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Summer Time...Cuba 2014

We made a return trip to Cuba this summer, nothing better than feeling at home in a beautiful country surrounded by wonderful family and friends. 

Every day was like this one...people ask if it's rainy season, but would it matter? It's still Cuba. 

I met these ladies from Spain. They were unbelievably fun, all on a vacation from across the pond. 

I hope they come visit me in Canada some day. 

That's all I'm sharing for now. 

Cheers, 

Viviana

Jamberry Nails...I think I'm in love

I had a quick little Jamberry Nails online party a few weeks ago....this were my goodies. I got some freebies, and the hostess gift for the month of March, and I bought a few too!

I decided on the Pickled Paisley design, and in 20 minutes I had both hads done and finger looking so pretty. I used that much to do both hands too, and because they are not made of polish, when you open a pack, they don't dry out like other wraps. For the pedicure you can use only two, but I will show you that in a future post.

As you can see, a week in and they still looked beautiful, some slight lifting, but hardly noticeable unless you look extremely close. I am very hard on my hands too, washed dishes without gloves the entire wear because I wanted to see how tough they were, and they passed the test. I work with kids, so I have no time to be messing with nail polish, not do I have the patience.

The right hand was slightly more beat up on day 8, there was a chunk missing from my ski boot buckle, it tried to eat my finger!! still shinning though, I could have gotten another few days, but I was itching to try new ones.

A close up of some of the wraps, they are fabulous!

With some of my rewards I bought the heater, it's worth it for hands free application, though you can use a blow drier.

My rep also included a manicure set with my nails, and the Jamberry folder was a gift too, so thoughtful and sweet!

I do like so many designs, these don't seem like enough!

These are the little Momo's I put on my son, you can see that a week later and they are still like new. He had his on for a total of 18 days. They began to get caught in his hair, so we removed them...thinking Jamberry is for him too!

This is my second Jamicure...the March Hostess Gift...isn't it just gorgeous?

Isn't it just fantastic? To have pretty nails, for weeks at a time and not have to worry about nicks and flaking polish, paying $40 per manicure or another $25 for a fill....you can get 2 manicures and two pedicures out of one sheet for $17 Canadian. I think it's worth it!!


Cheers,
Viviana

Paleo Friendly Cassava Flour

A couple months ago, I came across something called Cassava Bread, I jumped at trying it because it is one of the paleo friendly starches, and it's not a grain. I am not 100% paleo, I love my cheese...however I am grain free and this gives me a bit of fuel/carbs that my belly can handle. I then started researching the one ingredient, Cassava flour, and found some at the Latino store. The stuff I found first was seasoned and had MSG, which I don't like. Then I found this brand, Julia White Cassava Flour. I've been experimenting with it, making all sorts of yummies. It is quite interesting, and not like anything I've used before, a bit like coconut flour, it absorbs a lot of liquid. It makes a crunchy texture on the outside and a slightly chewy texture on the inside depending on what you use it with. I am going to try it as the coating for chicken next. It is a great replacement for making nut free paleo foods.I will take the time to blog about the recipes on another post, this one is to give you the heads up...there are wonderful foods to discover when going grain free. 

I made a nice loaf for crackers using ground pumpkin seeds along with Cassava flour and Chia seeds, moist and sturdy as a loaf, crisp and light as a cracker. I will do a post with the recipe for this.

These waffles have become a new favourite. My son actually prefers the grain free ones over conventional waffles. I used a mix of almond, Cassava (also called Mandioca) flour and yuca/cassava starch. I might try it with sunflower butter or ground pumpking seeds for a nut free version.  I will also post a recipe very soon.

These are the specs...pretty simple.

Cheers,
Viviana

Call Of Duty Mega Bloks

Yep, COD everything...my son has a new Mega Like!

Now, apparently new Map Packs came out  2 days ago...he did a terrible job of his math homework to get up to his XBox. Life with a boy.

Cheers,
Viviana

1 lonely Pancake done Paleo.

There's hundreds of blogs out there with fantastic recipes for pancakes, gluten free pancakes and even grain free pancakes, paleo pancakes; most are fabulous and most make enough for 2-6 servings. I wanted to figure out a good recipe, one serving, or lonely pancake for me. I generally eat breakfast alone, and paleo can get extremely boring if all you have are eggs and meats for breakfast. I do make my own almond meal and I don't  blanch for the extra fibre, but you can use blanched almond flour. Although this recipe does have an egg, it is for one cake, a lonely little pancake .... It's so I personally don't over eat, or have a stale pancake for the next day...nobody wants to eat the stale pancake! 

So, the list of ingredients is short, if you already eat paleo, you should have all the ingredients in your cupboard. 

2 tablespoons almond meal/flour. 

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1 teaspoon tapioca flour (optional)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

1 med egg (you can use large and omit the water)

1-2 tablespoons water (if batter is too thick) 

1 teaspoon butter 

Heat butter in a ceramic pan at just past med heat, until bubbly melted. In a small bowl mix all ingredients well until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Add butter to batter mix well and drop all batter onto hot pan spread evenly. At this point you can add blueberries, bacon, currants, banana slices or whatever you want to the pancake.  Let it cook at med heat until top start to set and pancake has risen a bit you, flip and continue cooking. These cook slower than regular an cakes, button out light and fluffy. Enjoy with maple syrup or homemade paleo blueberry spread....or plain. This makes a perfect one pancake serving, keeps calories down and reduces food waster (chucking out the stale pancake) .... I hate wasting food! And I'm thrifty...those who read my blog already know!! 

Cheers, 

Viviana.

P.S. I would post a picture, but you all already know what a pancake looks like and....well, I sort of like to eat my food hot, so I have ended up eating the lonely pancake before he gets his portrait taken. 

Paleo Gravy Done Right!

I recently made a smashing good seafood chowder, it was thick and favour full, and you'd think 96246 calories, but not with my altered version. Thanks to the fabulous cauliflower, I now have successfully created a creamy thick base for soups and gravies, and I'm in love with food all over again. Hmmm, when was I not in love with it?? Oh yeah, back to carbs and grains....

So, the base recipe is simple.... I cauliflower, cut into chunks, 3 cups of water or stock, I yellow onion cut into chunks too, and one veggie stock cube if using water. Boil it all together, with a lid, until cauliflower is mushy. Run through the blender, in portions, until smooth and creamy. Now, this makes a lot, so you can freeze it in several containers for later use. 

As for the gravy.... Take the drippings, your cauliflower cream, and the herbs and spices you would normally add to your gravy and cook together until warmed through or the consistency you're looking for. This gravy doesn't get thicker or gluey when it stands for a while , and it doesn't get goopy and it doesn't breakdown and lose it's thickness. It's Gluten Free!!!  I used it for sausage and gravy over paleo biscuits, my son couldn't tell it was not regular flour gravy, he hated the biscuits though ( you can't win them all )... That says a lot. I used it for roast, and added a couple drops of Browning to darken it slightly. I plant to use it for turkey gravy for our Thanks Giving on Monday. Oh, and mushroom soup, which my son has requested again....I love requests from him! 

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Viviana

Deodorant update.

I love my pits! I used to hate them...they were dark, ugly, bumpy and sometime got very stinky ( when I gave up commercial deo's) and I would have to go wipe every few hours to keep the stench at bay.

I've been using an easy homemade recipe for about two years now and I find it easy and effective. The only frustrating thing about it always was how hard it was in the dead of winter and how runny it got in summer. I revised the recipe several times, and I think I found the perfect mix, although its one more ingredient, it's totally worth trying for a very easy and body safe deodorant. My skin is more supple, there are no ingrown hairs, they don't stink either!

2 tablespoons coconut oil (just melted)

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 tablespoon sweet almond or olive oil

3-4 tablespoons of arrowroot powder

15 drops of tea tree oil

10 drops lavender of ylang ylang ( optional )

Mix it all together to a paste, put in a babyhood jar or a metal tin and use a small pea sized amount in each pit! Your body heat will melt it and help you keep the bacteria under control. Your ph might have to be adjusted, as an acidic body could cause a rash as it reacts with the alkalinity of the deo. 

Enjoy and let me know how it worked for you.

Cheers,

Viviana

Harvest time, Cherries!

After a few years of watching my tree grow, slowly and with little hope because of the soil and climate, we have cherries!! Imagine my delight when I arrived home from Cuba, to find ripe and ready cherries hanging delicately under the branches of my little tree. Yes, it doesn't seem like a huge harvest, but it is for us considering that last year I had 6 cherries and none all the years before. Yay. They are slightly tart, but honestly, very tasty and perfect for us. If anyone has recipe they might want to suggest, I would love it.

Thanks for reading and sharing my little thrill!

Cheers,
Viviana

Cuba, I am in love.

I'm just posting some of the pictures of the amazing beauty that is Cuba and it's people.

 
I will post a few more in a few days, so you all can see how amazing Cuba really is. People are happy, no one is starving, everyone has clothes and food and lives harmoniously. I felt safe there, unlike Mexico, crime is almost non existent in Cuba. They have no need for it. I HEART Cuba!

Cheers,
Viviana