Santa Clause Parade and Sharing Vegan Peppermint Cookies Recipe

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Yesterday I went with my family to the Oakville Christmas parade. We enjoyed watching the bands, floats, and inflated trees and soldiers walk by. The most exciting part of the parade was of course Santa passing through.

The decorated tree in the town square

Later on, my sister made delicious peppermint chocolate cookies which are vegan so I could have some too.  They were so good and I loved the vegan chocolate chips which were added in as well.

Recipe: Vegan Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies from the Beaming Baker.

I helped decorate my parent's Christmas tree with many wonderful ornaments my mom and dad have collected over the years. It is not fully decorated yet, I will share a picture soon. It was fun listening to Christmas music, drinking almond milk-"eggnog", and eating cookies while we decorated. Later on, my sister and I knitted and crocheted by the Christmas tree together.

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Have a great day! 

Preparing For Blocking, Healthy Smoothie Recipes, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I had a wonderful weekend spending time with my family and going shopping and now all the summer sales are happening, so it is a good time to shop! We got our new Sealy mattress, bed frame, and headboard delivered on Sunday which we purchased at Sleep Country and it is so comfortable. It is taking me awhile to get used to it though, I have a hard time sleeping on different beds or in different places right away but I know I am already adjusting to it. I am looking forward to this week, I will be working on blocking some sweater pieces finally and continuing to finish my Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief.

I have the materials all ready to begin the blocking process for the pieces of my sweater. I have the blocking mats that I bought at Walmart instead of using some more expensive blocking squares I found. I also bought some blocking pins from Walmart. They aren't the T-pins I keep seeing people use, but I will give them a try. I will be sharing my experience blocking all the sweater pieces, along with some before and after shots in the next posts.

Close-up of the pins

 I have also been knitting more of the chevron lace scarf and loving this pattern. I am looking forward to wearing it towards the end of the summer when it is a bit cooler.  I am almost finished the last section of stockinette pattern before the final garter/eyelet section and finishing section. I hope to block the kerchief next week.

To be a scarf using the chevron lace stitch pattern

Kerchief in progress, almost finished

I have still been reading Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy by Helen Fielding and Into the Water By Paula Hawkins. I have not been reading too fast these days. I think I just need to pick a time each day when I sit down and read. I can't read in the late afternoon too much or else I will get too sleepy. I am really enjoying these two books!

I tried two smoothie recipes with the new Hamilton Beach Personal Creations Blender I bought on Saturday. It works so well, and it is so powerful for such a small blender. I love it because after you blend your ingredients, you can drink right from the same cup. It is so fast and easy, and cuts back on dishes. The two smoothie recipes I found and tried this week are the Hearty Fruit and Oat Smoothie from Martha Stewart and the Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie from Gimme Some Oven. Hope you give them a try!

Hearty Fruit and Oat Smoothie:

Ingredients

Ingredients:
I split all the ingredients in half for this smoothie because I am doing a weight loss challenge which requires me to eat only two servings of fruit each day(more about the challenge below). It tasted great with half the ingredients and it was enough to eat for me.

1 cup quartered strawberries  

1 sliced banana     

¼ cup raw almonds          

12 cup old-fashioned oats        

1 cup of low-fat yogurt             

1 teaspoon maple syrup         

Method: 
put all ingredients into the blender, blend and enjoy

Recipe from Martha Stewart 

What I thought: 
I loved this smoothie, I liked the taste of the almonds and the oats mixed in with the fruit. I felt so energized after drinking this and that it would fill me up for the morning. I can see this being a good drink for when you need a quick breakfast to take with you on the go. The only thing I would change about this smoothie, would be to make it colder by adding frozen fruit or ice to the mixture.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

Ingredients:
1 large banana peeled
1 cup of ice cubes
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 heaping tbsp of peanut butter
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, store bought or homemade

Method:

put all ingredients into a blender, blend and enjoy!

Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

What I thought:
This one was my favorite. I am obsessed with peanut butter and banana, so I knew I would love it. I like that it is colder too because of the added ice. I really enjoyed drinking this smoothie for breakfast this morning and it filled me up until lunchtime. With its simple ingredients and delicious taste, I have a feeling I will being making this one a lot.

I have been still working on losing weight and getting toned by following the Cityline Weight Loss Challenge guidelines which is basically each day eat  3 protein, 3-4 fats, 1 grain (the hardest one, and no grain at dinner), eat lots of vegetables, and 2 fruits. I had fallen off the wagon a bit, but my mom and sister are also doing the plan and they encouraged me to get back on track and we have all be encouraging each other. So far I have lost 12 pounds but I feel a change recently again and I feel more motivated to resist temptation and grains at dinner so I think the loss will pick up again. I really want this for myself and I am feeling less bloated and feeling better lately which was my reason for starting.

 I still need to have my gelato in the evening sometimes!

Joining along with Frontier Dreams with Crafting On, The Little Room of Rachell with Yarning Along, AsKatKnits with Unraveled Wednesday, and Julie's Creative Lifestyle with Cooking and Crafting with J&J.

Thank you so much for dropping by! I hope you liked the post today. If you would like to keep updated on when I post, please follow me on Bloglovin' or Google Followers and you can get notifications on when I post.

Have a great day!

What I am Knitting and More Updates

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. It is a cold and wintry day here in Toronto. It has been snowing most of the day now and it probably won't stop for quite awhile we are expecting a lot of snow! (25 cm). I thought it was almost spring, but I guess we still have to put up with a bit more winter. I hope my plants and flowers aren't too cold!

Two of my african violets, hopefully not freezing by the window with a view of the winter wonderland outside 

My bamboo plant and aloe plant in the kitchen 

Last week I started knitting a swatch out of Bernat Sox yarn to get ready to knit a sock. It took quite awhile to knit up the swatch but it was the correct gauge and I got the all clear to start knitting my sock The color is "Sangria" and I love these colors together it has been making an interesting pattern so far as I knit the sock cuff. I have to knit another inch of the cuff.  I am knitting the socks on double pointed needles and before this I have only knitted socks on circular needles so it might be a learning curve for me.

Photo from last week when I was knitting a swatch to measure the gauge 

Knitting up the sock with 2.75 mm needles and the Bernat Sox super fine yarn in Sangria color 

The front piece of the sweater is getting longer I have been knitting it up when watching the Bachelor (final episode tonight!) or This is Us (another show I love). It is a nice repetitive pattern and I have been enjoying knitting it while being somewhat distracted. We all need projects on the go like this right? ones we can just pick up and knit without too much concentration. The infinity scarf is almost finished, and I just have a little bit more to knit.

I got dinner cooking in the slow cooker today, I am making Honey-garlic chicken thighs in the slow cooker. It has been cooking for 2 1/2 hours so far and the whole apartment smells so good! I have tried making them one other time, and they were so delicious. The chicken thighs come out so moist and so flavored. It is a recipe my boyfriend's mother gave us and has quickly become a favorite of ours.  The recipe is pretty simple, you just have to make the sauce with most ingredients that people have in their kitchen already and then add the chicken thighs. Cook for 6 hours then voila you have dinner! I want to share this tasty recipe with you, it is posted below.

Dinner is cooking away in the slow cooker, it smells delicious

Honey-Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken (recipe from allrecipes.com)

4 Skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/3 cup of honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of dried basil

Directions:
1. Lay chicken thighs into the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker
2. Whisk soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, and basil together in a bowl; pour over the chicken
3. Cook on Low for 6 hours

Enjoy!

Thank you so much for dropping by! I hope that you enjoyed the post and have yourself a wonderful day!  Please follow me on Bloglovin or Google Followers (links on right side panel) if you would like to get updates on my blog!

Current Knitting Projects and Oatmeal Protein Ball Recipe

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I have been working on knitting a couple of projects lately, the blue infinity scarf and the front piece of the sweater. They are both coming along well,  but I need to buy another skein of the blue yarn this week to finish up the scarf. I have been making some progress with the sweater piece, it is getting longer day by day I can't wait to start the neckline.  For my next project, I am thinking of knitting some socks with fingering yarn, so this week I will stop by Michael's to pick up both the yarn for the scarf and some new yarn for the socks.

Infinity scarf halfway done

The front piece of the sweater in progress

I tried out a new recipe today that would make a great healthy snack called "Oatmeal protein energy balls" from the Cityline website. I really like them they taste amazing. I am supposed to only eat two as a snack as part of the weight loss challenge, but I feel satisfied after eating only two.

Oatmeal protein energy balls in the container 

Protein balls recipe:  from Cityline 

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I bought Nestle Boost)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 1/2 cup smooth, natural peanut butter
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
• 2-4 tbsp water (I added 4 tablespoons to help the ingredients stick together

Directions: 

• Mix oats, protein powder, cinnamon and flax to large bowl.
• combine peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract (Will be sticky and crumbly) 
• add in liquids, use your hands to combine until it comes together in a sticky ball that holds together. If mixture is too dry, add in more liquid but not so much that it won’t hold shape.
• Roll into balls using hands.
• Place in a container to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Store in fridge until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

I tried them and I loved them!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I hope you like the recipe today and maybe will give it a try. I will catch up with you on Wednesday for Ginny's Yarn Along. If you like what you saw today there will be more coming, you can follow my blog on Bloglovin' or on Google followers. 

Have a great day!

Yarn Along Wednesday: Knitlandia, Sweater Knitting, and Healthy Recipe Sharing

Hello Friends

I hope you are all doing well. I have been busy knitting up the front part of the sweater lately since I finished the back piece. I am looking forward to getting to the neckline which will be the part of the front piece which is really different from the back piece. I have also been knitting up swatches in different stitches for my Stitchy Saturday posts.
I have been reading Knitlandia by Clara Parkes. I just started reading it, and I can already tell that I will really enjoy it. I can't wait to read about all of her travels and knitting along the way.  Have any of you read it before? I am reading it on my Toronto Library account, they are affiliated with Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks so you can actually borrow books online which I find so convenient.

Knitlandia and front piece of sweater

I started the Cityline Weight Loss Challenge in January. It is a very popular weight loss challenge in the Greater Toronto Area. It is lead by Dr. Joey Shulman, who is a nutritionist and an author. I love the program so far I have been eating way healthier than before and really focusing on what I am eating. I have been drinking more green tea and herbal teas at night which is so calming. I like to drink the teas while I am knitting my sweater and watching tv. I really love some of the dishes I started making while on the plan. What I love about this plan is that it is not focused on calories but on the quality of the foods you eat that promote a balance in your blood sugar levels so you don't reach for things that will cause you to gain weight. I have also just finished reading Joey Shylman's book called "The Metabolism Boosting Diet" which offers so much more information about why we are eating certain foods and avoiding others.  I highly recommend this diet if you want to lose weight in a healthy way and also want to have more energy and feel better which is also what I have achieved from starting this diet.I will be sharing my weight loss journey with you when I am finished with before and after photos. Below are some of the recipes I have tried from Cityline.ca. I will include recipes below and links to where I found the recipes. The photos are all taken by me.

Chicken Pesto and roasted brussel sprouts (dinner) 

Pesto chicken with roasted Brussels sprouts

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. piece of chicken
• 1 tablespoon pesto
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup Brussels sprouts, halved
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Pre heat oven to 350F. Top chicken with pesto and tomatoes and coat Brussels sprouts with olive oil and sea salt.  Put everything in oven for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside and brussels sprouts have softened.

GF = gluten free

recipe from Cityline

Greek Quinoa Salad (lunch)

 Greek Quinoa Salad

Serves 1

• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• ¼ cup green peppers
• ¼ cup cucumbers
• 7 black olives
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon, squeezed
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 hard boiled egg, sliced in half
• 1 tablespoon feta cheese

Method:

Add cooked quinoa into large bowl and add in peppers, cucumbers, and olives. In small bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice and oregano and add into large bowl. Mix everything together and top with egg and sprinkle with cheese.

Recipe from Cityline

Open-faced turkey and avocado sandwich (lunch)

Open-faced turkey and avocado sandwich 

Ingredients: 

• 1 slice of sprouted grain toast
• 4 oz. of nitrate-free turkey slices
• Lettuce, tomato slices
• Thinly sliced avocado
• 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1/2 tbsp mustard

Recipe from Cityline

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and let me know in the comments below if you would like me to share more healthy recipes I find.

 

Delicious craisin cookies recipe!

Hello friends,

Sorry I have been MIA lately.  I have been really busy with work and some other adventures. I will recommence bogging again.
Today I kept myself busy with going to the gym, baking, and a bit of grocery shopping..  a rather relaxing Sunday :)
Here is a photo of the cookies I baked.  They are delicious! made predominately with dried cranberries and chocolate chips, rolled oatmeal flakes.

I found the recipe on the back of the dried cranberries package Ocean Spray brand.  They were so delicious, I had two but they are filling! :)

You can find the recipe: here



I am going to be working on my sister's throw more now because she is leaving for residence soon (in September) and I want her to take it with her! I will be posting progress photos :)
Hope everyone is doing well,