Cutting back the carbs!

So don't get me wrong, I think every healthy lifestyle contains a healthy dose of whole grains and carbohydrates. But if you, like me, dream of bread, pasta, cookies and cupcakes; a little moderation may be in order.

So when slogging through days of tuna salad and chicken breast with broccoli gets a tad  extremely boring, give in to your dreams of burgers and pasta with my knockoffs. And just like your fake Coach purse, they may not be the same as the real deal, but they come pretty close!

My personal favourite is the pasta that grows in your garden - spaghetti squash. It is easy to cook, just slice, scoop and bake! Then the filling scrapes out into dreamy spaghetti strands, just begging to be topped with your favourite pasta sauce!

My other recent discovery is to swap out your burger bun with a portobello mushroom sliced in half. It looks just like a bun, has a great texture and is much more satisfying than 2 soggy lettuce leaves!

Enjoy!!!

Starting Seeds

Winter seems to have finally lost its iron grip on my part of the world, and things are starting to poke out of the ground and grow. Although we are getting regular frost in the mornings, it is the perfect time to start seeds indoors!

Starting your own seeds gives you more control over how these seeds are grown and fertilized, and it is also much cheaper than buying packs of plants already started by the nursery.

Little packs of promise!

I have to admit that I love going to the outdoor store and poring over the racks of seeds, deciding which to choose for my garden this year. Some of those seeds have to wait and go directly in the ground in a few weeks, but I have started others inside in a small plastic "greenhouse" seed tray.

Just planted and ready to start growing!

I am really enjoying watching the zucchini and spaghetti squash sprouts push themselves up through the dirt and begin to grow-and now I can't wait to get them into the garden.

Inch by Inch, Row by Row

So if you live where it is still too chilly to plant things outdoors-what are you waiting for? Start them up inside!

Earth Hour!

So this post is a pretty quick one- I am reminding everyone that this Saturday (Saturday, March 26th), at 8:30 PM local time, it is Earth Hour! For those of you that aren't aware of what Earth Hour is all about, here are some quick facts:

• Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney Australia
• In 2010, 128 countries and territories took part in Earth Hour
• Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum have all turned off the lights for Earth Hour

So how can you take part? It's pretty easy-at 8:30 PM, turn off the lights for a full hour! For some extra energy savings, turn off all of the electronics in your home.
Imagine the kind of difference we could make if we ALL turned off our lights for an hour!

And it does not have to stop on Saturday. Start small by being aware of your lighting at all times. Make sure the bulbs you use are energy-efficient (CFLs, etc.) and turn off the lights in rooms you are not using.

Make it fun! This is the perfect time for a candlelit supper with your spouse, or telling a story in bed by flashlight!

For more info, head to http://www.earthhour.org/

My Global Community

Blogger has a great feature for bloggers called "Stats." This tracks how many people view my site, what pages are the most popular-and my favourite part-the audience. I get so excited seeing that people from all over the world view my blog-Germany, Turkey, USA, Kuwait, Thailand, Uruguay, India, and of course my country, Canada..and it goes on and on!!! Here I am in my tiny section of this huge global community, writing about my efforts to change my life and my environment through healthy, natural living, and people on the other side of the world read about it!
I can only hope that you find my blog helpful and interesting...but it got me to thinking-what about you? How do you preserve your food in Thailand? What natural housecleaning methods do you use in Germany? What difficulties do you face growing your own food in India? Do you have a blog of your own that might give me insight on my personal eco-friendly journey?
So share your story-leave me a comment or a link to show me more about your world! Or become a follower to stay updated with mine!

Getting Ready for Spring

Okay, it is freezing cold outside and there is still snow on the ground, but that doesn't mean you can't be gardening! Ok...so you can't actually garden, but now is the perfect time to plan! If you have an already established garden, this might be easier, but if you are just getting started, use this horrible weather as an opportunity to figure everything out.

So right now, here are some of the things I am doing to prepare for the spring:

*Map out my garden's layout
This year I am planning to add new beds (who needs a lawn?), and edge my beds with cedar or untreated lumber to give my garden more definition.

Just sketch something out by hand, or download a program-there are various online planners. My layout was simply made on Microsoft Word using shapes and text boxes...and I can update it as I think of other planting ideas. For instance, that expanse of available deck space...

If you live in a condo or a small space, start planning what kind of planters you will need for the types of veggies you will grow. Deep planters for carrots and potatoes, long thin ones on your balcony railing for herbs, a salad table for lettuce...any size can have your own veggies!

*Choose my plants
This is based on what worked well last year (zuchinni) and what didn't (brocolli-seriously, I got one floret!)
What new veggies do I want to try (quinoa)? This will also help me to realize what needs to be started indoors for optimum growth (the spaghetti squash grown direct from seed last year were tiny).
Do I want to put in new flowers? Annuals or perennials? And what grows best in my area?

*Make a timeline
What needs to be started indoors? When? What seeds can go right in the ground? When? What I am buying at a pre-started plant? When are the last frost dates for my area (many Canadians wait until after the May long weekend).

*Make a shopping list
Buy seeds now-there will be more to choose from, and then you can use the guidelines on the back of the package to determine when they should be started and when they can go outside. Decide which plants you will not be starting from seed.
Start planning for what else you will need: border materials, organic fertilizer, mulch, trellises, tools, cute rubber boots decorated with flowers or ladybugs...sorry-daydreaming again!

*Get excited!
Look forward to getting out there, getting your hands dirty, and watching your veggies and flowers grow! Gardening is one of the most relaxing and rewarding activities I do. Every spring brings the opportunity to try something new and reinvent your space-that is worth getting excited over!

Good luck on all of you planning-it will be fun now, and will save you many a headache come spring...HAPPY PLANNING!


Some great resources:

Canadian Wildlife foundation http://www.cwf-fcf.org/en/what-we-do/habitat/get-gardening/getting-started/
This site is great as it has lots of gardening advice, but also shows how to make your garden creature-friendly

Canadian Gardening http://www.canadiangardening.com/design-and-decor
Gardening from a Canadian perspective

Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com/
Because I love her and she is amazing! There is also instructions on building your own salad table on her site.

A Bowl of Warmth - Chili and Cornbread

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It has been way too cold the last while here (-32 C on my drive home last night!) and so I felt like a bowl of one of my favourite wintertime comfort foods-chili. And you can't have chili without cornbread, so one thing led to another...which led to a delicious supper!

I love this chili because it isn't too heavy on the meat and beans, so it is filling without being too heavy. And I spiced it up this time with some habenero chili sauce the in-laws brought back from vacation.

1 lb extra lean ground beef, browned

Then add and saute:
1 chopped green pepper

1/2 onion, finely chopped

5-6 button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed

Once softened add:

Large can of diced tomatoes

1 can mixed beans

1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

1 1/2 Tbl chili powder
Salt to taste
Habenero chili sauce to taste

For the cornbread, I took one of my favourite cornbread recipes and switched a few things up to make it my own. I love this cornbread because you add corn kernels, which gives it a delicious texture.

1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper. Drizzle kernels with olive oil in a saute pan. Cook until corn has softened and some of the kernels have turned light golden brown. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. stir in cornmeal. Add butter, cut in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add honey, milk, eggs, and corn kernels. stir to combine.

Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 18-20 minutes (until edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).

Best served warm, same day.



Bob's Red Mill products are great! And their cornmeal has a great flavour and texture!

Get Me to the Greek -Yogurt That Is!

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So, by now you might have tried making your own homemade yogurt. I hope you and your family have enjoyed it!

You probably noticed that your yogurt can have a tendency to separate, and the whey will float on top. That's because your yogurt doesn't have any additives to keep this from happening. Just stir it back into the yogurt - OR - strain it off and make some deliciously thick and creamy Greek yogurt!

I know this looks nasty-but it is perfectly normal!

Greek yogurt also takes some of that "sour" flavour out of your homemade yogurt. It is also better for cooking (tzatziki, yogurt-based curries, etc.), as it won't "separate out" the way regular yogurt will. It also makes a much creamier frozen yogurt.

To make your Greek yogurt, place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Line that sieve with coffee filters. Pour regular yogurt into the sieve.

All set up to strain the yogurt!

Pop the bowl in the yogurt for 3 hours or overnight, and the next day, the whey will have drained through to the bowl, and you will be left with Greek yogurt.

If you are in a rush, pour your yogurt into a clean, white tea towel, and squeeze out the excess whey before placing the tea towel into the sieve for an hour or two. Keep in mind-this is messier than the coffee filters!

Now for all you calorie counters out there, remember that your Greek yogurt is a concentrated version of your regular yogurt! But I find find Greek yogurt to be more filling, so it's a decent trade-off. 

Enjoy your homemade Greek yogurt!