Food | Green Chicken & Veg Soup Recipe via Clean & Delicious

I was recently sick and was on the hunt for recipes/foods that would help boost my immune system. In the colder months of Fall and Winter, I typically love to make soups because it's an easy way to make a large quantity of food ahead of time, it packs in ingredients that are lingering in the fridge and tastes great!

During my Googling and YouTubing, I came across this great Channel by Dani Spies who has this amazing food channel and website called Clean & Delicious. Once I saw her delicious sounding soup, it was exactly what I was looking for! (Just look at the title!):

Immunity Boosting Green Chicken + Veggie Soup - Clean&Delicious®. (Click to go to her YouTube)

I loved her video and how simple it was to make. The "Broth Booster" was my favourite part of the soup, which you will see below, and really added a nice warmth and heat to the soup.

@Clean_and_Delicious | www.http://cleananddelicious.com

I loved the fact that it was literally exactly what I was looking for! It has lots of veggies and of course good chicken broth, which helps you feel better when sick. Here is the recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Small Onion - Chopped
• 2 Carrots - Chopped
• 2 Stalks of Celery - Chopped
• 3 Cloves of Chopped Garlic
• 1 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 2 Tsp. Dried Oregano
• 12 Ounces of Shredded Rotisserie Chicken (2 Chicken Breasts) *Boil in Lemon Water to help shred
• 2 Small Zucchini - Chopped
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Corn
• 6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Homemade Stock
• 1 Bunch Cilantro - Stemmed
• 1 Serrano Pepper (I wanted a lot of heat and used Green Chiles)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat Olive oil in a large pot and add in onions, pepper, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 8-10 mins. or until the veggies begin to look tender.

2. While veggies are cooking, blend cilantro, Serrano pepper, 1 clove of Garlic and 2 cups of broth in the blender. Once blended, set aside. (What I lovingly refer to as the "Broth Booster"!)

3. Once veggies are tender, season with cumin, oregano and a little more salt and pepper, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Add shredded chicken, zucchini, corn, remaining chicken broth and the cilantro broth you blended in the blender. Bring to a boil, reduce down and simmer for 10 more minutes or until your veggies are tender.

Pour yourself a bowl and savour every spoonful of this soup! This soup was so easy and it truly helped me get better. Here are my pics of the version I made:

If you are a soup lover or need to boost your immune system, definitely check out this delicious soup! Happy Cooking!

Food | Spicy Whole Wheat Spaghetti Recipe

I love to cook all kinds of meals but my most favourite dishes that I enjoy to make are pasta! My all-time favourite meal is my Mom's version of Spaghetti! Her version is a wonderful combination of Spices/Meaty Sauce and the best part, super duper delicious mozzarella Cheese! It has everything in 1 pot!

Here is my healthy yet simple recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Whole Wheat Spaghetti
• 4 Medium Tomatoes
• 1 Jar of Organic Tomato Sauce
• 2 Handfuls of Baby Spinach
• 2 Squirts of Sriracha Sauce
• 1 Onion
• Fresh Basil
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Sauce:
Finely chop onion and sauté in Olive Oil. Saute the onion for about 7 minutes until they go clear. Add fresh chopped garlic and 2 Squirts of Sriracha Sauce. Mix together. Chop Basil and add to the mixture. Then add your Tomatoe Sauce. Bring to a boil and remove from heat and cover with lid.

Pasta:

Boil your pasta according to package directions. Once cooked and drained, add the two handfuls of Baby Spinach into the Spaghetti and mix together.

Add the Tomato Sauce to the Spaghetti and mix/toss well. Once mixed, add the chopped tomatoes and you are done!

Simple yet perfect! Enjoy!

Food | Penne Chicken Veggie Soup Recipe

One of the best things to have when you are not feeling well or on a super cold day is Chicken Vegetable soup. As a kid, we loved getting either the canned or the packet version of the soup. As I started to learn to cook for myself, I wanted to be able to make it from scratch whenever the mood struck. Here is my take on a classic Chicken Soup!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Bag of Penne Pasta or Noodle of your Choice
• 5 Carrots Sliced
• 6 Celery Sliced & Diced
• 2 Cups of Rotisserie Chicken - Shredded
• 1 Small Onion Diced
• A pinch of Thyme
• 2 Tablespoon Margarine
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon of Garlic or Fresh Garlic*Optional
• Water to fill 3/4 of Pot Used

Grab a Large pot and over medium heat add margarine. Add a piece of onion so you can gauge the heat of the melted margarine, but once you see the onion sizzle, add the onions, carrots and celery. Toss together and cook for about 5 mins.

Add the bay leaf and the thyme. Cook the vegetables until they are softened. Be sure not to over cook them.

Add the following seasoning (Salt, Pepper and Garlic). Toss together and heat for another 5 minutes. Now add the shredded chicken into the pot and combine the veggies with the chicken and mix well. Cover the pot with the lid and leave on Medium High heat for about 5 minutes.

Now slowly add water until the pot is 3/4 full. But you want to add the water, a cup or two at a time. Turn the heat to high. Each time you add the cup of water, you want to wait till that water boils before you add each additional cup. Once the last cup of water has been added, then wait for it to boil and then add your pasta noodles. Cook for the allotted time for the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, remove from heat and cover with lid. 

Voila!! Your grown up version of Chicken Noodle Soup = Penne Chicken Veggie Soup! This is the perfect meal for whenever you are feeling under the weather or nostalgic for your childhood!

Lifestyle: DIY - Thoughtful Valentines' Day Gift Ideas

February 14th is just around the corner and for those of you who are celebrating, please keep in mind that this day can also be about all of the relationships that you have, not just with your special loved ones.

Therefore I wanted to put together a list of ideas that would work for anyone who is single or in a relationship. The ideas are simple, DIY and will not break the bank. I think that it's important to share how you feel about someone not by spend level but rather how you can show them they mean something to you and matter in your life.

1. PHOTO SLIDE SHOW - Walk down memory lane

This is one of the easiest ones to put together. You don't have to make it fancy or complicated. Choose the best pics of yourself and the loved one.  Put them into a folder.  On Valentines day, send the photos to the special someone and caption each photo.  Rename your pics by Numbers and then in the body of the email, make a numbered list and write your thoughts about the photo.  If you are skilled, you can always create a PowerPoint slide show that includes the text.  A walk down memory lane will always put a smile on anyone's face. 
Switch Up: You can send this to your best girlfriend, cousins or any loved one!

2. LOVE NOTES/LETTERS

Stock Photo.

The art of writing letters is fading, but nothing feels more special than finding an envelope with your name hand written on the front of it.  Be creative, slip these notes or letters in his/her bag or wallet, in her car under the sun visor, in the lunch bag, coat pocket etc.  Pretty much any place the person would naturally reach for their day to day things, to find a surprise love note.  With social media and technology, send the person texts on where to find the next love note.  Nothing is more romantic than having a secret scavenger hunt of love notes. 

Switch Up: Send your parent or grand parent a loving note on how much they mean to you. This gesture is timeless and will mean more to them than you can imagine.

3. COOKING DINNER... with a twist

If you are the one that is the main chef or not, either way this idea warms the heart! Pick a date or a memorable event that is special for you and a loved one and recreate the meal that you had. A nostalgic twist will be very appreciated and the thoughtfulness of cooking the dinner vs. going out will be romantic.  If you want more togetherness, opt to cook parts of the meal together as you reminiscence about that particular night or event together.  
Switch Up: Taking a good friend out for a lunch or a brunch to a favourite place from your past will make for good laughs and new memories.

All of these should hopefully get you to think past the $ value of the day and rather what this day and any day of the year should be about:  LOVE!  Never stop telling people you love them and pay attention to the small details.  Also, who says Feb.14th is just about the ladies, be sure to show love to the special man in your life. 

Happy Valentines Day!

Always Smile :) - Sand

Welcome to 2014 - Resolutions or perhaps something new instead...

Happy New Year! 

I hope everyone had an amazing night witnessing the arrival of the new year.  With that being said, I also want to wish everyone happiness, love and the courage to go after your goals and dreams.

Here is an image that I love that really captures some amazing messages for life:

With the beginning of the New Year, the days and weeks leading up to the big night, everyone seems to discuss two things:

1. "What are your plans for New Year's Eve?"

2. "Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?"

Now for some of us, this can be a very tricky thing. The minute you verbally admit or acknowledge your resolutions, you are then held accountable by the same person that asked you to share them in the first place. For example if you said you are not going to have any sweets, the one time you reach for a chocolate pretzel or an M&M, you hear: "Someone is breaking the resolution!" Talk about pressure.

Resolutions are a great idea if you want to set a start date to something you have been putting off, or like the idea of starting something fresh at the beginning of the new year, since the excitement of January 1st can be breathtaking. 

However, if you do share your resolutions, the added pressure of everyone asking and holding you accountable can be down right frustrating and can actually make your new year start off not so great, which can result in breaking the resolution to soon.

If you are one who loves to have resolutions and are able to keep them, AWESOME! Keep doing it. But if you want to try a different approach for the new year, here are a few ideas that I have found that would be great:

1. Try doing something new

This can be so personal to each individual, whether it's trying a new class, riding a motorcycle, getting a tattoo, going back to school or trying a different cuisine.  Whatever it may be, pick that one thing that you have never done and just go out and do it. Let this not be limited to the start of the year but at any time of the year, even if it's on December 31st.

2. The best part(s) of my day

This can be done in a number of ways.  The old school way is to write in your journal, or writing these things down on pieces of paper and putting them into a jar.  Now there are so many tech apps that are at our fingertips so this one is the easiest to do.  The most popular is Instagram and of course FaceBook. List or photo capture all the amazing things that happened in the day.  At the end of the year, you can take a look back at all the good.

3. Take a look at your hobby and try something new with it

Whether it's cooking, baking, drawing, music or pretty much anything.  Figure out something that you haven't done or tried and promise yourself to do that before the end of the year.

4. Remember to take a memento 

With all the socializing we do, make it a habit to get a memento.  For example if you go out to restaurants a lot, take a business card and write the date and who you went with, if you travel remember to keep your boarding passes. Maybe you are a sports fan, keep the event tickets.  Then at some point you will have a enough and you can do something creative with it, by getting it all framed or start a scrap book. If you do all of the above, keep these items in a shoe box, and then take a look at it at the end of the year.

All of these things will make the new year a lot more positive and something to look forward to each day.  Hope some of these ideas can inspire you to try something new!

Always Smile :)  - Sand

Lifestyle: Easy & Simple Pasta Recipe

Growing up, I was obsessed with Mac n' Cheese, especially Kraft Dinner and how my Mom would alter it by adding peas and carrots and sometimes even thinly sliced hot dogs (Back then we would say cut up dogs!).

Nowadays, KD on it's own is great as a special treat, but lately I do crave something a little more mature.  The other day, taking stock of the ingredients I had on hand, I put together this really easy and simple pasta.

Enjoy this fast and simple recipe:

Ingredients

• Half a bag of Ziti, Rotini or Macaroni Pasta
• 2 Handful of Spinach, finely chopped
• Half a Large Onion or Small Onion, Chopped
• 1/2 cup of Peas
• 1 Tsp. of Chili Flakes
• 2 Tsp. of White Flour
• 2 Tsp. of Butter or Margarine
• 2 Cups of Milk
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Mozzarella or Parmesan Cheese, grated on top

1. First to prepare the Roux/Sauce, in a small pot, heat butter/margarine until liquefied, on Med/High Heat. 

2. Add chopped onion and saute gently for 7 minutes.

3. Add the flour and mix into the butter and lightly brown, should be mixed well with the flour. It should be a dry consistency with no liquid left.  Brown for a 1 Min, and then add your seasoning (Salt, Pepper, Chili Flakes & Nutmeg). Stir and mix for another minute.

4. Slowly add your Milk into the pot and stir everything together, doing so slowly.  Turn up the heat to high and slowly and firmly whisk the milk to blend together.  Once the sauce boils, reduce heat to low and continue to whisk.  If the sauce is blended well, then turn off the heat. Taste the sauce and up your seasoning if needed.

5. Prepare your pasta according to package directions.  Once pasta is drained, add the sauce to the pasta and mix in your chopped spinach and peas. Cover to let the pasta and the vegetables to cook and blend into the sauce.  Serve with the grated cheese of your choice.

This pasta takes no time to make and you can add Chicken or Sausage as well as other vegetables like mushrooms and zucchini!

Always Smile :)  - Sand

My TOP 5 DIY Skincare Tips!

If you are like me, you are constantly seeing the ads for skin care products. These ads are everywhere from our phones, the grocery & drug store, the subway, magazines and TV. 

The challenging part is how to filter through all these products that we come across and pick the few that will work and are cost effective.  

Therefore I wanted to share my top 5 DIY SKINCARE TIPS that will not break the bank, and can be found in your own kitchen!

1. Coconut Oil - Glowing Skin

Not only is this amazing for you to eat and cook with, but it's amazing for the skin.  The best multi-purpose product you can get. The fatty acids contained in Coconut oil will help to strengthen the skin's lipid barrier and leaves an amazing scent.

• Helps to remove makeup
• Use it as a Night Cream as the texture is rich which is great for a night treatment
• A natural Lip Balm which will help to add shine and moisture
• Body Moisturizer right after the shower to help seal in the moisture
• Recommendation:  Grace Virgin Coconut Oil ($6.99)

2. Ice Cube Facial - Brightens and tightens the skin
This is a new tip that I recently came across on the great blog by Tia and Tamera . I use this tip at least once a week and I love the difference to my skin that I see immediately.

• Helps to Promote Blood Circulation
• Tightens your pores
• Smoothes out your complexion as well as brightens

You take the ice cube and wrap it in Paper Towel.  Apply it on the face using a circular motion.  The coolness feels refreshing and soothing on the skin.

3. Cold Tea Bags - Great Eye Treatment

Tea bags have been a classic DIY Skincare Tip. It offers temporary relief, especially after a late night out or a night of no sleep due to a busy lifestyle. 

• Helps to reduce darkness under the eyes
• Reduces swelling and puffiness 

You must remember to boil the tea bags, drain and then refrigerate. Once cooled you can use over your eyes for about 5-10 mins.

4. Cucumbers - Skin Relief

Cucumbers have a high water content and contain Vitamins A, B and C. The Ascorbic acid present in cucumbers can help to reduce puffiness and swelling around the eye area. 

• Slices of Cucumber can help to relieve skin affected by sunburn or windburn
• Diminishing Wrinkles
• Provides cooling and calming effects to the skin, especially on the eyes.

5. Shea Butter - Heals Skin

Shea butter provides amazing anti-aging benefits. It contains essential fatty acids that help to neutralize free radical damage and stimulates collagen production. 

• Fades acne and scars
• Helps to heal skin due to sunburns
• Soothes skin allergies 
• Fights to reduce wrinkles & stretch marks
• Provides a protective barrier on top of the skin
• Recommendation: Maiga Handmade Shea Butter ($7.99)

Hope you find these tips easy on the wallet and leave you with amazing skin!

Always Smile :)  - Sand