Chickpeas, Honey and Lime

Not sure if they make better ingredients than things like chickpeas, local honey, fresh limes, ripe tomatoes and garlic - I can't imagine they do.

I made this recipe with a mix of a bunch of salads I had seen online, and this is definitely a winner. Make it your own and enjoy! Mix up the ratios to make it look as delicious as you want. Here is what I put in mine

Salad:
2 cups chickpeas (or 1 can)
2 cups black beans (or 1 can)
1 cucumber, diced however you like (I cut circles then quarter them)
2-3 tomatoes, into medium sized chunks
1 carrot, peeled and cut the same as you do with the cucumbers
1 1/2 cup corn kernels (or 1 can)
1/2 bunch cilantro, diced

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (the juice of about 2 medium limes)
1.5 tbsp of honey
1 clove of garlic, diced

Mix and enjoy! Makes a great contribution to a potluck, or a great school lunch. Even a small serving is filling but not heavy, and it tastes so fresh!

Happy Procrastination Season!

I only decided to blog because I have been in love with a few great ones for a while now - mostly food blogs. I love reading about people's creativity, and how they fit things like exercise and cooking delicious food  and crafting beautiful things into their regular lives. People got some serious talents ....

So in honour of all the time that will be wasted during this final exam and final assignment season, here are some sites to at least get you off facebook  ....

________________FOOD_______________

(Neverhome)maker is one of my go-to's, ... great photos of great food. A lot of my favourite recipes are from them, including the around the world black bean burgers (which are so good I don't let people put ketchup on them) and sweet potato ravioli.  They are both really active and their running and recovery strategies are good to read about. Right now they're also running another blog about their newest adventure - their new baby!

I have since bought 2 of this awesome cook's cookbooks - and will probably get her Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook later. Lots of flavour, lots of zest - the ppk is seriously a haven for vegan cooks and bakers. You can search recipes by ingredient or course, and there's a recipe to suit any craving! Some are kind of complicated but I just avoid those and stick to ingredients I have already! So fun.

A family decided to only eat REAL food (nothing really processed, refined, etc. Whole foods and awesome body and soul friendly food only!) for 100 days, which astounds me. They have two young kids and I'm impressed by their effort to make themselves and their family as healthy as they can be! Lots of great recipes and tips, and you can sign up for mini pledges to help yourself eat better!

____________HAPPINESS_____________

Lots of lovely motivational articles and whatnot. Sometimes you need a jumpstart, and you'll find it here! 

(Her title is off to the side of her header, I do realize that it doesn't look centered...) Apart from this lady's awesome name (yes, apparently her actual name IS Gala Darling) and killer style, she has an amazing "Radical Self Love" project and you get good energy just from LOOKING at her site. Enjoy, then look at this list and go out and buy yourself some sequinned knickers 

_____________DIY___________

This lovely lady posts about all sorts of crazy cool crafts and diy stuff she makes - including the instructions to what will become glasses for my new kitchen - this post about how to easily cut beer bottles using yarn, nail polish remover and a lighter! 

also 

This site is overflowing with crazy cute ideas for everything. If you like DIY, good luck passing exams this year because you won't be able to get off this blog after you see things like the sewing kit in a jar (I might be biased by my irrational love for all things in the mason jar genre) and the coffee filter pom poms. 

Sort of DIY, sort of everything that was ever fabulous that was placed on the internet. I just didn't know where else to categorize it. I only discovered this one two days ago and oh dear. My girlfriends have already been the victim of too much inspiration in the form of incessant emails with links to great stuff. 

_____Daily News and "News"______

I don't usually go the day without checking these sites for new headlines or interesting articles:

A feminist supplier of gossipy type headlines but also has lots of interesting articles including "Sisterhood is Easier in the Winter: Short Skirts Magically Turn Women into B*tches" 

                                                       

I don't need to explain this one right?

This one has a really left, Canadian perspective on Canadian news. I really enjoy their Book Lounge!

________Real Life_________

I also love to surf the blogs of friends and local (well, Lethbridge local) blogs! 

My friend Chris has a great blog where he blogs about daily life stuff and also about the great books he reads! This man is one of the most well read people I know, I would highly suggest taking his book recommendations.

Lethbian Love hooks me up with all sorts of great stuff (or kind of weird) stuff that Lethbridge has going on! From his About section: 

"Lethbian Love features the people and things that I find interesting or great about Lethbridge, Alberta. But sometimes it's also Lethbian Loathe because, well, the whole Deathbridge thing. Anyway, in case you were wondering,Lethbians are those of us who are native to or residing in Lethbridge."

Lethbridge Veg  : Vegetarian Living, gardening and urban foraging in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It has been really interesting to read, and makes me want to make my own veg garden for my new apartment in the Bridge! Cool to read about people doing great things right in your town. 

__________And I'm Done!__________

Now go be productive. Good luck ;)