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5 Things to Do in Parkdale Toronto

01.28.18

Last weekend Gursheel and I went to Parkdale Toronto and had an amazing time. There was so much to see, do and eat and I just loved the vibe of the area. I’ve narrowed down my top 5 things to do in Parkdale Toronto if you ever are in the area and need some suggestions!

1. Have Brunch at Mythology Diner

Mythology Diner is a new vegan spot that just opened a month ago! They have all the classic breakfast options, but they are all vegan! The place is super busy and we came at 2:30pm and barely got a spot before they stop taking orders at 2:45 pm before opening up for dinner in the evening. I got the french toast and was pleasantly surprised.

2. Check Out Some Cool Graffiti Art

There is so much cool graffiti in the area and so many cool spots to take pictures in front of! As you walk around the area there is so much art to admire. Some of my favourite murals were the Parkdale graffiti and this amazing one:

3. Buy Some Flowers or Plants or Take a Workshop

Coriander Girl is an amazing florist on the border of Parkdale so I thought it was perfectly fine to include here. I was looking for a florist in Toronto that had a storefront and Coriander Girl was perfect! I bought a foral arrangement for myself, just cause! If you are in the area, it’s worthwhile to check out this cute shop.

Crown Flora Studio is another great option if you love plants, although they also sell fresh cut flowers. Their studio is super cute and is painted pink all over the outside, making it a perfect place to take some pictures! They had an amazing selection of plants but what caught my attention the most was their Classic Terrarium Workshop! So, if you are in Parkdale for a day, this is the perfect thing to do for a couple hours!

4. Relax and Warm Up with Some Tea at the Kitten and the Bear

The Kitchen and the Bear is this super cute shop that sells jams and jellies while serving scones and specialty tea and coffee. Unfortunately they glaze their scones with an egg wash so we were unable to try the scones. However, their tea was very yummy.

They also provide a jam and tea service where you can choose from an amazing selection of gorgeous tea cups and plates and try an assortment of scones, jams and teas. If you don’t eat egg, then I suggest o just try some tea and buy a jar of jam to try!

5. Grab Some Amazing Coffee and Vegan Dessert at Safehouse Coffee

This cute coffee shop is on the outskirts of Parkdale but just took us 5 minutes to walk towards. We got some chai tea lattes and they were so so good!! They even had a couple of vegan dessert options and we tried a cookie that was the perfect combo with the chai tea latte. They are located next to some more plant stores and this cool vegan store called Good Rebel that sells all the vegan products you ever need including vegan cheeses. It was a good find and one of my personal favourite things to do in Parkdale Toronto!

Hope you found this post on 5 things to do in Parkdale Toronto useful! Comment below if you have any other suggestions on things to/eat in Parkdale!

Kamfy Living

8 Ways to Feel Better Fast When You’re Sick and Cold

01.20.18

My New Year started with me being sick and I wasn’t the only one. Gursheel and most of my family started off the year with feeling pretty terrible so I want to share with you all 8 ways to feel better fast when you’re sick and cold!

1. Stay Hydrated

Drinking lots of water is something that always makes me feel great and it’s especially the case when you’re sick. When you are sick, your body temperature is higher and this means your body needs more fluids for optimal cell function. The more water you drink, the more efficient your body will be in helping you feel better. I recently started trying to wake up an hour earlier every morning and drinking an entire water bottle (my S’well one) once I get up. It actually makes me feel so much better!

2. Use a Humidifier

Back in Vancouver, where everyone was sick together, my brother in law brought over a humidifier that made me feel so so great. When I got back home to Toronto (where it was super cold and the air super dry), I would wake up every morning with my throat feeling so dry. It was the worst feeling. I would wake up in the middle of the night with the worst dry cough and although drinking lots of water helped, it almost meant I had to get up a lot to pee. A humidifier basically works by adding humidity to the air and prevents the air from being dry. Seriously, if you don’t have a humidifier, get one! It is one of my favourite adult purchases. This humidifier is the one we bought from Amazon.

3. Do Gargles

In some warm water, mix in some salt and do gargles. They provide temporary relief to your throat and I love the taste of salty warm water!

4. Drink Lemon Ginger Honey Tea

This is my new favourite daily drink in the morning. It is so quick and easy to make and actually helps me feel better. Ginger is great at helping you get rid of toxins in your body and also helps with nausea. Honey is great at soothing sore throats and also makes the drink taste amazing. The combination of lemon, ginger and honey in hot water tastes amazing and is really great at helping you feel better fast when you’re sick and cold. To keep this vegan, use agave syrup or maple syrup as sweetener instead of honey!

5. Take Zinc and Emergen-C and Vitamin D Supplements

Among the many benefits of zinc, it is very good in boosting the immune system and treating the common cold. You will often find people telling you to take some zinc when you are sick. And it definitely provided me with some relief.

My younger sister had some Emergen-C packets at home and along with providing 1,000 mg of vitamin C (which has some immune-strenthening properties), it also tasted amazing and included B vitamins, zinc, and electrolytes. After drinking it, I felt a surge of energy.

Vitamin D is also a good supplement to take when you are sick because it is easy to become deficient in the Winter time (when most people get sick) since there is either a lack of sun or people stay indoors more. Vitamin D also plays a role in your immune strength and help you feel better fast when you’re sick and cold

6. Rest

Sleep and rest is the one thing that helps you feel feel better fast when you’re sick and cold, but the thing we don’t do enough of. Sleep correlates with your immune systems performance and is always important, regardless of whether you are sick or not.

7. Stay Warm

I love being warm and sometimes it is so hard to feel warm when the temperature outside is -20’C. Yes, that was the temperature in Toronto when I got home from B.C., and it did not help with me recovering faster! So, if you live in a cold climate, the best thing is to invest in some pieces of clothing that will make you feel warm when you are outside.

My favourite way to stay warm is to layer! I like to wear a pair of leggings under my pants and wear a couple of layer of tops with a scarf on top. I don’t own a pair of shoes that are lined, so instead of going out and buying a pair of shoes like Blundstones (which I hear are amazing btw), I bought a pair of wool socks. When they arrived, I thought they looked awfully thin, but when I wore them, they were so warm. I normally would wear a couple of socks with my favourite pair of Sorel’s, however, with these wool socks, I didn’t need to and they kept my feet toasty warm!

8. Throat Sprays

My older sister had this zinc spray that she let me try. You just spray it into your throat and it provides relief to a sore throat. However, I did not like the taste of it so I didn’t try it again. But, I did find that it did work my providing relief.

Then a friend told me about this Beekeeper’s Naturals Propolis Spray which is made of propolis extract from bees. It is also made from bees from B.C. which I found to be super cool. Propolis is something bees collect from trees that helps protect them from bacteria and viruses. The best thing about it is the taste! It tastes good and works very well for throat relief. And it is alcohol free!

I hope some of these tips help you stay feeling amazing this cold/flu season and help you feel better fast when you’re sick and cold. Hopefully, you don’t get sick in the first place, but even if you’re not sick, these tips are still great for feeling great on a regular basis!

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Kamfort Food

Cozy Breakfast Oats – Healthy Breakfast Idea

01.14.18

Last week I shared with you all that one of my 2018 healthy goals is to start eating a healthy breakfast every morning. It needs to be something that is delicious, healthy and super easy to make first thing in the morning. I like to make these cozy breakfast oats on Sunday so that they last me the entire week. Oh, and another important criteria for breakfast is that it needs to makes me feel good after eating it! So, enter these amazing cozy breakfast oats.

These are just a bowl of delicious oats, cooked with bananas and topped with toasted coconuts and raspberry jelly. And I kid you not, they are amazing! I made them for the first time for Gursheel and he agreed that it was the best bowl of oatmeal he’s ever eaten. These cozy breakfast oats are so quick to make and are made of wholesome ingredients, so you can actually feel good about it. Scroll down below for the entire recipe and I hope you love them as much as we did! This is my go to every day breakfast now! It is perfect for this cold winter we are having in Toronto!

Also, since many of you always ask me, I will link to where you can get some of the ingredients I use for this recipe from Amazon! I love their two day shipping!! Scroll below!!

Ingredients
1 cup quick oats

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract (try this one for an alcohol free one) or try vanilla beans

1 pinch of salt

2 cups of water

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 banana mashed up

Toppings
Toasted shredded coconut

Extra cinnamon

Raspberry jelly

Almond or coconut milk

Maple syrup

Directions

Place the coconut oil and shredded coconut flakes in a pan and lightly toast the the coconut flakes for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally until they start to turn a golden brown colour and your home starts to smell amazing!

Now, remove this from the stove into a container.

Using the same pan, add another tbsp of coconut oil into the pan and lightly toast the oats for a couple of minutes until they start to turn golden brown.

Now add water, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, salt and a mashed up banana. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the oats are cooked.

Once they’re done, let them sit for a while to absorb any liquid that remains. Allow them to cool before assembling for the next day. If you are eating this right away, no need to let them cool!

If you are making a big batch for the whole week, just store them in an airtight container. They will reheat very well and just add a little bit of almond milk before serving!

Now, to serve: top them with some raspberry jelly and the toasted coconut we prepared earlier. If you like it more sweet or more liquid-y, just add some maple syrup or some almond milk. You can even add some of your favourite nuts and berries. The topping possibilities are endless!

This cozy breakfast oats recipe is so delicious and warm and it is the perfect way to start the day on any cold winter morning.

Cozy Breakfast Oats

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 5 servings

Ingredients

1 cup oats
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups of water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 banana mashed up
Toppings
Toasted shredded coconut
Extra cinnamon
Raspberry jelly
Almond or coconut milk
Maple syrup

Instructions

Place the coconut oil and shredded coconut flakes in a pan and lightly toast the the coconut flakes for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally until they start to turn a golden brown colour and your home starts to smell amazing!
Now, remove this from the stove into a container.
Using the same pan, add another tbsp of coconut oil into the pan and lightly toast the oats for a couple of minutes until they start to turn golden brown.
Now add water, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, salt and a mashed up banana. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the oats are cooked.
Once they’re done, let them sit for a while to absorb any liquid that remains. Allow them to cool before assembling for the next day. If you are eating this right away, no need to let them cool!
If you are making a big batch for the whole week, just store them in an airtight container. They will reheat very well and just add a little bit of almond milk before serving!
Now, to serve: top them with some raspberry jelly and the toasted coconut we prepared earlier. If you like it more sweet or more liquid-y, just add some maple syrup or some almond milk. You can even add some of your favourite nuts and berries. The topping possibilities are endless!