Banana Bloom

In Lifestyle

Here’s How to Make DIY Upcycled Easter Eggs

April 19, 2019 No Comments

Happy Easter! In the name of sustainability and reusing and upcycling what we’ve got, I gave our Easter Eggs a new look this year. I’ve had these paper Easter eggs for years and used what I had on hand to give them a new look. Here’s How to Make DIY Upcycled Easter Eggs The first paper egg looked like this before my crafting ideas struck down upon it. This egg is pretty massive, in other words, lots of room for delicious vegan candy and other treats. Using what I had on hand – tissue paper from old packages, paints, pens and glue – I got to work giving this one a new look. I painted it a dark blue color and then made paper flowers in different colors that I glued on to the painted egg. Here’s a guide on how to make the tissue paper flowers. Related: Easy DIY…

In Lifestyle

Easy DIY Tissue Paper Flowers

April 16, 2019 1 Comment

Do you save that tissue paper you get in your shopping bag or package? You should! It can be reused to make beautiful packages or these Easy DIY Tissue Paper Flowers. Using tissue paper I’ve saved through the years from various packages, gifts or other shopping, I crafted together these Easy DIY Tissue Paper Flowers to revamp some old paper Easter eggs I had. These tissue paper flowers are great as decorations for Easter or other parties, or to top a gift (instead of ribbon). Here’s how you make these Easy DIY Tissue Paper Flowers. Related: DIY Holiday Chocolate Box What you’ll need Here’s what you’ll need to make your tissue paper flower: Tissue paper (preferably saved and reused), a pair of scissors, thread (a stapler will work too) Cut your tissue paper into squares as in the example above and pile them with the lightest color on top (this will…

In Lifestyle

Looking for something to read – Here’s 3 books I recommend

April 14, 2019 No Comments

I read a lot. So I thought I’d share 3 books I recommend. I get through about 50 books a year and not a day goes by without me reading at least a couple pages of whatever book I’m currently into. I’d even go as far as to say that I sometimes feel off balance when I haven’t got a book in progress. Related: 10 Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List For that reason, I’m always looking for the next book to capture me. I like suspense, mystery, crime and the like, you know, proper page turners. But I’m not foreign to a captivating biography, a novel that pulls on my heart strings, or a fascinating non-fiction topic. If you’re looking for something to read, here’s 3 books I recommend. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine By Gail Honeyman This is a super cute read. Eleanor Oliphant struggles with appropriate…

In Cookies

Vegan Cookie Base Recipe

November 19, 2018 1 Comment

Ever since I came up with this vegan cookie base recipe a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been on a cookie baking craze. I’ve made white chocolate, hazelnut and raisin cookies, triple chocolate cookies, and saffron whoopie pies. All of them using this base recipe! So, here’s how this magical base recipe came to be: as is my standard approach – I started contemplating ingredients for a kind of chocolate chip cookie. I whipped a couple of things together, using what I had on hand, and the result was delicious. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Just the way a cookie should be! I’m very excited about this recipe, so much so that I’ve struggled to limit my cookie baking to only one (or two) batches a week. I have so many combinations I want to try! Bookmark this recipe, it’ll be your new go to for most…

In Food

Crunchy Caramel Chocolate Slice

September 25, 2018 No Comments

Here’s a post that’s long overdue! This is the recipe for the absolutely delicious no-bake Crunchy Caramel Chocolate Slice that I made for my birthday this year. Since we’re on the topic of my birthday, I guess I should start this off by giving you a little recap of how I spent my day this year. My birthday fell on a Monday this year, so for various reasons including convenience, we celebrated the weekend prior to the actual day. My boyfriend’s parents were visiting so we had a fun weekend of activities planned, ending with a birthday dinner on Sunday evening at a Lebanese spot. Then, on my birthday morning I woke up feeling like a wreck. Sore throat, zero energy and a flu that gradually gained momentum throughout the day. So, I spent 90 percent of the day on the sofa watching whatever half-interesting and/or entertaining series or movie…

In Lifestyle

September Focus Playlist

September 4, 2018 1 Comment

Each month I put together a playlist for you to enjoy, and I like to give each playlist a theme. Last month the playlist theme was yoga and this month is: September Focus Playlist. Previous playlists Banana Bloom Summer Playlist August Yoga Playlist Whenever I need to get into my flow – whether it be writing, crafty projects, or work – I like to put on my focus playlist that helps me get into my groove. Now I want to share this list with you. I hope it will allow you to get into your flow and create magical things. Maybe it’ll introduce you to some new music too! My playlists are always a mix of different artists and styles of music. The September Focus Playlist features artists like Robyn, Fleurie, The Rigs, Lorde, Jason Mraz, Muse and The Acid, among many others. Subscribe to the September Focus Playlist on Spotify…

In Lunch & Dinner

Vegan Food Prep

August 28, 2018 No Comments

On Sundays I do my vegan food prep. That means I spend a couple of hours busy in the kitchen preparing a couple of different meals for the week so that I have food prepared for lunches and dinners. It saves me so much time and is a real stress relief too! I always have a meal or food prepared so I don’t have to cook when I’m tired after a long day of work. Back when I first started working, and hadn’t properly learned how to adult yet (lol, still don’t know how to adult), I would buy lunch every day at work. Then one day I sat down and added it all up to see how much money I was actually spending each week (and month) by buying lunches. Whoops! It was a lot more than I had imagined. Seeing how much money I could save by making…

In Drinks & Smoothies

Golden Mylk Latte Recipe

August 24, 2018 No Comments

I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve had Golden Mylk Latte at cafés many times, but I was hella sceptic to try making it myself. Golden Mylk is a warm yellow drink with turmeric in it, but turmeric in itself doesn’t smell great. It has a very earthy and slightly bitter smell to it, so while making this Golden Mylk Latte Recipe, the smell of the spice mix made me think this was going to be one for the experimental failure books. But, not one to give up on one of my recipe developments, I finished making it and – with slight hesitation – took a sip and realised, it tastes amazing! Total hit and just as good as the Golden Mylk Lattes (or Turmeric Lattes) I’ve had at my favorite cafés. I typically use oat milk as my milk option, but you could use any base for this…

In Lunch & Dinner

Crispy Tofu Recipe

August 21, 2018 No Comments

I’ll usually spend a portion of my Sunday preparing food for the week. I like to make things that are quick, easy and make enough for several portions – and that are nutritious too. A recent favorite is this crispy tofu recipe of mine which can be added to salads, served with a side of rice and a nice sauce, or even topped on soups or stews. When I do my food prep on the weekends, I try to make sure I make enough to cover lunch boxes for the week and leftovers for quick dinners so that I don’t have to cook when I get home from work. It means I end up eating a lot of the same things during a week, but I like it that way. It’s super convenient and saves me so much time and energy after a long day of work. I absolutely love smoked…