Happy Sunday, everyone! I recently made these absolutely amazing pumpkin pancakes, topped with maple butter and wild blueberry maple syrup. My mom found the pumpkin pancake mix and blueberry syrup at Winners and my aunt bought the maple butter when we took a trip to Niagara Falls this past summer. 

Let me tell you, these pumpkin pancakes are incredible. The pancakes tastes just like pumpkin scones from Starbucks. The wild blueberry maple syrup adds a fruity sweetness and the maple butter makes each bite rich and decadent. It's the perfect autumnal treat and the best breakfast dessert! 

As a bonus, if you want your house to have the permanent smell of this delicious treat, definitely pick up the Blueberry Maple Pancake candle from Bath and Body Works. It's also incredible and smells good enough to eat! 

I hope you enjoyed today's little post. I wanted to keep it short and sweet and I just had to rave about these pancakes! I hope you get to try these pancakes for yourself. Have a wonderful day and week ahead! 

love xena

Hello guys! Today, I really wanted to post a recipe since it's been a long time since I've done so. I've been making french toast every Sunday for the past few weeks for my family and I and anyone I make this recipe for says it's the best french toast they've ever had! This year I've been practicing a lot and have tried different ingredients and techniques to create the most fluffy and decadent french toast breakfast. And now I have finally found the perfect recipe! So, I thought I would share it with you to make it for yourself and your family. It's pretty simple with very easy steps to follow. Just remember to watch the pan and flip every so often and they'll turn out great! So, if you are interested in trying this than keep on reading to find out the utensils and ingredients you will need. 

Ingredients:

- 1 slice of white bread or brioche, cut in half* 

- 1 egg*

- Ground cinnamon 

- Table cream (doesn't matter which type you use--any will work since all this does is give it a richer flavour)

- Olive oil

- Vanilla extract 

- Margarine or butter  

- Icing sugar (this is not mandatory, it's just for presentation purposes)

- Maple syrup (I recommend Mrs. Butterworth's Original Syrup--it's thick and sweet and the best syrup I've ever tried) 

* (this is for one serving so if you want to make more, you will need more eggs and bread slices for this recipe).

Tools:

- Spatula

- Fork or Egg beater

- Paring Knife (I didn't even know the technical name for this until I asked my aunt but most likely you have this knife at home; you normally use it for cutting fruits)

- Butter Knife

- Bowl

- Frying pan

- Plate

Directions:

i. Oil your frying pan on medium heat so the pan is already hot when the slices are ready and battered. Cut your bread slice into half and put it to the side for now. Crack your egg into the bowl and beat it using a fork or egg beater. Pour a little bit more than a cap-sized amount of table cream and vanilla extract into the egg mixture. Now, take your bread slices one at a time and dunk them into the mixture for 10 seconds on each side so the bread will soak up the mixture properly. Now that the bread slices are wet, shake some cinnamon on both sides to add a nice, rich, and warm flavour. The cinnamon also makes it look more authentic so I would not skip this step. 

ii. Place your battered bread slices onto the oiled frying pan and wait about 30-40 seconds and flip to the other side. Continue this until it looks nice and toasty and place onto your plate.

iii. Now, take your butter knife and spread some margarine or butter onto your slices to add some flavour and soften the texture. Add a pinch of icing sugar and sprinkle it on both slices. Drizzle as much maple syrup as you desire onto your french toast and voila! You have just made the perfect french toast recipe. 

Enjoy your meal and tell me how yours came out in the comment section below. I hope you had a great week, have a Happy Friday, and a wonderful weekend. 

love xena

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It kick starts your body and prepares you for the day ahead as well as keep you full until lunchtime. It is very crucial to eat something in the morning as you will not work as efficiently on an empty stomach. Recently, I found out that I have a very acidic stomach due to the way I have been eating for the past few months. I would have a small breakfast, a very unhealthy lunch (juice and a cookie), and after my dinner I would eat a lot of junk food. Even thinking about how I used to eat makes me feel incredibly gross. So, I decided to make a change in my diet and start feeding my body properly and taking my daily vitamins. For this post, I put together two breakfast ideas that are easy, delicious and perfect for those who struggle with transitioning to a healthier diet like myself. 

1) Steel-Cut Oats 

I have been doing a lot of research lately and I found out that oatmeal is good for acid reflux. It has many benefits as it is a whole grain food which neutralizes the acid in your stomach, has a high amount of fiber which empties the stomach easily, absorbs the acidity from other food and the list goes on. Oatmeal is great as it can be customized to your liking with added ingredients you love to eat. This is the recipe that I have been making for my breakfast and really enjoying. 

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of water

- 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (you can use whichever milk you like)

- 1 cup of steel cut oats

- 1 tablespoon of margarine (you can you unsalted butter or even coconut oil)

- 1 ml of salt 

Additional ingredients include: dried cranberries, cinnamon, and agave nectar.

Directions:

i. In a medium pot, pour the water and almond milk together and bring to a simmer over medium heat. While the mixture is heating up, melt the margarine in a skillet or a pan over medium heat as well. Once the margarine starts to sizzle, add the oats and stir the mixture until it is golden brown and aromatic (about 2-3 mins). Toasting the oats gives the oatmeal a richer and more decadent flavour. 

ii. Add the oats to the water and milk mixture and stir together. Turn down the heat to a medium low and let the mixture simmer lightly for about 20 minutes. Stir on occasion until the mixture is nice and thick. 

iii. Stir in the salt. Continue to stir the mixture occasionally and keep the oatmeal on low heat for about 10 minutes. By this time the oatmeal should be creamy and ready for toppings. 

iv. Remove the oatmeal from the heat. Now is the time to add the cinnamon (I sprinkle this on randomly) and dried cranberries (about a handful) for some added flavour.

v. And now you're done! Portion out the oatmeal so you can have it throughout the week. To warm it up, just add a little bit of almond milk to the oatmeal and put it in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Drizzle on some agave nectar for a hint of sweetness and mix it in with the oatmeal. It should be warm, delicious, and ready to eat.

2) Ezekiel Bread and Jam 

Ezekiel Bread is absolutely amazing. I used to eat white bread religiously but since my change in diet I wanted to venture out and try different kinds of bread. This one has sealed the deal for me. It is made from organic, sprouted whole grains and has no added sugar. It contains wheat, millet, barley, and spelt which are types of grains, as well as, soybeans and lentils which are types of legumes. It's the kind of bread that doesn't make you feel heavy and bloated after eating it. In fact, it makes me feel the complete opposite: light and weightless. For my recipe I chose blackberry jam but you can choose whatever topping you want.

Ingredients: (it's so simple! only two ingredients) 

- 1 slice of Ezekiel bread 

- Blackberry Jam 

Suggested toppings: almond butter, unsalted butter, peanut butter, other types of jam, avocado, sunny-side up eggs, etc. 

Directions: (you probably know what to do but I'll just tell you what I did anyway) 

i. I keep my Ezekiel bread in the freezer to stay super fresh. So, I take out one slice, wrap it in paper towel, and place it in the microwave for 20 secs to defrost it a little bit. 

ii. Next, I put the bread in the toaster oven and lightly toast it. After I take it out of the oven I cut it into four little pieces and spread the blackberry jam on top. Voilà! Pretty simple, right? If you still feel hungry after this I would suggest having a nice fruit to get some natural sugar in your body and satisfy your stomach. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and try out these recipes for yourself. Have a Happy Friday!!

love xena