You may recognize Evive Nutrition’s signature smoothie cubes from Canada’s Dragon’s Den where they won over investors. Or, you may have seen their colourful images splashed over Facebook and Instagram.

Evive’s smoothies are BLENDER-FREE, NUTRITIOUS and they TASTE GREAT! In my eyes, they win big on nutrition and convenience. All you need to do is pop the cubes out into a container, add a liquid of your choice (water, oat milk, etc) and shake!

They are perfect for busy mornings when you are short on time. By the time you get to work, your smoothie is ready to drink and breakfast is sorted. They also make a perfect pre or post workout snack – just adjust the number of cubes you are using. Four cubes works for a snack, and eight cubes for full serving.

I know that prepared foods (and especially ones with high quality ingredients) tend to break the bank. I find Evive to be absolutely affordable especially when considering smoothies from my favourite health food cafes are $10+.

My favourite flavours so far are the Azteque (it’s hard to believe there is broccoli in this chocolate smoothie!) and the Saphir (how can you resist that beautiful blue colour!). As I make my way through all of the Evive flavours I am so impressed with how they manage to pack vegetables into their smoothies. I have added kale and spinach to smoothies before but never have I experimented with veggies like broccoli or cauliflower. They also add soy protein, hemp protein and/or chia protein as well as a range of superfoods, depending on the smoothie flavour for a nice added boost.

Soups & Bowls

Evive has delved into the savoury market, too, with new quick and healthy bowls and soups.

Bam Chili

• black beans
• quinoa
• yellow corn
• avocado
• tomato puree
• lime juice

Tom Thai

• edamame beans
• zucchini
• lime juice
• coconut cream
• chili pepper
• tomato paste

Mac Squash

• butternut squash
• cashew nuts
• tomato paste
• carrot
• garlic
• turmeric

You can enjoy each of these as a soup by adding water and heating the cubes in the microwave or on the stovetop. Or you can skip the water and serve over rice, pasta or quinoa for a full bowl meal. I was really pleasantly surprised with how flavourful these soups and bowls are! I think my favourite is the Tom Thai.

Overall, I love having these smoothies and soups/bowls as a quick food option. They work perfectly for when I am in a hurry, when I’m too hangry to spend a lot of time preparing food or for handy breakfasts and lunches at work!

You can find Evive products at your local grocery store in Canada and select stores in the US or try their amazing subscription service to get them delivered right to your door – yes, still frozen!

EVIVE has been kind enough to offer Koko’s Kitchen readers $10 off their first purchase. Use code Koko10 when checking out at https://evivenutrition.ca/

I know it has been quite a long time since I wrote a blog post but I have been going through a bit of a personal revolution when it comes to food and health/wellness. It started as I was finishing my courses in holistic nutrition last year and has continued developing until now. I realized I had stepped away from blogging because I felt a lot of pressure around it. I wasn’t feeling great anymore being vegetarian and I started eating seafood and even some meat. I was worried about the backlash that including these foods on my blog might incur as I had been vegetarian or vegan for so long. I also found that my love of baking had been set aside because I often felt guilty if I used white flour or sugar in my recipes because it wasn’t “clean eating” or healthy.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I no longer want to preach a certain diet or way of eating to anyone. I am now an intuitive eater and this means that I have ZERO restrictions on what I eat. I listen intently to my body’s signals of hunger, fullness and desire. I can eat in moderation now and there is no sense of guilt around “bad foods”. It’s created a real sense of freedom in my life where I no longer think about foods to eat or avoid 24/7 and I don’t have to look up restaurant menus before I go to see what’s ‘healthiest’. I can really experience the pleasure of food again.

I’m happy to say that for my first project as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I am developing a program following the ten basic principles of Intuitive Eating. I hope that I can help others achieve the sense of freedom that I now have. My program will be based in mindfulness, food freedom, gentle nutrition and movement. I am extremely passionate about this and it has changed my life! Intuitive eating is a big F U to diet culture and allows YOU to be the expert of your own body and trust its inner wisdom. You hold the key to your own health! I can’t wait to share this with you and please follow my instagram for updates @kokoskitchenofficial

So….. if you really want to know what I’ve been up to over the past few months, let me show you in a few pictures!

This summer has been incredibly busy and incredibly fun. I have been balancing work, finishing my Registered Holistic Nutritionist program and summer fun. I’ve been working hard during the week but trying to escape from the city at every opportunity I can! I think I have been home about three full weekends since mid-April. Madness! 

I’ve gone to Whistler twice, Saskatchewan twice, multiple camping trips and I’m off to Salt Spring Island this coming weekend. It has been a whirlwind and I’m sure when Autumn comes I will catch up on some rest. For now, I’m going to soak up every minute of spontaneous summer fun that I can. 

Last weekend Kyle, Flokie and I packed up our camping gear for a pretty roughly planned trip to Jones Lake. Traffic was not in our favour and all the camping spots were taken by the time we got there. We ended up camping at a couple of different campsites in Hope for the weekend. It was a lot of set-up and take-down but we made the best of it. The purpose of this trip was so that we could visit the Othello Tunnels. I had been hearing about these tunnels for ages and had to see them for myself!

The Othello Tunnels are located in Hope, B.C., and are actually called the Othello-Quintette Tunnels and are a part of the historic Kettle Valley Railway. These tunnels were hand-made through a granite mountain pass in 1914. The railway was decommissioned in 1961.

We did the short walk from the parking lot and through the tunnels and it was about 3 kilometres. The tunnels can be super dark and the ground uneven, so bring a flashlight if you’re worried about it! The river alongside the tunnels is beautiful and it’s a really cool experience to walk through these!

*Doggos are allowed on leash!

We also snuck in a quick swim in the most beautiful lake we found at a rest stop. “Lake of the Woods” was CRYSTAL clear and warm. There is nothing more refreshing than a spontaneous lake swim and we’ve made it a real part of our summer now. If we see a spot to swim or a sign for a lake, you can bet we will be turning in that direction – regardless of if it takes us off course. The path I’m on is whatever one I choose at this moment! Reminds me of my favourite quote – I’ll walk where mine own nature would be leading. It vexes me to choose another guide.

Go with the floooooooooow!

Location: Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, Hope, BC V0X 1L1

There was a great turnout of breweries (some that haven’t even opened yet!) to kick things off for craft beer week. I’m not the biggest beer drinker but I was super impressed with the beers that were served up in my cute little “pint” glass. The event included live music, food trucks, five north shore breweries pouring their beers, as well as three opening-soon breweries!

Breweries in attendance included:

Beere Brewing Co.
Black Kettle Brewing
Bridge Brewing Co.
Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers
Streetcar Brewing Co.
House of Funk Brewery (Coming 2019)
Streetcar Brewing (Coming 2018)
Wildeye Brewing (Coming 2018)

My favourite beer of the night goes to House of Funk brewing – their Citrus Sour beer was unreaaaaal! They are opening in 2019 so keep an eye out for them.

Also worth noting was Bridge Brewing’s Bourbon Blood Orange beer and the North Shore breweries collaboration brew. I also enjoyed a few delicious gin + ginger beers from Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers. I highly encourage everyone to check out these awesome breweries over the course of Vancouver’s North Shore Craft Beer Week and throughout the year for these well-made, local products! You can scope the rest of the schedule here. Also, shoutout to Rolling Cashew plant-based food truck for the great wrap and croquettes!

Sooo if you haven’t already heard, October 17th is weed legalization day in Canada. If this isn’t your thing, look, I totally get it. But this is a part of our country now and I personally have no issue against this plant medicine. I think there are far worse things we need to spend our time and energy on than punishing people for consumption of this plant. So I am fully embracing this day and thought I would offer some guidance with how to use cannabis in an edible or topical way. Today, we learn how to make cannabis infused coconut oil.

I have found CBD oil and cannabis to be exceptionally helpful for anxiety (amongst the other coping tools I use). I have also found some relief for severe PMS cramps through topical or smokeable cannabis. There are countless other  people who have found cannabis to be helpful for all kinds of things ranging from arthritis, chronic pain and inflammation to cancer, epilepsy, ADHD and M.S. just to name a few.

Dosing is very important and please start small- oils are slow acting and long lasting. When ingesting, give plenty of time for the dose to ‘hit’ before you take more – at least 2 hours. Be overly cautious when making your own – it’s better to use too little than too much. Check how much THC is in the strain you are using – you may prefer a higher ratio of CBD:THC or vice-versa.

For this recipe, you need to use a fatty oil or butter in order for the cannabis to infuse into it. I like coconut oil because it is stable at higher temperatures, remains solid at room temperature and can be used for edibles or topical applications and of course, it’s plant-based!

Now how can you use a cannabis infused coconut oil? Well, you can replace oil in recipes with it. Again – be mindful of the amount/dose. You can use it topically for pain relief by itself or by adding other healing ingredients such as beeswax or aloe to make a cream or salve. I’ll post a recipe for one, soon!

Let’s get started.

Before you make your infused oil, you need to decarboxylate the cannabis you’re using. Decarboxylation is basically a fancy science term for bake your weed! This is because we need to turn the non-intoxicating acidic cannabinoid called THCA into THC. Normally this is done through the process of smoking of the cannabis, but because we aren’t doing that, we will apply gentle heat and dry the weed out in a different way.

*Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO₂). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. – Wikipedia

**Unlike THC, THCA is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in raw and live cannabis. As the plant dries, THCA slowly converts to THC. Heat expedites this conversion in a process known as decarboxylation, a fancy word that describes what happens when you smoke or vaporize flower. – Leafly

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Cannabis Infused Coconut Oil

The basic recipe needed for plant based edibles and topical applications. If ingesting, start with no more than 1/4 teaspoon.

Author Koko

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 7 grams high quality cannabis bud/trim/

Instructions

Decarboxylation

• Preheat the oven to 220 degrees F.
• If you have full buds, grind them down, and make sure there are no large pieces.
• Spread your weed out on a non-stick or parchment lined baking tray.
• Bake for 25 minutes, but give the tray a shake halfway through the baking process. If your bud is super fresh, it may take an extra 15-20 mins to dry out. Just keep checking on it.

Oil

• Combine the oil and cannabis in a saucepan over low heat (a double-boiler works great, too, and is easier to prevent scorching). You really don't want to heat the cannabis higher than 245F. And remember to stir often!
• When the oil has melted, give them a stir and let them simmer away on low for 3+ hours. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent burning. You can totally use a slow cooker for this, too, on low 4-6 hours!
• When time is up, place a sieve over a bowl and add a couple layers of cheesecloth. Pour the oil mixture over the cheesecloth to strain. Leave it for a while to cool down and strain really well. Use your hands to squeeze out the remaining bit.
• Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge. Use sparingly in your favourite recipes or natural body care applications. If ingesting, use no more than 1/4 teaspoon at first. 

The information contained on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a doctor or medical professional. Any health advice about using cannabis is my opinion, based on my general experience and knowledge- but not specific to you. Always seek the advice of your own healthcare professionals. By reading the information on this site, you agree that my company (Koko’s Food Media) and myself (Koko Brill) are not responsible for your health or the health of your dependents. You further acknowledge that you will not use the recipes or content to engage in illegal activities.

I just thought I would step outta the kitchen for a minute and into the arts and crafts zone because Halloween is coming up! If you’re unsure of what to be…a mermaid could be a fun costume. Or better yet, a hooked mermaid! This was such a fun costume to make, that I used it two years in a row! That is almost a sin for me as I have so much fun dressing up and making costumes but I just loved this crown so much I had to use it more than once! Sadly I left it in a taxi while I stopped for pizza before I made my way home last Halloween…and it’s never been seen again. Boooo!

These were inspired by the gorgeous Chelseas Flower Crowns – I swoon over her amazing creations on Instagram alllll the time!

This crown is heavy duty and it’s important you get a thick plastic head band that is comfy on your head and do not be afraid of the glue gun – load. it. up.

What you will need:

The links below are to direct products, I can’t guarantee they are the exact ones I used but I did get my supplies at Michaels. I also found some Amazon links that may work as well.

• a thick plastic head band (most dollar stores will have these!)
• a couple styrofoam discs (find them at Michael’s!)
• Seashells (again, Michael’s)
• Pearls (dollar store or Michael’s)
• glass rocks (dollar store or Michael’s)
• glue gun and glue sticks (Michael’s)

Step 1: Cut the styrofoam discs into smaller pieces and glue to the head band. Try to get the edges of the styrofoam shaped similar to the crown so they are touching as much as possible. Imagine the shape you would like your crown to take. This is the basis of your entire crown so if you want pieces on the side or taller pieces in the middle, be sure to arrange the styrofoam how you want the end shape of the crown to look. USE A TON OF GLUE HERE.

Step 2: Glue your pearl strand around the edge of the head band on the front side.

Step 3: Do a practice lay out of the front of your crown using the shells, glass gems, and any other decorations you have got. This is just to plan the overall look of the crown and get your favourite pieces laid out as you like them. Keep in mind that you will have to do the back of the crown too, so be conscious of the weight you are adding with all your front decorations.

Step 4: Start glueing! If the glue gun seems messy, don’t worry. Try your best to keep it neat but you can always try and get rid of excess glue mistakes when it has hardened and dried. You can also use sparkles to cover them up so it isn’t just clear glue.

Step 5: Let the front dry completely and test it out by putting it on your head gently.

Step 6: Lay out the back decorations as you did with the front and glue. Let dry completely.

Step 7: For the gap on the styrofoam between the front and back, I recommend adding sparkles instead of extra decoration as that is just more weight.

It’s really about getting creative and going for whatever look you want. Of course this could be done for a princess crown or even an evil villain’s crown as well! I’d love to see what you create if you’re up for the challenge!

Disclosure Notice: This article contains amazon affiliate links.  Koko’s kitchen earns a small commission on any purchases made as a result of clicking on them.

Halloween is one of my favourite holidays…I just LOVE dressing up, and carving pumpkins and scary movies. This year, of course I cannot party without my little buddy Flokie. I decided to get her in on the tricks and treats with these all natural homemade dog treats. They have just four simple ingredients that your favourite pupperonis are sure to love! It’s cool to Nourish Your Guts…but don’t forget to Nourish Doggo’s Guts, too! These treats are meant to be stored in the freezer for a quick, cool treat your dog will love.

I got these cute moulds on Amazon and this recipe perfectly filled 2 bone shaped ones and one paw print shaped one.

Let’s take a look at the four ingredients in these treats:

Pumpkin:

A great source of fiber for dogs and helps to keep them regular, easing constipation or diarrhea. Often pumpkin is given for upset doggy tummys!

Apple:

Another source of fiber and vitamins, just like for people! I know so many dogs that love the taste of apple, too!

Yogurt:

Again, just like people, dogs need a digestive tract filled with good bacteria. Make sure you buy plain yogurt with no added sugar or sweeteners. Keep a special eye out for xylitol as it is toxic to dogs. I chose organic because let’s be serious, Flokie deserves the best!

Cinnamon:

Contains antioxidant and antinflammatory properties but of course, a little goes a long way for dogs.

Flokie is not as keen on costumes as I am, so I think the best I’m going to get away with is this cute little pumpkin bandana. Do your dogs let you dress them up? What are they going as this year!?

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Pumpkin Yogurt Apple Dog Treats

A 4-ingredient blender recipe for healthy, nourishing dog treats

Course Treats

Cuisine Pet

Keyword dog treats

Author Koko

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt organic, plain
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• a pinch ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients until smooth and pour into moulds. Place in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. Make your dog sit, shake a paw, and enjoy!

Disclosure Notice: This article contains amazon affiliate links.  Koko’s kitchen earns a small commission on any purchases made as a result of clicking on them.

Excuuuuuuse my absence! I have no excuse myself except that life got in the way of things – summer is always so busy! Flokie and I are back in the swing of things though and ready to get to work on some recipes. I’m finishing up school in holistic nutrition, so will probably be doing some more posts on health and wellness, natural household products & cleaners and natural body care products. Is there anything you would like to learn about or learn how to make? Diet question? Health questions? Just let me know in the comments!

I’ve been making soups and chili in batches for the freezer because it’s so nice to something quick and ready to go for lunch at work. This simple potato-leek blender soup is adapted from a recipe my auntie gave me last week. She gave me a whole pile of leeks from her garden! The recipe was just written on a recipe card so I don’t have a exact source but I’ve adapted it to be dairy-free and vegetarian. It literally could not be more simple to make and it’s warm, comforting and satisfying.

If you don’t use leeks very often, there are a couple things to be aware of:

• They are DIRTY! Give them a really good wash, as even the inner layers can get gritty and dirty
• You really only use the bottom white part (and about 2 inches above)
• The dark green tops that you cut off are perfect for soup stock – wash them well and the freeze until you’re ready to make stock

I also tend to use the peels of vegetables because as long as you wash them really well (and don’t mind some flecks of colour in your blended soup) there are a lot of nutrients in the peels of potatoes, carrots, etc.

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Simple AF Potato-Leek Soup {Vegan}

A very easy blender recipe for potato-leek soup, dairy-free and vegan.

Course Soup

Keyword soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Koko

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oil (coconut, olive, butter, etc.)
• 2 cups leeks sliced
• 1 small onion sliced
• 2 cups raw potatoes diced
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups non-dairy milk warmed

Instructions

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the leeks and onion and saute until tender.
• Add the potatoes, water, vegetable stock and salt. Cover.
• Simmer 15 minutes (or until potatoes are tender)
• Carefully move soup to a blender and process until smooth.
• Stir in hot non-dairy milk. Serve!

For the Canada Day long weekend, I took off on a little getaway to my favourite place – Salt Spring Island. I went with my brother Jordan and my friend Alexis and we had the best time. If you have never been to Salt Spring before, it is an absolutely magickal place. It’s part of British Columbia’s southern gulf islands, located between mainland Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Salt Spring has it all…mountains, lakes, beaches, orchards and farms, lavender fields, an artsy and adorable town. I almost want to keep it a secret! We took the ferry from Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and although it was delayed 1.5 hours and we didn’t get in until after 11pm, it was still a beautiful night for sailing. I also held up the entire line up behind me and had an announcement go out about me because I was busy instagramming and didn’t notice that all the cars in front had left – typical.

We started off our trip by visiting the Saturday Market in Ganges and it was packed, as usual. There are so many hand-made or hand-grown products to look at. If you’re like me, you will want to buy everything in sight! There is beautiful produce and seafood, cheese and baked goods. There is clothes and crystals and decor, too! Something for everyone…

We stopped for breakfast at Barb’s Buns (you have to go here.) and I got a delicious tofu scramble. They also have great grab and go pastries, breads and other baked goods.

After the market, Alexis and I headed out on a hike up Mt. Erskine. I looooved seeing these little fairy doors along the way. It was a little steeper than I thought (though there are a few routes you can take that vary in difficulty) but the views out over the ocean are gorgeous.

The next day, we wandered down the street to a very conveniently located Salt Spring Wild Cidery. I have been stocking up on this cider each time I visit the island because it is just that good. Visiting the cidery itself allows you to taste alllll their different flavours in a flight of cider. I adore them all but the ginger and the bitter orange and rosemary are my favourites! Other flavours include pear, elderberry, simple dry and semi-dry and burnt apple tequilla to name a few…

Feeling pretty good post-cider, we headed to St. Mary’s Lake for a float on our new gigantic floaties. This lake is gorgeous, wasn’t freezing cold and felt soooo good to take a dip in on a hot day! It’s too bad my unicorn acted like a sail boat….

Our last stop of the trip was a super beautiful Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm. They had a cute little shop with everything lavender. I bought a lavender blackberry popsicle and it was so so good. You can self-tour around the farm and even go in the drying room. The scent was incredible.

If you are ever in British Columbia, your trip will not be complete without a quick visit to Salt Spring Island.

Remember those little silver juice boxes you used to love as a kid that were more bag than box? I’m talking about Capri Suns! I don’t know about you but these were the king of all when it came to lunchtime trading in elementary school. Not much trumped a Capri Sun.

I wanted to make something fun that would take us all down memory lane for my birthday last year and remind us of the good ol’ days. So I made some DIY Capri Suns…with a twist.

I bought some tall and narrow resealable bags at Michaels because they suited the shape of a Capri Sun better than a standard ziplock bag.

I threw some fun designs and sayings on them with black fine tip paint pens that I also bought at Michaels. Also keep an eye out for paper straws – those work perfectly for these, but I ran out!

Use a 1-hole punch to put a straw hole in the bag. Make sure you only punch through one side of the bag!

Next, time for the juice…spiked, of course! I made a super fresh strawberry limeade. I’ve sweetened this with honey but feel free to try agave or coconut nectar if you don’t eat honey. I love how REAL this juice is – it’s basically only 4 ingredients and the vodka is optional although if you are making these for a party it definitely starts things off with a bang!

Flokie was super curious and really wanted to taste my capri sun…. noooooo, Flokie!

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Strawberry Limeade Capri Sun

A recipe for fresh strawberry limeade with optional vodka for a spiked punch!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author Koko

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1.5 lbs organic strawberries
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup vodka

Instructions

• Mix honey with boiling water and stir well.
• Place strawberries, lime juice and 2 cups of water in a blender.
• Blend until smooth and then strain into a large spouted container. Stir in the remaining water.
• Prepare your ziploc bags by punching a hole in each one near the top and putting your designs on the bags.
• Stir vodka into the mixture, or put 1 shot in each ziploc bag.
• Fill each bag 3/4 full and seal completely.
• Add your straw and enjoy! Paper straws work great for this, but I ran out!!