It’s hard to believe that it’s been 4 months since my last things I’m loving lately post. Apparently, I wasn’t too excited over anything in the winter! Not surprising. Here are a handful of things I’m loving lately…feel free to share yours below too.
1. Goji Berries in smoothies
I don’t buy goji berries often due to their steep price, but they are fun for a treat now and then. And boy do they pack a nutritional bang for their buck! This particular mix above is made up of a 1 whole seedless orange (peeled of course), 1 tbsp soaked goji berries, 1/3 cup soaking water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3/4 cup strawberries, coconut oil and ice. A vitamin C powerhouse.
2. Fresh mint in smoothies
So far I’ve been able to keep 2 mint plants alive for the past few weeks (knock on wood). I love adding a handful of mint leaves into my morning smoothies for a fresh pick me up. Just one more way to sneak some green into your day.
3. Buckwheat Crispbread crackers
These are just about the simplest crackers on earth. The ingredients list? Organic buckwheat. That’s it. I admit, I’m not a huge fan of the flavour of these plain, but they sure are great dipping vehicles for hummus and guacamole.
4. Homemade Beet Juice Lip Gloss
When I posted this on Instagram the other day, a lot of you were curious about it so I figured it was worth mentioning. I’m wearing the homemade gloss in the pic below – the beet juice gives a light berry stain and the vitamin E oil works as well as a clear gloss. You could also use coconut oil, but it won’t give you that lasting sticky shine. All you do is cut a small piece (maybe 1cm x 3cm) of red beet and then rub the cut side (juicy part) of the beet all over your lips until it looks evenly distributed. Top with a thin layer of vitamin E oil all over your lips and smack ‘em around to spread. The key is to make sure your lips are not dry or cracked before putting on the beet stain or the juice will settle in dry patches. Can it be blended into a pre-made mix? I haven’t tried it yet, but I’d like to. I assume you’d have to extract the juice and then mix it with the vitamin E oil in a small jar. Does it last long? I’ve never found any lip glosses to last very long, so I’d say it’s about the same.
5. Sprouting seeds
I finally took the plunge and bought my first bag of sprouting seeds! Well, make that a year ago. They got shoved to the back of my cupboard and forgotten. I absolutely love sprouts on wraps and salads so it’s time I started making my own. I’ll try to report back once I’ve gotten the hang of it. I checked on them this morning (see below) and I’m seeing the first signs of germination.
6. Homemade Maple Butter
In workout news, I recently made a second batch of Maple Butter! There really are no words to describe how good this stuff is…you really just have to taste it for yourself.
7. Zen Budda Buttery-style Spread (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free)
A golden, buttery spread made from coconut oil? Yes, you heard that right! Coconut oil, olive oil, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powder, and sea salt are the only ingredients in this vegan, raw, and gluten-free spread. It’s nothing like Earth Balance, but it’s more of a cheesy spread that works great on toast, garlic bread, or crackers. I think I’m going to have to try and re-create this for the blog sometime…
8. Gain Abs App
In other workout news, I love (to hate) this app – not only is it simple to use, but it’s the only thing that can force me to do 4 planks in a row! Well, make that 3 planks in a row because I usually skip the last one. You can specify the plank duration, rest duration, and how many sets (does anyone actually do more than 1 set?). I like to spontaneously drop on the office floor for a mid-day plank assault! Arrrrrr. It’s probably the worst 3 minutes of my day, but it just works so good and cursing like a sailor really helps with the pain.
What foods, products, or apps are you loving lately? Share below.
Even though ab work takes up much less time than the rest of my workouts, it’s easy to skip it – I’ll have to check out that app!
I can’t find anything on the web about Zen Budda. It just directs me to a corrected spelling. I’ll keep trying.
I am definitely intrigued by the Zen Budda! I found it online a couple places, like here: https://www.upayanaturals.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DRF-008, but shipping to the US is way expensive.
I would totally sprout things around my house, if I weren’t afraid of the “distinct old man smell”, as Creed puts it.
one more try, and i found it.
There’s a couple of great recipes on Zero Waste Home (http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/2010/03/zero-waste-recipes.html). The author has beet-based lip/cheek stain and a vitamin E balm recipe, along with some other good homemade beauty products, cleaners and kitchen staples.
damn you really do glow
Where do you find the Zen Budda? Would love a link! Or perhaps it’s a future copycat recipe???
I used to be so intimidated by sprouting but I got myself a metal gauze attachment for my mason jars and it works like a charm. I have fresh, beautiful, crunchy sprouts for a fraction of the cost of the store-bought ones.
I just discovered Maple Butter when I moved to NY state and it’s actually the best thing ever, can’t wait to try your recipe :D
I think I bought it at Organic Garage – it’s a company based out of Toronto called RawFoodz. :)
Hi Angela, goji berries are the same as wolfberries, which you should be able to get for cheaper at Chinese shops/medicinal halls. I grew up eating them in soups (they are traditionally believed to be good for one’s eyesight) and was amused to see them become a health fad.
Oooh thanks, I found a link: http://www.rawfoodz.ca/our_products.html
Doesn’t seem like they sell in the US though :((( One more reason to make the trip up North! I’ve been looking for an excuse to take the 4 hr drive to Toronto!
Really? good tip!
Using beet juice and vitamin E oil as a homemade lip gloss is brilliant.
I’m guessing that the beet juice alone could be used as a lip stain?
Homemade products that avoid gross chemicals and are simple to create are my new obsession. Thanks for the inspiration!
The Zen Budda looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! I agree Angela, planks are the WORST!
I love new workout apps! thanks for sharing! One is good enough for me though :P
Ooooohhhh, I LOVE mint in green drinks. IF you can find it, there is a chocolate mint plant that is an awesome addition to green drinks. Mine has been very hardy in zone 5. It’s not quite as hardy as my regular mint, but it still faithfully tries to dominate one part of my garden.
Chocolate mint leaves. To die for…..
Mmm… that orange and goji berry smoothie looks delicious! I’ve been using the Sworkit app lately. It has lots of create your own workouts that need no equipment and they’re kind of fun!
Mint smoothies what! I am going to try those; I always try to buy goji berries but the price pushes me away did not know you could put them in smoothies… I am so excited that I may just go buy some :)
I looked for the Gain Abs app and couldn’t find it on my Droid :( There were many other apps though, I suppose I could try one of those in addition to my existing core/ab work outs.
I found it by searching “plank exercises” I think – try that and see if it comes up!
Yay, found it! thanks :)
Hi Angela,
We are really into smoothies lately, one every morning and I really want to try that one. Never tried the Goji berries before.
Love mint with Mango juice, one of my fav. drink in the summer with a lot of ice on a hot day. Isn’t that a nice thought we are (yet again) going to have snow tomorrow!!??
You look as radiant as ever!!
Thanks for all the tips
Isa
Fresh mint in smoothies? Yes please! My goal is to get some herbs growing in my backyard… I need more fresh ingredients in my life :)
Awesome post! I would love a post on your sprouts sometime… I’ve been wanting to try sprouting some seeds myself, but I think I would forget about them :)
I just got a new workout app called “Sworkit” that sounds similiar to the one you’re using. You can pick a type of workout (core, arms, lower body, cardio, yoga) and then the amount of time you have and voila – you have a hand-picked workout. Easy to start, hard as hell to complete!
that sounds awesome, going to check it out :)
just downloaded it….looks good! Thanks for the suggestion :)
Awesome! I hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy the burn! :)
I’m loving Yoga Studio’s app. They have many different levels, styles, and durations of yoga routines, and what’s even neater is that you can build your own routine based on other routines you’ve learned or your preferences using basic building blocks that they’ve pre-created or the individual poses. Very cool motivator when you don’t have the time (or money) to religiously go to a yoga studio!
This also sounds great, hope they have it for droid!