How Does Your Garden Grow?

June passed in a blur, and now we're almost halfway through July.  I've noticed the older I get the faster time goes by.  If I blink now it'll be Christmas tomorrow.

Before I knew it, the school year was over.

In a blur of activity (and a school-wide water fight), he finished grade 1.  With a little less activity, but no less excitement, I finished another year of counseling elementary students.

Then we did a little of this...

... and a little bit more of this...

... and then some of this.

Actually, quite a lot of this.

Because?  Look at this:

Oh yes, we're already eating this.  That's something because this is the cold white north.  We've been eating lettuce for a while now, and we've got more on the go.  I've tripled my vegetable planting area this year, and it's keeping me busy.  I also have plans for more next year.  Some people might say I'm outta control.




But I don't think so.  At least, I'm not the only one loving the garden.

My Voyage Back From The Edge

Winter was way too long.  While it was still snowing in April, we decided to regain our (my) sanity and take a trip elsewhere.  The (my) stress level was too high to plan a much-needed spontaneous trip to a place with palm trees, sandy beaches and warm sunny weather, so we decided to visit some family and friends in the Vancouver and Victoria areas of BC.  We ended up in a place with palm trees, sandy beaches, and warm sunny weather.  (I love BC.)





Lucky us.

And then when we got back, it turned warm.  We brought spring with us.  Go figure.

Got some pretty pictures of a place I've wanted to visit ever since I became interested in gardening: Butchart Gardens.  Can't wait to share them with you.

Until next time...

Starting My Garden ... Soon, I Hope

The time is again flying by.  Having the in-laws here has kept me more than busy.  It's been a good but ... er, interesting ... vacation.  See, they like to keep busy.  If she's cleaning my house, then he's cleaning my garage.  If she's making treats, then he's making projects.  And then I have to keep up so I won't be "lazy".  And now I'm into such a routine with it over the last few weeks that when they fly out tomorrow I won't know what to do with myself.

I'm already at that stage also because it's snowed almost a foot today.  With more snow forecasted throughout the coming week.  Mother Nature is cruel.  In unrelated news, I plan to take up drinking.

So I have something I'm super-duper excited about... so excited I don't care how dorky "super-duper" sounds.  If you had what I have you wouldn't care either.  It's this: a cold-frame.  Now you see what I mean?  Of course you do!

I'm way too eager to start my garden.  Even though it's still early in the spring, and I live on Santa's doorstep in the Great White North and the Abominable Snowman keeps cr@pping on my yard, I'm still trying to rein myself in.  I've got seeds planted inside and plans for the outside.

Best thing yet, I've got some new raised beds built, thanks to my father-in-law.  They aren't filled with soil yet, but that will come soon enough.  I'm so inspired by them that I may just build another one to add to my "collection", and in that case will have to shift them around a bit for more room, which is easier when they're empty.

My cold-frame:



Note in the background my extra-deep new planting bed?  Super-duper!!!  Yes, that merited extra exclamation marks – I can grow potatoes and carrots and stuff like that in there.  The shorter bed with the cold-frame is still 12 inches deep, so it's deep enough for everything else, including onions and radishes.

Modeling the usage and functionality of my cold-frame, the builder and his grandson:



Why the cold-frame on only half the planting bed?  Because the bed is 8 feet long, and it's a bit awkward to have a long one.  I won't be starting too many plants outside before it's very warm, and I can always build another beside it if I get carried away and plant lots of spinach and lettuce and such before we're done with overnight frosts.

For the warmer part of the year, such as when the danger of frost or snow is over – yes, we have days like that in Alberta – it is removable and can easily be stored out of the way during warm season.  Simply slip the pin out of the hinges in the back, and it comes right off.

This cold-frame cover will extend my growing season so that I can plant earlier and harvest later.  Which, having gone organic and wanting to grow my own food, is going to be fantastic and a real addition to my healthier lifestyle.

Gluten-Free Granola Bars. With Photos.

I honestly don't know where I got this recipe.  Of course, I changed it to suit me.  I had to take out all nuts, and substitute other things.  And because I'm on low- to no-sugar, I reduced the sweetener.  Does that make it mine?  If anyone knows who came up with a similar recipe, I'd like to know.  I'm not taking credit for this one, only that I changed it up enough to suit my – and my son's – dietary needs.

Did I mention that?  I took my son off gluten.  Wow – what a difference!  He doesn't look like he swallowed a football anymore.  Or disastrous bathroom visits.  Or all the temper tantrums.  Not that he had many of those.  It was more the glaring eyes and grouchiness that seemed to be happening constantly.  It was the easily frustrated little boy and give-up-ness that I saw in him on a daily basis.  Taking gluten out seems to have removed the main culprit that was causing that.  He is much happier and more relaxed.  Of course, then there's the dietary substitutions we need to make, which entails it's own frustrations because he does rather like sandwiches.  And it's hard to find or make a good sandwich bread that doesn't break the budget.  I'm working on that, and I might have found a good brand that works in a breadmaker.  The bread turns out a little sweet, but it doesn't have much in the way of crap substitutions... it's mostly rice flour and I can live with that.

But for other treats and snacks... I've dealt with the fact that gluten seems to be in everything, so I've just learned to go without.  But it's hard for a 7 year old who loves to snack.  Add to that, he can't have nuts at school – all nuts are banned, not just peanuts – and it's almost impossible to find a GF nut-free snack.

So I made our own.  Here it is.  (And I took photos this time. Yay for me!)

GF Granola Bars

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2 cups organic GF oats
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

Chop up the pumpkin seeds a bit, and mix these dry ingredients together.  Toast them for 10 minutes.



1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup cranberries
1/3 cup black currants
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Chop up the cranberries and raisins to make them a bit smaller, and mix all these together.





(Note the fancy chopping action.  Which necessitated left-handed photography.  Yes, I do it all.)



3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Warm the honey and butter until it's all melty and mix until smooth.  Add the vanilla and salt and mix again.



Add the dried fruit mixture into it.



Note to yourself how the chocolate chips melted straight away and curse yourself for this foolishness.

Blend the toasted oat mixture into this sweet mess.



Add more chocolate chips.

Spread into pan.



Note to self that the extra chocolate chips also melted and give up on the chocolate chips.  Make a mental note to add them at the last minute next time.

Bake at 300 F for 25-30 minutes.  (Forget to turn the oven down from 350 and actually bake at that temperature with no problems.)  Let cool for 1 - 3 hours, depending on how cold your house is, so that you can cut them into squares without crumbling or shattering.  It's a fine line.

Enjoy!

Gimme Some Of That Good Stuff

Living and eating gluten-free (GF), corn-free (CF), soy-free, sugar-free, grain-free and low-carb might sound daunting.  It is.  For the first few years, anyway.  It's a big adjustment in thinking, buying and preparing.  It does take more thought and preparation, if you're new to it.

I've been soy- and corn-free for about half my life, so I'm used to that.  I saw that corn and gluten are in everything that is processed, so I really cut back on the processed foods and religiously read labels.  Then, to make matters worse, I went gluten-, grain- and sugar-free and low-carb two years ago.  That means cutting out the rest.

The biggest change for anyone adopting a new, and hopefully healthier, way of eating is getting rid of what isn't good.  In my case, because of my many food sensitivities, allergies and intolerances (I'll talk more about those differences another time), that's a lot of stuff.  Mostly processed food.  Then, you have to assess what you have.  You can't take something away without replacing it with something else.  For instance, I've replaced the grains with more low-glycemic and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, squashes, and celery (for the fibre).

Another big change for me, when I went GF and sugar-free was to give up my favorite candy: peanut butter cups.  Those of you who can eat and love peanut butter know what I'm talking about... the creamy delicious slightly-salty and sweet peanut butter surrounded by a love-coating of smooth and sweet chocolate.  The only drawback I ever had to this treat was the milk chocolate; I'm a long-time fan of the semi-sweet and dark chocolates, so this problem kept me from overindulging in it's delectability.

No longer.

No, candy companies aren't suddenly falling over themselves making a candy that will conform to my strict guidelines for what goes in my gullet.  Although if any does wish to do so may contact me immediately, any time day or night.  Ahem.

No, I've had to create my own treat that will both satisfy my longing for something more than greens and meats, and will still be good for me.  (Or at least, not so bad.)  So, I've come up with my own chocolate-covered peanut butter treat.

*And, just so you won't freak out about peanut butter, read here about how peanut butter may actually help you lose weight.  Just remember, everything in moderation.  But as anecdotal evidence, every time I've eaten a lot of peanut butter I've found my weight going down again.  It is a daily part of my routine because it works for me.

Feast your eyes (and later, your palettes) on this:



Whenever you try to make healthier choices, go slowly.  Don't go from Skippy or Kraft peanut butter straight to organic nothing-added all-natural peanut butter that has to be mixed for hours by a sweaty, muscly Scandinavian.  Unless that's your thing.  Instead, add some of the all-natural stuff to what you normally eat, changing the ratios over time until your tastes adjust and before you know it you're completely hooked on the plain old-fashioned peanut butter with no sugar, salt or chemicals.  Then, put your hunky muscle-bound hero to work on that peanut butter for you, and while he's at it, fix up a few other things around the house.... oops... sorry.  My dream, not yours.

Anyways.

Here's the mix.

2 cups peanut butter (I'm on the plain stuff now)
1 scoop organic whey protein powder (I use plain, no flavour added)
salt to taste (I prefer Celtic sea salt for the nutrients)

Mix thoroughly until well combined.  Form into little balls about the size of a tablespoon.  Place them on a cookie sheet and put into the freezer.

Melt 5 squares of chocolate of your choice.  My advice for adjusting your taste to a more natural peanut butter works just as well on chocolate; I find the 70% chocolate a little sweet, but a good compliment to the savory salty peanut butter.  Use what works for you.  Once the chocolate is melted, mix in a teaspoon of organic butter from pastured cows.  Raw is best, but not easy to find -- especially here in Canada where raw dairy is illegal.  (I will also talk more later about what I've learned about healthy fats and why they are so important to health and weight loss and maintenance.)

Once that is well mixed, pull those pb balls out of the freezer and, using a toothpick to stab and hold them, dip each ball into the chocolate, covering as much as you want.  Because the balls are partially frozen, the chocolate sets very quickly and doesn't run everywhere.  Put them back in the freezer until they are completely set (an hour or so).

I prefer to store them in an air-tight freezer bag in the freezer, and I think the coldness really compliments the flavor and texture.  I find they're too mushy if room-temperature, and lacking that "something-something" when they're just refrigerated.

Because they are high in the healthy fats and protein, and very low in sugar/carbs, I find they're the perfect snack for an energy boost that also satisfies my craving to have something special and, as a big bonus, I can stay in ketosis when I eat them in moderation.  If such a thing is possible....

If you make a batch, I'd love to hear back how it went, what you think of it, and maybe how you've stretched your tastes to change to a (slightly) healthier choice.  Give it time.  It will happen.

Bon appetite!

Summer Busy-ness

It's amazing how busy summer can keep you when you don't work.

Luckily, we're not too busy to relax.

No, wait.  That's what's keeping us busy.  All this relaxing going on.

Channeling Martha...

And because I don't have enough fun new things to try...





Homemade fruit roll-ups.  Or fruit leather, because I made it so thick.  
Either way, I'll let y'all know how it turned out.

New

Playing around with CS6 this morning.





Yes, you read that right.

My Own Personal Recipe For Gluten-Free Flour

I'm all over the place lately. What used to be the home of a photography journal is now a bit of everything. I'm going way out on a limb today and letting you know my go-to gluten-free flour.

I found out I'm gluten-intolerant about a year ago, and did not actually have Fibromyalgia like the doctor told me for years. Huh. Problem solved. Since I went gluten-free, my health has turned around and all symptoms are eliminated... entirely.

Go figure.

For the most part I now live and eat paleo: meats, non-starchy vegetables, occasional fruits, eggs, cheese, yoghurt and pumpkin seeds. The small part that's not paleo clamours for peanut butter on a daily basis. On a spoon, by itself. Believe it or not, I'm quite happy eating this way. I don't even miss grains or carbs or anything that is made from them. But once in a while it's nice to have a special treat, one that is made from GF grains or herbs.

For those of you blessed like me to be not only gluten-intolerant but also allergic to soy, tree nuts, and corn (among other things), you know how hard it is to find a GF flour to use. Most are based in almond, soy or corn. Oh, and throw hypoglycemia into the mix and you've got a perfect storm of baking dilemmas.

After some experimentation I found something that works for me. Feel free to steal this and use it as you want, play around with it, try different things and make it yours.

For 2 cups GF flour:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup millet flour

2 tbsp flax meal

1 tsp guar gum (not optional! a must to help bind the non-gluten flours)

2 scoops whey protein powder (concentrate, not isolate - to balance the sugar)

Some important things to remember:

1. Buckwheat is not a grain, it's an herb. For GF flours, I've also tried brown rice flour, sorghum flour and tapioca flour. However, tapioca is more accurately a starch and contains no vital nutrients such as protein to help balance out the macronutrients.

2. Flax is GF and adds in extra fibre.

3. GF flours are less stable than traditional wheat flour, so if you don't use your baked goods within a week, freeze them. They freeze wonderfully and don't dry out or get soggy when reheated in the microwave.

4. Which reminds me: GF flours don't absorb the liquid in the mix that wheat flour does, so your batter/dough will be much more wet, and therefore extends the baking time a great deal. I found out the hard way. So you can use less liquid and solve it that way, or do what I do...

5. ... use whey protein powder – it soaks up the liquid. I found out (also the hard way) that by adding whey protein powder to foods or shakes it makes things thicker and drier, so it's a perfect solution to remedy a wet batter. And don't worry about cooking whey protein; yes, the heat denatures the protein, but it still works. Even broken down into the individual amino acids, which is what digestion does anyway, it's still protein and it still balances out the sugar so there's no sugar shock after eating.

6. Guar gum is absolutely essential. It is also a substitute for the more expensive xanthan gum. Gluten is a sticky protein in wheat, barley and rye, and helps bind the mixture together. That's one of the reasons it became so popular for use in bread. Guar gum or xanthan gum help with binding, so it's a great thing to use and trust me, if you forget to put it in, you know it!

I'd love to hear about any other homemade solution to the age-old gluten-intolerant dilemma... what do YOU use?

Real Life Is A Party

Real life has been keeping me busy over here. In particular, finding things to do to get through the winter.

It's not hard.

Apparently most children that my son knows were born this time of year. I'm not saying it's a party every weekend, but... it sure seems like it. We were at a party last weekend and there's another party this coming Friday.

Not to mention my son's big #6 in a couple of weeks. But it's not as though it's a big deal – I mean, we've only been planning it since Christmas.

So far, we've hit on NOT having a theme party. That's so 5 years old. And besides, we couldn't find Beyblades invitations anywhere except online and too late to order them.

No, he's got so many interests that we can't narrow it down to just one. Or two. So it's a boy's (with girls invited) Beyblades-Star Wars-Ninjago-Lego party at the karate dojo with Ninja games. In other words, all out crazy.

I'm especially excited for what will be in the goodie bag. Because I'm an almost-no-sugar-freak that doesn't believe in giving kids candy every time I turn around, we came up with something else that I'm sure the kids will like.

Let's just say I get a little crazy at the Lego store.

You know, in the back with the bins that you can shovel up and cart home a bucket or two. (Or three or four.)

But that was only because I can't count, and had to go back a couple of times to get all the pieces we needed to make these little things for the treat bags.

And the horse was just a very awesome score. (Yes, I cleaned them out. No, I feel no shame.)

Life Is Good Again

Not that I'd take it to that extreme.... but maybe, well... almost.

Thank you thank you THANK YOU! for the love and encouragement shown me from the last very sad post. It worked! The fates decided I'd been punished enough and returned my camera to me!

The whole focusing mechanism was replaced and everything is in ship-shape again. Of course, with my ultra busy lifestyle (aka: having a five year old boy) I won't be able to really spend any time with it until Friday, but wow! It's a load off my mind.

I can breathe again.

I can plan again.

I can photograph again!

Bokeh Lights And Action

A shot taken yesterday... playing with last year's Christmas gift... (the bokeh lights are only one of my favorite things about this photo)...

(above image: SOOC)

Moments like these are what make my ordinary days extraordinary.

Shooting More People

This is too good not to share.

I love it when a family comes together.

*****************

And because it's just not right to not share a gratuitous shot of joy and love...

You're welcome.

... And Then I Shot A Baby

This is from a photoshoot of a cute 1 month old baby. It wasn't a newborn shoot because little G was jaundiced. Nothing to worry about... much. Except that everyone worries anyway, you know? And then my household got sick. For 3 weeks. So by the time I was well enough and got out to photograph this precious little one, baby G was already a month old instead of pliable brand-spanking new.

That first month makes a difference.

They're so much more aware of everything.

They have so much more personality.

And that can make a traditional "newborn" shoot so much more difficult. Especially when his eyes are saying the whole time "Hey! What the heck are you trying to do here, woman?! I didn't agree to this!" And then his lungs say the same.

But in the end...

... he's perfect just the way he is.

Celebrating Autumn

I found some signs that Autumn is here. I thought I'd share them with you.

Although I don't mind what Autumn brings, I don't like what follows him. Still, I'll focus on what I see here and try to pretend that Winter is a myth. Wish me luck.

(This last one I have to confess I didn't take... it was taken by my husband because I was behind the wheel, and didn't want to get out and scare them. So my husband got out instead. Silly, silly me!)