I'm baaaaaack!

After an amazingly short (and cold) summer, I have finally wrapped my head around the fact that it is indeed over... after all, tomorrow is September 1st!!!  As I alluded to in my last post, I spent most of the summer on our lot in Nordegg, living in a holiday trailer with my two-year-old, while my dad, husband and mom made intermittent trips to the lot to work on building the cabin.  In a lot of ways, it was indeed a summer of 'living with less'... less water (we didn't have running water), less power (we only had a generator that ran for about an hour a day), and by default, less spending (pretty hard to spend money when the nearest centre is an hour away).  Some sacrifices had to be made however, and I ended up having to buy a lot of the foods that I would normally make: crackers, breads, sauces, etc.  On the other hand, I did manage to get to the farmers market on most of the weekends, and my husband regularly brought us goodies from our garden back home.  I also managed to get out berry picking on one of my brief trips home, and I now have raspberries and saskatoons in my freezer that will hopefully last me most of the winter.

With all of those positives to reflect upon, it is with some dismay that I share with you some of my 'failures' as it were from the past few months.  First of all, my work.  I work from home, and as such, I needed to have access to the internet over the summer months.  My cell phone contract came due in June, and, I decided to replace my phone with the latest gadget, and yes, I am talking about an iPhone.  I know, I know, that doesn't fit in with living with less AT ALL!  To make matters worse, my old laptop kicked it a few weeks ago in August, forcing me to replace it as well.  So, two BIG hypocracies on my part.  However, rather than beat myself up about it, I have decided to just roll with it, as these two items allow me to stay home with my son and keep up with all of my other 'living with less' duties!  My next 'cheat' involves my son.  While living between the two homes all summer, I decided to leave most of our clothes back in the trailer to make things a little bit more efficient while travelling back and forth.  All was going brilliantly until towards the end of the summer when my little guy had a major growth spurt.  I brought him home, only to find that not a single item of clothing left in his closet fit him anymore.  I hit up the local consignment shop, only to find a single pair of pants that fit him.  So, after allowing him to run around in a t-shirt and diaper for two days (he loved it), I finally gave in and bought him a few new things to get us through until I could find some more consigned clothes for him.  Boo.

So, now dear audience, I have a poll for you... Given my 'cheats', do you think it would be apropos for me to start all over again (ie. reset the timer for another 365 days), or just leave the timer running and roll with it?
I leave it with you to decide...

Can't wait to hear from you and see where the next season takes us,

All the best!

Marebare xoxo

Living off the grid = limited access to blogging!

In my brilliant plan (and opportunity) to live off the grid for much of the summer... I neglected to consider one small challenge... blogging!  I am so very sorry to those of you who have continued to check in on my goings-on day after day after day, only to find a very poorly neglected blog.  Bad blogging etiquette, I know.  My brother was after me about it today (again), and as such, I am sitting outside the library poaching the free wi-fi signal from the library in this extremely small town.  To give you an idea of just how tiny, the library building itself could fit into my kitchen and there is a small sign on the door announcing its opening hours per week (approximately 10.5) and a message that these hours are 'weather and availability of volunteers permitting'... gotta love it! 

So where am I exactly?  Well, my family and I are building a cabin just outside of a pretty little mountain town called Nordegg, Alberta.  Trent and I used to work at an outdoor centre in this area 5 or so years back and just fell in love with the area.  Needless to say, it is awesome to be back!  Currently, my son and I are staying in a trailer (with only a generator for power - about 1 hour per day), and no running water.  As for my 'living with less' values, I'd say that this kind of lifestyle fits right in!  I have also harangued my mom to send virtually all local, organic foods up on the weekends, when my husband comes, so life is truly great!

I won't have a chance to write much this summer, but I'll be back this fall with a full report on the summer and the plans for fall.

All the best to you and yours and have a happy, happy SUMMER!!!

xoMarebarexo

Taking a bite out of Summer

Given that Summer Solstice - the longest day of the year and the first day of summer has recently come and gone, it seems only fitting that I have spent much of the week in my kitchen enjoying the 'fruits' of my labor...

Living in the northern climate that we do, when summer hits, I make a point of buying up the abundance of inexpensive fruit that comes our way and figuring out ways in which to store it.

First up?  Mango puree (with a few strawberries thrown in for good measure).  All you do is cut up mangoes (and anything else that you want in there), chuck them in a food processor and then pour the puree into ice cube trays for freezing.  After they are frozen, they can be removed from the trays and stored in ziplock bags in the freezer.  Then, when you want to use them (they are delicious added into sauces, stews, dressings and smoothies) just take them out and thaw them or even put them into the blender frozen.  Easy, delicious and right now, very cheap!

I am pretty sure that the next concoction will help most of you with a little 'food problem' that crops up in the summer... watermelon sorbet!  I don't know about you but I always have way, way too much of that stuff laying around and I end up 'overindulging' just to make sure that I don't waste any.  This is a great way to use up about 5 lbs. of the humongous fruit.

To make it you'll need:

6 cups of diced watermelon (it should be about 4 cups when pureed)

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tbs fresh lime juice

1 tbs freshly chopped mint (not necessary, but it makes a really nice touch) - plus, you might as well use up those herbs that you've been working on growing right?

1/2 cup of honey

More Lime Juice!!!

Using a blender or food processor, puree the watermelon.  Then, in a medium-sized saucepan, add one cup of the pureed melon with the sugar, lime juice and mint.  Heat on medium until the sugar is dissolved.  Whisk in the honey and the rest of the puree until it is well blended.  Pour into a square cake pan and freeze overnight or until solid.  Once frozen, remove from freezer and let thaw on the counter for 5 minutes.  When you can remove it in chunks using a butter knife, add it into the food processor again and puree until smooth.  Here I added another tbs. or 2 of lime juice - until it was nice and tart.  Then, put it into a air-tight container for freezing and enjoy whenever the mood strikes you! 

Another good summer recipe that I like is: Pasta with fresh herbs, garlic and lemon...

To make it you'll need:

Any kind of pasta that you like (fresh pasta is the best, but you can also used dried)

Any fresh herbs that you have pain-stakingly grown (or fresh ones from the market)... I like to use varying combinations of chives, rosemary, oregano, and basil... - about 1 tsp of each finely chopped

Drizzle of Olive oil

2 diced garlic cloves

1 tbs. of lemon juice (fresh is best)

Salt and Pepper to taste

For this one, simply cook the pasta to your preferred degree, rinse it in a colander with cool water and return it to the pot.  Drizzle with olive oil and stir in garlic, lemon juice and herbs.  Season with S & P to your liking and ENJOY! 

For a funkier, more exciting version, you can also add chopped cherry tomoatoes, olives, capers, and/or freshly grated hard cheeses such as parmesan, asiago or romano.  Have fun with it!

Cheers and Happy Summer!

Marebare

A foraging we will go...

One of the 'side effects' of reading Michael Pollan's books, especially The Ominvore's Dilemma, is that I have this new-found obsession with trying to forage edibles from my yard/property.  So, last week, armed with my rainsuit-clad son and my camera, I went on a walkabout in my yard to see what I could 'rustle' up for dinner...

Now, it must first be said that I have little to no knowledge of which wild species of plants/fungi are edible.  I did some research yesterday (for like about 2 minutes) looking up photos of some species that grow/live here in Alberta, but that's it.  Given my lack of knowledge, I decided that on my first foraging adventure, I would take only my camera and take photos of those plants/fungi which I though might be edible and look them up when I get home (after all, no one needs to get sick, or worse, even die from my efforts to 'find' my dinner). 

Here is what I found within a stone's throw of my house - and we are talking a girly-girl's throw!

• 2 different kind of mushrooms
• Wild chives - which I am totally going to put in tonight's dinner!
• Rosehips
• A few patches of wild strawberries which aren't yet producing berries, but look like they will be soon
• More dandelion greens than I could ever hope (or want) to consume

And that is just the stuff that I could identify!!! 

I am also super fortunate to live on a huge chunk of land which is partially forested and I know that many, many more edibles are dwelling in there, just waiting to be picked, eaten, or... photographed.  There are a ton of wild raspberry bushes for example, and Trent told me last night that his mom used to forage for Morales in those woods as well...  I think a foraging lesson from my dear mother-in-law might be in order very soon!

One more thing - I am super interested in finding edible greens, and I read that Lamb's Quarters are super nutritious and plentiful (aka a weed)... but, I am just not familiar with this plant... and I can't seem to 'find' any out here... does anyone have some pictures of this plant that you could send me?

Well, that's all for now - happy foraging!

Marebare xoxo

Times are a changin'

Alright, so I haven't been writing much lately... and no, it is certainly not because I have fallen off the wagon... quite the opposite in fact.  The truth is, I am in the process of re-evaluating my values (yes, again) thanks in part to a certain journalist named Michael Pollan.  I think that I have mentioned his name before when I wrote about the movie Food Inc.  Anyway, Pollan has written two extremely thorough books about the industrialization of our food chain here in the West (and increasingly, the rest of the world as well).  The two books: The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food are both amazing reads and I highly recommend reading both of them.  Upon making this recommendation to others, I have had a lot of people say, "Oh no, I don't think that I want to know about the horrible things in our food because I really feel like I can't do anything about it."  To this I fervently answer: "This isn't true any longer, in other words, WE ARE NO LONGER AT THE MERCY OF THE BIG CORPORATIONS!!!  In fact, we do have other options, so find out about them and take advantage of them!"

As I have alluded to in earlier posts, 'living with less' has become about so much more than simply saving money (although that has certainly been a side benefit).  Increasingly, this project has resulted in more of a lifestyle change for myself and my family than anything else.  What I am saying is, I now hold the belief that certain things (like my family's health and the well being of our planet and the organisms that sustain it) are much more important than saving a dollar here or a dollar there.  As a result, I have entirely changed the way that I think about food, cook/prepare/serve food, and shop for food.  For me (thanks to Mr. Pollan), I have a few basic tenets that I am trying to live by that I will share here:

1. Priority #1: Buy local (and organic if possible) (or better yet, grow as much of your own food as you can!)

For fresh fruits/vegetables, this is certainly a challenge for us Canadians who choose to live in such a Northern climate where the growing season is so darned short.  But, summer is upon us and there are some good choices out there.

• For local and pastured meat, check out this link: http://www.eatwild.com/ to find a farm near you that sells this superior product (it is amazing how many farms that I was unaware of in Alberta, and this way, you can buy right from the farmer and even visit the animals if you want, talk about taking out the middle man!)
• Go to the farmer's market in your area.  These types of local markets have more than doubled in recent years and it can sure be a fun outing for you and your family on the weekend.
• Start a garden, or if you don't have much room, start a container garden.  You can grow all that you need for salads in containers for example and you can then enjoy fresh salads all year round!  It really isn't as hard as it sounds!

Priority #2: Buy organic whenever possible

• This is also a tricky one for us Canadians because our food has to travel so darned far to get here that organics often can't make the trek (because they aren't covered in preserving chemicals)
• Also, I do realize that organic produce does cost more, so if you have to be discerning, here is a list that I found on-line to help you make the choice a little easier:

The Dirty Dozen: contain from between 47-67 chemicals PER SERVING!

1. Celery

2. Peaches

3. Strawberries

4. Apples

5. Blueberries

6. Nectarines

7. Peppers

8. Spinach, Kale, Greens

9. Cherries

10. Potatoes

11. Grapes

12. Lettuce

The Clean Fifteen:

1. Onions

2. Avocados

3. Corn

4. Pineapples

5. Mangoes

6. Peas

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwi

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Cantaloupe

12. Watermelon

13. Grapefruit

14. Sweet potatoes

15. Sweet onions

Priority #3: Avoid any/all processed foods as much as possible!

Pollan has some great tips on how to avoid these crazy 'food science' products:

• Don't eat anything that your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food (love this one!)
• Shop the outsides of your supermarket and stay out of the middle
• Read the label: if there are more than five ingredients and you can't pronounce one(or more) of them, PUT IT BACK!

If all else fails, just remember Mr. Pollan's tag-line from 'In Defense of Food': EAT FOOD, NOT TOO MUCH, MOSTLY PLANTS!

Happy Eating!

Cheers,

Marebare

The above images are not mine, but taken from the web, to view the source of the image(s) please click on the picture to be taken to the image's homepage.  Thanks.

Living Green = Saving Some Green - Actually, A LOT of Green!

Hmmm... on second thought, maybe the title should read: Saving Some Red, Green, Purple, Blue and Brown? (Silly Canadian money)

This week has been all about getting it 'done'.  I have tried to catch up on my housework, my paperwork, and my work-work.  I love actually getting to tick things off the never-ending 'list'.  In the process, I updated the database that charts our spending from month-to-month and year-to-year... and you'll never believe what I found out...

In four months: from January to April, we have managed to cut our spending in HALF compared to what we spent in the same timeframe last year...  To give you an indication of how significant this is: we spent $11,000 LESS than we spent in 2009!  While I knew that we were doing 'well' on this project, and managing to spend less, I didn't realize just how much less we were spending!  It is a very rewarding (and yet bewildering) feeling.

Most significantly though (even more significant than saving all of that money), is that fact that our lives are fuller, happier and better than ever.  I am living, walking proof that 'less truly can be more'.  Of course, it also inspires me to do EVEN MORE!  Now I wish that I had entered this project with a group of people and made it a real challenge (there's my competitive nature shining through!)

On that note, I would love to hear from some of my readers who have some lived experiences on the "Less is More" theme... Please share either in the comments section or send me an e-mail and I can post it on the blog.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Have a wonderful day all!


Marebare xoxo

So you want to DIY do you?

Okay, enough boasting about all of my self-made breads/treats/snacks.  I promised that I would share some recipes so here it goes:

Granola Recipe


3 cups Rolled Oats (not quick oats)
3/4 cup Almonds (slivered or whole)
1 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 Tbs Wheat Germ
1/2 Tbs Cinnamon
2 Tbs Olive Oil

STIR...

Then add 1/2 cup or Pure Maple Syrup and 1 cup of dried fruit (your choice, I use cranberries and apricots typically)

Spread it all onto a baking sheet and bake @ 325 for 30-45 minutes. Stir 2-3 times while it is cooking.

Voila! Store in a jar or air tight container.


Cracker Recipe:

1 cup Rolled Oats
1 cup Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sour Cream or Yogurt

Combing dry ingredients.  Add butter and sour cream (or yogurt) to the dry ingredients.  Roll as thinly as possible on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into squares (or rectangles, triangles, your choice).  Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and pierce with a fork in several places.  Bake in 350 oven for 10-12 minutes.

You can freeze these or store them in an air-tight container.
(No picture of these because they get eaten before I ever get a chance - seriously!)

Easy "Artisan" Bread

Do you enjoy fresh bread (who doesn't)?  Would you like to have the ability to bake up a small loaf to enjoy each night at dinner?  Well, now you can, and here's how:

In a large bowl, combine 6 cups of flour (6 and 1/2 of you are using US flour)... long story, but just trust me, with 1 1/2 Tbs. of instant yeast and 1 1/2 Tbs of salt.  Add 3 cups of water that is at 100 F (try to get the temperature as close as possible to this number).

Then, simply mix it all up in the bowl and cover with saran wrap for 2 hours - leave it in a non-drafty area of your house. 

After 2 hours has passed, you have two choices: 1) Make bread now or 2) Make bread later.

If you decide to save the dough and make it later, you can store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 9 days.  When you are ready to make a loaf (or two or three or four), simply take out the dough, and divide it into however many loaves you want to make.  This recipe will make 4 small round loaves - with one loaf being the ideal size to serve with a dinner for four.  I usually make two loaves at a time on a cookie sheet and put the rest in the fridge.  To make the loaves, simply form 1/4 of the dough into a round loaf, and, using a small amount of flour - work it in just until it is no longer sticky.  Let the loaf rest on a greased baking tray, covered with a tea towel for 40 minutes prior to baking.  Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425 degrees.  After 40 minutes has passed, slice the top of each loaf with a serrated knife (about 1/2 inch depth) and spray with water.  Put the bread in the oven for 10 minutes, spraying the loaves 2-3 more times with the water.  After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 375 and allow the bread to cook for 15-20 minutes more - it will depend on your oven. 

Serve warm from the oven or save it for toast in the morning.  Oh, and the dough in the fridge actually gets better with age, just remember to cook it within the 9-day time frame.

Happy baking and just let me know if you have any questions!

Marebare xoxo