Today is the first day of summer…that is summer break for the kids.

Friends and family keep asking me, ” What are you going to do all summer?” - with them! Well, Pearl is doing a one week performing arts camp and Merrin is enrolled in a ceramics class. That’s it! Nothing else is planned. I believe the summer is a time where the kids need to feel restless and BORED! I think it is good for the brain and will get them to be creative - build a fort, grab the video camera and just be goofy.

Let me know what goofiness your kids will be doing this summer. Maybe we can swap ideas!

Be well,

Check out this recycling bin in Vancouver!

On the far right there is a food section! This really encourages recycling! So clever!

Be well,

I just returned from a trip to Vancouver. I grew up in Toronto so Vancouver is pretty new to me. I was blown away with what this city has to offer and how environmentally friendly it is!

Here are my top reasons that a road trip to this part of Canada is well worth it:

1.    All the taxis are Toyota Priuses  (totally cool!)
2.    The Sutton Place, right downtown, has apartment type rooms to stay in. Perfect for families.
3.    Stanley Park – WOW! Beautiful and stunning. Definitely go to the Aquarium.
4.    If your coming from the states the US dollar has a good exchange rate.
5.    There are recycling bins everywhere. This was so new to me. I even saw a food/compost bin.
6.    A trip up to the Sunshine Coast would blow anyone away with the spectacular scenes and kids would love the ferry ride!
7.     Imax, science centre are walking distances form the Sutton Place and right on the water. And Granville Island is so much fun with stores, restaurants and food markets and entertainment.
8.    The snow-covered mountains are majestic and gorgeous.
9.    Whistler is a close drive and is where the winter Olympics will be next year.
10.    The people are super friendly!

Go and Explore!

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

~Luciano Pavarotti

Well, I am not much of a cook but I sure like to bake.  In a earlier blog I wrote about the breakfast cookie, and yes I bake these all the time and love them straight out of the oven!  My next favourite baked item is a flourless chocolate cake.  We try to avoid wheat and gluten so this cake is super great because it has none! I love this cake because it is rich and dense and so very yummy ( and not sure where I got this recipe although I think I copied it from a magazine years ago!)

Flourless Chocolate Cake

•    8ozs of good chocolate
•    ¼ stick of butter
•    5 large eggs, separated
•    2/3cups of sugar
•    whipping cream
•    strawberries or raspberries

1)    preheat over to 325
2)    butter, flour, and line with wax paper a 10 inch spring form pan
3)    melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler
4)    whisk egg yolks and all but 3T of sugar. Whisk and pour into chocolate mixture
5)    beat eggs until stiff and gradually beat in remaining sugar
6)    fold together the egg whites and chocolate and pour into cake pan
7)    bake for approximately 45 minutes and take out of the pan
8)    cake will sink so you can fill with whipped cream and fruit

Be well,

We all have times when we eat much too fast ( and too much!) but it can really lead to some digestive problems.  When we are eating too fast are teeth are  not able to break down food thoroughly. And since chewing stimulates the stomach and pancreas to squirt out their digestive juices and  prepare for food, it makes it difficult for the stomach to break the food down. This can all lead to indigestion, heartburn, stomach pains and possibly much more.

Optimally, we should be chewing our foods for 10 seconds. That seems crazy long but for some foods it is reasonable.  When the kids were little, we would hum and count to 10 while we ate.  It was a game but definitely showed the kids the importance of slowing down and really just enjoying the food!

Here is a cute utube on chewing your foods

Be well,

My first discovery was in India, where not only was I used for culinary creativities but also used by the Indians when swearing their oaths in court. I then migrated my way westward to the boot shaped country where Italian suitors would signal their love by placing a sprig of basil in their hair! In Romania this similar custom was practiced - where if a boy accepts a sprig of basil from a girl, it means they are engaged to be married.

In Greece, I am known as a magnificent royal and kingly herb! And even a symbol of fertility!

Also quite versatile I am, I stimulate the appetite and helps curb flatulence!

To grow me is easy. I love the summer sun and summer heat. Here is an informing video for you to learn more about me!

To be honest, I love to be served with the lovely red tomato. We are a very handsome and tasty couple!

I also love to be made into pesto. Below is recipe from Simple Recipes.

Pesto recipe

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts or macadamia nuts ( YUM!)

• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the your nut of choice into a food processor and chop/pulse.
2. Add the basil and pulse.  Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
3. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Add the grated cheese and gently stir it all together.

Enjoy!

Merrin has had growing pains since her second tooth came in at six months. The gum was blue and bulging…it was terrible. Her doctor suggested homeopathic arnica, so we gave it to her and it worked! Amazing homeopathy is!

As she has been growing up, she has had many nights that she wakes up in terrible leg and foot pain. At the beginning it was horrible. I would run to her room and then grab the arnica cream and pellets. I would rub in the cream into the pain and give her some of the pellets. She would immediately calm down and fall back to sleep.  I  eventually found homeopathic eupatorium ( go to EMERSON to purchase!) to work even better that arnica. Now beside her bed, she keeps arnica cream and eupatorium. If she wakes up with leg pain, she takes care of it herself.

Perfect…I really want her to become more proactive in her own health and giving her the tools makes it an easy transition.

Be well,

Okay I know…a trampoline is dangerous and I have to agree because I cannot believe I survived without a scratch from those jumping years!

Maybe that is why we have never bought the kids one….hmmm though, almost every second friend of my kids has one. Wouldn’t it be better if they were jumping at our house so I could at least watch them? Make a note to talk to the husband.

On a fun flip side, trampoline jumping is fantastic for your immune system. My fellow colleague and friend blogged about it and I need to pass it on. I like to think of it as preventative medicine. Up and down and down and up goes the blood and the lymph to push all the bad guys out!

Please read about it and maybe consider getting a small trampoline because really:

1.    It is healthy
2.    It may help relieve some stress (remember my worry blog?)
3.    It will entertain the kids for hours!

Be well,

Happy Mother’s Day

to all the mothers out there to all children, animals….and yes those husbands!

Have a wonderful day and allow yourself to be spoiled!

Hello! Ohh.. do not be afraid of me!  I understand that my past history is not so pleasant but I am here to tell you the truth.  So let’s start from the beginning with a proper introduction.  My name is Mr. Tom A. Toe but you may call me Tom.

My family, the Tomato, was originally grown in Central and South America.  While we were peacefully growing in Mexico, a famous explorer, Cortez, came into and conquered the city. It is believed that his explorers brought our seeds to Europe.

An evil rumor was spread about us in Europe.  It was thought that we were poisonous! In actuality, it was due to metal plates the wealthier people used in the early 1500’s.  When the metal was heated, the dangerous metal lead, would leach out and cause poisoning.  However, the poorer people who used wood plates never had a problem.  They were the lucky ones who ate us up with all of our abundant nutrients!

Despite the rumors, the Italians embraced us with their adventurous spirit and they were the first to garden and cook with us.  The French out of shear curiosity followed suite and named us the pomme d’amour which means apple of love.

It was not until after the Declaration of Independence was there any information on the tomato in the United States.  We are still not quite sure how we arrived in the United States.  Some say a French refugee and some say it was an Italian painter who brought us over. One thing is for certain that Thomas Jefferson, the third President and an avid farmer, gardened us in the late 1700’s. It wasn’t until early 1800’s in the city of New Orleans where  people ventured into cooking with us.

Do you like pizza?  The beginnings of the pizza are very interesting.  In the 1880’s in Italy, a chef made pizza from three ingredients to represent the Italian flag: red, white and green.  The red was me!  The tomato sauce!  The white was the cheese and the green was the yummy herb, basil!  In honor of Queen Margarite, the Pizza Margarite was born!

Tomatoes are loaded with many nutrients.  Our most famous nutrient is lycopene which a very powerful nutrient that protects the heart, keeps the skin healthy and helps prevent chronic diseases.

Please go to the market and find a firm tomato.  I come in many colors – red, green, yellow and even orange!  So chose your color and add me to your salad or sauce.

Eat with color and be healthy!

Last week, Heidi, the middle and upper school art teacher made another profound statement with her students. It was about drunk driving and prom night.

I usually do not snoop around the studio (although if I could I would spend all day there…just watching as I am no artist!) but as I was walking around campus I came upon a newly added graveyard. The beautiful art statement was Heidi’s vision and her students creation. It was spooky yet mind altering. Her students made individualized headstones with images and text. The kids also spent time in costume of black trash bags with quotes as, “Don’t throw away your life” or “Don’t drink and drive.” Their goal was to bring awareness about drunk driving and allow for a safe prom.

I found out later that on an average 12 teens die in alcohol related vehicle accidents daily. Incredible to believe but that number jumps to 300 on Prom Night.

Although my kids are years away from the high school years, my husband and I talk to them about everything….almost everything. Anyway, I felt this was a perfect opportunity to talk to them about drinking and driving. They could not believe the statistics. In the days that followed my girls went into Heidi’s class and Merrin filmed and interviewed some of the kids. She asked them about all different types of art but the Prom Night art came up. Here it is: Merrin and Pearl’s video.

Pass on the message to all your friends especially with highschoolers.

Be well,

I am not much of a worrisome person but I do get a little worked up, at times although my family may say “at a lot of time” – about being on time, getting to bed, picking up your stuff etc. So I am somewhat stressed at different times…particular circumstances really.

I have dreamed about sitting for 15 minutes everyday and meditating. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I have done it in yoga and loved it but at home it’s a whole different ball game - meaning laundry, food, cooking…the list goes on - calling out for me to love them!

Here comes this article from National Geographic. I stumble upon a subtle reminder that I need to chill out and relax more. Who really cares that laundry is piling up and there is no food in the fridge?

I do a bit but I am off to the beach to meditate (or float in the water)…

Be well,

Last weekend we decided to garden, which meant the dirty job of flipping the compost.

But look what we found!

There were hundreds of them!

The kids compost and garden daily at their school (wish they would at home!) so they were not as amazed as I was. It was a goofy mom moment where I said, “get the camera! Let’s get our new babies on film!”

I went a little crazy but hey…my plants need all the help they can get and the worms will be a perfect match for them.

Go get compost! It is fun, easy and has really cut down our garbage.

Be well,