Pastry + coffee

My health ambitions can get as lofty as they'd like but at the end of the day I'm a sucker for coffee and a pastry!

Check out this luxurious combo of almond hot cocoa and a homemade orange vanilla almond biscotti.

It was all possible thanks to J.R. Watkins extracts. They made my baking partner's head spin with their intense and delicious aromas. Am I right Jill?

If you want the recipes comment below.

Sabrina's Birth Story of STAYING STRONG

In 2012 I had the privilege of welcoming into the world the babies of three close friends. (You read Bethany's birth story here and Stephanie's may just be on the way. My story is here.) With Sabrina, I use the word close figuratively, because she is near and dear to my heart, but at the time of her precious little daughter's birth, her and her husband were living in on the other side of our nation in British Colombia. It was hard to have such distance between us but she was amazing with updating me on every detail on the phone.

Here is her story.

Read more »

Homemade Brow Gel

The secret to a nice eyebrow is undoubtedly the use of brow gel. It sets the shape and keeps everything neat.

But, it often contains weirdo ingredients that are definitely not of natural origin. Just read this list of ingredients from a popular brow gel:

WATER/EAU/AQUA, VP/VA COPOLYMER, ALCOHOL DENAT., PROPYLENE GLYCOL, TRIETHANOLAMINE, CARBOMER, GLYCERIN, HYDROLYZED GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS, CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MATRICARIA) EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, PHENOXYETHANOL, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN, BUTYLPARABEN, ISOBUTYLPARABEN, MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR: TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), MICA, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), CARMINE (CI 75470), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)

There are 8 ingredients that it "may contain"? No thanks.

After scouring the internet for a homemade brow gel recipe ("DIY brow gel" just tells you to use clear mascara... same problem) I finally have a solution.

Ready?




Plain aloe vera.

I refilled an old E.L.F. brow gel container which is double-sided and only cost me $1. I'll admit I used, and liked, the product. But if you want to be really strict with how natural your cosmetics are, and need a case for your aloe vera, you could just buy this and empty it out. That would be cheaper than buying an empty container. A mascara tube would work too.

So I filled the empty container, carefully, with aloe vera gel on both sides. Then I simply apply it to clean brows by combing through. I apply brow pencil after the gel (as per a suggestion by my should-be-a-supermodel friend, Jac) and I love the result.

Aloe vera as brow gel stays all day, does a great job, and ultimately leaves your face is better shape than it was before! What an awesome solution! At about $6-8 for a huge jar, it's a steal.

Try my idea today!

Amy's "Amaretto Sour"

It was at a Red Lobster probably six years ago that I heard my friend, Brittanie, order an amaretto sour.

It was delicious. Perhaps the first time I'd ever really enjoyed an alcoholic beverage. The unreal mix of amaretto's sweet buttery almond-cherry flavour cut with the acidic punch of lemon. Heaven.

For several years now I've been making a total unauthentic version of this drink based on things I actually keep in the house: butterscotch liqueur, fresh lemon juice and almond extract.

But then...

Recently I realized that J.R. Watkins isn't just * the best natural beauty brand ever * they actually make many other products. From laundry detergent to bug spray to bathroom cleaners to gravy mix, they have it all. And it's totally natural. I love it! Where am I going with this?

I was able to get my hands on J.R. Watkins' line of 100% natural extracts for cooking, baking, etc. (Full disclosure: I did not have to pay for them, in exchange for writing a completely honest review.) The almond extract took one look at me and said: Make me into an amaretto sour. So I did.

Here is my recipe, perfectly by my new addition of J.R. Watkins' 100% natural Pure Almond Extract (which tastes like everything that is good in the world). Keep checking back as I post new recipes using this line. (Spoiler alert - lemon and vanilla are coming up!)

Amy's "Amaretto Sour"
1 part butterscotch liqueur (I use Butter Shots)
1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 part filtered water
1 drop of J.R. Watkins Pure Almond Extract
ice cubes
lemon slices

Combine and shake to mix.

Healthy Snack Ideas - With Real Photos

Thanks to my husband's generous gift of an iPhone 5, I have been snapping nonstop photos of my meals and snacks over the past month.

Sometimes it's hard to conjure up a healthy snack which Ritz crackers, caramel popcorn and ginger ale are at our finger tips and require no imagination. But if our only obstacle is igniting your creativity then I am up to the challenge!

Use some of these suggestions, along with a few photos of things I've eaten recently (or served to Oliver). They range in prep time, cost, flavour preference, and even health-factor, but I love them all.

• A mini whole-grain wrap or pita stuffed with egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad or fresh veggies
• Pita wedges, baked, dipped in hummus
• A hard-boiled egg and cherry tomatoes
• A mug of vegetable soup 
• An olive, aged cheddar and fig plate
• Pumpernickle toast with natural peanut butter and dried fruit
• Leftover quinoa/rice/other grain with chopped cucumber and vinaigrette added
• A bowl of oatmeal with maple syrup and walnuts
• A mini pizza on a whole-grain english muffin (toppings: mushrooms, green pepper, pineapple)
• Puffed cereal, edamame and cheddar cheese chunks

 

•  Carrot sticks, kiwi, pickles, trail mix with a peanut-butter and pistachio coated date

• Homemade yogurt with fresh fruit, sunflower seeds and pepitas

 

• Guacamole!

• Banana, toasted cashews and mini-muffins

• Lemon poppyseed loaf, mixed fruit

• A slice of flourless dark chocolate cake bathed in mixed berries

Healthy Brazilian Truffles with Homemade Condensed Milk

Calvin, Oliver and I love hosting international students at our house. One of the perks is getting to try new foods (I am now a sucker for Arabic coffee). This week, our current house guest, Felipe, taught me how to make Beijinho - a quick and easy coconut truffle that is popular in Brazil.

The original recipe is:
Stir together 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 Tablespoon of butter and a 1/4 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut. Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir, and microwave for 3 more minutes. Cool. Then roll into little balls, like a truffle, coating in more coconut if you wish.

I decided to My Idea of Happiness-erize it.

Did you know you can make your own sweetened condensed milk? Use this simple recipe that can be easily customized.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Yields "one 14 oz can"

3 cups milk (I would be interested to try coconut, almond or soy)
2/3 cup sweetener (It calls for white sugar but I prefer raw sugar)
3 T butter (To veganize, substitute Earth Balance or coconut oil)

In a small saucepan, working slowly, boil the milk down until it has reduced in volume to a 1/3rd. (I.e. It is approximately a cup of liquid.)

Add the sweetener and butter, and continue heating for 1 minute. Make sure the sugar has dissolved. It should look syrupy.

Amy's Healthy Coconut Truffles (Brazilian Beijinho)

In a small saucepan, whisk together 14 oz of homemade sweetened condensed milk (see above) with 1 T coconut oil and 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut.

You could also add: dried fruit, hemp seeds, crushed pistachios or pepitas, cinnamon...

Warm, on medium for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. You are aiming for a consistency that is almost like cookie batter.

Take off of the heat and allow to cool.

Roll into truffle-sized balls and coat in additional coconut. Eat fresh (warm) or up to a week old.

Bethany's Amazing HOME BIRTH Story

A major theme I'm starting to see on My Idea of Happiness is natural birth. How couldn't it be? I'm obsessed. (You can read my story here.)

I want to share the incredible story of how one of my very best friends gave birth, at home in a tub, to her precious daughter.

 

Here is Bethany's story.


Read more »

MAKEUP CHALLENGE VIDEO (All Natural)

Enjoy!

Eco Friendly Play Dough

Oliver likes to play with play dough. No, that's not accurate. Olives likes to reenact terrible animal slaughters and brutal war zones, using play dough. My mom tells me that my sisters and I used to make cats and dogs with it - so she crafted up a few for Oliver to play with. He grabbed each of them and squeezed them to their death, then walked the misshapen blobs up the staircase and threw them down to a second death. So, he's a boy.

If you want to buy a great all-natural play dough we love this one. Clementine also makes awesome natural crayons. They're our go to craft supply-supplier.

But if you'd like to make your own and avoid the artificial dyes that usually come along with the recipe, you should try this tutorial that was posted by awesome Mommy-blogger Mommypotamus:

Basic Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of naturally colored water (see below) OR 1 cup water and natural food coloring

Instructions: 

1. Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium-sized pot
2. Add oil and colored water and stir until ingredients are well blended.
3. Place pot on the stove over low/medium heat. Cook the dough – stirring often – until begins to pull away from the sides of the pot (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Allow the dough to cool a little and then knead for a minute or so.
5. Store in an airtight container

Or, try this gluten free version:
 
Gluten-Free Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup non-GMO cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of naturally colored water (see below) OR 1 cup water and natural food coloring

Instructions: 

1. Mix flour, cornstarch/arrowroot, salt and cream of tartar in a medium-sized pot
2. Add oil and colored water and stir until ingredients are well blended.
3. Place pot on the stove over low/medium heat. Cook the dough – stirring often – until begins to pull away from the sides of the pot (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Allow the dough to cool a little and then knead for a minute or so.
5. Store in an airtight container

And the recipes for the natural colours:

Pink

I used: 2 cups water +1 cup shredded beets for the intense pink
3 cups water, 1 cup tightly packed purple cabbage simmered for 20 minutes for the light pink
Other possibilities: cranberries/ cranberry juice, raspberries, strawberries, red grape juice or beet kvass

Yellow

I used: 2 cups water + 1 cup packed onion skins
Other possibilities: grapefruit, orange or lemon peels, carrots, chamomile tea, celery seed, green tea, saffron

Yellow/Orange

I used: 1 cup water + 3/4 tsp turmeric for the bright yellow
1 cup water + 1 ½ cups shredded carrots for the orange
Other possibilities: carrots and paprika

Blue

I used: 3 cups water + 1 cup tightly packed purple cabbage + baking soda*
Other possibilities: blueberries
* To make the cabbage water blue rather than purple, simply add small amounts of baking soda until you get a color you like!

Green

I used: 1/2 cup of spinach + 1 ½ cups of water.
Other possibilities: kale, asparagus

Purple

I think blackberries would work. You could also try mixing red and blue.

The Great Outdoors

Getting outside to enjoy the fresh air can make a world of difference to your health and your mood. As the lucky recipients of a Northern Ontario winterized cottage, Calvin, Oliver and I love to make the trek up and enjoy a long weekend among the trees. That's where this photo comes from. It's the icy, snow-covered lake that leads to "the island", which we swim to during the warmer months. This trout-filled body of water swept and flowed around me just days before I gave birth to Oliver, my huge 39-weeks-pregnant body gently gliding towards the goal of reaching the island. We never do remember to save energy for the swim back.

Not just the lake, but the trees are often just what I need to brighten a day. They faithfully intake carbon dioxide and breathe out the oxygen we need. The trees that drop their leaves signal us that autumn has come, that winter is here, or that spring is arriving. They guide us through the seasons. The coniferous bear their green all year and can sometimes feel like the only sign of life under a blanket of white.

The tiny chipmunks and graceful deer remind us that before downtowns and urban shopping centres, we shared this land with creatures that still toil daily for food and survival. Reminding us that berries and nettles can make a nice snack. And that there is merit in spending more effort than money to create a home.

And when we come in from the cold we're a little more likely to be thankful for the life we've been given. We smile a bit more, we entertain our family instead of our Smart Phones. We have a sudden preference for doing things like the olden days - home roasted coffee and handmade cheese. Each log that burns not only warms the space but connects us to its story - when it was but a tree in the forest. A piece of the outdoors that our soul is longing for.

Homemade Yogurt - 2 Ingredients, 3 Steps

Homemade yogurt is a money saver but what you might not know is that it's also much more delicious. The tang is more mellow and it's always creamy, never goopy. If you follow my lead you can make it using only 2 ingredients and 3 easy steps. Oh and once you've made a batch, that yogurt gets used to make your next batch, so you'll be making it with only one ingredient. Now that's easy.

You'll need:

• 2 cups of milk
• 2 Tablespoons of natural yogurt*

* Use something with minimal ingredients: cream, milk, bacterial culture. Next time you make it, use your homemade yogurt as the 2nd ingredient.

Step one:

Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat until it reads 185 degrees F. Keep it there for 20 minutes.

Step two:

Put the saucepan into ice water so that you can bring the temperature down to 110 degrees F. At this point you can stir in the 2 Tablespoons of yogurt.

Step three:

Pour into a mason jar and keep slightly warmer than room temperature for about 10 hours. This can be in the oven with the light on, or the microwave with the light on. Or on top of your fridge if it's warm up there. Or in a sun room during a summer day. To keep your jar warm you can wrap it in a kitchen towel.

There you have it! At this point you can put it in the fridge and it's ready to eat. Feel free to add your favourite sweetener. Just remember to save 2 Tablespoons for your next batch.

This will cost you about 75 cents in milk. Not bad compared to $2.99 for yogurt!

  

Breastfeeding a Toddler

I'm happy to say that we are constantly inundated with reasons why breastfeeding is best. Every pediatrician’s office, family magazine and, even, formula ad gives us the old jingle that boob is best. We know it. It's great.

I do think that breastfeeding is awesome-amazing and I could make a 100-line list of the benefits. That's why we're still going strong with it at 17 months old (him, not me, I'm 25.)

But there just may be a shorter, less popular list rolling around my head lately that could be aptly named "Worst Things About Breastfeeding a Toddler Ever". Don't let it scare you. Don't let it annoy you. The idea is to have a good laugh at the fact that some days I think I need to hire a therapist after a nursing session. Never, ever let one downside to extending breastfeeding discourage you from the incredible, life-changing benefits to it. It's beautiful and perfect and any frustrating hiccups along the way are merely pawns in a glorious chess game.

My "little" breastfeeder

But, anyways, here's the list.

10. Toddlers do not fit in the crook of your arm anymore. You still use your arms - yes - but you end up looking like Jillian the personal trainer from Biggest Loser.
9. Toddlers mix that lovely, sweet mother's milk that you donate to them with that healthy, organic food that you prepare for them, and turn it into a wasteland of garbagey sludge. They may or may not excrete this stinky brew while you are nursing them, with a laugh.
8. Toddlers believe in the notion that the grass is greener on the other side, somehow believing that the other breast has been harbouring some far superior nectar that needs to be sampled asap. Breast switching will become not only hilarious to them, but an utter necessity, apparently.
7. Toddlers will choose suspiciously inappropriate times to request some milk. This can be requested through sign language, or by yelling in our case: "NA NA NA NA NA!" It can be done during the 9th inning, while my grandpa's new wife is walking down the aisle (I'm a bridesmaid), or during a traditional Catholic funeral. Thanks.
6. Toddlers get runny noses. Think about it.
5. Toddlers are not just sustaining 9 lbs anymore - they're strapping young 25 pound lads and they think a serving size of mama's special drink should come in Extra-Jumbo like they have at 7-11. While some may find the constant outflow of calories inviting, I find it a full time job to eat enough to keep my pants up.
4. Toddlers know that the Nursing Olympics are real and that the Gold Medal is at their finger tips. In his incredible display of gymnastics, Oliver has mastered more positions that I have in advanced yoga classes.
3. Toddlers are practicing their speech. An entire conversation may happen while you think you are bestowing nutrients upon them.
2. Toddlers know have the capacity to understand the difference between a flat chested man and a voluptuous woman at the grocery store. He will let this woman know that he is very interested in what she has to offer under her shirt.
1. Toddlers have tons of teeth.