Chocolate Bark

I'm VERY in the mood for Winter treats, but healthy homemade ones with REAL ingredients. Like dark chocolate, dried fruits, and nuts :) 

What could be a better Winter treat than some homemade chocolate bark???

Superfoods Chocolate Bark

goji berries - cranberries - apricots - almonds

I

Clean and Delicious

Mexican Hot Chocolate Bark

pumpkin seeds - cinnamon - cayenne

Tasty Kitchen 

Dark Chocolate Bark

papaya - pistachio - cranberry

Joy the Baker

Chocolate Orange Peanut Bark

Orange zest - peanuts

Urban Spork

I think I'll have to make them all before the season is over!
Happy living,
~Princess

It's November, and time for hot chocolate!

It's November 2nd. I'm calling it Christmas time. Crazy? I prefer the term enthusiastic.

Plus over half the stores at the mall had Christmas stuff out today. HOW do they get it out so fast???

[source]

But most importantly, this build up to Christmas means hot chocolate. Lots of hot chocolate. Plus if it's healthy, you can drink more :D

Here's my favorite easy recipe:

 Ingredients:
- 2 cups skim milk (or soy, rice, coconut, almond)
- 2 rounded teaspoons 70% dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons healthy sweetener, adjusted to taste (stevia, maple syrup, agave, raw cane sugar)

1. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming, not boiling
2. Add cocoa powder and sweetener and whisk to combine.
3. Pour into favorite mugs

Please note:

Corny Christmas mugs greatly increase the enjoyment factor:

You can spice up your frothy beverage with:

Cinnamon 

Nutmeg

Vanilla

Mint

Happy living, 

~Princess

Liebster blog award

Such a big thank you to Hilliary of Happily Ever Healthy!  She has an amazingly cute blog (It's a "must" on my daily read list). If you've never seen it, go check it out!!!! :D

Last Tuesday, She gave me this award:

Here are the rules of the award:
1. Copy and paste the award on your blog

2. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you
3.Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog
4. Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

So drumroll please!!! Without further ado...

My top five picks:

1.  Molly @ Hungry Hungry Runner
2. Meg @ Life of Meg
3. Alyssa @ Fashion Fitness Foodie
4. Stefanie @ The New Healthy
5.  Colleen @ Jimmy Choos on the Treadmill

Yaaayy! I love spreading the blog love! 
It fits perfectly with the fact that as soon as Halloween is over, I'll be in full Christmas mode :)

[source]

Happy living (and safe Halloween!), 
~Princess

Exams+Toaster Waffles+Train = Healthy Cookies

Yowza!!!
It feels like forever since I last posted! Blame it on school, and this terrible thing called midterm exams.
Microbiology was like a mini cupcake, short, sweet, and no regrets after. I got 90%!
My other two classes (Nutrition and Food Science) also went well, and my last class (Statistics) went... let's just say there were a few blank answers. Numbers are tricky okay?!

Anyhow, now I have much more time to do important things, like be on my computer :)

And this weekend, I'm hopping a train to Toronto.

[source]

 I'll definitely bring some healthful Halloween cookies for my special friend.

I was thinking these:

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

Skinny Chef

No, no, definiitely these:

Caramel Apple Granola Cookies

He Makes She Makes

No, for sure these:

Coco Bats

Skinny Chef

We'll see :)

Happy living, 

~Princess

P.S.

In case you are wondering, Nature's Path Flax Plus Toaster Waffles make a perfectly acceptable Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner during exam week.

I would know...

Scones for Everyone!! (You too homeless man down my street!)

It started as any other day.
I was just doing a little coffee run on Ste.Catherine Street (one of the main shopping streets in Montreal).

 [source]

There are many homeless and begging people on this street, and I always wish I could do more to help. Anyhow, one particular elderly man I saw had a sign asking people for any food they could spare! There's NO WAY I could just turn away from that. So I picked up an extra scone when I bought my coffee:

He was so happy! But I think I was even happier. Small gestures just make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

When I got home, I still had that darn scone story on my mind. Why not google scones?? I searched through many recipes, looking for tasty, healthier, and more creative options. I couldn't help but share the best:

Blackberry Coconut Chocolate Scones

Wellsphere

Avocado Scones

Family Fresh Cooking

Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones

Healthy Green Kitchen

It's sooooo going to be a scone weekend :)

Happy living,
~Princess

Macadamia Madness & Happy Toast :D

I LOOOOOVE the nut butter section of the grocery store.

Seriously, I could spend maybe 15 minutes just staring at the beauty of the scrumptious peanut, hazelnut, almond and cashew spreads.

Why??

2 reasons:

1. Simply, nut butter means happy toast:

2. It fills your belly with a little protein and fat to help you have energy all day! There's nothing worse then finishing breakfast and being hungry again right after!

So I decided to buy this coolio nut butter I had never tried before**:

 **please note my brave and courageous behavior of trying new things!! 1 point for the princess!

Macadamia nuts are a high energy food, full of antioxidants, fiber, protein, minerals and monounsaturated fat (the good fat the helps reduce LDL [bad] cholesterol). Plus they taste great!!!!!

But I'm not going to stop there! What else can I use this creme de la creme for?
I was thinking maybe...

drizzle over this recipe I found:

Pineapple-Coconut Cereal

 (from Cafe Johnsonia)

It'll be like a tropical vacation from this rainy weather. I think it's a plan :D


 Happy living,
 ~Princess

Butternut Coconut Curry

Another weekend! Another chance to relax! Also...another chance to get prepped for the busy week ahead!

I decided to make a healthy dish that I could freeze now and eat later during the hectic week when I am feeling lazy overwhelmed with life :)

I was inspired by these recipes:

 Tofu and Butternut Squash Curry, Kitchen Daily

Squash and Coconut Curry, BBC Good Food

The final ingredient list:

-butternut squash
-tofu
-green pepper
-green onions
-medium curry powder
-light coconut milk

v

 And SHA-BAM!!!

I hope my roommates won't be surprised when I burst through the front door at the end of the day screaming "Coconut butternut curry!!!! Yesssssss!"  But...I think they're pretty used to that behavior by now :)
Happy living,
~APrincess