May 4, 2015
Going Against the Grain – Italian Style!
I love my Italian food but with having a sensitivity to gluten I have had to give up all the foods I love. Going Against the Grain Italian Style teaches us we don’t have to give up our favourite foods!
About Going Against the Grain Italian Style
This two-part book is an essential guide to read for any individuals who are newly diagnosed with celiac disease. The first part of the book covers early diagnosis, learn how to identify symptoms and the consequences of leaving it untreated. This guide will help you to read labels and how to manage the shared kitchen environment.
The second part of the book guides us through Sicilian born Nuccia Ardagna favourite gluten free recipes. When she was first diagnosed, Nuccia thought she would have to give up everything she loved but that could not be further from the truth. Nuccia breaks down recipes from simple appetizers, chicken, sides and desserts. You can learn to eat healthy, gluten free without sacrificing taste!
My Thoughts
Growing up Italian, gluten was a natural part of our lives. Everything seemed to centre around food and gluten was always in there. When I was diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity, I had a hard time adjusting my eating habits as well as not wanting to let go of the food that I had grown to love. The first section of the book was incredibly helpful for me in order to re-focus my gluten free goals, bad habits and how to adjust to the shared kitchen space. Living gluten free isn’t always easy but Nuccia shares her tricks to help make it simpler.
I tried several of her recipes, including bringing them to our family Easter dinner where my family fell in love with them and they never even realized it was gluten free – awesome right?! They were such a hit that they have even requested them for every family holiday (talk about making me feel special!). Here a few pictures from our meal:
And for dessert, Amaretti:
The recipes were simple and easy to follow which is a bonus. The majority of the recipes call for ingredients that you would normally have around the kitchen which is perfect for everyday cooking. It was so nice to find my favourite childhood recipes already modified for me to adjust for my gluten free diet. The recipes are easy to prepare, I was able to freeze them in order to use them for lunches all week. My favourite recipe was the brocoli soup which she offers up cauliflower as a replacement as well.
This is a fantastic resource for any individual on the gluten free diet who love good, wholesome recipes with helpful tips. Gorgeous photos, simple to follow recipes this will make for the perfect recipe book for all to keep in their kitchen!
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.
Rating: 5+/5
About the Author
Nuccia loves to travel especially to the places of her roots – Sicily! She grew up learning the tricks of the trade of cooking Italian. When diagnosed with celiac disease she had to learn new habits and after some trial and error she is ready to share what she has learned with you!
You can connect with her on her website, Twitter or Facebook.
Giveaway Time!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
May 4, 2015
Shelf Life and Climax by Christina George Blog Tour
Christina George is back with her steamy novels, Shelf Live and Climax and they are as incredible as the first in The Publicist Book series!
About Shelf Life
Out of control egos, unrealistic expectations and unfulfilled promises. This is the publishing world and Kate’s world but maybe not for too long.
When one of Kate’s number one stars is carted off in handcuffs, it is only the beginning of her troubles. As her world crumbles around her, Kate looks to anything to hold on to but finds happy endings are just works of fiction. With her career and love affair over Kate sets off on a new adventure.
Starting over in California is easy but leaving her past life behind isn’t. Nick is eager to help her forget but two things still hold her heart: finding the next great American novel and MacDermott Ellis.
As Kate tries to re-build her life, she finds a surprising gift that helps reboot her career in a new and unexpected direction. Suddenly her name is attached to one of the biggest novels publishing has seen in a long time. But success comes with a price as the ghosts of her past come back.
My Thoughts
Love this series and this part had me on the edge of my seat guessing – a bit anxious at times, angry at others and happy at others. Kate becomes this best friend that you just want the best for (she has such a sweet heart!) but she is constantly torn and pulled in opposite directions.
She gets this brilliantly chance to re-start her life and is doing a wonderful job at it when the ghosts of her life come back. These ghosts continue to alter her decisions and change the course of her future. While I was a tad bit angry with her decisions (only because I love her character so much and want the best for her!) it was an incredible read that made me keep guessing her next decision.
You can purchase a copy on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
About Climax
Kate has never forgiven herself for breaking Nick’s heart. Now he is back and over her, which is affecting her more than she would have thought.
Kate now has it all: her own publishing company, an engagement to the sexy MacDermott and she is about to sign one of the best new authors of the year. Then everything begins to slowly fall apart.
Somehow in a city of eight million people, she runs into Nick. Nick who is as gorgeous and charming as ever. He is also the brother of the author she so desperately wants to sign. MacDermott is thrown a life changing blow that forces Kate to question every decision she has ever made.
My Thoughts
Aww the final book in a series. Always the hardest as you never want to let go of these characters that you have grown to love! Especially Kate who is just your girl next door that you just love. I finished off book two sad for Kate and the decisions she made but this book makes those decisions come right again. Kate struggles the worst in this book and is torn apart. But through this she is reborn again a stronger woman ready to love and trust again. I love the ending in this book and it made it feel correct and that I could finish this series with happiness (although I would love another book in this series – hint, hint!).
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
The Giveaway!
About the Author
Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years. Here is what the book isn’t: a slam against publishing nor at authors. This is not an autobiography although some of these stories are true! Christina continues to work in publishing helping authors because at the end of the day she loves books, publishing and authors. You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of these books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 29, 2015
Raincoast Mother’s Day Book Collection and Giveaway
Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and why not spoil Mom with a collection of books all about her? Raincoast books has put together a collection of books to celebrate those selfless women in our lives. These titles include: Drops of Awesome, Icebox Cakes, O’s Little Book of Happiness, The Quotable Mom, Motherhood Realized and Perfume Notes.
Motherhood Realized
The power of Moms! The belief that family life is beautiful and that motherhood is a privilege. We also believe it is often hard to see all that beauty in the midst of mothering. Too often we feel like we are spreading ourselves far too thin. Our hearts want to do more than our hands can manage. As we cycle through household duties, discipline, errands, conversations, teaching and hundreds of unexpected, we are often left tired, worried and in need of encouragement. Power of Moms is an online community that has been providing Mothers since 2007 with a community to gather, learn and grow together.
I fell in love with this book. Too often as Mothers, especially in our fast paced lives, we forget how special being a Mother is. We don’t always stop, listen (really listen) and appreciate the little moments even when those little moments are full of stress. I could find myself relating to the chapter Will It Be You by Taunie Reynolds. Motherhood Realized reads like a collection of stories you would share with your girlfriends broken down in four stages: Becoming Our Best Selves, Getting Through the Hard Times, Shifting Our Perspectives and Savouring the Moments. You can read each story and come back to them in your moment of need to connect with another woman who has also been there and dealt with the same situation.
O’s Little Book of Happiness
Insightful inspiration, practical advice and an abundance of stories by great writers, O’s Little Book of Happiness features some of the best work ever featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. Again this is a book designed to be read at your leisure, taking your time to savour each story or even to turn to in times of need. The chapters are broken down into: Simple Pleasures, Bliss in Action, The Joy of Discovery, Awed and Amazed, Oh What a Thrill!, Sharing Delight and Come On Get Happy.
My favourite quote from this book is featured right at the front by Oprah Winfrey: “You can never be happy living someone else’s dream. Live your own. And you will for sure know the meaning of happiness.”
Drops of Awesome
If you are not rooting for yourself – who will? Drops of Awesome is about the unique discovery and celebrating you! Based on the viral blog, Drops of Awesome, this book helps you to become your biggest cheerleader and tells your inner critic to put a sock in it.
As you work through Drops of Awesome, you will start to see how much goodness you contribute to the world and as you feel that success, you will find that you can accomplish anything!
Icebox Cakes
Icebox Cakes features crisp wafers and whipped cream layered together and chilled overnight, where they transform into heavenly delight! This cook book is perfect for all skill levels who want to make more traditional icebox cakes to more modern versions.
The Quotable Mom
It is said that God could not be everywhere so he made Mothers. With more than 200 unique quotes, The Quotable Mom shares thoughts, ideas, humour and advice. This is the place where Mothers are celebrated not compared.
Perfume Notes
Shaped like real perfume bottles, these die-cut notecards evoke the glamour and femininity of the world’s most loved perfumes. Four distinct designs are repeated for a total of sixteen cards. Perfect for every lover of stationary!
Raincoast Books wants one of my readers to win their own prize bundle for Mother’s Day featuring all of the above mentioned books!
My Canadian readers can enter via the Rafflecopter form below – Good luck!
Disclosure: I received Motherhood Realized and O’s Little Book of Happiness free of charge in exchange for my reviews and post. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 28, 2015
Five Easy Tips to Encourage Your Child to Contribute to Their RESP
Saving for your child’s post secondary education can be daunting – not only for yourself but for your child as well. They are at an age where they may not yet understand personal finances and the financial obligation that goes along with attending post-secondary institutions. Personally, I did not understand the OSAP loans I signed off on at that time, and I wish I had paid more attention – or at the very least had a second check – to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake.
Saving is an essential part of life, and the earlier our children learn how to do it, the better it will be for them in the long run. Helping your child understand the importance of saving for their own education will not only give them pride in their accomplishment, but foster sound financial skills later in life. It will also encourage them to take control of their education, as they have more at stake when contributing their own finances.
An RESP is a helpful tool used by parents (or grandparents) to help finance higher education for their child. Opening an account is pretty straightforward, and involves contacting an RESP company (such as Heritage Education Funds) to set up an account. Once the account is open, growing the account is all up to you and your child!
Encouraging your child to contribute their own earned money towards their education is important, but may seem like a daunting task at the time, as your child has other priorities. Here are some helpful tips I have learned along the way to encourage your child to save towards their education in an RESP:
1. Take the first step in encouraging financial independence by setting up a bank account for your child. Both of my children have their own bank accounts, bank books and debit cards (the cards are mainly used for deposits and not purchases at this time) and this was a major stepping stone for them. I want them to understand finances, how money works and how quickly it can depart! Children need to appreciate the value of a dollar, as this will better help them appreciate the cost of their education.
2. Encourage your child to be part of the monthly family budget. An important part of attending a higher education institute is dealing with the extras: utilities, rent and groceries. This is one of the areas I lacked knowledge of when I went off to university. Since a portion of my RESP’s went to financing my room and utilities, I needed to understand how they worked and how to budget for these costs, but I had no clue. So of course I overspent in these areas and my budget never balanced.
3. Start up an allowance system for your child. Having a bi-weekly allowance for your child is important, regardless of their age. This allows your child to allocate their money for wants, needs and savings. Our boys put their savings into their RESPs at the end of the month. It’s important to let them view their statements, so they can see their education fund increase month to month. If there’s an online option, allow your child to view it monthly, so they learn to appreciate growth over time.
4. Once your child reaches the working stage, encourage them to contribute money to their RESP. This will probably be the hardest thing to do, but it is so important for them to save rather than splurge all that hard-earned money on clothes, movies or food. This is where all previous education on budgets, utilities and being involved in the family budget will pay off. Your child will have a greater appreciation for their pay cheque and will spend it wisely.
5. Have your child create their own post-secondary education budget. Sit down with them and help them figure out tuition, supplementary fees, textbook fees, rent and utilities (if they are moving away for school). Use this as a tool to figure out how much money should be contributed monthly into their RESP. This is an area I wish I had concentrated on more before I made my educational choices. I was never involved in the family budget prior to living on my own, so I had unrealistic expectations of the costs, which forced me to rely on loans.
Teaching our children how to save for their post-secondary education is an essential lesson that will help them later on in life as they leave our homes to start their own home.
To help you on this journey, you can now enter to WIN a $50 gift card from Tim Hortons sponsored by Heritage Education Funds. Contest is open to Canadian residents only and ends on May 17th, 2015.
How do you help encourage your child or teen to save towards their RESP and post-secondary education? Are they currently contributing to their own plan?
Make sure to follow Heritage Education Funds on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with news and advice for planning for your child’s educational future.
Disclosure: I am a Heritage Mom and receive perks associated with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 28, 2015
Blogger Brunch with Boiron Canada #WW with linky
Last week I was able to attend the Blogger Brunch hosted by Boiron Canada. The event included a wonderful yoga class by Gillian B, holistic health coach and yoga teacher, followed by an information session on Arnicare from Boiron Canada as well as lunch. I had an incredible time and could not wait to show you some of the photos from the event.
The event was held at Jule’s Wellness Centre in Toronto.
We were introduced to the lovely social media experts behind Boiron Canada.
We then went into a yoga class, led by Gillian B. This was my first yoga class and it was fantastic! She was so inspiring and a wealth of information and knowledge. If you are curious on finding out more about her please check out her website – you will not be disappointed!
We were treated to drinks from Village Juicery:
Then some more information about Arnicare Gel from Boiron Canada.
Don’t forget to link up below so that I can come visit you and see what you have been to up this past week! Happy Wordless Wednesday!