Thrifted

Smooth Operator

I love smoothies. So much so that I tend to have one almost every day. Also, with a mouth full of metal I have become less fond of chewing. You can pack a lot of nutrition and tasty goodness into a cup. After I wore my last blender out, Grant bought me my dream blender and it gets a lot of use. Lately I've started adding spinach to my smoothies. Not so much that it tastes like you're drinking spinach because that is pretty gross, trust me. I don't measure anything either. When you've been around the blender block as much as I have you just know how much of everything to put in there.

So what goes into my daily smoothie? Well, my three must have ingredients are soy milk, 0% greek yogurt, and a frozen banana. This is the "base" of the smoothie and of course it's easy enough to sub the yogurt for silken tofu or something else dairy free. To that I add frozen fruit and berries (whatever is on sale at the grocery store), a small handful of spinach, a scoop of vegan protein powder, a scoop of flax seeds, and a heavy drizzle of sugar free vanilla syrup (the Italian Centre), and a light drizzle of agave syrup. 

And then, well, you know... blend until smooth. I've gotten a lot of flack over the years for my meat-free lifestyle from some folks who have asked me how I get enough protein. This is a pretty good example of how I accomplish that. Plus calcium and plenty of vitamins. Yay nutrition!

Happy Blending xx Allison

Thai Curry Soup

I'm not very good at buying groceries based on what I plan to cook. I do things the other way around. This meal came together based on a need to use some tofu in our fridge along with a leftover yam. This is a cross between a soup and a stew, full of flavour and colour.

This pot of goodness is, like most of what I cook, easy to make. You will need:

1 can of coconut milk, light or regular

2 medium sized yellow or red-skinned potatoes

1 carrot, peeled

1/2 of a large yam, peeled

1/2 a block of tofu

1 tablespoon of red thai curry paste (you can sub green if you prefer)

1 tsp of tumeric

1 tsp of garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp of smoked paprika

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

1 tsp oil

salt & pepper to taste

Chop the veggies and tofu into bite sized pieces. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the veggies, coating them in the oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk. Add the curry paste and seasonings. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce the temperature to med-low. Cook until the veggies are cooked through but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, check your seasoning, and serve. Serves 2.

Isn't cooking with colour fun? Happy Saturday xx Allison

Friday I'm in Love...

This week I went crazy for colour. I painted my toes and a canvas. I started  The Sisters Brothers and so far it's quite good. I can't wait for the weekend to start,  I have a lot to do and blog posts to share.

This DIY manicure is super cute!

Love the use of space in this gorgeous 400 square foot rental.

I <3 this stunning dress that would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

I could move right in to this eclectic home.

I picked up this orange shoulder bag from H&M yesterday.

Another great idea from IKEA Hackers.

For those who love books, this DIY project is pretty amazing.

And I cannot get enough of this record. Yes, I know it was released in June but I'm still into it.

 

Happy Weekend! xx Allison

 

Chevron Striped Canvas DIY

I've had this canvas for a few years now. I bought it on sale but could never decide what to do with it. I was inspired by the feature wall in this apartment. Since we can't paint our walls I thought canvas might be the next best thing.

For this project you will need: a stretched canvas, a pencil, a ruler, a tape measure, at least two paint colours (I used acrylic paint), paint brushes, and painter's tape.

1. Draw a grid on your canvas. It's up to you how large or small you want the grid to be.

2. Draw on the chevron stripes. Use the grid as a guideline. I chose to make the stripes different sizes but you can also make them equal.

3. Using the painter's tape, tape off every other stripe. Make sure you press the edges of the tape down well to prevent bleeding.

4. Paint the exposed stripes. Do not remove the tape until the paint has dried. You may need two coats of paint. 

5. After your first set of stripes have dried, tape them off so that the unpainted stripes are exposed.

6. Paint the second set of stripes. Again, two coats may be needed and wait for the paint to dry before you start peeling the tape off.

7. Touch up any areas that may need some extra attention.

8. Hang your lovely new handmade artwork!

This project took me two evenings to complete. Happy painting! xx Allison

Sunday Evening

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Grant and I spent last night celebrating my cousin's birthday at Northlands. I guiltily placed a few $2 bets, had a great meal, and met some of Miss's wonderful friends. We also went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I read the Millennium series a few years ago and finally got Grant to read the first book. I still prefer the Swedish film to the American one. As for today, well, it was a lazy Sunday. About all I accomplished was starting the DIY project above. Should be done Tuesday! Tomorrow night I start Sewing 101 - an intro sewing class through the City of Edmonton. Have a great week! xx Allison