Big Win +The urge to change + rewarding myself (and another giveaway)

Hey all,

How was your Sunday? I worked all day but I had a really fun time. As you know the BIG GAME took place today. I was disappointed that I could not join friends for the afternoon but I knew I couldn't miss the game. So, I brought my laptop in to work and watched it online! It was a good thing that all the staff are hard core hockey fans or I may not have been able to have it with me...lol. Let's just say that my day flew by and the spirit and pride was over-flowing through out the whole day. I loved it!!! Canada Vs. USA is always a great match-up as both teams are fabulous and the rivalry between them allows for some healthy competition. I did say it would be a nail biter and holy it was a little beyond that..lol. But our boys pulled it off in the end (sorry USA) and won in overtime...WAHOO!!! See that young fella in the middle? His name is Sidney Crosby and he is an amazing hockey player and now Canada's hero ( he scored the final goal).

Can you believe the Olympic Games are over and the Paralympics is starting? What a rush these past two weeks have been. Canada actually crushed the record for most gold medals won at the Winter Olympics with 14 gold. I'm very proud of my nation and hope your country did well too:)

Now on to something a bit more serious...life!! LOL! Ever since I started adding more raw foods into my diet, I noticed a big shift in my mental clarity and focus. I have more confidence in myself and the direction I want to take my life. I am continuing to learn about what's important to me and what isn't. This has become even more evident as I think about my job. I have a really great job but its not for me. It is in a field that I'm not passionate about and therefore, I find myself dreaming of working in a health-related field . Of course, this makes life a lot harder as my motivation for my current job is dropping exponentially. I feel sometimes like I should stay there as its a "comfortable" job. I will be going back to school soon and so I would only have to stick it out for another year and a half. Yet, there some part of me that says I should go out on a limb and try something new that would bring me closer to my dream of becoming an ND. It's so hard to take that risk as the responsibilities in my life require that I bring in my part of the household income. But what's life without some risks?...and possible big rewards? I will be doing some searching and networking when I move back to the coast and if an opportunity shows itself, hopefully I'll have the courage to take it! Have you ever felt in the crossroads? Did you take a different job that you were more passionate about even if it meant less pay or less of something that your previous job offered?


I am feeling the need to reward myself with a small treat for all the work I've been doing. How selfish of myself lol!! The hubby has been treating himself these past couple months so its my turn now. I've decided to add a new cookbook to my collection. I'm thinking a dessert book would be awesome, but a great all-around raw food recipe book would also be tempting. Here a few that I'm thinking about:

Just Desserts by Heathy- I follow her blog and love all her creations. They are simply gorgeous and my mouth is always watering after I read her posts. Shannonmarie did a cute post about Heathy and her book which got me even more interested in buying it!

Sweet Gratitude: A New World of Raw Desserts - I have heard great things about this recipe book via Nikki's and Bitt's blogs. According to their pictures, it looks like a real winner. MMmmmm!!

After this I'm stuck on something by Kristen Suzanne or maybe Sarma or maybe Matthew Kenney.


Do you have a favorite raw food recipe books? Let me know if you you have had any personal experiences with any of these authors or books. Your likes, dislikes etc!


And last but not least, the lovely Averie is having another giveaway. Yes, she totally rocks! This time its for Naturally Nutty nut butters!! They sound so awesome. My favorite that I saw on their site was the cinnamon vanilla sunflower butter. Doesn't that just sound so good? Mmmm. So get on over to Love Veggies and Yoga and enter her contest. As usual, she has a ton of ways to enter.


Have a great Monday everybody! Reward yourself this week..in a healthy way! Take an epsom salt bath, buy a new cook book, make a healthy dessert, or read a new book. Whatever makes you happy!

Weekend Re-cap + My Earthlings experience

Hello all,

I know this post is a bit late as it is already Tuesday but better late than never, right? The weekend was beautiful and it got off to a wonderful start. I was fostering a shy cat named Lola from Nelson SPCA and she found her forever home on Friday. Ry and I are so happy she found a quiet home as she was not treated kindly by her previous owners and so she was scared of a lot of things. She greatly improved while she stayed with us and I know she will be a great companion for the lovely lady who adopted her. She will be missed:) As I have been lucky enough to find homes for all three of the cats I fostered, the SPCA wants to give us another cat who needs some extra love. I meet him/her today and I'm so excited (and I know Nemo is too!). On Saturday Ry and I went for a little walk up the hill. I was tired and grumpy and didn't want to go but I forced myself and I got out of my bad mood pretty darn quickly! I mean with the sun hitting my face the way it did, I couldn't help but smile and feel good. We love checking out people's homes and their design ideas. The houses here vary from Victorian style to 70's ranchers to modern box-looking homes. Of course, what's a hippy town without a pink and purple house lol! After the walk I was feeling pumped so I made two dishes for dinner. The first was the the Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes from Vegan Dad. These are so easy and quick (and delish too!). I adapt them to whatever veggies I have kicking around. I also bake them instead of frying. It is going to be my mission to make these bad boys in the raw!

Sorry for the bad pict! It really doesn't show off their greatness! We had them with ketchup but salsa is my favorite way to eat them. I have a new tradition of making salsa with my mom but the stuff is so good we are already out! And its so hard to eat the store bought stuff as it tastes like pure salt.

The other dish I made was Snobby Joes from The PPK site. I love lentils cooked and in their sprouted form (I've got my mom hooked on the sprouted lentils now too!). They are so easy to work with and so if you are new to the area of your house that contains the fridge (AKA kitchen), give these little gems a try. I modified it to what ingredients I had and it still turned out great. I left out the bell pepper and maple syrup (used a small bit of honey instead). I was out of chili powder so I searched around for a recipe to make my own. It was actually pretty close but I would love to make it with some ancho chiles in it next time. I love this dish even without the bun. Yummm!

Ry headed to the Co-op to pick up a little treat for each of us. He picked up some BBQ Kettle Chips. Have you ever tried Kettle Chips? They are awesome and they have nothing artificial, no trans fats, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives, non-GMO ingredients, and they are gluten free. They have so many flavors and varities that you will love, I'm sure of it. Now, I don't each chips all the time, they are a treat. For me, I received some of our new obsession- organic medjoool dates. Oh how I love thee, dear date! Eating these makes me want to live in Cali or other places where they are grown. And stuffing these with almond butter? I believe the word to explain that would be simply... orgasmic lol! That night we watched Fried Green Tomatoes. I am embarassed to say I have never seen it before. Beautiful movie and I will watch it again for sure!

Sunday I worked all day and then I went to watched "The Big Game." That game being the Canada vs USA Olympic match up. I was so bummed that we lost ( these games are really for bragging rights) but we play against Germany tonight and this is a vital game as we need a win in order to qualify for the quarter finals. It will be a nail-biter for sure:) I'm so Canadian, eh? LOL!

After the game we went home and made banana softserve with coconut and berries. So good! watched The Count of Monte Cristo but I couldn't stay awake and I missed the ending. I really liked it (from what I saw) and if you are thinking about which movie to rent, try this one out! Then after the movie was over Ryan was searching around and found Earthlings. Ever since getting Nemo and going veg, I feel this greater connection to the animal world. The documentary starts off looking at the industry that is companion animals. It came to the part where over-crowded shelters "dispose" of the animals they cannot care for due to aggression, lack of space, health issues etc. I totally lost it and the tears would just not stop. I couldn't watch past this point that night. I will watch the rest eventually but I think I need to do it in stages. Ryan watched the rest of it while I was away and he said that I probably shouldn't watch the rest. I could see it really had a resonating affect on him and he talked openly about how sick it made him feel and how he didn't know how badly factory animals were really treated (especially piggies). His quote on the workers of the factory farms "I bet you those guys are going to become or already are serial killers as abusing animals is where it starts" and "The workers there are truly sick, something has to be wrong with them." I'm near tears again just thinking about it. I told Ryan that when we move to a place in the country its going to be a little hobby farm as I'm going to bring as many farm animals as I can so they can have a good life. I also gave Nemo a big hug that night as I couldn't imagine him not being around.

Have you watched Earthlings? Let me know what your experience was!

On a much lighter note now...Heidi is having a giveaway! WOW the freebies are so awesome this week. Check my previous post to enter other giveaways! She is giving away a Deni Automatic Ice Cream Maker. Raw ice cream...yum! Summer IS almost here:) So head on over to her site and enter.