Cranberries, smoothies, and muffins OH MY!

This time of year, and only this time of year in this part of Canada, fresh cranberries are sold in the supermarket. 

It truly is the most wonderful time of year!

Because of this I decided to stock up on some of these rare treasures, and am realizing they are good
for a lot of things, and are really good for you!

So far I have tried cranberry smoothies.

A little bitter but thinking about all the vitamin C and antioxidants makes the bitter taste enjoyable. 

Recipe for a simple Cranberry Smoothie

1 cup Cranberries
1 cup Apple, Orange juice or Coconut water (or a tablespoon of honey and 1 cup of water)

1 banana
1/2 cup kale (optional)
1/2 cup yogurt

Place all ingredients in blender, mix to desired consistency

Today I tried these delicious cranberry oatmeal muffins. And oh my are they delicious! It is hard to beat the taste of a fresh cranberry in baking versus a dried one. They just don’t compare.

I also read some health information about other good stuff in cranberries, apparently they contain a type of sugar that is actually good for you!! WHAT? I know I never thought that would be possible, but it's true! You can read more about it here.

Enjoy the season and try something new with this little fruit of wonder!

In a Festive Mood

Lately I have been feeling Christmassy. And when I say lately, I mean that I have been playing Christmas music for the last three months at least. But finally it is the acceptable time to get into the holiday spirit, and I couldn't be happier! Here are a few of my Christmas DIYs.

I found the instructions for these cuties here.

I am also pretty happy to see some really festive sights around town. This lovely tree can be seen from my balcony!

First Snow, First Post

There is something magical about a first snow. At least for me there always is. Just the fact that the world can completely change its appearance overnight, showing a new fresh side of itself in a few short hours, is a message of hope for us all. As a child I couldn't wait to go outside and play in it. As a more subdued adult, a crisp winter walk followed by a cozy hour of coffee and reading brings me such contentedness. With every snowy season I renew my secret wish: to be snowed in for a day with loved ones. And, the day after our first snow, it happened! The roads were too slippery to go anywhere, so we had a day of snow, candles and hot chocolate.

Elisabeth

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Seeing these photos makes me feel all warm, fuzzy and christmassy inside. I too now secretly wish for a snow day. Over here we haven't seen snow for a few weeks, but instead are 'enjoying' rain and 3 Degrees. I'm not complaining, but truly your forest looks much more picturesque, and I feel like drinking a hot chocolate, but it doesn't seem justifiable when it's not even below Zero outside.

I will say though the other morning the minor cold brought a layer of frost that covered everything making it all look quite pretty.

It seems that frost covered mornings and snow covered days cause us to look at the world with a new perspective. Somehow the simple becomes more beautiful and a new appreciation of the everyday is formed.

Abigail