Woman in Real Life

If you watch food and recipe videos on Youtube, you can't help but see how popular oatmeal is for a healthy breakfast. Personally I find there's a limit to how many bowls of oatmeal (aka porridge) I can eat. For a (delicious) change, baked oatmeal is a nice choice. You get the health benefits of oats - they help you feel full, they are a good source of fibre, they may lower blood sugar levels and they contain important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants - in a different, palate-pleasing, almost dessert-like format. 

For a nutritional punch that can't be beat, add apples to your baked oatmeal. This apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal calls for Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples, a new and tasty apple variety that's been in development for two decades. Cosmic Crisps are classically bred (non-GMO) to be crispier and sweeter than other apple varieties and naturally slow to brown.

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

Crunchy Cosmic Crisp apple chunks in a delicious mix of mashed chickpeas, vegan mayo, pickles, dried cranberries and more. This easy chickpea salad recipe can be used as a sandwich filling on toast or in a wrap, or put the chickpea salad on top of lettuce for a grain-free, low-calorie lunch option.

This easy chickpea salad recipe is a lunchtime staple in our house. We serve it in tortilla wraps with lettuce, on toast with avocado slices or simply on top of lettuce, without bread. Sometimes I eat it straight out of the bowl! Chickpea salad is popular with us because it's fast and easy to prepare, as well as being healthy and tasty. You may have seen similar chickpea salad recipes before, but did they contain crispy chunks of fresh apple? That's my (now not-so-) secret ingredient! The recipe calls for Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples, and they add a crunch that contrasts beautifully with the creamy mashed chickpea filling. 

Cosmic Crisps are crispier and sweeter than other apple varieties. They add increased nutrition to this already healthy chickpea salad - one medium apple contains just 100 calories, negligible fat and six grams of fibre. Cosmic Crisps are a perfect addition to this salad because, in addition to being sweet and crisp, they are naturally slow to brown when cut, meaning you can use leftover chickpea salad the next day (store it in a tightly covered container in the fridge). 

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

Happy New Year! As we turn our calendar pages over to a new year, making resolutions isn't mandatory by any means. But it can't hurt to put a renewed focus on healthy eating and getting more veggies and plant-based proteins into our diets. (You might even be participating in Veganuary?) With this in mind, I created a very simple, weeknight meal recipe to add to the wealth of inspirational plant-based recipes on the Reducetarian website. 

My Healthy Tofu and Cashew Stir Fry recipe is easy and fast to make, and calls for simple ingredients, but it's also warm and filling, for a perfect mid-winter healthy, nourishing lunch or dinner meal. 

Head over to Reducetarian.org to get my recipe.

Even if you plan to host a very small Christmas gathering this year, a decorated Christmas table is essential to set a celebratory note. A delicious dessert - like this easy vegan gingerbread cake with icing sugar glaze - is also key. No matter the size of the party, let's cozy in with a festive atmosphere and some delicious food!

Once again this year, I headed to Canadian retailer Giant Tiger to find the dishes and decor for my Christmas table. Shopping at Giant Tiger is so convenient because they also have a grocery department, so I was able to pick up all the baking ingredients for my gingerbread cake in the same visit. See last year's Christmas table decorations in this post.