Woman in Real Life

I always think a healthy, homemade chocolate bar is preferable to a store-bought treat. That's not to say I don't buy store-bought treats, or that store-bought chocolate bars don't have a place in a balanced, happy lifestyle! It's just nice to know what ingredients are in your snacks and desserts, and keep them as natural as possible a good portion of the time. 

Healthy or not healthy aside, if you are a vegan or dairy-free eater by choice or necessity, often it's easier to make your own chocolate treats at home. Store-bought vegan chocolate bars in particular can be expensive and difficult to find.

It's surprisingly easy to whip together your own dairy-free vegan chocolate bars at home. Just take a look at the 17 recipes I've gathered here (with the permission of some expert vegan recipe creators). Whether your old childhood favourite chocolate bar was an Almond Joy bar, a Twix or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, you can produce your own vegan copycat version at home by following these easy recipes.  

Many of these chocolate bar and chocolate confection recipes are also gluten-free. As long as you source your ingredients carefully, those with gluten allergies or intolerances can enjoy a tasty, homemade, dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate bar as well!

There's a pretty good (approximately 100%) chance we'll get takeout food for Valentine's Day. Because one of my favourite gifts is not having to cook. I'm not sure if it will be vegan sushi or Chinese food, but I do know that we'll serve up our takeout at a pretty pink and gold Valentine's Day table. Because even takeout deserves a lovely setting, especially on Valentine's Day. For this Valentine's Day tablescape, I primarily gathered up dishes and decorative items I already had in my home. But the real showstopper is my new gold flatware from Amara, sellers of luxury home fashions.

As long as we're spreading the love around in February, why not celebrate your best friends, the women who offer you a shoulder to cry on, who send you those silly GIFs that perfectly capture your relationship and who understand what it's like to be the only person in the house who can see an empty toilet paper roll? Galentine's Day is celebrated on February 13th. It's a party just for the ladies. I think it would be fun to get together over a couple of bottles of wine and a selection of chocolate goodies and share little gifts that nurture your favourite gals.

These DIY iron-on mini tote bags are ideal for filling up with small treats for your besties. Of course, these totes can also be used for Valentine's Day proper. They would be great to hold gifts for a kids' Valentine's Day party or for your child to give to special friends at school. Better yet, why not make these mini totes together with friends at a crafting party? Read on to see how they're made.

If your Valentine is still full on with his or her new year's health kick, this Beet-ing Hearts Blood Orange Smoothie is a great option for saying "I care." It's delicious, smooth, creamy and a bit sweet, while containing health-protective ingredients like beets, blood orange, strawberries, chia seeds and coconut oil.

If Valentine's Day seems a little trivial to you right now, a bit selfish, I say that Valentine's Day celebrates what we all know is best and most important in this world - our family, our friends, our neighbours, our peeps, whomever they may be - our loved ones. Valentine's Day celebrates love. And we can all use more of that.

If you object to the crass commercialism of Valentine's Day, why not celebrate your loved ones with homemade, inexpensive gifts that come straight from the heart? Something made with chocolate never hurts. Plus, check out the 24 creative Valentine's Day project ideas from other Canadian bloggers at the end of this post - there are treats, crafts, cards and even a cocktail (that I really want to try).

If you haven't yet planned a decadent dessert to share with your loved one(s) this Valentine's Day, not to worry. This Coco Chocolate Berry Mug Cake can be whipped together in minutes! And you can make as many as you want. If you plan to curl up on the couch by yourself to watch Bridget Jones, make just one mug cake. In that case I recommend adding coconut whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on top too. Nobody's watching.

If you are celebrating Valentine's Day with a partner, line up two mugs and repeat the recipe in each. If you have kids, get them to make their own mug cakes. My kids love creating mug cakes - especially since they can be eating a rich, chocolate dessert in mere minutes.

Are you one of those people who thinks Valentine's Day is just a devious corporate conspiracy to get us to spend more money? Do you eschew gifts in favour of a back rub or a special dinner at home? Maybe you ignore Valentine's Day completely? Well then I have just one piece of advice for you - you better make sure your partner is on the same page. I love a coupon for a "free hug" as much as the next gal, but I'm also expecting a gift. It doesn't have to be expensive - I'm good with vegan chocolate and a soy candle. Oh, and a handbag. You can never have too many of those.

In that spirit I want to show you the latest two handbags in my collection. Not only do they make a great Galentine's or Valentine's gift for a friend, family member or partner, but they are seriously great little treats to give yourself. And it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day for that.

This cheery Valentine's Day paper hearts garland could not be easier to make. Even if you don't sew. Because I really don't. I can thread the machine and sew a line but I'm not skilled enough to make clothing or anything like that. Fortunately, all you have to do for this pretty string of hearts is sew a relatively straight line. And once you make one, you'll want to make a hundred more! Trust me, it's addictive.

I went to the Salvation Army thrift store yesterday in search of items for our celebratory Valentine's Day table. The store staff had wisely grouped many items at the front of the store related to Valentine's Day - there were lots of little Valentine's Day cards (the kind the kiddos give out at school) and plenty of plastic hearts. I found these cute heart plates, which I thought were perfect for putting out chocolate treats on Valentine's Day. They were made in China and they have a dollar store look about them, while still being priced at 99 cents each. Having just donated items, however, I had a coupon for $10 off on a $25 purchase. So of course I went looking for more items to ensure my purchase would add up to $25. Not as easy as it sounds, because I'm much more picky about what I take home than I used to be a few years back.

We went for a mid-winter hike with our friend/cousin Rose the other day. Afterwards Rose put out a plate of delicious and healthy brownie bites. These tasty goodies just happen to be raw, vegan and gluten-free. First and foremost though, they are delicious. I ate a few that day and I was eager to make them again myself.

I asked Rose to share the recipe asap. I made one small change, adding vanilla extract for a bit of vanilla-tasting goodness. These Coconut Date Brownie Bites have lots to boast about - they offer great protein from pecans, as well as an abundance of nutrients in the form of delicious, plump and moist Medjool dates.

My daughter and I decided to have a get-together with a few of her friends on Valentine's Day. I highly recommend sharing Valentine's Day with a group of enthusiastic and spirited tween girls. They had so much fun hanging out, doing Valentine's Day crafts and nibbling on snacks.

Of course, I had to snap some shots of these cuties partying in true preteen fashion. As a Nikon Mom, I have had a blast sharing photos taken with my Nikon D3300 over the last several months. And, although this is my last official post as a Nikon Mom, all of the photos for this blog will continue to be taken with my Nikon D3300 and my Nikon D5100.

Valentine's Day is, in my opinion, more about spreading the love than exchanging big, expensive gifts. I do like to get a gift or two, but I'm happy with little things that say "I care about you." Besides, I like to leave some room in the Valentine's Day budget for takeout sushi. Not having to cook dinner is the best gift!

There's a good chance that you've already seen a guide to making tissue paper pom poms. But maybe you haven't. Or maybe you need a refresher. At the very least, you haven't seen MY guide to making tissue paper pom poms. And that's something.

My guide includes the truth about making tissue paper pom poms. Which is that they (and you) don't need to be perfect. Tissue paper will rip. That's life. I'm okay with it. Nobody will notice when they're hung from the ceiling. You may, like me, make one giant red pom pom with only 8 sheets of tissue paper, only to find that it's not full enough and you just want to toss it into recycling. That's fine too. It's all part of the process.

There were so many unique items linked up at Vintage Bliss Tuesday last week. To narrow it down, I have chosen to feature a few little treasures that I would love to get as gifts on Valentine's Day. While a thrift store may not be the usual place to buy Valentine's Day gifts, I think it's the perfect place to find a unique (and well-priced!) treasure for that special person in your life. How fun would it be to go to the store together, set a budget amount and head off to find each other some thoughtful gifts? I think this would be a great activity to share with the kids too - everybody gets $5, picks a name from a hat and goes thrifting in search of a special object for that person. I may just do that this year!

With Valentine's Day nearing, I couldn't possibly resist buying this rustic-looking, distressed metal hearts candle holder on a recent visit to the thrift store. It was $4.99 at Value Village. There's no indication of where it came from on its velvety bottom, but I just like the look of it. The burnished hearts say Valentine's Day without screaming it out in red and pink (not to worry, I have decorations like that too!).

Some people pooh-pooh the commercial end of Valentine's Day, and I get that. I really do. I love to get a gift as much as the next girl, but the best gifts are true expressions of love. Not just the love between romantic partners, but the love between friends, neighbours, parents and children, extended family, found families - whomever you love really.

That's why I think it's nice to make a bit of a fuss about Valentine's Day. Even if you don't buy anything, you can certainly throw around a few extra compliments and firm hugs. Make somebody a hot cup of tea (chocolate chip scones would be even better!). It is in this spirit that I asked the family to paint some Valentine's Day-related dishes with me recently. The boy and the husband chose to do something else instead. Fair enough. The spirit of Valentine's Day doesn't seem to call for forcing people to do things. But my little girl and I had lots of fun with this simple Valentine's Day craft activity.

 

I'm back with another edition of Thrifting Sisters. My last post was in November. If I lived closer to my sister, you can be sure there would be many more of these posts. Having someone to shop with fuels the addiction, doesn't it? Our first stop was Bibles for Missions in St. Catharines, where I picked up this piece of pottery made in Vineland, Ontario.

Yesterday, I showed you my made-by-the-whole-family heart garland. Now, I admit I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but when it comes to crafts I have to put that aside.

For one, I don't have much experience with making crafts. And two, I am working with children. One day I will pick up these sweet felt hearts with their imperfect edges and giant stitches and think about how little the kids were when they made them.