The Best Things in Life are Free -or Extremely Cheap! Summer Fashion Finds and Favourites

Have you heard the expression The Best Things in Life are Free. Well the coolest clothes can also be extremely cheap. I love finding things at thrift stores and garage sales. I think it really makes you think outside of the box and get creative about fashion, and that is where the best outfits arise from (I also love love the clearance aisle at Winners!). These are a few of my finds this summer. The average pricetag is $2 - $5.

Saks Fifth Avenue Hat

Leather, never worn. I pledge to rock these babies hard.

Timberlands!!. The perfect pair of slightly worn summer loafers. They complete me.

Leather Hippie Purse. Perfect for rocking that Emo Boho look  all over town - and yes those are mushrooms on it!

Forever Summer Salad

So Yum. And simple: spinach, apple, pineapple, cucumber, snap peas, feta and sunflower seeds with a simple honey vinegarette - 2 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP vinegar, 2 tsp honey, and some light salt and pepper. I ate it and almost forgot it was cold outside.

Easy, Cheap and Fail-Proof Natural Homemade Sunscreen

Make your own sunscreen using 4 or 5 basic ingredients.

My husband was pretty skeptical when I informed him that from this day forward I would forever be making my own sunscreen. I imagine he had visions of me in safety goggles messing around with powdered chemicals in our kitchen…

”Its because you read that Jessica Alba book right? The Honest Life??” he questioned

“I can understand how you would think that. Its not so much that I read it – I don’t even like Jessica Alba that much….” I struggled to explain.

“Let me guess then, its more that she validated some of the ideas you already had?”

``Basically…Yeah.`

Well homemade sunscreens have been getting a bad rap lately. I can understand why doctors and health professionals probably are hesitant to recommend that we all start mixing up sunscreen in our kitchen blenders - probably not a great idea when you are dealing with potentially dangerous substances like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that could be harmful if say ingested or left laying around. Plus who knows what adverse reactions could occur if people really started to experiment. I mean after all, we really aren’t a bunch of chemists.

That being said, I am not comfortable with the alternative of purchasing commercial sunscreen. And I am not comfortable with the price of "natural" (which for your information means absolutely nothing), or organic sunscreens (which are doing some good work but are still pretty pricey for a family on a budget), and many which - if you do your research - still may contain questionable ingredients.

So I prefer to make my own. I did alot of shopping around before I decided on this basic natural recipe which I borrowed from Wellness Mama and adjusted. It is fairly simple in terms of ingredients - you will have to order zinc oxide and beeswax - but other than that you should always be able to whip up a batch with ingredients you have on hand in about 10 – 15 mins. This is a key feature of this sunscreen recipe for me because I want to be able to make it as needed and avoid adding any preservatives. You don't have to use a blender, and you can make a small batch without destroying your kitchen - because lets face it its not fun to try to wash beeswax and oil off of your blender and kitchenware!

I ordered my zinc oxide and beeswax from New Directions Aromatics which you can find on the web. You want to make sure it is non-nano - so the particles cannot be potentially absorbed into your skin as one study has shown may be possible. You also want to double -check and make sure that it is 100% pure and contaminant free. If the company cannot guarantee this then its definetely not a good idea to make sunscreen out of it. The minimal order will probably cost you about $20 bucks and last you for years (you can always split it with a like-minded friend). But its still unbeatably cheap considering its about $10 for a small tube of sunscreen and much more for organic ones

.

At the end of the day here it is, not dressed up in a cute mason jar with a bow on or in a cute star-shaped bar. I must admit I had visions of myself as somewhat of a sunscreen-maker extraordinaire – turning out a bounty of beautiful lavish product, but truth be told its not pretty. Hopefully the fact that its not laden with chemicals and preservatives will help you overlook this. Its solid and doesn't melt in the sun, rubs into your skin without leaving a white residue, is somewhat waterproof, easily transportable, was fool-proof to make and most importantly I will not be putting crazy chemicals on my children’s skin. 

By my calculations this sunscreen is an SPF of approximately 28 (with about 1 SPF coming from the coconut oil). If you wanted a higher SPF you would add more zinc: http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Sunscreen/step4/SPF-Table/ was the reference I used to make my calculations. SPF is determined by what percentage of the lotion you the zinc makes up; the higher the percentage the zinc, the higher the SPF.  If you are striving for a particular SPF I would advise you to consult the chart and make your own calculations. Finally, this makes a body butter type of sunblock, if you are looking for more of a lotion consistency then you would use less beeswax.

Homemade Sunscreen

½ cup virgin cold-pressed olive oil

¼ cup virgin coconut oil (natural spf of 4)

¼ cup beeswax beads

4 TBSP non-nano 100% pure contaminant-free zinc oxide

Optional: About 20 – 30 drops essential oil (I used lavender - stay away from anything with citrus).

Optional: 1 tsp vitamin e oil (will extend the shelf life and offer additional sun protection benefits)

Before I proceed with these instructions, understand I am not a chemist, doctor or health care professional. I would advise you to do some of your own research to determine if a homemade sunscreen is right for you (people have reported that they burned wearing it, SPF values were not the same as those reported etc.) Bear in mind that my kids are olive-skinned and to us it is not vital that the SPF value is exact because they don't burn easily. I monitor them closely in the sun to watch for signs of burning and we don't go out on a regular basis for prolonged periods of sun exposure.

1) Boil a couple of inches of water in a pot. Put your olive oil, coconut oil and beeswax in a clean mason jar or empty pickle jar.

2)Place your jar in the boiling water, and turn the temperature down slightly (not enough to stop the water from boiling). Cover loosely with the jar lid.

3)Boil until your beeswax starts to melt, then stir until it until beeswax dissolves.

4)Remove from heat and add non-nano zinc and essential oil if desired – being careful not to breathe any of the particles! I held my breathe! Breathing particles = BAD.

5)Pour into a clean container you would like to store the sunscreen

6)Put lid on loosely and allow to cool, periodically stirring it to make sure zinc is evenly distributed.
7) Store in a safe place away from the reach of children - in the interest of longevity your refrigerator is probably the best spot. But it doesn't need to be kept in the fridge and will stay solid at room temperature

Lentil Cranberry and Pineapple Salad with Basil and Balsamic Reduction - A Crunchy Granola Salad that Flies Under the Radar.

Legumes...C'mon say it... Legumes. No matter how you pronounce it its a weird word. Like fork.   And legumes are weird, right? Really the only socially acceptable form of a legume is chickpea hummus (C'mon say it with a middle eastern accent - hughhhmmmus), to be eaten - lets face it when you're day drunk - with greasy naan bread and pitchers of draft on pub patios. Legumes used to be a class of food banished to bean sprout cafes, to be eaten by beret wearing beatniks and hippies in Mexican ponchos and Birkenstocks with socks. However lately legumes have made a comeback and really gone mainstream so that you can find legume salads running rampant -"Legumes Gone Wild"-  through supermarkets.

I love putting legumes in my salads as a non-dairy alternative to cheese, but still packing a bit of a protein punch. The many different varieties really open up a whole new world of experimentation. Lentils reign supreme in my world but my hubby doesn't go in for all that West Coast crunchy granola stuff ( "Gag me with a legume!!!") so I have to be sneaky. The result,  I created this unique salad utilizing the tantalizing sweetness of cranberries and pineapple, fresh basil and a balsamic reduction to underscore the flavor of creamy light legumes - and to steal focus from any detectable foray into Hippyville. 

Its my kitchen, not Nasa. The point being that cooking in my kitchen is far from rocket science; it is actually  more akin to a small child finger-painting........with their feet. The bottom line is you should feel free to substitute another sweet fruit for the pineapple. Mango,apple or blueberry come to mind as some delicious alternatives.

And let me tell you, "This could be love..."

Lentil Cranberry Pineapple Salad with Basil and Balsamic Reduction

3 cups spinach
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup cubed pineapple
1/2 cup yellow pepper julienned
1/2 avocado cubed
1 spear celery diced
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for garnish
4 leaves fresh basil finely cut

Balsamic Reduction
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 lime juice
1 TBSP strawberry jam

1) Bring to boil and reduce heat
2) Gently boil over medium heat for five minutes
3) Allow to cool completely before dressing salad

Healthy Blueberry Fruit Muffins - Minus the Taste of Kelly Ripa's Dryer Lint

Hey guys. I gotta admit I stopped blogging for awhile, until I noticed in my absence I was getting visitors from all over the world. If you want your post to generate hits apparently all  you have do to is include the words: banana bread, moist, sour cream and ricotta cheese.... I mean we're talking a universal language right there.


That being said this week in our household "To bake or not to bake" is the question.  No matter how many times I convince myself I am making muffins for my son or husband's lunch, experience shows I am really making them because I  would like to eat them, 3 or four of them in fact - ostensibly in one sitting and definitely with butter.


So once again I find myself back at square one: the search for the moderately healthy yet tasty muffin. So often "healthy" is synonymous with "tastes of Kelly Ripa's dryer lint" (no offense Kelly. You are awesome - like a super-ripped small child). Its just that healthy AND delicious appears to be a goal only conglomerate chains of healthy food supermarkets can accomplish with teams of professional chefs, nutritionists and actual scientists at their disposal.


However I assure you  these babies are good, real good - perhaps even a trifle too good....


In this case "moderately healthy" becomes synonymous with: " defrost in your oven at 10 p.m. at night because your microwave isn't working and - yes you know its 8 hours 'til morning when you could totally justifiably have a muffin but gosh-damn-it you don't want to wait that long, you gotta get you some blueberry muffin right now" - kind of good.


Uh Huh. I said it. There's no shame.


So without further ado, I hope you enjoy these.


Did I mention they freeze well?


Ha ha...They do.



Healthy Blueberry Fruit Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 TBSP ground flax seeds
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 TBSP ground corn flour
2 eggs
1/8 cup butter (plus butter to grease muffin tins)
1/8 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup milk (approximately)

1) Grease muffin tin and preheat oven to 375 (I always use butter. Lets face it, it just tastes better).
2) Stir together flour (white, brown, almond, flax, and corn), with salt and baking powder.
3) Beat eggs, add yogurt and vanilla
4) Mix brown and white sugar, and melted coconut oil and butter with your egg mixture.
5) Fold bowl of wet ingredients into dry ingredients, adding milk until mixture is wet enough to slowly slide off of a spoon.
6) Fold in frozen berries
7) Fill muffin tins to the top and bake for approximately 35 mins, or until a golden brown.

Carrot Cake: Effortlessly Chic and Elegant. Fruit Flan? B%^&h Alert!

 
Carrot-cake you say? I know,

Yeuuugghhh!

Reminds you of a dessert that used to sit for a week in cafes and cafeterias across the country with the universal carrot (where do they get that anyways) stenciled on the top in orange and green icing? I know! Me too. I really made it haphazardly. I was struggling to think of something to take to my Mother-In-Laws last minute and it was one of the only things I had all the ingredients for on-hand (that old tune again).

I always overlook the carrot cake when I am baking because I think BOOORing or of stale McDonalds muffins. But recently when I was browsing recipes I noticed a carrot cake made with pineapple was rated as one of the top 15 recipes of all time on allrecipes.com which twigged my interest. I love to reinvent the ordinary and I love a challenge and hey I’ll admit it, I love to impress my Mother-In-Law with my baking: “This old thing! Took me five minutes. Made it out of an old sock and a rotten carrot I found in Tristan’s toybox.”

The trick with baking in my mind is like dressing up: you never want to look like you are trying too hard. Always bear in mind that a delicious and perfectly executed banana bread is so much more impressive than say a botched fruit flan

On a sidebar nothing screams pretentious b?%^h like a flan. Be aware of what your baking says about you. Are you sending the right signals? Tiramisu? “She’s really sweet but just doesn’t get it.” Apple Betty? Edgy hipster who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Chocolate Tuxedo Cake? Minimal character flaws, selfless, generally good person through and through.

Carrot cake? Effortlessly chic and elegant for sure.

In spite of its humble beginnings and questionable relevance to the holiday season, my simple carrot cake became the Trojan horse of Christmas 2012, Le Piece De Resistance, a cake of epic proportions that would not soon be forgotten and that would come to be requested Christmas after Christmas in the vein of The Polar Express or those cookies made out of peanut butter and marshmallows that you loved if you grew up in the 80s.

So without further ado, a recipe that you don’t want to overlook. I know I can’t wait to make it again.

Maybe even this weekend…

Too soon?

I think not.

Classic Carrot Cake

1 and 1/2 cup white flour

¼ cup oat bran

2 cups grated carrot

1 ½ cups pineapple pieces drained

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

1 cup white sugar

½ cup butter

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease square 9 inch cake pan.

2) Mix grated carrot with ¼ cup honey

3) Mix flour, oat bran, salt, cinnamon and baking powder together

4) Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs, sour cream, vanilla and carrots.

5) Fold mixture into flour.

6) Add milk. The consistency of the mixture you are striving for should slowly slide off a spoon. Add more or less milk depending.

7) Spoon a thin layer of cake onto the bottom of the cake pan. Layer the pineapple on and top with ¼ cup of drizzled honey. Pour the rest of the cake mixture on top.

8) Bake for approximately 40 mins, until the cake top is a light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
 

9) Allow cake to cool completely. Flip upside down and remove from pan. Cut cake in half. Top one half with store-bought cream cheese icing (Hey you, the judgmental one. I said “effortlessly” chic and elegant after all). Place other half of cake on top. Ice entire 2 tiered cake.

10) Possibly give cake to the person you ostensibly baked it for.

11) Possibly eat majority of two tiered cake by self.

C.B.C. Would Love My Borscht

What Do You Get When You Cross a Russian with a Polish Person? Damn Good Borscht
My background is Russian. My husband is Polish. Needless to say we both have an opinion when it comes to how a proper borscht should be made. My husband thought it was really strange when I told him I needed a turkey bone to make borscht. He ventured to say that I didn't know what I was talking about.
I silenced him with one cold, hard, Russian stare......
I love how delicious and nutritious borscht is. It is essentially a soup made out of a bunch of vegetables. It really doesn't require that much effort to make, and it freezes so well. I never feel guilty pulling out some frozen borscht for a quick and easy dinner that can easily be accompanied by some store-bought perogies or a quick batch of biscuits.
Call it anxiety of authorship or blame it on my ridiculous Aries behavior, but I never want to make anything exactly the same as someone else made it. So I've made my own borscht borrowing from the traditions of both our families. My Dad makes a really simple borscht with turkey, green cabbage and tomato. My Father-In-Law makes his borscht with a wider array of vegetables, purple cabbage and sausage.What I have created drawing on both our Polish and Russian backgrounds and traditions is a beautiful violet colored borscht with a gentle sweetness enhancing the natural flavours of the vegetables, softly complemented by the flavour of the meat.
I hope you enjoy my cross-bred, multicultural borscht.  I have a feeling C.B.C. Radio would love my borscht, and if not the actual borscht I'm sure at least they would find my "borscht as cultural mosaic theory" fascinating. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think anytime Jian (Love Q!).

Russian Polish Borscht

Turkey leg or breast
5 small peeled and sliced beets
3 sliced carrots
1 red pepper diced
2 spears sliced celery
1 turnip diced
1 small head red cabbage (cut like coleslaw)
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
3 bay leaves
1 can diced tomatos
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP dried basil
1 TBSP dried dill
Cubed ham (optional)

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Simmer turkey and bay leaves for two hours to make stock, or until skin begins to gently all of the bone (occasionally skim the fat from the surface).
2) Remove turkey bone. Remove all meat from turkey bone (until it is a stringy texture). Add to soup and continue to simmer.
3) Sautee onion until transluscent. Add pepper, celery and garlic and sautee for 2 more minutes. Add to soup along with 1 can diced tomatoes
4) Add carrots, beets, turnips and cabbage and simmer for 45 minutes.
5) Remove bay leaves. Add sugar, dill and basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add cubed ham if desired.
6) Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving, or preferrably overnight.
7) Garnish with sour cream