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December 23, 2010

A little bit of summer

Things are cold and white here in the bitter frozen North...so I thought I would inject some warmth into everyone's winter with these forgotten garden pictures of bright summer produce!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!


Freshly picked and scrubbed carrots...


 Some peas in a pod...


The rhubarb waiting to be picked...


And on the kitchen scale...over 5 lbs in just one small pick!


Nothing quite says summer like that perfect, bright red strawberry!

I am hoping to get some favourite Christmas recipes posted over the holidays...but we all know how busy Christmas can be! I hope it a season of love and happiness for you and yours.

~Aubrey

November 24, 2010

Squeaky Clean!

Earlier in the year, I started using a vinegar-water mix to clean my counters and other surfaces in my house. The biggest problem was that I don't enjoy my house smelling like a bag of chips. So I went out a bought Natura tea tree oil cleaner. It worked great, and I like the fresh smell of tea tree oil.

But the truth is that tea tree oil cleaner is so cheap and easy to make on your own, it is ridiculous to buy a new bottle all the time. So I made my own! A few drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle filled with water and-voila!

Before I made it, I went online to find out how many drops to include and found this AMAZING site!

http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/11/05/the-natural-way-to-clean-everything-in-your-house/

It has tons of great cleaning tips, from toilets to drains, and are much more planet and wallet friendly! have a look and see what you can switch to simply by busting out the baking soda, lemons and vinegar!

Happy scrubbing everyone!

November 13, 2010

A little piece of sunshine

We are having a beautiful fall this year-some cool days, but many beautiful sunny ones too!
I thought I would post the pictures of the last of my sunflowers. I cut them in Sept and am very delayed in getting them posted!
 I hope they brighten up your day as much as they did mine!


October 7, 2010

Good-Better-Best: Macaroni and Cheese!

This is my first edition of Good-Better-Best. Basically I take 3 similar items, and compare them to see which is the best!

One of my guilty pleasures is macaroni and cheese-healthy or not, I love it! So I decided to look at some of the new "healthier" options out there.

The Contestants:

  • Annie's Real Aged Wisconsin Shells & Cheddar
  • Kraft Dinner "Smart"
  • Homemade macaroni and cheese

The Results:

Good: Annie's Real Aged Wisconsin Shells & Cheddar

I picked this up in the Organics section of WalMart. I was excited to find an alternative to KD with organic ingredients. But the result? I did enjoy the shell shaped noodles, as they hold the sauce just as well as elbow macaroni, but have less of a tendency to overcook. But my biggest disappointment was the flavour. For all the "Real Aged Wisconsin" promises, it tasted like any other packaged cheddar mix. Except for the aftertaste. The aftertaste was so strange, and almost left a burning sensation on my tongue after the fact. I'm not sure what caused this, but it certainly ruined the meal for me!

Better: Kraft Dinner "Smart"

I have to give credit to the people at Kraft. This was actually quite good. The noodles are made with cauliflower, so they give you some "veggies" when you think you are simply getting pasta. I could taste a slight cauliflower flavour, but since I enjoy cauliflower, I enjoyed that. Otherwise, it tasted just like the classic KD!

Best: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

I know, pretty predictable, right? But for anyone who has had the real deal, boxed mix can't beat it! If time is a factor, sure, go for KD, but when you want the best, take the time to make it.

Cheese sauce is simply 2 Tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons melted butter, mixed to make a rue. Add a cup of milk, allow that to thicken. Then add a cup of old cheddar, grated (or more if you want!). Add salt and pepper to taste, toss with whatever noodles make you happy, then bake in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes with some extra grated cheese and a sprinkle of bread crumbs on top. The crumbs should be browned and the cheese topping nice and bubbly...bliss!

August 10, 2010

Strawberry and raspberry fields forever...

This was a weekend for canning! I went with my neighbour out to a local u-pick, and picked strawberries and raspberries! This place, called The Jungle Farm, is absolutely amazing! The have huge fields of berries and are extremely friendly. I also picked up pickling cucumbers and dill for pickle making!
They also have rows and rows of lilies-and only $2 a stem! So for $6 I got the most gorgeous bouquet, which kept me company while I canned!

Me with my baskets of berries!

Freshly picked and ready to be canned!

Rows and rows of lilies

...in my happy place...
12 jars of raspberry and strawberry-rhubarb jam!
Dill and garlic-dill pickles...17 jars total!
All in a day's work!

So now it's your turn! How is your canning coming along?

Things, they are a-growin'!

Here is the main garden plot now, just bursting at the seams!!! The spaghetti squash is taking over a corner of lawn, and squash blossoms are popping up all over the spaghetti squash and the zucchini! The rhubarb has already giving me 2 bags of frozen rhubarb and 2 rhubarb crisps, not to mention jam!

Squash blossoms!

The sunflowers are getting ready to blossom!
The peas and carrots are getting there as well-I thinned some carrots, and although they are tasty, they are not quite there yet!

August 6, 2010

Garden Update!

The little garden that could is just chugging away, growing right before my eyes! Other than the lettuce and spinach, there is nothing edible yet, but the plants are taking over!

Okay, I pulled out the tiniest carrot and ate it. Yum. Not quite there yet, but the one bite was fantastic!
Here is my garden during the first bit of summer-at this point I was just excited to see "bits of green" poking their way above the ground!
My sunflowers are doing very well-growing up 3/4 of the height of the fence so far-I cannot wait for their early fall blossoms!!!

The lettuce is doing very well. it was not started from seed, but rather from starter packs from the nursery. I have already gotten to enjoy this - a red leaf variety.
The spinach has really picked up, and we have been able to enjoy it as well. It keeps blooming and I am forever deadheading the blooms so it uses its energy for leaves, not flowers!
A thick patch of carrot tops! They always look so promising, only to find the carrots are itty-bitty!

What is a garden without flowers? The fuchsias in my hanging baskets love me this year! Blooms galore!

The garden is now at the point where the spaghetti squash leaves are starting to tumble onto the lawn and the pea pods are taking shape. it is so exciting, and one of the most rewarding years of gardening I have had! I will post new garden picture soon, and they will show my beautiful new siding in the background! (Full sized garden shots were sidelined by siding efforts).

Happy Gardening!

August Challenge: Can, Can, Can you do the Can-Can?

Pretty self-explanatory challenge for August-CANNING!

1. If you don't can: CAN! It is easier than you think! Start with a simple jam, or just go with what your stomach wants! I have great plans for my August canning, and am hoping to fill my shelves and give some to friends too!

2. If you do can: Add to your list. If you already make jam, make some pickles; make a salsa; can some cherries! Then when winter makes you want to scratch your own eyes out every time you look out the window and all you see is WHITE-then these summery fruit flavours will be there, beckoning you, reminding you that delicious things will be back...in a few months.

So DO IT! And when all your friends are impressed by your Little House on the Prairie pantry...I told you so.

July Challenge: Recap

So here is my quick recap on the outcome of the July Challenge!

1. It is easier said than done. While I was home alone and the husband was away for work, this was a BREEZE! I ate pretty much whole foods, and any packaged stuff (bread, juice, etc.) was from the organics aisle. Although I am not die-hard organics, they do tend to have more basic ingredients than other processed foods.
However, when said husband was around, pizza, Chinese food and Coke reigned supreme.

2. It translated well outside of food. Since I was reading what went into my food, I also started reading my cleaning products, etc. For not much extra $$$ you can find cleaners that are made with plant-derived cleaners and no nasty, non-pronounceable chemicals. (No lungs burning while I scrubbed the tub either!)

 I would say the key takeaway is that understanding your ingredients is doable-you just need to hold your ground and not be swayed to the path of junk food...
What I loved is I found some new "go-to" products that can be grabbed without worrying about what is going into my food!

Happy Shopping!

July 25, 2010

Time keeps ticking...

I have been insanely busy the last while, hosting friends and family and working madly in my yard. This weekend we are redoing the siding on the house! Although I am loving the result of these things, my blog has been suffering!
So to keep you all hanging (I stubbornly believe someone reads this all the time-despite the lack of comments on my posts), here are the upcoming blog entries:

1. July Challenge update! I have been following this as closely as possible and will let you know my experiences.

2. Garden update! I need to take some pictures of my veggie/flower garden-it is full to bursting and starting to flower-and flowers mean the veggies are soon to follow!

3. Good-Better-Best! A new monthly post I have been working on, where I compare 3 similar products/recipes and let you in on which is best.

Can't wait to post it all!

July 10, 2010

Jammin'

Even though the summer fruit in this area is still ripening, I was itching to get some jam into jars! So I made a "Kiwi Margarita" jam that can be made any time of the year. It contains kiwis, fresh pineapple and lime juices, and (best part) coconut rum!!!
The recipe only made 2-500 ml jars, so I may need to make some more for family and friends!

July 3, 2010

July 2010 Challenge: Read it and weep

In an effort to bring some structure to my blog, I decided it needs to contain more than just my random thoughts on gardening and a couple recipes. Introduce...THE MONTHLY CHALLENGE!!!

At the beginning of each month I will introduce a new challenge to my readers. Throughout the month, I will let you know how I am doing on my side of the challenge, and you can all give me feedback on how the challenge went for you.


So here is the challenge for the month of July:

Purchase and eat ONLY foods that contain ingredients you recognize. So read the label BEFORE you buy! You may just find your packaged food consumption is drastically reduced!

As I shop and come across unknown ingredients, I will write them down and research what EXACTLY those mystery ingredients are. Let's face it-just because we don't know what it is, doesn't mean it is bad for you!

Let me know-who is joining in? Best of luck to all of you!

June 17, 2010

What to eat, what to eat...

A new blog I have enjoyed reading is the "Urban Homestead." Although this family is the extreme example of self-sustained healthy living, they have tons of amazing ideas! It also makes me jealous of their California growing season!

One quote I liked from a recent post is regarding choosing food sources. The "chain" begins with what you can grow in your own yard (and you should see their yard! Who knew you can fit so much on a city lot!).

If not from backyard, then locally produced
If not locally produced, then organic.
If not organic, then family farm.
If not family farm, then local business.
If not local business, then fair trade.


Great chain and one I need to work at following more closely! I have learned that healthy, unprocessed eating generally involves more time, research, and work than simply hitting the supermarket!

In other growing news-my plants are sprouting! I have carrots, peas, sunflowers and spaghetti squash all coming in! I have my lettuce and spinach planted (better late than never) and am waiting to see little green shoots from them.

This year I have planted lettuce both in the salad table (see previous post) and in my yard, to see which grows better. I will let you all know how that goes!

Happy Eating!

May 28, 2010

The quest for perfection

On Wednesday I popped into a grocery store on my way home from Calgary to pick up a few supper items. At the checkout, the cashier asked the stock boy to put back what she referred to as "this perfect tomato." By the usual standards, it was pretty "perfect." Huge size, even shape, bright red. It hadn't been purchased because the customer before me refused to pay $4 for once single tomato.
This whole scenario got me thinking for 2 reasons:
1. $4 for ONE tomato??? Are you kidding me? I even said to the cashier "No kidding, he can buy a whole plant for that a get tomatoes all summer!"
2. Our quest for perfection. These days, it seems we are programmed to only want to eat "perfect" food. So much of our produce is genetically modified, and sprayed with pesticides, that we don't see many wormholes, sun spots, or odd shapes in our food. But if you take a look at some heirloom tomatoe varieties, they are "ugly" compared to what we are used to. But the TASTE!
My favourite apples are an organic variety called "Pink Lady." They are sweet, firm, and just the right size. They are also often bruised, or have sun spots.
And is the tradeoff really worth it? A high pesticide load just for how nice it looks?

So my challenge is this-look past how pretty your food is. The ugly food might have a great personality!

May 25, 2010

Not long enough weekend!

Ahhh-the sun has finally decided it is here to stay, and although the forecast calls for a few more bouts of frost, I have gotten out into the garden.

Although my heart (and my stomach) would prefer to be in the backyard doing my veggie garden, my front yard looks quite sad beside the well-groomed neighbours. We mow our lawn, but my flower beds have become dry dusty weed beds. After 2 days of digging, weeding, and covering up the front and side beds with mulch (my attempt at weed, bug and cat detterent all in one!), I must say it looks quite nice...despite the lack of flowers. So this weekend, the plants will go in! Then I don't have to look at my dismal front yard in shame every time I pull up to my house.

So the long weekend got gobbled up by asthetics. Today I got into the backyard and madly gardened during my lunch break (working from home has its perks). So now I have put in peas, spaghetti squash and carrots! I also built a lovely cage for my peas to climb out of bamboo stakes and wire! Cost: approx $6. (because I want fresh veggies but I am still cheap)

There is still so much work to be done! Two more beds to dig, prep and plant with lettuce, spinach, brocolli, zuchinni, and sweet peas (ok, they are not food-but sooo pretty!) And I really want to get this done by the end of this weekend-our growing season is short enough without procrastinating!

Happy Gardening!

April 17, 2010

More Granola bars! Chocolate orange-mmmm!


These were inspired by a granola bar my Mom used to buy. They are a little different than my previous recipe-Enjoy!

Choco-coco orange granola bars:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, blended until flour-like
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup organic crisp rice cereal
1/8 tsp salt
1.2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp orange zest
1/4 cup coconut + extra for sprinkling
1/3 + 1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 large orange, segmented and sliced into small pieces
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Place orange pieces on a cookie sheet evenly. Place in oven for approx 15 minutes to dry.

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add all wet ingredients, and orange pieces. Mix until well combined.

Line a 9 inch bar pan with parchment paper. Press mixture into pan with a damp spatula. Sprinkle coconut on top and press down.

Cut bars into 12 pieces. Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes.

Let cool, cut again.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. Dip the bottom of each bar into the chocolate, and remove any excess with spatula. Allow to harden.

Store in a cool place in an airtight container for up to a week.

HAPPY BAKING!

Dirty, dirty, dirty

Organic or not organic? Is it worth the money? Should I switch? Is it a gimmick? A simple answer to this question was in a recent issue of Martha Stewart, as well as in my Maximized Living Nutrition book (more on Maximized Living later).

There is a set of 2 lists developed based on pesticide loads. Basically, the idea is that if you are wanting to switch to organic, it is best to immediately switch out the produce with the highest amount of pesticides used, and/or the ones you eat the most often. These lists can help differentiate.

The Dirty Dozen (highest pesticide residue):

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Grapes (Imported)
10. Lettuce
11. Carrots
12. Pears

The Clean Fifteen (buy conventional and save some $):

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

Another big tip to help remember-it is not the rule, but many times if the fruit has a thick skin you don't eat, you are usually able to go non-organic.

If you want to support organic/fair-trade exclusively for economic reasons-have at it!

Happy Grocery Shopping!

April 13, 2010

Granola bars!


So I tried this new recipe for homemade granola bars. They have no refined sugar (Alberta honey instead!) and no nasty preservatives. This can be amended very easily for the fruits and nuts you prefer as well.

Granola bars:

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup almonds
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 plus 1/4 cup honey (the 1/3 can be replaced with maple syrup for a different flavour)
1/4 cup milk with 1 tsp vanilla added
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Process 2 cups of rolled oats in blender or food processor until they become flour-like. Mix with all other dry ingredients (except coconut and chocolate) in a bowl.

Mix wet ingredients together. Add to dry and mix untilwell combined.

Grease a 9inch pan. Line with parchment paper. Add mixture to the dish, pressing down with a moistened spatula.
Sprinkle coconut on top.

Pre-cut the pan into 12 bars. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
When cool cut again,

Melt dark chocolate and drizzle over completed granola bars.

Store in an air tight container for up to a week.


(I got the original recipe from Coach Nicole on SparkPeople,and amended it to my liking)

ENJOY and HAPPY BAKING!

March 31, 2010

Signs of spring

Two signs of spring today:

1. My neighbour's cat is pooping on my bare flower beds again. This must mean the soil is dry enough for me to start prepping my beds! I am planning on topping all flower beds with bark mulch this year to dissuade the phantom pooper. If anyone has anti-cat turd tips, let me know! I love my neighbours that own the kitty, so I want to find kitty-friendly solutions.

2. Gary (my back neighbour) has nicely turned soil in his vegetable garden (at least it looks that way). He has an amazing yard, both flowers and veggies, so following his lead can't hurt!

March 27, 2010

Is spring here???

I pulled up in front of my house this morning, and my lawn is starting to look GREEN! I am completely done with winter this year and cannot wait for things to warm up. But all these signs of spring got me thinking...what are the things I need to get started RIGHT NOW so I can have the flower/veggie garden I hope for this spring/summer? Beds to dig, borders to build, seeds to start...it will be a busy month! Good thing I have some free labour from the hubby to help me out!
My big reason for wanting my own veggies this year is control. I know what I grow in my own garden won't have chemical pesticides and fertilizers in it. Not only that, but fresh grown produce just tastes better! The strawberries my neighbour grows are AMAZING when you compare them to the tasteless California giants!!!
I also built a salad table last year to grow shallow root veggies, like lettuce, kale, spinach etc to free up some of the other space in my tiny yard for other things! I got the design for this off of the Martha Stewart website. (love her!)
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/salad-table
Happy Gardening!