Friday, December 16, 2011

past or present?

Lewis and his 'petite amie'  Simona

Children have this great way about them, they're outlook is so fresh , new it's all about living in the now.  Any time I've been off in a day dream I catch my son staring. Wondering what i'm doing, where is mommy looking and  I watch him turn and look into the direction I'm looking.  He's probably wondering what's so interesting. They must wonder where we go for those few seconds... I wonder about it too sometimes. How some thoughts just trigger moments where your off to another place, another time.  Yet we are quickly brought back to reality by a smile or a "mama" .  How wonderful it is to watch them discover so many new things, learning how to articulate and have you finally understand what it is they want.

No past in their eyes, not yet. It sounds crazy but it's almost like dogs. They love unconditionally and remember certain key things, and yet have this wonderful ability to live in the moment. ( gotta love Cesar Milan )  Everyday is a new day for them with new exciting things to do, and even if they aren't so new they still find the joy and excitement in it.  This is something we should do...everyday as we once did. Why do we lose the essence of this as we get older? It really shouldn't be .
Happiness should be everyday, as if it were something new. It is new ! So why not ?

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
—Marcus Aurelius


thank you kids,
thank you Cesar,
thank you Marcus ( for the amazing quote)

A domani,
L&L

Saturday, December 10, 2011

WINTER Skin





Winter weather is havoc for skin especially sensitive skin like little Lewis's. So we protect, nourish , and moisturize all the time especially in the winter. We love to be outdoors so I'm always extra careful, and with the extra warm/hot baths we take this time of year it's easy to dry up our skin. My remedy has always been and will always be ARGAN oil.
http://www.resana.ca/english/index.php .
( It's got  amazing health benefits too when ingested but i'll save that for another blog!)  
 I've been using an amazing product for years now that I was very happy to share with Lewis when he was born.  He had a few patches of eczema on his legs that quickly went away with this miracle liquid.   100% PURE and NOTHING else... You heard me , one hundred percent ORGANIC ARGAN OIL and that's it !!!  I  wouldn't trust anything else on my newborn's skin.  I don't know how these so called baby company's can manufacture "baby " products using chemicals that are toxic .
I really don't understand the concept behind all this. I feel like I have to be informed and on top of things all the time.  The other day a friend posted a comment that  inspired this blog ( thanks nanc-)  it said,
"don't believe everything you read"....
and that's exactly the way I see it.   JUST because they say it's a BABY product doesn't mean it's good for baby's ( I know this doesn't make sense for some of you, but once you start looking at things more closely you'll understand what I mean)
Now this goes for all things not just baby products, one of the reasons I stopped using facial moisturizers, among other things.  I won't list them all, I am an extremist when it comes to natural foods  and products so the list will be long .   But this is my interest, for some it's fashion, some it's decorating, some it's toys, electronics, cars, my money is spent on the most natural foods and  products I could find.
Well this is  the only moisturizer I trust to put on my skin and Lewis's! It brings life to any complexion, it's great on the whole body,  even throughout winter's toughest months is soothes and nourishes the skin.
 We love it !



Ready to glow?
L&L










Friday, December 2, 2011

More CLEAN, COZY Food !




It's getting cold outside and we've been spending  much more time indoors, which means more cooking !!!
COZY cooking is what we like to call it. Lewis loves it .... he watches in amazement as a few simple ingredients turn into fabulous meals. One of his all time favorites is "pate chinois" as we call it, or better known as "shepherds pie". Ever wonder how it got it's name, cuz it is definitely NOT an oriental dish, well this is what Wikipedia had to say about it:
Pâté Chinois is not a Chinese recipe. It may simply be an adaption of "Shepherd's Pie", but one possible explanation for the 'Chinese' reference is that it was introduced to Canadian railway workers by Chinese cooks during the building of the North American railroads in the late 19th century[citation needed]. These cooks made it under instruction from the railway bosses (of English extraction) as an easily-prepared, inexpensive version of the popular cottage pie, with the sauce in the tinned creamed-corn serving as a substitute for the gravy. The French Canadian railway workers became fond of it and brought the recipe back with them to their home communities. From there it was brought to the textile mill communities of Maine (Lewiston), New Hampshire (Manchester), Massachusetts (e.g. Lowell and Lawrence) and Rhode Island (Woonsocket) where many French Canadians immigrated to work in the mills during the early 20th century.


So interesting I  had no idea ... well there is the explanation, let me share my twist on the classic recipe!


Ingredients:

  • 1 pound Ground Bison meat ( much healthier than beef or pork check this out http://www.canadianbison.ca/consumer/Why_Bison/nutrition.htm  and yes it tastes good , I promise if you try it you'll NEVER go back to beef or anything else!
  • 3-4 Whole corns ( I like to use whole corn and cut off the kernels after boiling it , just tastes much better than canned corn and less salt!)
  • 4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes ( they are less starchy than regular and taste better too!)
  • 2-3 cloves Garlic 
  • 1 Lg  white Onion
  • 1 Tbs of Oregano and Basil  dried herb
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese cubed  
  • 1 Tbs Coconut oil ( is a high smoking oil great for stir fry's and your health!!)
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Things you need:

  • Small - med. pot to boil  potatoes and corn
  • Large frying pan to cook minced meat and potatoes
  • Potato masher
  • Rectangular, deep pan to put it all together in.



What to do:

  • Peel and cube potatoes add cleaned garlic cloves and bring to a boil in pot.
  • Chop onion add to frying pan with coconut oil and let onions cook until translucent then add ground meat and herbs. When cooked remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
  • When potatoes are cooked, ( you can easily put a fork through ) remove from pot with a straining  ladle and put into the frying  pan you used to fry up meat.  Add cubed cheddar,  let it all warm up together then mash.  Adding a little potato water if needed.  Use the rest of the potato boiling water to boil corn! I usually cut the corn  in half so it's easier to cut off kernels once cooked, and fits into the pot.
  • Cut kernels off corn and add to minced meat in bowl and mix all together.


Putting it all together:

 It's super simple,  put a layer of potato at the bottom of the baking pan, then add the corn and mixed meat mixture , and a top layer of potato and it's done!!!
Sprinkle with bread crumbs  to add extra crispiness (optional)









Stay Cozy & Toasty,
we are!!!
L&L