I can’t eat gluten, I try to avoid dairy and I don’t have tolerance for soy so that leaves very few ‘cream’ drinks I can use for my tea and coffee. I’ve longed used almond milk but have found that the taste, while great for baking, doesn’t work so well for more delicate teas as it overtakes the flavour.

Recently, I began to see coconut milks and creamers pop up in my local Whole Foods. Since I have longed believe in the benefits of coconut oil and water (great for baking & hydration) I picked up So Delicious Coconut Plain Creamer to try.

The first thing I noticed was, unlike coconut water, the creamer looked like regular almond/rice milk which was great because for coffee/tea you want something a little thicker and creamier. On its own, the creamer had a sweeter taste than say regular, almond or rice milk but definitely did not taste much like coconut to me. I tried it in a couple of tea’s and it was perfection. In fact, when I put it with a vanilla Roobios it was so good, I didn’t have add any sweetener.

What I love about this product is that it’s naturally gluten, dairy and soy free – it’s also vegan if that’s a concern. I’ve also tried the vanilla flavour which is definitely sweet and works best for plainer teas instead of flavoured ones like an Earl Grey.

Buy At: Whole Foods & So Delicious

It is no secret that I have a slight addiction to candles – I have them burning all the time in my home and have certain scents for certain times of the year. I’ve almost never bought the same candle twice because I love to test out new scents and frankly, find myself disappointed so often by how they burn or their scents that I don’t want to walk down that road twice.

Linnea’s Lights Black Vanilla Candle is the first one I’ve ever bought twice. In fact, it’s the only candle I’ve ever bought three times – I love it that much. I discovered it at Terrain at the beginning of winter and, when I returned to by my second one a couple of months later, the women who worked there and I were literally gushing over the scent & burn. “We’re not supposed to have favourites,” one said to me, “but we all agree this is our favourite”

While vanilla scents generally put me off (too sweet, candy shop, fake) this is the real deal. It is rich, cosy, warm. During the worst snow storms in years, I had this going and it made my large, cold rooms seem cosy, warm and beautiful. The burn is clean and perfect and the scent is amazing. I’ve also bought the Cashmere which is like Black Vanilla, just a little sweeter and Tuberose, which I am waiting for Spring before burning.

I think these candles are truly the best I’ve ever had and when you understand how they’re made, it’s easy to see why. It’s a family-run, environmentally, deeply caring for the arts/luxury company. From their site:  Linnea’s Lights candles combine natural soy wax, lead-free cotton candlewicks, pure essences and fine fragrances to create clean burning, perfectly scented and highly aromatic candles. Each candle is triple scented so the subtle fragrance keeps throughout the entire burn. All of Linnea’s Lights natural soy candles are meticulously hand-poured in small batches and tested for quality assurance. Every step of the process involves the use of human hands, and each candle is packaged and designed locally in Indiana with recycled or recyclable materials.

So while these candles may be a bit more than your average, they are worth every penny because of their scent, burn and the company you support. Trust me on this one – I just bought my fourth today.

BUY AT: Linnea’s Lights

I am a bit of a yogurt snob so I have, for the most part, avoided eating yogurt in America. That’s because most of it has been far too runny, sugary, fruity or light for my tastes. To me, yogurt should be thick, creamy and rich with a slight tang.

I’d come close only a few times with some Greek brands but still felt they lacked the creamy richness I was after. So imagine how happy I was when I discovered the Canadian brand, Liberte and their Mediterrranee line was exactly what I had been looking.

What I love is that even their plain or vanilla brands are so rich in flavour, so very creamy, and perfectly thick & tangy. They’re like mini desserts for after dinner or, mixed with some granola, make a hearty breakfast. The plain is my preferred flavour although they also make some with fruit on the bottom. And it’s real fruit – you can taste the actual strawberries instead of some fruit mock-up. And, they’re hormone free and have ingredients that are basic and you can understand which is important to me.

BUY AT: Whole Foods & Liberte

I should state right up front that I hesitated in watching this movie forever. I was sure I wouldn’t like anything about it – the story line, the acting and especially the music.

I was wrong on all accounts – especially the music.

Maybe it’s because I’m a huge Smiths fan or the fact they included a few more favourite artists like She & Him and Carla Bruni, but I love this soundtrack in its entirity – rare for me with a CD let alone a soundtrack. It’s a great puttering-around-the-house, driving up the coast, chilling on a Sunday, background music for a friendly get together playlist.

And if you don’t feel it during Hall & Oats, then this is totally not the CD for you.

BUY AT: Amazon

You’ve heard it a million times; bring your own bags when you grocery shop to save the planet. And every grocery store is going to sell you different bags to do just that. And I’ve bought a couple from Whole Foods for just that purpose. The problem? A lot of them are ugly, a lot of them don’t fold up well and a lot of them aren’t comfortable to carry once loaded.

I had heard a lot of friends rave about the Flip and Tumble bags but I was really suspicious of a bag that folds into itself. I’ve bought a lot of those (and blankets) that never, ever, fold back into themselves. But the price, the colours and the raves (plus the fact I could order using Paypal – always a plus for me) made me cave, and I’m so glad I did.

This is the first bag that easily – and I mean easily – folds into a ball. In seconds. With no thought! I keep my little ball in my purse (it’s that small) so whether I’m at the grocery store, out running errands from clothing to beauty stores or just in need of a bag to take to the beach without worrying about getting sand it, I now have it.

The handle has a little bit of padding which makes it comfortable on your shoulder. It holds a lot of groceries while still being comfortable to carry. And did I mention in turns into a ball? The only downside for me is that the handle is long and I’m not. So if it has things in it and my arm is extended down fully, the bag touches the ground. If you like to carry things that way, you’ll have to either shorten the handle yourself or find another bag.

But the goods far outweigh that which is why I’m going to order a few more!

BUY AT: Flip and Tumble

I am cold pretty much all the time, even if it’s 100F and I’m wearing a parka. And while I love my flat, it’s hard to keep warm since it has lots of window and 3 outside walls, none of which are energy efficient. I also have gas heating which is expensive and just kind of blows out of the ceiling vents, staying up top and not really heating the space down below.

This lead me to look for a space heater since I didn’t really need to heat my whole place at once. I wanted something movable, easy to use (and install), inexpensive, silent and efficient. After a lot of research I found the Bionaire Silent Micathermic Flat-Panel Radiator Heater.

First, it was very easy to set up since it’s light and only has three parts. Within minutes I had it turned on and heating my room – quietly. There is literally no noise when this is running yet it really does manage to get the heat throughout the room, perfect since I spend most of my time in my office which is really the living room that connects to an open kitchen. Toasty!

There are two levels of heat and you can select a setting you want and the heater will keep it at that setting, shutting off for periods of time to save energy and turning on to keep it at your preferred setting.

If you have children or pets, you don’t have to worry; it’s not going to burn them if they touch it and if it tips over, it automatically shuts off. It’s also very light so you can move it from room to room if you need to (I sometimes move it to them bathroom to help dry hanging clothes).

BUY AT: AMAZON

I love olive oil whether it’s to cook with or as a base for my salad dressing. What I don’t like is my inability to use just a little bit! So in trying to cut back in over doing it, I discovered the Oil Mister from Williams Sonoma.

With a built in filter that works wonders if you add herbs and garlic to your oil, this non-aerosol mister easily sprays just the perfect amount of oil. It’s much more economical and eco-friendly that those areosol sprays in the supermarket, and this way, you get to choose what oil and what herbs (if any).

With just a few pumps you get a lot of spray which allows for easy coating of a pan or a coating on your salad as well the spray allows for a lot less oil being used which is great for those who are trying to keep their fat intake down or who are trying to save money by not using up their expensive oil all at once!

BUY AT: Williams Sonoma

I thought having the best hair stylist in the world is all that it would take to make my hair fabulous and manageable but the truth is, it’s only half the battle and a battle I was losing. Although my hair cut was amazing and my stylist could blow it out all smooth, I could not replicate the nice, soft, frizz-free fringe at home.

I kept hearing all the buzz about Sedu products and how they were the best but at their high price tag I thought it was some kind of gimmick and kept buying relatively inexpensive brands through beauty supply stores (Babyliss, Chi, Salano).

The problem with those brands was always weight and temperature. I thought I needed something hot and fast to blow out my fringe quickly but I always had frizzy hair with a kink from the round brush. Even after having lessons from my stylist I kept having the same issue. So I thought maybe the lower heat and speed of the Sedu would make a difference combined with the Tourmaline ionic generator.

And I hate to report it, but it really, really did. Continue reading »

Having a very small living room I really needed to define the space, especially since I had an office in it and my kitchen opened up to it. The best way I thought was to buy a 5X8 rug. Easy, right?

Wrong.

I wanted something that would withstand a lot of wear and tare because I have a dog that tracks in everything and a kitty who loves to lounge and scratch a carpet. I also wanted something eco-friendly that wouldn’t have a lot of chemicals put onto or dyes that would come out. Reversible, too in case of spills or accidents and the kicker? Under $150.

I scoured every online web site I could think of, visited countless stores but most rugs were either out of my price range for the size I needed or didn’t match all of my criteria. So I was so happy when West Elm launched these eco-friendly Jute Rugs for $129.

Because everything I have is white or light and I didn’t want to darken the space, I chose the rug in Ivory. It has really enhanced my furniture, defined the space and made it cosy. The jute is soft to the barefoot (no scratching as with some natural rugs), durable (has survived a vacuum and a kitty) and really stylish (goes with my modern, boho, shabby look). Best of all? It’s eco-friendly, sustainable, and affordable!

Buy at: West Elm

I am by no means a cook especially because I don’t enjoy cooking. All the pots, pans and timing are honestly just too much for me. But when when I saw some one pot recipes involving french/dutch ovens, I thought I found something I could do.

Searching for a well made, hardy, sizable and affordable oven was a challenge. There are a lot on the market for a lot of money. I wasn’t comfortable shelling out $100 or more dollars for something I wasn’t sure would work or be used a lot.

A friend directed me to QVC where she had recently bought the Staub Cast Iron 5qt French oven. She told me since they have a 30 day money back guarantee if I didn’t like it, back it would go. So I bought it.

That was about four months ago and I kid you not, I use this about three times a week. Granted I’m making the same chicken dish but I love it. It has made cooking a fantastic, easy experience.  Staube has been in business for over 30 years and has received numerous awards and high ratings. This cast iron oven has a honeycomb surface which is needed for even heat distribution. The lid has basting spikes which helps keep food inside moist whilst cooking. It’s dishwasher and oven safe and can also go straight to the table. Easy clean up, too.

With this I have been able to buy inexpensive pieces of meet (whole chicken legs) and within 45minutes have tender, juicy chicken meat that can be enough for 4 meals. Now that’s my kind of cooking.

BUY AT: QVC