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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