Lets ketchup on past photos!

Spinach and tofu stuffed shells with pesto and rice cheese

I was very fortunate to find out I was dairy intolerant while working in a health food store, where there was an abundance of dairy-free choices and an abundance of people who know what its like. Rice cheese found at Fortinos in the health food section fridge, "Rice" brand Cheddar flavour, is pretty good. I don't care for vegan cheese, I'm not vegan. Earth brand is my new favourite, with a nacho flavour soy cheese that is outta this world!

Impromptu Quinoa stew in a big crusty roll-bowl with a side of avocado

Baked salmon with mango salsa and a side of avocado

Steve saw a recipe for this in a magazine and it really spurred his interest. Unfortunately the salmon was supposed to be dressed up alot more ( we were lacking in ingredients) , but the salsa part of the recipe turned out great! And if avocados are ripe we eat them often!

Nostalgic Dirt Pudding

My Mom used to make this when I was a kid and it was the greatest thing ever! Now that I am all grown up and dairy free, I had to make some changes but this first attempt was a hit! Our friend Jessalyn was having a birthday party so it just seemed right.

Dirt Pudding Ingredients:

- Soy chocolate pudding (already prepared in individual cups, in health food section)
- Nutri-whip
- Chocolate cookies, crumbled
- Chocolate covered peanuts, raisins
- Mini butterscotch chips
- Gummy worms, snakes
- Clear plastic cocktail glasses
- Any other creepy crawly things you'd find in the dirt. Plastic spiders etc.

Directions:

- Chill a medium sized metal/glass/ceramic bowl in the freezer for about 10 mins, while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients. (This is for the Nutri-Whip)

- Depending on how many you are serving, set the cups out in rows. This will make it fast and easy to do them all at the same time.

- Whip the Nutri-Whip in the chilled bowl, on high speed, until light and fluffy.

- Place a gummy worm in the bottom of each cup, then layer a little of each ingredient. Make sure each ingredient touches the side of the cup, this will make a cool layered effect you will see through the cup.

- This is an excellent activity to do with kids. Prepare all ingredients in separate bowls and have them dig in!

The worm at the bottom is a final surprise!

Food is in Camoflage!

Food has always been the centre of the world for me.

And still is, I should add. What should I eat, when , how much? My attraction to food goes far beyond Love and sometimes into the depths of hate.

Being a curvy, mid 20's girl. I do not feel the same pressure I did in high school for a slim body that looks perfect in anything from sweat pants to 'skinny jeans'. But those years of worry are still camped out in my brain influencing my opinions of myself even today!

More to the point, FOOD has given me my shape today. It is only over the past 5 years that I have learned of the plague of white flour and sugar that found its way into my system. So today, when I slave away at the gym 5 days a week, I am battling against years of built up weight. Sometimes I feel like saying "Where do I begin?" there is just so much to lose! Then I slap myself, and say "Thank god my biggest worry is how big my butt looks in pants" I have been 'blessed' with a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle.

Then why is it, I worry about food? Because it makes me... curvy.

If you want to be healthy today, on a minimum wage salary, you have to be educated. If I had to guesstimate, I'd say I spend at least 6 hours a day, reading, learning and practicing a healthy lifestyle.

FOOD, is in camouflage!

The camouflage is the packaging. And everything that is packaged, has been handled, processed in some way which takes time. Time is the enemy of freshness, so some man made ingredient usually gets sprinkled in.

Think about it, you are an animal. If you put something into your body that nature didn't make, than how is your body going to know what the hell it is? If it doesn't know what it is, it can treat it as poison, in turn releasing a series of side effects which you may not even notice. Like, energy loss, indigestion, fatigue, headaches etc. You may experience these effects all the time, would you ever link them to what you just ate?

What is bubbling away in your tummy right now?

These poisons have really fluffy names too, like Splenda! Doesn't it just roll off the tongue? You know all those ingredients you can't read on the label? Well if you're over the age of 12 and you can't pronounce something that is in your pudding cup, then its "poison". Its Man made, no good, skip it! Go to Google, type in Dairy free chocolate pudding, find one, get the ingredients, make it. ENJOY. Wow, that was way harder and involved more dishes then pulling off the lid of a jello cup. And here lies another stumbling point, and road block for those who say "I can't cook" or "I don't have time" Make time, its your fuel we are talking about!

I always had loads of problems with my tummy, which spurred my interest in learning about food in more depth. But what about those iron gullets out there, that find anything under the sun edible and good food? Those folks fuel the grocery store aisles! They buy the quick microwave meals, the Omega Fat infused Oreo cookies and forgo the ingestion of Vitamins or supplements, because 2 slices of Wonder bread have added vitamins and minerals, eat those instead!

I feel so strongly about eating the right foods, and yet I can say that I ate an A&W veggie burger and fries the other week and it was DELICIOUS! Crap! If this was a game show I'd be voted off for joining the other alliance and leaving my healthy food alliance behind!

Most animals won't eat crap they are not supposed to (some dogs excepted, Sherman, my parents dog, ate Venetian blinds once or twice) But seriously, why are we a species that shoves anything that smells good into our mouths? Why do we market food that is killing our species with obesity? On Wikipedia, I found this Stat. on mindless eating "People make nearly 20 times more daily decisions about food than they are aware of (an average of around 250 each day)." That's a huge amount of thinking, why not make those daily decisions positive ones!

Lets band together with the other millions of people who know that the "green health check" symbol on packaged food in bull s*%t! and that all other food propaganda in nonsense!

Grow a garden or join a community garden! Limit your Aisle shopping and stick to the produce section. Stock your pantry with spices, beans, grains, caned tomatoes etc. so you always have the ability to cook, and you aren't reaching for the take-out menu!

I think one of the major goals in my life is to learn as much as I can about healthy living and practice it every day. My mantra will be "What goes in my body feeds my mind, body and soul"

Here's to seeing through the Camouflage!

Cartoons Compliments of Shoe Box, a division of Hallmark.

Things are coming up Milhouse!!!

So yesterday was my 2 year Anniversary with Steve!

It was a day of love and cuddling, and staying off the roads, which were starting to resemble sled-dog trails.

Usually I would jump at the chance to cook a really great dinner, but it just felt like a night to brave the wild weather and walk to a restaurant. Some Internet surfing and 2 phone calls later, our first 2 "NEW" restaurant choices were closed 'due to bad weather'. But never fear, the sushi place was open, just a few blocks away, crisis adverted!

It was a bundled walk but we made it, and warmed up with warm sake. Which Steve did not particularly like. None the less, he made a valid effort to finish the almost 4 ounces.

This night was just like any other night, because I spent it with my Best Friend, Steve. Every moment we spend together is better than the last. I have been 'blessed' in a way, in some shape or form, with the best company, love and friendship that could ever be found. There are a dozen cheesy songs, and a hundred hallmark cards that I could quote to express my feelings for Steve, but he knows them. And that is all that matters

Later that night, while enjoying a bottle of our favorite wine, Geurtz something or other, I had to mention that Coltrane should really be part of this event.

This little 'monkey man' has captivated my heart for the last 2 years as well. Though it took a little longer to get to know him than Steve, the language barrier never seemed to be a problem... I can meow really good now!

This is just a little blog to commemorate this day and the giant garden of Love I have for Steve.

Happy 2 year Steve! I Love You!

Wishes on eye lashes

I guess everyone has the winter blues, when inspiration is at a low and the clouds just will not part ways for the sun.

So... I got a haircut.

It funny how a single haircut can make or break you. This one made me. I feel great, my head feels light, my shoulders are bare and defined, my neck is exposed. There is something invigorating about a a great hair cut. My cut unmasked me, for my own eyes to see me.

A feeling of beauty, being beautiful, only come from inside. I am in search of my true inner beauty. My progress is going slowly, but I can feel each step change my perception of myself. I want to feel my inner beauty shinning, even on the dullest days. I want to 'know' who I am.

I think I'm great, but its been almost 25 years of getting to know myself. I learn about myself even from reliving memories, or telling stories of my past. Its like seeing myself as a character in a book, and I've found that I like the character I'm talking about.

These are the things I am learning. I will always be learning. But there are lots of things I already know about myself, thank goodness, which I build on everyday. I've learned I like writing things down. I don't always go back and read the things, but I have a need to be able to put pen to paper. So I bring a journal with me everywhere I go. Simple things, i do for myself. I try to take care of myself. I like being my friend, I am good company for myself.

I am known to take a lot of photos of myself too, and I look in the mirror alot. I know you may be thinking that I must be really obsessed with what I look like... But thats not it at all, and I have only in the last few years realized what I am doing... I am looking at a smile. A great big smile on a face i've learned to love.

You are taught stuff in school, but 'school' is just a tool to teach you that you need to want to learn, for your whole life.

I wish I knew, without a doubt, who I am. But that would just be wishing on eyelashes. So I will learn who I am.

With that knowledge, I think I will be o.k. Free to roam the lands, to seek out new things to learn about.


Learn one thing new everyday: Today I will learn how to cook with fennel seeds.

sweet bananas thats good!

This is what pure sweetness looks like.

This weekend, I made cookies. Plain chocolate chip but with a very ripe banana. I mashed it in with the wet ingredients and cut the suggested sugar in half. I ultimately made, banada bread cookies. They were way better than I had imagined, and even softer than I had dreamed. They reminded me of my Moms banana chocolate chip muffin tops. She would plop down spoonfulls of banana bread onto a cookie sheet, and bake them like cookies. They were delicious, the taste of banana bread, the shape of a cookie, with the toasty brown edges of a muffin top.

Mmmmmmmm

This is comfort food, the kind of food you eat with your eyes closed and it tastes just as good. Comfort...even the word emits good feelings, good memories. Everyone has their own sense of comfort, and where they draw those feelings from.

This is Steve



Steve is a constant source of comfort for me. On a daily basis I bask in it. He is the light at the end of every tunnel, and for some reason, I pass through alot of tunnels in life. He is a Personal Trainer by profession, a Yogi at heart and the greatest guy I have ever known. We are coming up to 2 years in March, but that would be counting back.

I would like to count forward

To cherish every day that is approaching. I smile, because that it at least what I do in terms of cooking. There are not enough days in the week, to cook all the things I have recipes for. I have hundreds of recipes just waiting for their day. I should take a lesson from that way of thinking. I will ponder that thought, while eating a banana chocolate chip cookie.

Adapted from a recipe for Chocolate chip cookies from The Ultimate Healthy Eating Plan

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup PC semi sweet decadent chocolate chip (they are the best!)
1 very ripe banana

1 1/2 cups spelt flour (or all-purpose)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl mix all the wet'ish ingredients together. Break up that banana!
3. Sift the flour,nutmeg and baking soda together over the wet and stir it all together.
4. Using 2 spoons, scoop and shape the dough into balls, by passing the dough back and forth between the spoons. (This is fun)
5. Place them anywhere on a baking sheet, because they don't spread out at all.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how soft you would like them.

ENJOY!

COFFEE for me!

It takes a little bit of time to make a great coffee. In our apartment we grind our Kicking Horse beans, then pack the expresso pot. We froth the Almond Milk to a heavenly foam and I stir in some raw honey. Now this is worth the time!

This is the only way we drink coffee, other than going to Second Cup or Starbucks. For me, I only drink coffee from those places because they have soy milk available. It helps that those coffee shops have nice interiors with comfy chairs, but really, a coffee just isn't a coffee without milk.

These 'fancy' coffee's Steve and I make here, at home, are not your average Cup o' Joe. We wouldn't drink cup after cup mindlessly, oh no! In the effort of making them, lies the relaxation of enjoying them. Each foamy cup is something to cherish. From the first cool milk bubbles popping on our nose, to the smooth hot finish of good, dark, coffee. Our minds are completely captivated.

Steve drinks far more coffee than me. Being that he has far more time in his morning routine, than I allow myself. I only drink decaffinated too. Even the smallest amount of caffeine turns me into a bit of a looney, biting all my nails off, tapping my feet, oh its not fun. That is the great things about de-caf, no side effects! It's funny that the 'kick' of caffeine is what most look for in the hot brew. No thanks!

Coffee is one of those things that took me a while to appreciate, but a lifetime left to enjoy.

No need for speed!

It was "empty out the freezer" for dinner last night.

My mini household Alaska has all sorts of goodies, liquor, chocolate, ripe bananas, nuts and the classic ice-cubes. But I've got my eye on some soupy frozen delights. A frozen plastic tub of diced tomatoes, and another of veggie broth. Some frozen peas, the last of the chicken in our house (we are beginning a vegetarian diet tomorrow) and a delicious soup is in the works.

I love cooking soup, always have. There is something so simply elegant about soup, the way it warms you from the inside out and warms your hands while you're holding it. Each deep inhale, with your head directly over the steam and you feel the energy of the food enter your mind. The vegetables give into the warmth as well, releasing their often hidden flavours, and softening in delight.

Oh but sometimes that pot starts to boil, I don't want it to get that excited, soup should be simmered, not waited for in haste, but set to simmer while other relaxing things are done, like writing or reading.



Quiet soup
1/2 turnip, peeled and cubed
3 stalks celery, chopped wildly
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1 bay leaf
lots of fresh ground black pepper, because i like it alot
big pinch of basil
little pinch of thyme
1/2 cup, dry, Quinoa (little gluten free grain)
4 chicken thighs , cooked first
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups veggie broth
extra water if you want it 'soupy' more than 'stewy'

But soup isn't boring, shouldn't be, couldn't be, and wasn't last night! Even if this soup was the best thing I had ever tasted, I wouldn't write it down anywhere because the next soup will be really good too. The only soup I have ever used a recipe for is Thai Squash and Coconut Soup with Shrimp and this is only because I 'WANT it to taste the same every time. Steve even said it was the best soup he had ever had in his life. I can't be that definitive, but its damn good!

***

It was Thursday night when I started this post. I was still in my work-out clothes, pondering the idea of doing some laundry, but mostly looking forward to the snow storm that, fingers crossed, would strand me on my un-plowable side street so I didn't have to go to work.

A girl can dream, and eat soup!



Here I am, Friday, my dream came true, I am stranded at home. Eating a bowl of reheated soup and a toasted bagel. Reading all morning, watching my sleepy kitty lounge on the table. Spending an entire day with him at my side, as we both stare out the window, each snowflake falling with wild excitement.