Peace... finally...

This morning I felt like writing... but not quite sure what to write about...

I realized that I write a lot more when I am tormented by something, when I want to create to new goals or objectives, when I need to clarify what is in my head... not so much when all is good...

It has been years that  I am working toward feeling like I feel today...  It took time and was not easy... you can look into that by reading my pasts blog posts... I do not feel like repeating myself again! 

I know they say that happiness is not a destination but a journey...  but really, at some points in my life, I felt like that was a big fat lie!!!   I was not completely unhappy but there was always something not quite right... and I was working toward achieving a certain state of peacefulness in my life and felt like there was always something not quite right or something missing... After years of working on myself and my surrounding, I finally am where I wish I could be... and that feeling is awesome! 

I created a life for myself, with the help of my son and husband who have been, during those years, the only two constants.  Everything else was a variable... projects, goals, objective, jobs relationships... they all came and go but those two were always there for me! I owe them a lot... a lot more then I could ever repay them probably!!! And I love them to the moon and back... a million times over!!! 

However, at this point, I can say that we are now officially debt free... one of our biggest concern! 

We are both working at jobs we love...  I mean really... waking up Monday morning is nothing special!!! 

My shopping addiction is well under control and I only buy what I really care for when I have the money...
I have established a more regular yoga/meditation practise...
And refine my home so that it is my temple...
I have re-discovered the joy of reading...
And found a new passion in nature, hiking and camping...
My health is perfect despite MS - as well control by diet and lifestyle

If you'd ask me today, there is seriously not one thing I would change in my life and I can honestly say that I was never at this point before - not even close!!!

I am pretty sure that my following posts will be quite different from the ones before...
In a sense, I think there is much less to say, or write about, but at the same time, I feel like I must continue sharing to help as many people as I can...  and I actually love doing it!!! I feel like this new episode that is starting will be an amazing adventure where you will get to see who I have become after years of fighting for it...

Could I have done it faster? better? differently?  Perhaps.... but it was my way and it gave me the results that I was looking for... isn't that all that really matter?

Well, this will be it for today... a short but, I think, important one to  write as it sets new grounds for what is coming!

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox

Wedding anniversary

My husband and I 12 years ago

My husband and I 2 weeks ago

I think I am pretty lucky to have met my soul mate... and have had the chance to marry my best friend!!! And what is even more awesome is that it's the same guy!!!

On Aug 14th, 12 years ago I married who I knew at the time was the love of my life...

I am not going to lie... it has not always been easy...  the 12 first years of our marriage include having to deal with a recompose family...  a physical sickness, a mental illness, job losses (yes more then one), a major move to another province and severe financial problems including bankruptcy...

Then we look deeply within, both went, separately, to find help and started reading on self healing and personal development... we discovered yoga, meditation and Reiki... while sharing, and sometimes arguing, about what we discovered, we were committed to make this work because we loved each other more deeply then anything you could send our way!

Our rule #1 was to never go to bed upset... so sometimes we did ended up talking things through most of the night but it always worked out!

And that's it.... 1 rule... lots of love and respect for each other...  and lots of sharing.... discussing and listening... Marriage is hard work... but so well worth it when love is involved!

Now, as I look back, I know we had our share of hard times - you can't be 12 years with someone and not fight... that would be a lie! But, what remains vivid in my head and in my heart, are all the lovely memories we have and the awesome life we created for ourselves!

My husband is my BEST friend and he knows it...
I tell him everything....
He is, along with my son, my priority #1!!! (I know this sounds old fashion, but I truly believe that for a couple to withstand the test of time, you NEED to be first priority to each other)

We took a 180 degrees turn together...
We came out of darkness...
We got to become better people...
We are stronger now then ever before...

And happier now then we even thought would be possible...

I love him to the moon and back...
To many, many, many more years with the love of my life, my soul mate and my best friend...
Happy anniversary to us!

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox

A new found love...

Last Friday I left for a four days week end camping!

It was the first time I was attempting this in almost 20 years...  and it had been not such a good experience!
It was not the type of vacation I usually look forward too.
I was a little scare about it to be honest...
But my husband was really looking forward to it and had done so much overtime for us to be able to afford the minimum equipment we needed...  I had to try my best!!!

Let me give you a little background about my experience with nature... you'll see, it won't be very long!

I was born and raised in the city...  Montreal.  A big one...  Growing up, nature to me meant my backyard...  or the near by park which had an area consisting of roughly 200 trees.... to me, this was a forest! And there even was a little hill! Hahaha! There was also a Botanical garden... Then, during summer, my parents would bring me to the beach in different places in the USA. There, there was the ocean, sands, and a shit load of tourists, with all their umbrellas and coolers, toasting in the sun. This was nature to me. Occasionally, my parents would bring me on a road trip where I could see fields of corn and cows...

Honestly, my closest experience with nature was on the few occasions when we went to one of my parents country house... there was a lake and a real forest... this WAS nature... but we'd stay overnight and then leave...  it was really short and I was always under 12 years old.... and it really happened maybe only 3-4 times.


I mean, I real city girl!!!

In my adult life, I gravitated towards cities in my trips...  and I would not go somewhere unless there was a four stars hotel and a Starbucks nearby...

Even when I moved to Moncton, to get into a quieter life, I chose a city that was smaller then Montreal, but big enough to have a Starbucks... and a mall! I never expected that in two years I would change so much that I would dread going to the mall and start avoiding Starbucks...

Then, last spring, my husband, whom I love very much, expressed to me his need to reconnect with nature... but I was doubtful I would even tolerate it...  He promise me he'd work really hard (he meant extra hours) so we'd have all the minimum and a little extra so that I would enjoy it... at least not hate it.  I agreed to it... but deep down, I was sure this was a waste of money and that after this summer, this trip would be over.

Surprise, surprise!!!!

I love it!!!  REALLY!!!

Perhaps even more then he did!!!

I fell in love all over again... It was a revelation... I did not wanted to come back... And I am counting the days till our next four days trip:  there are 20 left!

We are also coming up with a plan to visit Fundy quite a lot next summer...  meaning a nine days trip and a few extra long week ends!

Why Fundy?  Well, there is the Bay of Fundy, a gigantic forest... and it is a really nice place with hiking trails for everyone...  there are tons of lovely views where you can just relax...  red squirrels, hares and tons of birds...  and a million stars in the sky at night!  A nice added bonus was the village of Alma which is 5 minutes away right at the exit of the park where there is a General Store (for what you may have forgotten...) and the Octopus coffee shop with an outside sitting area by a stream with the sound of water and birds... and Alma also has a beach!!!
Fundy is just a little over and hour drive from my home!!!

We barely touched the surface of that National Park which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site!!!
This is why I want to go back...
I REALLY want to go back...  OFTEN!!!
I want to llok into all it has to offer... there is so much!!!

I miss it already... and the only thing that is holding me together is working to save money to go back!!!

I knew this guy, years ago, who would work all year (with a quite decent salary), live really frugally and save all his extra money to travel... At the time, I did not understand... now I do.  My money, all I can put aside, is now going towards camping trips in Fundy National Park...  and then eventually, we'll try the other National Parks...  I need to be in nature... I need to step away from the city and the noise... and the people...

Maybe I'll never live completely in the woods... but who knows?!?  I will let that new found love bring me where I should be... and see what happens!!!

This is what I do now... I let life (the Universe) guide me with the help of my yoga practice... and it makes everything so much easier... I just know what I need and it comes to me naturally...

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox

My list of books....

In one of my latest post, I was mentioning that I owned 37 books.... and one of you guys asked me what they were.... so here they are!  The 37 books that I keep because I go back to them again and again...  Being an avid reader, would I have kept every book I ever read, my living room would be full of books but that would not make sense right? Just since the beginning of January, you could add 30 books to that list!

Le petit livre des chakras

A new Earth - Awakening to your life's purpose

The path of the yoga sutras

Savvy chic  - the art of more for less

The paradox of choice - why less is more

Wild

Into the wild

Vivre en paix

Apres la pluie le beau temps

Au nom de tous les miens

Je vivais seul dans les bois

Le petit prince

Sur le bord de la riviere Piedra je me suis assise et j'ai pleure

Plaidoyer pour le bonheur

A toi qui n'es pas encore ne

Ou tu vas, tu es

Sacre montagne de fou

The new good life

How not to die

The China study

No steak

Healthy at 100

Whole

The food revolution

Sapiens

The pocket book of stones

petits

National Parks of Canada

Guide des oiseaux de l'est de l'Amerique du nord

Vegan's daily companion

L'alchimiste

How to go further

Guide total survie foret

Total yoga

Yoga for real life

Hatha yoga illustrated

Wanderlust

Hopefully, this is what you were looking for... If you have any more questions, please let me know... always a pleasure to answer...

Now you may ask "Will there ever be more book to that list?"  Maybe... but I only buy books now according to some specific criteria... and keep them for even more specific ones! So this list may grow eventually but not that much...

Oh and yes, I do have a copy of my own book Life Happens Living a healthy life despite a chronic illness that you can get here!

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox

So long Starbucks...

I have been going to Starbucks every single day, minimum once a day, for the last 13 years... or just about...
I have very rarely missed... rain or shine....  snowstorm or heat wave...  feeling good or sick...
It was my go-to place, my home away from home to talk about life with my love, son or friends...

It was then, only logical, that once I moved to Moncton and wanted to work in a coffee shop, that I ended there... After all, it was giving my free drinks while working and 30% discount all other times! Plus, I spent so much money there, I thought it was time they gave back!

However, last week, I announced that I had given my resignation... and this, which I assumed would cause a storm within my circle, actually was the opposite...  people were very understanding and NOT SURPRISED! Most of them claimed that leaving Starbucks was actually more in-line with the rest of my lifestyle! Even my boss mentioned that, even though she was sad to loose me, she wondered for almost two years what I was doing there...

I ended up being surprise that no one mentioned it to me earlier... such a discrepancy in my life.... and I am ashamed I did not see it earlier!

For some reason, since I moved here, two years ago, I have been on a path to furthermore simplify my life... and shop less... and think before I spend any dollars!  For that reason, I started my 367 days shopping ban last November. Now this challenge as somehow changed me... and following the rules I set for myself has sometimes been easy and sometimes not so much...  I wrote about an update last week which you can read here.  I do not want to repeat myself.

I think that all that reading I have been doing (reading marathon) and all that thinking about my money spent has open my eyes on something I was refusing to see before... One of the thing I have set myself up, as part of this challenge, is to buy more local stuff...  and for some reason, it hit me somewhere beginning of March, that I was actually working in a business that was not at all local!  Nothing is local about big corporations...  and if I tried avoiding them as much as I could (not possible to always do so where I live as there are not many other options for some stuff), why was I working in one? And why was I spending all my free time in it too? Well, spending my free time there only made sense as I had a considerable discount...  but I suddenly realize that I could no longer work there... and every shift from then on made me really unhappy... I then started to look for another job... but stuff like "but you have the perfect schedule" , "you get 30% off", "your boss is amazing", "it's walking distance from home" were holding me there... Stillness is so easy and comfortable. But I know myself now... once a seed is planted, it will grow... give it time! And the time came...  and something really nice presented itself to me...  and I jumped on it!  Not because I am not terrified by change...  because I still am!!!  But because I learned to trust life...  when you plant a seed in the Universe, it will grow and find it's way...  If you do not look so hard, the right things/opportunities/people find you... and this is what happened! Therefore, in order to be honest to myself, I have to try this...

And no long after I gave my resignation, it started sinking in that I could no longer go there as a customer either... that would be AWFUL! Imagine working in a local coffee shop and spending your money on a big corporation who does not need it? There is no way I could do that... so I decided that I would go as long as my discount applied or as long as I had not started working in my new job - which ever came first! Well, the discount thing is off as of today - and I am starting work on Thursday in my new coffee shop  ( Cafe c'est la vie )... therefore I took my last free soy chai and stepped out... knowing that I would not be back anytime soon!

Some may think that I am silly to write a post about this... but Starbucks has been a HUGE part of my life...  back in my hometown and here, where I basically met everyone I know in Moncton. It is a 13 years old habit that I have to break...  and habits are habits... never easy to get rid off!  I know I can do this... but I also know that I need to write about it... because writing about stuff helps me... and sometimes helps you too!

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox

7 months down... 5 to go...

It's been 7 months already...

This post is less about what I bought or not...  Although I have to admit that I did buy a few tops - new and in regular stores...  :-(
but I could not find what I needed in thrift stores or in any "sweat shop free stores"...
made me realize that we do not have very many options...  here, where I live anyway... and no longer having a credit card poses a problem to buying on-line...  I was told that I should look into getting a pre-paid credit card for on-line shopping...  maybe I'll look into that before I buy something next time...

besides that, I have been doing good...  I really do not feel like shopping...  maybe the fact that there really isn't that much close to me that I love helps... but still...  it's progress...

as I mentioned before I have rediscover the joy of reading and I am now up to 27 completed books in my reading marathon! halfway through the year and I already have more then half my objective of 42 books completed...

I still need to work on more yoga and meditation... my problem is that I have a hard time finding a consistent time of the day to do it...  my schedule changes too much from day to day... but I will get there...

what I really wanted this post to be about is what those last few months made me discover about myself... what matters more to me but also what matters less...

1) where I live is important - rather pay more on rent and live in a clean well maintained apartment

2) what is in my apartment matters much much less... as a matter of fact, I sold my couch and put my bed frame up for sale... love to sit on the floor and can put my mattress directly on the floor which makes my tiny bedroom look more decent in size - actually, anyone would come in here and would assume young adults just starting off in life are living here! and I don't care!!!

3) my kitchen table is too big - will put it for sale soon and get a smaller round one...

4) following my whole food plant based diet is the most important thing BUT what I eat is not... I can very well eat the same thing all week and be fine with it! I realize that even though I love eating this way, more then I ever loved eating in my life before, food is not that important to me.. it's a mean to end... the end being staying alive and healthy

5) while I am on the food subject... I love to cook...  BUT love it more when it can be all done in a day or so for the week...  I mean I love doing it because it provides me and my family with real food but if I can, I'd rather be reading, having tea, walking outside or doing some yoga...

6) books, music, movies, etc... I don't care for them... I have a grand total of 7 CD of music... and 37 books...  and I am not planning on getting anymore anytime soon...and I do not own any movies/tv series... I listen to music on youtube, take books from the public library and this way I save ton of money and clutter in my home! movies? tv series?  Netflix...  much cheaper then cable!

7) I care about clothes... at one point in my life it was an addiction.... I had to buy them... whether I had the money or not... and most time I did not have the money because I'd spend it all... well, on my clothes.... lol
therefore I used credit... and got into some pretty serious trouble...  that I am still paying for today - but in 12 months I'll be all right.
today, I still love clothes... and just as I realize, at the beginning of my minimalist journey, that having tea in a coffee shop is something I will never let go off, buying clothes is something I will never let go off either.. not because I can't!  because I don't want to!!! I will be smarter about it...  I pay cash now...  no more credit... I try to go into thrift shops...  and locally own store or local seamstress... I will buy fair trade as much as I can...  and I have develop my own style so I am no longer a victim to trends that come and go every month or so... I now know what I love and wear my clothes until they "die" on me but I will keep on buying them...  after all I keep saying minimalism is not about deprivation but choice... well I choose to have less in my home (less furniture, less books, less music, etc) but more in my wardrobe...  just because...  I can choose!!! I just want to be smarter about it now!

all in all... those months have made me realize that I can be very happy with very little stuff as long as I have a nice wardrobe, cheap healthy food, my yoga practice and a public library close by...

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox

But what do you eat???

This is a question I get all the time when I mention I am following a plant-based diet... with no added oil and very little process food!

Usually goes something like that...

x:  so you can't have eggs?
me:  nope... no eggs, no dairy, no meat, no poultry, no fish or seafood...
x: ...
me: and I also do not do oil and pretty much no process food that comes in a package...  with a list of ingredients longer then 5 items...
Oh... and I try to do local as much as possible!
x: ...
me:  are you OK?
x:  but... what DO you eat?
me:  everything else!!!  And there are LOTS!!!  A lot more then you can think of!

So, I thought I would do this post to "explain" what DO I eat?!?

I have studied in many details the ways of Dr. McDougall and Dr. Greger and came up with an eating plan that actually works best for me at this point in my life... I am not going to go into details about each of their respective plans as you have the link to their website...  but basically, they both advocate a whole food plant-based diet with no refined oil...  They pretty much agree that starch (although they named them differently) should be the center of your diet:  potatoes, squash, whole grains, brown rice, legumes... etc. They also each have some specifics and technicalities but I have come up with what is an nice, convenient, affordable in-between-both-plans way of eating that can work with me to provide me with vibrant health, lots of energy and a great body... because who are we kidding?  It does matter what we look like...

First of, here's a short list of things I do not do:

Eat out more than once a week - and if I do, it is most likely in Asian places to get either some sushi or a bowl of noodles with veggies!

Eat prepared food form the grocery store - I buy ingredients, produce, real food and come up with my own meals so I am in total control of what is in it! Exceptions are low-fat Italian dressing, condiments like mustard, whole wheat pasta and occasionally some "vegan" cookies

Now all that said...  what do I eat?  Well here is a 2 days meal plan that  I will stick to mostly all summer!  Now, this may seem like boring as it looks like I am always eating the same thing but each meal has so much variety and a few twist you can bring them that you don't get bored!!!

Day 1:

Breakfast
Oatmeal (1/2) with 1/4 cup berries, 1 tsp ground flax seeds, 1/8 cup mash white navy beans*, and a splash of soy milk.  Every now and then, I will add 1/8 cup chopped nuts
* the goal is to include legumes in ALL your meals in one way or another!

Snack:  Homemade banana muffins:  1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce and 1/2 cup pure cane sugar creamed together.  To which, you add 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup oats, 1 tbsp ground flax seeds, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder. 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2-3 ripe bananas mashed, 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, least process possible, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup vegan choco chip for a treat (I don't always put them as they add fat and process food) Bake at 350F for roughly 20min

Lunch: sweet potatoes baked with garlic and cayenne, 1/4 cup hummus* on half a multigrain bagel and veggies (red cabbage, carrots, green bell pepper, corn...)
*You have to make your own hummus as store bought versions all have oils in them...  I make mine using chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, water (instead of oil), salt, garlic powder and sometimes cayenne for a spicy version

Supper:  Big salad with brown rice, cooked beans, green leaves, bunch of assorted veggies, cooked mushrooms, ground flax seeds with an fat-free Italian dressing or homemade tahini dressing or homemade peanut butte dressing - but they have more fat so not too much! For an extra special supper, I would add a few olives and perhaps some roasted red bell peppers! You you think this will not be enough, you can have a side of baked diced potatoes with mustard!

Snack:  air popped popcorn with nacho flavoring: 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne powder - sprinkle over popcorn and bake at 275F for about 30 minutes! LOVELY!  After the popcorn, I usually have an apple!

If you need an afternoon snack, do not hesitate and you can pick between those lovely options:
Veggies with hummus
10 almonds and a fruit
Pretzel stick
Brown rice rice crackers- caramel is my personal favorite
Baked potatoes whether they are purple, regular or sweet at room temperature they are great too!

Day 2:

Breakfast: 2 slice of rye bread with pinto bean dip (pinto bean, water and little salt) and a banana of grapefruit

Snack:  same muffin as above with a fruit

Lunch:  barley, mushroom and tomato soup with a side of red cabbage and/or broccoli on some greens with shredded carrots/beets, cucumber and celery...  you can sprinkle with ground flax seeds and some fat free Italian dressing.  Another great side would be a corn of the cob... since I can no longer dip it in vegan margarine, I cut it up, add a minute amount of vegan margarine (1/8 tsp for 3-4 cobs) as a treat and sprinkle some of that nacho stuff I use on my popcorn!  This is even great the next day at room temperature as a snack!

Supper: multigrain tortilla with beans, greens, cooked mushrooms, purple potatoes, hummus and other available veggies... you can add avocado if you wish too and some sort of dressing (the permitted ones only)...  had a long day.. add olives and roasted red bell peppers... or why not sun dried tomatoes??? If one is not enough, have a second...  as long as you stay with whole food, plant-based and low fat stuff, you can eat as long as you are hungry!!!

Now...  this is my way to eat...  it is simple, cheap and effective!  You get all your body needs and you never feel hungry!  Craving will also go away in time! Trust me!

I had already shared my barley, mushroom, tomato soup recipe here.  Look it up if you missed it...

As for my in-the-kitchen routine...  I try and stick to Sunday late afternoon and Monday morning...  during those times I make the soup (this one or another one for the week).  I make one batch of muffin and while to oven is already at 350F, I crank it up at 420F to bake all my potatoes  (40 min) for the week at the same time to save on electricity!  All my potatoes are diced, and sprinkle with a little salt, garlic power and either Italian herbs or paprika (for white potatoes), cayenne (sweet potatoes) or nothing else for purple potatoes.
While all the baking is happening I typically cook a huge batch of brown rice and mushrooms in a little water and a lot of Italian herbs... On the Monday, I can do 1 or 2 batches of beans/lentils and perhaps another batch of muffin.  I will keep what ever beans I need for the week and freeze the rest - by cooking a different type each week I always have some frozen ready to use! I will also bake some tofu cubes that marinated in soy sauce (350F for 30 min).  If need be, I will also make another meal that I can reheat during the week for a warm supper - something like a tomato pasta sauce or sweet potato Tunisian stew... This goes to show that with a little organization you need to spend very little time in the kitchen during the nice summer days! And all year long for that matter!

See???  who needs oil???  I never use any in my cooking, baking, roasting...  and everything is just lovely! For all I know, I never really liked eating before I started eating this way and now, for the first time in years, I am looking forward to my next meal or snack... I am never let myself go hungry cuz I'm afraid I'll gain weight (I know... I know.. slightly anorexic some would say... hahaha)...  I eat all I want until I am full... and I feel great and look pretty much OK for my age!

I eat plenty of food and I did not even list everything here... there are many more options...

If you have ANY questions or comment do not hesitate...I will be happy to answer you!!!

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox