Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is :)

Hello, my beautiful people! Want to know the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint? Watch this quick video! 



The interview is an ass, clearly, but this video is definitely worth watching and sending to your friends and family :) It's not mentioned in the video, but Al Gore's father was a cattle farmer and that's probably a big reason why he keeps quiet about the most powerful and simple way to reduce human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Just putting up a paintings of mine that I did a while ago. Sometimes people buy one at just the right time. I was in quite a bind when this one went. Oil and gold leaf on canvas (detail), owned by Dr. Ian Boulton.

How to photograph deer...

I went on a road trip to Thunder Bay, Canada with James and Josh, and there were so many deer everywhere! I was absolutely amazed! They are one of my favourite animals in the world, because of their elegance and grace. They look like a mythical animal, and when you see one it puts a smile on your face. This lovely creature posed for me (or so I like to imagine), and I was grateful. 

Change is in the Air!

Hey guys! Watch this beautiful film about creating better cities and homes! Very well done :)



I hope you like the movie!

 

Wouldn't it be nice to see more of this? We came across a whole field of energy generating wind turbines, and then another on our way back to Toronto from Thunder Bay. (The photo was taken from the moving car). I think they're beautiful, not an eye-sore, like some believe. There are so many ways of capturing energy these days, that we have no excuse to put off the transition. 
Love you tons!

There is snow outside, but not in this photo!

James took this photo and I love it. It looks like I'm in a dream, the way he did it, with only a small focal point. I'm searching for beautiful stones on the beach.

I'd like to live somewhere more temperate, where we can grow food all year round and don't have to wait out the winter. We've been hiking a lot, which makes the cold months bearable, but it would be nice to travel somewhere mild.

I've been talking to someone named Brian who is a teacher of permaculture in New Zealand, and just found out that he's originally from Alberta! These kinds of things happen quite often. I met Lila and Nat in Panama, even though they live in the same city as I do in Canada.

Well the fates will let us know what they have in store soon. I can feel it! We are always where we are most needed.

Trailer for Garbage Warrior

Building houses out of tires, bottles and earth. This is a good documentary to rent or watch on-line if you want to see how things can be done differently.

Building Earthbag Dome Houses is What We All Have to Learn.

This is what we have been studying for about 2 years now. It is the most logical, sustainable, inexpensive, strong and beautiful way to build a house.

Josh on Lake Superior

I love this photo of Josh. There are pictographs all along these cliffs! What a great day.

Baby Snapping Turtle

This is a little guy we found in the middle of a road, so we picked him up and moved him out of the way.

Funny Little Piglets Playing

This is a photo I took near Thunder Bay when we visited Fort William. Unfortunately someone will, in the end, kill and eat these beautiful little creatures. It's hard for me to understand. This is not what a factory farm looks like, but how farms used to be, and the image people still have in their minds when they think of where their food comes from today. These pigs look happy and live in a clean environment where they can at least move around and see sunlight. But that's because Fort William is trying to show how pigs were raised a long time ago, and they are for the public to see. There is a very good reason why no cameras or civilians are allowed anywhere near the premises of a factory farm.

The Shift Movie Trailer- Watch It and Be Inspired!

This will cheer you up! It's so hopeful and makes us understand that everything we do makes a difference.

Summer images to make me feel better.

James on the beach.
This picture reminds me of how beautiful life can be when you don't have to wear two layers of long-johns under your pants to be outside. I will be posting summer images of Canada as much as possible until it rolls around again. In the meantime I'm doing a lot of reading on the awesome rooftop garden we will be making this year. It's going to be a MUCH bigger one with all sorts of veggies. I want to convince everyone to grow their own organic food- it's the only thing that makes sense.

Vegan Creme Brule! Finally.

This is possibly my favorite desert in the world I dare you to try it!

Creme Brule:
1. Put cashews, agave nectar, water, custard powder and sea salt in a blender for a few minutes until it is really creamy
2. Pour it into a small pot on minimum heat, stirring continuously until it thickens up a bit.
3. Pour it back into the blender for a few seconds to get out the lumps and make it really smooth. Hold the blender lid loosely over the top when you do this because the custard is hot and might make the lid pop up if it's on tight.
4. Fill small, oven-safe ceramic or metal bowls only half way because it tends to bubble up. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar (like raw chunky sugar) over top of each of the filled bowls, and put them under the broiler for a few minutes until you see the surface browns and becomes crispy.
5. Take out and let cool off before serving. In the meantime you can start making the berry compote...

Berry Compote:
1. This is very simple. Just simmer the berries, (you can actually use whatever berries you like), in a pan (I like cast iron pans), with 3 Tablespoons of agave nectar or maple syrup (or you can use sugar), for about 5 minutes until the juices come out, bubble and become thick (like syrup). Spoon a little on top of the creme brule just before you serve it.
Serve 4 (unless you eat it all yourself!). Just double the recipe if you need more.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Vegan Creme Brule!

Creme Brule:

2 cups cashews (raw, unsalted)
6 Tablespoons agave nectar (or brown sugar mixed in 1 T water)
2 cups water (you'll see how these ingredients on their own make the cream in Creme Brule)
6 Tablespoons vanilla custard powder (most custard powders in stores I have seen are vegan until you add milk)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (turbino or raw sugar) to sprinkle over top of each dish

How to make it:
1. Put cashews, agave nectar, water, custard powder and sea salt in a blender for a few minutes until it is really creamy
2. Pour it into a small pot on minimum heat, whisking continuously until it thickens up.
3. Only if it is lumpy: Cool it a bit and then pour it back into the blender for a few seconds to get out the lumps and make it really smooth. Hold the blender lid loosely over the top when you do this because the custard is still fairly hot, and might make the lid pop up if it's on tight.
4. Fill small, oven-safe ceramic or metal bowls only half way because it tends to bubble up. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar (like raw chunky sugar) over top of each of the filled bowls, and put them under the broiler for a few minutes until you see the surface browns and becomes crispy.
5. Take out and let cool off before serving. In the meantime you can start making the berry compote...

Berry Compote Topping:

1 cup blueberries
1 cup cranberries
3 Tablespoons agave nectar or pure maple syrup

How to make it:
1. This is very simple. Just simmer the berries, (you can actually use whatever berries you like), in a pan (I like cast iron pans), with 3 Tablespoons of agave nectar or maple syrup (or you can use sugar), for about 5 minutes until the juices come out, bubble and become thick (like syrup). Spoon a little on top of the creme brule just before you serve it.
Serve 4 (unless you eat it all yourself!). Just double the recipe if you need more.

Somewhere Just off of Lake Superior, Ontario

Looks like some place out of Lord of the Rings! It was soo magical there. We were on our way to see some pictographs on a cliffs. It's that time of the year again when I get really bored of the cold and start putting up images of the warmer months. The last thing people want to see right now is snow I think (or maybe that's just me!).

Pesto Pasta With Leeks and Sun-Dried Tomatoes!

Pesto Sauce:

2 cup fresh basil (not dried) (leaves plucked from stem and washed well)
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup almonds or sunflower seeds (unsalted, raw, and soaked for at least an hour)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoon tahini
1/2 cup water

Toppings:

10 sun-dried tomatoes (soaked in water for 20 minutes)
2 large leeks (chopped and washed very well)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt

Pasta:

You can do either raw zucchini pasta, which is prepared with a spiral cutter that you can buy on-line (best thing I ever bought), or you can just prepare your pasta of choice as directed on the package.

Instructions:
1. Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor for a couple of minutes.
2. prepare pasta of choice.
3. saute leeks in a pan with a bit of olive oil and sea salt.
4. Pour pesto sauce over the pasta and top with leeks and chopped up sun-dried tomatoes.
Now eat it!! The sauce can also be used to make pesto pizza (spread it over pita bread and add toppings), or used as a dip! I love it. Try it yourself.

Hiking in The Woods is My Gym :)

James and I went hiking behind the Toronto Zoo on New Year's Day. I am kind of a princess when it comes to doing physical workouts in a gym, so hiking and exploring the outdoors do the trick. I love walking in the woods, in the snow, canoeing, swimming, biking or anything outside. Get me in a gym and I feel like a duck out of water.

  

We had a wonderful time and saw the most incredible animals from the other side of the fence. We howled at some wild white wolves (not in the zoo), who howled back at us- actually that was kind of freaky because the light was failing at that point.. 

We saw some moose, a couple of elk and a yak that looked positively bored. This is the trouble with keeping animals trapped in compounds much smaller than what they would have in the wild. 

What a great way to spend the first day of the year. If the gym is not your thing, then get outside and get your heart going while surrounding yourself with beauty :)

sage of the forest

This is a photo James took of an owl. They do eat small animals, but unlike humans, do not have the gift of choice in the matter.

Joshua and the tarantula

Josh is looking a little unsure of his new friend in the reptile room at the aviary in Niagara Falls.

my birthday

James took me to the aviary in Niagara Falls for my birthday! It was so beautiful. We practically had the whole place to ourselves and took plenty of photos of the exotic birds flying all around us and perched in trees. Everyone should go see this place if you have the chance.