Challenging my minimalist wardrobe

Last December, I had announced what my new project 333 season would be like here.

Technically, that wardrobe was suppose to last me between January to the end of March.  However, I had already been wearing essentially the same clothes since early November... so I am now almost 4 months into wearing the same clothes... and I am not going to lie, it is becoming boring...  and the cold weather is starting to mess me up (like most people I know for that matter).  Now, I do not want to give up... and I certainly do not want to give into shopping... impulse shopping... to bring me a step back... Everything is on sale now... and I could easily find something for the cold weather really cheap... but I am not doing that! I refuse to.  I no longer am a shopaholic.  That was the old me.  This is the new me.

What I have come to realise in this season of Project 333 is that perhaps, the seasons and rules as per Courtney do not suit me!  And that's OK.  She doesn't say we have to follow her rule...  she's actually helping us set our own. I had already mentioned it but because I had so many major issues with clothes, I always thought it was related to that more then the season per say. The other thing I realised in this season is that I still had items, recently bought or not, that did not really suit me or my lifestyle...  I kept buying or holding on to because of "fashion influence".  Therefore what I did a few weeks ago is to look at my wardrobe AGAIN and in the items selected for the current season of Project 333 I've let go of 3 items... and I have 2 more that are on "let's evaluate again in a few months" list. In total I think I have let go of another 10 items or so.

I have also realised that choosing my wardrobe for 3 months does not allow me to play around with my clothes enough...  not like I love to do. Therefore what I am doing for March is restrict myself even more...  I kept some clothes on the December list....  removed others and added some that were in my "other season" wardrobe. (which is basically physically the same wardrobe but they are located in the far end - because ALL my clothes fit in a kid's size wardrobe at this point!).  Now March in Montreal, althus we wish it was not, is STILL very cold on most days... towards the end we have warmer days but we always like to make it sound better then it actually is... we do have a long winter here! Therefore the weather dictated my choice and you'll see that they do provide options for very cold to not as cold days.

As you can see in the picture, I have kept 15 items. THAT IS IT!  For the next 31 days, I will be playing around with those 15 items.... and jewelry and scarves.

The list is as follow:

1)  skinny jeans
2)  wide leg jeans
3)  wide leg grey corduroy pants
4)  navy and beige skirt
5) flannel shirt
6)  striped white and blue long sleeve shirt
7)  navy long sleeve t-shirt
8) off-white long sleeve t-shirt
9) beige long sleeves t-shirt
10) green short sleeve t-shirt
11) grey short sleeve t-shirt
12) white short sleeve t-shirt
13) dress
14) grey vest
15) beige vest

We'll see what I can do with that.... and I will, as much as possible (read here as much as I think of doing it) be taking pictures of the outfits and be sharing them with you end of each week. Let's make Friday's a post with pictures of my outfits and how I feel about this whole process.

I wish to challenge myself more.  I still have MANY clothes... in my opinion...  and at this point I really do LOVE all of them... and I cannot see donating any more... therefore I will switch my rules around... move out of my comfort zone and shake it up! This will allow to "save" my clothes and be an even longer time without needing to buy to replace anything...

If that works out pretty well, I will be doing that for the other months too...  choosing my wardrobe month per month. This will allow a better rotations of my clothes and an even easier time to dress up in the morning...  It will also allow me to feel like I went shopping every month as there will always be "new" items to choose from!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Saving $ on cleaning product - the extreme minimalist thing to do

We all need to clean stuff...
Whether it's dishes, clothes, bath, toilet, floors.... 

It's a must...

But do we absolutely need all those chemically produce cleaners... that smell forever and ever... and do a better and better job with each generation...  all those product in colorful containers... that attract kids and have actually become a real health hazard for our kids? Did you know that the American center for poison control report that more than 120 000 kids under the age of 5 are poisoned, fatally or not, but still, EACH year by household product alone! 

Now let's say you keep everything under lock... impossible to reach for your kids...  did you ever thought about where those vapours, nice smell and residue end up???  In 2005, the American Red Cross has tested the blood of several Americans and send the sample to 2 different laboratories.  Every single sample was contaminated with, on average, 200 chemicals... be it pesticides, stain repellant, flame retardant, pollutants, chemicals that can be found in household cleaners and beauty product... Now that number was quite high...  and scary... but as this was not enough, they decided to test, for the first time, newborns by taking blood samples in the umbilical cords a few minutes after birth.  What do you think they found???  The exact same toxic product... not less... THIS IS SCARY!!!

Even if you do lock everything up, kids are born intoxicated... and keep touching and smelling all those products we use...  and I find this really sad... especially that we do not know what will happen over time...  years from now... most of those toxic product did not even exist 50 years ago so we have no toxicity data over time.

It scares me...

Plus an average family spends around 200$, sometimes much more if you're a clean freak, per year on toxic household cleaning product.... when you could easily make them yourself for a fraction of the price... and no heath costs...  It is believed that you could easily save 100$ per year, if not more on that alone!

I will give it a try... I have been looking for recipes to make my own cleaning agents...  Here are the ones I decided to use for now...  I'll try them and if I am not convinced, I have other recipe I wish to try.

First off, in the picture at the beginning of this post, I am showing you the making of orange vinegar... this will ensure a nice non toxic smell to my household cleaner.  And it is done using orange peel and vinegar.  Only those 2 ingredients.  You leave it there for a couple of days to up to 2 weeks... 

For my dishwashing liquid, I will be using Dr Bonner's Castile soap... hemp unscented...  I ordered it on Amazon! Just a squirt will do!  Now I do not have a dishwasher... if you do, there are recipe for that too....

For my laundry, I will go with a liquid detergent for now...  You use 1 cup of liquid castile soap, 1 cup baking soda, 2 cups warm water and 1/3 cup of salt...  you dissolve the salt and baking soda in warm water, add the castile... pour into a gallon container and dilute to top with water. You use about 1/4 cup per wash.

My all purpose cleaner will be done in a spray bottle - fill it to 1/4 with my orange vinegar, add a squirt of castile soap and fill to top with water.  You can add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil as it is an antifungals and antimold agent.   For though jobs, you can sprinkle some baking soda on the surface to be cleaned, spray the household cleaner and then scrub!!!

Now I will start using that as soon as I get the Castile soap... I just ordered it!

Can't wait.... by then my orange vinegar will be ready to go!

I will keep you posted on how it goes... and if I try another recipe I will also let you know...

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Coconut chai

As you may know, this is my chai mug....  which means, this is about a chai....

 I am on a quest to find the best/perfect homemade chai latte...  starting from spices.... adding black tea, water, sugar or not and milk...

I had previously share a chai recipe here... I like it... it just spicy enough... and sweet enough.... and not to watery... I like the addition of turmeric to it... However, compared to what I tasted in a coffee shop in Montreal called Resonance, it is nothing!!!

I found a chai recipe on Pinterest....  it goes like that:

10 whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorn
2 cinnamon stick
8 green cardamom pods
1 inch fresh ginger sliced and peeled
2 black tea bags
3 cups water

put all ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil.  remove from heat and let steep for 7 minutes

bring back to heat and add one cup coconut milk and 2 tbsp. brown sugar
heat for one minute. strain and drink!

Now this calls for SoDelicious coconut milk... which I could not find close to my house and I did not feel like going all the way downtown today...  so I used some random coconut milk from a can that I use to cook...  no sugar or anything added to it... really is just coconut and water.

I definitely know this is not the perfect chai... not to me anyway.... but you might love it!  Try it!

I find that the coconut milk makes it to "fat"... perhaps it's the kind of milk I use so I will definitely get some proper coconut milk this week end and try it again... 

So if you want just try it.... and let me know what you think...

If you do have a homemade chai recipe that does not use some premade full of sugar mix please share it with me... who know?  it might be exactly what I am looking for!!!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Veganism, Minimalism and Costco

 

 

Hum..... what those the first two words have to do with the last one???

 

Well, I was a member at Costco for years...  In 2007, when I went bankrupt, revised my consumer habit and started to address my finances I decided to let go of that membership... 

 

It might be counterintuitive at first.... since stuff really is cheaper there then elsewhere....  but...  it only is cheaper if you stick to what you need...  if you buy everything that is at a "better" price... and end up not using it or getting rid of it a few months down the line... or if you buy more food than you can eat and end up throwing it out... then it is not cheaper... it is just wasted money!!! 

 

I was one of those people who go in with a list of 6 items and come out with a basket full of stuff 2 hours  and hundreds of dollars later...  I must have been one of Costco's favorite client!!!! 

 

But I was also my worse enemy.... Therefore I ended that... and Wall Mart.... and all those places where stuff is at the best price... because to people with a shopping addiction, they are the worse nightmare!!!

 

Now years down the line, I have addressed my shopping addiction... and I am at a point now where I know that I will go in with a list and will only buy what is on the list... and maybe one or two extra items if I am running out soon and it is a an even more discounted price then usual... I know I will respect my budget...  and not use credit!

 

I also know that I have become vegan and wasn't sure if Costco would actually have food that I eat... 

Even thus a few vegan friends told me they do....

 

Therefore yesterday I snooped into Costco... without a membership card... and looked around... only to be amazed at how much cheaper stuff I but regularly was...  (and we must have been the only one not holding a way too full cart! lol)

 

For example, frozen fruits and berries of all kind were half of what I pay at my usual grocery store... and they have a much bigger selection!!! And I use quite a lot in smoothies.

 

Chickpeas come in a HUGE bag and I wouldn't have to buy them every week or so... and they are also about 30% cheaper...

 

Walnuts and Pecans are 60% cheaper...

 

And I could go on and on....  I was amazed at how many product they have that are organic but still cheaper then non-organic elsewhere....

 

I was also amazed to see that almost every single item listed in my pantry are accounted for at Costco... They have chia and hemp seeds!!! :-)

 

I changed the way I eat so much...  I didn't remember...

 

Therefore, at the end of my visit I ended up taking a membership...  YES you read well... I am a member of Costco now... 

 

And yes they have stuff for vegans... because we do eat nuts and seeds, lentils, beans, grains, cereals, flour...  etc...  And they even have organic stuff!!!

 

And yes it can be a minimalist thing too... if you go in and only buy what you need and can afford, you are not causing anymore cluttering... and you are eating for cheaper but still good quality...  It leaves more money to address my small amount of debt left, increasing my saving or live the life I want...

 

Therefore I have to admit that Veganism, Minimalism and Costco CAN go all together... They do not have to be mutually exclusive... and if you are in control of your shopping you can actually shop everywhere and be rational about it and not overspend!!

 

So there... I have gotten one more tool to decrease my life expenses... I can now decrease my food budget even more... YE!

 

love&peace,
nath
xox
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What I bought since January 2014

Being a minimalist and having said I would not buy anything non-essential in 2014 in this post , I would feel dishonest not to feel my update at this point... after all we're 2 months after the original post of December 24th 2013.

Now, I specifically wrote that in 2014, I would not buy anything non-essential...  well, non-essential is quite "open" as a term... what is essential to me might not be to you and vice versa...  I did not specify I would not buy anything because I know this is not like me... I can't do that!  Not sure I ever will get to that point... not even sure I am interested in getting to that point...  after all buying stuff you like when you can afford it and KNOW you'll use it is quite enjoyable and rewarding!

When I decided to be a minimalist, it was to declutter...  my finances, my home, my mind and my life.. and it worked...  Now I find that over time, I tend to buy less and less... and find more and more stuff useless...  it's kind of like my process from a carnivore diet to a vegan one... Small steps...  Well this is just the same... but the old side of me... the shopaholic side of me still tends to come back... after all the society we live in does support that very well!  So even after 3 years, this "person" does show up...  less and less but still....  I am working on that...

In order to help me out, this time around, I had said I would be allowed 20$ per months discretionary spending... and because my husband knows me well and is really kind and supportive, he decided he would give my 60$ per month...  in order to prevent me from overspending in June or July like I did back in 2011! But also to help me learn to save $... so he told me he would give me the 60$ but I would have to put into a saving account the 20$ I had allowed myself...

Well this is going very well up until now.... I am using his 60$ of course!  ;-)
But I am doing it intelligently...  and I have to donate something when I bring something new in...
So I follow the one in/one out rule... therefore I am not cluttering my place!

Actually, I even have given or sold more then what I brought in since 2014...  This is really working well...

What I donate since January 2014:

kitchen island
dishes, mugs, glasses...
Cooking utensils
Pots and pans
Service platter
Vase
Clothes (3 pair of pants, 2 blouses, 2 camis, scarves...)
Books

What I sold since January 2014:

CD/DVD storing unit
couch
keyboard
Jewelry

What I bough since January 2014:

Fake leather jacket - to replace my old one which was falling into pieces after 8 years... Got it when it was 25% off... throw the other one out - it was not even possible to give it away!

Jeans - replacement for jeans that had gotten too big - on sale sale from GAP at 19.97$
Sweatshirt - for cooler summer nights - on sale at 29.99$ (original price was 39.99$)

Chai tea mug/bowl on sale at 4.99$ (original price was 14.99) - Plus it is saving me time and money to get chai tea elsewhere... I know I could drink chai in a normal cup but it tastes so much better in THAT one...  Kind of like asking a French girl to drink a late in a mug...

Set of 4 small mugs for tea with my husband and son... Got them for 4.99$ instead of 9.99$

And the cushions... for my "new couch" - but that came from the money of selling the old couch!

All in all, some might say that I already "failed" my 2014 resolution... I don't think this is failing...  because I am replacing stuff... either too big or to old...  or I am getting a sweatshirt that I know I will wear a LOT this summer with the plans I have... and the mugs were to make life at home more enjoyable... and the principle of minimalism is that... to enjoy your life... in simplicity....  so if 9.99$ of mugs allow me more time home with my loved ones... why not???

Plus I respected my budget...  60$ per month.... and I have saved my 20$ into a saving account....
The mugs were paid off with left over grocery budget on one week end....  :-)

See.... minimalism is not about privation... or living poorly... It's about choice...  I am very happy with what I got... and I know I will use all of those articles over and over again...I didn't pay anything full price... neither did I use credit!  I got stuff I love and will have many uses...  The small tea cups for example, we're also using for juice, small smoothie in the morning with oatmeal and can also be used for snacks..  they are perfect to pour in nuts and dried fruits... see? I am doing more with less... my favorite sentence to go by nowadays...

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Minimalist living room - maximum comfort

This was my living room before...

This is my living room now... fresher... cleaner....  I breathe more easily in it!!!

For the longest time now I've wanted to live on the floor like my friend Rita in Portugal does... It's a yogic thing... but also a minimalist thing...  How more free can you be than not owning too much furniture... Packing up and go becomes sooooo easy then...

Lately, for a big project coming up in June, that I cannot yet announce publicly, I have been downsizing even more... you've seen the post about my kitchen cupboards and dishes... 

I have let go of dishes, glasses, mugs, pots and pans....  more clothes...  games...  smaller pieces of "decorative furniture"...  my son even did a huge clean up in his books and toys..  We've given some stuff and sold a few more expensive pieces....  to save the $ for this big project!!!

I had a piece of furniture for sale and this young couple came to get it... they were the nicest 20 year old couple I have seen in a long time... and we just clicked... so when they asked if my couch was for sale I could not say no... even thus I knew I would have to go without for 4-6 months...  no funds will go to buying a couch before that!

Being a minimalist... and creative... and remembering my friend Rita, I figured out the above sitting arrangement...  and it cost me nothing but the cushion you can see and 2 more I got a few days after the picture...  All in all, 45$ for a new "couch".  The bottom is a chair my son had in his room that can be used as a bed for friends... on top there's my bedspread... and a comforter...  I have used my "summer" bedspread on my bed and another comforter I had... it is warm enough.... 

And this was the perfect timing to jump in... make a couple of young people happy about their new couch... and make me happy for my new sitting arrangement...  more in tune with my lifestyle...

Well let me tell you, even my husband, who was not convince at first, loves it!  And my son, says it is even more comfy than our previous couch!!!  Not to mention my cat who no longer goes anywhere else for napping and sleeping!

Sometimes, you have to take those opportunities to move out of your comfort zone and try new things... This is what I can signs... or messages... 

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Minimalism and veganism- when is it enough???

I am in the process of turning my life around... as always some will say... but isn't that life? Turning things around?

I am 41 years old...  (oups.. just told you my biggest secret)
I have MS...
I have been into minimalism since 2011... officially....
I started practicing yoga regularly in 2006 and it changed my life...
I became vegetarian in 2007 and vegan a year ago...

This is where I'm at...

All along those changes, and still today,  I have been looking for support and inspiration...  rules of what to do and what not to do..... guidelines for the perfect vegan and the perfect minimalist... I found these in many blogs I follow....  (perhaps one day I should do a post about all my inspirations and blogs I follow)... It would, at time, be confusing because one would say one thing and another something else... althus, it all pointed either toward veganism or minimalism...  It took me a while before I understood that it was normal if the rules were different... because they came from different people and really, there is no strict guidelines on how to be a minimalist.... and there is only one with following a vegan diet: refrain from eating animal products.

Recently I came across this lovely women who writes a blog too.... She's lovely... and inspiring....  and one of her latest post she awaken something in me... a feeling that was lying dormant but still there... a feeling of not being enough... not doing enough....  guilt....  anger....  I meditated on it... and I came to the conclusion that I am happy where I'm at...  Seriously... I've come a long way....  I was eating crap...  fast food 2-3 times a week...  restaurants for lunch most days... I would eat bad food and waste money on bad food...  I was a shopaholic.... and would be thousands of dollar in debt even after my bankruptcy...  even today I am not debt free yet... will all the job loss my husband and I are having lately we always end up creating some debt somehow...   but none this time around and we're even managing to save $ for our big project this summer!

All that say, I was living my worse nightmare... and I slowly, step by step, turned it into a better life... is it perfect?  not yet....  it will probably never be because nothing ever is... but I am getting closer and closer to my dream life...  I am happy with the way I live my life now.... and slowly working on a few more points...

I should not judge myself.... or let anyone judge me...  I am vegan.... vegan enough!  I am minimalist.... minimalist enough!  Enough for me!  That is all that really matters.  I am not in competition with anyone else.  Maybe to some minimalist I am not doing enough... maybe to some vegan I am not doing enough...  but who cares?  This is where I am at... and I am not judging others in their own path, why should I let people judge me?  I am happy with what I do! I am happy with the path travel so far.

I am happy writing for you... and inspiring you... and helping you out. 

I am honest.  I am true.  I am authentic.  This is all that really matters. 

And you should do the same.  I am not expecting anyone to do exactly as I do.  I am trying to give hint, suggestions, options... not directions!  I do not have the directions to each and everyone's life.. only my own...  I came up with them... over time...  and I will continue as this is a life long process...  and what works out now may not apply months or years down the line!  And you know what?  That's OK! We are human being.. we evolve and change all along our lives...  Enjoy the ride... stop targeting the destination!

Be happy for what is now and here. And this will take you elsewhere without having to think about it.

You ARE ENOUGH.

and so am I...

let's just appreciate what we've gone thru.... how far we've come and with good intentions and pure hearts we'll move forward still!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Valentines day vegan chocolate cinnamon cake

First off...  I do not really celebrate Valentines day... I haven't in years...  the title may be misleading but it's only because people have been telling me that this would be the perfect Valentines Day cake!!! It is actually a coincidence that this recipe is ready today because I have been working on it for over a month... never thought it would be THAT difficult to come up with a vegan cinnamon chocolate cake starting from a non-vegan vanilla cake!  Now, I'll get back to the recipe later on... but let me explain why I do not celebrate Valentines day...

I am in a relationship... for 12 years... with the love of my life... it was love at first sight... and reciprocal... We have similar interest and goals in life... we, actually can't, even 12 years into our relationship, stay away from each other for very long...  We do everything together...  and when we're apart we text each other love notes...  Now, you may think, well why not celebrate???  Well, there really are 2 reasons:

1) Valentines day is now too commercial... it is for everyone... kids, friends, families...  it is no longer a lover thing...  it is hyper commercialized... mostly like everything else anyway...it almost makes you feel guilty it you do not, on that special day, tell everyone you love them...   so here comes in the other reason...

2) I actually, believe it or not, DO NOT need a box of chocolate, flowers, jewelry and a fancy dinner to feel loved... or special... I do not need to wear a fancy dress or anything red either... True love does not lie in those things... true love lies in helping/supporting each other in difficult time... and celebrating in easier times...  it lies in being with each other....  on a regular basis.... not on a fancy dinner with romantic music... that is too easy... We've had our share of difficult times and we helped each other... we went thru that together...  with all that this implies...  I feel special when my husband takes me in his arms at the end of a hard day....  or when he lets me cry on his shoulder without asking questions...  I feel special when he calls just to make sure I'm ok when he's at work.... I feel special wearing a fancy dress on any other day than Feb 14th because we just feel like going out... I actually feel special every day with him...  I do not need a day to celebrate my love.... I celebrate my love everyday!!!

Ok... now enough with the ranting... let's look at this recipe...  that we actually developed together my husband and I... it is inspired by the chocolate cinnamon cake that Starbucks has...  we use to love that cake.... but since we're vegan we haven't had any!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegan margarine
1 1/4 cup pure crystalize cane sugar
3 tbsp. chia seeds in 12 tbsp. water
3/4 cup almond vanilla milk
3-4 tbsp. cocoa powder
3tsp cinnamon (or more if desired)
1 cup chocolate chip

Preheat oven to 350F and "grease" a 8"x8" Pyrex dish

1) Mix first 3 ingredients - Set aside
2) Mix margarine and sugar, add chia seeds in water and almond milk
3) Add 1) to 2) slowly while mixing
4) Add cocoa powder and cinnamon and mix well.  Mixture is very thick...  you need a strong arm!!!
5) Add chocolate chips and continue mixing
6) Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with more can sugar if you want the top to be crispy
7) Bake for an hour on the middle rack of oven

allow to cool and enjoy....

I bet this would be amazing with vegan whip cream and strawberries... I just didn't have any...  :-(


love&peace,
nath
xox
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What minimalism did for me

 

 

I often get asked, still today after many years, why I became a minimalist???  Why bother?  Why "reject" everything everyone is working so hard for? Why not try and give the maximum to my son? Why depriving ourselves?

 

 

Fortunately, as this movement grows in number or people practicing it, I get asked those questions less and less...

 

Unfortunately, when I do get asked those questions, it is very likely to be by the same people over and over again...  They just don't understand it... or cannot accept the idea... and I know this is not mine to deal with... 

 

However, for those who never did as me the question and are trying to understand...  I thought I would be proactive and answer them right here...

 

First and foremost, I want to make it clear that I am not depriving myself...  and I am not rejecting anything anyone is working for... I am making choices....  my OWN choices...  I am not in position to decide for anyone what they wish to do or how to live their life... I only want to share my own experience!

 

Second most important thing here is that my son DOES NOT feel deprive of anything.... actually he even likes the fact that we get to spend more time together...  Why is that?  Because I am a minimalist... because I have no house to take care off... only a small 800 sq.ft.  apartment... I have no car to bring to the dealer every now and then... I do not spend hours in traffic every day...  It does not take me hours to clean, dust and vacuum the place I live in... because there is not much to dust...  and surface to vacuum is tiny! 

 

This is why I bother....  for quality time...  to do stuff I enjoy instead of stuff I have to do! To spend time with my loved ones instead of with my cleaning product and vacuum cleaner...

 

 

In summary, I became a minimalist to:

 

1) Address a health issue I had....  related to stress

2) Address financial problems

 

Why did I got from it:

 

1) More time - quality time for whoever or what ever I want

2) More freedom - because cost of living is smaller I can earn a living how I love to and because we do not have too much stuff to move around, and no property to sell we can pack up and go whenever we want for wherever we want!

3) Gain my health back

4) A stress free life (ok maybe 90% stress free....  life can never be 100% stress free)

5) Met amazing, inspiring people

6) In the process of resolving all my financial issues - I was so deep in debt, it takes a long time!!!

7) Found myself - underneath all that crap that was cluttering my house, I found the most amazing person I ever met - ME!!!  (I say that humbly - we all are the most amazing people we'll ever met - try it!)

 

See???  it wasn't so bad...  I got much more then what I bargained for when deciding to give minimalism a try...

 

p.s. when I was working for big corporations, they were always asking us to do more with less... and cut our budgets.... I never got it then... but I do get it now!!!!  I am doing much more with much less money coming in...  difference is it is not going in anyone else's pocket!!!  ;-)

 

p.s.2 I am giving the maximum to my son... not in material possession... but in life experience... In freedom... in autonomy... in ability to make his own decision and not be brainwashed by publicity...  in being responsible for his acts....  in seeing that not everyone is lucky like he is... in learning to share stuff once he's done with it... In understanding that there is more to life than $$$... This is the maximum that is acceptable to me...  It will turn him into a fine, sensitive, caring, loving man later on...

 

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Sweet pita chips

At lunch time today I felt like having desert... but I had nothing made already... no cookies... no muffins... no banana bread.... all of these, I almost always have in stock...  worst case scenario frozen...  but cookies are not long to thaw! Because it was way to close to meal time, I didn't even had time to bake something....  so I got creative....

I had left over pita bread... it was a bit dry because it was old.... and usually it ends up in pita chips...  with salt and herbs or spices...  but today I decided to try and do a sweet version of the pita chips who could be used as a healthy desert! OK... not as healthy as fruits... but better than store bought cookies... :-) 

I have cut up the pita in triangle and open them up... I spread vegan margarine over each one of them... then sprinkled generous amount of brown sugar...  I also could have sprinkled some cinnamon but they were already in the oven by the time I thought about it...  I then put them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes!

Here they are, before the oven:

 

And here they are after the 15 min in the oven.... still warm and ready to eat!!!! 



  
It was AMAZING!!!!  just crunchy enough.... and warm... and sweet.... and fatty...  the perfect mix!!!!

I also kept a few to try out cold later on during the day... and it was just as great!!! No longer warm but crispier...  and it even tasted more sweet....

Long story short, at this time they are all gone... and I am keeping busy to make sure I do not go back to my kitchen to turn all the let over pitas into this amazing desert!!!

love&peace,
nath
xox
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Shopping in my own cupboards

This week end, in the spirit of minimalism, I have cleaned up my kitchen cupboards....  A while ago I had already kept everything in group of 3 since we are 3 in my household... I had however keep extras... like 6 plates... not only 3...I was now ready for the next step... 

I remembered that Buddhist monk actually each have their own set of dishes and mug that they clean and wrap up in a piece of clothe after meal and put away until the next meal... It consist of a bowl, a mug and a set of sticks...  I am not saying I want to live like a Buddhist monk...  but why have so many plates and bowls and stuff...  I almost never have people over but when I do it's more for tea and snacks then for a meal... Therefore I do not need that many dishes.... 

And if ever I feel like having people over, I can do either of 3 things:

1) ask guest to bring their own dishes - it can make for an interesting meal
2) borrow from a friend a complete set
3) rent it

Therefore what I did it put everything on the table...  all plates, bowls, glasses, mugs...  and we each chose what I wanted to keep...  Instructions were:

One plate
One bowl for meals
One bowl for breakfast cereals or snacks
One glass or container for cold drinks
One mug for hot drinks

That was a minimum... of course, it was possible to keep more...

The results were amazing!!! And there's a picture above... I have put it in the cupboards in such a way that we all have our dishes in one place and mugs/glasses on top...  As seen in the picture on top...

Left side is mine...  middle my husband and right my son...

Personally I kept : One plate, One big bowl for meals, one small bowl for oatmeal, one very small for snack and one weird shape bowl for when I cut up fruits to eat it... Where I had issue was with mugs and glasses...  I kept one mason jar for cold drinks, one huge mug for chai latte, one regular mug from DixMilles village, one mug I draw myself and one very small mug for tea... 

I also kept 4 other mugs for visitors...  one was a gift my son got me in Paris, one was another gift from my son... and 2 were a gift from my brother... they are le Creuset...  (don't worry Jean, Real and Cedric kept the other 2 so we actually have that full set!  We just love them too much!)

Everything else is going away...  a few plates, mugs, glasses and many bowls.... 

I am really exited about that!!!!

How about you?  How many dishes do you really have???  Anything you keep for once a year only? Did you ever thought about giving that up?  Why or why not?

love&peace,
nath
xox
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MS and my life

I was always a very active person....
Not one to stay in place very long...
And always into sports and working out...
Until...

MS (multiple sclerosis)

Then I had to slow down...  I was way too tired...

Because traditional medicine could not do anything for me, I turned to alternative ways...  This is when I started looking into nutrition, yoga, meditation, Reiki and Ayurveda...

Now you know already about my diet and yoga practice...  What you do not know is that I can't let go of that.... for health reasons... 

You may also know that I consider myself healed....  not cured as their is no cure for MS...

But healed in the sense that I can carry a normal life... like most of you...  I can work, have a social life, cook, clean, play... do whatever I want...  so I thought...

A month ago I decided to train for a marathon...  I registered to a gym and started working out...  up until now it was going well and I was making progress...  I am still very far from a marathon ...  but I had not work out that way since 2007... it is a big challenge... 

I had stopped working out when I found out that it was not really good for me...  If I go back to Ayurveda, I'll explain why...  In Ayurveda, there are 3 dominant doshas...  or energy type...  Vata, Pitta and Kapha. They each have their own characteristics. I a not going to go into detail here for each dosha as I am not expert in Ayurveda...  but what I found out is that I am predominantly Vata... Vata is characterised by dryness, low body fat, tendency to get exited, wandering mind...  It's element is air (think of a windy day - that is what is happening in my head). MS, according to Ayurveda is an imbalance in Vata.  Vata being my predominant dosha it is easy to get it imbalanced...  When Vata is under control, MS symptoms go away...  when imbalanced, they come back... Lifestyle and diet are the 2 major things to control my Vata.  I know I eat right for my type...  grounding food...  to bring me down a little... and keep me on the ground! Physical activities suggested for Vata are yoga, walking, bicycling and swimming...

Did you see that running is not part of the list???  Weight lifting neither?  That is because it is recommended for the complete opposite dosha... for Kapha!

I knew that....  but because I considered myself healed I assumed I could do that now!  It's something I always wanted to do... and now I won't be able to...  I have to let go of that too... I am healed and not cure... therefore, a Vata imbalance will always bring back MS symptoms!

Did you realize I said let go... not give up... because I tried... I really did...  but it is not working out for me... I can feel it in my legs...  and it's not like normal working out pain...  it last for days...  and it's deep down... it's tingly... and also like an electric shock... and it keeps me from sleeping...  I can't fall asleep and it sometimes wakes me up...  This is not good... as a lack of sleep also aggravate Vata...

See where this is going???  Lying down is awful.... and even now sitting I can feel it... I don't want that...  so I will have to stop working out so much... I'll have to stop running... and without running there is no marathon...

This is difficult for me because I like to think that, despite MS, I can do whatever I want...  but it is not the case...  This disease will be in me forever... as long as I live... and there are always things I won't be able to do... 

This is perhaps the most difficult post I ever had to write...  the more personal one... I am digging deep and opening up to you my lovely readers...  maybe it won't help you... but it helps me... to feel supported in that difficult time I have to go thru...

I know I will find another challenge... another dream...

In the mean time I'll increase my yoga/meditation practice to heal once again...


love&peace,
nath
xox
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Letting go is not giving up... or is it?

There's something I have been thinking about lately.... a lot...  because I am at a turning point in my life... I have a difficulty discerning between letting go and giving up... when I am letting go? when I am giving up? There are as many ways to explain the difference between the two as there are people explaining it... in clear, I have looked...  but did not find a satisfying answer... so I had to come up with my own...

As human being we are brought up and raised a given way...  depending on our parents, environment, country we live in, religion or lack of, education system and society we live in...  For example, I was brought into this world in 1972 in Montreal, Canada in a middle class family... French speaking... My parents, like any parents, did the best they could with what they had to instill me some values and beliefs...  to show me a way to live...  had I been born same year in a country in Africa, Asia or Europe, I would have received a completely different education, values and belief system...would it have been better? No... just different... is what I received better?  no... just different...  who's to say what is better or not... nonetheless, the way we are brought up shapes our lives s adults...whether we like it or not!

Now, here I come with my giving up and letting go...

I have come to realise over the years that what I have learn as a kid, no longer suits me...  for many reasons...  Life as made it such that those values and beliefs system no longer agree with my path...  Now this is difficult for some to accept... namely my parents... and I understand... and the goal here is not to discuss their reaction to my behavior but reasons for my behavior...

I have had a very bumpy road over the last few years... First I had several health issues in my late 20s...  then I almost died while giving birth... I was then diagnosed with a chronic degenerative disease (MS) ...  lost a few jobs...  went bankrupt...   After all that, I obviously started questioning myself...  when ALL that happen over the course of 10 years, you can't help but wonder "why me?" "why all of that?"... Seriously, what sometimes happens to others in the course of a lifetime had happened to me over the supposedly 10 best years of my life!!! If that were the best years... what should I expect for the future??? It scared me... really!!!!

I got scared and depress... and I had to figure out how to make things better...  obviously I was doing something wrong...  but what was it???  I don't believe in bad luck or good luck....  never did... I believe you make your own luck...  so I was obviously doing something wrong! But what???

So I took up yoga.. and meditation...  and by keeping this practice for a few months, things started to change... not outside of me.. but within me... something was happening...  but I could not explain it...  I suddenly had an urge to "clean" stuff... things... people... I started questioning what was given to me as education, belief system and values...  and I came to realise that they were hurting me... not that they were bad in themselves... they were not convenient for me... and they were holding me back...  the values I received were that of hard work, responsibility, respect, honesty....  how could that be bad? It was not... what I was doing with them, how I was thought to use those was what was hurting me...  and it took me many many years to get that!!!

Hard work is good... when you work hard towards something you like.... or preferably something you love and are passionate about... not when you work hard at something that goes against you...   I was working hard on the wrong things... I was working hard on securing my financial life and future... I was working hard at blending into society... not expressing my true self...  It was hard work... but directed the wrong way.. and this is why I had to let go of it... let go of that hard work.. and work hard at finding who I was... who I wanted to be... what were my dreams...  and now work hard on realising those... I did not give up the value I received of hard work... I had to let go of what I was working hard on... I did not wanted to give up "hard work".

Therefore, slowly, by keeping my yoga practice, my inner self, that was buried over the years under society and family expectation was re-awakened...

Only to find that contrary to what I believed until my mid thirties:

1- stuff does not make me happy
2- more stuff neither...
3- I really do not care for material possession...
4- I want to work with people....  help them out...
5- I couldn't care less for a house and a car
6- I want to be a nomad... I love to live in different places....  love to move!
7- I want to work for myself
8- I want to be free
9- I am quite unconventional
10- I do not want to hide myself anymore and pretend to be who I am not...

Now that I know all that... how do I live it??? That was something else.... It required I made many changes to my life... It required that I let go of stuff...  let go of situations.... let go of people...let go of thinking that how I was brought up was the only way to live... it was the best way my parents knew... but it is no longer convenient to me...  I am not giving up on it... because it actually made me who I am today.... but I need to let go and find my own ways....

I believe that we all have to do that... and our kids will have to do it to.... I mean my parents raised me in a way they assume was best for me... and I am raising my son in a way I assume to be best for him.... but has he grows up, he will have to give and take... he will keep some of it... and let go of other stuff... and that's OK!!! 

In summary I am not giving up on anything... On contrary... I am using what I was given to go elsewhere... to go where I want to... and on that path, I have to let go of stuff, situation and people in order to not give up on my dreams! In order to not give up on myself!

I can't give up on myself... therefore I need to let go of what is weighing me down!

I am glad in the end that I got that stupid disease.... it was, in retrospect, the best thing that ever happen to me...  because it forced me to dig deep and figure things out...  It had me start doing yoga... which woke me up...

In the end, I am grateful for MS, yoga and my new self!
And I really have no regrets...
All that happen brought me to be who I am today... and this is just as perfect as it could be!

What about you? What do you need to let go off? Are you giving up on anything that is deep down very important to you?


love&peace,
nath
xox
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Homemade chai recipe

Dear friends...  I had not planned a post today.. however, people keep asking me for my chai recipe... and as this blog can actually be reached by anyone, it seems easier to put it here and refer to it than answer on every social media...
SO here's a picture...

And here's the recipe....
To make chai powder: (it will make enough that you can store in a glass jar in a cool dry place and use for upcoming weeks or months...)
1 tbsp. whole black peppercorn
9 3 inch cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
1 tbsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp. whole green cardamom pods
3 black cardamom pods
2 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
Put all spices in coffee grinder and grind...  you can sift afterwards to get a fine powder...  and it can really be kept for up to 6 months, so do not worry about the quantity you made!
Now, to make chai:
1 tsp of spice mix
2 cups water
2 cups of your favorite nut milk - I use vanilla almond
2 tea bags
if you want it sweeter, you can add raw sugar or agave nectar to your liking...
Boil for a few minutes...
Pass thru a colander
And enjoy!!!

Now this is a traditional Indian chai recipe...  that has been of course veganized by the choice of milk... and black cardamom and turmeric were added to increase the health benefit of it...  they can actually ward off cough and colds!

Remember, that if you add a little sugar, even kids will like it!

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.... ever since I tried it, I cannot have chai anywhere else... they are always too sweet or not tasty enough!


love&peace,love&peace,
nath
xox
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