Word of The Day

Jul 24, 2018

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Like my mother used to say,

“your words and thoughts are powerful”.

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Can Women Wait To Have Children?

Jul 17, 2018

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Today, women are choosing to wait to have children to focus on their careers, waiting until marriage or until they are much older. But can women afford to wait to have children….let’s say, past the age of 35? It’s been documented that the longer you wait to have children, the higher the risk.

On a recent episode of  Listen To Black Women, they tackle the question, can Black women literally afford to wait to have children?

Photo credit

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How I Improved My Dry Skin With Pure Aloe Vera

Apr 13, 2018

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I’ve struggled with dry skin for a little over a year now.  Mainly due to a vitamin deficiency (which is currently healing) but I  also blame Mother Nature since she refuses to let winter go. Like really, it’s April and it snowed outside. Geez! 

We all know it’s difficult to keep our skin moisturized during the winter. The dry air, the fluctuating temperature and use of central heat while we sleep, all contribute to suffering from dry skin.

To help keep my skin hydrated, I do two things: I wash with Pure Castile Lavender Soap (Dr. Bronner’s) and moisturize with Coconut Oil (Dr. Bronner’s, organic, virgin) or Shea Butter (grade A, unrefined, organic) on a daily basis. During the winter months, I combine both the coconut oil and shea butter to seal in as much moisture as I can.  I’ve also made it a point to drink at least 4-5 bottles of water to help hydrate my body.  Okay, so, that’s three things. But it’s nothing too complicated or exceptionally different. The simple routine worked and my skin would stay relatively soft (for the better part of a day).

A few months ago, I’ve noticed that certain parts of my body would be completely dry and tight after a couple of hours.  My little two-step process wasn’t enough. It was time to try something new. Not sure what that something new would be, I did know that I didn’t want to add another natural oil or butter just yet.

Then it dawned on me. Aloe Vera! How could I forget? I mean, Aloe Vera is known as the plant that heals and soothes the skin. 

ALOE VERA AT HOME

Growing up, I could always find a thick piece of Aloe plant sitting in our kitchen. My mother used Aloe for just about everything: to wash our hair, heal cuts and take the gel internally to “Clean our blood” as she would say. 

My mother would force me to take things like Aloe “because it was good for us.” I would constantly roll my eyes (without her knowing of course) because like most teenagers, I didn’t think my parents knew much about anything. But I listened to them anyway. Little did I know, years later, the world would live by all things natural and plant-based. 

USING ALOE VERA

Later that day I bought a small piece of the plant to use after my shower,

  • I cut the Aloe in half, scraped out the gel from the insides of the plant and put it in my blender for a few seconds. 
  • I took a small amount and applied it lightly over the driest parts of my body and let it sit for a minute. I put the rest in the fridge to stay fresh and didn’t keep a batch more than a few days.
  • I applied the coconut oil and shea butter mixture as I did before and waited. 
  • I repeated the same steps for a few weeks; Aloe Vera, then coconut oil and shea butter mixture every day and night.

There was a difference!  My skin was softer for a longer period of time during the day. I noticed my problem areas weren’t as dry even from the night before.  Applying the Aloe Vera allowed my skin to hold in the moisture much longer.

REASONS WHY ALOE VERA WORKS

  • Aloe Vera gel is light and non-greasy.  It won’t clog up your pores. 
  • Aloe Vera is made up of large quantities of water. This is what helps to hydrate your skin. 
  • Aloe Vera has approximately 75 nutrients, minerals and vitamins (combined) which all help to heal and moisturize your skin.
  • Aloe Vera, natural oils, and butter all have healing properties. When you combine them together it can act as a healing agent.

Now, if I can only get back to eating the Aloe Vera gel raw. I’m sure it would do wonders. Ugh!

How about you, have you used Aloe to heal your skin?

xo

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A Sweet Batch of Bites: Raw Dates, Walnuts And FlaxSeeds

Apr 2, 2018

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When March Break comes around not only do you have to keep your kids entertained, you have to keep your kids fed more often than usual.

Wait. That may sound bad.

What I mean is, they are constantly snacking on everything.  At school, they are occupied, busy, and you’d be lucky if their lunch comes back half-eaten.  When they’re home all day, they eat.

While my son enjoyed his (version of the perfect) vacation with endless beverages, snacks and uninterrupted PS4 playtime, I did my best not to give Lay’s BBQ Chips all of our money and try our simple version of healthy snack bites.

Another 20 minutes or less healthy snack recipe I hope you enjoy!

___________________________________________________________

Raw Dates, Walnuts And FlaxSeed Bites

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

COOLING TIME: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (250 ml) of dates (or use figs as an alternative)

1 cup (250 ml) of crushed walnuts

1 teaspoon (5 ml) of ground flaxseed (placed in a small bowl)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) of ground flax seed for rolling/topping

INSTRUCTIONS

– Remove the seeds (if any) and cut up the dates and place them in a blender

– Crush up the walnuts and place them in the blender

– Blend together and once the mixture forms a peanut butter-like texture, make a small ball using your hands and place in the small bowl filled with ground flax seeds.

– Roll each ball in the flax seed

– Place the balls in the refrigerator for at least twenty minutes to harden.

The mixture can make approximately ten bites. They have a quite rich taste, I couldn’t eat more than two at a time.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Loveable Links//Blue

Mar 18, 2018

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My niece is having a baby boy. And we’re pretty excited!

She’s not one for all of the baby shower hoopla. As she puts it, “You guys know I’m not doing all those baby shower games and stuff, right?” And to be honest, that suited my sister just fine. We spent a beautiful afternoon at the Collette Grand Cafe enjoying Sunday brunch. We ate – their creme brûlée was my favourite – chatted, drank wine, and a few glasses of champagne. It was a perfect sunny afternoon filled with good food, family and hints of blue (actually, navy blue, silver and white) everywhere. As we wait patiently for the “little man” to arrive.

If you’re ever looking for a great-tasting brunch menu,  stop by their Wellington Street location in Downtown Toronto. Be sure to click on the first of our Loveable Links to check out their menu and some of our favourite new’s items this week.

Collette Grand Cafe, Wellington Street location menu

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