School Lunch Inspiration

Well  I think it's fair to say summer is beginning to wind down. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting a wee bit cooler. Am I ready for this? Not in the least, ha!

The count down to the first day of school is well on it's way. I am already racking my brain trying to come up with lunch ideas for school. You may wonder why the worry, well this is because I have a peanut butter sandwich only kind of girl.

I have been hearing about these " bento" lunch containers that keep the food all separated yet still all together. I am thinking this might just solve my worries about lunch. Here is what I found:

This kit is from laptoplunches.com  and comes with everything you see including a stainless steal fork and spoon.  It is made in the USA and does not contain BPA's, phthalates, or PVC. This kits sells for $38.99 which is quite pricey although I would consider this an investment piece as it should last till university (wink).

The kits have a place to put a small ice pack in so the food stays cool. They also sell accessories to make funky vegetable and fruit shapes, not the mention a teddy bear sandwich shaper (how awesome is that?)

Here are some lunch options for using the boxes I also found on their website.

Don't these look delish!  

Here is another company called Yumbox.com, they have an eco-friendly design that eliminates the use of lids as well. 

Wish I had these when I was a kid. I think the days of squished sandwiches and boring lunches are over.

Have you heard or used any of these?

xoAngela
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Arbonne Primer

As you know from my previous posts we had family from Ontario come and stay with us for a few days. Along with awesome memories, lots of laughs and many miles on the road they gave me a wonderful gift that I have been using on a regular basis now. MAKE-UP! The key to my heart(wink).

My sister-in-law introduced to me the Arbonne world and boy am I ever happy she did.  

They gave me the Country Garden Palette that includes a great blush/bronzer duo (summerset meadow blush is a nice light shimmery pink) and four eye-shadows (accent, lid, crease and highlight).

The palette also comes with the cutest most amazing buttery lipstick ever. The color is called rosebud and it's a nice light nude pink. The kit also comes with a great duel ended eye-shadow brush. The colors are all very nice to work with. It will be a great addition to my little collection (wink).

My second gift was the Arbonne Primer. This is a primer I have been wanting to try for a while now after following the "Small Things Blog" by Kate. She speaks very highly of this product so of course I became very interested in this.

I can honestly say now that I own it I see why she likes it so much. This is the nicest, lightest formula and it makes your skin feel like silk. It helps create the perfect canvas for your makeup, helping it last all day. Love, love, love this!

A big huge thanks again for all the wonderful gifts and for also introducing me to this brand. I did not realize they are formulated without all the bad stuff and stride to provide pure, safe and beneficial products. All these factors are becoming increasingly important to me as I learn more and more about health and wellness.

Did you know that 70% of what we put on our skin goes directly into our bodies?

xoAngela

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Chocolate Zuccini Brownies

We are lucky enough to live next to people that grow a huge garden every year.  What makes us lucky is that they often will share the fruits of their labor with us. This past week we were given the hugest zucchini I have ever seen so I thought, why not make some brownies.  Confused??? I know, it sounds weird and your probably thinking why on earth would you want to add zucchini to brownies anyways? Well..... trust me, these make the most delicious brownies ever. They are so moist, soft, and chewy. What more could you want?

I discovered this recipe on the Sweet Happy Life blog and have decided this is a keeper.

Here is the recipe copied from the blog.

Ingredients

For the brownies:

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1½ cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini

For the frosting:

• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with PAM or your preferred baking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, ½ cup cocoa, baking soda and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. Fold in the zucchini and mix well. The batter will be very dry and you'll think you should add eggs or milk, but don't do it!
5. Spread into the prepared pan, gently tapping the mixture down.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.
7. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa, the butter and the milk in the microwave for about 40-60 seconds. Mix well with a spatula or metal spoon. Allow to cool slightly, then add the vanilla and the confectioners sugar ½ cup at a time, mixing well between additions.
8. Spread the frosting over the brownies once the brownies have cooled. Allow to set for an hour before digging in. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

(source)

Since they technically contain a vegetable that means you should enjoy at least two (wink)!

Hope you enjoy!

xoAngela
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A Fun Day in FUN-DY!

The next day we woke up and hit the trail yet again. This time we were Fundy National Park bound!

For those of you that are not familiar with the area, Fundy showcases a rugged coastline with hiking trails, camping and more than 25 waterfalls and is most famous for having the highest tides in the world. It's a beautiful natural gem located in Southern New Brunswick, Canada.

With five children in total, three under the age of six  we had to choose some hikes that would best suite the little ones.  We choose Dickson falls and Wolf point to discover.

After hiking up an appetite we headed into the town of Alma and settled upon a great little seafood restaurant called Fundy take out. My husband ordered the fish and chips and said it was the best he has had. We finished off our seafood feast with some famous Alma sticky buns from kelly's bakery. One word, YUM!   

Here is a shirt my nephew picked  out at the local gift shop in Fundy. Love it!

Another day the Maritime way!

We had a wonderful time with our family from Ontario and are so grateful for the memories we shared. We look forward to spending more time with you guys in the future. Big hugs to you all!

xoAngela
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Home Away From Home

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, we drove down to St. Andrews on our vacation to go whale watching in the Bay of Fundy.  After our sea adventure we retreated to a two unit cottage that was minutes from the waters edge where we spent the night.  The Seaside Beach Resort is a stones throw from downtown which makes it the perfect central location to stay.

We grabbed a bag of charcoal and fired up the iron grill. I had forgotten how much I love the smell and taste of a charcoal grill. Super yummy BBQ!

St. Andrews is one of those places I must visit in the summer. A summer is not a summer until I have strolled the main streets of St. Andrews and smelled the sea salt in the air.  The smell takes me to a very comfortable place. I can remember when I was a child spending lots of time exploring the ocean floors. Being by the ocean just make me feel at home.

While exploring the beautiful ocean front of our cottage we came upon a jelly fish that did not go out with the tide. We tried many things to get the slimy creature back to it's ocean home.  Finally after many attempts with several branches he/she was rescued. We watch the sun go down knowing we had saved the life of one little jelly fish.

The next morning we headed to the awesome park beside the St. Andrews elementary school. The kids loved it, it is amazing.  You could easily spend a whole afternoon there.We would have stayed longer although we hurried along on the happy trail to Comeau's which is a restaurant famous for it's local seafood.

Following a delicious deep fried seafood feast we headed to New River Beach, aka seaweed beach.  I am not sure why but the beach was covered in seaweed. I don't remember this from my past visits although maybe it was left overs from tropical storm Arthur.

Another great day with such a wonderful family. 

Stay tuned to see where we headed next on our East Coast adventure.

xoAngela

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A Whale Tale!

Well vacation is over and I am slowly starting to get back into the groove of things around here again. My plan is to devote the next couple of posts to share with you some of the highlights of our great East Coast vacation.

Earlier in the summer we were thrilled to learn that our family from Ontario was planning on flying out to spend some time with us. They are not so familiar  to the Maritimes so I really wanted to share some authentic Maritime experiences with them. We decided to book a trip on the Jolly Breeze. Seriously, what's more Maritime than heading out to sea on a sail boat?

Our first morning together as a family of nine we headed down some windy, less-traveled roads (wink) to the seaside village of St. Andrews to embark on our Atlantic sea journey. The skies were foggy and the air was cool. We thought it might be a rather damp and chilly adventure although twenty minutes into the trip the skies opened and the sun shone. This wonderful change in weather made it the perfect day to be at sea.

After a forty-five minute gorgeous scenic boat ride out into the Bay of Fundy we were thrilled to see three whales, along with lots of porpoises and seals all along the way.  It really is amazing to see these giant sea creatures in there natural habitat with your own eyes.  The anticipation of  the whales cresting onto the surface of the water is extremely thrilling. They are incredibly majestic to watch. The beauty of it all almost takes your breath away.

The Jolly Breeze is a fantastic tour filled with great activities for the young and the young at heart. The kids began their whale journey by dressing up in pirate costumes.  They also get up close and personal with some sea creatures with an on-board touch tank. The captain gets volunteers to help raise the mass and the kids get their faces painted in the cabin below. We were all served a hot bowl of delicious chowder and the kids even got to steer the ship all by themselves (icing on the cake).

This was a great experience. The kids had a ball. This is my third trip to see the whales and I would guess it will not be my last. The Jolly Breeze has not seen the last of our family, we hope to make this a tradition and share this experience with more friends and family that come to visit, any takers?

Stay tuned to see more of our East Coast adventure.

xoAngela

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Signing off for a few!

I just love Summer! I think I may have mentioned that a few times in the last month or so (wink). I am not a huge fan of the cold weather so I enjoy every second of the warmth and sunshine while it's here.  I am taking a few days off from the blog to spend some quality time with family we have not seen in far too long!  They flew in last night and I cannot tell you how excited we all are!

I wanted to leave you with a little Summer inspiration.  

With the weather being a bit humid  I like to get my hair out my face and off my neck. I have attempted this double bun twice now. It's easier then it looks. Just separate your hair into two sections (top and bottom). Make two pony tails, one on top of the other.  Take each ponytail and wrap it around the base using several bobby pins to keep it in place. Repeat these steps with the second ponytail and VOILA! Give it a good spray and your good to go.

My other favorite is my hat. Nothing says summer and beach like this puppie!

Fashionable yet functional!

Toodles

xoAngela

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