I’m thinking about changing up my writing style a bit on the blog, maybe becoming a little more laid back and easy going. I’m thinking something like this:
Sounds pretty bumpin’ if you ask me. Kidding!
I came across Gizoogle.net, a Google parody website earlier this week and I haven’t stopped using it yet. Gizoogle was originally launched in 2004 and was translating average text into serious gangsta speak until 2011 , when it was eventually shut down. Luckily for us, this entertaining site is back up and running and ready to provide you with hours of laughs. Using Gizoogle, you can translate entire websites, tweets, twitter pages, texts, and anything else you can find online or type into the faux Google search bar, into “gangsta slang”. I recommend translating your employers twitter feed or corporate websites – for me, those have yielded the most hilarious results!
I know this isn’t my typical Friday post but I just couldn’t resist – plus this will keep you occupied until Tuesday since I will be out in the woods camping for the long weekend. Wish me luck, I am going to need it!
Sometime last year I shared a recipe for cauliflower crust pizza with you. This healthy pizza alternative had taken the Internet world by storm, however, it always seemed to need tweaks or improvements. It was impossible to eat the pizza using your hands and the texture was just too vegetable like. Recently, I’ve noticed that the buzz is back, new recipes are starting to pop up all over the web. I decided it was time to give this healthy pizza dough another try. This time, things were different! It was much less time consuming and challenging to make and the pizza was actually tough enough to be held and eaten, instead of using a fork and knife! Disregard my previous recipe, this one will blow it out of the water and take half the time!
Ingredients
1/2 small head of cauliflower, leaves and stems removed
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of hard goat cheddar
1 egg
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until you achieve a rice like texture.
3. Combine the raw riced cauliflower with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and don’t be Adria’s to use your hands.
4. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, form a pizza crust approximately 1/4 inch thick.
5. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 400 F and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Cover the pizza with toppings of your choice and bake for 5 more minutes to melt the cheese. I topped my pizza with pure tomatoes as sauce, sauteed zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms and some goat cheddar. It was delicious.
This recipe serves one hearty meal. You can double it to make a larger pizza to share.
I knew that the 20+ degree weather in Ottawa was a tease! This week has been near bone chilling [okay maybe I'm exaggerating] but I’m not complaining, I’ve been dying to wear this amazing quilted jacket from Anthropologie – which is now on sale for $79.95, what a steal!
I’ve been craving carrot cake with cream cheese icing something fierce lately! I don’t know why, since I was never a huge fan of the dessert, but after weeks of carrot dreams I knew I had to come up with a healthy alternative. These muffins/cupcakes are simple, delicious and the perfect summer treat because you don’t even need to touch your oven!
Raw, Vegan, Grain-Free Carrot Muffins with Cashew Cream “Cheese” Icing Adapted from: Chef Amber Shae
Ingredients For the cake:
1 cup pitted dates, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 pound carrots, peeled if desired, shredded
3/4 cup coconut flour
Stevia to taste (optional)
For the Cream “Cheese” Icing:
3/4 cup cashews soaked for 2 to 4 hours and drained
1/2 cup nondairy milk of choice
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
15 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
Pinch of sea salt
Directions
Combine the drained dates, carrots, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in a food processor and blend until almost smooth and well combined.
Add the coconut flour and stir until the batter is combined and uniform. Taste the batter, and if you think it needs a little more sweetness, add stevia to taste. Set the batter aside for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb the liquid mixture.
Fill 8 silicone muffin tins with the mixture and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
To make the cashew cream “cheese” icing, combine all ingredients in a blender [I used my Magic Bullet] and pulse until smooth. Place the icing in the fridge until you are ready to decorate your carrot muffins.
Just a note: these muffins taste best when you allow them to defrost for at least 30 minutes so remove them from the freezer with that in mind!
Now you can have your [carrot] cake and eat it too!
xo Lauren
About a month ago I was surprised with a lovely package in my mailbox courtesy of Ryland, Peters & Small publishers. As I tore into the padded envelope my excitement rose – my Polish You Pretty step-by-step nail art book had arrived! This book and accompanying blog polishyoupretty.com, are written by Jenny and Danielle, two nail polish addicts who have a flair for nail art and a passion for fabulous fingers. I think it goes without saying that yours truly has the same affinity for flawless and fun manicures.
The Polish You Pretty book walks you through the step-by-step process to help you achieve looks that could easily be mistaken for nail stickers. There are twenty-four designs in total ranging from extremely basic to quite advanced [I must admit, there was one design, the tiger bright, that I could not master - and I am a pretty avid nail junkie]. There is something for everyone, from a subtle half moon mani [a favourite of mine even before receiving the book] to off the wall strawberry and pineapple designs.
Having over twenty nail art designs to choose from became overwhelming quite quickly, especially since I was eager to provide a review – my solution? Throw a manicure party.
This weekend invited a few of my closest gal pals over to spend some time catching up while breathing in the sweet smell [hahaha] of nail lacquer – and a few glasses of wine.
Thanks for a fabulous afternoon girls!
Each of us chose a design to test and we began filing, priming and painting. The instructions were comprehensive, however, it was the pictures that were most helpful – we passed the book around the table more times than you can imagine to make sure we didn’t miss a beat.
Lanna, on the left, Lisa, front right, and I, all chose designs from the “prints” section of the book, leapin’ leopard, tribal [after a struggled attempt at tiger bright - I don't recommend trying this design, it is extremely challenging to perfect] and ikat, respectively. Laura, back right, stuck to the simple category as she is new to nail art and chose the stained glass pattern.
Lanna:
Lisa:
Laura:
Me (I also tried out Magic Mixing, which I wrote about here):
Polish You Pretty served as great inspiration for our manicures and provided us with lots of recommendations and visuals to help us achieve beautiful manicured nails, however, we all agreed upon a few shortcomings. Firstly, very few images included a photo of the full hand. It would have been nice to see thumbs as the nail is larger and it gives you a better perspective of the full look. The second issue we had was that the finished design wasn’t shown until after the steps had been given [for many tutorials] so you had to flip back and forth between pages at the beginning to see if you were on the right track. It would be great to see a close up of the final product on each page [even small and in the corner] just to remind the artist of what they are working towards.
All in all, Polish You Pretty step-by-step nail art book is a must buy for anyone who is willing to spend some time on their manicures and needs some inspiration. I loved thumbing through the pages and choosing my next manicure. By the end of the year I am sure I will have tried each design at least once.
For more information on Polish You Pretty and nail art, visit polishyoupretty.com and follow Jenny and Danielle (@polishyoupretty) on twitter – they are always sharing new manicure ideas and nail lacquer reviews!
Polish You Pretty by Jenny Stencel and Danielle Black is published by Ryland, Peters & Small and is available at http://www.rylandpeters.com/ or at your local Chapters/Indigo Bookstore.
Thanks again girls for joining me for a Saturday afternoon full of nail polish and to everyone else for reading this review, I hope you enjoyed it!
Sens Mile – Elgin Street, Ottawa (image courtesy of metronews.ca)
Get your game faces on, the #PeskySens have secured their spot in round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! The energy is the city is wild, Ottawa is such an amazing place to be right now. Grab your Sens jerseys, hats, t-shirts, whatever – and head down to Elgin St to join the masses on the Sens Mile! Let’s show the Senators our support – and grab a few pints to support local businesses while we’re at it!
By now you probably know me well enough to understand two things – one, I like to turn unhealthy desserts into healthy ones, and two, I love adding veggies to dessert recipes. The zucchini bread satisfies both criteria and will trick even the most unhealthy eater into thinking they are indulging – if you decide to share.
Grain and Dairy Free Healthy Zucchini BreadIngredients
1 medium zucchini, shredded
6 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own using ginger, cloves and nutmeg)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a food processor with the grater blade or a cheese grater, shred the zucchini – do not remove the skin. In a large bowl combine all wet ingredients (zucchini, eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract) until well mix. Next add the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour the batter into a well greased loaf pan [I use coconut oil to grease]. Bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and enjoy!
Sounds pretty bumpin’ if you ask me. Kidding!
