Posts Tagged cheremichelle

What I’m Excited About #4

It’s been awhile since I sat down and told you all about what’s getting me excited lately in the world of health and veggies! Ever since my email program (Outlook) decided to NOT let me click on any html links, I’m having trouble accessing all my google alerts and that my friends, is where the really exciting stuff is. The alerts are delivered to my inbox several times a day about all the things I love…but for reasons I can’t explain, I simply can’t open any email links….*sigh* I’ve tried to fix it but to no avail…So, I’ll bring you the info on some stuff I do remember and hope you like it as much as I do!

First things first- cereal. I recently read about this company, Ambrosial Granola Cereals and my first thought was ‘Wow. This is granola at it’s finest.” The ingredients are all ones I can not only pronounce, but ones I know…this is a huge plus. I don’t want a cereal with a bunch of crap in it! Cereal is meant to be savoured…and this product looks amazing. I’m still holding out for Holy Crap cereal; I seriously want to give this stuff I try but the price point at my local IGA just isn’t feasible right now. I’ll content myself with reading product reviews…

I’m about to embark, again, on making seitan. For those not familiar with this “wheat meat”, it’s basically just that, a meat-sub made from vital wheat gluten. I’ve had it in so many tasty dishes at Chinese and Thai Buddhist restaurants in Vancouver and love the versatility of it. I tried my hand at making it a couple of years ago, but it was so tough it was inedible. I’m not sure what I did wrong because I followed the recipe exactly and was so crushed at all the wasted product…I’m determined to try it again. With the rising prices of groceries and the constant high price of vegetarian items like gardein and tofu products, I feel I have to try again. I’ll keep everyone posted! If you have a tried and true recipe, I’d love to see it…(personally speaking the mock duck stuff makes my stomach turn…)

I was away last week and got the opportunity to visit with a dear old friend. We took a stroll through an old town filled with stone houses and a covered bridge catching up on time gone by. My friend is a photographer and insisted on snapping some pics of me against backdrops of antique doors…I realized when I saw these pictures how old I look! Maybe it was because I was wearing my glasses and hadn’t yet seen any pics of me in them (I’m usually in contacts)…or maybe it’s because my hair is a boring mousy-brown. Whatever the deal is, I look old. And it’s my birthday in 2 weeks. 15 days to be exact. I’m not really looking forward to it this year; I think as more years go by the idea of another birthday loses the charm it once had. I’m not ready to be approaching the year I’m approaching- I feel I’m too old now to achieve my desires and wants. The rational part of me KNOWS this is silly; women are achieving so much later in life these days but to say I’m not scared, would be a lie. I think it’s time to find the money in the ‘ol budget to colour my hair again and maybe cut off about 4 inches or so while I’m at it. Of course this is only a temporary, physical fix but sometimes that little push is all we need…

My friend and I also discussed some website and blog ideas as well. I got excited from his enthusiasm and felt the first twinges of hope again, over what I wanted this blog to truly be. So stay tuned for some really exciting changes and developments in the very near future. Really.

Right now Moops and My Guy are watching my favourite movie of all time: Imitation of Life with Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. I have loved this movie since I was 12 years old and first saw it on TV. I’m not sure why it made such a deep impression on me, but it did. I still cry every time I see it…Juanita Moore’s character “Annie” is of such a pure spirit that it makes my heart ache. Her face and eyes smile even through the roughest moments of the movie when all the odds are against her; she never loses faith. An added bonus? The adorable Sandra Dee plays 16 year old Suzie. If you haven’t seen the movie, check it out.

Home is where my heart is. When things at work get my down and I wonder why I am where I am there…I think of those who love me and realize I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Sure this post was supposed to be about what was getting me excited but looks like I went in a slightly different direction…

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This ‘n That

**First things first, my heart goes out to everyone affected and suffering as a result of the quake and tsunami in Japan. I cannot fathom what anyone over there must be going through and can’t wrap my head around how one moves forward. How a nation moves forward. It makes me feel so small and helpless to be over here…sitting in my warm house with light and food. I can only send positive thoughts.**

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I have lots to talk about tonight. Yeah, yeah it’s Saturday night and I should be out and about right? I just love you all so much I NEED to blog and tell you all the good stuff I’ve learned this week! So sit back, hand off the mouse or key pad and listen in…

The other love of my life, Gardein, has just introduced a Meatless Burger. For real. I’ve not tried it of course as it’s so new I can’t really find it here but the Internet is all a-buzz about it and BIG things are expected! I will say however, that in My Guy and I’s opinion, for what it’s worth, we think Presidents Choice Worlds Best Meatless Burger really is the best. This new burger from Gardein has to a) knock our socks off and b) be reasonably priced. While the Presidents Choice burgers aren’t super cheap, they do come in a pack of 4 frozen patties so they last for awhile. I find Gardein sometimes priced too high, so I’m really hoping the burgers are more affordable. (Hopin’ and Prayin’)

I’m back on the quinoa train. I LOVE THIS STUFF. I have been making up a batch at night (1 cup quinoa to 1 3/4 cup water, simmer for 12 minutes, fluff, cool) and then mixing up with whatever chopped veggies, some salad dressing etc and have it as a cold ‘salad’ for lunch. The beauty of quinoa is it’s more than a grain…it’s a PROTEIN. It really is perfect food. This is the food you want in a disaster situation…this is the food that will fuel you…perfectly cooked quinoa should have a slight bite to it and you can see the separation of the kernel a bit. It has a nice subtle nutty flavour to it. I noticed while grocery shopping today, the price of bulk organic quinoa has come down significantly. Funny because it seems everything else has gone UP…

Running out of lunch ideas? Making sure My Guy and I both have nutritious and filling lunches each week day can be a chore. It’s great if we have leftovers from the night before but that doesn’t ALWAYS happen. This weekend I’ll be making up a batch of burritos to stick in the freezer for those times when we forgot to make something….grab ‘n go. This is obviously a more healthy option than buying those frozen little burrito-things at the grocery store full of preservative and salt! I buy multi grain tortillas- the big ones, and whip up a batch of rice. It’s fun to change up your rice; so maybe make Spanish rice one time and just add tomato paste and some chili’s to the rice water…I like to saute up peppers and onions, get a can of re-fried beans ready and begin to assemble. I always top with a bit of cheese and some chili or enchilada sauce; not so much that it makes it a gooey (and fattening) mess, but enough to act like the “glue” when you heat it up later! These burritos have saved me on more than one lunch…

This weeks goal? Get to the gym and/or run at least 4 days out of the 7 coming up. I’m so down on myself and this is exactly what I tell others not to do….do not beat yourself up. Problem is I feel I should know better. I am upset because I lost alot of weight years ago and have slowly put just enough back on to be uncomfortable in my own skin. Very uncomfortable. So I challenge everyone out there, to get up off the couch this week and get MOVING.

That’s all for tonight…

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So Close, But Yet So Far

Can you believe NEXT WEEKEND we spring ahead and set our clocks forward ONE HOUR? That means, yes, it will be light after say 6 pm! This happens next week, so Spring really is close by- right? It’s been a long winter for me personally and I’m blessed with living somewhere that doesn’t traditionally get a ‘white winter’ or temperatures too cold. But this past winter seemed to stretch on especially long and we did get show and we did go below freezing!! So I’m ready for Spring to be sprung upon us; I don’t care what those pesky little groundhogs had to say. I say BRING SPRING ON.

While we wait though, this last little stretch can seem unbearable. It’s important to keep your spirits up during the colder months because it’s easy to let depression and the blues creep in. I’m my own worst enemy in this one, but you gotta exercise. It’s vital. I realize that, I know it, and I’m trying…I really do feel better when I leave the gym but it’s the getting there part that can be a challenge.

Incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet. With fruit we can bring in a little ‘sunshine’- I saw whole pineapples on sale last week at a local grocer. When was the last time you bought a pineapple? And lets be honest, fresh pineapple tastes a world better than canned tidbits doesn’t it?

Have some quiet time. Just because you spend part of Saturday lounging in bed reading doesn’t mean your lazy…it means your giving your body a break and a little treat. If we’re not good to ourselves, who will be? Don’t be afraid to indulge and have a lazy day. It’s when those lazy days turn into weeks and months that a problem will arise…

Pull out your recipe books or ask friends/coworkers for some new dishes to try. I’ve got a few recipes from coworkers I’m excited about but haven’t yet tried…one is Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins and then I picked up on Facebook on the gardein page for ‘Chick’n Pot Pie’. I love experimenting in the kitchen and used to do it so much more. I’d like to get back to that as it always made me smile…

Take a walk. Or better yet, does your city have some botanical or tropical gardens under cover? My Guy, Moops and I went to some here in QE Park awhile back and the heady, wet smell of fresh earth mixed with the vibrant colours made my head spin. While it was cold outside, inside was warm….(the pics above at beginning of this post is from there…)

Embrace this time before Spring and try to keep your head up. It can be tough but we’re ALMOST THERE! Tell me your ideas at keeping the winter blues at bay…

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No Blog Storm Here

So My Guy says, “Jeez I thought you’d be blogging up a storm by now…” Meaning, I got my laptop fixed, and he knows it’s super-comfy for me to type on. I think he expected the posts to be flying out of my head. That’s the problem sometimes with blogging; with HAVINGa blog. You are expected to put out stuff regularly and even if you’re having an off day, someone, somewhere is waiting on your words. He’s right though. I should have posted a bit more regularly than I have as of late. I *should* be doing alot of things more regularly to be honest (exercise, Christmas prep, etc).  As I’m trying to write this now, I’m staring blindly at the TV. PBS is on, advertising Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn compilations…I’m not interested but I am strangely attracted to the screen and what’s going on…Seems to always be a distraction around if you want it, doesn’t there? Right now,  my contacts are all squishy in my left eye…it’s really bothering me, but I continue to squint at the TV, blinking furiously and cursing the damn lenses…and still stressing about ‘what to blog about.’

But really what else is there to do tonight, really? It’s after 9 pm, lunches are made for tomorrow, the dinner dishes are done, freshly baked cookies cooling (yes really, I am a Domestic Goddess at times…I did bake tonight…)…But it’s not all perfect. There is laundry piling up in the hamper, the bathroom could probably use a clean…the Boys litter box a scoop or two…but vegging the couch next to My Guy seems to the “right” spot for me now. The Sweet Spot to be.

Life is good. Indulge in a distraction or two.

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On my Own…

I’ve decided to stop the Cleanse. Today was the 1st day without the ‘stuff’…although I did have some Metamucil in my morning OJ this morning. I plan on starting up with Greens again…I figure this is probably the better route for me. Now. I’m not saying Colonix is a bad program but I don’t feel it’s the program for me, at this stage in my life. I felt clear-headed today, not as sluggish or tired and I can’t help but wonder if it has ANYTHING to do with no Colonix. This is my body, my mind and I have to do what’s right FOR ME. So here I go…

My Guy is making one of his amazing pizza’s loaded with mushrooms, feta, olives, red onion, tofurkey Italian sausage and red pepper….waiting for us to press play is the movie Sunshine Cleaning with cutie Amy Adams…went to the library today and filled up on new books- so life is good. Real good.

I’m planning on working my knee a bit harder this week; I can walk about 20 blocks without much pain. While I’m not setting as brisk a pace as I’d like, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. I will get moving and I will burning the cardio soon…..*sigh*

How are YOU getting active??

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It’s Better with Someone…

Don't do it alone...

So I’ve given myself an hour to write tonight…I’m not 100% comfortable still in my ‘writing’ area but it’s shaping up slowly. A work in progress if you will…

I mentioned I’ve gained some weight back lately and My Guy and I decided to work together more vigorously at getting out and working up a sweat. (mind out of the gutter please!) Just knowing I have his support makes a world of difference. I don’t know if the average person, like my co-workers for example, can tell I’ve gained weight but I certainly can and that’s the issue. I’m not totally happy in this body in it’s current shape- so I need to fix that. It’s so much better to have a support system, and have that person you can go out and do things with. If you’re struggling to lose weight, or to even start on a fitness regime- grab a buddy. I can’t stress how hard it is to do this on your own…

When I lost over 50 lbs several years ago, at the beginning of my journey…I started alone. I had just left a relationship, moved to a new neighborhood and was depressed at the recent changes in my life. I felt I had nobody to ask to help me, and so I struggled through alone. I won’t lie…it was hard. Looking back I feel pride I did it yes…but I remember alot of loneliness during that time. There were people I could have asked but I didn’t want to ‘burden’ anyone. I know now, a true friend would NEVER think it a burden to help someone on a path to being more happy and healthy.

Having My Guy to come home to, and walk with or run with just gives me that added little kick-in-the-butt I need. After all, us BOTH getting out and moving only makes our relationship stronger….right?

I’m back to marking on my calendar with a funky little sticker, when I do get out and get my heart racing and blood flowing. I suggested this a few years back when I needed any little thing to keep me going…and I still stick to it. Looking at the calendar covered in smiley faces and seeing my effort laid right out in front of me really makes me feel good. Life is short and we gotta take care of the little things that make us feel GOOD. Plain and simple…

Grab a buddy, get out, get moving and feel how good it can be. Remember baby steps and go at your OWN PACE…

Love CM

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Do You Love Where You Are?

I’ve lived in quite a few cities…it’s not like I just moved from town to town…ok well maybe I did…but hey, I got to discover my country. I lived in several of our wonderful provinces, but I never for one moment, lost sight that British Columbia was my Home. I always knew deep down my travels would lead me back here, to the Island or the Mainland- that wasn’t the issue, it was just the ‘coming home’ part of it.

In all the cities I’ve lived in, I never hated any of them; they each had a certain charm…but there was this invisible string that somehow kept me connected to BC, to Vancouver in particular, so that I never felt far from home.

I can say with 100% honesty and clarity today, I love where I am and where I live. I wouldn’t trade living in Vancouver for anything….this city has the best of everything and, it’s unbelievably gorgeous to be in. It may rain alot, and our winters are often ‘green’, not white…but to any Vancouverite, that’s part the charm. If we want ‘white’, we can go up any of the many mountains and ski hills that are on the North Shore.

The cuisine is varied and eclectic, the neighborhoods diverse and the range of entertainment available- astounding. Vancouver truly is a world class city. I’ve moved to the suburbs and to the Valley over my years back home and never was I as happy and fulfilled, as I was when I lived IN the city itself. I’m relishing a move back now, into the trendy Main Street area and My Guy and I are lapping up all this funky neighborhood has to offer. Just walking down the the street awards us with endless heritage homes, one-of-a-kind cafes, fascinating characters and the tantalizing aromas of local patios offering up lunch…

I’m happy where I am. My Guy and I are about to begin an exercise regime that will take us both walking/running up into a local park…we have both made a promise to support one another in this…and just the simple act of walking through my new neighborhood brings a smile to my face. This is what I’ve talked about people; loving where you are NOW and making the most of it. Get up and move! Get out and see! What is outside your door, is literally there for you to walk into and discover.

If you don’t like where you are, or what you see when you look out the door- how can you change it? What steps can you take to get to where you need to be?

Answer me that. Wait, no…you owe yourself the answer to that…

Love CM

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Just another day in Paradise

Sometimes I feel like a utter and complete wreck. If it’s not my bowels bothering me, it’s my head…which pounded for 3 days and I went to the doctor at My Guy’s insistence. I grumbled, “I’m not a SICKIE!” but my doc said I’ve got an ear infection…in both ears. I wish at times I could rip these hunks of flesh off my head and chuck them in the ocean for all the grief my ears have caused me over the years. This was one more little thing to add on to make me feel just a little bit crappy…I’m on different antibiotic drops (with a steroid in it) and it’s only day 2 but I have high hopes. So to those who know me and work with me, just speak a little louder because I swear, I’m not ignoring you!

The new digs are great but there are some problems in the name of Aslan, the cat. He’s keeping us up at night, every night, with his meowing, batting at the pulls on the blinds, beating up his brother, swatting My Guy’s alarm clock off his bed-side table at 4 am….the list goes on. I thought maybe it’s just because we’re in a new place and surely he’ll calm down…but no, not so far and we’re both getting grumpy. Shutting the bedroom door does no good because Aslan just throws his big body against the door and howls in rage…then the other cat gets all agitated…and the madness never stops…See this vicious cycle?

On the bright side, everything I need is within walking distance now. Technically it was before but I had to wade through Suburbia-Hell to get to it, so I always hopped in my car to get where I needed to go that much faster. Now it’s different. I WANT to walk along Main…I want to walk to my doctors and take Cambie back or explore a new little street and discover a tucked away little family grocer I never knew existed.

I’m standing here on this invisible line; one step in front of me is this new life and I’m so eager to jump head first into it. It’s one step at a time, one day at a time and all these little obstacles (like my ears and Aslans night-time antics) are just little bumps along the way. Life is a collection of these little things and we should be in tune to them.

Before I leave, let me leave you with one little story…it happened this morning at 7 am. I decided to walk out with My Guy as he left for work, a little kiss on the back porch, you know how it is. As I’m standing there watching him walk off in the pouring rain, I see some of the items we haven’t really found a home for yet, getting wet so I think “I should go move those out of the rain.” I reach behind me and pull the door closed so the crazy cats don’t escape…little do I know My Guy has locked the door (the bottom twisty-type lock). I go about my business and move some stuff and decide it was a dumb idea, too cold and want to go back inside…BAM! I walk into the door as I attempt to turn the handle. It’s locked! It’s 7 am, and I’m in a robe and slippers…the more I hesitate the farther down the street towards the bus stop, is My Guy. I hitch up my robe, kick off my slippers and run down the side of house bellowing his name…he can’t hear me! It’s raining and he’s probably running for the bus…I bellow more for good measure though.

I had to admit defeat and thought long and hard about the possibilities of crawling through the barred windows (albeit the bars are quite decorative and all) while the 2 cats stared at me. No doubt they were wondering what the hell I was doing on the wrong side of the window when there was breakfast to be dished out…

Hundreds of thoughts flew through my head: ‘Yay I can take the day off, but wait how will I call in? And wait, what kind of day off will it be in the rain?’ Sigh. The landlords live 2 streets up the road so again, I hike up my robe, clutch my slippers to my chest and head out into the rain. It’s pouring- hard, typical Vancouver rain. Unrelenting. (Turns out the radio announced it was the wettest day today…but I digress) I run up the street in my bare feet, the cool water feels kind of nice actually and it’s liberating to fly by morning commuters in your robe; a flash of my fuchsia nightie lending me a touch of mystery (or so I like to think…).

I rounded the hedge to landlords house, and there He was. On the porch, face to face with a drenched mad-woman, no doubt homeless in a robe with wet slippers in her hand…I had nothing to say but ‘Um hi. I locked myself out…’ and he laughed. I laughed too.

…I ran home with the spare keys clutched in my fingers, the cool wetness no longer feeling that great because my feet felt raw….but I got in to the warmth and to my hungry cats!

That my friends, was a helluva way to wake up…and all before my coffee!

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Mario Does Veg

I have to admit I was a little surprised to read celeb chef Mario Batali was in the process of writing a vegetarian cookbook. I absolutely love watching the Food Network but often had to change the channel if too much meat was being flung around. Now while Mario did introduce me to a side of Italian eating I hadn’t seen before, I just couldn’t handle the odd cuts of meat (cheek, tail etc). I realize they are delicacies and all that, and I’m not one to push my beliefs on anyone….HOWEVER…I chose to not watch. An article in the New York Daily News reads he has confirmed he is writing it and also that he has cut down his meat consumption to five days a week. I don’t care what a person cuts their meat intake to, just the fact they are cutting it makes all the difference. It tells me they are aware, they are willing to make a change…and who knows, five days may go to three and so on and so on….

Little steps…

So yay I say to Mario for penning a vegetarian book! Stay tuned for the info.

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Is Gluten-Free the way to go?

Maybe it’s because I’m going through some digestive health issues, but it seems to me that ALOT of women I know are experiencing varying degrees of medical problems involving digestion and intestinal upset. Right now, I know of 6 women personally who are going through *something* that is equally frustrating and disheartening. They’ve all struggled through their doctors testing and re-testing…of living with some kind of pain…and of experimenting what they can and cannot eat successfully. I don’t know if it’s my little world, or is this a sign of something bigger?

Personally speaking, I don’t do alot of dairy. This isn’t because I’m a vegetarian (if I was a Vegan I would abstain from eating dairy) but rather because I feel my body can’t handle it properly and it just causes me too much discomfort in the end. I love my cereal but have found a soy milk I love (Silk) and eat cheese in moderation…

My next avenue to explore is a gluten-free diet. Gluten seems to be a major player in abdominal pain and in the 6 women I know of with issues, 3 are in some stage of attempting to go gluten free. It’s like a last ditch attempt at a pain free and uplifting day…

So what’s a person to do? Go gluten free? Go Veg? I firmly believe everything we put into our bodies must be something we are ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE is the right thing for us. We need to make conscious decisions and eat right….eat for LIFE.

In my research I’ve found some really great gluten free blogs and sites I wanted to share for those of you who may be looking down this avenue…

I’m really impressed with this site, Gluten Free Girl because it’s colorful, fun and the recipes are REAL. By that, I mean not frou-frou recipes that you have to hunt all over the city for a few weird ingredients that NOBODY in their right mind keeps in the kitchen. I’ve told a few people already about this blog and they love it….

A Gluten Free Day is another great blog mainly because the variety is really amazing….(plus the desserts!).

Stop over at I Am Gluten Free for one bloggers take on living gluten free and check out the yummy looking recipes!

All you have to do is Google “gluten free” for a wealth of information. This is definitely a road I’m considering taking, I’m just not 100% sure yet…I’m taking one day at a time and making sure I give my body the absolute best…

I’d love to hear YOUR story.

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