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