Woman in Real Life

I like to have proper tools in my kitchen. As home cooks these days, we have access to thousands of free recipes online. If you're a cookbook addict like me, you also have a wealth of cookbook recipes to choose from. So many temptations and so little time. But I find it frustrating when you discover a great recipe and you don't have the tools to craft it easily and efficiently.

A good quality blender is an absolute necessity. I want my blender to blend frozen ingredients like berries and ice cubes without hesitation. It has to process cashews into a creamy sauce (with the addition of water of course) on demand. And it better be able to whip together fresh, homemade almond milk in under two minutes. We use our blender two or three times a day in this house so it has to be sturdy too.

Up until recently we were using a blender that was kind of okay but not as great as I wanted it to be. Plus, my husband had dropped the container and cracked it. Fortunately, just in time, Hurom sent me their new (and first-ever) blender for review - the Hurom Hexa Power High Speed Blender. Read on for my initial experience with the blender and a delicious vegan chocolate iced cappuccino recipe that you can whip up in your blender today!

*I was provided with product for review purposes. Nevertheless, all opinions are authentic and my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after following a link, Woman in Real Life may earn a small commission. Your price is not affected."

*This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.*


Some people have book club meetings centred on wine and hors d'oeuvres and I have no objection to that. Sounds like a good time. I and my book club gals are self-proclaimed tea grannies though. There are only three of us but we sure do make a lot of (vegan) goodies to enjoy with our tea (and sometimes coffee). See our wonderful brunch spread in this post. Sarah makes the most incredible tofu omelette and Connie's scones cannot be beat. But I digress. To celebrate our love of books and tea, I wanted to make some personalized DIY t-shirts with our own little slogan - I thought Tea+Read would be fitting. I also put our new "logo" on Cricut Infusible Ink coaster blanks too, because tea. If you would like to make these projects or learn how to use Cricut Infusible Ink transfer sheets in general, please read on.

Every summer we head out on at least one family road trip. We have travelled to Nova Scotia, New York City and Cape Cod in the past. This year we decided to rent a cottage in beautiful Tobermory, Ontario, on the Bruce Peninsula. We figured that Tobermory would provide a good balance of relaxation by the lake and activities to keep the kids (and adults) occupied. In other words, a Tobermory cottage would mean no complaints of "I'm bored" from idle teenagers.

There were seven in our party - my husband and our two teens and my husband's cousin, her husband and their teen. We rented a nice big cottage with four bedrooms, two living areas, two kitchens and two bathrooms, so that everyone could spread out and have comfortable areas to sleep, read and watch TV. Of course, most of the time when we were indoors at "home" we all gathered in the main eating and living space to eat tasty meals, enjoy drinks and watch movies. Outdoors, we favoured sitting on the dock and staring at the beautiful, choppy waters of Lake Huron, as well as kayaking and paddle boating.

I had so much fun creating a spring tablescape using lovely, affordable finds from Giant Tiger, a Canadian-owned discount retailer that sells fashion, food, decor, linens and more. I'm pleased to partner with Giant Tiger again to bring you ideas for a budget-friendly yet beautiful Thanksgiving table. Thanksgiving is all about food, family, fun and, of course, gratitude. While those things should be the focus, it's nice to set the scene and welcome guests with a festive seasonal table. A tasty, colourful dessert doesn't hurt either! In that vein, I am sharing a new recipe for easy-to-make, family-friendly vegan strawberry mousse.

Read on for table decor ideas and a celebratory dessert recipe!

*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.*