Pancake Day

Pancake Day, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday. I always loved this day because as a kid it meant I could have pancakes for breakfast and dinner.

This day dates back to centuries ago with the main traditons still being upheld. It falls the day before Lent begins and during Lent, you “fast”. In school growing up, we were always encouraged to try and “give something up” for the duration of Lent. I always found this difficult to maintain or even really to attempt to begin.

The basis of the day, regardless of religion or traditions, is to eat up the rich, fatty goodness of pancakes and the foods surrounding pancakes (eggs, dairy, sugar) on one last night prior to a period of sustaining.

I’m meant to be sustaining from all things sugar at the moment which is proving incredibly difficult. Even naturally occuring sugar counts and sugar is in everything– if you didn’t know!

So perhaps this comes along at a good time… I will definitely be having pancakes tomorrow (which will likely be gluten-free, dairy-free, all-fun-gone-free) and then maybe this time I’ll be able to sustain from the sugar on the basis that I’ve “given it up” on my own accord.

Whole wheat apple pancakes topped with melted coconut oil

Chocolate pancakes I made and posted about a while back

Those are a couple examples of some pancakes I’ve recently made.
Being Canadian, I’ve of course always eaten them with maple syrup. Here in England, they sprinkle them with icing sugar and lemon juice. I made some really nice ones a couple of weeks back with bananas and pecans. I think I’m feeling like some classic buttermilk pancakes for tomorrow.

What kind of pancakes will you be making?

Gluten-Free Chocolate Pecan Brownies

I’ve made a few brownie recipes and I’ve always found that there is one tip to always keep in mind. Ovens can vary, you can use a glass dish or a pan, or different sorts of chocolate, but the main thing is: not to follow the time stated in the recipe for the brownies to bake.

Honestly if you follow the recipe bake time, chances are you’re going to end up with dry, overcooked brownies. The general rule of thumb for me is whatever the indicated time is, I halve it. At least make sure to check the brownies at half time so you can see where they’re at. This is one time where you don’t want a toothpick coming out entirely clean.

These brownies I made recently were made with a combination of gluten-free flour, rice flour, coconut oil, pecans, and very dark chocolate. They hit the spot at the time but there’s definitely room for some improvement. I’m hoping to make them with coconut flour next time around.

Holiday Smoothie

It turns out even my smoothie is feeling the Christmas love…

I ended up getting some cranberries at the shops because I love sour and tart flavours and I thought that these would be a great addition in a smoothie. And I’m finding that I much rather avocado mixed in over a banana for its creamier texture. So I have a holiday smoothie along with the other ingredients I generally put in- coconut oil, chia seeds, orange juice, and some sort of yogurt, amongst some other varieties of fruit.

Coconut Oil

I think it’s high time I write something about coconut oil…

Coconut oil is something I have been using for about a year now and I use it in some size, shape, or form everyday. It has a host of health benefits when consumed and is also great for implementing into your beauty regime. Now that I’ve discovered it, I don’t think I’ll ever be without it. I generally aim to have about 4 teaspoons a day (consumption wise)

Here in the UK, I use a coconut oil from Tiana. When looking for a coconut oil, I think it’s important to make sure you seek out an organic, pure, unrefined, raw oil to gain the most of its benefits.

Some of the ways I consume it/use it are:

• To wash my face- I use it in along with honey and baking soda for a wonderful facewash that leaves my skin soft and moisturized (sometimes I even rub this mix onto my skin and leave it as a face mask)
• In my tea- I never have ever liked the taste of green tea but I now enjoy it with coconut oil added; I have about a teaspoon per cup of tea
• Substitute for butter- When I first started having coconut oil, I experimented with it in many ways and one of the things I tried was toast + coconut oil + Nutella= chocolate heaven
• In smoothies- add a tablespoon and whizz along with your other ingredients
• Frying- mainly for sweet foods, like when I make french toast, I melt some coconut oil before putting the bread in; it could also be used for savoury food such as when frying veggies, etc
• In my porridge- When the milk is heating up, I put some coconut oil into the mix
• As a make-up remover- My eyes are pretty sensitive now to anything that goes near them and coconut oil does the job of getting rid of the make-up without making my eyes red and irritated
• On my eyelashes- on that same note, sometimes if I’ve had a lot of masara on, after I’ve washed my face, I’ll lightly put some coconut oil on my lashes to condition them
• As a body moisturizer- Since trying to go all “clean” with the products I use on my skin I will generally use coconut oil as an all over body moisturizer after my shower. Rubbed inbetween my hands, it sinks into the skin wonderfully (especially good after shaving legs)
• For shaving your legs! This can get a bit messy as the oil can clog up your razor, so just be sure to rinse it well with hot water inbetween the job
• In my hair- When I get to the end of a jar, I’ll literally clean it out and get every last drop of coconut oil by putting my hair in there and scraping it all out! I rub it into the ends of my hair and let it sit there before I hop in the shower. I also sometimes use it with my conditioner (just rub it in along with some conditioner in the palm of your hand) as well as an oil for the very ends of my hair once I’ve towel-dried my hair (use caution with that one- you need a MINIMAL amount to tame split ends, otherwise you risk looking greasy)

Those are the main ways I use coconut oil everyday but I tend to find new ways for its use. I’m interested in using it as a sunscreen come summer (though I’m a bit weary of that one- still researching it!)

If you haven’t tried this wonderful oil, I’d highly recommend you do! Coconut oil is one of the best things I’ve invested in this year.

Moa The Green Balm

This is one of my favorite things at the moment. I discovered Moa balm a few months ago when I was looking for a natural product to soothe my chapped lips. I came across this marvel jar online and was piqued by the fact that it was a “balm for many uses”. This intrigued me- I like multi-purpose items. And multi-purpose it is indeed.

It’s organic, it’s natural, and the list of ingredients is a short one (always a good sign, even more so if you can pronounce all the ingredients) Amongst them my favorite- coconut oil.

I personally use it as a lip balm, for dry skin, to soothe eczema, around my cuticles, and most recently on a burn from the oven. Now that one is a miracle because it completely got rid of the burn mark and left no sign of its existence whatsoever. Not even the slight white scarring you usually wind up with after a burn.

Check out more great tips for uses on their site: http://www.thegreenbalm.com

It truly is a little miracle balm!

Breakfast Eats

As everyone knows, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I have always notoriously, never missed breakfast. Then about a year ago, I started to skip it. I’d settle for a glass of juice or a snack bar here and there until I ended up eating something later on in the day.

There’s something in my subconscious when I don’t eat breakfast—
I feel like every other meal doesn’t count, and the rest of my day isn’t as productive all because I skipped it. It nags and nags at me until I go to sleep that night.

It’s a horrible habit to get into and I don’t recommend it to anyone! I’ve made a conscious effort to eat it again everyday.
So here’s a couple of things I’ll have for a quick and easy breakfast:

Do it like Goldilocks- Have some porridge!

½ cup semi-skimmed milk (soy milk/rice milk/almond milk- works for all)
3 tbsp rolled oats
1 tbsp coconut oil
a splash of vanilla extract
a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg

Heat the milk in a saucepan on medium heat until it almost hits a boil- but don’t let it burn! As this is heating up, you can add the coconut oil to melt. Add the vanilla and then the oats. Bring the heat down to a simmer and let them cook until the mixture thickens (takes about 5 minutes)

Add the nutmeg and cinnamon and voila- easy peasy

Yogurt with Granola

I used to only like certain types of vanilla yogurt, until I tried Yeo Valley’s Organic Blueberry with a hint of lime.

When I get the chance, I like to make my own homemade granola but when I don’t have that, I settle for Jordans Super Berry Granola (The best thing about this one- no sultanas! I really don’t like them)

So using the two of those, I add a teaspoon of chia seeds to the yogurt, half a tablespoon of sunflower seeds, some berries (strawberries, raspberries, whatever is on hand) and if craving some extra sweetness (which I do admit, is pretty much every morning) good quality dark chocolate- chips or chopped up.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

One of my favorite things about carving pumpkins out for Halloween is that you get to pick out all the seeds to roast in the oven. And whilst Halloween isn’t celebrated the way it was when I was little, I still enjoying getting a pumpkin each year, solely so I can consume it and it’s entirety!

It’s a tedious task but completely worth it, and if you’ve made the seeds fresh, you know what I mean. As a kid, I loved it when we finished hollowing out a pumpkin, as I knew my mom would be delivering fresh, warm, yummy seeds from the oven.

I usually make them savoury, but this year I’m also going to try to make a sweet version using coconut oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

For the savoury ones:
Once I’d taken all the seeds from my pumpkin, I made sure to rinse them really well and then dried them overnight on a sheet pan. When I was ready to toast them, I simply added some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and tossed to coat them. I baked them at 350°C for about 8-10 minutes.

It’s that simple! Not only are pumpkin seeds healthy for you (they’re full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) but they make a tasty snack 🙂

The Best French Toast

French toast is one of the easiest things to make ever. It’s great for breakfast, and even works for dinner or a snack. There are so many things you can do to vary it up. You can make it gluten-free as well by substituting the bread for gluten-free bread.

2-3 slices of bread
1-2 eggs (free range and organic if you can)
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp coconut oil
maple syrup (it really is the best, if you can’t get that, you can use golden syrup)
icing sugar and berries

In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the slices of bread and coat both sides. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the bread slices to the pan. Let it cook for a couple minutes then turn it over. If you like it a bit soggy, leave it on for another two minutes but if you prefer it cooked well throughout, leave it on longer. Remove from the heat and plate up.

I usually cut the squares in half to triangles and line them up on my plate. Scatter the berries; add the maple syrup, and a tiny sprinkling of icing sugar.

Natural Solution

At the moment, I’m quite caught up in the whole idea of eating and using all things natural and organic (well, as much as I can incorporate!) I particularly love the idea of using everyday things in the kitchen, and playing a little hocus pocus.

The ingredients I’ve listed are generally in everyone’s kitchen, are relatively cheap, and you know what’s being used on your skin. Seeing as it’s our largest organ, it’s best to treat it well! Better yet, I do think it’s made a difference in my own skin and hair, even though it’s noted I’m being a bit hippie-like 🙂

For hair:

This is a great simple thing to use before hopping in the shower to wash your hair—

1 egg yolk
2 tbsp of olive oil

Mix the egg yolk slowly into the olive oil and massage into the ends of your hair. Leave for 20-30 minutes (or whatever time you have) shampoo and rinse out.

The egg yolk is full of nutrients and vitamins as well as protein. Olive oil is used in cooking all over the world for its health properties but it’s also great at making your hair light and silky. For me, having not trimmed my hair since January, it’s made the split ends almost non-existent and the rest of my locks shiny and more manageable.

And try this to wash your face:

1 tsp of honey (manuka is the best)
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp coconut oil

Dampen your face; rub together the ingredients in the palm of your hands and gently massage in circular motions around your face. Rinse.

Manuka honey in particular has the highest antibacterial properties. Organic, raw, extra virgin coconut oil is wonderful to eat and to use on your body. I use Tiana coconut oil.
There are too many uses for baking soda to name. Together, these provide a gentle exfoliation, and personally, my skin feels and looks great afterwards. I try to do this every morning.

At night, I tend to settle for a branded product. At the moment, balance Me. and Dr. Hauschka are my go-to items.