Point, Click, Shoot

Look what I get to use for the summer....

Am I not the luckiest girl in the world?

Sunburn and Sikism: A Tale of a Saturday

Whew, what a busy weekend! This past Saturday, I was out and about with H and her family to celebrate the Sikh holiday of Baisakhi.  Since H's family is not particularly religious, the festival is purely of a cultural interest and as such was loaded with lovely outfits and delicious food.

Check out my photo diary of the day below (and forgive the iPhone photos-they didn't even come close to capturing the splendor of the day)

 H's beautiful red suite.  She's mad stylish, you know

 No detail escapes H, even down to the matching hair flower

 One must cover their head as a sign of respect, so H lent me this striped scarf

 So many people; so many colours

A float in the parade that carries both the holy book and some holy men

The energy at the event was incredible and I've never met so many generous or friendly people!  After the amazing day, I was so lost in the fun that it took me until evening to discover a nasty sunburn on my nose.  A few natural ways to deal with sunburn are with topical gels or homeopathics, but since I didn't have time to run out to the homeopathic pharmacy I opted to apply pure aloe vera gel (straight from the plant) to my nose and it feels much much better.  Obviously prevention (ie sunscreen) is best, but if you do find yourself with a sunburn this summer, try some aloe-just clip off a leaf and squeeze the gel out.

Have a sun-filled day!

To Market, To Market

Ahhhh, the Calgary Farmers Market!  A favorite haunt of wealthy housewives, smartly attired prep students from the private school next door and (of course) me!  This is a place where one can walk around aimlessly for hours, simply enjoying the incredible sights and smells.  It is also where one can put their Naturopathic knowledge to good use to help stop a nosebleed in the ladies washroom (cold compress on the forehead or the back of the neck or tying a tight band around the index finger-both encourage blood flow away from the head).  I took my trusty iPhone along to try to capture the beauty of it all, but mostly I just ended up taking photos of baked goodness.  I'm sure you'll enjoy it either way, as I took all the photos with you in mind (more specifically, with you enjoying them immensely in my mind). So do!

                                             

Some psychedelic (and expensive) roses!

 Crystal wands! Such beautiful craftsmanship-the picture doesn't do them justice

 Creme puffs with your choice of filling (strawberry, hazelnut chocolate or chantilly cream)

 The most beautifully presented DOG TREATS I have ever laid eyes on

 The heartbreakingly beautiful french tarts

All the rest of the french pastry

The Calgary Farmer's Market

510 77 Ave SE

Calgary, AB

(403) 240-9113

Farmer's Market Meal #1

For my first steak eating experience as a newly-turned omnivore, I wanted it to be quality.  Since Alberta beef is somewhat famous for its quality, what better time/place than now?

At the Calgary Farmer's market, Silver Sage Beef offers hormone-free, antibiotic-free and animal by product-free beef in all different cuts.  The picture below is a rib eye steak, topped with fresh mango slices and accompanied by glazed carrots (recipe follows) and steamed kale, seasoned with olive oil and S&P.

 Meat and veggies, the perfect combo

Although the steak was fantastic quality, I discovered I'm not actually that fond of beef and will have to seek out a different source of red meat to keep my anemia at bay.  On the bright side, the glazed carrots were a hit and I can definitely see them making an appearance at a future family feast like Thanksgiving or Christmas.  And its no secret that Lund's Organic Farm has the very best carrots.   I'm convinced that was a large part of why the dish turned out so great, so remember to start all your cooking with quality ingredients!

Glazed Carrots

3 cups chopped carrots 

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 medium oranges)

1 tbsp butter or vegan margarine

1 tbsp maple syrup 

a sprinkle of Himalayan rock salt

Boil the chopped carrots in water until a fork pierces them.  Drain and return to medium heat.  Add the orange juice and simmer for 5 minutes.  Melt the butter/margarine in the carrots, then add the maple syrup and salt and mix together.  Serve warm.

Have a healthful day!

A Helpful Hint For All The Anemics Out There

I assumed that this was common knowledge but upon recently encountering someone who did not know this tidbit of information, I feel it is worth mentioning on this blog.

If you are taking an iron supplement, you should most definitely be taking it with some form of Vitamin C.  Since taking the iron supplement works best on an empty stomach (due to the high acid concentration), I like to take my iron with a bit of freshly squeezed orange juice.  I chose freshly squeezed because it has no added sugar and is unpasteurized (pasteurization greatly decreases the Vitamin C content).  If you aren't fond of oranges, some other sources of Vitamin C to consider are as follows:

• lemons
• grapefruit
• limes
• red bell peppers
• guava fruit
• kiwi fruit
• papayas
• strawberries

If you cannot take your iron on a *nearly* empty stomach (this can be hard on the stomach for some people), it is best to take it with your biggest meal of the day to bypass any intestinal upset the iron may cause.  Also, for best absorption, avoid drinking milk, coffee or tea within 2 hours of taking your iron supplement.

Have a wonderful day!

4 Weddings and 1 Sleepy Guest...

So, it seems that mostly everyone in my circle has decided to get married this summer.  In the next 3 months, I have 4 weddings to attend.

Since I have only been to 1 other wedding (and it was when I was still sporting diapers), I wasn't sure exactly what to expect for today but after an entire day of wedding festivities I have observed the following:

1. There will be tears.  Like, lots. And surprisingly not from the people you expect them from. Ladies take note and invest in waterproof mascara.
2. A wedding is a whole day event, even if you are only a guest.  There's the ceremony in the morning and the reception at night, but the breaks in between are spent worrying about/getting ready for the previously mentioned events.  And if you aren't worrying, someone in your family is and the anxious energy usually rubs off.
3. At any wedding there will inevitably be the 3 D's: Drinking, Dancing and Dairy.  If you'd like tips on how to prepare your body for a festive night of drinking, read my post on it here.  Today, I found the dairy to be unavoidable but a hint for the dairy intolerant would be to forgo the after-dinner dessert table and rather save their dairy indulgence for the cake (it's fresher and made from a pastry chef versus the other little desserts which may not be).  As for dancing, it's a great way to move your joints and relieve stress, so I'm always a huge fan.

Anyhow, 1 down and 3 more to go...

Check out the adorable, less conventional cake-topper:

Guess where I am?

If you've been dying for a change of scenery, I have some good news: For the next 3 months, I'll be writing from my hometown of Calgary, Alberta!

In case you haven't heard, Calgary is most famous for its annual Calgary Stampede which is sort of like a fair with rides and weird food but, of course, on a much grander scale.  The locals like it because, for 10 whole days, they can wear denim to work and the tourists love it because the city turns into a sort of Cowboy Vegas (sorry, thats the best way I know to describe it).

Although I often refer to Alberta as the 'wild west', I am pleased to report that the city has much improved since I have returned and I seem to be constantly meeting fascinating and intelligent individuals.  In fact, on the plane ride from Toronto I sat beside the most delightful man and had an engaging 4 hour conversation about absolutely every fascinating world subject you can possibly imagine! I have a feeling this wonderful start to the summer will act as a predictor of the rest of my vacation.

Tomorrow, I've been promised a trip to the farmer's market and hopefully I can whip up something new and post a long awaited recipe for you all.

Have a wonderful day!