Sunday, June 30, 2013

Recipe: Fresh Mint Chip Frozen Yogurt

Happy Canada Day Weekend!

I thought I'd share this yummy new recipe I'm in the midst of making - it's too simple and fresh not to tell you about it. I was looking up some of the whole food blogs Jessica Alba recommends in her book, The Honest Life, and came across 101 Cookbooks {a food blog by Heidi Swanson chronicling different recipes from her collection of cookbooks}. This made-from-scratch frozen yogurt looks divine - homemade, organic, low-fat, naturally sweetened goodness! I wish I could take credit for creating this deliciousness but alas, I cannot. In fact, I'm pretty terrible in the kitchen. It was only a couple weeks ago that I cut myself with a knife 2 days in a row trying to help husband prepare dinner! It was pitiful. I'm very thankful husband likes to cook because we'd be eating pancakes and eggs for dinner. Leave breakfast and dessert to me... less knives involved. 

The recipe is out of a whole foods cookbook called The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte - one I might actually look into getting! I'm making it for a friendly get-together so there's even more pressure that someone aside from myself and husband will be trying it. Fingers crossed I can figure out how to work the ice cream maker I borrowed from my Mom! If you don't have an ice cream maker, it's time you {and I} invest in one ;)


Sprouted Kitchen Fresh Mint Chip Frozen Yogurt


1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup / 240 ml heavy cream

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 130 ml brown rice syrup or 1/2 cup of all-natural honey / maple syrup

Scant 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cups / 480 ml whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 ounces good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

Coarsely chop the mint leaves and put them in a saucepan with the cream. Bring just to a simmer over medium heat, occasionally stirring and pressing the mint leaves so that they release the oils. As soon as it comes to a simmer, add the brown rice syrup and stir to combine, then turn off the heat. Leave the mixture on the stove top to steep for 30 minutes.

Pour the cream mixture into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the mint leaves. Add the peppermint extract and yogurt to the bowl and whisk to combine. Cover the mixture and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Churn the yogurt mixture in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions. When the yogurt if finished churning, stir in the chocolate (hs note: alternately, I usually drizzle in just-melted chocolate instead of chopped). Serve immediately (recommended!), or transfer to a covered container and store in the freezer, where it will firm up increasingly over time.
Serves 4-6

Photography by Hugh Forte
Prep time 60 minutes


The Sprouted Kitchen image from here.
Rest of the images from here.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

But Honestly...

I try not to follow too many celebrities on social media because, well for one, I don't personally know them and two, I'm not fond of many. However, Jessica Alba is one that despite her stunning physical appearance, has managed to stay very humble and out of tabloid drama. I respect that. I'm super glad I picked up her recently published book, The Honest Life, which acts as a guide for those wanting to live a life free of toxic chemicals in personal care products, pesticides and GMO's in their food and focus's on how to keep your baby/ies safe from all of it. 

I've literally just begun reading it and already couldn't wait to share a blog post about it.


She also recently co-founded The Honest Company which has developed products (think cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, personal care, and baby care) all natural and honestly free of harsh chemicals and also eco-friendly. She stresses how so many companies who boast a lot of claims about being eco-friendly are in fact "greenwashing" - making it seem like their products are more eco-friendly than they actually are. In other words, "lying". It's so disturbing that even with the consequences of false advertising, there are still so many companies that get away with bullshit. Well, fool me once, shame on me, fool me a lot of times shame on me again for not looking into the products I use in the place I live and the clothes I {& baby Jude} wear.

Start asking questions folks! About everything. Jessica's book is a great place to start because she's done so much research on her own. Eat organic, stay away from plastic, stop using products with chemicals and toxins that have never been tested on human health {ie. many diaper brands!}. The Honest Company keeps living honestly super cute and stylish too, something VERY important to me!


What's even better is that everything is budget-friendly. Unfortunately they don't ship to Canada yet, but you can bet I'm getting a whack load of stuff shipped to my in-laws who live in the States. The things I'll do to get my hands on some pretty {& safe} diapers - I mean skull and crossbones? Yes please!

Grab your copy of The Honest Life here.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Happy 2 Months Jude!

Our little Jude is chunking up quickly! 
He's a hefty 11lbs 9oz right now which is almost double his birth weight - what a guy!

What we've learned this month:

Loves tummy time
Likes to see what's going on by looking over your shoulder when held
Likes when other kids talk and play with him
Is happiest in the morning after a good feed and clean diaper
Loves being outside
He's getting really close to giggling
Can have an attitude {obviously gets this from me}

Can't stop kissing that face!


Photo by Justine McKnight

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Jude's Nursery

Yipee! Jude's nursery is finally complete. Super excited to share these photos - I am very happy with the final product! The last piece to complete was the ginormous "Hey Jude" painting above his crib. My husband and I started the painting a few weeks before Jude was due to arrive but since he decided to show up early, it got put on the back burner. The lettering my husband did by using his trusty ruler, compass and wicked math skills. We are so happy with it. I also made the fabric garland hanging along the crib for my baby shower (you can see pics here) and the paint-chip mobile was made from the paint-chip garland I also made for my shower. I love that those pretty pieces of decor didn't go to waste.

Some other favourites of mine are the skateboard decks hanging above his shelf - I hunted down the Andy Warhol one on Ebay and got it for a great price. The other one was made by Jude's Uncle Tom, as a gift for my husband at Christmas. Since my husband skateboards, I definitely wanted to incorporate as much as possible without making it a "skateboard" themed nursery. The rocking chair is vintage, given to me by my Grandma who had purchased it when she was pregnant with her first baby - my Aunt. My Mom used is for me and my brother and it has been passed through our family for years. It was originally just wood so we decided to paint it the same mint colour we used for our painting.

Lots of things were pretty cost efficient! The shelf, dresser and curtains for the closet are from Ikea - I spruced up the dresser with knobs I found on sale from Anthropology. My husband made the change table tray using this tutorial from Lay Baby Lay. The globe I found at Good Will and also painted the base mint to match. The lamp, toy bin, window curtains and rod, and the "Happy is Big Enough to Share" print are all great finds from Homesense. And last but not least, the hilarious 'chihuahua on a skateboard' pillow cover is from Society 6 - just the perfect touch to the rocking chair!


all photos by Justine McKnight
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