Kudos to Kale

One of my favorite green foods is kale. It is super healthy and nutritious with many health benefits. I like to eat it raw, lightly steamed or cooked. I started to eat a lot of kale while I was pregnant as I don’t drink milk and needed to load up on calcium.  After doing some research I discovered that kale is actually higher in calcium than milk when compared per calorie – I hit the jackpot! At first it was hard to eat everyday but, the more I started to experiment with recipes and changing things up, the easier it became to eat!

My lazy way of ensuring that I get all of the wonderful nutrients and antioxidants from kale is to make smoothies. It’s quick, easy and super nutritious! Even my daughter loves them! Another way I eat kale is in salads. There are so many variations you can make – it’s endless! I will usually massage my kale with lemon and pink Himalayan sea salt to soften it up which makes it easier to eat!

Top benefits of kale:

Vitamins Galore!
Kale is full of vitamins which include vitamin A, C and K. Vitamin A is very good for your skin and vision. Vitamin C is also great for the skin and may assist in anti-aging. It is essential for your immune system and fighting off viruses. Kale is also full of vitamin K which is a powerful aid in bone health. Kale also contains calcium (more per calorie than milk) which together with vitamin K, help to maintain healthy bones. Once again, per calorie, kale has more iron than beef and is often referred to as the “new beef”.

Anti-Inflammatory Food
Kale contains omega-3 fatty acids which help fight arthritis, asthma, and other autoimmune disorders. By eating kale you will help prevent and also treat these disorders which are caused by inflammation.

Antioxidants
Kale is a very rich source of immune-boosting antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavanoids. These are great for cancer prevention and overall health.

Detoxification
The fiber and sulfur in kale aid in detoxification and liver health.

So kudos to kale and make sure you load up!

Heavenly Carrot Cake, Gluten Free

I was on a bit of a baking frenzy yesterday and also made a gluten free carrot cake, with cream cheese frosting, from the 50 Wholesome Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes book. So all I have to say is OMG! It tastes so good, has so much flavour and the cream cheese frosting is to die for! Not only does this cake taste amazing, it looks stunning, if I do say so myself! I sent pictures of the cake to all of my friends and now everyone thinks I am a culinary goddess! Umm… which I totally was way before I ever made this cake!

This cake tastes delicious for something that is gluten free and pretty much all organic. The only two ingredients that were not organic were the baking soda and baking powder. The cake is very easy to make; you literally just mix all of the ingredients together and bake it! It does contain a lot of ingredients which prevented me from making it before but, let me tell you when you sink your teeth into this masterpiece you will not be disappointed! And on top of it, it’s full of wholesome and good quality ingredients, and there is nothing to feel guilty about after eating it!

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
¼ cup arrowroot flour
¼ cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar (I used a coconut version)
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups carrots, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans, plus more for topping
1 cup crushed pineapple, un-drained
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9” spring foam pan with butter. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the brown sugar, applesauce, carrots, eggs, coconut oil, coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans, and pineapple. Mix until well combined. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile make the frosting by beating together butter and cream cheese in a bowl with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Frost the cake and add pecans around the edges and in the center.

TIP – Ensure the cake is completely cooled before you start frosting. If you do not wait, you will find the frosting will start to melt and slide off the sides. I also placed my frosting in the refrigerator for a little while before frosting as I find it easier to work with.

I hope you try this recipe. This is by far my favourite recipe that I have ever made. It’s delicious, healthy and looks good! Let me know if you make it and what you think!

Enjoy!
Irena
xo

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Truffles

My husband is really into health and nutrition and recently purchased the 50 Wholesome Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes e-book for me. Typically on Sunday’s we like to indulge in some type of healthier dessert and this e-book has been a great resource.

Yesterday I made the Cookie Dough Truffles. The recipe is super easy to follow and the end result was amazing and so yummy. This is a no bake recipe; you basically combine the dry and wet ingredients, place the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours, rolls the dough into balls and dip into chocolate. In addition to being easy to make, the recipe contains all wholesome ingredients. I used all organic ingredients.

The only somewhat challenging part was the dipping of the truffles. I should have done some research online on how to do this before my attempt but, I ended up using two toothpicks. I inserted the toothpicks into the centre of the truffle, dipped it into the chocolate and then placed the truffle onto wax paper. The toothpicks will leave a little mark but you can just dab some chocolate on there or place a chocolate chip on top. My other tip is that if you leave the dough in the fridge for more than 2 hours, which I did, it will get really hard and you will have to thaw it out before you can roll it into balls.

 Ingredients:

½ cup almond flour
¼ cup coconut flour
Dash of sea salt
1/3 cup sugar – I used ¼ teaspoon Stevia powder (you can also use whatever alternative you have to sugar)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping
1 cup dark chocolate chips

In a bowl, stir almond flour, coconut flour, salt and sugar together. In a separate bowl combine the butter, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in mini chocolate chips and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.

Roll dough into balls and stick in the refrigerator while you melt the dark chocolate. In a saucepan melt the chocolate chips over the lowest heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Dip balls into chocolate to coat, and place on wax paper. Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips and place in the refrigerator or on the counter to cool. Serve when hardened!

My family and I really enjoyed the truffles and I will definitely make them again! I hope that you try the recipe and please let me know how it turns out and what method you used to dip the truffles!

Enjoy

Irena
xo

Blog Goals – Class Assignment

Please note this post is an assignment for my Building Social Media Relationships class at McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education.

As part of my Social Media class we were required to start a blog. Immediately I knew what I wanted to write about; food and fashion… two things that I am most interested in. I love all food but I mostly eat organic, raw, and local food. A lot of my family and friends make fun of the foods my husband, daughter, and I eat. We don’t eat anything weird, just real food without all of the chemicals, and junk in it. Having said that, I am NOT perfect when it comes to food; I enjoy trying different things and experimenting but, for most of my meals, I can confidently say they are, what I believe to be, healthy. I think a lot of people have the misconception that if something is organic it doesn’t taste good. And people are right, not everything organic is going to taste good, and the same goes for the non-organic foods. What I find most amusing is when people (some family members-not mentioning any names here, you know who you are) make a weird face or question me when I tell them what I bought or made just because it organic – and the funny thing is the only difference between the organic and non-organic is that the organic is not full of chemicals and preservatives! Wouldn’t you rather eat food that is not full of ingredients which you can’t pronounce or have no clue what they are?

I don’t force or push my beliefs on anyone but, I love to share information with anyone who is interested!

Because of the challenges and misconceptions I have encountered from others when the topic of healthy and organic food comes up, I wanted to write my blog about it. My main goal with this blog is to educate people on healthy food, inspire people to make better food choices, and also share my likes in fashion and style! I also wanted to illustrate that eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring or feel like a deprivation of any sorts!

I hope to achieve this goal by writing about healthy food choices and by sharing recipes of the delicious foods which I enjoy! I also like to eat out, and there are so many restaurants and shops in and around my community which offer organic, local and raw options which I plan to visit and also write about in hopes that people will also want to explore these places and make better dining choices. I also love fashion and exploring local shops and boutiques, and hope to inspire readers to also do the same.

Goals are a road map of where you want to be and unless you measure them in some way, you really will not know if you have reached them! So, how will I know if I reached my goals? Hmmmm… it’s a hard question but, I think I will know based on my blog post comments and the number of people that follow my blog. What’s a good number? I think 100 followers is great but, I think 200 is even better! That will really make me feel like people are interested in what I’m writing about and I will continue to do so! I hope you enjoy my blog and stay tuned for lots of yummy and exciting posts about food and fashion!

Thank you reading!

Irena

xo

Irresistible Indigo

As I was perusing through Indigo yesterday I got lost in their home section for quite some time! I found so many beautiful and unique things! I typically don’t run to Indigo when I am in need of something for the home but, yesterday’s experience has shifted my thinking as there were so many great home, office, bath and body items. I wanted to buy everything! Not kidding! I was really impressed with the style of most of the items; they have contemporary and traditional styles, both of which I love.

I especially loved Indigo’s choice of décor items. From beautiful throws and cushions to pleasantly fragrant candles and votives I was in heaven. Even the tea/coffee mugs were so cool! Loved them! I was actually kind of upset that I didn’t know they had such great things! I go in there a lot but, usually to the kids section with my daughter and by time we are done in there I am rushing to get out of the store as I am exhausted from chasing my daughter and picking up books which she has pulled off the shelves!

Indigo also carries an incredible selection of bath and body items. Once again, I was so pleasantly surprised! The items are bottled and packaged beautifully! The unique designs and patterns on the items are so pretty to look at and would make a great addition to any bathroom! Another section that caught my eye was the lifestyle section which consists of bracelets, scarves, wallets and handbags to name a few! The beautifully printed scarves and vibrantly coloured jewellery were irresistible!

If you are shopping for yourself or for someone special for a gift I would highly recommend that you check out Indigo. Their selection of home décor and lifestyle items is large and you will be pleased with what you find. The price range of items varies but, the majority of items are reasonably priced. Next time you are in Indigo definitely check out more than books!

Irena
xo

Love at First Bite

One of my favourite bakeries ever is Kelly’s Bake Shoppe located on Brant Street in Burlington, ON. It’s a mother and daughter team who bake up delicious, organic, gluten free, and vegan desserts! I know what some of you are thinking… they MUST taste awful! NOT TRUE!! They taste amazing! I LOVE their cupcakes! They taste so good and all of the ingredients are natural and good for you! No guilt when inhaling one of those cupcakes! There are so many beautiful and yummy cupcakes to choose from but, my favourites are the red velvet and the chocolate macaroon. It’s so hard to go in there and not buy a million cupcakes because they taste delicious and there is no guilt after eating them!

They also bake cookies and cakes and other great pastries! The cakes are very good and they also look fantastic! Since I have discovered Kally’s Bake Shoppe I don’t buy cakes anywhere else! For my daughter’s 2nd birthday, which is coming up in April, I will be ordering a cake from them again!

The location on Brant Street is new… doors opened in December 2012. The owners, Kelly and Erin, also own Kindfood (restaurant and bakery) which is where all of this started! They decided to open Kelly’s Bake Shoppe as they outgrew their bakery space at Kindfood! In addition to the amazing and healthy products they offer, the bakery itself is beautiful!

Who doesn’t want to have their cake and eat it too? I think we all do! Have any of you been to Kelly’s Bake Shoppe? I would love to know what your favourite cupcake is.

Drink your Greens

In my mission to eat more raw vegetables, I have started to make green smoothies for breakfast! I have made them on and off over the years but, since the New Year I make one almost every morning. They are super easy to make, nutritious, and best of all, taste so good! There are different variations of smoothies that I make but, my ultimate favourite is as follows:

• 1½ cups frozen fruit (I use mango and peaches – you can virtually use anything)
• ½ cup of ice
• 3 cups of spinach
• 2 kale leaves (taken off the spine)
• 1 scoop of protein powder (I use New Zealand Whey as it’s made from dairy that is hormone and antibiotic free)
• 1 to 1½ cups of liquid (this can be water or any type of almond or coconut milk)

Throw all of the ingredients into a blender and mix for a minute and a half. This will make 2 servings and it’s pretty thick! You can add more liquid depending on how you like your smoothie!

As we all have busy schedules this is a great way to start your day and get your greens in! Greens are so important in overall health and well-being! Spinach is very high in minerals and other phytonutrients. It is also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. Kale is high in iron, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C. My favourite benefit of kale is that it is higher in calcium than milk (per calorie)! This is great for me as I do not drink milk!

As I have mentioned before, I have a daughter that is going to be 2 in a few months, and getting vegetables into her can be challenging at times! She loves the green smoothies I make and it makes me feel good that she is getting lots of vitamins and nutrients!

Below is a video of the owners of Kindfood and Kelly’s Bake Shoppe making a superfood smoothie – another yummy recipe!

Enjoy!
Irena
xo

Cashews and Cashmere

I decided to write my blog on two items that I am most passionate about; food and fashion!

My food journey started about 10 years ago when I decided to really change my eating habits and put some thought into what I was putting into my body. The most significant changes I made were eating way less processed foods and eating more real and whole foods! What I mean by real is food that Mother Nature gave us; nuts, fruit, vegetables, and meat. My diet is mostly organic (when available) however, NOT perfect but, I do what I can when I can. It’s impossible (and boring) to be perfect all the time! I love eating good food specifically organic, raw, and local! I also love to explore my community for sustainable food sources, restaurants, cafes, farms, and anything else I can get my hands on! More recently I decided to start making some raw desserts – and for the most part all turned out amazing and so yummy! I love the recipes that I have tried to far and can’t wait to share them with you!

Another passion of mine is fashion! I love shopping for unique items and also LOVE exploring one-of-a kind shops for beautiful clothes and items for the home! The super trendy stuff is also amazing! Both are intriguing to me! I am obsessed with details; I love things that are unique and beautiful! I have an appreciation for simplicity as well – there is nothing more stunning than wearing a simple dress with a wow statement necklace! Less is more!

And there is NOTHING better than enjoying amazing food followed by some shopping! I hope you enjoy my blog and please feel free to share your food and fashion adventures with me!

Irena xo

*Image from http://www.millionlooks.com/accessories/food-and-fashion/

Building Social Media Relationships

 

Why I am taking this course

I am a student of the McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education – Marketing Program and I am taking this as an elective course. I decided to take this course as it seems that everyone is using some form of social media these days! I myself use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pretty often in my personal life! I have used Facebook and Twitter professionally on a very basic level. With a previous employer we started both sites but, not enough content was being posted and both platforms seemed to fade away. This experience made me want to learn more about the subject and it’s what attracted me to this course! I am curious about how companies effectively use social media to connect with consumers.

I also want to know and understand the most effective and strategic ways to use all of the available platforms. This is probably not a realistic expectation as there are probably way more platforms than I know of… and I am sure more are introduced on a regular basis! As more and more companies are using social media to communicate with consumers I really want to sharpen my skills in this area and stay up to date on the latest information. Throughout the course I would love to explore the most popular social media platforms and also learn the do’s and don’ts!

What I would love to know by the end of the semester:
• How to generate enough interesting content to keep audience engaged and interested
• How to chose the most appropriate social media platform
• The do’s and don’ts of social media use

Overall, I hope to expand my knowledge on the subject and walk away with some solid tools which I can incorporate into my professional life!

Looking forward to a great semester!