Happy New Year everyone!!! May your 2016 be better than ever, and I wish you all good health and prosperity! To kick off 2016, I thought that I should talk about something that is probably on a majority of people's New Years Resolution list - that is "being healthier/having a healthier lifestyle, etc". I was recently sent some yummy snacks to try from Prana Organic, and to be honest, I've never tried coconut chips before. I love coconut, but always in the sweet variety vs. the savory. I never knew what to expect, and never gravitated towards it, however - keep reading to see my thoughts on the products.

First, a little about Prana Biovegan Inc. They are an importer and manufacturer of organic nuts, seeds, dried fruits and snacks from Quebec (YAY CANADIAN PRODUCTS! - you know I'm all about that Canadian love!). This line of crunchy and tasty coconut chips is available in four flavors: Spicy Chilli, BBQ, Salt & Pepper, and Original. These are 100% organic, gluten-free, with no cholesterol, and offer an excellent source of fibre. Coconut slices are dry roasted to perfection and seasoned with ingredients from around the world. If you do not fancy the savory flavors, you can always just go for the original and you can still get that delicious crunch that is a way healthier alternative to potato chips.

A little over a week ago, I was invited to attend a dinner hosted by Dentek. The theme was "Teeth's Worst Nightmares" - as you can guess, everything we had was stuff that would get stuck in your teeth: corn on the cob, ribs, candies and they even had food that would give you horrible breath! I like to call super garlic-y breath "internal death" - it seems to radiate from within and never ever leaves you. You stink, and people won't want to talk to you. Gross, I know! However, I love the idea of this event! After all the deliciousness, we were sent home with a goody bag filled with toothbrushes, floss, toothpicks and these little tiny micro picks with brush ends that really help to get all the gunk and plaque build up removed from between your teeth.

I recently had the opportunity to try out a protein shake called Vegan Pure All In One, and with my new motivation to try to live a more balanced and active lifestyle, I thought this could really jump start my change. I had tried plant-based protein shakes before, and the only way I could describe it, was "swamp water". I'm not sure if you know what I'm talking about, but its pretty famous, a competitor of this brand and is berry tasting. It also came in a natural unflavored scent, but that REALLY was like swamp water.

ENOUGH BABBLING... when I saw this plant-based protein shake that is said to be silky smooth and has a great vanilla taste, I decided I had to go for it. A bit of info about them - Vegan Pure was developed using a holistic approach by combining meaningful quantities of health promoting ingredients with 100% all natural vegan flavors obtained from real cocoa, vanilla beans and berries. It contains a lot of nutrients, fiber, protein and antioxidants - perfectly incorporated into a shake you can take with you..

Here's some key points from their website that really stood out to me and helped me grasp exactly what I was getting when I was drinking 1 serving of the shake. To see all the other facts, just click the link in the beginning of this sentence.
- 1 serving of Vegan Pure is 50% of your daily intake of vitamins and minerals.
- every serving delivers 16 grams of protein (same as 3 eggs), 4 grams of fiber (same as an apple), 2 servings of greens (same as 2 servings of kale), 1.5 grams of Omega 3 (same as 2.3 servings of salmon) and 1 billion probiotics (same as a cup of yogurt).


This product is available for purchase at Walmart Canada for $19.97, which is an amazing price, considering competitive brands sell them for around $39.99 for the same quantity.

Alright, so let's talk flavor and side effects - two very important points to discuss and is probably in most of your minds. Like I said previously, it doesn't taste like swamp water, considering it has broccoli powder, kale powder and spinach powder. The natural vanilla flavor really helps to balance out the flavors. I find it a tad sweet, however it is tolerable. I actually really like this post work-out as it fills me up, without having to consume a meal. I don't know about you, but after I work out, I'm hungry, but I don't actually feel like eating anything heavy so gravitating to this is actually good, it works for me. I am very interested in trying the chocolate flavor after I'm done this vanilla one.

Side effects - there are none, I don't get an upset stomach or anything from it. yay :) As you can see from the pic below, it is quite creamy even though you mix it with watery. It is opaque in color and doesn't taste watery and weak.

First idea comes from the thought of gifting that special someone a luxurious sweet treat that you know that they may not buy to spoil themselves. We're talking about luxury premium hot chocolate from Soma Chocolate. They have two locations in Toronto - Distillery District and one on King Street they roast the cocoa beans themselves, then refine them and make a medley of deliciousness.

Some of the items include: truffles, gelato, cookies, toffee, spreads and of course, hot chocolate. They also make gift baskets for convenience if required. Here'a list of all the items they have in their store including big batches and individual items.

I believe that the hot chocolate 4 pack "elixir collection" is approx $25 and each silver pack will make a few cups each (i guess depending on how chocolaty you like it).  My coworker also told me to try "dark side of the mug" - that is a big bag of chocolate I believe about $10-15 and definitely makes at least 10 cups or more (again, depending on how much chocolate you use). The "dark side of the mug" is absolutely heavenly - it contains dark chocolate, cane sugar and a hint of madagascar vanilla. I boil the milk on the stovetop and pour it into my mug with the chocolate inside and top with some whip cream... mmm.. perfect for the winters I say!

XO - Miranda.