summer bucket list

i can't even believe how quickly summer is approaching in our neck of the woods. it's surreal to think that in just a few weeks my littlest will be turning 4 and my oldest will be finishing grade 2. nevertheless the biggest buzz word around here is SUMMER! and we definitely cannot wait to embark on some adventures this year.

here are a few of the items on our bucket list!:

1. camping:

every year we go away somewhere on the last day of school. this year we have booked a campsite at okanagan lake! while camping is usually all about being one with nature, we definitely know we won't be able to deny ourselves the opportunity to visit a bunch of wineries nearby. we are in one of the wine-making capitals of BC after all!

2. water parks:

provided that we have a nice and hot july, we love to frequent the neighborhood water parks. we are very fortunate to be living very close to multiple parks and look forward to cooling down this way!

3. date nights:

need i say more???

4. the drive in:

summer doesn't end until we pay a visit to the drive in for a family friendly movie night! if we're lucky we even take advantage of the fact that the girls will sleep in the van and watch a grown up double feature!

5. the fair

we don't always go every year since typically we are in disneyland (wah! not this year though!) so since we'll be local this summer we'll be sure to check out playland to enjoy the rides and what i also like to call: the day of pure gluttony! wiggle chips, whales tails, fischer's scones, caramel apples, c-lovers fish n chips and vina's spring rolls - get in my belly!

be sure to follow me on instagram: @thisisjzzy as we cross off more things on our summer bucket list! what are some fun things you like to do in beautiful bc?

somewhere beyond the sea....

A special little girl who turned three last year requested a Little Mermaid birthday party

 to commemorate this special day!

We were fortunate to have Ariel herself join our party, here are some photos

of Olivia's magical day :)

The dessert table!

Clockwise from top left: seashell sugar cookies filled with

chocolate ganache and topped with a little pearl, a 3 tiered vanilla cake

with vanilla butter cream in an underwater theme, treat cups filled with colored white  

chocolate mermaids and goldfish crackers, a little princess adoring Ariel!

Emma contributed to the decorating and made a sign for

the lemonade.

The calm before the storm.

Clockwise from top left:  Who's the birthday girl? Me!!, I think I was more excited about

present opening than the birthday girl at one point, sharing a song with Ariel!

And finally Olivia hamming it up with Ariel!

Olivia is my little word girl. She comes up with the darnedest

things to say and leaves everyone amazed at how

well she speaks especially considering that in these

photos she's only 3!

Happiest of happy birthdays my sweet little girl, 

here's now a glance of how much she's grown!

Love you baby girl!

cake cutting 101

L: 2x2x4 C: 1.5x2x4 R: 1x2x4
courtesy of MikeRowesHunny on Cakecentral.com

This is a topic that I'm sure all cake makers can discuss until they are blue in the face. Everyone has a different idea of what a serving of cake should be. Wedding cake serving sizes are usually smaller to accommodate guests as well as maximize the entire cake to reduce leftovers. (When you're paying over $500 for a cake, it better all be eaten!) Party cakes can be a pie wedge of a slice and when the recipient refuses because they only wanted a sliver, that's another piece of cake wasted.

The industry standard for party cakes and wedding cake servings is the Wilton Cake Cutting guide. This is what most cake makers (myself included) use to determine how much cake to make for an order. This is my public service announcement for the day: Please take the time to understand how much cake you're getting for your order so that you know what size to order to accommodate your cutting preference for your event!

I'm not sure I can count how many times I've had clients come back disappointed with the size of their cake because they were expecting more. Standards have to be made so that there is a base to calculate pricing from. Please remember that you're ordering from a custom cake maker, that bakes everything from scratch and to your specifications.

Thank you! :)

oh hello new year!

hi everybody!

like the new digs?

i thought the blog needed a bit of a face lift since so much else in my life has changed! although i'll never shy away from a good mama post, i realize that i have so many other facets that i'd love to share on my blog too.

i've added my cake details on a page, so have a look on there if you're interested in placing an order and inquiring about pricing.

as my love for living a healthy life grows, i'll also continue to share recipes and fitness tips and if you're ready, i'll invite you to get healthy with me! check out the 'gettin bzzy with jzzy' page.

for the time being, i've got a loooooot of catching up to do...(i recall a disney road trip that occurred last year, and a couple of kiddies birthdays that i spent so much time organizing that hasn't made it on here!)
so i hope you'll continue to enjoy my posts and comment! (did you know i love comments? i comment often..mostly on things i shouldn't comment on lol)

thanks for following friends!

xo,

jzzy

Banana Protein Pancakes

These pancakes are absolutely delicious complete with that fluffy, airy texture!

Ingredients

1 1/4c brown rice flour

1 c vanilla whey protein powder

1 c vanilla rice milk

4 eggs

4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp coconut sugar 

2-3 bananas, chopped

2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for a few minutes to activate the baking powder. Once your batter has thickened slightly, spoon 1/3 c onto pan lightly sprayed with coconut oil (or Pan)

Makes 12 pancakes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

The season of pumpkins is upon us! What better way to enjoy them than in a yummy healthy breakfast.

This recipe will yield 14 pancakes if you use a 1/3 measuring cup to spoon into a non stick pan.

Ingredients:

5 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/2c almond meal

3/4c whole wheat flour

1 can pumpkin purée

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Water (to reach pancake consistency)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spoon on to a med-low heat non stick pan. Allow to cook for 2-3 mins on each side to fully cook the pancake.

Enjoy!

Protein Power Ups

This is a pretty versatile recipe you can add whatever you like! As long as you have some binders to hold it all together you're in business.

To achieve the nutritional info like mine here is what you need:

1c dried cranberries

1/3c cashews

1/3c almonds

2/3c toasted unsweetened coconut 

2 tsp unsweetened cacao powder

2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

2 tbsp flax seed (whole or ground)

4 tbsp natural peanut butter (melted)

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil (melted)

In a food processor blend all of the dry ingredients until finely ground. Mix the peanut butter and coconut oil together and slowly add to the mixture using the pulse option to blend. It all might look dry but it should be enough to have it hold together. 

Use 2 tbsp of mixture to form 1 ball. This recipe yielded 12 balls.

Pop into the refrigerator for about 10-15 mins. Keep in a cool dry place.

Enjoy!

Let me know what you thought of it!