Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Pandora Bracelets Styling & Storage

I've had a Pandora bracelet for years but never really thought much about the process of styling it. I was given charms as gifts and didn't consider how they would look gathered on the traditional silver-clasp band. I purchased clips much later and as a result of having no proper balance or weight distribution, a too-large bracelet to begin with (also a gift), and subsequent weight loss, the look and fit of my Pandora was not at all pleasing.

When my hubby gave me a Disney Pandora bracelet for my last birthday, which did fit properly, the first thing I did was invest in clips. These often ignored, but very important little additions, corral charms in the three sections of the bracelet. I chose to wear this gorgeous Disney bracelet often and realized my old one was very stretched, too loose, and unwearable. Not wanting to 'waste' all my old charms I recently took advantage of a savings promotion and got myself a much smaller 'regular' bracelet.

This investment re-sparked my interest in all things Pandora and of course, I started to learn more about the correct way to assemble, clean, and store these beautiful pieces of jewelry. While many charms are affordable, once you start putting the whole thing together and collecting charms (mostly as presents), you realize that there is a significant investment on that wrist!

All the information you need about the care of your Pandora products can be found in their catalogues and on-line. I learned that clips should be an early purchase to avoid that over-stretching I encountered. These types of snake chain bracelets will expand over time so you want to make sure they are a good fit right from the start. Safety chains are also available to protect your investment from loss in the unlikely event that the clasp comes undone. I wish I would have learned all these (and more) tips when I received my first bracelet but now that I do, I'm taking care of the ones I have.

I picked this great, semi-customizable jewelry box brand from Solutions to store my bracelets and charms. I purchased the 18 compartment tray for charm sorting and the 5 compartment for the bracelets themselves, the cleaning cloths, bags, and opener (plus other accessories). The trays are tarnish resistant and stack and slide with each other. There are many different sizes available and they are not expensive. I would love to have one of the Pandora jewelry cases but they don't sell those any longer. For now, this will do just fine. There is no lid or case for these trays (other than a dust cover) so I went around the store looking for a basket or container to set the stack into. I found this super fabric storage box that is ideal. I actually already have a giant one from long ago for my purses so I selected a matching one. The brand is in Germany and when I visited their website I realized I also had their shopping basket, also from years ago. I love the quality of the product and that they are very sturdy. The same can be said for the storage boxes which have a metal interior frame, strong handles, and a firm bottom. My jewelry trays fit perfectly inside, with extra room on the side for my Pandora gift boxes and catalogues. There is also room to stack more trays (height-wise) so there's room to grow! I also picked up an inexpensive velvet lined tray to plan out my bracelets. It is not tarnish resistant so it is purely for a place to keep the charms together while I hum and hah about design.

In addition to the Pandora website there are, I have discovered to my wallet's dismay, a zillion devotees of Pandora jewelry on social media. Instagram is jammed with photos of beautifully styled Pandoras and there are many YouTube videos of stunning collections of charms and bracelets. The quantity of pieces these fans have is dizzying and rivals the showcases of the actual Pandora stores themselves. It's certainly easy to style a bracelet to match any outfit, theme, holiday, or mood when you have a selection like those!

You can read about caring for your Pandora bracelet on their website HERE, find out more about the Germany basket and box company Reisenthel HERE, and see the Jewelry Stax system from Neatnix, available from Solutions in Canada, HERE.

Cheeky Monkey Hemp Smoothies

I don't often have smoothies, even though I love them, because my prep method uses fruit juices and yogurt. Juice has a lot of sugar and that adds up in calories and doesn't really contribute much nutrition-wise. A super alternative is this recipe from Julie Daniluk. The Cheeky Monkey Hemp Smoothie (recipe HERE) offers an antioxidant rich, higher protein, lower sugar smoothie that is filling and delicious.

When I purchased my Hemp Pro powder I inadvertently picked up the '+ fibre' version rather than the Pro 70 one. It is still chocolate flavoured but doesn't have quite the amount of protein but offers more fibre. That was ok with me and as this was my first time trying the product, I found it tasty and satisfying. I then heard from Julie herself that the added fibre variety is a little gritty tasting (which I didn't notice) but she assured me it was still an awesome choice and that I would be even more pleased when I tried the Pro 70. I'm looking forward to that but the container has a ton of powder so it might take me some time to get through it...

I have made the Cheeky Monkey recipe a couple times and love it! I used unsweetened almond milk with almond butter and it was great but you can choose any non-dairy beverage and nut butter. The addition of the ginger and cinnamon adds such a lovely bit of flavour which is so yummy. I'm very full after a milkshake-glass of this smoothie and find it really curbs my hunger for hours. I've also made a blueberry variation that is also delicious. You can really customize the recipe to suit your tastes.

My only complaint is that I wish I had a better blender. I'd love one of those VitaMix high speed blenders but I just can't fathom justifying more than $700 for a blender! That just seems bat crazy to me! I will accept a chunk or two of banana and ice from my under-a-hundred bucks hardware store model.

Pomegranates

I have finally started to find pomegranates in the grocery store and since they are only in season October to January now is the time to enjoy these super-food fruits.

According to the POM Wonderful website (which is FULL of great information re: all things pomegranate) you should choose a pomegranate that feels heavy for its size. That means that it's full of that delicious juice. It doesn’t have to be uniformly red on the outside rind to have lovely seeds within but I tend to pick a darker coloured one anyway.

The seeds, called arils, are very nutritious and full of fibre, antioxidants, and vitamin C. I used to think they were a pain to open but once I learned the technique of scoring them into sections along the white pith and then sinking the seeds in a bowl of water (allowing the membrane to float to the surface), it's easy to get a couple of cups of seeds ready to eat. (There's a video demonstration of the method on the POM website, HERE). It takes me about ten minutes of 'work' to get one prepared but if you don't want to bother with even that, you can buy them ready to eat in a container. You'll pay for the convenience, of course, but it's still worth the splurge to enjoy the fruit.

I store mine in a mason jar in the fridge and enjoy them by the spoonful as a snack throughout the day, sprinkled on yogurt, or added on top of my salads. They are so good! I used to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE pomegranate cocktails/martinis made with vodka back in the day, but haven't had one of those for quite a few years. Maybe I'll indulge in one again soon. The juice is amazing and full disclosure, after I cut the fruit on the cutting mat I had to drink up the juice it released. The flavour is incredible.

You can store whole pomegranates for about a month on the counter or a few months (!) in the fridge.  I'm going to throw a few in the basement refrigerator to last until the new year; maybe that martini will be to welcome in 2018!

Coconut Paleo Pancakes

Here's a recipe I had to try, Coconut Paleo Pancakes. We are big pancake fans and I'm always willing to experiment with a recipe. Hey, that's how I found our current favourite, Apple Oatmeal Pancakes with Ground Flaxseed. I've been making a double batch of them every Saturday because even the kids LOVE them! You never know with food until you try, right? Might be a dud or might become your newest go-to meal!

The coconut pancakes fell somewhere in between. I really enjoyed them and they are easy to make. The batter is strange in that there is only 1/2 cup of coconut flour in the recipe it is quite runny in consistency. I would say they came out more like a cross between a pancake and a crepe. With 6 eggs in a batch, they are quite eggy as you would imagine and not too fluffy. However, the flavour was great and the coconut oil on the pan gave them (as is my husband's preference), a nice, golden brown surface. Surprisingly, they did have texture and weren't completely flat.

The only issue I have is that there's a balance for me between ingredients that are healthy and calorie load. These puppies were pretty high in points compared to other pancakes (which are already a weekend brunch splurge when it comes to Weight Watchers), so I have to be mindful of frequency and quantity when it comes to something like a flapjack made with 6 eggs and coconut fat.

Like everything, all in balance and moderation and no eliminating anything! You can find the recipe and how-to video from Julie Daniluk's website, right HERE. 

Hemp Hearts, Meals That Heal Inflammation, and Julie Daniluk

I have renewed passioned for healthy eating after watching nutritionist Julie Daniluk's many television appearances and videos posted on YouTube.  Julie is an author, speaker, and personality who promotes a 'live-it' theory of nutrition. As opposed to a 'di-et', Julie writes and speaks about superfoods which nourish and heal the body, based on medical information and ancient practices.

I just ordered the first of her three books, Meals That Heal Inflammation, because it got great reviews and has so many recipes to try. Her other two books are more centred on slimming meals and detoxing so I am focusing on the first book initially to expand my knowledge and get my 'feet wet'. I've already printed off some free recipes and a shopping list from her website to experiment with before the book arrives.

In many of Julie's appearances she enthusiastically talks about, and recommends, Hemp Hearts. My daughter has been eating them for a long time but I'd never tried them. I'm not a huge fan of chia seeds but hemp hearts are nutrition superstars and have a pleasing, nutty flavour similar to sesame seeds. They can be sprinkled on salad or in yogurt, but the easiest way for me to eat them will be in my morning cereal. I did add some to my favourite BRAN MUFFIN RECIPE and while I didn't notice any change in the taste, I know that the nutrition is boosted even further with the healthy add-in.

I'm very excited to receive the book and will post my review. In the meantime, I will be watching more videos and reading more of Ms. Daniluk's blog posts. She definitely has a lot of energy and looks amazing! She has even appeared on Dr. Oz and seems to be everywhere these days as she promotes her newest book, Hot Detox. While some of the recipes I've seen her demonstrating are a bit 'out there' ingredient-wise, I feel I can always learn something new and take away what I want for myself. Even if I only take advantage of some of the new foods and methods, any change to combat inflammation is a good one in my view...and so far I'm enjoying the hemp hearts!

Blue Zones Red Beans and Rice

I love this recipe for Red Beans and Rice from the Blue Zones website. It's super simple and really fast to prepare, especially if you use parboiled brown rice or the Instant Pot.

After the cauliflower Buffalo 'wing' incident, I am relived that this version of beans and rice isn't spicy! This is a perfect dish for me to have when the fam dines on a meaty meal...it's very filling and healthy, with protein to keep me going, plus I love the leftovers for lunch with a corn tortilla.

Cauliflower Buffalo 'Wings'

The celebration of the humble cauliflower over the past couple years is impressive! I've always liked it, either raw or cooked, but these days it is puréed, 'riced', roasted, and even made into pizza crust. My daughter shared her favourite way to make it, Buffalo 'wings'. I tried this method myself when the family was enjoying barbequed chicken wings on the weekend.

The florets are battered in a seasoned flour mixture and then baked. Once they are tender and golden they are simply bathed in a favourite sauce, whether that is a traditional barbeque, a spicy Frank's Red Hot buffalo wing sauce, or even a salt and vinegar mixture. My cauliflower turned out perfectly from the oven but I'm not sure what I was thinking by coating the entire batch (my only dinner item) in the Frank's sauce. The 'wings' were delicious but WAAAAAY too hot for me! I guess when I ate regular chicken wings I could handle one or two of the spicy ones but then switched to a sweet honey barbeque. It is quite amazing though how the texture of the cauliflower is sort of 'meaty' and they do offer a great alternative to chicken.

Sadly, I couldn't tolerate more than two and had to sacrifice the remainder as hubby couldn't help because I used almond milk (as suggested) to mix the batter and he has a nut allergy. I definitely learned my lesson and even though I certainly will make the cauliflower wings again, I will make SURE to smother them in a more subtle sauce than Frank's Red Hot Cayenne!

You can find the recipe I tried (and the variations), from Hot for Food, HERE.