Hamilton Veggie Fest: Recap

Hi Friends!

I went to the Veggie Fest in Hamilton this weekend and it always makes me happy to share fun vegan products, food, etc with you guys. Here is a recap of Saturday:

Source

Clockwise from top left: 1. NingXia Red If you're anything like me you'll want to pronounce the 'X'. Don't. It's pronounced Ninja, which I guess is obvious, but I just really want to say it phonetically. Ha! The woman at the booth was very passionate about this antioxidant drink and mentioned many benefits to consuming it daily, one of them being improved vision. I found it very fascinating, not that I have any kind of issue with vision or eye health, but I'm always interested in improving health through nutrition rather than medicine. 2. Young Living Essential Oils. She was also very passionate about the essential oils. I learned the benefits of some of them but the one that stuck was Lemon. I'm a huge fan of having lemon water in the morning and go through lemons like crazy. Using a few drops of lemon oil in your water has the same benefits multiplied by a thousand. Oh, and it also purifies your water. Crazy, huh? 3. 3 Teas This was a gorgeous display of tea. I tried the Organic Strawberry Green Tea. I'm not a fan of most green teas but this was really good. 4. Nature's Roots Wheatgrass! Wheatgrass just always makes me happy. They were offering shots for $3 but I had my eye on something else so I didn't get one.

Oh how I love vegan treats, especially when there's samples! Giddy YoYo is probably one of my favorite raw vegan companies. I LOVE their chocolate and can honestly say that every one of the flavors are delicious. I've also purchased their cacao powder and am currently using their spirulina powder - love them both. At the festival I purchased their sea salt and I can't wait to start using it as well. Live On Chocolate power puddings! Have you had these before? They are the ultimate healthy treat! You feel like you are indulging but there is absolutely nothing bad in them, only good REAL ingredients. My favorite is the coconut lime flavor which they turned into frozen pops for the festival. It's also what I chose to buy instead of the wheatgrass shot. Oh man, it was SO good and totally the right choice! Everything Nice (bottom right corner and the photo above it) is what I like to call a healthy "fast food" company. They package a variety of meal kits that take most of the prep work out of cooking. You may have to chop an onion but that's as far as your prep goes. Just add water and simmer for about an hour. I love this idea for families who are too busy with extra-curricular's to get a healthy meal on the table during the week. We got to sample the Canadian Pea Soup which was really yummy.

Clockwise from top left: Fun "bean" spaghetti's from Upaya Naturals made from black beans, adzuki beans, and mung beans. Raw Pumpkin Seed oil from Styrian Gold. They made a quick 2-ingredient salad dressing using the pumpkin seed oil and a few squirts of an ice wine syrup. I swear it tasted like peanut butter and jam, in a good way. Richardo’s Ontario Hemp Hearts - Locally grown hemp seeds... yes, that's right, LOCAL as in Ontario! The Mustard Seed Co-op had a table full of products that they offer in-store. I had no idea they were already open for business so I'm excited to visit their store in the very near future. Rallis Ice Pressed Olive oil and Soap in the Raw. The lavender soap smelled like heaven but was too pricey for me.

Just a few of the products, samples and brochures that I brought home from the festival. Vegan dog food from V-Dog. I can't wait to send this sample to my parent's so they can give it to their dog Lexi. New Moon Kitchen's Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, Ultimate Kale Chips pink salt flavor, and Giddy Yoyo's Mountain salt. I also finally bought my first glass straw from the Upaya Naturals table - you can't really tell in the photo, but it's pink, obviously. I bought my vegan key chain from the Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary table, and I got buttons from the Oliver's Garden Project table and the Fur Bearer Defenders table.

It was a great festival and I wish I had remembered to take more pictures of all the wonderful offerings. But, I was too busy sampling goodies and chatting with some pretty amazing people! My highlight was chatting with Victoria Moran, who I was first "introduced" to through IIN as one of our speakers. She was so inspirational that I googled her as soon as the lecture was over. I'm so happy that I was able to connect with her in person even if it was only for a few minutes.

Last but not least...

You can't have a Veggie Fest without a vegan food truck! There were many different vegan food offerings at the festival but I was holding out for Karma Chamealeon. I love their food. We split the Bourbon BBQ Burger and the Philly "Cheeze" Steak. Both were delish but the bourbon bbq burger was my favourite. Next time I absolutely have to try the coconut onion rings!

I hope you enjoyed my Veggie Fest recap! I had so much fun and can't wait for next year's festival!

Happy Monday!

Love,
Ves xx

WIAW # 18, a Soup Recipe and Vegan MoFo #18 Oh, My!

Hi Friends!

This post is coming to you a little a lot late in the day and I have zero energy to be witty or clever or anything for that matter.  Today was super full with work (picture day!) and then an after work function, so I had no time for cooking let alone blogging.  Unfortunately this means that tomorrow's post will be a bit behind.  Sheesh!  I need to learn how to write 8 posts in one day!  Anyway, enough about my complaining, let's get to the good stuff!
Here's a day in the life of my eats... aka What I Ate Wednesday... aka what I ate at some point this week but, not necessarily on a Wednesday... aka what I ate to semi-cleanse from all of the really heavy meals I've been eating thanks to Thanksgiving and Birthday's... aka too many aka's!

Let's move on...

{First thing}: As always, I have a glass of water with lemon and cayenne pepper plus a probiotic or two for good measure!; {pre-breakfast}: Green Juice with celery, cucumber, romaine and lemon; COFFEE; {Breakfast}: Like most mornings I enjoyed a delicious Green Smoothie with romaine, celery, cucumber, mango and banana; {Lunch}: Salad!- mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, chopped veggies, lemon, nooch and a touch of mustard; {Dinner}: RAW wraps with veggies and homemade hummus plus a salad; {Dessert}: Apple Pie Pudding and a coffee.


As always, thanks to Jenn of Peas and Crayons for hosting this link-up party!

And now for the recipe...

This is what is was like all day yesterday!  I'm glad I made this soup!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
3 apples, sweet variety, peeled and chopped
a few tablespoons of olive oil
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
pinch of sea salt
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped
a little extra olive oil for sautéeing
3 cups vegetable stock

Directions:
1) Toss squash and apples with enough olive oil to coat, stir in salt and seasonings. Roast at 375 degrees until tender, about 30 minutes, stir halfway through cooking time.
2) Sauté onions in olive oil until very soft (about 5 minutes).
3) Add vegetable stock to onions, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Stir in roasted squash and apple. Mash with a potato masher or an immersion blender until desired texture is reached. Simmer a few minutes until thick and bubbly. Taste, and add salt if needed. Garnish with roasted seeds for added crunch.

Ready for the oven!

Simmering on the stove.

I love this handy blender! 

I left some chunks in my soup because I was going for a more rustic feel.  If you'd like you can always put this soup in your blender to make it super smooth.

Ready to eat!  Is it a surprise that I plated the soup over a plate of arugula?  I doubt it!

So there you have it!  WIAW and a super yummy and "fall-like" soup.
Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx

A Dirty Dozen For Your Skin

   Yes, you read that right.  We all know about the EWG's Dirty Dozen shopper's guide to pesticides in produce (if you're unfamilliar with it click here) but did you know there's one for our skin?  Well thanks to the amazing David Suzuki (remember him?), there sure is!

   You already know how I feel about using natural products on my skin and hair so it's no surprise that I'm in love with this list.  And I'm thrilled to share it with you. 
The Dirty Dozen...

1. BHA and BHT

used mainly in moisturizers and makeup as preservatives. 

2. Coal tar dyes

P-phenylenediamine is used in some hair dyes; other colours are used in a number of cosmetics.

3. DEA

Used in some creamy and foaming products, such as moisturizers and shampoos.

4. Dibutyl phthalate

Used as a plasticizer in some nail care products. 

5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives

Look for DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine and quarternium-15. Used in a variety of cosmetics.

6. Parabens

Used in a variety of cosmetics as preservatives.

7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)

Any mixture of fragrance ingredients used in a variety of cosmetics — even in some products marketed as "unscented."

8. PEG compounds

Used in many cosmetic cream bases.

9. Petrolatum

Used in some hair products for shine and as a moisture barrier in some lip balms, lip sticks and moisturizers.
10. Siloxanes
Look for ingredients ending in "-siloxane" or "-methicone." Used in a variety of cosmetics to soften, smooth and moisten.

11. Sodium laureth sulfate

Used in foaming cosmetics, such as shampoos, cleansers and bubble bath.

12. Triclosan

Used in antibacterial cosmetics, such as toothpastes, cleansers and antiperspirants.

To download the PDF version of this list and to learn more, click here.
Worried that you won't be able to remember those ingredients?  Don't be!  Purchase products with as few ingredients as possible and as close to natural as possible and you'll be fine.
Keep it simple and love the skin your in.

Love,
Ves xx

It's Reveal Day! Foodie Pen Pals - July!

   Hey guys!  Sorry it's been so quiet around here but I've been taking advantage of this gorgeous weather and avoiding my computer like the plague as much as possible.  I made myself a promise that I would actually slow down a bit and enjoy the rest of the summer and I'm sticking to it!  But there was no way I was going to miss sharing with you my goodies from this months Foodie Pen Pals. 
   This month I was paired up with Kimberly who blogs about fitness and her journey into the world of figure competitions.  You can check out her blog here.  Scroll down to check out the lovely package that she sent me.  And if your interested in checking out the goodies that I sent to my pen pal Danielle, click here to visit her blog.  She's currently training for a half marathon so I thought it appropriate to send her junk food... or did I?  Ha.

Onto the goodies...

Look how beautifully decorated my box came! :)

Kimberly's 5 year old daughter "hand-crafted" this card.  How sweet!

A lovely note from Kimberly.

PB2 - I've never had this and I think it's pretty genius!  It's powdered peanut butter that you can add a bit of water to if you want to get the consistency of PB.  I threw a tablespoon of it (dry) into a blueberry banana smoothie and loved it!

Vega Shake and Go Smoothie - I've never tried this before so I was looking forward to making it for breakfast. 

This is what it looked like mixed up on it's own.  I wasn't a huge fan of the taste so I threw the rest of it into a blender with some frozen berries, a banana and some spinach.  Much better!

Ginger Chews - I'm not sure what I expected these to taste like but I was definitely not expecting the spicy kick I got when I bit into one.  Love these!  The rest of this bag is tucked safely away in my cookie jar.  Ha.

I haven't had a chance to try either of these yet.  I'm looking forward to the RAW bar and am saving it for my next marathon study session!

This book was an unexpected find in my box.  It's actually pretty cool in that it's a novel with a recipe thrown in every couple of chapters.  I haven't read it yet but I did manage to scan most of the recipes.  One recipe in particular stood out so I'll definitely be making that soon and posting about it here.

Thanks again to Kimberly for sending such a great package! 

   Do you like what you see and wish you could be a part of this foodie swap?  Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean started this fabulous program.  Read on for the details:

 -On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 


Happy Foodie Pen Pals Day!
Love,
Ves xx

Look What I Found!

   You're probably going to think that I am a total nerd for what I'm super excited about, but that's okay, I can handle it!  Yesterday when I was grocery shopping I found CLOTH BAGS for purchase in the produce aisle!  I know you can find them online but I've never seen them sold in stores before.  I was so freaking excited that I immediately separated the bags from the package and used them for my produce! *Holy exclamation points, Batman!
   I really hate using those plastic produce bags and avoid them like the plague.  Usually I put my produce straight into the cart without the bags.  However, this only works if it's something like bananas, tomatoes, avocados, etc.  Otherwise, if it's in the area that gets sprayed with water (greens, celery, carrots, herbs) I have to grab a bag or else everything else in the cart will get wet.  Well not anymore!

Check these bad boys out!

   This is a PC brand so you should be able to find them wherever President's Choice products are sold.  I think I paid around $1.50 (I might be rounding up) for them and they come in a pack of 4 plus the little carry bag.  By the way, if you've seen these elsewhere for a better deal, let me know! ;)

   These bags are totally washable too, and when you throw them in the fridge you can be comforted knowing that the produce gets to breathe rather than be suffocated by the plastic. Just saying!

   Now, if only they would stop putting those darn stickers on all of the produce my grocery shopping experience would be (almost) complete.

Tune in tomorrow for another episode of WIAW to see what I did with all of the produce I purchased!

Love,

Ves xx

Natural Products... Make-up!

   Ooh La La!  Yeah, I like to say that sometimes when I've finished my make-up application.  Who doesn't?  After taking the time to apply your make-up just right, you should definitely stand back and give yourself the 'nod', or the "wink and the gun".  Whatever floats your boat!
   I'm especially happy when I know that I'm using products that aren't too harsh on my skin and have ingredients that I recognize.  So I'm really excited to share with you some new things that I've tried and some great products that I've been using for a while.  Like I've said before (here), I love buying and testing new products, especially if they're good for me.  That being said, I don't believe in waste and only buy new things when I run out.  So please don't run out and buy a new eyeshadow because you want to be kinder to the planet or animals, but you already have twenty in your make-up bag.  Trust me, you're being kind to the planet just by using those up first! 
   So here is my list... Some of these products I love and some I like but ALL are natural and Vegan.  Enjoy!

Foundation:

BELLAPIERRE Foundation

   I absolutely love this make-up and have been using it for almost a year.  It feels great on my skin and looks amazing, too!  
Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide , Zinc Oxide , Iron Oxides.

ALIMA PURE Foundation

  This foundation is just as fabulous as bellapierre but, in addition to caring about your skin, Alima Pure is also a cruelty-free company.  They don't test their products or ingredients on animals, and they're a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as well as The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics.

Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Mica. May contain [+/-]: Iron Oxides. Nothing more.

Bare Minerals SPF 15 Foundation
   I haven't actually used this brand but I've heard good things about it.
Ingredients: Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 12.6%, Zinc Oxide 21%. Inactive Ingredients: Bismuth Oxychloride, Mica, Iron Oxides, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide 

 

Blush:

   These are all so pretty but my favorite is Alima Pure.  The colors go on so smooth and look great!  A little goes a long way with these products!

ALIMA PURE Blush
 Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), May contain [+/-]: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891). Nothing more.

  BELLAPIERRE Blush
 Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

LA BELLA DONNA Compressed Mineral Blush

Ingredients: Micronized Titanium Dioxide SPF 20 (non chemical sunblock)
, Bismuth Oxychloride (has anti inflammatory properties)
, Zinc Oxide (has anti inflammatory properties)
, Iron Oxides (the source of color)

 BARE MINERALS Blush
Ingredients:   Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride
, Titanium Dioxide
, Iron Oxides
, Carmine

Eye Shadow:
ALIMA PURE Luminous Shimmer Eye shadow
   Theirs is the only eye shadow that I've tried so far, and I love it!  They offer great colors and long wears.  What I enjoy about this company is that you can actually order samples of products to try.  Each sample size costs about $1.50 and comes in a small container.  It lasts for quite a few uses as well so it's a good idea if you don't want to commit to a full size product.
Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510).
 

 Mascara:
   My absolute favorite mascara so far is the one from 100% Pure.  It's amazing!!  It lengthens my lashes, smells great and is completely natural!  I wasn't a huge fan of the ZuZu Luxe mascara but I do know that others really like it. 
100% PURE Fruit Pigmented Mascara

Ingredients: Organic Green Tea, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Honey Beeswax, Contains All or some of the following Pigments: Blackberry, Blueberry, Black Tea, Grape Skin, Pomegranate, Acai Berry, Boysenberry, Blackcurrant and Raspberry, Oat Protein, Wheat Protein, Provitamin B5, Seaweed Powder, Coconut Stearic acid, Mica (for shimmer in the Blackberry and Blueberry), Cocoa Butter, Pearl Powder, Rice Powder, Cacao Powder and Powdered Coffee Beans, Lavender Honey, Extracts of Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Lavender and Golden Seal  

ZUZU LUXE The Mascara

Ingredients: Aqua (infusion of aloe barbadensis leaf juice), cellulose gum, sorbitol, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, lecithin, panthenol, sea fennel extract, tocopheryl acetate, eyebright extract, xanthan gum, iron oxides, hectorite, titanium dioxide, potassium sorbate
An FYI about cetearyl alcohol:  Sometimes it can be made from animal ingredients but in this mascara, it's made from vegetable sources.  

 ECCO BELLA FlowerColor Natural Mascara
Ingredients:  Purified water, carnauba wax, palmitic acid (from palm oil), clay, methylparaben, propylparaben, iron oxides. 
I haven't tried this one, but I've heard good things about it.  However, they use parabens so keep that in mind if you want to try it. 

  That's my list so far.  I haven't gotten around to trying any new lip liners, lipsticks, or many eye shadows.  I wasn't kidding when I said I was a product junkie, so it's going to take me a while to use up all of the products that I already have.

  I'll keep adding to this list as I discover new favorites.  Feel free to let me know what you're favorites are, too!

Love,

Ves xx

Ps: Don't forget to check out my favorite products if you haven't already!  Just click here. :-o)

Natural Skin & Hair Care Products!

   As promised here is a look at some of the products I've been using recently:
*Apologies for the awful lighting on most of these photos.

FACE WASH AND MOISTURIZER

FACE WASH

   I really love this face wash from 100% Pure that I've been using for a couple of months now.  It has a fresh scent infused with mint and eucalyptus.  I like the way it foams up in my hands and really washes off my makeup... PLUS it's all Natural, 100% Vegan and Gluten Free!  Woohoo!

FACE SCRUB

   This scrub is pretty good... it does the job and makes my skin feel smooth.  I also really like the fruity smell.

MOISTURIZER

  I really like this moisturizer - also from 100% Pure.  This product is also all natural and 100% vegan.  It feels so good going on my skin and I love the minty scent.  I did find that this moisturizer was not enough for my skin so I started adding a few drops of Jojoba Oil to it at night.  That made a big difference and my skin loves me for it!  I'm almost out of this moisturizer so I'm on the hunt for a new one... I love testing products!  I have my eye on a couple so I'll let you know which one I choose! 

SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER

   This shampoo and conditioner by Dessert Essence Organics smells fantastic!  I love anything that smells like coconut so I had to snatch these up.  Unfortunately, I don't really like the product.  Both the shampoo and conditioner did nothing for my hair.  Since everyone's hair is different I can't really tell you not to try it, but I wouldn't buy it again.  It is however, all natural so that's a plus!

SHAMPOO

   I bought this shampoo and conditioner when I ran out of the coconut one.  I chose this one because it was on sale (ha! I can't lie!) and figured that I would give it a try.  I like the shampoo; it makes my hair sqeaky clean.  It also has a mild smell, which I like.  This product is all natural as well and I think it rates a 5 on the Cosmetic Database.

CONDITIONER

   Like the shampoo, I really adore this conditioner.  It feels great going on my hair but when I rinse it out my hair feels so silky.  This too has a mild scent and is all natural.  It ranks around a 3 on the database.

This is just a small list of products that I've tried.  I'll post about makeup soon and share with you my favorite brands.  Prices vary on all of the products so definitely shop around until you find the products you love at a price you are comfortable with. 

Here are some more links:

 100% Pure  www.100PercentPure.com

Jurlique  www.jurlique.com

Giovanni Products  www.giovannicosmetics.com

Kiss My Face  www.kissmyface.com

Alba Botanicals  albabotanica.com

John Masters  www.johnmasters.ca

LUSH  www.lush.ca 

Also check out the Vegan Beauty Market

 Don't forget to check out the Cosmetic Database if you haven't already.  Just type in the name of your product or an ingredient and it will give you a score out of 10 (10 being the most hazardous). www.cosmeticdatabase.com

Take care of your gorgeous selves!

Love,

Ves xx