Everyone knows mashed potatoes (well, now you do!) are one of my all-time favorite foods! Have you ever met anyone who doesn't love mashed potatoes? I truly don't think I have. And turning them into cheese and onion mashed potato patties is a delicious way to use leftover mashed potatoes!
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Spice up your life with one of my favorite easy vegetarian comfort food meals on the planet: a vegetarian buffalo chicken wrap! I use Gardein’s Seven Grain Crispy Tenders to make it happen, but you can use your favorite chicken substitute. Packed with flavor, cheese, ranch, and some veggies, this is bound to be your new favorite lunch!
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A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend a conference with 400 other women put on by The Essential Platform. And I have sooo much to tell you about it! I want to share with you some of the most impactful takeaways I got from the conference (because I think you'll find them useful too!). And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without telling you what it was like to meet Jillian Harris! ...
These roasted goat cheese and honey carrots combine some of my all-time favorite foods! But, put goat cheese on just about anything and I’m down to eat it! Roasted goat cheese and honey carrots recipe make the PERFECT side dish for all sorts of meals, and they're so easy to make!...
This is my favorite classic pancake recipe! I’ve perfected it over the years to get it just right. These are amazing all on their own. But they’re also an excellent base if you want to add berries or chocolate chips, etc. Breakfast food is just the best. You can eat it any time of day and these are no exception.
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Tomato cheddar soup just screams comfort food! Serve it with fresh dill, crackers, or on its own and you'll fall in love with this rich, creamy soup before you know it.
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After an absolutely incredible trip to London and some of the best meals of my life, I couldn't wait for this post. Today, I'm sharing with you my favorite vegetarian meals I had in London!
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You know I LOVEEEEE puffed pancakes and I've been making these cute mini version - they're the BEST!...
Do you want to eat a scone, mannn? (to the tune of "Do you want to build a snowmaaaan?") Then these white chocolate raspberry scones are the ones for you!
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Food is often the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning - and this easy overnight blueberry french toast bake gets me up especially fast. I've even been known to cut a nap short just so I have time to eat two dinners. So, delicious breakfast food is something that I really look forward to. Not that cereal, oatmeal, toast, or other traditional breakfast foods aren't delicious, but there's something about a dish like this overnight french toast bake that really gets my wheels turning. Whatever that means!
This vegetarian mushroom Stroganoff with Gardein Beefless Ground has become a staple in my house, and every time I make it I’m reminded why I love it so much! I know you're going to love it too.
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If you're thinking, "What IS a Dutch baby?" Don't worry, you're not the only one who's ever asked me that. Whether you call it a puff pancake, German pancake, a Bismarck, or a Dutch puff, it means the same thing: a big, delicious puffy pancake that you bake in the oven!
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Theeee most festive muffin I ever did seeee!!!! These are great Christmas muffins to keep on hand for unexpected visitors or for Christmas brunch.
I recently had a lovely vacation in Kelowna, B.C., and part of what made it so lovely was having Eggs Benedict for breakfast every. single. day. of my trip.
I put together some of my favorite pictures from the trip as well as pictures of my favorite vegetarian meals at restaurants there because it seems like everyone and their cousin is spending time there this summer. And if you're not eating to your heart's content, what's the point really?
What are some of your favourite spots in Kelowna? I can't wait to go back!
Until next time!
xo - C
I've noticed something lately: Lots of us girls (and I say us because I've done it too) post pictures of delicious meals and include a caption about it being "cheat day," or how it's worth all the working out they'll have to do to burn it off, or some comment about their summer/winter bod and what this tasty meal will do to it.
Post about it if you want, but never, ever should you have to justify your food choices to anyone (okay, except maybe a doctor in some cases), but ESPECIALLY not to your social media followers.
Adding some explanation about why you deserve to eat this meal (or why you don't) simply doesn't matter to anyone but you, and this whole concept doesn't do much for the body positivity movement, does it?
Explaining that a milkshake topped with two donuts and a can of whipped cream is a "treat" is redundant. If you don't add a caption explaining how guilty you feel for having one or how it's your once-a-week treat meal isn't going to make anyone think you eat like that every day.
Image via theloop.ca
We don't usually see men posting pictures of their meals with captions that have something to do with anything other than how delicious it is, and (for once - wink wink) we can learn something from guys:
Here are 3 good reasons for enjoying the shit out of whatever you eat with NO SHAME:
We ALL need to eat. Of course, this doesn't mean we all need to eat milkshakes every day, but food of any sort is a staple in life. We should get to enjoy food without wondering if we deserve it, because - SPOILER ALERT - you DO deserve it. I'm sure you know how to take care of yourself and what your body needs, and that means you probably know you can't live off Doritos. No matter how big or small you are, you deserve delicious meals and YOU are the only person you need to answer to about how and what you're eating.
I was a picky, picky, picky eater as a kid. Still am in many ways, actually. Dinner time would often be a battle between me and my parents as I cried to get out of eating things I didn't want to eat (vegetables, I'm sure! I also have quite an aversion to meatloaf) and begged for things I did want (grilled cheese - always and forever). This is a pretty commonplace issue that parents face with their kids, and I get why it is totally frustrating for both children and adults.
But when you're the adult, your parents probably aren't responsible for cooking every. single. meal. for you, and they don't sit across from you watching and waiting for you to eat every bite they carefully cut for you to make sure you're getting the nutrients you need - at least I hope not because YIKES.
You're the adult now and you can make food choices for yourself. Part of being an adult is gaining the freedom to make choices for yourself. Hopefully, you make choices that make you feel good, and part of feeling good is BALANCE. And what better way to balance out a healthy diet than with meals you crave that aren't as healthy as what you feel like you should be eating?
Imagine a young child eating a piece of pizza and commenting "this is going to make me fat but it's so worth it," or "it'll take four hours of playing tag to burn this hot dog off."
Don't you just want to reach out and hug them and tell them to just ENJOY their food? They deserve to eat food they enjoy without justifying it to anyone and so do you!
By this point, I hope I got my opinion across that your food choices are about you and what make you feel good, but there are actually other important people to consider when it comes to justifying your food choices: YOUNG GIRLS.
Human beings are highly impressionable, and social media has provided platforms upon which millions and millions of people can MAKE an impression, as well as being influenced by the impressions others make. Take the Instagram model, for instance (although no matter how big or small of a following you have, there are impressionable people who see your content). There's a LOT of them. Most of them probably don't set out to be role models, but like it or not, many of them become just that, especially to the young people following them.
What do you think it does to a 14-year old girl who is insecure about a layer of "baby fat" she still has when she sees a size 00 Instagram model posting about how she needs to work off a meal or doesn't deserve it? Nothing good, I'd guess. And it isn't just children affected by this, it's adults too, and I know this because it's happened to me.
Like most people, I suffer from "comparisonitis" sometimes, and it often rears its ugly head the most when I'm on social media and people only depict their "best life." I've had thoughts like "if this gorgeous gal doesn't deserve to eat a Pizza Pop, who the hell am I to indulge in a Pop or two without feeling guilty?"
We know for sure there's a strong correlation between the food you eat and your overall health, My intention isn't to deter you from discussing your food choices with ANYONE because it can be incredibly useful information for health professionals in treating or preventing disease. But these conversations about what may or may not be good for you should be had, in my opinion, at certain times and places. And on social media, the same place we go to look at NSFW memes, MIGHT not be the right time or place.
This is obviously all just my own personal opinion, so what do you think, gals? Are you over girls feeling the need to justify their indulgences on social media or do you not think much of it?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts!
xo - C
I left the restaurant industry a few years ago after working in restaurants on and off since I was 18. Nothing will make you lose your faith in humanity quicker than some of the vicious and hungry monsters you deal with in food service. However, you will typically leave the industry as a better and more self-aware person...at least when you're out to eat. Here are some of the things I learned:...
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