Sexy Strawberry No Bake Collagen Fudge

Happy [early} Valentine's Day, beauties! Oh baby, do I have the treat for you. I got into one of those "I just need to make something sweet but I don't even want to wait for something to bake" mode. You know what I mean. And obviously, when this happens, all I want is almond butter slathered on something. 

What I came up with is a healthy, no-bake strawberry collagen freezer fudge recipe I just had to share.

So I whipped out these adorable little ice molds that I picked up at Miniso for $3 and got to the cupboard. I just pulled out a random selection of ingredients and decided I would make these sexy strawberry collagen bites. If you don't have the collagen or sex dust on hand, don't even worry! All you really need is almond butter, coconut butter and a topping. You could throw in some dark chocolate here or whatever you'd like. They take literally 10 minutes to throw together and you'll have a delish batch of "fudge" to store in your freezer for when the sweet craving hits. It's creamy, tastes kind of like a strawberry wafer and will leave you excited for the day ahead. *wink wink*

P.S.: Did I mention they are packed with healthy fats, contains no refined sugar and will improve your hair, skin, nails, joints and gut all at the same time? All thanks to the COLLAGEN.

... you know I love collagen... you can read more on that here. 

But since this is a Valentine's Day treat I thought I would pack it with a few sexy additions. A little sex dust (totally optional) which is just a natural adaptogen that spikes creativity and energy, and goji berries, which are full of antioxidants and also boost your mood and energy.

Here's the recipe and some links if you want to stock up on some goodies!

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Baking the Most out of Galentine's Day with HomeSense

What do you do when it's Super Bowl Sunday and you have no intention of watching the Super Bowl? You invite you best galpal over for a pre-Valentine's Day celebration of course! This Sunday I got together with Eleni, one of my blogger besties, to have a little girl date. We put on our pink sweaters, poured some strawberry drinks, baked some cookies and then went to town decorating them. Our one stop shop for all the essentials to host a cookie decorating get-together? HomeSense of course! Want to host your own little Galentine day date/cookie decorating party with someone special? Here's how to do it:

{all accessories found at HomeSense ranging from $2.99-$24.99}

1. Baked Goods.
Sweet treats and Valentine's Day go hand in hand and there are so many ways to go about this. You can bake in advance to have everything ready to decorate or bake together. It just depends how much time you have. We opted for box mixes from HomeSense because they are super easy to prepare for when you want to focus on each other's company. You guys-- they even have gluten-free options that are the best quality. My favourite part was scoring Sweetapolita sprinkles for $4.99 when they are regular $13.00! The cutest addition to our pink sugar cookies! HomeSense is also great for other gourmet finds... I mean, macarons, gourmet chocolates and meringues for under five dollars! You can't beat it. Baking from scratch? Just pick yourself up a cookbook, pink spatula, cake stand, mixing bowls and you're set!

{cake stand - HomeSense $13.00}

{"Besties" glasses- HomeSense $9.99}

2. More decor.
Yes, this is the time to bring out all the pink, red and fabulous and once I have a theme I really run with it! Obviously, we needed to fill the day with flowers. Roses in every colour, please! We also picked up some adorable Meri-Meri party supplies from HomeSense (for a fraction of the price), and adorable pink plates to serve our goodies on.

{Sweetapolita sprinkles- HomeSense $4.99}

{greeting cards- HomeSense starting at $2.99}

3. Make it special.
My favourite part of Valentine's Day growing up was writing out and handing all my Valentine cards! I just loved going to school (in my pink and red best) and slipping the cards into everyone's handcrafted boxes! I still love writing out cards today. There is just something so special about it. That's why I was SO excited when HomeSense started carrying greeting cards! They are actually so fun and beautifully crafted-- think glitter, catchy sayings and pop up details! And the best part? They start at $2.99! So much cheaper than the regular card stores... Make it special by writing up a card for your pal! Such a sweet touch that they can take home. Fun fact-- Eleni and I got each other the same card! Haha.. great minds, right?!

4. Dress the part.
Pink, pink and more pink please! A true Galentine's Day would not be complete without an extra dose of pink. Obviously, Eleni and I were wearing matching pink sweaters (total coincidence), and then when we scored these adorable pink and white stripe aprons at HomeSense, we were basically twins! I'm serious when I say one-stop-shop! They were $12.00 each which was the icing on the cake! We weren't the only ones who dressed the part. So did the table! An adorable Nicole Miller table runner, and washcloths to soak up all our floury mess!

5. Extra extra!
It's Galentine's Day... the more all out you go, the better! Turn up the music nice and loud, pour yourselves a glass of bubbly (in a cute glass, obvi), and have fun! Doesn't this sound so much better than watching the game on a Sunday? My thoughts exactly!

Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you get some great ideas for Valentine's Day next week. Whatever your plans may be! Just enjoy the day, and don't forget to celebrate the love you have for yourself first! Make sure you head on over to Eleni's blog, Bijuleni,  to check out more ways to save and indulge this Valentine's Day!

Although this post was sponsored by HomeSense, all opinions are 100% my own. I genuinely love working with HomeSense and sharing my finds with you because I am a regular there! 

All photos by: Krenare Ali 

VLOGGED / Pink And Red

Who's ready for Vday?! It's almost February and I am so excited to be saying au revoir to January. How long did it seem to drag on for?! New month = new outlook, vibes and colour combos! Pink and red has to be one of my favourite colour blocking combos! I love how bold, bright and fun it is. Not to mention it just screams L-O-V-E. Did you catch my latest VLOG on YouTube? This weekend was really fun. I did a fun shoot that involved a whole lot of milk and roses, and B and I spent Sunday together in the city. I was so excited for our day date that I got a little dolled up for a portion of the day.  We brunched at Hello 123 on Queen Street (fabulous vegan fare) and wandered around Yorkville window shopping (and not) window shopping. Since I was going for the love month look I had to throw on my red beret. Ever since our Paris shoot every time I wear the beret it takes me back to that special trip. Can't help but feel the Parisian vibes! What do you think? Are you finding yourself gravitating towards more red and pink now that it's February? Do you love the colour block? 

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S U B S C R I B E 

Leopard Love Day

What are your plans for Valentine's Day? I don't have any, but am not giving up any excuse to wear some of my favourite colour combinations. Blush, red, pink, burgundy... give me it all! I love feeling girly and feminine, and why not embrace this on Valentine's Day. I opted for this burgundy and leopard outfit for a weekend outing and since there is no snow to be found I felt the urge to take out these beautiful heels. We all know I'm not letting items rot in my closet from now on!

This coat is an instant outfit enhancer. Throw it over jeans and a t-shirt, any dress (fancy or not) and you are officially ready to party. I am all about dainty chains lately, so I added this one by Foxy Originals, that actually looks like three, and my favourite vintage clutch and bam-- outfit made.

Not a fan of red or pink for Valentine's Day? Check out my blue Valentine inspired look here.

{Leopard coat, Forever 21 dress (similar, similar) , Foxy Originals necklace, Christian Louboutin heels, vintage clutch}

Cheater Chocolate Cake

With Valentine's Day fast approaching you may be on the hunt for something to bake and share with your girls, man, family, or someone special. I have the perfect recipe.  It's SO simple and takes no time to throw together, which is a complete shocker because this my friends looks like a piece of art! The cake itself is so moist, fresh and incredibly chocolately, and no one will be able to tell it's a cheater cake! So what is a cheater cake? You start with a store bought cake mix, but add different ingredients to really take the cake to the next level. I promise! It definitely wows, and since it's basically from scratch, you can totally say it is! Right?

To make the cake extra special for Valentine's Day I used this Nordic Ware Scallop Heart Budnt Cake Pan. How beautifully sculpted does it look? Kinda looks like I spent hours making a three tiered, heart-shaped chocolate mountain. All I had to do was spray the pan enough to ensure it came out perfectly. I then dusted icing sugar on top and adorned the cake with some petite roses! Parfait, non?

Get ready for chocolate heaven. Here's how it's done:

Ingredients:
1 store bought chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food Mix; don't follow instructions)
1 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1 instant pudding mix
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, oil, sour cream, water, and eggs
Add the instant pudding mix last (it thickens very quickly!)
Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter in greased bundt pan
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake feels springy
Let cake cool in pan entirely before taking it out
Dust cake with icing sugar (if desired)

January Joy

Apparently this week was host to Blue Monday...which is allegedly the most depressing day of the year. I actually found this week to be a decent one, despite societal pressures to book vacations and give in to post holiday gloom. Yes- a lot of people are escaping the cold and are heading for the tropics, and yes- I may be a tad envious, but (!) there is plenty going on here to rave about. So, to keep up with the positivity I am sharing five moments from this week that had a lovely impact and put a smile between my frozen rosy checks. Why not take a minute to think back on this past week to recognize and appreciate what already is making you smile.

{1. I'm obsessed with this bag 2. I match the floor at Citta (which was by the way delicious)}

{The prettiest of roses; Valentine's Day prep has begun!} 

{Stocking up on these cold pressed juices from Trader Joe's in Buffalo proved itself clever as they have been helping me fight a bug all week}

{Celebrating at Colette Grand Cafe with chocolate profiteroles and champagne}

{Officially addicted to pointy toe pumps}

Impromptu Valentine's Day Brunch

This past weekend I surprised my beau with an early Valentine's Day brunch. It was lovely and delicious, and obviously unexpected since it was a week early. I decided on the brunch at the 11th hour which meant I didn't have some of the essentials. Not to worry! Here's how to pull off an impromptu brunch for someone special!

The main. Originally I was craving waffles, but not having a waffle maker killed that dream real fast! Then a Pinterst picture popped into my head, the Nutella stuffed French toast! I had tons of fresh berries, which was great, but was out of Nutella. I decided it would taste just as good stuffed with chocolate so I used some Cadbury Buttons and filled the centre. Unlike this recipe,  I lightly grilled the toast, then layered the chocolate, and sandwiched another piece of toast on top, to avoid the sogginess.

His favourite. He loves strawberry milk, which I surely don't have lying around. I blended milk, pure strawberry jam, and frozen strawberries. Ta da! And in 15 seconds I had a strawberry milkshake.

The extras. Anytime we go out for brunch I hate choosing between the sweet and savoury items. I mean maple syrup and bacon go hand in hand, right? I didn't want to neglect the savoury side, so I baked some bacon (which eliminated the whole house smelling lik a diner), and cracked a heart shaped egg over a piece of whole grain toast. For the sides I whipped up a Greek yogurt parfait and dipped strawberries in vanilla Greek yogurt (after dipping put in freezer to set). Add a few cups of coffee, maple syrup and vanilla Chantilly cream, and we had a perfect, last minute, brunch!

Red Velvet Cookies

Looking for an easy and festive treat to make for Valentine's Day? Look no further! These red velvet cookies are gooey, chewy and delicious! And the white chocolate chunks are the perfect addition! Follow this recipe if you're wanting to bake from scratch, or use this recipe if you're looking for a quick fix! Either way you won't be disappointed! 

Love Month

While you may or may not endorse the whole idea of Valentine's Day, you cannot deny all the cuteness that is currently be-bopping around the stores. Since the festive day revolves around one of my favourite pastel colours,whether it be a skirt or scarf, a decoration for the home, or a yummy treat, I am in total acceptance of all things blush and heart shaped. Here are some of my current cravings that have definitely been influenced by the love month! 

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