Top 5 Vegan Recipes of 2018

If you are a lover of good old-fashioned carbs, head right this way! I have rounded up the five most popular vegan recipes on the blog from last year and it looks like muffins, bread and desserts came out on top. Of course, these are also my favourite types of recipes to make and create, so there are more of them on the blog.

For those on a New Year's health kick, don't fret. These homemade, natural goodies fit into a healthy diet. Four of these recipes incorporate fruit or dried fruit and all are made with simple, wholesome ingredients. Instead of eggs, I use healthier chia or flax "eggs." As with anything, moderation is key. Weight loss (if that's your goal) is achievable with a plant-based diet that includes carbs. Just eat less and move more! So read on. Carb-lover's heaven awaits.

How To Get Comfy When You've Got Your Period

*This post is sponsored by Natracare. All opinions are authentic and my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life.*

As a woman, you can expect to get your period about 450 times over 30+ years. With a long list of potential monthly symptoms such as muscle aches, headaches, bloating, tender breasts, fatigue, acne, digestive upset and the dreaded menstrual cramps, periods aren't for the faint of heart. Good thing women are so strong.

As much as we try to ensure that our menstrual cycles don't interfere with our jobs and routines, we can certainly benefit from some extra love and care when we're on our periods. Don't feel guilty if you need to take a time out from the world. I know this can be hard to do if you're working a lot or if you have small children, but try to get some rest when possible. With this in mind, I'm sharing suggestions for 10 simple ways to nurture yourself when you have your period. Go ahead and get cozy!

Holiday Book Giving Guide (With A Giveaway)

It's crunch time when it comes to shopping for Christmas gifts. Just a few more days! Books are fast and easy to buy and there's a book that's right for every person on your list. Pop a mini book into a stocking or wrap up a coffee table book as a primary gift. Here, my ideas for 10 books to give for the holidays. Be sure to read my last post, 10 Books To Read Over Christmas Break, if you want an absorbing new book to read yourself.

Reading List: 10 Books To Read Over Christmas Break + A Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway

I haven't been reading as much as I would like lately. I'm thinking Christmas break is my window of opportunity. I'm going to aim for at least 20 minutes a day. Christmas falls at the beginning of the break, so I figure when the festivities are over I'll get some time to snuggle up with a great book in front of a blazing fire, cup of cocoa in hand. Sounds good, right? I have a stock of recent releases on my shelves and they all sound so interesting. I can't wait to dive in. So, here are my suggestions for 10 books to read over Christmas break.

Christmas Home Tour 2018

It was summer. And then I blinked. I cannot believe that December has rolled around again and it's time once more for the Canadian Bloggers Christmas Home Tour Blog Hop, hosted by Shannon of Home Made Lovely and Christina of The DIY Mommy. For those who celebrate Christmas, the arrival of December means it's go time. If you haven't yet started all the decorating, shopping, cleaning and cookie-making, it's definitely time to start. But let's not stress. Let's have fun with it. (At the same time, let's be grateful for online shopping.)

Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Shortbread Cookies + 10 More Vegan Christmas Recipes

What's not to love about shortbread cookies? They are simple to make, call for very few ingredients and are sure to be delicious. I have added these Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Shortbread Cookies to my Christmas repertoire this year because the only thing that could be better than shortbread is chocolate shortbread...with peppermint candy canes on top. And melted chocolate. It's a winning combination, as my testers can, well, testify. (My testers in this case were my kids, my husband, my niece and my sister-in-law.) "That's the best cookie I've had in a while," my sister-in-law said.

Also, read on for 10 more vegan Christmas recipes from my blogging friends. You can make a whole delicious holiday meal with these recipes, because there are recipes for everything from appetizers to mains to desserts.

DIY Christmas Napkin Iron-On Designs and How To Use The Cricut EasyPress 2

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One of my favourite things about decorating for Christmas is creating our Christmas table decor. It's always fun to go through my dishes and table accessories to decide how to mix and match my cherished items. If you have the time, it's nice to add a few personalized DIY touches too.

I am a big fan of gold glitter, in both cardstock and iron-on materials. But I also like the fresh, crisp look of silver glitter. So I decided to set my holiday table with mixed metallics, using DIY Christmas napkin designs in both warm gold glitter and crisp silver glitter iron-on. It's quite simple to create these holiday napkins. Read on for the tutorial.