Let’s face it - COVID-19 has put a damper on the holiday season this year! That said, I still think there are plenty of ways to do some entertaining this year! Here in Toronto, we are advised to only celebrate with the ones in our household. Some of us have bigger households then others, so I’ve got you covered for both. I’ve been loving Iceberg Vodka lately, a local Canadian vodka, so I thought it would be fun to share a couple holiday entertaining ideas that you could do this year! I love a smooth vodka, and Iceberg Vodka is hands down the best! It uses the purest water on earth, iceberg water harvested by cowboys off the coast of Newfoundland and you can taste the quality from the very first sip.  I’ll be enjoying a nice holiday cocktail featuring Iceberg Vodka, with my loved ones, even if it’s virtual! Here are a couple of tips I think you could find useful for entertaining during this pandemic. 

 

1)     Embrace the virtual! I know we’re all zoomed out, but Zoom can still be fun! With just a little bit of planning, you can have everyone you love making a killer cocktail together on a zoom call. I love the idea of delivering ready to make cocktail boxes to your friends and family. You can get individual sized bottles and fill them with all cocktail ingredients. I love making my famous Medge’s Iceberg Madras cocktail and it’s so easy! Measure out 2 ounces of orange juice, cranberry juice, soda water, put them in reusable bottles. I would suggest gifting a nice bottle of Iceberg Vodka because it’s so good and they’ll want to have it on hand too! You can put it in a basket with a bow or you can use a shoe box and just wrap it up in festive paper or newspaper! Either way, don’t forget the garnish! Make sure to put in a couple leaves of mint and a lemon in there. Print the instructions, or write them on personal stationary (I, for one, love the personal touch) and it’s ready to go. So when you all get on that zoom call, you lead the group into the cocktail making. That is sure to be fun!

 

2)   If you’re doing in-person entertaining (you live in a big full house), I think 2020 is definitely the year to wow people! Everyone loves watching a really good mixologist do their thing. Well, here’s your chance to be a world-famous mixologists, except with a punch! I made a White Cosmo using Iceberg Vodka recently, and it was amazing! Start with making your ice cubes beforehand! Put in a couple fresh cranberries and little bit of thyme in the mold, and freeze. When it’s party time, have your area set up with everything you’ll need. Throw the ice cubes in your pitcher – the ice cubes alone will wow! Then ask your audience to help you with measurements! It really is something that depends on personal taste. Once your white cranberry, cream soda and vodka is in there, I recommend either having a little garnish station. Gives them something fun to do! You can do individual little garnish stations (think tiny bowl with cranberries and a stem of rosemary  at each place setting, or some cute little tongs for people to do it themselves at a designated station. 

 

Medge’s Iceberg Madras Recipe 

-        Ice

-        2 oz cranberry juice

-        2 oz orange juice

-        2 oz soda water 

-        2 oz Iceberg Vodka

-        1 sliced lemon for garnish

Put ice in your shaker (3/4 full of ice). Pour all ingredients into your shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour into glass, garnish with lemon or cranberries!

White Cosmo Punch Recipe

-        Ice

-        2 cans of cream soda

-        ½ litre of white cranberry juice 

-        1 bottle of Iceberg Vodka

-        2 sliced lemons for garnish

-        1 cup of cranberries for garnish

          Bunch of rosemary for garnish

Fill your pitcher with the ice. Pour in ½ litre of white cranberry juice (you can adjust to taste once it’s all done!). Pour in cans of cream soda. Now it’s time for the Iceberg Vodka! You can start with half the bottle and see how you like it first! Put as much lemon and cranberries as you want, but leave a little for garnishing. Mix with your cocktail mixing spoon. And it’s ready to serve!  Add a little rosemary to jazz it up!

 I’d love to know what you’ll be doing during the holiday season this year! Do you already have a favourite Iceberg Vodka recipe? Please share it! And if you try any of these tips let me know! You can checkout more about Iceberg Vodka here and check out some amazing recipes here! 

5 Reasons You Need to Switch to Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant

I recently switched over to the new and improved Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant and I’m never looking back! I’ve been loving it so much! That’s why I partnered with Secret Deodorant to share my top 5 aluminum free deodorant benefits with you, check out my review below!

 1. The Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant is free of aluminum, dyes, parabens, glycol and talc! I’ve always wanted to use an aluminum free deodorant, but the problem was I could never find one that actually worked for me. Now using Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant, I finally found the one for me. To me, using a deodorant free of unwanted ingredients is definitely ideal, and Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant is the best choice! Taking a step in the direction of cleaner products is important to me. Since a large part of 2020 has been spent at home, it was definitely the time to test out products free of some unwanted chemicals.

2. Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant is certified PETA cruelty free and that’s huge! I’m a firm believer that not testing on animals is the right thing to do. It’s not ethical and just unnecessary. We are different than animals. Science has come such a long way and there are other ways of testing nowadays. I love that Secret Aluminum Deodorant is certified PETA Cruelty Free! This definitely gives me a do good, feel good feeling.  

3. Secret Aluminum Free is designed to be gentle on skin. It feels clean, it’s smooth and goes on dry! One of the most important things for me is how a deodorant feels on my underarm. I absolutely hate feeling icky and gross there. I need my deodorant to keep me fresh and Secret does just that! In a day, I get up to a lot of active things. Whether it’s a walk or lugging one kid under one arm while pushing the other in the stroller, my armpits need to feel fresh and now I can be confident that with Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant I will!

4. Strong odour protection! I’m just gonna be real with you! A 24 hour period may come and go and this mama has not had a shower! Gross, I know! But that’s the reality of mom life sometimes! I like that I don’t have to worry about that with Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant. The new and improved version has 3 times more odour fighters than before.  Even more impressive – it fights odour for up to 48 hours! The sweat activated odour technology is amazing. It truly has me feeling fresh and smelling fresh all day! 

5. It’s part of self-care! 2020 has been an unexpected year, but some really good practices have come from it! I think health and wellness have been areas we’ve all focused on a little bit more than before. To me, self-care isn’t only doing a face mask or skincare routine. I like to look at it as doing something good for my body. That’s why Secret Aluminum Free is now an essential part of my morning routine! I’ve been using the coconut scent and every time I open it, the smell puts me in a good mood! It smells that good!

Do you see now why Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant is the best deodorant of 2020? (In my opinion!). It doesn’t have baking soda and it is free of aluminum, dyes, parabens, glycol and talc. Better yet, it works! If you haven’t tried it already, click here to check out the new and improved Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant. It’s available for purchase here!

5 Quick and Healthy Lunches

Most of us are spending a lot more time at home these days! It’s literally wake up, shower, get somewhat dressed and step into your home office! My home office is the kitchen and living area – I know many of you can relate! The days get busy and let’s be honest, the meals started suffering. If you follow along on stories, you know that I often resorted to instant noodles and they’re the worst! Zero nutrition! We’re done with that! Evive has launched their frozen lunches and they’ve been a lifesaver! All you have to do is just pop them into the pan or microwave-safe bowl and boom – lunch is underway! They’re quick, healthy, vegan and so delicious! Bonus – my kids love them too! I’m sharing 5 easy lunch ideas that step up my lunch game! You can enjoy them as a bowl over rice, cauliflower rice, noodles, or have them as a soup! Check out the Black Friday sale that Evive currently has going on! 

1. Tom Thai bowl – it’s truly amazing! This southeast Asian lunch is fragrant and delicious. I like to have it over a bed of rice, quinoa or any other grain. I also add ½ an avocado and sprinkle some sesame seeds to garnish!

   
   

   
   
   

2. Mac Squash – my kids love this one! Big fans of mac and cheese in this house but the Evive Mac Squash is just better and healthier! I like to put this over any noodle I have. Sometimes, I’ll cut up some spinach and cook it together, or I just use it as a garnish. It takes no time at all and totally hits that comfort food spot! 

   
   

   
   
   

3. Bam Chili – Chili is always comforting! This Mexican dish is sweet, flavourful and perfect! I love getting into this one with just some toast and a side of avocado! I also love having it over a bed of rice! 

   
   

   
   
   

4. Avocado toast – It’s just always easy and delicious. I like to throw whatever I have in the fridge in mine! Sprouts, seeds and nuts – just layer it up! I also love topping it off with Everything Bagel seasoning or pink salt! Either one and it’s perfect! 

   
   

   
   
   

5. Salad – find a dressing you like, and you’re more likely going to eat a salad! I love throwing whatever green I have and whatever veggies I can find. A soft boiled egg on top always adds a little fun to a salad, so definitely try that!

I would love to know if you try any of these! I know lunches can get stale, especially while we’re all busy at home. I feel good knowing that I’m fuelling my body with these quick and nutritious lunch ideas. You have to checkout Evive’s frozen meals. I love their breakfast smoothies, and now they’ve knocked it out of the park with their new lunches! Don’t forget to use the code MYVOGUISHDIARIES30 to get 30% OFF your 1st Evive box of 24 or 36 products!