Whole Grain Bread

I am still new to the whole bread thing.

However, I am an expert at the smothering it with butter and eating a whole loaf of crusty bread in one day thing.

The whole activating yeast, rising and kneading process is still new to me, but it has become a great learning experience.

Mmm.. nothing smells better than fresh bread

With cooking I can adjust the flavours, throw some more sauce in, add some more spice. With bread measurements need to be exact and you need time and patience to let the yeast do its thing.

Don't let this intimidate you though, just take your time, know that the bread needs a little more attention than, say, cooking a stir fry would.

In the end, I think you'll be surprised at how simple it is to create, from scratch, a beautiful loaf of whole grain bread. Even if the bread is a little dense, has some brunt sports on top or didn't rise as much as you hoped, it is totally satisfying to eat something that you created with just a few ingredients.

Natural Living Friday - Scrub Your Tub Green!

Hooray! We made it through the week!

It's Friday so that means I'm back with another green living tip and this week we're getting in the tub!

There is nothing more cringe-worthy than trying to get your body clean in a dirty bathtub. Right?!

Keep you bathtub super clean and sparkly with 2 products!

1. Castile Soap

2. Baking Soda

Sprinkle about 1-2 tbsp of baking soda around your tub. I use the Kiss My Face brand of castile soap, it works great and has an awesome scent.
Take the bottle and give the tub a good squirt or two out of the bottle, I bet it would amount to 2-3 tbsp of soap, I always just eyeball it.
Now, take a soft bristle brush or a sponge with a scrubber pad on it, in a circular motion go around the tub cleaning off all the grim. Rinse with water.
The castile soap helps to get things clean while the baking soda works as a gentle scrub to get grim off, it also helps to make your tub super white.
See it sparkle?

I've been using this method for a few months now and find the baking soda really helps to get the job done quickly. It's stopped me from buying tons of different cleaners too which is always a bonus!!

Have a great weekend!!



*images not originals by me*

Chicken Noodle Soup

I know what you're thinking, 'Soup! In this heat?'
Hear me out...
Ryan has been sick, it's the flu or some kind of bug and it breaks my heart to see him so down and out.
I've been doing my best to make him feel better, trying to keep him hydrated and giving him medicine.

I decided on Saturday that I would make a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup. Sure, I could of just cracked open a can and heated it up, but seeing him so down, I thought maybe making it from scratch and throwing a whole lot of love into the pot would help cure him.
He's not 100% yet, but he's getting there.
It may just be time, or it may be the soup.

Natural Living Friday- Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment

Have you heard about Coconut Oil?
If you've hung out with me, you're probably sick of hearing about it.
If you are into natural living, I'm sure you've run into an article or video about it somewhere on the Internet.
The thing is, if you have ever used Coconut Oil, whether for beauty or cooking, it's hard NOT to rave about it!!
Coconut Oil has an incredibly long list of uses, which I won't get into right now. Maybe I'll save that for a future Friday post.
The reason I love Coconut Oil so much is because it's extremely healthy for both the inside and outside of your body.

Today I'm sharing with you the best deep conditioning treatment I have used on my hair.
This is a perfect time of year to do a treatment, being out in the sun or swimming in chlorine pools can be damaging to your hair, if it seems a little dry or is lacking some softness and shine, give this a try!

Summer Linguine

Oh sweet summer, how kind you have been to me.
Thank you for keeping me up late at night watching gorgeous skies of pinks and purples while I sip on sweet, fruity wine.
Thank you for the beautiful bounty you have given and the tomatoes that are growing eagerly on my balcony.
For the sand in places I can't name.
For my sun kissed skin.
For countless road trips around the province, boat rides and bug bites.
Thank you for continually reminding me why you are my favourite (shhh!.. don't tell the other seasons!)
And finally, thank you for making it so hot outside that I have banned my oven from being turned on until the fall.

Natural Living - Product Review - Cocoon Apothecary Ancient Mud Face Mask

Oops!
Can we rewind and pretend I posted this two days ago?
I'm on holidays. Well.. this is my last day of holidays (womp womp!)
I've been travelling, relaxing, boating, swimming, drinking, eating, bachelorette partying and simply having a good time!
It's all been great but now it is time to get back to reality, back to work and daily routines.
I'm ready to rock it! I have a ton of recipes to try in various cookbooks and I can't wait to get back in my own kitchen and get cooking.

Today I want to tell you about a new company I recently found. Cocoon Apothecary, another great Canadian company, selling products for face and body.
The product of theirs that I am totally loving is their Ancient Mud Face Mask.

This mask means serious business. It gets all the gunk and junk clogged up there in your pores and throws it down the drain.
It is super natural (100% that is!) with Dead Sea Mud, great for purifying the skin and Glacial Marine Clay, which helps detoxify and exfoliate. It is a deep dark green colour so you look super attractive while the mask is on your face :)
Once I rinse it off and apply the Rosehip Oil Serum of theirs (review to come at a later date) my face feeling so smooth and so fresh, it's like brand new skin day whenever I use this!

If you are into face masks or are looking to give your skin a good deep cleaning, I recommend this product!

Here is a link to the Cocoon Apothecary website and product
http://cocoonapothecary.com/products/Ancient-Mud.html

*photo from Cocoon Apothecary website*

Natural Living: Razor Burn and Bumps

I had two ideas when starting this blog, sharing recipes and sharing natural solutuions for health and beauty. I have only posted a handful of natural solutions in the (almost) year that I have had this blog but I have so much to share with you!
This brings us to a new weekly installment:

Natural Living!

Every Friday I'll post a new trick/tip, information on products and/or a product review of something I love/not worth spending money on.

I hope you'll enjoy this weekly segment and find it helpful. Whether you've made the switch to natural products, have just started to research, or know nothing about it, you'll find something helpful and informative here.

Fight Razor Burn and Bumps

Here is a quick an effective way to eliminate nasty razor burns and bumps!

After shaving, take your regular moisturizer, for me that is Jojoba Oil.

Add your regular amount in the palm of your hand and add 1 to 2 drops of Tea Tree Oil.

Rub hands together to mix the oil and moisturizer and smooth evenly over legs, armpits, bikini line.

*there are precautions with Tea Tree Oil such as if you are pregnant or have certain conditions Precautions are always written on the lable, please be aware*

Things I Love - July

Oh boy
This is the busiest summer I've ever had.
With friends getting married, others having babies and planning my own wedding, it's non-stop!
I'm on the road almost every weekend, it's fun, exhausting, expensive and totally awesome!
Best summer I've had in a long time.

Because I've been so busy, I haven't been posting. I have been browsing the web though and here are some of my favourite things I've come across, used, ate, loved, etc. for the month of July

I will make this cake, I will make this cake, I will make this cake!! - Joy the Baker's Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

I've been thinking about a juice cleanse, have you done one? thoughts? - Epic Beauty Guide - Juice Cleanse

Ate my first soft pretzel - EVER! So good. Best enjoyed while at a baseball game with an ice cold beer!

My tomato plants are flowering (I think my plants are behind) but once I have some fresh ripe tomatoes I am  going to be all over this! - Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

Spending Saturday morning at the farmers market - look at that haul!! All under $50!

These snack bites have totally intrigued me! I want 10 of them right now - Sesame Almond Brown Rice Balls

I am back into loom knitting! My best friend just had a beautiful baby boy and I'm trying to whip up a few things for him before I meet him this weekend! It's an easier process then normal knitting and I work faster on them. Here are the looms I use - Knifty Knitter

Trying to make my bucket list of 3 books, but I've been on this one since May (I put it down for awhile, highly recommend not to do that!) The next 2 will have to be easy quick reads if I want to make that goal!

I made Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti alla Trapanese this month and haven't stopped thinking about it. So simple and so fresh! Here is the recipe I posted - Spaghetti alla Trapanese


Came across this site recently and fell in love, beautiful photos and recipes! - Shades of Yellow

Summer is easy meals, like these Zucchini Boats and Potato Salad

Gin+blackberry+summertime = the best cocktail I've seen in awhile! - Blackberry Gin Fizz 

Need to know how to cook corn on the cob any which way? This site has you covered!

 *Psssst! One more month left of summer, LIVE IT UP people!