Browsing Tag

calgary foodie

Create, DIY, Occasions, Pantone, Wine & Cocktails, Winter

DIY | MISTLETOE-INSPIRED WINE CHARMS

Hosting a New Years Eve or holiday party, and need a last minute idea to kick your decor up a notch? Add a thoughtful touch to your soirée with my DIY Mistletoe-Inspired Wine Charms! They’re cute, easy and inexpensive to create — all you need is seasonal greenery and berries, hoop earrings and copper wire in various colours. And the best part is that you can make them in less than an hour, for about $20! These wine charms are a fun way to help guests keep track of their drinks at a cocktail party, and they can also take them home as a keepsake and dry them. And if you’re hosting a New Years Eve Party, they may also come in handy at midnight!

December 30, 2015 by Justine

Entertain, Occasions, Pantone, Wine & Cocktails, Winter

SPARKLING POMEGRANATE CRANBERRY SANGRIA

I really love sangria. I love it so much that sometimes my girlfriends and I are referred to as The Sangria Sisters — and I’m not mad at it! I also like to eat (and drink) as seasonally as possible, so I created this holiday sangria recipe inspired by seasonal flavours, Gatsby glam, and New Years Eve bubbly. Traditional sangria gets a luxurious makeover in my Sparkling Pomegranate Cranberry Sangria — I’m swapping wine for bubbles, and infusing the recipe with flavours of pomegranate, cranberry, orange, and ginger, plus a healthy splash of Grand Marnier to send it over the top. Enjoy this sangria at your holiday parties, or to ring in the New Year, because as the great F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” Cheers!

December 23, 2015 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dessert & Treats, Food, Gluten Free, Occasions, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter

DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY ENERGY BITES

I believe that if you’re going to treat yourself, you can nourish yourself at the same time — so this year I’m putting a whole food spin on traditional holiday sweets. These are my kind of treats — the ones you feel really good about indulging in (sometimes I even have them with my morning coffee!). Next time you’re looking for a quick, no-bake, holiday party treat, try my Dark Chocolate Raspberry Energy Bites! They’re a healthier alternative to traditional holiday truffles or rich, chocolate-based desserts. They’re also vegan and free of gluten and refined sugar — perfect for parties where guests have food sensitivities and allergies. You can whip these festive little bites up in just 10 minutes, and keep them on-hand for last-minute guests, holiday gatherings, or all for yourself!

December 9, 2015 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dinner, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Paleo, Salads & Bowls

TANGLED THAI SALAD WITH GINGER PEANUT SAUCE

Fall flavours are great and all, but this week I needed to switch things up — I was craving something light, fresh and colourful! Today I’m sharing the recipe for my Tangled Thai Salad — a simple, healthy salad overflowing with veggies and plant-based protein (including the best Ginger Peanut Sauce, ever). I love to make a big salad for dinner when I feel like I need a some extra nourishment, and the extremely brown landscape in Calgary lately has left me craving come colour! My recipe is a crowd pleaser — I’ve served it for many girl dinners (for those of you who are new, I have dinner with my college girlfriends every week!). I also share my tips for making your salad look pretty when you’re serving it as a main course — because we eat with our eyes first, right?!

November 15, 2015 by Justine

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Fall, Food, Gluten Free, Smoothies & Juices, Vegan, Vegetarian

SPICY PUMPKIN PERSIMMON SMOOTHIE

I think this was the year that my favourite season changed, from summer to autumn. Not only is it the most beautiful season, I truly believe that fall flavours are the best — it’s the time of year I feel most inspired in the kitchen, and always come up with tons of new recipes. If you’ve been with me for awhile, you know that I love to add unique ingredients to my smoothies. I drink smoothies and fresh juices a lot — it’s is the easiest way I can make sure I’m properly nourished, even when I’m super busy. But, I get bored easily, so I never make the same smoothie more than a few times!

This fall, I’ve been really into making my own pumpkin puree (it’s easy, and I tell you how I do it in the post!). It’s so much better than store-bought. One day when I was experimenting, I tried some in a smoothie, combined with sweet and creamy persimmon, and spicy fall flavours like fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. This is one of my favourite smoothies yet — it tastes like an indulgent treat, but it’s brimming with healthy, nourishing ingredients!

October 28, 2015 by Justine

Dairy Free, Fall, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

AUTUMN HARVEST SOUP WITH ROASTED SQUASH SEEDS

I love to make soup in the fall, and squash based soups are my favourite. So, I decided to take all the delicious things I had in my kitchen that were in fresh and in season, and roast them with warming, autumnal spices. I picked up tons of squash and apples at a fresh food market in Creston, BC recently (where they grow their produce on a farm right behind the market), and I combined them with carrots, onions, and some rhubarb from my friend Heather’s garden (you can’t eat more local than that!). I also roasted the squash seeds and use them for a garnish! My Autumn Harvest Soup with Roasted Squash Seeds is the ultimate autumn comfort food — hearty, nourishing and velvety smooth. It’s an ultra clean recipe, if you’re looking for simple dinner ideas this week to help detox from Thanksgiving festivities!

October 14, 2015 by Justine

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert & Treats, Food, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

CLIF ORGANIC TRAIL MIX BAR REVIEW

I’m all about healthy, on-the-go options, so when I heard about these Organic Trail Mix Bars from CLIF Bar, I was excited to try them. Granola bars often get a bad rap for being full of unhealthy ingredients and tons of sugar, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that these trail mix bars were full of simple, clean, nourishing ingredients — and we all know I’m a big fan of trail mix! Today I’m chatting about 5 different flavours and giving you the run down on which ones I liked best (spoiler alert: they’re all pretty tasty!). These bars are dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan (although some of them do contain dairy-free dark chocolate) — all the things I love in a snack! They’re also 200 calories or less.

September 30, 2015 by Justine

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