Healthy Home | Make Your Own Date Paste

Have you heard of date paste before?

After seeing this nutrition video, I was determined to find some date sugar to be a whole food, healthy alternative to sweeteners in my house. Alas, date sugar was nowhere to be found in stores. Dates? Those I could find. So, I've been using dates to sweeten and add texture to a multitude of recipes for about 6 months or so, and one could call us BFF's.

I buy my medjool dates (the sweeter, tastier kind) at Costco and have found they have by far the best price around. I also buy Parnoosh honey dates in a big container at our grocery store. Although they aren't quite as sweet and decadent as the medjool, they are still sweet, more affordable, and work well for certain recipes. And if all else fails, check your bulk food aisle, because I see dates there all the time.

Now to the paste part. Dates are fantastic and I use them whole frequently, but they do require processing in either a food processor or high speed blender like a Nutribullet or Vitamix for use in most recipes. Many recipes I make with dates I'm already using one of these appliances so it's not a hassel, but sometimes I'm not. Sometimes I just want a quick and easy purreed date to use on the spot. And so that is where date paste comes in.

In a way, it should almost be called "date butter" because the process and end result are very similar to that of a nut butter. Soak, purree, store in a jar. But maybe date paste sounds healthier. Perhaps we should just call it"daste"? No?

Making date paste is ridiculously easy.

1. Stuff your pitted dates into a mason jar
2. Cover with boiling water and soak overnight
3. Drain excess water, and puree in a food processor until smooth consistency
4. Add cinnamon, vanilla bean and/or vanilla extract to taste if you prefer
5. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for anytime use

What can you use dates/ date paste for? Currently, my go to oil/fat-free salad dressing is as easy as 1-2-3 with some of my pre-blended date paste. It is so very tasty and easy to make.

3 parts acid (lemon or lime juice, or apple cider/red wine vinegar)

1 part date paste

Seasoning/herbs to taste

The date paste desolves beautifully in the acidic base and adds a thicker texture to your dressing, not to mention cuts the acidity and adds a nice flavourful sweeteness to your dressing. 

Date paste also makes a welcome substitution for many ingredients in baked goods. Because it freeezes SO well (it doesn't freeze solid), it's easier to have on hand all of the time, so things that call for apple sauce, honey, agave nectar, syrup, sugars etc, I often replace partly or entirely with date paste. The result in a much healthier, whole food sweetened recipe that you can feel better about.

Have you given date paste a try? Or found date sugar anywhere?

The Big Move: Prepping your House for New Occupants

Oh what a month!

I am sitting in our new living room right now after our very first night in Winnipeg. The last few weeks have been a blur, with getting our previous house all ready for someone else to live in, to organizing all of the particulars of our move and new life in another province, to making the very long trek across the county.

I will update you on each aspect of the move, but should start out chronologically with the preparation of our home for our tenant. We chose to rent out our place, however the following tips will also apply if you are prepping to sell your house, or just want a refresh on the home you're living in.

Tips for Getting Your House Ready for New Occupants!

1. Refresh your grout! Nothing says "lived in" more than dingy grout. I've tried every kind of grout cleaner imaginable, scrubbed with a tooth brush on hands and knees, and have never been able to get that new house grout look back. I was sceptical when I brought this grout pen home with me from Home Depot, but I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously the inventors of this stuff have realized that no amount of scrubbing will clean grout, so painting it becomes the next best option. The pen is like a big white highlighter with a white paint that readily covers the grout. I used this for our ensuite floors and the wall tile in our guest bath (although neither were bad) and was very happy with the result!

2. Touch up nail holes with a cotton swab. I got this cheater tip from a property invester, and it certainly works! If you have some small nail holes that need to be filled and painted, try dabbing on the paint with a cotton swab so you don't have to paint the whole wall!

3. Flip the shelves in the kitchen cupboards. After wiping down all of the kitchen shelves, a light bulb went off. If I flip the shelves, not only will the new surface be untouched and perfectly clean, but any bowing that occurred from all my heavy cans and jars with now be flattened out in the other direction! How did I never think of this before?

4. Seal that stone! If you have granite, marble or another natural stone surface or backsplash, make sure to seal it. If you are renting out an investment property, you will want to make sure your more expensive fixed fixtures are protected, so this is a must. If you seal it right before you go, you know you have at least a year before it needs to be done again. If you're selling, it's just a nice little touch to alleviate some of the stress on the buyers end.

5. Leave a care package. Light bulbs for your lights, cleaning supplies, etc, are all a nice touch for the next occupant. Bonus is that it will also be less bulk you’ll need to pack for the new place (if you’re moving).

6. Magic eraser. I’ve been scared of that spongey little block of super power since I was told by my handy man that it can really affect the finish of the paint. I threw all to the wind and went for it anyways, and it helped get the scuff marks off the walls and baseboards and saved us so much time repainting. Just make sure to test the wall in an inconspicuous area to make sure your paint finish is hardy.

7. Wash the walls. A solution of warm water and PineSol with a clean rag is an easy way to get those walls nice and clean and bring out the natural shine of the home (it’s like a hair commercial for houses!).

8. Colour match the wall, not the paint code. If you painted your walls five years ago, and want to touch up some spots with that same paint, be warned. After five years on your walls, the paint has surely cured and changed to a slightly different hue than what's in the paint can via the paint code. Chip off a fleck of paint on the wall about the size of a quarter and take it to the paint store to match.

9. Use a natural cleaner for the fridge. If you aren’t already, choose a natural cleaner with essential oils for the fridge. I used a rosemary mint cleaner and it made the fridge smell amazing and not chemically, which is what you want in a place where you store your food. It's little things like this that help take your home from well used to well loved, and the fresh scent will give the new occupant that new car fridge feeling!

10. Re-caulk. If it doesn't look perfect anymore, peel off your old caulking in the kitchen and bath with a utility knife and re-caulk. It makes everything look new!

Do you have any great tips for getting your house ready to sell or for a renter? Have you tried any of the ones on this list? Let me know your thoughts!

And don't worry - more posts to come chronicling the big move and the new place! So much to share, so many boxes to unpack! Wish me luck ;)

What to do with that Extra Room formally known as the Formal Dining Room

You know that room. It's most often found at the front of the house,  just beside the foyer. Sometimes it has doors on it, other times not. It's usually separate from the kitchen and the rest of the house. It's more likely than not to be unused 99% of the time.

In some homes, it's called a "formal dining room", in others, a sitting room or a parlour. Some homes, like the one I grew up in, happen to have both. One thing is for sure, this room is as flexible as it is inflexible. It's extra space, which is great, but it's hard to decorate around and keep it a functional, useable space for everyday living.

Why the ode to the formal dining room?

Well, we finally have one! The layout of our new house is very different than our existing, but the size is similar except for the addition of the extra room by the entry. I feel like I need to do something great in this space because I've actually got the space to work with!

I am really torn about what to do. I have those 6 Louis chairs I am planning on FINALLY refinishing after my first botched attempt, I do have an extra dining table, but I also have a darling love seat from my mom and some side chairs I could use. And, let's not forget my desk, which is one of my favourite pieces. 

I am contemplating an office/ dining room combo, or perhaps a sitting room/office combo.  I love all the uses of the space in these pictures- if only I had more than one room like this to decorate!

 

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What are your thoughts on the formal dining room?

Renters

After buying our townhouse three and a bit years ago, and subsequently customizing it along the way, I never thought I would be talking about a rental ever again. But here we are, moving to an unknown city in two weeks, where we will find ourselves renters once again.

Our initial plan was to buy a house. I was looking forward to finding that perfect diamond in the rough, and giving it a massive makeover (I won't know anyone there, so might as well use all that spare time we'll have to spruce up a house!).

After careful thought and consideration, it just makes so much more sense to rent first. Considering the first time we will ever step foot in this city and province will be the day we move there, it would be so hard to know which area we want to live in, where my job will be located, and where our future friends will congregate. By renting first, we can get a lay of the land and narrow down what it is exactly we'd like in a home and a community.

But first, I will have to adjust back to the restrictions of tenancy. Thankfully, we found a beautiful  brand new home to rent (which, believe me, is a task in itself - rentals (nice rentals) are EXTREMELY hard to come by in the Peg). Because it's shiny and new, and rather turn key, I won't be doing too much to it (I'd rather save my resources and time for a home we'll be staying in), but I do want to decorate and figure out ways to make it more "ours".

I am already compiling ideas that will bring some life into our rental house without having to bring out a paint brush. I a loving this idea from the Ikea catalogue, but with a different fabric.

I am also loving the Solutions for Renters series on Centsational Girl. So many great ideas I have to consider!

Are any of your renters, or have any good ideas to help inject some temporary personality into our home?

Mother

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Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms, Grandmas, and Moms to be! Take a moment of today for yourself and appreciate all the work that you do!

xo

Big News!

Before I finish blogging our Tulum, Mexico trip, I wanted to stop in for a quickie announcement. Something I never thought I would ever say..... we are moving to Winnipeg!

Life throws you curve balls, and this certainly is one. We have been looking at moving out of our place and looking for a house, and now, well, we certainly are!

If you aren't familiar with Winnipeg, it's a city smack dab in the centre of the continent (has even been dubbed as such) in the province of Manitoba. It sits on top of the American border straddling North Dakota and Minnesota.

I've never been there, but from what I've heard, the winters are long and incredible cold, the summers short and incredibly hot, and they have jumbo sized mosquitos.

On the bright side, I've heard that Manitobans are the friendliest of people, there are loads of lakes to enjoy in the summer, and it's truly going to be an adventure for the hubby, two wieners and me.

Hubby got a promotion at work which involved relocating, and I was all aboard. It will be sad to leave family and friends and the neighbourhood we love so very much, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime for him, and there was no turning it down.

What will I be doing, you ask? I'm really not sure. One thing is certain; I will blog about all of our adventures along the way. It's going to be a very busy next two months!

Home Sweet Home | Tulum Recap Part I

Hola amigos!

After a very long hiatus prepping for my sister in law's destination wedding, and then of course, vacationing for her wedding for 10 days, I am finally home and back on the blogfront!

We had a fabulous time in Tulum, Mexico and spent a good chunk of it in the Boca Paila area where my sister in law's dream wedding took place, and where they and their very large group of friends from England stayed. I have been to Mexico about 10 times, and have been to other tropical places probably twice as many times, but I have to say that Tulum is one of the most stunning place I have ever visited.

It's hard to describe Tulum in the context of a resort town. This article sums it up quite nicely,"In Tulum, luxury and earthiness coexist". If I were to try and relate the vibe to something that people would be more familiar with, it would be the rustic-chic atmosphere of a wedding designed around vintage, unique pieces (think weathered wood, mason jars, old typewriters, vintage suitcases). It feels very much like that, but not overdone or cliche (in the way that Pinterest has made those types of weddings).

As you turn onto Boca Paila Road and start making your journey to the heart of Tulum's "hotel zone", you are transported to another word. Dense, low tropical vegetation hugs the narrow, unmarked beach road on either side. Every 100 feet or so there's an eco-chic hotel built into the beach jungle (description to come below), a scattering of small but trendy bikini shops and open air markets, and an amazing assortment of restaurants and bars. One would imagine it's reminiscent of old Hawaii, but probably even more quaint.

On the left hand side are the majority of the "hotels" since that is the beach side. The word "hotel" is a stretch, because there really are no hotels. There is an open air reception desk (usually under a grass hut) and then there are cabanas. Cabanas everywhere. Every "hotel" is different, but one thing you will have to expect is that you cannot flush your toilet paper. It's an eco town and their sewage system is delicate. Fresh water is brought in by water trucks and pumped to the individual resorts. The water pressure is low. Don't even think about taking a bath. Depending on where you stay, you most likely will not have AC. With the nice beach breeze and fans in the cabanas, most people tend to be okay with that. Don't use your hairdryer or you could blow the power to the entire resort (which happened to our group - twice!). As the cabanas (mostly) are huts with grass roofs, you will likely need to sleep with a mosquito net. You will still get bitten by bugs, but it won't be as bad. You might not even have your own bathroom, but a shared communal one reminiscent of summer camp.

The concept of these huts was very hard to digest for me, but when you are there, you get it. The huts are scattered throughout  the "hotel grounds" which means white sand and lush green tropical plants and palm trees. It almost doesn't feel real. Every hotel seems to have a resident yogi for beach yoga in the morning. Some hotels are actually yoga resorts and focus very much on spirituality, with their very own shamans. I don't believe we saw a single guest under the age of forty in Tulum. It's a hipsters heaven where likeminded twenty/thirty somethings can experience something entirely different than reality. I think more mature generations are probably scared of the lack of everyday amenities they come to expect on holidays (as was I).

The luxury part comes to play when you realize all of this was no accident. The white washed drift wood bar, the vintage blue mason jars hanging from the palm trees, the outdoor shower off of your room. Everything is carefully thought out and planned to transport guests to the most luxurious, non-luxury vacation they've ever had. Don't be fooled by the Mexican staff at reception; the majority of these utopian getaways are owned by ex-pats, and they know what they're doing. Some of the more affordable cabanas (the ones without private washrooms) are priced so that everyone can enjoy a little taste of Tulum. I believe you can rent a hut for under $100 a night. At some of the "fancier" places, be prepared to spend $500 a night for a basic room (with AC).

Unlike the other 98% of Mexican resort towns, however, there is no such thing as all-inclusive. There is no fast-food or grocery store or Starbucks nearby. It's all part of the lifestyle here (or shall I say "vacationstyle"?). Food comes in the way of a trendy restaurant with $12 margaritas and $10 chips and salsa. Seeing as you have no other options for food, it does add up quickly, but the guests don't seem to mind. The price of the food adds to the "luxury" component that makes up for the bug bites.

Above all, the beach along this stretch is incomparable. I've been to many of the world's best beaches, but I have to say this one tops them all. It is pristine, with soft white sand that stretches forever and crystal clear turquoise water. The beach is the reason these eco-boutique hotels exist. It is, in almost every sense of the phrase, out of this world.

In case you are curious, we didn't stay there. We did spend a good chunk of 4 days of our trip along the Tulum strip with the wedding and other doings, but we were only day guests in this little piece of Paradise.

Many pictures to come in Part II, as well as a recap of where we stayed.

Have you been to Tulum, or somewhere like it? What are your impressions?