Woman in Real Life

If you are on the hunt for vegan donuts (or "doughnuts" if you prefer) on this National Donut Day, why not bake up a batch yourself? Homemade baked vegan donuts are surprisingly simple to make, and you can top them any way you like.

Happy Wednesday! Let's start this week's WIAW with donuts, shall we? I mean, who doesn't love donuts? Actually I first shared this picture on Instagram and a couple of people commented that they're not big donut fans. Who would have guessed?

What I love about these particular donuts is that they are vegan donuts. I got them at my fave annual event, the Toronto Veg Food Fest, this past weekend. These donuts are from Through Being Cool Vegan Baking Co. They are big, chewy donuts with a lovely texture. I liked the sweet toppings, but I would have liked to taste a little more sweet in the donuts themselves.

Maybe talking about donuts is a funny way of starting a post about healthy shopping choices. But the thing is, I like to know what's in my food. When I make my own baked goods, I know that they don't contain any artificial colours or flavours or unhealthy additives. That's where the folks at The Healthy Shopper and I are in complete agreement. The site is a great source for healthy living ideas, recipes, product reviews and more. Plus, they are the people behind The Healthy Shopper coupon book, which happens to hold my very favourite coupons ever. That's because this unique coupon book offers significant discounts on natural and organic products.

Recently I received some happy mail - a box of (healthy!) goodies from The Healthy Shopper - their fall product picks. Among the natural and organic products I received were a couple of Pamela's gluten-free products. I have used and enjoyed Pamela's gluten-free Artisan Flour Blend before, so when I saw this recipe for vegan and gluten-free donuts, I knew that this flour would help me to create the perfect gluten-free donuts. And so it did. The donuts had a great taste and consistency and gave an authentic donut experience with much healthier ingredients.

Well, it's November and the weather is completely unpredictable, A light dusting of snow the other day, rain today. All you can do is cozy up whenever possible with a bowl of steaming soup or a comforting warm meal.

Unless you've got the heat pumped up and you're making a smoothie, of course. I made this quick and simple Sunshine & Light Orange Kale Smoothie this week, Now and again I realize I could be eating more fruits and vegetables. That's where smoothies come in handy - you can pack in fruits and veggies and still feel like you're getting a bit of a treat. This smoothie is perfect for those rushed mornings or for a pre- or post-gym pick-me-up. It's on the sweet side, because that's how I like my smoothies. That makes it safe for those who aren't quite ready for a super-green smoothie yet! The recipe follows.