Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Break
When thinking in terms of gratitude, the term,"my cup over floweth" often comes to mind. But right now, my plate 'over floweth.' I am currently being pulled in many different directions, between my kiddos [especially with Audrey teething and Eli's freshly broken leg] my calling, house work and projects, and simply taking care of myself, I am feeling a little over whelmed. So, somethings gotta give. And right now, that 'something' is this little blog. I love writing, in fact it's a creative outlet I crave quite often, but I have so little time to sit these days, and when I find a moment to sit I find that my eyes automatically close - cause, well, I'm tired ha! So, for now I'm stepping back from recipe creating, motherhood musing, workout inspirations, and all the rest. I hope to be back sooner than later - but only time will tell :)
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Thanksgiving [gluten free edition]
Thanksgiving weekend has rolled around once again here in Canada. I am so very grateful for the reminder that holidays, and this one in particular, are to pause and give thanks for all the many blessings in our lives. I am especially grateful for the family I was born into, the family my husband and I have created with one another, and the friends that are family in every sense of the word. I am grateful for health, strength, and a roof over my head that protects my sweet children and I - and my husband whom works tirelessly to keep us safe and sound in this home. I live a very blessed life.
The past two years I enjoyed Thanksgiving on a vegan diet, and it was delicious in every way. This year, as I am still nursing [meat and I became friends again while I was pregnant, and I have continued to eat it to help with my fluctuating milk supply] I made the full on meal, along with wonderful contributions from my step Mom. Turkey, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, green salad, cranberry chutney, and stuffing and buns for those eating wheat. But seeing as my Step Mom and I are both gluten free, all desserts were made to accommodate this preference. I posted an instagram photo of the dessert spread and immediately received requests for recipes, so here is what I served up this thanksgiving for dessert!
.JPG)
Perfect Pumpkin Pie [recipe here]
Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie [crust recipe here, and filling was improvised with pudding mix, coconut yogurt, and shredded coconut]
Nutella Fudge with Pistachios [recipe found here]
and Chocolate dipped Madeleine's [recipe here with the only tweaks being replacing the sugar and flour with coconut sugar and gluten free flour mix]
EVERYTHING was a hit, and the pies were served with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Have fun whipping these up, devouring them with loved ones, and creating lasting memories. Happy Thanksgiving!
The past two years I enjoyed Thanksgiving on a vegan diet, and it was delicious in every way. This year, as I am still nursing [meat and I became friends again while I was pregnant, and I have continued to eat it to help with my fluctuating milk supply] I made the full on meal, along with wonderful contributions from my step Mom. Turkey, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, green salad, cranberry chutney, and stuffing and buns for those eating wheat. But seeing as my Step Mom and I are both gluten free, all desserts were made to accommodate this preference. I posted an instagram photo of the dessert spread and immediately received requests for recipes, so here is what I served up this thanksgiving for dessert!
.JPG)
Perfect Pumpkin Pie [recipe here]
Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie [crust recipe here, and filling was improvised with pudding mix, coconut yogurt, and shredded coconut]
Nutella Fudge with Pistachios [recipe found here]
and Chocolate dipped Madeleine's [recipe here with the only tweaks being replacing the sugar and flour with coconut sugar and gluten free flour mix]
EVERYTHING was a hit, and the pies were served with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Have fun whipping these up, devouring them with loved ones, and creating lasting memories. Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Numbers Game
When I was a pre-teen I went on a road trip with my cousins and aunt. We drove down to Montana, shopped, stayed in a hotel, and ate out. To my pre-teen self this was bliss! Who are we kidding, that is still bliss...other than eating out every meal. During the trip we made a few stops into Payless Shoes. At this point, Payless wasn't in Canada yet, and was a supreme deal. SO, I shopped to my hearts content getting some shoes for the upcoming school year. Clogs were all the rage, so I acquired a couple pairs of clogs, and some heels to accentuate the fact that I was already towering above not only all the other girls, but every single boy (except one, so naturally I had a crush on him.) Life was good. Until I got home...
Wanting to show off my spoils to my siblings and parents, I promptly paraded around the living room in my new shoes once we arrived home. To my absolute horror, I discovered I had bout TWO PAIRS of the exact.same.clogs. Oh My. My face turned red as my older and younger sister both laughed, grinding my nose in my humiliating oversight. (In my defense, the clogs were bought on separate trips to Payless.) The worst part though was that the sizes of the two pairs were different - one pair being a 9, and the other 11. Yep, 11. I was firmly entrenched in my obsession of being tall and growing up (remember how I also bought heels?) and sometime between my first trip to Payless and the second, I decided to upgrade myself to a larger shoe sizes to allow for all my planned growth. It made sense in my 11 year old brain.
There I was, red in the face, two pairs of brown fake leather clogs, and both pairs sporting wildly different shoe sizes. AND I was out $20 on that pair of size 9's I was never going to wear! My best friends Mom swooped in and bought my size 9's (she wore a size 7 I later found out, but was there for my fashion show and took pity on me) and I clod-hopped around middle school for a full year in over sized clogs before realizing the blisters on my size 9 feet were not worth it.
Fast forward to when I was sixteen. Playing volleyball day in and day out, practically living in spandex shorts, I insisting on wearing Small sized t-shirts. I definitely would have rocked a Medium with more style and flair (and less mid-driff exposure on my 5'10" frame) but insisted on the Small because only fat people wore Medium. Yep, that's what I thought. I was literally obsessed with being as thin as possible, while playing competitive sports year round, and yet couldn't see the strong athlete in front of me. My day was made, or fell apart, based on two things: How my size Small shirt was fitting that day (clinging?bunching?stomach showing?) and whether I was able to pinch anything on my hip. Anything to pinch was reason enough, in my mind, to stay home. I was a mess - and it all came down to numbers.
Jump on over to being pregnant with Darius. Darius was my first pregnancy that stuck around long enough to let me meet my little one (and I'm one lucky Mama to have Darius with me five years later!) Through my pregnancy I revised how I was eating, exercising, and thinking about my body. My body was capable of so much more than I had previously given it credit for! And then labor opened my eyes even more! If you want to learn how strong you really are, and truly gain great strength from within you, go for a natural, drug free labor. Wow - I mean honestly. After delivering Darius without any pain med, seeing my body not only grow a human being, but deliver a human being (mind blowing!) I gained respect for my body and started treating it even better, and researching ways in which to improve my health. The scale continued to drop, lower and lower and lower after having Darius, but for the first time in my life I wasn't focused on the scale or what I was wearing. I was focused on nourishing my body so it would have what it needed to nourish Darius's.
With each subsequent pregnancy my knowledge has grown, as I continue to research on an almost daily basis. Approaching my body from a health and wellness point of view, I now use the numbers on the scale as a gauge. I know that if the scale jumps suddenly that something is out of balance, and simply readjust my diet until I find the culprit (recently being wheat) and restore balance.
The numbers on the scale, stitched into your pants, or embossed in your shoes do not matter. What matters is finding balance, peace and harmony in your body. Loving your body for what it can do, for it's raw power, and for the possibilities it opens up for you is far more important than the size of your shirt (although, for the record, I have embraced Medium, and it feels MUCH more comfortable than Small ever did. And it's long enough!) Embrace the opportunities that are your's for the taking!
And while you're at it, do some good for those whom aren't able to harness the power within themselves due to physical and mental disabilities; help find a cure for Rett Syndrome. To sign up for an awesome 5km run/walk/whatever you want to do to cover the distance, race CLICK HERE. But hurry! Registration closes October 3rd, 2013.
Wanting to show off my spoils to my siblings and parents, I promptly paraded around the living room in my new shoes once we arrived home. To my absolute horror, I discovered I had bout TWO PAIRS of the exact.same.clogs. Oh My. My face turned red as my older and younger sister both laughed, grinding my nose in my humiliating oversight. (In my defense, the clogs were bought on separate trips to Payless.) The worst part though was that the sizes of the two pairs were different - one pair being a 9, and the other 11. Yep, 11. I was firmly entrenched in my obsession of being tall and growing up (remember how I also bought heels?) and sometime between my first trip to Payless and the second, I decided to upgrade myself to a larger shoe sizes to allow for all my planned growth. It made sense in my 11 year old brain.
There I was, red in the face, two pairs of brown fake leather clogs, and both pairs sporting wildly different shoe sizes. AND I was out $20 on that pair of size 9's I was never going to wear! My best friends Mom swooped in and bought my size 9's (she wore a size 7 I later found out, but was there for my fashion show and took pity on me) and I clod-hopped around middle school for a full year in over sized clogs before realizing the blisters on my size 9 feet were not worth it.
Fast forward to when I was sixteen. Playing volleyball day in and day out, practically living in spandex shorts, I insisting on wearing Small sized t-shirts. I definitely would have rocked a Medium with more style and flair (and less mid-driff exposure on my 5'10" frame) but insisted on the Small because only fat people wore Medium. Yep, that's what I thought. I was literally obsessed with being as thin as possible, while playing competitive sports year round, and yet couldn't see the strong athlete in front of me. My day was made, or fell apart, based on two things: How my size Small shirt was fitting that day (clinging?bunching?stomach showing?) and whether I was able to pinch anything on my hip. Anything to pinch was reason enough, in my mind, to stay home. I was a mess - and it all came down to numbers.
Jump on over to being pregnant with Darius. Darius was my first pregnancy that stuck around long enough to let me meet my little one (and I'm one lucky Mama to have Darius with me five years later!) Through my pregnancy I revised how I was eating, exercising, and thinking about my body. My body was capable of so much more than I had previously given it credit for! And then labor opened my eyes even more! If you want to learn how strong you really are, and truly gain great strength from within you, go for a natural, drug free labor. Wow - I mean honestly. After delivering Darius without any pain med, seeing my body not only grow a human being, but deliver a human being (mind blowing!) I gained respect for my body and started treating it even better, and researching ways in which to improve my health. The scale continued to drop, lower and lower and lower after having Darius, but for the first time in my life I wasn't focused on the scale or what I was wearing. I was focused on nourishing my body so it would have what it needed to nourish Darius's.
With each subsequent pregnancy my knowledge has grown, as I continue to research on an almost daily basis. Approaching my body from a health and wellness point of view, I now use the numbers on the scale as a gauge. I know that if the scale jumps suddenly that something is out of balance, and simply readjust my diet until I find the culprit (recently being wheat) and restore balance.
The numbers on the scale, stitched into your pants, or embossed in your shoes do not matter. What matters is finding balance, peace and harmony in your body. Loving your body for what it can do, for it's raw power, and for the possibilities it opens up for you is far more important than the size of your shirt (although, for the record, I have embraced Medium, and it feels MUCH more comfortable than Small ever did. And it's long enough!) Embrace the opportunities that are your's for the taking!
And while you're at it, do some good for those whom aren't able to harness the power within themselves due to physical and mental disabilities; help find a cure for Rett Syndrome. To sign up for an awesome 5km run/walk/whatever you want to do to cover the distance, race CLICK HERE. But hurry! Registration closes October 3rd, 2013.
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