Delish: Fresh Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Sundaes

"Strawberries are the angels of the earth, innocent and sweet with green leafy wings reaching heavenward."
-Terri Guillemets

I come from a long line of dessert addicts.

Growing up, dinner every night was followed by some sort of sugary sweet treat. At our house it was chocolate brownie pudding, layer cakes and molasses ginger bread. At my Grandma's is was homemade rhubarb pie, mint nanaimo bars and scottish shortbread. At my Grandmother Nette's it was ice cream sundaes, popcorn cake and triple chocolate cookies. Needless to say, as an adult with an ever slowing metabolism, I find I am engaged in a constant internal battle... to dessert or not to dessert?

Thankfully, (for me and my waistline) summer offers so many healthy and delicious dessert options. There is a huge selection of fruit that is readily available, and relatively inexpensive. I just love to wander around the farmers market looking at all the fresh fruits until something wonderful catches my eye... it's so liberating after a winter of routine apples and bananas or five dollar raspberries.

On Sunday we went to the market to pick up a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables and I was shocked to find a huge selection of amazing looking berries, and they were so cheap! In addition to a bunch of other yummy produce, we bought a big tray of strawberries, and I'm so glad we did because they are heavenly! We have eaten the entire tray between the two of us in under two days! It's crazy! Even my usually fruit opposed husband can't get enough... The key: Frozen Yogurt Sundaes!

We both love ice cream in all its forms... I mean, we had a portable Marble Slab instead of a cake at our wedding! Unfortunately, ice cream is not the healthiest dessert choice even if it is covered in fresh fruit. Lucky for us, Vanilla Frozen Yogurt by Foothills Creamery is delicious and healthy, and with only 2.8% milk fat, compared to the over 10% in regular ice cream, you can enjoy dessert guilt free all summer long!

Here is the recipe (if you can even really call it that...) for the tasty Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Sundaes we've been loving, but you can easily customize it using your favorite toppings and a bit of imagination.

Fresh Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Sundaes

1/2 cup Foothills Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
1/2 cup fresh organic strawberries, washed
2 tbsp almonds, sliced
Optional:
Unsweetened coconut
Dark chocolate shavings or curls

-Heat oven to 350 degrees and move oven rack to middle position
-On a baking pan, spread out the almonds in a single layer and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the slivers are golden, but not dark brown. Toss almonds every 5 minutes, and watch for the last few minutes of baking, as they can turn dark in seconds
-Cool almonds for 10 - 15 minutes
-Trim caps off of the strawberries and cut into thin slices
-Optional: Using a grater, shave dark chocolate into shavings or curls
-Remove frozen yogurt from the freezer and scoop out a 1/2 serving into a bowl. Top with sliced strawberries and toasted almonds. Add coconut and dark chocolate if desired.
-Bon Appetite


Not only is fresh fruit a delicious and low calorie treat, but it's also full of vitamins, helps digestion, protects against illness and full of antioxidants! Canada's Food Guide recommends 5 servings of fruit a day, and this is a pretty sweet way to get at least one of them!

So go ahead, and have dessert... it's good for you!


Photo Credit: Snooth.com

Summer Lovin': Simple and Sexy Summer Hair

"Beauty is the promise of happiness."
~Stendhal

Are you kidding me with this weather? It's the middle of June and we've only had 3 weekends that even slightly resemble summer! Where is all the sunshine?

I'm not going to lie, for a few weeks I was actually kind of enjoying the rain and grey skies. It can be so relaxing to curl up, wrapped in blankets, reading books and drinking tea while the rain splashes outside... but enough is enough! We get such a short summer as it is. I'm starting to feel ripped off!

In an attempt to somehow appeal to the universe or kick start the sun gods, I decided to post about simple and sexy summer hair.

A girl can dream right?

If nothing else, maybe I can stop fighting my rain induced curls and try to camouflage them in some summery undone updo instead!

Here's hoping!

In my mind, the perfect summer hair has to be easy to do, a little undone and a whole lot of sexy. While most of the styles I'm suggesting are cute and flirty, they are also a simple and fast to achieve. Let's be honest, the last thing you want to do is spend hours getting ready when there are so many fun summer things you could be doing instead!

I always find that it helps if your hair hasn’t been washed for at least a day. Part of what makes all of these styles so great, is that they don't have to look too perfect. It's all about that laid back, natural vibe.

In the summer, I don't use much in the way of hair product, but there are a few things I can't live without...



Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo & Conditioner is my summer hair staple. The tropical smell is heavenly and it leaves hair super soft and bouncy. And for the environment conscience, it's sulfate and paraben free, uses organic ingredients and the bottles and inks used are recycled and compostable.



MOROCCANOIL Oil Treatment is magic. It eliminates frizz, strengthens your hair and creates brilliant shine... and the smell is delish! It goes on ultra light and doesn't have any residue, plus it cuts down on your drying time. Bonus! Best of all, they don't use any animal products, they don't test on animals and they use recycled packaging whenever possible.



It might seem dramatic, but I'm seriously obsessed with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray! This salt water based spray creates the perfect beachy waves with just the right amount of hold. Plus I absolutely love the matte finish! I use it on damp or dry hair all summer long.



Now that we have your hair ready for summer, here are a few recommendations for simple and sexy summer styles. All of these styles can be modified to suit your individual style and hair type, and feel free to be creative. You can get away with a bit more fun in the summertime! If you feel adventurous, try adding in a braid, twist or fishtail to any of these. Dress them up for night by adding a hot hair accessory like a flower, headband or a sparkly clip.



Pretty Waves

Work a bit of Surf Spray through damp hair. Scrunch, braid or pin up hair (whatever texture you prefer) and let dry naturally or blow-dry with a diffuser. When dry, gently tousle and touch up as needed with a mid-size barreled curling iron. Looks even better the second day!



Pouffy Ponytail

Spray dry hair with Surf Spray and scrunch to add a bit of texture. Using a comb, backcomb bangs or a small section of hair in the front, and pin straight back, making a small pouf. Use comb again to backcomb the roots of the hair at the crown. Pull half your hair back into a loose and messy half ponytail and use bobby pins to secure. Loosely pull remaining hair into a ponytail and use an elastic to secure at the base of the bobby pins. Pull out a few pieces around your face to make it look a bit messy.

Low Beachy Bun

Spray dry hair with Surf Spray and scrunch to add a bit of texture. Using a comb, backcomb the roots at the crown. Pull half your hair back into a loose and messy half ponytail and use bobby pins to secure. Loosely pull remaining hair back and twist around itself creating a loose and messy bun. Pin in place using bobby pins. Consider adding a small french braid like pictured for a little additional texture and visual interest!

Half Back Braid

Work a bit of Surf Spray through damp hair. Scrunch, braid or pin up hair (whatever texture you prefer) and let dry naturally or blow-dry with a diffuser. When dry, gently tousle and touch up as needed with a mid-size barreled curling iron. Separate the top quarter of hair and begin french braiding a 2 inch section of hair, above one ear straight across your forehead adding hair from the upper section only. Continue around the entire crown until you are back where you started. Secure the end of the braid and every few inches with bobby pins.

Messy Top Knot

Spray dry hair with Surf Spray and scrunch to add a bit of texture. Gather hair onto the top of you head and twist around itself creating a loose and messy bun right at the crown. Pin in place using bobby pins. Pull out a few pieces around your face to make it look a bit messy. This can also be done with wet hair!





Surfer Girl Side Pony

Spray dry hair with Surf Spray and scrunch to add a bit of texture. Using a comb, backcomb the roots at the crown. Loosely pull hair back and then to the side. Secure with an elastic, or pin in place using bobby pins for a messier look. Pull out a few pieces around your face to soften. Consider adding a small french braid like pictured for a little additional texture and visual interest!

Summer is a great time to experiment and have fun with your hair. I hope these ideas help you create your very own sexy summer hairstyles.

Now all we need is the sun...



Photo credits:
Trio - Genevieve Gail
Waves - cosmopolitan
Pouf - Mouton Salon
Bun - TotalBeauty
Braid - Sugarscape
Knot - La Jeune Marie
Side - Cupcakecloset