Summer Plans

I can't believe that there's less than two week until I'm off to Quebec for six weeks: four weeks in a French program where I'll be speaking French entirely, plus another week and a half spent in Montréal with my sister before coming home again. I'll be put on a plane to Quebec City, after a quick layover in Toronto (I'll definitely check out the restaurants with an iPad at each seat!), where I'll then make my way to Rivière-du-Loup by coach - among another 3,000 kids all traveling to similar programs across the eastern part of the country that day. Atleast I won't be alone!

I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm thrilled to be travelling somewhere new (crazy that I've traveled to Europe so many times, but have never visited anywhere in Canada farther east than the Rockies!), and I'm also a little apprehensive that I might miss the final moments with my friends on Bowen, before they're off to university, and we're off in a moving van to Victoria in the fall.

With the sun shining consistantly these past few days, up before I wake up and already warming the house, and setting just as we finish dinner on the deck (rare for our usually rainy June), I'm inspired to get up from the sunny breakfast table and explore - outside, in the trees by my house, or along the beaches... or even farther... an adventure of sorts, and with it, a new experience.

I thought with plans of upcoming adventures, I'd check back to Moorea Seal's 52 List Project, and choose another to begin summer with. You can check {here} to see the last list I posted: My Greatest Comforts. Today, I wan't to write down all my goals for this summer, just before it officially begins in the calendar year this Friday (and the longest day of the year!)

It's important to me this summer that I don't miss out on special experiences, once in a lifetime
adventures, or miss some event on Bowen that I've always wanted to enjoy but never have. This is the summer to do all the things I've wanted to do.

I want to also remember that with each day comes a new opportunity to step outside and go somewhere, even if it is just down the road, to a new coffee shop, or taking a different route during the daily dog walk. Going somewhere close can have the same power as travelling across the world as we make the choice to do something which breaks from the mold that shapes our everyday life. To me, that could mean hopping on the ferry halfway through the day just because. Just because there's nothing better than having a little excitement in each day. Becayse why not allow ourselves to enjoy each and every moment. We have everyday full of opportunities to be both refreshed and excited by the new things that can arise from each day.

I'm very excited about the upcoming months, and everything that will be happening around me. However, I also need to remind myself often of the importance in keeping a clear mind, and to not get overwhelmed. So, summer goals here we go. After a whole, hearty, and delcious breakfast to get me going, I'm ready for list making!

MY SUMMER PLANS

go to zumba
go to Quebec City
bike around bowen
keep a journal
go to Strawberry Tea
shopping in Montréal with my sister
make a fort (and sleep in it!)
tea party!apple picking
berry picking with dad
swimming in the lake
see the movie Monster's University
go camping
road trip to the Okanagan
make jam
figure out my travel plans for next year
make a gluten free rhubarb pie
sun tan!
run around the lake often
go to the beaches with friends
late night beach picnics
camp fire
try and wake up earlier
see the sun rise?
read in the sun
craft and sew
draw
learn french
be happy!


Flax and Hemp Seed Cereal

{Print me here}

Grabbing the latest gluten free cereal from the grocery store shelf can be easy, and frankly much less time consuming, however, it can also be pricey week after week. So, a simple and delicious homemade alternative is needed don't you think? And this healthy alternative doesn't contain any added preservatives or "fillers". It's just whole ingredients!

There's no added sweetener to this recipe, so if you'd like a little sugar in your morning routine (although I would recommend trying this without it first!), add in a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey, or another choice of sweetener.

So go on, grab up your ingredients and prepare for a delicious breakfast bowl the next morning!

{Makes about 2 cups}

{Ingredients:}

1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil 
1/2 - 3/4 cup apple sauce

1 tbsp cinnamon 
1/4 tsp ground cloves

{Directions:}

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a blender, process the nuts, coconut oil, and apple sauce with the spices until mixed completely. The mixture should not be very thick, but also not liquid.

On baking sheet (it doesn't need to be lined with parchment as the pictures suggest), spread out the mixture evenly, about 1/6 inch thick. Make sure it is even, otherwise cooking time will vary, burning some sections and leaving others gooey.


Bake in the oven for 15 minutes before reducing the heat to 250°F and baking for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and cut into 1/2 inch squares.

Make sure you have this morning to relax and enjoy the rise of the sun and the heating up of the day, sit by a window and watch the flutter of birds across the lawn, or the wind through the trees. Hold a mug of our favourite morning drink to sip while you munch on breakfast as well. How about this rich and tempting Maple Dark Chocolate Cocoa? It's delicious, warming, and soothing as well as you take a little time for yourself.

Maple Dark Chocolate Cocoa

{Print me here}


For those days, or mornings, when you need a little something else to keep you going, a rich and creamy drink, completely dairy-free and vegan, can satisfy that need, as well as the craving for chocolate. With a dash of cayenne pepper, this drink has a little added kick that'll jolt your taste buds, and keep you going back for another sip of the unique flavour created by the blend of maple and dark cocoa. It's that good!

I remember when I would stay over at my friend's house for the night when we were younger, each morning her mum would bring us each a steaming mug of hot cocoa in bed. It was a perfect way to start the day with a little sweetness and now, a little spice. 

{serves 1}


{Ingredients:}

10 oz almond milk (you could also use coconut, soy, or rice milk)
1 tbsp vegan dark chocolate cocoa powder 
1 tbsp maple syrup, add another tablespoon for a little more sweetness
2 dashes of ground cayenne powder

Himalayan salt and a dash of cinnamon to serve

{Directions:}

Heat the almond milk on medium-high heat either on the stove top or in the microwave, careful not to let it boil.

Stir in the cocoa powder until it completely dissolves, heating it up again if small chunks remain after some stirring.

Add the maple syrup and cayenne, stirring one last time.

Top with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and coarsely ground salt.

Serve in a heavy bottom mug, and hold it while you enjoy these moments to yourself, or as you share them with someone.

Enjoy! xx S

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Think of Me Gluten-Free: Summer Plans

18 June 2013

Summer Plans

I can't believe that there's less than two week until I'm off to Quebec for six weeks: four weeks in a French program where I'll be speaking French entirely, plus another week and a half spent in Montréal with my sister before coming home again. I'll be put on a plane to Quebec City, after a quick layover in Toronto (I'll definitely check out the restaurants with an iPad at each seat!), where I'll then make my way to Rivière-du-Loup by coach - among another 3,000 kids all traveling to similar programs across the eastern part of the country that day. Atleast I won't be alone!

I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm thrilled to be travelling somewhere new (crazy that I've traveled to Europe so many times, but have never visited anywhere in Canada farther east than the Rockies!), and I'm also a little apprehensive that I might miss the final moments with my friends on Bowen, before they're off to university, and we're off in a moving van to Victoria in the fall.

With the sun shining consistantly these past few days, up before I wake up and already warming the house, and setting just as we finish dinner on the deck (rare for our usually rainy June), I'm inspired to get up from the sunny breakfast table and explore - outside, in the trees by my house, or along the beaches... or even farther... an adventure of sorts, and with it, a new experience.

I thought with plans of upcoming adventures, I'd check back to Moorea Seal's 52 List Project, and choose another to begin summer with. You can check {here} to see the last list I posted: My Greatest Comforts. Today, I wan't to write down all my goals for this summer, just before it officially begins in the calendar year this Friday (and the longest day of the year!)

It's important to me this summer that I don't miss out on special experiences, once in a lifetime
adventures, or miss some event on Bowen that I've always wanted to enjoy but never have. This is the summer to do all the things I've wanted to do.

I want to also remember that with each day comes a new opportunity to step outside and go somewhere, even if it is just down the road, to a new coffee shop, or taking a different route during the daily dog walk. Going somewhere close can have the same power as travelling across the world as we make the choice to do something which breaks from the mold that shapes our everyday life. To me, that could mean hopping on the ferry halfway through the day just because. Just because there's nothing better than having a little excitement in each day. Becayse why not allow ourselves to enjoy each and every moment. We have everyday full of opportunities to be both refreshed and excited by the new things that can arise from each day.

I'm very excited about the upcoming months, and everything that will be happening around me. However, I also need to remind myself often of the importance in keeping a clear mind, and to not get overwhelmed. So, summer goals here we go. After a whole, hearty, and delcious breakfast to get me going, I'm ready for list making!

MY SUMMER PLANS

go to zumba
go to Quebec City
bike around bowen
keep a journal
go to Strawberry Tea
shopping in Montréal with my sister
make a fort (and sleep in it!)
tea party!apple picking
berry picking with dad
swimming in the lake
see the movie Monster's University
go camping
road trip to the Okanagan
make jam
figure out my travel plans for next year
make a gluten free rhubarb pie
sun tan!
run around the lake often
go to the beaches with friends
late night beach picnics
camp fire
try and wake up earlier
see the sun rise?
read in the sun
craft and sew
draw
learn french
be happy!


Flax and Hemp Seed Cereal


Grabbing the latest gluten free cereal from the grocery store shelf can be easy, and frankly much less time consuming, however, it can also be pricey week after week. So, a simple and delicious homemade alternative is needed don't you think? And this healthy alternative doesn't contain any added preservatives or "fillers". It's just whole ingredients!

There's no added sweetener to this recipe, so if you'd like a little sugar in your morning routine (although I would recommend trying this without it first!), add in a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey, or another choice of sweetener.

So go on, grab up your ingredients and prepare for a delicious breakfast bowl the next morning!

{Makes about 2 cups}

{Ingredients:}

1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil 
1/2 - 3/4 cup apple sauce

1 tbsp cinnamon 
1/4 tsp ground cloves

{Directions:}

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a blender, process the nuts, coconut oil, and apple sauce with the spices until mixed completely. The mixture should not be very thick, but also not liquid.

On baking sheet (it doesn't need to be lined with parchment as the pictures suggest), spread out the mixture evenly, about 1/6 inch thick. Make sure it is even, otherwise cooking time will vary, burning some sections and leaving others gooey.


Bake in the oven for 15 minutes before reducing the heat to 250°F and baking for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and cut into 1/2 inch squares.

Make sure you have this morning to relax and enjoy the rise of the sun and the heating up of the day, sit by a window and watch the flutter of birds across the lawn, or the wind through the trees. Hold a mug of our favourite morning drink to sip while you munch on breakfast as well. How about this rich and tempting Maple Dark Chocolate Cocoa? It's delicious, warming, and soothing as well as you take a little time for yourself.

Maple Dark Chocolate Cocoa



For those days, or mornings, when you need a little something else to keep you going, a rich and creamy drink, completely dairy-free and vegan, can satisfy that need, as well as the craving for chocolate. With a dash of cayenne pepper, this drink has a little added kick that'll jolt your taste buds, and keep you going back for another sip of the unique flavour created by the blend of maple and dark cocoa. It's that good!

I remember when I would stay over at my friend's house for the night when we were younger, each morning her mum would bring us each a steaming mug of hot cocoa in bed. It was a perfect way to start the day with a little sweetness and now, a little spice. 

{serves 1}


{Ingredients:}

10 oz almond milk (you could also use coconut, soy, or rice milk)
1 tbsp vegan dark chocolate cocoa powder 
1 tbsp maple syrup, add another tablespoon for a little more sweetness
2 dashes of ground cayenne powder

Himalayan salt and a dash of cinnamon to serve

{Directions:}

Heat the almond milk on medium-high heat either on the stove top or in the microwave, careful not to let it boil.

Stir in the cocoa powder until it completely dissolves, heating it up again if small chunks remain after some stirring.

Add the maple syrup and cayenne, stirring one last time.

Top with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and coarsely ground salt.

Serve in a heavy bottom mug, and hold it while you enjoy these moments to yourself, or as you share them with someone.

Enjoy! xx S

Labels: , , , , , ,

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