Can you guys FEEEEEL it?? Spring is soooo close now!
I guess it’s technically spring already, but if I still have to wear a coat and when I haven’t seen any flowers budding just yet it is not spring. But I know it’s coming!
I see some of my blog friends are already wearing cute flat shoes and dining on their porches, but that ain’t happenin’ in my neck of the woods just yet. Nope, here in Toronto we savour the odd spring-like day, and the rest of the days we wait for it (im)patiently.
So I’ve decided: If spring is taking its sweet time getting here, I will hurry it up a little by bringing touches of spring into my life! Fake it till you make it, right? Without making any hectic or expensive changes I am bringing in a few cheap touches of tropical colours into different areas of my home.
Nothing says spring like flowers! I picked up these two cuties for $ 1.99 each and they are now gracing my desk. These guys are hardy and will last long (if you remember to water them!).
To bring in a little bit of playfulness I put them in coffee cups – they fit perfectly! As you will see in this post, I adore pops of bright colours (turquoise , apple green, canary yellow, hot pink, orange!), but I do also love the crisp white and green combo.
And check out the “inspiration picture” I have pinned on my bulletin board behind the flowers – doesn’t it just look so fresh and relaxing?
Turquoise and yellow – such a tropical combo! I completely adore these two turquoise bottles and they are perfect for serving fresh juice or flavoured water in the backyard during the summer. With all of my great visions of spending the next few months outside I just had to bring the bottles into my decorating this spring, like a tease. Come on spring, hurry up!
To balance out the bottles and yellow ‘flowers’ I wanted to add some hight next to it on the table. I don’t have any brightly coloured and large items in my home so I thought of propping up one of the boards I use for photo shoot backgrounds.
To round off the tropical look I put on the table a few rocks that we picked up at the lake. Aaaahhhh the beach…..
Seasonal decorating is not strictly reserved for the areas of your home that other people get to see. Adding bright spring colours to your bathroom can help lift your mood in anticipation of summer. And hey, isn’t it one of the first places you see in the morning? Even on a dreary day this bright green hand wash and blue hand towel can start your day off on the right foot. I love to trick my mind that way!
I would like to stress the fact that you do not need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff. We always have hand soap in the bathroom and when we ran out last week I made a point of buying a bright, happy colour this time. I also have a few different coloured hand towels and just switch them up with the seasons, so no extra money spent there.
As with the bathroom, I used items I already have to “spring-ify” our kitchen. Time to ditch the darker tea towels and break out the funky and bright ones! Instead of our regular white or pewter fruit bowl I am using the brightest coloured bowls I have on hand. I also try to keep those bowls stocked with lots of fruit to eat and to look pretty on display.
We don’t have a formal dining room, as our house is pretty open plan. Our dining room table is basically our kitchen table – it is where we eat, where we read the paper, where I occasionally blog from, where wine and cheese dates happen.
So basically, our table is our main gathering place. I went out and bought the brightest and happiest flowers that I could find, combined them in little pots and now it lifts my mood every time I see them!
Easy, right?
Now let’s hear it: What is YOUR favourite spring colour??
Oh Thailand… of all the culinary adventures you have to offer, your fruit shakes made me one very happy girl! I adored the pad thai and spring rolls and rice with various curries, but towards the end of our 2 week vacation earlier this year, this girl was craving more and more fresh fruit and veggies.
If you have ever been to Thailand (especially if you did it on a budget) you will know that street markets and night markets are where it’s at! These night markets have various vendors selling all sorts of things to eat. You walk around, buying and eating as you go: grab some mango sticky rice from this guy, then a couple of veggie spring rolls from a lady further down. Then you realize you have room for more and buy a couple of chicken satays and finish it off with a fresh fruit shake. Glorious!
I feel nostalgic about our Thai routine today: After exploring or traveling or laying on the beach all day we would freshen up and head out for some dinner… night market style! This particular day we went beach hopping around the island of Koh Phangan. When dinner time came, I jumped on the back of Derek’s scooter, holding on real tight as we cruised down the dirt path from our hotel to the centre of town.
There was a lady selling fresh fruit shakes and juice. She would have an amazing variety of tropical fruit and some veggies laid out on her cart and when you select your fruit she peels and slices it up on the spot, throws it in her blender with some ice and produces a fresh, sweet fruit shake. I don’t know how on earth all her fruit was of the perfect ripeness: Ripe enough to lend that perfect sweetness to your shake, but not a day older than that.
I was a very good customer, because I tried the pineapple, mango and watermelon shakes, but to my surprise the papaya shake was my favourite!
I just HAD to recreate it at home this week! Too bad I couldn’t go to the store on a scooter!
I doled out my six dollars and change (!!!) for the papaya at my local corner store and headed home with a grocery bag full of priceless memories. Speaking of price, Thailand is very inexpensive and one of these fruit shakes would run you about 65 cents (that’s 20 Thai Baht). No wonder I had tried so many flavours!
See how nice and creamy it is? Just papaya and ice! Natural and healthy.
Papaya is not something I indulge in at home very often (Hello! It’s not exactly locally grown!), but when I do get the chance I load up my plate!
I have long known that papaya is a great digestive aid (because it breaks down protein and cleans your digestive track), but here are a few more reasons to put some papaya in your grocery cart:
- Vitamins A, C and E
- Folate
- Potassium
- Fibre
- Carotenoids: lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene
So I know it is the end of March, we had a lot of snow even just last week, I still have to wear my winter coat when I go out…BUT… this papaya shake makes me feel like I am walking around some tropical island wearing a tank top and flip flops!
What is YOUR favourite tropical fruit? Have you tried it in a fruit shake?
Over the last year or so I have become a lot more intentional in bringing relaxing moments into my week. I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that life can be pretty hectic – am I right? I find that the better I take care of myself, the more I have to give to others. The only thing is that it can sometimes be tricky to squeeze in some relaxation. Often times I wonder: “If I have to squeeze it in and feel rushed, what’s the point?”. But the benefits are always oh-so worth it!
Today I am sharing with you guys one of my favourite tuning-out rituals. You only need 10 minutes for this, and not only is it a great way of quieting your mind, it is also a very kind habit for your skin
Green Tea Steam Facials. Alternately named: The Poor Girl’s Mid Week Spa Date.
Y’all know that I am a huge advocate for creating beautiful surroundings to support your mood and increase joy and productivity. So when I squeeze in that steam facial I add to the enjoyment by using my beautiful white ceramic bowl. It just feels more luxurious and feminine than any of the other containers that I have. Instant spa vibe!
I love to use pretty towels. My favourites are either my white fluffy ones (especially in the winter!) or my ribbed white ones. And of course flowers are special and pretty and girly – perfect for my special, girly time that makes me feel pretty!
When I think of enhancing my surroundings, I pay attention to my senses:
See: pretty white bowl
Feel: Soft towels
Hear: Play my chill music (surely you have a chill playlist too?!)
Smell: Add tea to the water – in this case Yogi Tea‘s Tripple Echinacea Green Tea
Ok, I got stumped on taste, but 4 out of the 5 senses aren’t bad. I suppose I could also have a cup of tea at the same time!
The Echinacea Green Tea smells so heavenly: It is soothing and refreshing at the same time. Inhaling the moist and fragrant steam has a calming effect on me. A wonderful side effect of a steam facial is that you unintentionally end up taking deeeeeeeeep breaths – another fantastic relaxation technique.
How to create your own home spa date:
- Grab a nice wide bowl (wider than the width of your face) and fill with boiled water
- Add some essential oils (like lavender!) or your selected tea bag
- Wait a couple of minutes because you do not want to burn your face with the steam
- Place the bowl on a table or chair about the same hight as the chair you will be sitting on
- Use a large towel to cover your shoulders, head and the circumference of the bowl as you lean over the bowl of steaming water
- Support your body by resting on your forearms – that way you don’t place too much pressure on your back and neck
- Relax for about 5-10 minutes. Take some deep breaths. Relax your mind. Just be in the moment.
- Once your time is up, lightly pat your face try with the towel.
- Next, rinse your face with cold water at the sink to get rid of all of the impurities you were sweating out.
- Pat your face try again and moisturize.
- Enjoy feeling refreshed, nourished and energized!
Awesome benefits of a facial steam:
- It cleanses and deep cleans your pores because you sweat out a lot of impurities (for example pimples, blackheads, or just general impurities from the outside world).
- The steam hydrates both the deeper and outer levels of your skin
- The cleansing and hydrating leaves you with baby soft skin
- Smaller pores leave the skin looking revived
- Adding echinacea is hydrating for sensitive and dry skin (helloooo glowing winter skin!)
So don’t you think you deserve a home spa date soon? Go for it!!
For other Revel home spa ideas, check out this post and this post!
AND… Amanda of Start with a Nibble is the winner of the Adora milk and dark chocolate packs!! Amanda, send me your address and I will arrange to have your prize delivered to you. Congrats girl – time to get your calcium on!
I FINALLY have a recap of our trip to Tokyo for you guys!
Maybe it took so long because I had to wrap my mind around the trip first? Or to take a step back and live in my world again for a while. Either way, I’m ready to share some of the 5 glorious days that we spent in Tokyo on route to Thailand a couple of months ago! Enjoy – it’s a doozy!
One of my favourite places in all of Tokyo was the Tsukiji fish market. The market is right along the harbour and fish comes in during the early morning hours to be auctioned off to wholesalers and restaurants. Derek and I were extremely jet-lagged and both sat around wide awake in our hotel room at 4:00am on our first morning in Tokyo. Since we were up early and ready to take on the day it was the perfect opportunity to check out the break of dawn markets and auctions.
I really love this picture with me standing outside one of the huge market buildings because you can see that it is so early that it is still kind of dark outside. Don’t you think I look super awake?
The market was extremely busy and little carts and people kept whizzing by us with fresh fish and produce and there was a lot of auctioning and yelling going on. I think they were unimpressed by us because we were totally in their way… oops.
I loved looking around the different stalls and noticed that many people had kettles on stoves set up for their morning tea and coffee.
In the next picture I adore how the soft early morning sun announces the arrival of the day. So beautiful. I love being up early in the morning!
Derek and I got very hungry and were craving some coffee but for the life of us couldn’t find a coffee shop open because it was so early. Then we noticed all of these families sitting around on the sidewalk eating steaming hot bowls of noodles! My western stomach wanted some toast or oatmeal and it seemed odd to eat noodles for breakfast. What did I tell you, it was our very first morinng there! Turns out noodles and broth actually make for a fantastic breakfast.
The market did not only have fish, but many street blocks lined with various food vendors. My oh my, this place is so alive and friendly and photogenic!!
It was fascinating see all of the food and produce that I didn’t recognize.
As good tourists should, we explored what feels like the entire city with a guidebook in hand. Since this was a last minute trip we did not have a lot of time to do research before we left home. I was jet-lagged for the first few days, but Derek kept us going! I can almost hear him say: “we need to jump on the subway at so-and-so station and then transfer to the purple line here (points at a spot on the map), then we get off at so-and-so station”. I am so glad we kept busy, because we made the very best of our time there and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the various diverse neighbourhoods. Every neighbourhood had a different scene and vibe.
Our overall impression is that the Japanese people are extremely friendly and polite. I think some of them found it intriguing when we were struggling our way through the subway or a food menu, and most people gave a huge smile and wanted to help us out.
Tokyo is also incredibly clean and organized. We were very impressed by the fact that trains come and go when they say they will, and that people all follow the rules. It makes navigating the city very easy!
Oh yes, and I was in love with the fashion. The Japanese girls are extremely stylish! They dress very feminine and love to wear skirts and tights – beautiful!
Speaking of high fashion… you may notice that I wear the same clothes in every picture. What can I say, I was determined to pack light! Since we were only in Japan for 4 nights and the cold weather required bulky clothing I figured I could mix up my outfit by wearing a different scarf every day!
The social media fanatic in me loved this twitter sign by a restaurant entrance. I was so happy to see something I understand!
I don’t talk about this much on Revel, but I am a bit of a picky eater. Not cool, I know. I am not picky in the sense of different tastes and textures, but it is important for me to know where my food comes from and where it was prepared. Hygienic standards and quality of ingredients matter to me. I also don’t eat a lot a lot of seafood. I don’t know what’s up with all of that but, I try not to let it control me. So anyways, eating on vacation can be a bit of a challenge. Throw in some blood sugar issues which make me I have to eat often (or basically all the time) and you got yourself a girl who is always on the lookout for food and always, ALWAYS has snacks in her purse.
I ate mostly vegetarian in Tokyo, and mostly noodles with broth. I completely LOVE soba noodles. They are made of buckwheat and I love the slight grainy taste. Don’t worry though, I did put on a brave face in the name of adventure and tried a few new things, so at least I tried it!
We played a game every day where we bought candy at convenience stores to find out what they were – most of the mystery candies were super delicious!
I am so intrigued by the Japanese and their diet because the people on the island of Japan have the longest life expectancy in the world!
This is what I was expecting to see when going to Tokyo: lots of bright lights, signs and advertising with busy streets.
In Akihabara (the tech centre of the city) we came across many pachinko places. My description of it is this: “Several stories of complicated gambling games that look like arcade games where there are 50 different songs playing very loudly all at once and there are many flashing lights”. It was the most incredible thing to see – the people gambling there were totally in a trance!
I tried some arcade games myself… only I had no idea how it worked!
Oh yes: and we did karaoke! It was awesome! You go into this building with many floors filled with private karaoke booths and book one at an hourly rate. The two of us had our own room with a TV and microphones and we just got completely silly! I hope the room full of locals next to us were not offended when we joyously started belting out “Turning Japanese” by the Vapours!
All in all Tokyo was an incredible experience! It is such a gentle, sophisticated and diverse city and I feel completely fortunate to have wandered around there for a few days!
Don’t worry folks, the story is not over yet, because after spending 4 days in Tokyo we spent 2 whole weeks in Thailand, so I have lots more stories to tell!
Oh chocolate, you taste so good!
I’ve been struggling with a bit of a sugar addiction lately – it totally crept up on me. Sneaky little thing, that sugar! I guess the more sugar you have the more sugar you want to have? I remember not too long ago (back when I was not such a sugar fiend), I used to be able to enjoy the sweetness of fruit, or even of unsweetened hot tea. My palette was able to pick up on the fine traces of sweetness and be fully satisfied.
So in an effort to eat for optimum health AND enjoyment, I have been on the lookout for some seriously healthy ways to get my chocolate fix. Now, THIS one is especially delicious on a stack of pancakes!
The recipe is not my own, so I gotta give credit where it’s due. I found this hazelnut spread recipe through one of my favourite health coaches, Joy of Joyous Health, and you can find it here. Seriously check her out for fantastic tips on healthy living!
I have to say though, with all respect to the fabulous Joy, my palette is used to more sweetness, so I added about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to the recipe. Ah sugar!
You will see one ingredient that may not be a pantry staple for you (yet!), and that is coconut oil. I have been using coconut oil for the last year or so as an occasional substitute for butter or olive oil, especially in stir fries. Coconut oil is also incredibly amazing as a body moisturizer. Moisturize your skin with coconut oil right after you get out of the shower for extra soft and smooth skin. This is especially wonderful during the drier winter months.
Don’t have enough time to whip up a batch of pancakes? Here are some of my other favourite ways to consume this ultra healthy chocolate hazelnut spread:
- Mixed into my morning bowl of heart healthy oatmeal
- On toast with peanut or almond butter (so good when it gets all melty!)
- In a banana and yogurt smoothie
What’s so awesome about hazelnuts?
- excellent source of vitamin E
- wonderful source of protein
- kick-ass source of folate
- fantastic source of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats
- super source of antioxidants
What’s so awesome about cocoa?
- mighty fine source of antioxidants
- incredible mood booster as it increases the levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain
- fantastic source of magnesium, which cuts the risk of diabetes and also relieves PMS (yes!)
Phew! I think I almost ran out of adjectives!
Speaking of chocolate: Who likes FREE chocolate??
Adora is a calcium supplement in the form of creamy and smooth chocolate disks! I love having a guiltless Adora chocolate as my after dinner treat. At only 30 calories per disk I get to satisfy my sweet tooth AND get my daily calcium and vitamin D.
Leave a comment on this post by 8pm EST Tuesday, Feb 29 to enter the draw to win a bag of each of the Adora Milk and Dark chocolates!
Nutritional info from here and here and here.
{Disclosure: I received 2 sample bags from Adora in return for an honest review}
There are two words that probably don’t come to mind when you think of curry: “bananas” and “coconut”. Well in my world they absolutely go together!
I grew up putting coconut and banana on curry in South Africa. It reminds me of church bazaars in the winter. And.It.Is.Delicious. I think this combination comes from Malaysian or Indonesian influences? A third addition, which I do not have, is usually a nice fruit chutney like Mrs. Ball’s. Remind me to pick up some Mrs. Ball’s chutney, okay?
The banana and coconut not only adds to the flavour of the dish, but serves as a neutralizer for the spices. I accidentally added too many red pepper flakes and found that the banana was wonderful for balancing out or eliminating the excess spiciness.
You know how adding a pinch of salt to cookies brings out the sweetness? Or how adding a little bit of sugar to a nice stew or bolognese sauce brings out the saltiness – this is the exact same thing. It’s almost like a science experiment with delicious results.
I had the pleasure of meeting Preena at a blogger brunch last fall and she was so generous to give all of us some of her curry and other Indian spice samples. For those who don’t know, Preena sells her own brand of Indian spices, Arvinda’s, and also offers Indian cooking classes.
I’ve been waiting to make something special with her curry powder and knew that this recipe would do the trick! And oh my, I was very impressed by this curry. It has a great depth to it. Preena, thanks so much for the samples! I still have some madras masala and garam masala to try out, so I will have to check out your website for recipe ideas!
So exactly what is in this curry, other than bananas and coconut?
- 1/2 tbs of EVOO
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 tbs salted butter
- 1 heaping tbs of yellow curry (I used Arvinda’s curry powder)
- 1/2 tsp of cumin
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it)
- 1/2 cup of milk (or more if you need more sauce)
- 2 tbs of flour
- 1 can of chickpeas
- salt and pepper to taste
- rice (I prefer basmati rice)
- shredded, unsweetened coconut to taste
- sliced banana to taste
How to:
- Fry the onion and red pepper in a small pan with a splash of EVOO and set aside once the onions are golden.
- In a large saucepan, add the butter, curry powder, cumin, and turmeric, red pepper flakes, and mix together while frying.
- Add the flour and milk bit by bit, whisking continuously to prevent clumps from forming. This should form a nice thin paste.
- Add the previously fried onion and red pepper, as well as the chickpeas and more milk until you have sauce. Add more milk if you want more sauce.
- Keep the pot on low to medium heat to simmer the sauce and to cook the chickpeas.
- While the sauce and chickpeas are cooking, prepare your rice (let’s assume you know how to do that!).
- Serve with shredded coconut and banana to taste.
* You may choose to add chicken to this recipe. Fry the chicken with the onion and red pepper and add to the sauce.
So there you have it: another great winter dish! And as a bonus it is really healthy too.
Don’t be scared off by the bananas and coconut!
Let’s hear it! I know some people feel very strongly about fruit not belonging in their dinner. Where do you stand on this very important matter?
Doesn’t it seem like people are always on a quest for more extreme experiences? We chase new, weird and wonderful experiences thinking pure joy lies within it.
While I am a sucker for these experiences too, there is a therapeutic magic in performing well known and loved rituals. Something about it quiets my mind. It gives me the opportunity to reflect, to just be in the moment. It is often while performing long established rituals that I feel an immense gratitude fall over me.
Rituals really are actions or habits that ground us. Every season in life offers unique rituals. And thankfully, every season in nature offers these rituals too. They are free for the taking!
Oh winter. I have such a love hate relationship with you. Mostly love though, so we are not breaking up just yet.
No matter what the season, I usually feel very alive after talking a walk. Even if it takes forever to get out the door in the winter (if you live somewhere cold you know exactly what I mean!). Layers of clothing, a scarf perfectly tied around your neck, mittens, coat, sometimes a hat, and definitely shoes with a good grip. And if it’s really cold you have to make sure your scarf covers your nose!
There are so many physical benefits to getting out for a walk: you get your heart pumping, you breathe fresh air, you catch a bit of sun on your face and have rosy cheeks as a result of it all. Your body will thank you for it!
Perhaps the most valuable result is the effect on your mood! When I’m in a bit of a funk I always feel better after a walk. You know I often say that travelling is so great because it gives you a fresh perspective on your life and things you are dealing with. Well, I dare say that just getting out the door can do the exact same thing!
Sometimes I love to walk alone. I observe, and think and ponder very deep things. I people watch. I thank God for another glorious day – for the chance to be exactly where I am at that precise moment.
Other times I like to walk with a loved one. I’ve had many big and important conversations while walking and talking. A lot of advise and companionship. Hey, sometimes it’s awesome even if you don’t speak a word. Just be together.
By the way, do you see that frozen wave in the above photo? Crazy! That’s Lake Ontario and I’m standing on the beach taking the picture.
You know when you get back from your walk and the moment you step into the house a wall of heat hits you in the face? It is hard to imagine that before your walk you had to get dressed in so many layers and the thought of going out into the cold was awful. And now your body is warm and you cannot peal off all of those layers fast enough!
No winter ritual is complete without a hot beverage. After being outside and being exposed to the elements it is incredibly comforting and soothing to hold a warm mug in your hands. I hold my mug in both hands for the full effect. And then I bring the mug up to my nose and smell the sweet warmness. Rituals. Therapy. Warm heart and hands.
Remember earlier in this post I said that I don’t dislike winter too much? It is because it doesn’t last forever. Yes it is cold and messy and it takes forever to get dressed and out the door. But you know what? In just a few weeks it will be gone. It will be hot and we will play volleyball on this exact same beach. And I will think back to these magical, bundled up walks that gave me rosy cheeks!
Happy Valentines Day!
Is this really yet another holiday giving us the excuse to indulge in sweets and chocolates? Uhm…I think I can handle that!
This past weekend I made cupcakes to indulge my sweet tooth (and my hunny’s sweet tooth). But these cupcakes are all about the frosting! Chocolate’s undoubtedly got its place in the world and I’m a huge vanilla fan but I felt like having somethin’ a little different this time.
Enter vanilla cupcakes with Peach and Apricot Tea Frosting! I am a big time tea lover and always have a whole bunch of different kinds and flavours in my kitchen cupboard. The other day I was flipping through a pretty book at the bookstore and saw Earl Grey icing on a cake… the wheels started turning and Peach and Apricot Tea Frosting was born.
The sweet fruitiness of the peach an apricot, coupled with a hint of that distinctive black tea flavour made for the perfect cupcake frosting. Oh my word I couldn’t keep my fingers out of the mixing bowl!
Using tea as the base for your frosting leaves you with virtually unlimited options: I am already thinking of using some berry or pomegranate tea, or maybe even some peppermint or lavender tea.
So just how do you get the real deal tea flavour into your frosting?
You will need:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup of boiled water
- 3 bags of Peach and Apricot Tea (or whatever tea you want to use)
How to:
- Bring the cream and water to a boil. Add the teabags and set aside to steep for at least 15 minutes
- In a bowl, cream the butter and add the vanilla
- Sift in the icing sugar and keep mixing
- Squeeze all the cream and water out of the teabag and add the liquid to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until you have a thick frosting
So I know that today is the big LOOOOVE day, but let’s make sure we show our love every day… and maybe have a spoon of frosting while we’re at it!
