It’s Good To Be Back Again

Well it happened.

I took a break from blogging. That is a lie. I was in a funk and  I had writer’s block- a horrible 3-month long bout of it but I am oh-so-happy to back at it!

A lot of changes have happened over the last three months. I accepted a promotion at work and I have been working like crazy because of it. However, I absolutely LOVE my job and the consistent challenges that it presents so I really would not have it any other way!

The second change is that I am moving! While it is not far (it’s actually within walking distance from my current apartment) it will be my “very first big girl all by myself no need for a roommate or boyfriend I can decorate it anyway I want apartment!” Needless to say I have spent many hours scouring Pinterest for decorating inspiration and organization ideas. I am impulsive and I have been packing my apartment since February 28th the day after I found out that I got my new apartment. I have been purging and getting rid of a lot but I still feel like there is so much to do! And as I sit amid my boxes and the remaining few odds and ends (really, what box am I supposed to put the one CD that I own or lightbulbs?) I cannot help but feel overwhelmed! But the excitement of fresh paint, new bedding, and setting up my first completely Paleo kitchen outweighs the anxiety that I am feeling. I also feel so incredibly accomplished to have the ability to be able to afford my own place!

 

I need to go back to packing/cleaning/and a run but I wanted to leave you with this picture of Murdoch who is experiencing anxiety over moving-I caught him tossing his dragon in to a box this morning. Adorable! I cannot wait to get in to my kitchen to start whipping up some new recipes that I have been working on!

xx

Bre

Head Up. Heart Strong.

I have come to realize that we all have bad days, weeks, months but it if we choose our attitude then we can change it. I had a crappy weekend but after hanging out with my oh-so-wise Mum I realized that I can choose my attitude and the situation will start to look up! Head up and heart strong is the way. She knows me like the back of her hand (as much as I hate to admit it) and Sunday night I received a text message that went like this:

She knows that if I don’t keep busy then my mind wanders. I attacked most of this list and a lot more. I found receipts in my desk that were more than two years old! After completing the purge of basically my entire apartment I felt a lot better!

It might not be a bad night that has you down. Perhaps you fell off of your training schedule and suddenly a week has gone by and it seems so much harder to go for your run or lift. You may blame yourself. But life happens. Just get right back in to it! After all, your body will not change by simply thinking about working out (that would be fantastic!) it will change by hard work! Or maybe you ate an entire pint of ice cream or a sleeve of Oreos. Yes, a great workout does not outweigh a bad diet but a binge once in awhile is not going to destroy all that you have worked for (I am by no means advocating binge eating I am simply giving an example). Start the next day with a glass of water, some green tea and eat as clean as you can for the next few days.

After organizing my life, rearranging my bedroom, washing a not so enthusiastic Murdoch, and checking the majority of my Mum’s list, I was famished. Last week it was +14ºC in Toronto now it’s a balmy -15ºC. My father would go on about global warming…I simply call it Canada. I wanted curry. Something to tuck in and keep warm. I settled on vindaloo. Vindaloo is a spicier curry originating from Goa, it has tons of fresh ginger, vinegar, and spice; the result is slightly tangy, spicy and sweet.

I like to make my curry paste from scratch. It tastes better and I know for a fact that it has not come in contact with any gluten. I use a recipe based on Jamie Oliver’s but if time is an issue then use a bottled brand like Patak’s. I paired it with coconut “rice” and it was perfect! Be sure that use coconut cream for this rice and not coconut milk as it will make it too runny and the flavour will not be as strong. Get the recipe after the jump!

It Wasn’t Me, It Was Vodka.

Yesterday I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I felt like I was Alexander in the children’s book Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, only I did not wake up with gum in my hair, trip over a skateboard or accidently drop my sweater under running water. Instead, I woke up with a groggy head,  tripped over Murdoch and twisted my ankle, and I hurt someone that I care about and I cannot take it back. And like Alexander, I wanted nothing more than to move to Australia.

If I could, I would like to say that the mistakes that I made on Friday night were not me. It was vodka. Like the text messages that were sent from my phone-all vodka not me! It was a going away party for a friend of mine and vodka and I became good friends. And I made one of those mistakes where you want to chew off your own arm for being such an idiot. But I am going to blame vodka for now and immediately break up with him as vodka brings relatively nothing to the table except for a headache, heartache, and stomachache.

Yesterday all I wanted my Mum, a hot bath, and my best friend Matt. I did not want to eat anything; not because of a hangover but because of how awful I felt about the whole situation. When 8 o’clock rolled around I started to feel a little hungry. I wanted soup, something to stick to my bones and make me feel warm like a hug. I had been thinking about making this soup for awhile, it is based off of a soup that I had before going Paleo. It was a corn chowder but since corn is off my foods list and sweet potatoes are one of my true veggie loves I decided to make it with them. Not to mention the bright orange colour helped to cheer me up a bit.

I love oysters and the smoked ones in this soup is what brings it all together. Before you turn your nose up at the idea-try it and you’ll see what I mean. The smokiness of the oysters blends so well with the spicy adobo peppers in the soup and the sweetness of the potato and the crispy salty bacon tops it all off! It definitely fills you up and gives you warm fuzzy feelings-something that I definitely needed yesterday.

I realized when I was eating the last spoonful that in Australia bad days also exist and I cannot change the poor choices that I made, I cannot take back the fact that I hurt someone that I care about, nor can I foresee what is yet to come. I must live in the present because that is all I can do at the moment.

If you are also having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day then you may want to try this soup. Actually, you may want to to try it regardless. It is pretty amazing. Check out the recipe after the jump.

Springlust

In the dead of winter it’s often easy to loose sight of the fact that in three months it will be Spring and soon after that Summer! I am a Summer baby and love the heat and sunshine more than anything and this past weekend in Toronto temperatures soared to a balmy 14ºC! So I spent the majority of my weekend outside and yesterday as I walking by one of my favourite clothing stores and saw a floral dress inside I immediately made a detour inside. I nearly squealed with excitement (it’s a good thing that they know me there or I would have looked even more crazy) there were dozens of sweaters in soft lemon yellow and robin’s egg blue, floral pants and buttercream coloured jeggings. Not to mention the dresses in creams, pomegranates and mint. I had to restrain myself and I made sure that I DID NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE TRY ANYTHING ON! I am trying to be good…we will see how long that lasts.

This is what I am loving right now. The sweater is a beautiful colour and reminds me of spring. I adore maxi skirts and maxi dresses for one main reason-I am pale and my legs never tan so the length of the maxi covers them up nicely! I love Chanel Chance partly because my Grandmother bought it for me and she has worn Chanel Nº5 for as long as I can remember and because I love the light fragrance. Josie Maran has some of the nicest beauty products out there and I love her commitment to environmental sustainability as all packaging is recyclable and not tested on animals. Furthermore the coverage of her tinted moisturizer is perfect! Korres is also another one of my favourites and I keep a pack of these in my gym bag and beside my bed to remove any grime! This little pyramid ring is darling and I love it! It comes directly from Etsy and is made by Stefanie Sheehan, it comes in gold as well!

 

So officially-in January-my Spring/Summer countdown has begun. Which also means my workouts are now intensified. I cannot wait until it is warm enough to run outside again! Until then I will be concentrating on my indoor workouts, specifically this January Abs Workout. This is a beast and it will have you hurting! But believe me friends it is worth it! I did the whole circuit twice and it takes about 30 minutes…fast and simple! All you need is a mat and weight! This digs deep in to your core and awakens muscles that decided to hibernate for the winter! Do this workout 3-4 times a week (or every day if you’re feeling aggressive) and by summer you’ll be looking at some sweet abs!

Comfort Food

I have an issue with the term “comfort food”.

I am not sure how it began but it started to develop after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Perhaps it was because I was spiteful at the stone cold fact that I would never ever be able to enjoy the wheat laden “comfort foods” of my childhood-macaroni and cheese, lasagna, cookies, cake, warm chocolate saucy pudding, pie, pizza, fettuccine alfredo, or grilled cheese. Sure, I could have had the wheat-free alternatives made with rice flour but really, who are they trying to kid? It does not and will not ever taste the same!

The more I think about it the more it’s starts to bug me. What makes it comfort food? The fact that we stuff our faces full of carbs until we are uncomfortably full? These so called “comfort foods” spike our insulin levels and cause us to crash an hour after eating. They make us feel bloated, tired, and cause weight gain. There is no comfort in that.

Food should comfort us but it should also nourish us and make our bodies perform to the best of their ability. How our bodies perform has a direct correlation to what we put in to them. My outlook on comfort foods has changed drastically since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I still get the cravings for “cozy” foods but I choose to make ones that not only satisfy that urge but also fill me up and fuel my body.

The other night that craving hit -it was freezing outside and I just wanted to curl up in a ball and do nothing. Oftentimes I crave tomato sauce when I want comfort food so I decided to make meatballs. Not just any meatballs…giant ones! Like the ones Rosie feeds Robbie Heart in the Wedding Singer as payment for singing lessons. I wanted some mean meatballs and that is exactly what I made!

Not You’re Grandmother’s Sprouts-Revisted

My maple and apple cider brussels sprouts are pretty kickass and they are pretty much the perfect side for any winter dish-chicken, pork, beef or a meaty fish. They are in a word-delicious. The other day I was thinking about them, salivating a little but kicking myself because I was fresh out of both maple syrup and apple cider. Tragic! So I thought about it a bit and decided to change that lovely little bacon and brussels sprouts combo in to a salad. I kept the brussels sprouts raw and sliced them very thin, this added a great little crunch to the salad. I also threw in a chiffonade of “dino” kale aka lacinato kale; the darkest green kale variety in the kale family. It was fresh and lovely especially with the warm garlicky bacon vinaigrette drizzling down through the salad. I topped it all off with a handful of toasted pistachios and it was amazing! On a side note, I adore pistachios and rarely keep them around, I can down a whole bag in under half an hour so this salad will definitely be a treat!

If you have time, let the dressing sit on the salad for about 30 minutes before serving this helps soften the sprouts a little bit. Remember to do this BEFORE adding the chopped pistachios or else they’ll get mushy…and nobody likes a mushy pistachio!

 

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb brussels sprouts

1 bunch lacinato kale, chiffonade

6 thick slices of bacon (preferably free-range) cooked crisp and crumbled, fat drained and reserved

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 T red wine vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

1 1/2 t minced garlic

1/4 t raw honey

kosher salt

1/4 C lightly toasted, chopped pistachios

Directions

1. Peel off and discard the darker outer leaves of the sprouts and trim the ends. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise, the slice them crosswise very thinly, transfer to a large heatproof bowl and add the bacon and kale, toss to combine
2. Measure 1/4 C of the reserved bacon fat in to a small pan and warm over low heat until liquified (if there is not enough bacon fat then make up the difference with the olive oil).
3. Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon juice, vinegar, shallot, garlic, honey and 1/4 t salt. Drizzle the dressing over the brussels sprouts and toss well.
4. Top with toasted pistachios and serve.

365 Days: From Vegan To Carnivore

I have found myself reflecting a lot this New Year on just how much my life has changed since last year. Personally, 2012 was a year of personal growth; I left a job that I was no longer happy at after five years with the company, I started this blog, I changed how I worked out and fell in love with lifting (heavy) weights, and I travelled and fell in love with new cities. It was also a year of learning some rather harsh lessons. I learned how to budget and balance money-a wakeup call I really did not like! Early in 2012 I ended a friendship after our “friends with benefits” idea backfired-it did not turn out like the movie! It was a very hard lesson to learn and I lost a great friend over it but I would not take it back for one second! I also said goodbye to my ex who had been a constant in my life despite the fact that we had broken up over a year ago. It took what seemed like forever to finally remove him from my life and realize that while we are both great people we are NOT great together. I also learned that dating within the workplace is never a good idea!

The last great change that I made in 2012 was my transition from vegan to paleo follower and full-fledged carnivore. I realized how funny it was to see my vegan cookbooks sitting alongside my meat ones on the shelf. To understand the transition and the moral dilemma one faces when making that change I think that you really have to try being a vegan or vegetarian for awhile and then go back to meat. I was raised a vegetarian and went vegan for awhile but after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease it was really, really hard to get all the nutrients that I needed. I felt lethargic all the time and my skin was terrible! I was also extremely grumpy and bloated. I was NOT a fun person to be around!

I had read Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet earlier in the year and she touts that being vegan will save the world. Who doesn’t want to be a superhero?! Inevitably her voice rang out in my head anytime I thought about eating meat. However, what I have come to realize now is that if I know where my food is coming from (my butcher only carries meat from within 100 miles) and I know how it was raised and how it was killed then my ecological footprint still remains small…so I am still a superhero…just not one that is nutritionally deficient and grumpy!

That first bite of steak-heavenly-happened when I was hungover and craving iron. I walked up the street to my local butcher, purchased a steak and cooked it myself with some eggs. While I was sick afterwards but I was determined to introduce meat to my body. Within a week I felt a million times better! I no longer had to nap during the day, my skin cleared up, and I was happier. I started reading up on the Paleo template and decided that I should start to follow it, after all I had already cut out most grains and processed foods because of my Celiac Disease.
How my body reacted to the change was amazing! I lost some weight but more importantly my energy levels skyrocketed. The only downfall was eating meat in front of Mum (a lifelong vegetarian) at Christmas breakfast. I noshed on bacon and I swear I saw her cringe!

With a year full of changes behind me I also made quite a few resolutions. I wrote them out, framed them and hung it up so that I can see them. The main theme that resonates from all of them is “live this year for me”. Too often I try to please others or worry on who will be the next person in my life (I am a lifelong romantic…it’s horrible) instead this year I am going to ignore all of the noise and concentrate on me. That’s the plan. I hope that I can stick to it.

A Celiac’s Christmas Woes and A Great Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bark

This morning I am traveling to Ottawa and it is early!!! I woke up at five. Thankfully Starbucks was open or I may have keeled over with exhaustion! I spent yesterday at my Mum’s and while it was low-key it was still pretty tiring. Along with presents and stockings we also continued to bake Christmas goodies to bring to Montreal. It was torture to watch her pull out lemon squares, nanimo bars, triple chocolate oatmeal cookies, biscotti, marzipan squares, and chocolate peppermint cookies-all my childhood favourites that I can no longer eat. I have accepted Celiac disease but it is times like that when I want to stuff my face! It is crazy how connected food and memories are! It brought a tear to my eye! Whenever I feel like that I have to tell myself to smarten up and be thankful that I’m not allergic to peanuts or shellfish (tragic) or something that would cause me to go in to an

Luckily I made one treat that I can eat and it is relatively) healthy as well. I love cooking in Mumma Bear’s kitchen because of her gas stove. I would kill for it and a gas range is really the only prerequisite I will have when I buy my own place.

I made a dark chocolate bark using 75% dark chocolate, fresh pomegranate, pistachios and ginger. The result was beautiful And ridiculously easy!

Dark Chocolate, Pomegranate, Pistachio and Ginger Bark

Ingredients

1/2 C salted pistachios (shelled and coarsely chopped)

1 C fresh pomegranate

2 T ginger (fresh or candied)

10.5 oz dark chocolate (70% or higher)

Directions

1. In a double boiler over medium heat melt the chocolate, remove from heat and stir in 1/2 C of the pomegranate seeds, 1/4 pistachios and 1 T of ginger 
2. Spread the mixture on to a parchment lined baking tray and sprinkle with the remaing pomegranate, pistachios, and ginger
3. Place in freezer until set

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!

It’s really, really early in the morning in Toronto…or very late at night depending on how you look at it…and I cannot sleep! I feel like an eight year old waiting for my parents to wake up so that I can tear in to my presents! However, I won’t be going to my Mum’s until brunch tomorrow so presents will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. Sigh. My insomnia could also be attributed to the fact that I am starving and because I am going away for a few days I did not buy any groceries…I have settled for pickles and water…tasty!

I spent the majority of the afternoon on Christmas Eve wrapping presents. I love wrapping gifts and each year I try to do something different. This year I did a monogrammed theme-it was tedious and annoying and therefore I probably will not be doing it again but I do like the end result. These are what a few of them look like.

Thankfully I come from a family that shares my love for food and cooking so I was able to spread the love a bit with a few homemade items as well. I made a trio of sea salts for finishing dishes-shiitake mushroom, meyer lemon and roasted garlic. As well as a hot sauce made from ghost peppers. We love anything ridiculously spicy in my family so I am sure that these will go over well!

Mmm Bacon

In the words of a truly iconic man “mmm bacon”-Homer J. Simpson

Three months ago, I would not have put “mmm” and “bacon” together, three months ago I had not had not seen the light, three months ago I had not eaten these cookies. These could turn in to an issue…it could be tragic…they may become a staple in my house. Gingersnaps made with bacon fat instead of butter. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi to these gingery little gems. An extra layer of flavour and depth to the cookie. While these guys don’t necessarily “snap” they are chewy and filled with ginger flavour. And as always, they are gluten-free thanks to almond flour and paleo friendly. Even Murdoch enjoyed half of them…he stole half a container of them off the counter when I was out…greedy little pup!

There are a few ways you can get the bacon fat for this recipe; one you could save your bacon drippings for a awhile, two you could fry about a 1 1/2 lbs of bacon and use it for sandwiches and other recipes throughout the week or three if you know your butcher and he can hook you up like my guy Julian* does then you’re golden! I was buying groceries and I told him about them, with a twinkle in his eye he passed me a tub of pork lard. It was an early Christmas miracle–I couldn’t eat through 1 1/2 lbs of bacon if I tried!!!

(*The fact that I am on a first name basis with my butcher is somewhat scary…I may need to switch it up once in awhile)

I am going to bring them to Ottawa and Montreal when I go on Wednesday. It is going to be a whirlwind trip but it will also be the first time in three years that I am spending Christmas with my little cousins, Aunties and Uncles. So 72 hours is better than nothing! I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to make it out to the hills for some boarding but there is always January!