Wednesday, June 28, 2017

What I Ate Wednesday


Cooking hasn't been a high priority around here lately. For one, it's summer. Who wants to cook in summer? For another thing, we have been decluttering, decluttering and decluttering. We have lots to get rid of and I have to say it feels good to see things go. We are hoping that, by the end of summer, the house will look much more free of stuff. In the meantime, meal prep has to be as easy as possible.

Super easy on the scale from difficult to super easy is ordering Chinese takeout, above. This place had vegan "chicken" in sauce and faux shrimp. I wasn't a big fan of the gelatinous texture of the shrimp but the faux chicken was nice.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Simple Summer Rice Salad (vegan, gluten-free)


Summer is officially here and it's time to bring on the salads! Pasta salad, green salad, noodle salad and, of course, rice salad. I envision a summer of stocking the fridge with neatly stacked clear containers full of all kinds of easy-to-make, healthy salads to grab on the go. Off to the beach? Have a sesame noodle salad at the ready. Pop it into a cooler with a refreshing spritzer, a variety of fruit and a batch of homemade Coconut Date Brownie Bites and you'll be ready for a picnic at the beach or park. Because, if you're anything like me, preparing for a day trip is all about the food!

Friday, June 23, 2017

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins

These vegan Morning Glory Muffins are hearty, healthy and filling. Packed with nutritious ingredients like carrots, raisins and coconut. Great for grabbing on the run in the morning.

These Morning Glory Muffins remind me of my mom, because when I was little she used to say, "Morning glory" as a "good morning" type of greeting. I also remember I really liked these muffins, jam-packed with ingredients, as a teen. Still do. Recently I started thinking about these muffins again. And I wondered where the original Morning Glory Muffin recipe came from.

The now-famous muffin was created by chef Pam McKinstry when she owned Nantucket's Morning Glory Café. Chef Pam's Morning Glory Muffin recipe was published in Gourmet magazine in 1981 and became quite popular. Morning Glory Muffins are packed with ingredients - like carrots, raisins, apples, coconut and walnuts. They offer the spicy, warming taste of cinnamon. They are fittingly glorious to eat in the morning - pleasantly tasty with filling, nutrient-dense ingredients.

Monday, June 19, 2017

Canada Day Party Ideas & A Family-Friendly Strawberry No-jito Recipe #YearofFeasting


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

Summer is just about here and I am once again joining Dannyelle from Life is a Party and other Canadian bloggers to celebrate the season with a party. Last season, my party was a Celebrate Spring Party with a veggie burger toppings bar and vegan root beer floats.The idea is called "A Year of Feasting," and it involves holding one themed party per season in order to spend more time with family and/or friends. As Canada Day falls on July 1st, and it's the country's big 150th birthday party this year, we decided to theme our parties this month around Canada Day. Hopefully you will take away some ideas you can use to celebrate Canada Day in style. If you are American, just convert the maple leaves to stars and you're good to go! Be sure to check out the other bloggers' party ideas via the links at the bottom of this post. Such fabulous ideas!

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

What I Ate Wednesday


It has been gloriously hot outside this past week and my thoughts (and cravings) have turned to fresh fruits, salads and veggies. We had our first barbecue of the season this past Sunday. My husband barbecued sweet potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, peppers, potatoes, veggie hotdogs and veggie burgers. That's my plate, above. I opted not to have a burger because I just really enjoyed all the veggies. And I ate my hot dog without a bun because I feel like eating "lighter" when it's warm outside.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

A Canada Day Mantel With Two Cricut Projects

Canada Day maple leaf garland and framed art cut with Cricut Explore Air

July 1st, 2017 is not only Canada Day, a federal holiday on which we celebrate the anniversary of the 1867 enactment of the Constitution - this year it's also an extra-special celebration, because Canada is now 150 years young. People throughout the country will be celebrating the holiday with parties, outings and beach days. No doubt many will be decorating their homes in red and white, the colours of the Canadian flag. As the central portion of the flag features a red maple leaf, the maple leaf is also prominent in Canada Day decor.

To celebrate, I decorated our diy fireplace mantel for Canada Day with two projects - a Canadian flag garland and a framed maple leaf print. These are both simple yet festive projects to make with your Cricut Explore Air™ or other Cricut cutting machine.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies (vegan)

These vegan Carrot Cake Oatmeal cookies are all good things - like scrumptious, soft and chewy, moist, a little puffy and cake-like. With raisins and a hint of cinnamon, these cookies are pumped with yummy carrot cake-like flavor. dairy-free, eggless

I feel that now is just the right time for a tasty little treat. I can say this with confidence even though I don't know what day or time you're reading this post - because it's always a good time for a tasty treat, no? Also, considering that these vegan Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies are made with shredded carrots, flax, oats and raisins, they are healthy enough to be breakfast food in my opinion. These easy oatmeal cookies are also great for a mid-morning snack, a mid-afternoon snack and/or a dessert in the evening.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

When Sending Your Child Off To School Is So Hard



My daughter was just 3 years old when she started Junior Kindergarten. She would turn 4 in October. Sending your little one off to school for the first time is stressful for a parent no matter the child’s age, but when they seem so teeny-tiny, it’s all the more anxiety-inducing.