Hello, hello friendly faces! Happy Monday (I think? 😯 ) to ya!
Truth be told, I’m having a hard time remembering what day it is… I do know that today is my last day in beautiful Hawaii, and that I’ll be bumming’ around the island all day before catching the red eye flight back home tonight. Pray for me — going 36+ hours without sleep won’t make for a pretty picture.
The past week went by way too fast. In fact, this whole year is going by way too fast. Is it seriously almost the middle of March? Apparently… which means that this post is long overdue. But I couldn’t let a month go by without sharing my monthly favourites, and I figure it’s better late than never. So let’s take a look back at what I was loving in February… and I’ll talk to you guys when I’m back home in Edmonton!
February was ALL about the dried fruit…
Dates. Apricots. Raisins. Figs… I don’t discriminate. My only requirement is that my dried fruit is unsweetened (why add sugar to something that’s already sweet?) and free of preservatives (potassium sorbate / sulfur dioxide). Some favourite brands include Earthbound Farm and Peeled.
And to top those suckers off? I’ve re-fallen in love with Artisana coconut butter…
Coconut butter is different from coconut oil in that it contains the coconut flesh in addition to the oil, giving it a slightly more creamy and buttery texture. You can use it anywhere you’d use almond or peanut butter — my favourites are on oats or toast (with honey)…
… and even in smoothies, which just so happen to be another February favourite obsession…
Despite the freezing cold temps that blessed us for the majority of February, I’ve been averaging around 2 smoothies a day — I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment. But it’s hard to say no with killer combos like:
Oatmeal Cookie Dough Smoothie, and…
Thick and Creamy Chocolate Smoothie
And if smoothies are still a little too cold for you, then how about
Flourless Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
Almond Butter and Pretzel Truffles
Yep… I’d say I did a lot better on the recipe front than I did in January…
February was good to me on the beauty front. I got lucky on a shopping trip I took at the beginning of the month and picked up a handful of new-to-me products that I went on to fall in love with. First up? MAC’s Cleanse Off Oil…
It’s an oil-based makeup remover formulated with oils of olive fruit, evening primrose, and jojoba seed. You massage it onto dry skin to loosen your makeup, and it’ll emulsify into a lotion-type liquid as soon as you add water to wash it off. It’s easy to take take off, doesn’t have a residue, and leaves your skin feeling super soft. I was a little worried that it would cause me to break out, being an oil and all, but I’ve been using it all month with no problem. It’s also amazing at getting every last bit of makeup off — even waterproof mascara.
Speaking of mascara, I went back to an old favourite — Maybelline’s Colossal Volum’…
No clumps; great volume and length. It’s like a high-end mascara at a fraction of the cost… which is a welcome blessing considering this next favourite is kind of pricey…
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light. You know how certain lighting just makes your skin look so good? This is basically that in compact form. It’s a finishing powder that you sweep across your face when you’re done with the rest of your makeup, and it’s hard to describe, but it gives your skin the most beautiful radiant glow without looking shimmery or fake. It’ll even out your complexion and minimize pores/lines without feeling heavy or cakey… So.much.love.
And to round things out, a product that’s been helping me look a little less Caspery…
Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer. I have to be really careful with bronzers… I have really fair, cool skin, so a lot of them end up making me look like I have a dirty face. Not this one. It gives my skin a nice warm glow without looking muddy or orange. I’m also a big fan of the fact that it’s matte because I don’t have to worry about it adding shimmer to parts of my face that shouldn’t be shimmery #winning
If you’re a fan of books like The Hunger Games and Divergent, then you really need to read Red Rising
The war begins…
Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.
Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable – and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.
With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.
But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn’t the only student with an agenda…
This book. Oh gawl. What am I going to do while I wait for the second one to come out?!? I picked it up out of the blue, not knowing what to expect, and it blew.me.away — I can honestly say that I prefer it to The Hunger Games. For starters, I adore Darrow (the main character). He’s a sweet, good-natured guy, who gets thrown into a bad situation that forces him to do horrible things for an ultimately good cause. He has a plethora of flaws, but that only makes him more endearing and easy to fall in love with. Brilliant yet very much human. Love.
And the plot… You’ve got your dystopian world, tyrannical government, and group of underground rebels, but Brown manages to add something new to a classic formula and brings life to a genre that was starting to feel a little tired. He explores the darkest depths of human nature by placing his characters in situations that require them to be brutal, violent, and vengeful if they hope to survive. But there is kindness and hope — hope that the blood spilled today will lead to the peace of tomorrow.
While labeled as YA, I found Red Rising to be darker and more complex than other dystopian novels. I could probably go on and on about how much I adore this book, but you should really just pick it up and experience it for yourself.
I blinked and February was over…
- Kicked off the month with a recap of the trip I took to Disneyland at the end of January.
- Talked about how I curb my cravings — by honouring them so they don’t build up.
- Took part in National Eating Disorder Awareness Week by…
- … bringing attention to the signs and symptoms that people might not know about.
- … highlighting some great things about recovery.
- … and hosting a Thinking Out Loud linkup that focused on recovery and body image — which turned out to be the biggest one to date.
- Made some good stuff in the kitchen!
Disclaimer: none of the products mentioned above are sponsored — they’re simply ones that I use regularly and love. This post does, however, contain some affiliate links.
What’s your favourite dried fruit and nut butter combo? Almond butter and dates.
What was the last book you finished reading?
What’s your favourite way to take off makeup?
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I LOVE dates!
I can’t stop talking about coconut butter! My new obsession 🙂
I take off my make-up with a light foam Nuetragena cleanser while i am in the shower. I con;t be bothered with anything fancy!
What a superb month for Spoons! I’m still drooling over all those smoothies. I’m a HUGE fan of your flourless muffins….totally the perfect snack!!
I love dried fruits, but I cannot have ANY with sulfur either. My stomach does nooooot like sulfur. At all. My favorites are definitely figs! 🙂
I just finished reading the Divergent series (omg, so good) and The Rosie Project which are from complete opposite genres. lol
I’ve been using cleansing makeup removers lately, but most times I rely on my face wash to do the work. I have to scrub a little but for some reason… My skin is really finicky to ALL the products so it’s hard for me to change!
You’re the second person to mention The Rosie Project! Apparently I need to look into this…
I’m with you on the dried fruit obsession! I bought some dates at Costco and they are the bestttt.
Looks like you had a marvelous February with lots of good food! I’m still meaning to make those muffins and try some edible coconut butter!!
If I were you I would be sad this year is going by so fast, lots of fun traveling! I hope you enjoy your last day in Hawaii! February was a good recipe month for spoons, I’m excited to try the pumpkin hummus pizza!
The last couple of days I’ve been finding myself reaching for dates for the post-meal ‘Ermehgerd need something sweet!” and really liking them…they make me happy, especially with coconut butter. Which I’ve also been eating like it’s my job lately.
Apparently, Red Rising is pretty popular because I\’m number like 612 on the waiting list for it. So I’ll read it…eventually…
I finished reading Salt, Sugar Fat by Michael Moss last night. It was a little dry, but a really interesting look at what actually goes on in the food industry. And serves as a good reminder that whole foods > processed foods, always.
And is it selfish of me to be really glad that you’re going to be home soon? :-p miss you!! <3
Red rising is waiting for me at the library 😀 cannot wait to take the boys there either tonight or tomorrow to pick it up (oh and educate them with books and social interactions too). Hopefully I can finish gone girl sometime this week, too. It’s good and interesting, but it hasn’t held my attention so that I “need to know what happens and will thus stay up way past my bedtime.” Probably just me though since everyone else i know loved it. Have a safe trip home, hun! Enjoy every last minute you have with your man <3
No I thought the same thing about Gone Girl. It was interesting, and the twist at the end was kind of neat, but it didn’t suck me in or keep me up either.
I love/hate it when a good book is part of a series! I’m grateful it isn’t over, but at the same time, I’m dying to find out what happens next. That sounds like a good one alright! Speaking of dried fruits, I had a trail mix that was dried fruits with almonds, cashews, and MnMs and I could.not.stop eating it. Hope you are having a good week (and that the food poisoning ordeal is over!)
Yay for dried fruit! I am munching on dried figs right now! That book sounds amazing. The last book I read was actually Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I had never read the book or seen any of the movies so now I’ll have to watch them 🙂
I definitely want to try the oatmeal cookie dough smoothie!! Anything cookie dough and I’m in!
Holy cats, I am LOVING dried fruits lately too!! Dates are my everything-dessert right now 🙂
And your pumpkin hummus tortilla pizza sounds out of this world! Adding that to the recipe folder!
Your posts this month were fabulous! Thanks for all the great articles and tips, as always!
All your food is amazing! Thanks for reminding me I need up try all of them from February. Where to start? Where to start? I think the cookie dough smoothie!
(go with the flourless chocolate muffins — you can never go wrong with chocolate 😉 )
You had such a DELICIOUS February! All that food looks sooo good.
That ambient lighting powder looks intriguing! I’ll probably be giving that one a try 🙂
Amanda, all of your recipes look AMAZING!!!! I want those flourless muffins 😉 I’m glad February was a good month for you! Cheers to March 🙂
February was very good to you! This makes me want to take more pictures to document what I’m doing. It’s always fun to look back, even when, at the time, it didn’t seem like you were doing anything special!
Ugh I’m the absolute worst with taking pictures when something is happening. My reasoning is that I’d rather be living in the moment than spoiling the mood by getting people to pose, but it’s definitely nice to be able to look back and remember.
Mmmmm all those food pics are making me hungrrrry. My fav way to take off makeup is usually Vaseline or Neutrogena all natural make up remover. Both are winners but if I’m in a hurry I just scrub down with a cleanser and call it a night.
Now I’m hungry again! YOu had a fantastic February girl You can come cook for me anytime!
safe travels!!! that mascara is my favorite too..I could use your recommendation on new makeup regimen – foundation , moisturizer and blush.
You should make me an 8 course meal made entirely of snacks and desserts. I will compensate you generously. 😉 I typically don’t comment on a lot of your recipe posts because I don’t really know what to say except “THAT LOOKS SO GOOD,” but THOSE LOOK SO GOOD. I’ve been meaning to read Red Rising, but unfortunately school starts again today sooo that probably won’t be happening for a while. Enjoy your last day in paradise!
Have a safe trip home! I also just discovered oil makeup removers and I’m in love. They really do get all the makeup completely off, I love it!
Ummmm I never take off my make-up…mostly cause I never wear it. I did put some on for date night on Saturday and definitely used water to take it off aka didn’t take it off. C told me my eyes looked pretty on Sunday morning but when I looked in the mirror I looked like a raccoon. Hmmmmm I’m not sure what to think of this.
Good luck and safe travels! Message me when you’re back. Last week was lonely without you xo
I think he may have been making fun of you. Either that or he has a thing for raccoons… in which case, I don’t know what to think about that either.
You know I love dystopian! I wish I would have read your review of it before I decided to read “Between the Lines” for my YA independent project… womp. Oh well! And you know I love my coconut butter. Wish I could afford artisana *sigh*. Also, I made an abridged version of your chocolate chip muffins minus the chips, they were so good! but I need to make the real deal when I get chocolate chips lol.
It really is crazy that February is already over with, and it’s already the 10th of March! Crazy! Before I know it, it’ll be April, then my Spring semester will be over with after that. I really want to try Dates and Nut Butter, it sounds so good!
You accomplished a ton in February! So sorry about the food poisoning, but I hope you get to enjoy the last day and make it home safely (even if tired!)
Ohmygosh.. February was your best months yet – so full! And you defo blew us away with all those recipes 🙂
I love it when I fall in love with the main character of a book.. and Darrow sounds captivating. Need to get that book! I keep on forgetting after awhile.
MAC products are brilliant.. a store popped up on our world only recently. I haven’t seen that Cleanse off oil yet, and I wouldn’t have thought an ‘oil’ to be a very good move either, but it does sound like a winner.
Make the best of your last day!
You need to write yourself a sticky note! It’s seriously an awesome book 🙂 And ditto on thinking that oil makes a crazy makeup remover. I like it better than anything I’ve used so far, though!
I keep hearing about how incredible coconut butter is… I realllly need to try it one of these days!
I wash my face and then take my eye make up off with a little lotion! Nothin’ fancy over here.
I used to love raisins, now I only really eat them if I crave them or while I am running (good fueling food midrun, at least for me)…I really don’t love any other dried fruit at all….For makeup remover, I just use the Whole Foods 365 cleanser. Works really well. And oh, I have a mild sensitive something Clinique eye makeup remover that is great.
You had an amazing February! Wow! I always love these recaps posts.
My favorite dried fruit & nut butter combination = dried Calimyrna figs & hazelnut butter.
You really had some AMAZING recipes Amanda!
My fav dried fruits are dates and I do love em combined with PB, though this past weekend I made some Crunchy honey AB and that went so well with the dates too!
I finished Home Run by our church pastor Kevin Myers and John Maxwell – now think I might need to get my hands on Red Rising, specially seeings you say its better than the Hunger Games!
As for makeup – other than Olay moisturizer/sunscreen, I don’t really wear any makeup – the big bonus of which is a 7-10 minute morning routine after a sweaty workout 🙂
Happy Monday and safe travels back sweet lady!
Yay for vacations! Jealous! I made those flour less chocolate muffins, they were gone almost immediately. My skeptic husband even scarfed them down like they were going out of style! I have the hoola bronzed too and really like it. I even use it for eyeshadow sometimes. I like that it’s not glittery so you can use it for contrasting.
I love these monthly favorites! So many good things in one spot. Have a safe flight!!!
Hope J is feeling better! I’ll be praying for a safe, uneventful flight.
Ezekiel bread toasted, spread with almond butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and slices of dried fig. Off. The. Charts.
The last boot i read isn’t worth mentioning so I’ll go with my favorite February read, The Rosie Project. Similar to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time, it is a terrific read. Touching and funny, highly recommended.
I always appreciate your beauty tips. I’m pretty naive in the beauty department so I happily gobble up any advice you give. I’m anxious to try the tea remedies you featured on yesterday’s link round-up.
Have a great week Amanda! Hope settling back into the cold Canadian life isn’t too rough.
Guess I should proofread my responses prior to posting. Apparently I (i) read a good boot last month!
Good boots are hard to find 😉 And I may have to look into The Rosie Project — I read that book by Mark Haddon a handful of years ago and really enjoyed it.
Usually I just wash my face when taking a shower after the gym. And I just got the Red Rising book- starting it today!
hoola? What a stupid name for make up.
I still stand by the recipes of smoothie variety being an ode to the southern hemisphere. Favourite way to take off make up is by rubbing sriracha in my eyes. Try it.
PS borderline stoked of daylight saving and posting time. This is my nightcap. g’nite.
I just take my makeup off with water and generic Neutrogena face cream.
Almond butter + figs! Mmmm. Dates are pretty good, too.
I have a major problem, Amanda: there’s no almond butter in my house. Almond butter prices in Canmore are ridiculous. You know the plain old Maranatha stuff that’s usually $7 a jar? It’s $15 here!!!! I nearly had a heart attack in the grocery store the other day. On the bright side, it makes Maisy Jane stuff appear more reasonably priced. I’ve had to resort to eating PB like some kind of animal.
Also, I’m sorry to hear J isn’t feeling so great – vacay food poisoning is the worst. That happened to me in Mexico once. Or maybe it was because I ate too much guacamole.
Say it ain’t so! How am I supposed to dream about living in the Rockies if I’m going to have to sell my kidney on the black market to support my AB addiction?! Can you order it online?
Wow! I forgot how many good recipes you churned out in February! A lot of very good ones,a few of which I made, and loved!
Hope you have a wonderful last few days in Hawaii! I have yet to try the dried fruit and nut butter combo….I think it will be dangerous. Especially the phase of training I am in right now…..cant stop eating! As for book…..does a financial statement analysis textbook count? Bleugh!!!
Enjoy your trip, thanks for all the great resources!
You have to give it a try! It’s seriously one of the best energy dense snacks there is. Great for training 😀
I’m adding that pumpkin hummus pizza on my to do list – asap! It looks amazing!