Gardening Session – Blackberries

In the UK it is said not to pick Blackberries after October 11 (Old Michaelmas Day) because the devil has spoiled them. While the berries may become spoiled and molded, it may have more to do with the cooler, wetter weather around this time, than the devil himself, but who knows right?

Blackberries grow best from dividing up existing plants, where I live they grow wild, so there is not much need to grow them.

Blackberries’ best friends are tansy and stinging nettles, blackberry bushes also create a great environment for ladybugs (which your garden will love) and loads of other beneficial insects.

I freeze blackberries on parchment paper, and once individually frozen, they go into a freezer bag, I use them in smoothies. Wear a long sleeve shirt you don’t care about when picking, blackberries usually have thorns, and stain everything.

Roasted Pepper Spread

This spread tastes amazing and since it is made from beans, it also packs a fiber punch, which will fill you up. I really like to add this to my lettuce wraps.

2 cups cooked white beans

2 red peppers – roasted, seeded

4 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of dill

Zest and juice of one lemon and one lime

Pinch of cayenne and cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Slap it all into your food processor, and chill before using.

Gardening Session – Peppers

Peppers one of my favourite vegetables! They are native to Central and South America and were grown extensively by the Aztecs. Seeds have been found that date back to 7000 BC. Columbus thought he had tasted black pepper, which was really pricey at that time. But the spiciness was due to the hot peppers. This is caused by the alkaloid capsaicin and measured in Scoville units.

Plant your pepper starts (baby plants) when they start to get flowers, this is a common mistake a lot of people make. The plants should be planted 12″ apart. I like to wait a few weeks after the last day of frost, I find it gets warmer and the peppers are happier, up here in Canada.

Capsaicin increases blood flow and is actually used in muscle liniments. It helps to fight a hangover, prevents and helps to relieve bronchitis and emphysema, stimulates endorphins which reduce pain and also create a feeling of well being. Who knew right?

Pepper’s best friends are tomatoes, okra, and basil. Plant them with some friends so you can have lots of peppers this summer.

I feel obligated to mention that hot peppers can burn your skin. Just in case you have been so lucky as to not have been burned before. I worked in a restaurant once where this guy was making suicide sauce, he went to the bathroom and didn’t wash his hands good enough…you can imagine. While we all found it super funny, I am sure he did not. Wear gloves, just do it.

Tomato Salsa

Making salsas, the crazier the better, will help you out huge this summer. You have a condiment, that will take any plain dish to the next level, and you have a snack with some corn chips, that is super easy to bring anywhere, camping, a festival, travelling, or at work. Not to mention that salsas are beyond simple to make, chop and mix ingredients in a bowl.

This is my classic go to salsa for summer; it reminds me of my Mexican vacation and just fills my heart with love.

1 pound of tomatoes – chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 jalapeño – seeded, chopped

Juice from 2 limes

Pinch of cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Gardening Session – Tomatoes

Tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountain range, they came to North America at the same time corn did, 2000 years ago, during the human migration. They were first thought to be poisonous due to their strong smell and crazy coloured berries.

I personally believe tomatoes act like a weed. They take over, and will come back again next year, which I think is perfect. Less work for us. The seeds need a soil temperature of 60F to germinate.

Tomato’s best friends are marigolds, basil, parsley, the onion family, nasturtiums and asparagus. Plant them close to their friends so they are happy, and provide you with so many tomatoes.

They are believed to reduce the risk of cancer, and appendicitis. Tomatoes are used in herbal medicine to help liver and kidney complaints and also constipation. However, some doctors believe tomatoes make arthritis worse, and it’s good to note that the stems and leaves are poisonous.

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Chopsticks and Weight Loss??

Chopsticks are such an amazing weight loss tool, so often over looked.

Using chopsticks forces you to slow down and enjoy your food, instead of shoveling it in. I recommend anyone suffering with emotional eating to try using chopsticks at your next meal. Slowing down while you are eating gives your stomach time to tell you brain you are full, which results in feeling satisfied by eating less.

Try it out for a week, and pay attention to how you feel. Often eating smaller portions, with smaller mouthfuls of food will be easier on your digestive system.

How often do you use chopsticks? I’d love to hear from you, post below!

Mango Black Bean Salad

It’s summer, I am sweating. Guess what I don’t want to do, slave in the kitchen for any amount of time.

What I have been doing, is cooking beans at night. So I will make a big pot of beans at night when my house doesn’t feel like it’s going to burst into flames, then in the day I can just throw things together that are cold. Try it out, this one is my current favourites, I have really been loving mango lately.

4 cups cooked black beans (2 cans will work too)

2 mangos – peeled, seeded, chopped (watch a YouTube video of how to prepare a mango)

2 red peppers – seeded, chopped

1 bunch of green onions – chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 garlic cloves – finely chopped

2 jalapeño – seeded, chopped

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Zest and juice of one lime and one orange

Mix it all in a bowl and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before enjoying.

Gardening Session – Beans

Beans have been around forever, 8000 BC. I personally have never met a bean I didn’t like. Native Americans planted beans with corn and squash (three sisters) this gives the beans something to grow up, the squash covers the ground keeping in water, and it provides starch and protein.

Bean’s best friends are corn, celery, melons and the brassicas (cabbage) family. Plant them close to some friends, so they are happy and produce lots of beans for you.

Beans don’t like cold, wet, soil, they will rot. They love to be in a sheltered, sunny spot, in free draining soil. Beans can also be grown in pots, usually about 8″ wide and 10″ deep. There are two types of beans, bush beans, and climbing beans, the climbers will grow up a trellis by themselves.

Did you know that one cup of beans per day is said to lower cholesterol by about 12%?

Beans can also be left on the plant to mature, cut down the plant at the end of the season, and take inside to dry. Once the pods begin to split, remove beans and dry on paper for a few more days, then store in an airtight container. You can also freeze string beans super easy, just Blanche for 3 minutes and store in freezer bags. Blanche just means to boil in water for 3 minutes and the immediately put into a cold water bath (sink/bowl with ice and water). This stops the cooking process.

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Living in Balance

What areas are we talking about to live a balanced life?

Food, sleep, hydration, movement, self love, and spirituality. I highly recommend checking in with yourself everyday in all 6 areas to see how you are doing. You are worth enough, right now today, to put the effort in to take care of your body.

Let’s start with food as it has such a massive impact. Eating a plant based diet, no processed foods, no refined products (sugar and white flour), very limited caffeine, and alcohol. Eating a high plant, or plant based diet does take practice, and does require time to cook meals. That absolutely doesn’t mean that it cannot be done on a busy schedule, but please keep in mind that investing the time now into preparing your meals, is investing in the rest of your life. Giving your body high doses of nutrients at every meal will make it so much easier to switch from fight and flight to rest and repair. Your mood, thoughts, your entire body is made from what you feed it, you are worth it.

SLEEP. Anyone who has had a restless night understands the importance of sleep. It sets up the entire next day and helps your body to repair from the previous day. You should awake and then feel refreshed and rejuvenated, with energy. Not groggy, unfocused, and exhausted. If sleeping is an issue for you, I recommend removing all technology 1 hour before you go to bed, some relaxing music and reading, or a bath, meditation, or relaxing yoga postures I find to work the best.

HYDRATION is key here. Drinking water is the number one thing to start doing to lose weight. It helps to flush toxins out of your system, keeps the skin elastic, muscle efficiency, balancing mood by regulating brain functions, aids temperature control, improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain improving memory function, joint lubrication including your spine, eyes, and brain, are all protected by watery fluids, healthy bowel function especially important when trying to remove toxins safely from the body, aids digestion, and better immune health. It is said that we should drink half our body weight in ounces every day.

MOVEMENT. Yes movement and not exercise. A lot of people I have worked with rebel against exercise. I love the idea of incorporating restorative movement like tai-chi or restorative yoga. This not only is amazing for our bodies, but also builds a mind-body connection, and helps to relax us and move into rest and recovery. That being said, let’s remember bioindividuality and how everyone is different, some people love high energy workouts, but I do believe everyone can thrive when adding yoga. I personally believe finding things that you like to do, that involve movement is the easiest way to go because it is fun! The things that energize me are bike riding, hiking with my dogs, swimming, and yoga.

SPIRITUALITY – I am not here to say what spiritual practice you should or shouldn’t be involved in, but just that you develop one. I personally find deep, spiritual connections through meditation, being outside in nature/gardening and appreciating the beauty, and through yoga. Experiment, be creative and listen to your heart. Where do you feel connected and loved? Where do you feel that sense of belonging?

SELF LOVE – Loving yourself is vital in a balanced life. That means trusting in yourself. That doesn’t mean knowing the future, that means not knowing what is going to happen, but trusting in yourself to figure it out. Does that sound far away? The secret to building self trust and love is through self care or self love. Who knew right?

Self love is such things as: massages, Mani and pedis, soaking in the bath, hot towel scrubs, acupuncture, chiropractic care, being grateful, journaling, yoga and meditation.

Many successful women schedule time for themselves every day. When you feel fully nurtured and cared for it is much easier to spread the love around.

Where are you going to focus more energy today?

I’d love to hear from you, post below!

Gardening Session – Carrots

Carrots are extremely high in beta carotene with small amounts of vitamin E. Carrots come in any colour, white, purple, red, orange, and yellow. The Greeks used them for a tonic for stomach problems. During the Medieval time carrot roots were branched, just like their wild origins. The Elizabethans used the flowers, fruits, and leaves as fashion accessories for dresses and hats. Carrots are known to be beneficial for asthma, general nervousness, dropsy, and skin disorders.

Cultivation: Germination of seeds is poor if soil is below 45F. Sow seeds 3/4″ deep and 4″ apart. Early seedlings need an open and sheltered position, main crops are less fussy. Carrots do not like rocky soil as it impacts how the root can grow.

Carrots love to be planted with onion, leeks, salsify, lettuce, radish, peas, and tomatoes. If you let carrots go to flower they attract hover-fly and other beneficial insects to the garden.

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