It has been quite awhile since I have written in this space. The routines of life have a way of eating up time for writing and reflecting and creating. In the gap, I have changed. My life has changed. My people have grown and changed too. I have learned to stop forcing things on myself and to better care for my body in nurturing rather than challenging ways.
Recently the kind people at Kiss Me Organics sent me a bag of their organic matcha green tea powder to try:
I am a huge fan of matcha but haven’t ever made anything with it (other than tea) at home. In the past I have found good quality matcha to be really expensive and I haven’t been willing to use large amounts of it to bake, etc. This matcha is more affordable ($25 for 4 ounces on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members), so it is a better choice if you want to experiment a little!
First, I made a matcha latte:
I started with 1 teaspoon of matcha in my bowl...
…I added 1/4 cup of water (hot but NOT boiling- boiling water makes bitter matcha!) and whisked it until it was frothy...
…then I added about 1/2 cup of hot vanilla almond milk and a tiny bit of raw honey.
So good!
(Note: my milk frother did not create foam with the almond milk that I used. If you’re a big fan of the foam, soy or dairy milk may work better for you).
Next creation: matcha mint soft serve!
Several years ago there was a restaurant in my city that had a matcha mint blended drink on the menu. Of all of the wonderful things in their restaurant, that is the one that I miss the most since they closed! Using that idea as inspiration, I made some matcha mint soft serve.
(Recipe: Process 1 frozen banana, 3 large dollops of plain yogurt or a splash of milk, a dash of vanilla or vanilla flavored Stevia, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, and 1 teaspoon of matcha in the food processor until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Serve topped with raw cacao nibs for extra yum!)
Thank you to Kiss Me Organics for the chance to review this matcha. I am looking forward to trying some new recipes- maybe some cupcakes next!
*Legal stuff: I received a free package of this match for review purposes. I was not compensated in any other way for this post.
First, I made a matcha latte:
I started with 1 teaspoon of matcha in my bowl...
…I added 1/4 cup of water (hot but NOT boiling- boiling water makes bitter matcha!) and whisked it until it was frothy...
…then I added about 1/2 cup of hot vanilla almond milk and a tiny bit of raw honey.
So good!
(Note: my milk frother did not create foam with the almond milk that I used. If you’re a big fan of the foam, soy or dairy milk may work better for you).
Next creation: matcha mint soft serve!
Several years ago there was a restaurant in my city that had a matcha mint blended drink on the menu. Of all of the wonderful things in their restaurant, that is the one that I miss the most since they closed! Using that idea as inspiration, I made some matcha mint soft serve.
(Recipe: Process 1 frozen banana, 3 large dollops of plain yogurt or a splash of milk, a dash of vanilla or vanilla flavored Stevia, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, and 1 teaspoon of matcha in the food processor until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Serve topped with raw cacao nibs for extra yum!)
Thank you to Kiss Me Organics for the chance to review this matcha. I am looking forward to trying some new recipes- maybe some cupcakes next!
*Legal stuff: I received a free package of this match for review purposes. I was not compensated in any other way for this post.
Recently I received a wonderful surprise in the mail...
The Mohawk Valley Trading Company sent me an assortment of their products to review!
Here are the things that I had the opportunity to try:
Soaps: Lavender Goats Milk Soap and Olive Oil Castile Soap
My skin is very dry in the winter but these handmade soaps are really gentle- I loved them!
From their website:
The Mohawk Valley Trading Company sent me an assortment of their products to review!
Here are the things that I had the opportunity to try:
Soaps: Lavender Goats Milk Soap and Olive Oil Castile Soap
My skin is very dry in the winter but these handmade soaps are really gentle- I loved them!
From their website:
"The ingredients used in our handmade soaps are all-natural and we do not use synthetic or artificial fragrances, dyes, detergents, or preservatives. Our soap is made from goat’s milk and botanical sources such as vegetables, fruits, herbs, and nuts. There is no need for extra chemicals and dyes; the honey, coffee, herbs, spices and natural essential oils give our soap its fragrance and color. The 100% natural plant-based essential oils used in our handmade soaps are pure botanical oils that have been distilled or pressed from fresh herbs, spices, leaves, flower petals, citrus peels, and other naturally fragrant botanical materials. Rather than using animal fat (tallow) our soaps are made with high quality goats milk, shea butter and natural plant oils including, organic hemp seed oil, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, castor bean oil, and avocado oil. The use of synthetic-free and petroleum-free natural ingredients provides the unique qualities of our handmade soap."
Beeswax: A beeswax candle and beeswax bars.
There is something magical about the smell of beeswax products! From the Mohawk Valley website, their candles are "hand poured, hand dipped and made with 100% cotton wicks and 100% pure, all natural, unbleached, yellow beeswax produced by our bees in the USA."
I have been making my own body butter (which I love!) and I plan to try a new recipe that uses the beeswax bars soon.
Honey and syrup: Raw Autumn Wildflower Honey, Raw Summer Wildflower Honey, and Maple Syrup
The two honeys are different from one another. The summer honey has a milder flavor but both are wonderfully flavorful and delicious- a world apart from the plain store-bought variety.
About the raw honeys:
"The Mohawk Valley Trading Company offers the highest quality raw honey we can produce; it has not been heated, filtered, blended or processed. All of the pollen, enzymes, propolis, vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, minerals and aromatics are in the same condition as they were in the hive."
I love this honey in my current favorite breakfast: a smoothie made with frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana, 1 cup organic yogurt, flax meal, a handful of greens, water, and a dash of vanilla stevia.
I think it would also be wonderful on toast or breakfast bread, added to oatmeal, on ice cream, in tea (or another hot beverage), in baked goods, or in anything that needs a little extra sweetness.
The maple syrup has a great deep maple vanilla flavor.
I used the syrup and the autumn honey together to make granola.
So good.
Next up for the syrup: pancake Saturday! Can't wait.
A huge THANK YOU to the people at the Mohawk Valley Trading Company for the chance to try these lovely products. I have honestly enjoyed (and am still enjoying) each and every one of them!
You can find these and more wonderful things on the Mohawk Valley Trading Company website (here).
**I received free products for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.
There is something magical about the smell of beeswax products! From the Mohawk Valley website, their candles are "hand poured, hand dipped and made with 100% cotton wicks and 100% pure, all natural, unbleached, yellow beeswax produced by our bees in the USA."
I have been making my own body butter (which I love!) and I plan to try a new recipe that uses the beeswax bars soon.
Honey and syrup: Raw Autumn Wildflower Honey, Raw Summer Wildflower Honey, and Maple Syrup
The two honeys are different from one another. The summer honey has a milder flavor but both are wonderfully flavorful and delicious- a world apart from the plain store-bought variety.
About the raw honeys:
"The Mohawk Valley Trading Company offers the highest quality raw honey we can produce; it has not been heated, filtered, blended or processed. All of the pollen, enzymes, propolis, vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, minerals and aromatics are in the same condition as they were in the hive."
I love this honey in my current favorite breakfast: a smoothie made with frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana, 1 cup organic yogurt, flax meal, a handful of greens, water, and a dash of vanilla stevia.
I think it would also be wonderful on toast or breakfast bread, added to oatmeal, on ice cream, in tea (or another hot beverage), in baked goods, or in anything that needs a little extra sweetness.
The maple syrup has a great deep maple vanilla flavor.
I used the syrup and the autumn honey together to make granola.
So good.
Next up for the syrup: pancake Saturday! Can't wait.
A huge THANK YOU to the people at the Mohawk Valley Trading Company for the chance to try these lovely products. I have honestly enjoyed (and am still enjoying) each and every one of them!
You can find these and more wonderful things on the Mohawk Valley Trading Company website (here).
**I received free products for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.
A while back, I was sent a sample of avocado oil to review and I am finally getting around to sharing my experience with you! Avocado oil is a light, neutral-flavored oil like canola or grapeseed. It contains mostly monounsaturated fat and is said to help reduce inflammation and promote good health by fighting free radicals in the body. It has a high smoke point which means it can be used to cook at high temperatures (up to 500 degrees fahrenheit) without smoking. It a great choice for grilling, frying, or stir-frying foods but is also really nice for salad dressings.
Did you know…? When heated beyond its smoke point, oil can begin to hydrogenate, creating trans fats and oxidize, creating disease-promoting free radicals?
I first tried this oil in salad dressing and I liked the light flavor. I think it would go especially well in a salad like my bulgar taco salad with cilantro lime dressing. This weekend, I had family in town for my birthday and my step mom made some great tempeh tacos! We used the avocado oil to brown the tortillas. It worked very well but we discovered an even better use in the process- it is an incredible moisturizer!
I read an article once about Giada de Laurentiis where she mentioned that she uses olive oil to moisturize her hands and make her nails shiny on camera. Obviously you can't apply hand lotion to protect your hands while you're cooking, so I thought that using oil instead was brilliant! For Christmas last year, I made a batch of homemade body butter to share with teachers and friends. I will definitely try using avocado oil in the next batch!
You can find Chosen Foods avocado oil at some Costco stores as well as online, here.
Did you know…? When heated beyond its smoke point, oil can begin to hydrogenate, creating trans fats and oxidize, creating disease-promoting free radicals?
I first tried this oil in salad dressing and I liked the light flavor. I think it would go especially well in a salad like my bulgar taco salad with cilantro lime dressing. This weekend, I had family in town for my birthday and my step mom made some great tempeh tacos! We used the avocado oil to brown the tortillas. It worked very well but we discovered an even better use in the process- it is an incredible moisturizer!
I read an article once about Giada de Laurentiis where she mentioned that she uses olive oil to moisturize her hands and make her nails shiny on camera. Obviously you can't apply hand lotion to protect your hands while you're cooking, so I thought that using oil instead was brilliant! For Christmas last year, I made a batch of homemade body butter to share with teachers and friends. I will definitely try using avocado oil in the next batch!
You can find Chosen Foods avocado oil at some Costco stores as well as online, here.
(Image source) |
*Legal info: I received a free bottle of avocado oil to review but was not otherwise compensated for this post.
I have not always been able to cook well. When I first moved out on my own I was completely lost in the kitchen. I would frequently wrap white rice and cheese in a tortilla and microwave it for dinner. Sometimes my roommate and I would make tater tots. Sometimes we would make a weird noodle and lettuce combo that we called "pasta salad". Eek.
A few years later, my mom sent me a gift subscription to Cooking Light Magazine. The magazine was exactly what I needed to get me on the road to cooking real food. I was a little intimidated by the recipes at first, but I followed them exactly and started to have some success with things that seemed fancy to tortilla-microwaving me. The first time that I made an actual meal with more than one thing on the plate, I felt like a culinary rockstar!
These days I cook a huge variety of foods and, even though I rarely follow recipes exactly as they are written, I adore cookbooks. I am also very comfortable with creating meals on the fly with whatever I have in the kitchen (and that happens a lot because I hate grocery shopping and try to put it off as long as I can)!
Among my favorite cookbooks are those written by Dreena Burton. Dreena's recipes stand out to me not only because they are delicious but also because they tend to be much lower in fat and sugar than others. Being a mother of three small kids, she understands the constant pursuit for healthy things that our kids will eat. I can tell that she has given careful thought to adding protein, iron, and other healthy elements to her foods and that fits exactly with how I approach building a meal for my family. Many of Dreena's recipes have become staples in our house and her cookies and brownies are my go-to recipes for times when nothing but a cookie (or three...) will fix whatever is wrong!
Given my love of Dreena's first three books, I was honored and very excited to be given the chance to review her brand new book, Let Them Eat Vegan!: 200 Deliciously Satisfying Plant-Powered Recipes for the Whole Family!
As expected, this book is full of yummy and healthy recipes! We don't have a need to follow a gluten-free diet in our house, but this book does offer many naturally gluten-free recipes as well as alternative ingredient suggestions for others. I love how each recipe has a few thoughts or comments from Dreena and suggestions and tips for serving or slightly changing the ingredients for a different result. It is like she is in my kitchen with me and helping me to decide what to make for dinner!A few years later, my mom sent me a gift subscription to Cooking Light Magazine. The magazine was exactly what I needed to get me on the road to cooking real food. I was a little intimidated by the recipes at first, but I followed them exactly and started to have some success with things that seemed fancy to tortilla-microwaving me. The first time that I made an actual meal with more than one thing on the plate, I felt like a culinary rockstar!
These days I cook a huge variety of foods and, even though I rarely follow recipes exactly as they are written, I adore cookbooks. I am also very comfortable with creating meals on the fly with whatever I have in the kitchen (and that happens a lot because I hate grocery shopping and try to put it off as long as I can)!
Among my favorite cookbooks are those written by Dreena Burton. Dreena's recipes stand out to me not only because they are delicious but also because they tend to be much lower in fat and sugar than others. Being a mother of three small kids, she understands the constant pursuit for healthy things that our kids will eat. I can tell that she has given careful thought to adding protein, iron, and other healthy elements to her foods and that fits exactly with how I approach building a meal for my family. Many of Dreena's recipes have become staples in our house and her cookies and brownies are my go-to recipes for times when nothing but a cookie (or three...) will fix whatever is wrong!
Given my love of Dreena's first three books, I was honored and very excited to be given the chance to review her brand new book, Let Them Eat Vegan!: 200 Deliciously Satisfying Plant-Powered Recipes for the Whole Family!
So far we have tried the Krispie Chip Cookies (of course I started with cookies- ha!)- they are great for all the reasons that I love chocolate chip cookies (who doesn't?!) and the rice cereal adds a really nice crunch.
I also made the French Lentil Soup with Smoked Paprika, which was the best soup that I have had in a long time! So, so good!
I know that I will be making many more of the recipes in this book and I will share more as I do. I can already say, though, that the book gets two thumbs up from me!
What are you thoughts on cookbooks? Do you have a favorite?
*Legal stuff: I received a free copy of this cookbook to review here. I was not compensated in any other way.
I recently received a sample* of a "multi-vitamin + retinol serum" product made by emerginC. This is an anti-aging serum that is designed to fight free-radical damage, reduce wrinkles, and strengthen skin. The ingredients are vegan and it is free of parabens, artificial colors and fragrances, and other undesirable ingredients. Even the box that it was packaged in was printed on Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forest Initiative certified paperboard with non-toxic vegetable-based inks!
Now, my approach to aging is pretty simple. I believe in living as healthy as possible and letting aging happen naturally. I'm definitely not interested in any kind of surgery and I won't be spending thousands of dollars on expensive products intended to turn back the clock. That being said, though, I did really like this serum. I have a very sensitive skin but didn't find it at all irritating. My skin felt smooth and some fine lines seemed to be less visible. I loved the air-tight design of the package that keeps the serum fresh and I loved that it was vegan and didn't contain icky ingredients. I will definitely consider continuing this product and trying other emerginC products as well!
Please see the emerginC website for information on where to purchase this and other emerginC products.
Please see the emerginC website for information on where to purchase this and other emerginC products.
(*Note: I received a free sample of this product but did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.)