Alright, ‘fess up… who’s nursing a sugar hangover today? Or is the fun just beginning now that all the Halloween candy is going on sale? 😉 I had a pretty uneventful Halloween… The day was mostly business as usual, made a little more festive by a lovely surprise from J…
Craziest bouquet I’ve ever received. Love that guy. And speaking of love… the beginning of a new month means the end of an old one, and the end of an old one means it’s time to recap some of the the things I’ve been loving over the past 30 odd days (read: it’s time for monthly favourites).
. – . – . – .
. food .
First up, Bob’s Red Mill nutritional yeast, also affectionally referred to as “nooch.”
I used to love this stuff back in the day, but for whatever reason, I kind of forgot about it and it ended up getting pushed to the back of my pantry. But since randomly pulling it out at the beginning of the month, I’ve fallen in love all over again. Not only does it have a wonderfully “cheesy” taste, but it boasts some pretty impressive health benefits, including:
- being a great vegetarian source of vitamin B12
- being high in protein
- being a great source of folic acid and biotin
- being rich in minerals (iron, magnesium, phorphorus, zinc, and chromium, and selenium)
I’ve been eating it daily by sprinkling it on things like grains, roasted veggies, salads, and popcorn.
Next up, Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
Sugar-free, GMO-free, and most importantly, carrageenan-free <– that was the big selling point for me. I used to be an Almond Breeze girl until I read about the whole controversy surrounding carrageenan. Found in things like ice cream, half & half, cottage cheese, chocolate milk, hemp milk, rice milk, almond milk, soy milk, cheesecake, processed meats, hot dogs, jellies, prepared sauces, pies, and puddings, carrageenan has been linked to a whole host of gastrointestinal complaints including IBS, colitis, leaky gut, ulcers, and even cancer. People assume it’s safe because it’s natural (derived from red seaweed), but this is one of those cases where just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean it’s safe for human consumption. I have a sensitive enough stomach as it is — I’d rather not chance it with anything that can potentially cause inflammation in my gut.
Other than that, I haven’t really tried out any new store-bought products over the last month, probably because I’ve spent so much time in the kitchen coming up with new recipes of my own…
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Apple Bread Pudding
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Bars
Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle Truffles
Yeeeeeep. I think it’s safe to say that October was pretty darn tasty.
. – . – . – .
. beauty .
I struck gold in the skincare department last month when I came across this 3 Little Wonders set from Ole Henriksen.
The set comes with the truth serum collagen booster, sheer transformation moisturizer, and invigorating night gel, and promises to “defend against signs of aging by firming, lifting, retexurizing, tightening and evening out skin tone with light, oil-free formulations.” Now, I can’t speak to the anti-aging part since I’m still in my prime ( 😉 ), but I can say that my skin has been looking and feeling a whole lot better ever since I started using these products. Better how? Noticeably smoother, softer, tighter, and more even. Ole Henriksen focuses on high-quality natural ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin E, botanical alpha hydroxy acids, green tea, and fruit acids, in addition to being free of parabens an sulphates. I picked up the mini trial version to see if I would like it, but you better believe I’ll be going back to buy more as soon as I run out.
Speaking of running out… I ran out of my normal Revlon ColorStay foundation last month and decided to try something new. Enter Rimmel’s Wake Me Up Foundation.
Since we’re moving into colder, drier months, I wanted something that would give me a nice healthy glow to combat any potential dullness that the weather might cause in my skin, and this one seemed to fit the bill seeing as it was advertised as “light, moisturizing, anti-fatigue foundation that instantly reawakens skin with a healthy, radiant glow.” Sounds good on paper, and I’m happy to say that it performs equally well in practice — it really does add a nice radiant glow to the skin without looking shimmery or fake. The coverage is medium and easily buildable for those days where you need a little more help. It’s got great staying power, doesn’t cake, doesn’t oxidize (turn orange), and doesn’t break me out. Definitely a great option as far as drugstore foundations go.
Switching gears from face to eyes, meet my newest mascara obsession — YSL Babydoll.
I received a trial size of this mascara when I purchased my YSL lipstick last month, and I.am.in.love — I’ll be grabbing a full-size as soon as I run out. It provides great volume without clumping, while lengthening, separating, defining, and holding a curl (something that’s almost impossible for my stubbornly straight lashes). It wears beautifully without flaking off during the day, and has never given me those dreaded racoon eyes that we all love to hate. Amazing, amazing, amazing if you want magazine-worthy lashes — and who doesn’t?
Nails! I pretty much wore 1 of 2 polishes for the entire month of October — Essie’s Over the Edge or Butter London’s Wallis.
I love darker shades in the fall time, especially when they lean more towards the metallic side. And… yup… that’s basically all there is to say about that.
. – . – . – .
. odds and ends .
😯 *crickets* 😯
. – . – . – .
. blog .
I’ve got to say that October was a pretty awesome month for Spoons. In addition to experiencing a nice growth spurt, I was also presented with a handful of opportunities that make me super excited for what the future has in store. Woop! Some other highlights of the past month include:
- Wringing in the new month with a recap of the road trip I took at the end of the last one. I miss BC!
- An attitude adjustment… I really tried to work on my tendency to put things off until the “right” time by reminding myself that every moment is a fresh start and the right time is right now. This lead me to start running, something that I put off for a long time because of fear.
- Sharing some tips on dealing with fat days, and finding comfort in the fact that everyone experiences them.
- Baking, baking, and more baking…
. – . – . – .
One word to sum up your October:
Have you tried nutritional yeast?
What kind of milk do you normally drink? Cow? Almond? Soy?
What’s your favourite mascara at the moment?
The same exact reason I made the switch to Silk from Almond Breeze! The man-friend and I have been noticing that carrageenan in more and more products and I just think it’s ridiculous…I mean seriously, what the heck is it doing in my soup?! 😯 Love nooch…LOVE! I forget about it every now and then, kinda going through phases with it, but I swear it’s one of those foodie items that I really don’t think I could live without…at least now that I know about it. I remember being so weirded out by the idea when I first read about it on blogs. Like, you want me to eat YEAST!? 😯 Lol
Word to sum up October: ACCOMPLISHED! While I didn’t get around to everything on my list, I really did quite a bit around the ol’ blog to spruce ‘er up and I’m feeling pretty proud of myself for that! Hmm, that reminds me…I still haven’t gotten my email from GLAM after I faxed them my paperwork…2-5 business days my BEhind!
I love my almond milk by far.
I think one of my favourite ingredients I’ve tried since starting blogging is definitely nutritional yeast, I never would have known about it until I started blogging. I remember when I first read about it I just thought it sounded so weird and something that I wouldn’t like << so wrong!!
What a great month you have had and you've now made me want to go out and spend all my money on new beauty products 🙂
I thought exactly the same thing about nutritional yeast, especially considering the name. I guess it’s just goes to show ya that it’s a good idea to try new things.
Great selection of monthly favorites and we learned something also about carrageenan. Thank you for sharing.
I really like nutritional yeast! As long as it isn’ t replacing cheese I find it gives a great new taste to everyday food items. I haven’t had it on popcorn in forever..in fact I haven’t had popcorn in forever but that totally needs to change. Lately on my face I have been using essential oils (jojoba and rose hip) My face isn’t naturally oily so the cooler weather and winds makes my face even drier. That wake me up stuff looks interesting!
That is one festive looking bouquet! And so sweet!!
I somehow managed to give myself a sugar hangover the day before halloween thanks to some chocolate macadamia nougat candies my aunt sent me. I think I’m officially over candy for a while. At least for a few days… 😉
Silk vanilla unsweet almond milk is definitely my fave and I love adding it to everything. I usually only drink cows milk when I go to Starbucks for a latte or cappuccino. For some reason I just never find myself buying it for home. But I guess I’d never finish it.