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!

An après-ski party is just what it sounds like - a party after skiing. Because, while we ski independently, it's also nice to hang with friends and family on a ski day. That "we" should be in quotations because I do not ski. Ever. I went skiing once in high school and it wasn't for me. I kept throwing myself down on my butt on purpose to avoid picking up speed.

Fortunately my husband and my kids like to ski. (I have a few characteristics I'm happy my kids didn't inherit, like cowardice.) I'm always open to going along on a skiing excursion, so long as there is some sort of ski lodge with abundant hot beverages and maybe a liqueur or two. I'm certainly willing to join in for a little chocolate fondue party at any time as well.

Après-Ski Blog Hop

My thanks to Ariel from PMQ For Two for arranging a blog hop around all things après-ski and winter fun. At the bottom of this post, you'll find links to other bloggers' lovely ideas for après-ski happenings. There will be new posts each day until Thursday this week, so come back daily for new additions.

November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month. As if we need another reason to eat peanut butter! Peanut butter is not only creamy and delicious, it's also a great vegan source of protein. And it makes the perfect partner to chocolate. Together, chocolate and peanut butter are the foundation of many rich, decadent and delectable treats. These no-bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Bars are one tasty, dessert-worthy example.

Despite having lived in Canada my whole life, I'm always surprised (or maybe disappointed is a better word) when the temperature drops near and below zero. I'm not a fan of the cold weather...at all. Things that get me through winter - roaring fires in the fireplace, cuddly dogs, endless cups of tea and looking forward to Christmas. And baked goods. Plenty of vegan baked goods. Like this Double Chocolate Banana Bread.

Sometimes you just want a bit of chocolate. And quick.

That's when you make these simple, no bake Triple C Bars. C is for cereal (two kinds actually). C is for (dried) cranberries. And C is for...chocolate, of course. There's also some peanut butter, because chocolate and peanut butter is one of my all-time favourite combinations. These bars are vegan and can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free cereals.

These bars are also great if you have cereal to use up. I bought three boxes of brown rice crisps for some reason. They are all expiring in late August. We (mostly I) will be eating several variations of these bars in the days to come. While watching Breaking Bad. Who else loves that (slightly nauseating) show?

These puppies are on the sweet side. Rarely a problem for me, but I'm told some people don't like sweets. Crazy people. Whip these up right now. Eat one. Then eat another one. And so on. They are surprisingly addictive.

It's just week two of back-to-school for my kids, and I'm already running out of good ideas for healthy (to reasonably healthy) after-school snacks. The kids come home from school super hungry and don't want to wait even a second longer for something to munch on. If their snack isn't on the table when they get in, they start pulling random things from the fridge and the cupboards - and that probably won't turn out to be the most nourishing option. In fact, as soon as my son gets off the bus, he says, "What are we having for snack?"

Granny and grampy pause in Port Dover