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.
That lip gloss is so cute! I’m going to do another batch of chocolate mint this year, it was heavenly in push pops last year!
These are all great! I started sprouting chickpeas a couple of years ago and couldn’t believe how easy it was! Need to do another batch.
Lately I’ve been loving Indian food, sweet and savory combos, and the Full Fitness app to track my lifting workouts.
Ooo I love your spring picks and favorites (which some are turning into mine as we speak!) especially the mint and goji berries in smoothies, thats my favorite. I’ve never heard of the gain abs app, that seems super fun. Some more spring favorites of mine are citrus juice “ice cubes”. Thanks for sharing Angela!
That smoothie looks delicious! Too bad I’m allergic to strawberries :(
I’ve been loving getting back into fresh salads now that we’re out of winter. I usually prefer soups and warm salads in the cold, so I’m enjoying the simple pleasure of raw leafy greens!
I also hate ab workouts while doing them- but then afterwards am sooo glad that I did it! Thanks to yoga, my abs get a pretty good workout :)
My favourite right thing right now is Kombucha! It seems to be popping up in more stores and in different flavours. Fantastic :)
Awesome tip with the natural lip gloss. I got nuts for that kind of stuff :) Annnnnd it’s so funny you mention the sprouting seeds, I was JUST thinking about getting some this morning. Happy spring, Angela <3
What a great list, I haven’t tried most of these! I’m looking forward to trying fresh mint in my smoothies.
Mmm… the goji smoothie looks really delicious!
Love the list, Ange. I have been all over vegan lip balms lately. Not homemade as I figured I’d let someone else experiment with the recipe. I recently shared my favourite finds, including my favourite from etsy. Vegan balms are awesome! :)
LOVE the look of that smoothie! I clipixed it for later. :)
Still trying to get up the courage to try mint in my smoothie. I have a big plant of it but… I’m worried about it in smoothie. Will do that soon!
Sprouting is my FAVORITE thing! You can get cheap bags of regular beans at any grocery store and sprout them. It doesn’t have to be fancy for anyone wanting to try it on the cheap.
As for that wonderful app, it isn’t on iPhone so bummer. However, I am totally loving OmVana lately… FULL of wonderful meditations, totally free and has a “mixer” option that is great. Check it out!
xo. :)
Dang, that’s a fabulous list! That juice looks heavenly, I LOVE goji berries! Zen butter?! YUM… I’ve seen it, but it hasn’t made it to my basket yet ;) I’m trying to get my plank on as well, through Purely Twins… they’ve got some killer workouts and the abs to show for it.
I have a huge love for juices smoothies lately, which is strange because it’s certainly not spring yet here! Just wishing, obviously…
I LOVE mint in smoothies and in juices. I shove a whole bunch in my juicer sometimes and it just freshens up the whole drink.
My roommate is from Toronto and he said he would go into Quebec just to get this amazing maple butter that he couldn’t find anywhere else. I’ll have to send him your recipe!
Too funny – I did a 4 things im loving lately post today! ;) It’s a combo of a non-slip headband, crazy neon socks, a fitbit zip, and photo processing app for the phone. I’m going to check out the zen budda spread now – that sounds delicious!
You inspire me to grow things! I was always fond of your posts when you used to live in your house with the beautiful deck and garden. I seriously need to test out my green thumb now that I live in Northern California which is such a great environment for it. Thanks for sharing all of your favorites and I MUST try the maple butter. Oh my…drooling.
I’m loving this post. I LOLed at several of these. Thanks for being here. YOU ARE A GODDESS. Any tips on learning to love sprouts? I love to grow them, can’t stand the taste. Every few months, I find my stash of seeds and say ‘Hey, I should sprout!’ Then I do, enjoy watching my seeds come to life, then taste them and say blaaahhhhh. I’ve tried them on salad, in sandwiches, in smoothies… any suggestions? anyone?
Hi Sally, Have you tried seasoning them? A little Herbamare and pepper sounds like just the thing…or maybe your favourite dressing or sauce?
I’ve never tried goji berries, how long would I need to soak them? Thanks!
If you have an Indian grocery store near you, you can get sprouting seeds CHEAP, I mean CHEAP! My girlfriend told me and I went and stocked up for 5$ I got almost 3 lbs. of mung beans! They also have spices at a great price too! Maple butter sounds amazing! I have to try it one of these days. My favorite app right now is the POLAR app my husband bought an H6 and downloaded the app to his iphone and it tracks EVERYTHING its amazing! I want one now! Have a great week :) Love + Shine CourtStar
thanks for the tip!
What foundation do you use? Your skin looks beautiful!
Thank you! I use Bare Minerals powder right now. I’m pretty happy with it except it can feel a bit drying at times. I expect I will enjoy it more in the hummid summer months.
Looking forward to trying the beet lip gloss with Vitamin E ( great idea). I’m also loving using coconut cream as a moisturiser & cleanser! There’s a great review here : http://lifeinblush.com/blog/review-rms-beauty-raw-coconut-cream/
Have you heard of fitocracy? The community there is knowledgeable, super friendly, and extremely supportive. Also, there are some awesome vegan groups! I just joined, and I’m definitely loving it!
Also, I really hope you recreate that buttery spread. I’m wanting me some. Bad :-p
No I haven’t but it sounds cool, thanks for the tip!