally known as the Formal Dining Room

2013-05-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

You know that room. It's most often found at the front of the house, just beside the foyer. Sometimes it has doors on it, other times not. It's usually separate from the kitchen and the rest of the house. It's more likely than not to be unused 99% of the time.

In some homes, it's called a "formal dining room", in others, a sitting room or a parlour. Some homes, like the one I grew up in, happen to have both. One thing is for sure, this room is as flexible as it is inflexible. It's extra space, which is great, but it's hard to decorate around and keep it a functional, useable space for everyday living.

Why the ode to the formal dining room?

Well, we finally have one! The layout of our new house is very different than our existing, but the size is similar except for the addition of the extra room by the entry. I feel like I need to do something great in this space because I've actually got the space to work with!

I am really torn about what to do. I have those 6 Louis chairs I am planning on FINALLY refinishing after my first botched attempt, I do have an extra dining table, but I also have a darling love seat from my mom and some side chairs I could use. And, let's not forget my desk, which is one of my favourite pieces.

I am contemplating an office/ dining room combo, or perhaps a sitting room/office combo. I love all the uses of the space in these pictures- if only I had more than one room like this to decorate!

Via

What are your thoughts on the formal dining room?

Renters

2013-05-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

After buying our townhouse three and a bit years ago, and subsequently customizing it along the way, I never thought I would be talking about a rental ever again. But here we are, moving to an unknown city in two weeks, where we will find ourselves renters once again.

Our initial plan was to buy a house. I was looking forward to finding that perfect diamond in the rough, and giving it a massive makeover (I won't know anyone there, so might as well use all that spare time we'll have to spruce up a house!).

After careful thought and consideration, it just makes so much more sense to rent first. Considering the first time we will ever step foot in this city and province will be the day we move there, it would be so hard to know which area we want to live in, where my job will be located, and where our future friends will congregate. By renting first, we can get a lay of the land and narrow down what it is exactly we'd like in a home and a community.

But first, I will have to adjust back to the restrictions of tenancy. Thankfully, we found a beautiful brand new home to rent (which, believe me, is a task in itself - rentals (nice rentals) are EXTREMELY hard to come by in the Peg). Because it's shiny and new, and rather turn key, I won't be doing too much to it (I'd rather save my resources and time for a home we'll be staying in), but I do want to decorate and figure out ways to make it more "ours".

I am already compiling ideas that will bring some life into our rental house without having to bring out a paint brush. I a loving this idea from the Ikea catalogue, but with a different fabric.

I am also loving the Solutions for Renters series on Centsational Girl. So many great ideas I have to consider!

Are any of your renters, or have any good ideas to help inject some temporary personality into our home?

Mother

2013-05-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Via

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms, Grandmas, and Moms to be! Take a moment of today for yourself and appreciate all the work that you do!

xo

Big News!

2013-05-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Before I finish blogging our Tulum, Mexico trip, I wanted to stop in for a quickie announcement. Something I never thought I would ever say..... we are moving to Winnipeg!

Life throws you curve balls, and this certainly is one. We have been looking at moving out of our place and looking for a house, and now, well, we certainly are!

If you aren't familiar with Winnipeg, it's a city smack dab in the centre of the continent (has even been dubbed as such) in the province of Manitoba. It sits on top of the American border straddling North Dakota and Minnesota.

I've never been there, but from what I've heard, the winters are long and incredible cold, the summers short and incredibly hot, and they have jumbo sized mosquitos.

On the bright side, I've heard that Manitobans are the friendliest of people, there are loads of lakes to enjoy in the summer, and it's truly going to be an adventure for the hubby, two wieners and me.

Hubby got a promotion at work which involved relocating, and I was all aboard. It will be sad to leave family and friends and the neighbourhood we love so very much, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime for him, and there was no turning it down.

What will I be doing, you ask? I'm really not sure. One thing is certain; I will blog about all of our adventures along the way. It's going to be a very busy next two months!

Home Sweet Home | Tulum Recap Part I

2013-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hola amigos!

After a very long hiatus prepping for my sister in law's destination wedding, and then of course, vacationing for her wedding for 10 days, I am finally home and back on the blogfront!

We had a fabulous time in Tulum, Mexico and spent a good chunk of it in the Boca Paila area where my sister in law's dream wedding took place, and where they and their very large group of friends from England stayed. I have been to Mexico about 10 times, and have been to other tropical places probably twice as many times, but I have to say that Tulum is one of the most stunning place I have ever visited.

It's hard to describe Tulum in the context of a resort town. This article sums it up quite nicely,"In Tulum, luxury and earthiness coexist". If I were to try and relate the vibe to something that people would be more familiar with, it would be the rustic-chic atmosphere of a wedding designed around vintage, unique pieces (think weathered wood, mason jars, old typewriters, vintage suitcases). It feels very much like that, but not overdone or cliche (in the way that Pinterest has made those types of weddings).

As you turn onto Boca Paila Road and start making your journey to the heart of Tulum's "hotel zone", you are transported to another word. Dense, low tropical vegetation hugs the narrow, unmarked beach road on either side. Every 100 feet or so there's an eco-chic hotel built into the beach jungle (description to come below), a scattering of small but trendy bikini shops and open air markets, and an amazing assortment of restaurants and bars. One would imagine it's reminiscent of old Hawaii, but probably even more quaint.

On the left hand side are the majority of the "hotels" since that is the beach side. The word "hotel" is a stretch, because there really are no hotels. There is an open air reception desk (usually under a grass hut) and then there are cabanas. Cabanas everywhere. Every "hotel" is different, but one thing you will have to expect is that you cannot flush your toilet paper. It's an eco town and their sewage system is delicate. Fresh water is brought in by water trucks and pumped to the individual resorts. The water pressure is low. Don't even think about taking a bath. Depending on where you stay, you most likely will not have AC. With the nice beach breeze and fans in the cabanas, most people tend to be okay with that. Don't use your hairdryer or you could blow the power to the entire resort (which happened to our group - twice!). As the cabanas (mostly) are huts with grass roofs, you will likely need to sleep with a mosquito net. You will still get bitten by bugs, but it won't be as bad. You might not even have your own bathroom, but a shared communal one reminiscent of summer camp.

The concept of these huts was very hard to digest for me, but when you are there, you get it. The huts are scattered throughout the "hotel grounds" which means white sand and lush green tropical plants and palm trees. It almost doesn't feel real. Every hotel seems to have a resident yogi for beach yoga in the morning. Some hotels are actually yoga resorts and focus very much on spirituality, with their very own shamans. I don't believe we saw a single guest under the age of forty in Tulum. It's a hipsters heaven where likeminded twenty/thirty somethings can experience something entirely different than reality. I think more mature generations are probably scared of the lack of everyday amenities they come to expect on holidays (as was I).

The luxury part comes to play when you realize all of this was no accident. The white washed drift wood bar, the vintage blue mason jars hanging from the palm trees, the outdoor shower off of your room. Everything is carefully thought out and planned to transport guests to the most luxurious, non-luxury vacation they've ever had. Don't be fooled by the Mexican staff at reception; the majority of these utopian getaways are owned by ex-pats, and they know what they're doing. Some of the more affordable cabanas (the ones without private washrooms) are priced so that everyone can enjoy a little taste of Tulum. I believe you can rent a hut for under $100 a night. At some of the "fancier" places, be prepared to spend $500 a night for a basic room (with AC).

Unlike the other 98% of Mexican resort towns, however, there is no such thing as all-inclusive. There is no fast-food or grocery store or Starbucks nearby. It's all part of the lifestyle here (or shall I say "vacationstyle"?). Food comes in the way of a trendy restaurant with $12 margaritas and $10 chips and salsa. Seeing as you have no other options for food, it does add up quickly, but the guests don't seem to mind. The price of the food adds to the "luxury" component that makes up for the bug bites.

Above all, the beach along this stretch is incomparable. I've been to many of the world's best beaches, but I have to say this one tops them all. It is pristine, with soft white sand that stretches forever and crystal clear turquoise water. The beach is the reason these eco-boutique hotels exist. It is, in almost every sense of the phrase, out of this world.

In case you are curious, we didn't stay there. We did spend a good chunk of 4 days of our trip along the Tulum strip with the wedding and other doings, but we were only day guests in this little piece of Paradise.

Many pictures to come in Part II, as well as a recap of where we stayed.

Have you been to Tulum, or somewhere like it? What are your impressions?

Freebies: Pantry and Spice Labels by Emily McDowell

2013-04-13T08:34:00.004-07:00

You might think it's funny that I'm featuring spice and pantry labels other than my own, but my motto when it comes to labels is, the more the merrier! And even better, the more free the merrier! I love when people give away freebies (check out some of mine here) and especially love when you have colour options to choose from!

These whimsical pantry and spice labels are adorable! Head on over here to see the lovely freebies designed by Emily McDowell.

Spring has Sprung! And it's all about COLOUR!

2013-04-09T09:44:00.001-07:00

Happy spring, beauties! We've had a couple cloudy/rainy days recently, but last week? My oh my, was it glorious sunshine and summer weather all around! Unfortunately I worked through most of our "mini summer", but I enjoyed it nonetheless and look forward to more sunshiney days!

Until the sun decides to poke its happy face back into my corner of the world again, these are some of the things bringing a splash of colour into my spring!

via

Bright colours. Fresh fruit. Need I say more?

The most stunning floral arrangement I have ever seen. Do you know the source? Because I want a better quality photo and some credit to give, because it's that drop dead gorgeous.

Playing with this juicy pink Asus X202 laptop with Windows 8 that Microsoft loaned me for a couple of weeks as past of their Windows Champions program was loads of fun (this touch screen laptop blew me away! So easy to use and loved the sleek design of the case and keyboard). If I didn't rely so heavily on my Macbook Pro for my design work, I would 100% have to have one of these (I can't believe how inexpensive it is for such a quality laptop! Oh Apple, how you've jaded me to think that $1500 is how much a laptop should cost).

I am completely smitten with the photo above. It was taken by the talented Gillian Stevens and is part of the spring lookbook for my girlfriends boutique Muse Social Fashion House. I just love the floral prints, the colours and the black and white blazer. I even set this photo as my wallpaper on my laptop. It just makes me happy! I am so ready to pack up my winter clothes and get my spring/summer wardrobe out in full force!

And last but not least, all this spring loving lit a fire under my behind and I decided to curate some of my favourite florals for my upcoming collection of iPhone cases. These are just renderings and there are sure to be changes, but you get the idea! Pretty + functional = everything I've ever wanted in a phone case. More details to come soon, but wanted to give you a sneak peak!

What are you loving this spring?

Disclosure: I am a Windows Champions Blogger for 2013. As part of my participation in the program I will have the opportunity to try out new products and promotions. As always, 100% of opinions are my own.

Healthy Home | Nut Butter Cinnamon Cookies [ full of the good stuff, free of the bad stuff ]

2013-04-03T12:36:00.001-07:00

The more I experiment with plant based recipes, the more I've come to realize how ridiculously easy it is to replace dairy. Last night I made a strawberry banana "milkshake" for dessert: fresh strawberries, frozen bananas, soy milk, vanilla extract, blended to perfection. It was creamy and delightful and not a scoop of ice cream in sight.

Today was another one of those moments. I am attending a "dessert and wine" birthday party for a friend this evening and decided to make some healthy cookies to bring with me. A lot of the vegan recipes I searched for included oil and flour, and I was just not in the mood to make a cookie cookie. I wanted to make an easy, healthy cookie with few ingredients.

I stumbled across this recipe from the Unrefined Kitchen and it mostly fit the bill. I modified it to make it dairy-free and changed the flavour a bit with some cinnamon. Oh my goodness gracious, they are DIVINE. I was hoping to just "test" half a cookie, and ended up eating four. Oopsies, there goes my lunch. I was completely surprised with how much these look and feel and taste like a traditional cookie, but have no oil, no flour, no grain, no refined sugars, and no dairy. And almost better than that, they were super easy to make with minimal clean up.

Nut Butter Cinnamon Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup agave nectar, honey or maple syrup
1 Ener-g Egg Replacer "Egg" (could try a flax or chia egg but I'm not sure of the results)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Mix all ingredients but the coconut until well mixed.
4. Add coconut (and optional, add chocolate chips, dried fruit, or nuts)
4. Roll dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball, space on cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes until lightly browned.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Thanks to the Unrefined Kitchen for the inspiration! These are DEFINITELY going in my recipe box and will now be my go-to cookie recipe. They even passed my "meat and potatoes" husband test!

If you have a spare 30 minutes this week, give this recipe a try! You will be happy you did :)

Guest Blogging about my Secret Weapon, the Freezer!

2013-04-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Spring!

Wait... where did March go?

Where did I go?

I don't even have an answer to that. I have about 5000 posts to read on my blog reader, and another 5000 photos to edit and publish... but somehow time is just escaping me! How do I make it stop? Pause, even. I need to catch my breath!

In case you miss me, I was able to squeeze in a guest post over at Modern Parents Messy Kids about my freezer storage and tips, so go on over and check it out!

And I will have more for your in April than I had for you in March, so don't stray too far!

xox

How to Smudge-Proof your Pantry Labels (and Other Printed Goods)

2013-03-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

(This is SO totally random and freaky. As I set out to write this post and link it to my pantry post, I came to the realization that it has been exactly ONE YEAR since my pantry was featured on iHeart Organizing (and ultimately introduced most if not all of you readers to me, in someway or another whether via Pinterest or just the increased exposure from that post). I guess it's fitting that this post ties in with my pantry!).

Since that post and feature on my pantry, I have been trying to figure out a way to smudge proof my labels. There have been some fantastic suggestions and ideas I've put to use. Packing tape? Works pretty darn well, but then your labels look glossy, and well, like they've got packing tape on them. Laminate them? Been there, done that. It works, but again, I'm not a huge fan of the finished look, and it's very time consuming (well, my "cheater" version anyway). Mod podge? Haven't tried it, but I'm worried the ink would smudge and that it would dry funny. My best advice until now for people overly concerned with protecting their labels has been to print them out on weatherproof mailing labels. That said, full page weatherproof labels aren't cheap, AND you need to use a laser printer, which generally means you have to go to the print shop to print your labels (unless you're super cool and have a laser printer at home).

Determined to find a solution, I was excited to happen upon this Krylon Low Odour Clear Matte Finish spray (ps- no affiliation with Krylon here). The can said it would be good for protecting paper crafts and photographs. Score! I brought the $6.99 can home and went to town on a batch of new labels I'll be rolling out soon in the shop. I found the trick, like is the case with regular ol' spray paint, is thin, even coats. When I applied too much, I could see a bit of the black ink bleeding through, but if you do a nice thin coat, the ink will not bleed at all.

You can spray indoors, so I just used an empty shoe box, and although the odour isn't great, it isn't that bad either. I sprayed the labels BEFORE cutting the labels which prevents them from curling up. After drying overnight, I cut the labels out and put them in some book pages to further help them set flat.

The bonus to the finish? It actually DEEPENED the colour of my labels, which was a welcome side effect. Ink jet printers can't generally print in as vibrant of colours as laser, but this spray finish looks like it was printed on a laser.

Not to mention, it passed the smudge test. I wet my thumb under the tap and rubbed it on two labels, one protected with the spray, one not. As you can see in the photos below, the latter started to bleed almost immediately. Now, I wouldn't suggest running these labels under water or putting them in the dishwasher or anything, but they will certainly help protect against everyday sticky kitchen fingers and splatter from baking and cooking.

Above is the protected label after the wet thumb test. A couple spots of water did get through, however I think a third coat would have eliminated this entirely. Next time I'm definitely doing 3 coats!

This is the unprotected label after the wet thumb test. You can see the ink has run, not to mention the label is a much fainter colour. I definitely prefer the vibrancy of the protected labels.

What do you think?

The Two-Toned Kitchen

2013-03-08T10:00:00.002-08:00

TGIF friends!

As you may have read here, here, here and here, I have a deep and passionate longing for a white kitchen. After much back and forth and constant debate, I've almost pulled the trigger. I've got a couple quotes with two great companies, and have a few variations in mind, all resulting in a two tone kitchen. What are your thoughts on the look? These are some of my favourites.

Via

If this were my forever home, I would 100% have a mint island!

Via

Obviously the more white I do, the more money I spend, but what do you think of my very sloppy, make shift renderings?

What you can't see is opposite the fridge on the east wall will be a brand spanking new pantry (it will be in the spot where my current wine rack is). I feel like in order to balance the tall white pantry, I most certainly have to do the panelled fridge in white, but hubby thinks differently. What are your thoughts, friends?

How to Make a Faux- Marble Table Top with No Cuts, Thinset or Grout

2013-03-06T09:17:00.001-08:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words... and other times a picture doesn't tell the whole story.

Let's take this photo for example.

I bet you by looking at it, you would never guess that the top looks like.... that.

The horror! It's pretty bad, I know. This Danish modern sideboard was a $40 craigslist find, and was refinished long before I discovered blogs and paint tutorials. We literally thought all we had to do was sand and paint. So that is what we did. In retrospect, it really needed a good layer or two of Killz primer, because this baby bled like a red sock in white laundry.

I literally applied TEN coats of paint in an effort to make it white, and not blotchy orangey white, and the result has been an ever tacky surface that dings and dents like nobodies business. I try covering it with loads of accessories, but that just makes it look cluttered. A few days ago, I just had enough, and decided to do something about it.

You know how most projects take way longer than anticipated and cost way more than budgeted for? Well, this was not one of those projects. In fact, it was the opposite. Because I was determined to not have to make any cuts in the tile, my search was narrowed to finding tile only 12 by 18 ". Since the table is 5 feet long, and 17.5 inches deep, five tiles would give me perfect coverage with a slight overhang.

I went in looking for marble. Obviously. Who doesn't like marble? But... Home Depot only had 12 by 12 bianca marble tiles and that just wouldn't do. Plus, I found the patterns very inconsistent and some very grey and veiny, and the purpose of this tile job was for it to blend as much as possible and look like a solid piece, and not look blatantly tiled. I think that the marble tiles they had were the rejects of the quarry, and that all the nice pretty white marble went to go live as a massive slab on someone's island.

So after a few minutes of pouting I let go of my marbled top idea... and then I saw it.

From afar, it looked like perfect white marble with just the right amount of grey veining. Mostly white and incredibly consistent. In a 12 by 18. As I made my way over to view this godsend, it hit me. This wasn't marble. Not even close. It's porcelain tile. It's porcelain tile that looks like marble. Shucks! I almost walked away, and then I shrugged. Hey, it's better than what I've got now, right? It's the perfect size. It's super cheap. Ya. Why not? Let's just go for it.

And so I did. Determined not to use thinset or grout, I devised a plan. I used a tile setting mat and since there would only be 4 seams to fill, I would caulk it instead.

After cutting the sticky mat to size, I carefully spaced and lined up my table top. I wish there was a tutorial, but it was so stinkin' easy it's not even worth it. Peel and stick the mats, place tiles on top spaced evenly, caulk the grout lines. Caulk a couple more times to fully fill the space. Voila!

I would be lying if I said it was the dreamiest of projects I've ever done. I like the result. I like it boatloads more than before. And for a $50 makeover, I'm happy as pie! But one day.... one day... I will cover that baby with a big ol slab. That said, it certainly isn't bad for an interim solution!

Vegan Chocolate Fondue for One

2013-03-03T00:53:00.000-08:00

I have a major soft spot for chocolate. I'd venture to say that, in some way or another, I eat it every day. That would be a very dangerous habit, however I don't eat chocolate chocolate. What I do consume is cocoa powder, and lots of it. It's loaded with anti-oxidants and minerals, and is considered a superfood in every sense of the word. I usually mix cocoa powder in with smoothies and oatmeal, but from time to time (ok, every couple days), a girl just needs a treat!

I made this "chocolate dip" a few nights ago and I've been addicted to it ever since. It is so darn delicious, and so much healthier for you than most chocolate fondues or dips. Bonus, eat it with a frozen banana and it hardens like a fudgey magic shell! The best part about this is no stove top heating required, and you can literally whip it up in a few minutes.

Photo Credit

Dairy Free Chocolate Dip (Single Serving)

1 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder (or for more tastiness and slightly less health beenfits, use dutch processed)
1- 2 tbsp erythritol or xylitol (if those sound like alien objects to you, sub honey or agave)
pinch salt

Mix oil, almond butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add cocoa powder, sweetener and salt, and stir until creamy. If you find it too thick, you may add additional oil or almond butter (I'd say try a non-dairy milk, however I have yet to as I like my dip thick).

Add in some banana pieces and enjoy your personal fondue for one! Sure, this isn't low cal, but at least it's full of good stuff for you and not refined crap, right?

* Please excuse my lack of photography. My DSLR is at the hospital and on the mend!

Pinterest Challenge: Bar Cart Herb Garden

2013-02-27T09:24:00.002-08:00

Despite my admitted lack of a green thumb, I have always, always wanted to grow things. This year, I am challenging myself to actually follow through and put in the leg work to make something grow from the ground up. I figure if I'm going to take the time to grow plants, I might as well get to reap the rewards and eat them (it's a good thing I don't have this same mentality when it comes to reproduction, hey?).

After many herb and vegetable gardens like this tempting me through Pinterest, I decided to give it a whirl. It is Pinterest Challenge week, is it not? This restaurant scale herb garden at LYFE Kitchen has me drooling. One day, when I live in Martha Stewart's compound, I will have this herb garden.

Pinned Via. Source.

First things first, find a pretty house for my herb garden. I've seen everything from old boots and buckets to fancy shmancy greenhouses to do pretty much the same job, so decided that aesthetics come first. Luckily, my housing of choice ended up being pretty functional as well. I've longed for the RASKOG trolley for quite awhile now. It's been used for pretty much everything you can imagine in the blogosphere, but I have yet to see it as an herb garden. Score.

Second, buy supplies.

Wood Crates: $2 each from Dollorama
Plastic Seed Trays: $1.25/3 (after searching multiple garden centres I finally found them at $ store)
Seed Starter Medium: $5.99 at Home Depot
Seeds: $10 (Buy anywhere, or see below for my source)
Grow Light: $10 each from Mr. Light
Plastic Wrap: On hand (to wrap around the crates to keep the seed babies warm until they grow)

Time to start growing! Oh wait, that takes a long time. I want something green and herbalicious right now! I get discouraged easily, so bought myself some mature herb plants to keep me happy while my seedlings grow. This set-up is really in it's early stages. Currently, the bottom tier holds gardening supplies and seeds, the middle tier holds my baby herb plants waiting to be born, and the top tier holds momma and pappa herb.

Soon, though, both the bottom and middle tiers will house my seed trays, and this is (I think) a great set-up for grow lights. I've got mine on order from Mr. Light and plan on afixing the flourescent fixtures to the bottom of the top two tiers so that the bottom two tiers will be for seedlings, and the top tier for the mature plants. For seeds, I ordered a bunch or organic, heirloom seeds from West Coast Seeds, which happens to be a bout a 30 minute drive from my house! (FYI- I've lined the wood crates with plastic to prevent leakage and wood rot).

What I love most about this trolley set up is that it's so easy to move around! When I'm cooking and want some fresh herbs, it will be my little herb kitchen cart. On a sunny day, it will be right by the sliding glass doors to catch some rays. On a chilly day, I'll move it away from the cold windows and closer to the heaters. And, when summer hits, I can even move it outdoors.

I am really, really green to this whole growing thing, but I'm excited to learn the ropes. I'm starting with herbs and will be sowing some vegetable seeds for my future outdoor veggie garden soon as well. I will most certainly post updates and let you know about my inevitable trials and hopeful successes! WIsh me luck!

And thank you to the Pinterest Challenge girls who always inpire me to start creating my Pins! Go check out their projects here: Katie, Megan, Michelle and YHL,

Freebies | Printable Heirloom Recipe Cards

2013-02-21T10:26:00.001-08:00

Sure, it's Thursday, but I'm filing this one under Freebie Fridays, k? Thank you for throwing me a bone.

I'm sharing my thoughts on passing down recipe cards today over at Modern Parents Messy Kids. Go take a peek and let me know what you think and how you recipe keep. You can also checkout the free download on my Freebies page.

For our recipe box, I customized some cards with our last name. I think this makes a great gift and have already made these for a bridal shower. Stick a set in my upcoming recipe card box DIY, and it is the PERFECT gift!

How do you keep recipes? In a binder? Box? Online? Let me know!

Where to Find Dirt Cheap Replica Chairs

2013-02-20T09:58:00.002-08:00

I know that the majority of you are not from Canada, but a good chunk of you are. And that is why I am here today with this public service announcement.

If you haven't shopped for furniture at London Drugs, you don't know what you're missing. They have some INCREDIBLE prices on replicas. The fact that LD even has ghost chairs is mind boggling. Or their modern spin on the iconic eifel chair. I so badly wanted to buy 4 new ghost chairs to make a set of 6, but somehow I talked myself out of it. Maybe it's because I've got 6 Louis chairs in my garage waiting for a makeover?

Via

And now, the incredible finds at London Drugs.

$99 Ghost Chair (vs $410 on DWR)

$99 Eifel Chair

$199 Hanging Egg Chair

Of all 3, I think I want the egg chair the most. I think it would be the perfect place to snuggle up in and read a book in the sunshine, no?

Any great, unusual places you've found great deals on furniture/decor lately?

Smoothie Saturday: "Wake Up" Choco Latte

2013-02-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

I would be lying if I told you I make smoothies everyday for their taste over their health benefits. Truth be told, I sometimes pack in so many greens and other random ingredients (like beets and pumpkin) that it is sometimes a challenge to finish the whole thing.

It's not that I don't believe in enjoying food and smoothies, I just find it such a lost opportunity to pack in nutritious produce if I don't take it to that next level. I find it difficult to get in my veggies and salad in the winter months especially, so I just feel so much better about my day when I start it with a greens packed smoothie.

That said, every once in a while, I indulge in a smoothie that is more tasty than healthy. I leave out the greens, I use soy milk instead of water, add extra banana and some peanut butter and or cocoa, and in the end the thing tastes more like a milkshake than a smoothie. Mmmmmmm mmmmm good...

Well, today was the perfect day to try out a smoothie in the middle of the road. It's not PACKED with greens (although it could be), but it's also not overloaded with calorically dense, nutritionally light foods either. Since I was out of soy milk and unable to make my daily double latte, it was the perfect excuse to sneak some espresso into my smoothie. Coffee and breakfast in one- cha ching!

"Wake Up" Choco-Latte Smoothie

1 frozen banana (peeled, sectioned, frozen at least the night before) OR 1/2 an avocado + ice cubes
2 shots of espresso (or, 1 cup brewed coffee - just reduce other liquid)
water or milk or choice to thin to desired consistency

1 teaspoon coconut oil (use only if using water as thinner over milk)

2 tablespoons "power" mix (I use chia seeds, hemp hearts, buckewheat, and flax seeds)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (regular is more antioxidant packed, but dutch processed is tastier)
2 frozen "green cubes" (pureed spinach/kale frozen in ice cube tray)
1 tablespoon almonds or almond butter
Optional: I added some frozen berries in for some more antioxidants, but not enough to affect the flavour.

Blend until creamy, and enjoy!

Fit Friday: iPhone Workout One

2013-02-15T13:38:00.001-08:00

Ok friends, welcome to my first edition of Fit Friday, which will occur every third Friday from this one on, and should hopefully spice up your life enough to make you want to come back for more.

I used to kill myself at the gym in university, and once I graduated and moved off campus, I just stopped. I hate gyms. I just hate them. Working out is not in my blood. There are so many other things I'd rather do. Hating gyms and conventional workouts and the time involved in both scared me away to the point of not exercising at all. Does this sound familiar, or are you one of those people blessed with an innate love of working out?

Anyways, things started to click for me in 2011, and then clicked even more in 2012. I finally feel like I've figured out the best way for *me* (and, maybe for you, too!) to stay active without hating it.

They key is home workouts. Without equipment. Without DVDs. Without any knick knacks or trinkets or whosits or whatsits galore. You want thingamabobs? There's twenty at the gym. I want moooooore! (Please excuse my very rando Ariel serenade there).

Working out at home means no excuses. It means if it's rainy and you don't want to get in your car and drive in a down pour to the gym, you don't have to. If you look like absolute crap and don't want to go out in public with your bags under your eyes and a pimply face, you don't have to. You don't have to set anything up. Heck, you could even work out in your PJ's.

These are formatted for iPhone 4 and 5, however if you just save it as an image to any cell phone, it should work. Save it as a wallpaper, or just access it in your photo album when you're ready to work out. Throw on some good tunes while you're at it! This workout was totally inspired by these at Back on Pointe, I just modified it to make it work better for me.

iPhone 5 above

iPhone 4a above

If you're struggling with staying active or finding the time to workout, commit yourself to doing this 10 minute workout once a day. Sure, it's just 10 minutes, but you'll be sweating and you'll feel a heckuva lot better than if you did nothing.

If you've got more time on your hands, or have mastered the once a day workout, do it two or three times. To challenge myself, I add weights to all leg exercises so instead of just a calf raise, I do a calf raise with bicep curl. Just do what works for you! It's also a great warm up for a run. And because it's so short, you can do it once in the morning and again at night, and if you can get 20 minutes of quality exercise in a day, I'd say you're golden! Working out isn't about how much time you can spend in the gym, it's about how long you can commit to being active. And unfortunately for us workout haters out there, we really need to commit to being active for the rest of our lives. It's not just something you do for a couple months or until you reach your goal and stop. But, hopefully with short home workouts, it won't be too hard to make it a lifestyle change and not a temporary fix!

PS- If you are unsure of what some of the specific workouts above entail, just go visit dear friend Youtube and he will tell you! Once you know what the moves are, it's easy as pie!

Now go on and do it, and GOOD LUCK!

xo Jen

Musings and Changes

2013-02-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I'm not your traditional blogger. My sporadic posts follow no rhyme or reason. What once was an organizing and decorating blog has become a mishmash of all things that make me, me.

Source

The change in the direction of this blog is all due to the change in direction of my life. The past couple of years, I didn't overly focus on fashion, my health, staying fit, or cooking nutritious meals. One could even say I avoided all those things. So, that energy had to go somewhere, and in order to keep my head in the sand about my life, I focused on home. I didn't have the tools to ensure I was eating a properly balanced diet, nor to run a 10 K, but I did have the tools to decorate and organize and so that is what I did.

In the past 8 months or so, I've been on a journey of self discovery (man that sounds super cheesy). I always thought that everything would continually go downhill as I get older, but as many can attest I'm sure, that is not the case at all. To have discovered running and ways to stay active that don't make me hate the word "exercise" in my late twenties has been nothing less than a miracle. The joy of cooking a delicious, healthy meal from fresh, whole ingredients while swaying to Sinatra in the kitchen and sipping a glass of red is one of my all time favourite activities. And organizing and decorating IS still a part of it, very much so. It's just not the whole picture.

So you probably see where I'm going with this, don't ya? Not much on the blog front is going to change, because I've clearly already made the transition, but there will be some more structure. I feel like it's only fair to give you less random, more scheduled. Now, I don't make promises I can't keep, so I'm not promising that every single week I will stick to this, but I'm aiming for at least 3 posts a week following this structure: Early Week (Most likely Tuesday)- Organizing, Decorating, Home Stuff | Friday - Fitness/Fashion/Freebies alternating each week | Saturday - Smoothie Recipes/ Supper Club Recipes alternating each week. Hopefully, if only one or two of those topics interest you, you'll at least know when to stop by (or alternatively, you subscribe by email and have the posts delivered to your inbox where you can ultimately delete what you don't care to read!).

I've never done a poll or questionnaire on here, but LOVE love love feedback, so if there's something you want to see more of, please let me know and I'll do my best to incorporate it! I know that by broadening my topics I'm likely losing out on some readers who were only here for the home part, but that's okay. There are so many great home blogs out there that I don't think the interweb will miss me. I'm also going to try and tackle this blog with a makeover, properly label each post, set up better categories and link all projects so that it's not as terrible to navigate.

And look in the sky and you might just see pigs flying, because I'll be back later today with a SECOND post for you! Yup, you heard that right. Two posts in one day. I'll be posting my first Fit Friday with a 10 minute workout you can do using just yourself and your cell phone. That's pretty awesome, no?

And if I don't say it enough already, THANK YOU dear readers! I sometimes have to look at my stats to remind myself that no, I'm not just writing to myself and the handful of people who comment on each post. No, there's actually quite a few of you out there who read this (scary!), so thank you for sticking around, thank you for being here, and thank you for putting up with my random randomness.

xoxo

Jen

Healthy Home | Superfood Valentine's Pancakes!

2013-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies!

I woke up with an idea this morning, and popped out of bed to give a whirl.

I was inspired by the lovely Jennifer of Chronicles of Home and her delish looking pancake recipe. I was eager to try it, but decided to give it a little Valentine's kick, and alter it a bit to make it vegan and as healthy as it could be.

Enter The Healthy Heart Triple Berry Pancake, or as I wanted to call it: "Love in a Pan(Cake)". Spread the love by making these for someone special today, and feel good that you're feeding them something full of superfoods that will make them healthier than they were yesterday. Yesiree, that sounds good to me! If you use the right ingredients this recipe can be VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE, SUGAR FREE, OIL FREE, and 100% HEALTHY FOR YOU full of fiber, antioxidants, protein and nutrients!

These jacks are not going to taste like traditional pancakes, well, because almost every ingredient is different than a traditional pancake. They are dense and hearty, and almost feel like eating a bowl of oatmeal. They taste acceptable on their own, but they really serve the greater purpose of being a fantastically healthy bed for some delicious toppings. I used a quick and easy berry coulis (recipe below) shredded coconut and berries, and on one I even spread a little almond butter. Feel free to load up on the fresh fruit and nut butters and I promise you'll be full til dinner! If you just want to have a tasty and still very healthy pancake that will taste delightful on it's own, I definitely recommend making Jennifer's original recipe over here. I'm sure you could sub some of the bananas for raspberries, or use food colouring to make them a special treat for today!

Healthy Heart (Superfood) Pancakes

Dry:
3/4 cup Power Flour*
1/8 cup walnuts, milled to a powder (this is the "fat" for the recipe, so sub away with other fats like coconut oil etc)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut

* You can use whatever flour you like, but my Power Flour is a mix of: Oats, Flaxseed, Chia Seeds, Buckwheat and Quinoa milled in my NutriBullet. You can mill other grains and make your own Power Flour easily!

Wet:
1/2 cup of apple butter or apple sauce (I was out of bananas sadly, but 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas would be divine)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp date paste or agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup)
3/4 cup mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)

1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 water
OPTIONAL: If you want more colourful pancakes, add in some red food colouring. I prefer just to use the berries as colour, but they don't stay as deep a red as one would get from food colouring.

1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal (ground flax) mixed with 3 tbsp water, refrigerated for 15 minutes)

Coulis:

1/2 cup mixed berries

1/4 cup apple butter or ripe mashed bananas

1 tbsp date paste or agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup)

As you can see, lots of subs can be made depending on what you have on hand. It's hard to go wrong as long as you're subbing with category (fat for fat, sweet for sweet etc).

Directions:

Place all wet ingredients in blender and pulse to blend.

Place dry ingredients in bowl, mix in wet ingredients and flax egg. Stir, and add more water if needed.

Consistency will be more or a sticky thick muffin batter than a runny pancake batter.

Pre-heat your skillet over medium heat, oil it, and spoon out your batter. For these pancakes it's better to cook them slower at a lower temp than quick at a high temp, so keep a watchful eye and when they easily slide under a spatula, time to flip them and cook a few more minutes.

The coulis is super easy, just blend it all together, add some water if you would like a runnier consistency. Pour over pancakes, sprinkle with coconut or nuts, and top with fresh fruit.

Makes 3- 4 small pancakes or 2 jumbo pancakes (because they are so dense and filling I suggest going with the smaller!)

And enjoy! Make sure to top off with lots of yummy toppings. I was really sad I had used my last banana yesterday because it would have been so tasty topped with bananas. Next time!

California Dreamin'

2013-02-13T10:02:00.001-08:00

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have got a sneak peak at our quick little SoCal getaway. It was only 5 days, however if you take out travel it was really only 3. Regardless, we packed a lot in and was a nice break from the dreary Vancouver winter weather. It is so nice to wear sandals and dresses in February!

I was dying over the juicy colours at Target. They have some incredibly cute swimwear right now as well!

My dad and hubby after golfing a PGA West course in Palm Dessert.

Meanwhile, Mom and I indulged in full body massages and facials at La Quinta Resort. The spa was fabulous and my favourite part was the spa courtyard (below) with beautiful spots to sit and take in the breathtaking scenery and sunshine

After Palm Springs, we made our way through a rain/snow downpour to the coast, stopping at the "life sized" dinosaurs that hubby fondly recollects from his childhood where he spent every January visiting his grandparents in Palm Springs. They were a little less exciting for him than they were at 7 years old, but he was thrilled to see them again nonetheless.

We arrived in Newport late afternoon and pulled up to the lovely Marriott Newport Coast Villas. This resort is amazing and I highly reccomend it to anyone travelling in this area. I was instantly transported to Europe, and could have stayed there our entire trip.

The lobby had me swooning, with it's neutral pallet, oversized grey beams, and well placed, funky pink egg chairs!

Off the lobby, the card room was equally well decorated, but these chairs were my favourite.

Nothing like some fresh fruit water to quench thirst after a long drive.

The following day, we again let Kevin live out his inner child dreams with a trip to Disneyland and California Adventures. I quite enjoyed the new Cars Land, with it's retro vibe and vintage colours (I fit right in, don't I?)

Hubby is OBSESSED with these pickles. He talks about them at least once a week. I actually believe that these giant pickles were one of the main reasons he really wanted to go to Disneyland this trip.

Our last day we spend driving up the coast, visiting a few beaches along the way (Huntington, Redondo, and a few others I don't remember).

And that was it! Short and sweet, but we had a great trip and fun time with my parents. Go anywhere fun lately? Or are you lucky enough to live in Southern California? If so, please sponsor me, because I'm ready to start packing boxes and relocate!

See you...

2013-02-05T21:58:00.003-08:00

...next week!

Smoothie Saturday | Mango Acai Super Smoothie

2013-02-02T10:32:00.002-08:00

Wow, you'd think I'm writing a food blog with all the posts I've had this week. As it probably should be, blog imitates life, and currently my life is very focused on nutrition and whole foods and cooking. I have some very exciting house news coming up though, so I'm sure to change gears from food to decor in the next month (and no, we aren't moving unless we win the dream home we bought tickets for).

Anyways, as luck would have it, I ran out of my "pre-bagged" frozen smoothie mix, and so this post which was supposed to show you the 10+ different goodies in my go-to smoothie has now resulted in a smoothie du-jour recipe. Nonetheless, it's tasty and healthy and still super easy to whip up with a little prep.

Mango Acai Super Smoothie

From top, clockwise

Frozen Organic Mango Chunks (Costco)
Organic Black Kale (aka Dinosaur Kale) -(Thrifty's Foods)
Frozen Bananas
Dried Mint (Bulk Spice section at Grocer)
Acai Mango Zinger Tea (Bag cut open) - (Celestial Seasonings brand- bought at Walmart)
Organic Spinach Cubes (Made from pureed spinach and water) - (Costco)
Power Mix (made from hemp hearts, chia, flax and buckwheat) - (Costco and Bulk)
Acai Juice Supplement (frozen into cubes)- (Costco)

I never thought of cutting up tea bags to use the tea insides until I realized what matcha green tea is. Yup, just ground up green tea. So, I've started including green tea or hibiscus tea (zinger) in every smoothie for an extra flavour kick and a huge amount of nutrient dense leafies and antioxidants. Dried mint is also a very inexpensive and tasty way to rev up the nutrition in your smoothie.

I just discovered black kale last month and it is now the only kind I buy. It has a much more buttery texture than regular old kale, I find it stays fresh and crisp in the fridge for much longer (no need to make kale cubes if it's gone within the week) and it tastes SO GOOD cut up in soups and stir frys.

The rest of the ingredients are pretty self explanatory. Give it a go!

Any great ingredients you've put in your smoothie lately?

Scratching the Surface #windowschampions

2013-01-30T08:59:00.001-08:00

I have never, until this month, written a sponsored post. It's not that I'm against them, I just haven't found things really worth talking about. And then last fall, Microsoft asked me to test drive the new Surface tablet as part of their Windows Champions program. They were kind enough to loan and ship me a shiny new Surface, and I just couldn't say no!

Full disclaimer here: I've been a Mac user for over 10 years. In fact, since I was in my first year of university 10 years ago, I have only ever owned a Mac. I get to work on a PC at my day job, but my usage of it is very limited. I've always wondered what it would be like to own a PC, especially now with their new software. Hopefully I will find out over the next few months, but let's start with first impressions!

If you haven't seen this commercial yet, take a looksie. Like many, this was my first introduction to Windows 8. I love the commercial in every way. It really feels like Microsoft is approaching Windows 8 and Surface in the right way. And, what's not to love about this Lenka song.

Although it would be hard not to take notice of the catchy commercials and product placements, I was particularly drawn in when one of the final episodes of Gossip Girl had Serena Van der Woodsen cooking from a recipe displayed on her Surface. I might not have the chance to prepare a meal in an Upper East Side penthouse, nor would I be able to purchase even a single outfit from her wardrobe, but if Serena and I can be Surface sisters, I will take what I can get. Count me in!

After a bit of a hold up at the border, I received my package earlier this month and eagerly started to explore it. It solves all of the issues I have with my iPad. Not having a case or stand nearby, I'm often frustrated trying to follow a recipe on my iPad, using tea towels and dishes to prop it up. The built-in kickstand is the perfect, "why hasn't this been thought of before" solution. Speaking of which, the cover. Oh, the cover. Another "why doesn't my iPad have this?" feature, the keyboard-cover is both sleek and functional and graceful to type on (no chipped manicures here!).

One thing that doesn't translate well in the marketing materials is what the other side of the cover looks like. I didn't have high expectations as my iPad Smart Case is nothing I'd rave about. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the Surface cover. The charcoal felt-like material feels both luxurious and durable at once. In fact, it is aesthetically my favourite part of the entire shebang.

Tack on some pretty amazing apps and a full Office suite, and the Surface is certainly something to write home about. If you already have an iPad, there's obviously no sense in buying something so similar, however if you haven't taken the foray in the tablet digital world yet, and want something functional with more features than just a tablet, the Surface may be just right for you. It really combines the convenience of a portable tablet, with the function of a laptop, which is a lot more than I can say for my iPad.

Disclosure: I am a Windows Champions Blogger for 2013. As part of my participation in the program I will have the opportunity to try out new products and promotions. As always, 100% of opinions are my own.

Social Supper Club | Recipes to Try, Love, Tweak and Freeze

2013-01-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

It's funny. People tend to feel sorry for me when they find out I've cut out dairy. They instantly think I've made some big sacrifice and that I must be a woman of will power to give up delicious dairy delights. Truth is, I've never felt so inspired and culinarily liberated (and yes, I know that's not a real word, but I'm using it anyways!). Instead of not-so-healthy quick dinners like pasta, spanokopita, and grilled cheese, I actually make real meals. With real food. From scratch. And the flavours and dishes I get to enjoy because of that are so much more varied and flavourful than any other dinners I've cooked for myself. And it's not just here and there. Almost every night of the week I'm inspired to try a new recipe. I love cooking like never before. I love shopping for fresh ingredients. And, I especially love when the things I make are so. much. more. satisfying. than a cheese quesadilla.

Since I'm cooking for one here (the mister has yet to turn to the green ~~dark~~ side), and most recipes are not just single servings, I am finding myself freezing more and more. It works really well for me, because although I enjoy the meals I make, I like to take a few day breather in between repeat suppers. Freezing is just the bee's knees.

Frozen or not, I wanted to share with you my favourite recipes I tried this week. It's one thing to see a recipe on Pinterest, and it's another to hear a personal review of how the recipes came together and what tweaks could be made on the original.

Because I'm a dessert for breakfast kind of girl, it's fitting that these delectable bites from Texanerin go first.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

I once made a "cookie dough dip" using chickpeas and was unimpressed. After seeing the ingredient list on this recipe, I really had low expectations for the finished product. Alas, I gave it a whirl, because it's been a good year or so since I've indulged in that "fresh out of the oven" chocolate chip goodness experience. Although at this point, a handful of chocolate chips alone would seem like a treat, I must say these passed the test with flying colours. OH. EM. GEE. So good. As stated in the recipe, they are BEST warm and gooey, although they weren't too bad cold the next day. I wish I could say I only ate one, but then I would be a liar. These are actually too tempting to make on a regular basis because it's really easy to eat half of the batch. Or all...

Tweaks: Can sub agave nectar for honey for true vegan. Instead of canned, I cooked chick peas in slow cooker the day before.
Pros: Delicious. Low guilt level. Short ingredient list, with good for you ingredients. Ingredients should mostly be on hand. Freeze well and taste just as yummy after a trip in the microwave.
Cons: Too tasty to make often. Need a food processor to make.
Freezer Friendliness: Yes ma'am! If only they could stay in the freezer and not in my belly.

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Let's move away from desserts for a bit and go to dinner. I pinned these a while ago because they just looked very satisfying. I also liked that they combined sweet potatoes and black beans, which are both super nutritious and healthy for you. I am not a meat eater, obviously, but I would venture to say that black beans and sweet potatoes make an excellent meat alternative in terms of satisfaction and satiety. Great option for a Meatless Monday!

Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos

I followed the recipe almost to a tee, except I had an already cooked sweet potato I slow cooked the day before with skin on. I cut it up, but when mixed in with the filling, the cubes I had cut completely mushed in with the other veg. I was very happy with the "mashed" sweet potato as it kept all the filling together. I was able to make 9 burritos, which I wrapped in foil, then again in saran, and then placed two to a freezer bag before freezing. OK, I only froze 7 because I ate 2. Because they were that good. And I skipped lunch. Anyways...verdict? These are so delicious, and I will definitely be rotating them in. I love that I can make a big batch and freeze for later. They taste like something that belongs in a restaurant. Yummmmers.

Tweaks: Used already cooked sweet potato (didn't cook again, just added to the bean mixture) and used Daiya shredded "cheese", which was delicious, despite not usually liking it. Used less cheese than called for. Added 6 sliced grape tomatoes to the wraps I was eating instantly (did not use in freezer version). Used more filling than suggested (heaping 1/4 cup).
Pros: So very yummy and satisfying. Affordable ingredients and can make extra for future meals.
Cons: Can't think of any, really. I needed to buy jalapenos because those aren't a staple in our house, but I guess that's not really a con.
Freezer Friendliness: I just made and froze tonight so the verdict is still out. The recipe page does mention being able to freeze the filling, so I can't see why freezing the entire wrap wouldn't work. I usually buy my tortillas at Costco and freeze them, and the shredded cheese was already frozen, so despite lack of personal results, I'm going to give this a thumbs up!

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Now that you've got mexi spice and savoury on the brain, let's round out the flavours with some sweet. Apple butter jeans, boots with the fur, with the fur! OK, clearly the entire time I made this apple butter, that song was running through my head... oh dear.

Naked Apple Butter

I was so lucky to have gone to our "super close and convenient but overpriced" market on a whim, to see they had a HUGE sale on organic apples. All different varieties, just $1 a pound (usually $2.49/lb). I must've bought at least 25 pounds, and I may go back for more. I love me some apples, especially when they're local and organic (PS- where do apples grow in BC in the winter? I do not know....). Although I found ways to store apples for longer periods of time, I thought I may need to figure out a way to preserve a portion of them. Having seen the apple butter recipe on one of my favourite blogs, Oh She Glows, I thought it was the perfect time to give it a whirl and put my new slow cooker to work. I had never heard of apple butter prior to this recipe, but my oh my is it great. Since I've cut out most sweeteners (refined sugar, artificial, etc) its really nice to have this naturally sweet apple butter on hand for smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, and more.

Tweaks: None! Just used about 5 different kinds of apples I had from my "apple splurge".
Pros: Really fool proof and easy to make. Very tasty. Seriously teeny ingredient list. Healthy, natural ingredients.
Cons: Requires a slow cooker (can make on stove top but would be more difficult) and a really good blender or vita mix. Need to be around to stir apples so would have to be on a day/night off where you can tend to the kitchen for 5+ hours.
Freezer Friendliness: Commenters say yes! I have yet to freeze, but know I will have to because I don't think I'll get through it all in 3 weeks. As per most "saucy" things, I plan to freeze in ice cube trays, then once frozen pop into a freezer container. That way, I can take out a few cubes a week or as needed :)

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If you're a fan of Mediterranean food, then this one is for you! Whether you're trying out a plant-based diet, or just looking for an occasional meatless dish, this is one you should add to your rotation.

Baked Spinach Falafel with Cashew Tzatziki

I've always loved falafel, but most of the time it's fried. I like this baked recipe because of the reduced fat content, but also because of the inclusion of spinach, which certainly ups the nutrient factor! I made both the falafel and the tzatziki in my food processor, and from start to finish was less than an hour. While the falafal are baking, make the tzatziki, then clean up, and you're good to go! The best part? You can eat these on their own, or put in a warp or pita pocket for your filling protein fix. Even if you are a dairy-consumer, give this tzatziki a try! I thought it was delish (and would consider myself a tzatziki connoisseur!).

Tweaks: I used dried herbs because I just find it's a more economical solution for me.
Pros: Not too hard to make. If you plan your time right, both can be made and ready to consume in under an hour. Seriously tasty. Full of fibre, protein, and healthy fats.
Cons: A bit messy to make, but good things are worth a bit of a mess.
Freezer friendliness: YES! I froze the tzatziki in an ice cube tray (of course, I did) and was really not sure how well they would do. Well, colour me surprised, they actually worked! I took a few cubes out for dinner a couple nights ago and defrosted them and the sauce turned out perfectly. The falafel also freezes fantastically.

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There were some other great dishes I whipped up last week, but I fear this post is dragging on. I will have to save those for another edition of Social Supper Club :)

Now your turn! What recipes have you tried out lately that have surprised you or been worth sharing?