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.
The maple butter looks delicious! It sounds so good on a slice of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven banana bread…
That lip gloss sounds awesome. And love the pic of you! Your hair is darker than I remember it and with the gloss, you just pop! off the screen :)
And the Maple Butter…swoon. Thanks for the reminder on that one! I love homemade nut butter or butters of any kind. I would devour that!
hah yea I had a bad run in with some lowlights not long ago – this was the fixed version. You don’t want to see the before!!
PS- emailing you soon!
Loving ALL of these things. I need to start incorporating mint into my smoothies again- it’s been too long!
And I’m definitely going to check out that app. Thanks for the recommendation! (:
Now I am craving maple butter and green smoothies, thanks for sharing!
That buttery spread sounds awesome, especially if it is made with coconut oil! I need to try that ASAP.
Wow everything looks so good, especially the homemade maple butter! I like how you include so much great information to living a healthier life. It’s so important to eat healthy because being healthy always makes you a happier person!
@pillow4thoughts
I’m enjoying the RunKeeper app to store all the information from my runs, Woodwick’s Fresh Persimmon candle (you can find it on Amazon), and medjool dates from Costco, which beat the sh*t out of the more expensive medjool dates I used to buy at Whole Foods. Also Thug Kitchen (http://thugkitchen.com/) is my newest obsession. If you haven’t seen it, you need to, like right now. It’s hilarious and vegan friendly :)
oh my, that website! too funny.
Ooh great roundup Ange! :) This post reminds me of all my fave things to do in the spring, like sprouting seeds and growing my own herbs. (I’ve heard that basil is the most temperamental, so perhaps mint is a little less maintenance? If so, I’ll give it a shot because basil doesn’t last long when I’m the gardener!) Lately I’ve been loving avocados and coconut flavoured things. Both of these baffle me because up until a couple of months ago, they were both foods that I wished I liked (for the health benefits) but really didn’t enjoy at all! This winter has done funny things to my taste buds!
Woah love that you made your own beet juice lip gloss! And I’m also loving mint in smoothies and drinks lately. I actually just wrote a post on some of my new favorite foods lately :)
I love those buckwheat crispies…I have digestion issues and find that my body tolerates these very well!
I can’t wait to try that Zen Budda spread it looks amazing! One thing I have been loving lately is maca powder! Maca is a root vegetable that is native to the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru. Not only does maca lower cortisol levels, decrease stress, improve sleep quality, and increase energy, but it also is known to promote quick regeneration of fatigued muscle tissue. I am currently training for a half marathon and maca has helped me recover faster between long runs! Here is my go to recipe for after workouts:
1 large frozen banana
1 date
2 tbs maca powder
1/2 tbs chia seeds
1/2 tbs agave (light works best in this recipe)
1 cup almond milk
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth! Serves 1. :)
I love your blog so much! :)
What a great list. I am very curious about Zen Budda spread! I might even try making it just based on the ingredients list (or wait for your recipe). I’m loving spring weather. In the food department, I realized this week that I liked acai berry puree in my smoothies (though I think I’d prefer a powder, or whatever form that doesn’t have added sugar/cane juice/syrup). I also realized recently enough that I like Finn Thin Crisp Crackers (particularly the caraway ones). They’re thin, flavorful, and great for digestion (though I don’t think they’re vegan. I’m vegetarian, but don’t eat dairy often).
Ab workouts and smoothies. You have inspired me to spruce up my garden a bit this year, and grow my own ingredients! Still hate the abs work but thanks anyway.
i’m so inspired now! love this post! p.s. is that app just different planks the whole time?
It’s 4 planks – regular, 2 sides, and back :)
Love to read this posts!! I am in love with living in Amsterdam (moved here a couple of weeks ago), all my new green smoothie Creations, raw chocolate bars I find here in Amsterdam :)
I don’t know if anyone else has said this or if you already know, but you don’t need to get ‘sprouting seeds’ to sprout things. Just soak anything overnight, put it in a sieve over a bowl to catch the drips and keep it damp but not wet, and rinse it every day until it starts to sprout. You can sprout seeds like sunflower seeds, chickpeas, buckwheat, all sorts of lentils (but not split ones!), and grains. It’s probably cheaper than getting seeds that are marketed especially for sprouting.
Your smoothie looks so summery! If only it looked summery outside… I can’t believe there are ice storm warnings today!
Lately I’m loving Nud Fud (raw vegan crackers from a company in Toronto – they are addicting!) and fresh figs.
Love your posts and most especially the pictures-they are gorgeous. The tips, recipes, and the overall good advice do not go unnoticed either. Thanks
Am loving the ap ‘myfitnesspal’. It counts your daily calories as well as accounts for any exercise you have done. It becomes quite addictive in the sense that you want to log in daily to see how you are tracking.
p.s loved the goji berry smoothie recipe.