We are moving across the country.  With open hearts, an open road, big dreams and the love to support them.  I’ll catch up once I catch my breath, the road between Vancouver and Toronto awaits.

We came, we saw,

we swam, we hiked,

we cooked fresh fish and ate pancakes in the sun

and I never wanted to leave.

Sometimes life is challenging,

and sometimes it offers itself to you with a coastline that stretches itself into the sun,

a hike that climbs over lakes and the ocean and reveals the world to you

and the quiet moments you want to put in a jam jar and seal up forever.

It was short and sweet.

Just right.

One night away on the island to walk, eat, drink, sleep, swim and remember who we are.

We ate spicy prawns, drank strong martinis, ate chocolate in bed and caught up with a friend of mine over fish and chips.

Sometimes life demands you to take some time off, feel the summer sun, the wind in your hair and your loved one’s palm pressed firmly into yours.  It’s important to listen to that request.

I used to think love was for lyrics and liars, but from the very beginning he proved me wrong and continues to do so.

Love is taking time, taking pleasure in everything and nothing, feeling your surroundings coming alive, warm arms blocking cold winds and sleeping soundly just because I know he’s lying beside me.

The long weekend and a trip across the water fueled my heart and my desire.

The day that summer arrived,

in full form,

arms stretching out and embracing us,

we embraced it back.

We took the day to the water,

and skidded across a perfect oily surface

laughing as our bodies jumped as the boat hit big waves.

We dipped ourselves into the Pacific Ocean,

cold and salty,

and vowed to do it again the next day.

With wet hair and salty smiles we bought fresh ingredients for dinner,

a barbeque feast with salty margaritas to accompany our salty smiles.

Making fresh grapefruit and lime margaritas

Raw vegetable crackers, jalapeno hummus and margarita appetizer

Perfect barbequed asparagus

Barbequed scallops and prawns with asparagus

There was no chapel for this wedding, but a beautiful garden that was worked over with love by the bride’s parents.

There were candles in jam jars, rose petals and white chairs, music in the air, blankets for the ladies, cold white wine and a bride and groom who held each others hands like old friends.

John’s sister got married this weekend and I feel lucky to have been a part of the festivities.

The family put so much work into holding this great event at their home and their hard work paid off.

I drank, ate, danced, admired John as best man looking sharp in his suit, helped prepare the midnight snack with the mother of the groom and fell asleep in my dress on the sofa.

It was a beautiful night.

Robyn is one hell of a woman.

She is gorgeous, smart as a whip, and the best friend you could ever wish for.

We met in our first year of university as aspiring young journalists.

I remember one of the first times we spoke, she was buying M&Ms in the cafeteria in the morning, dressed in vibrant colours, looking impeccable and holding herself tall.

She smiled and laughed with confidence as she spoke, and I thought the world better watch out for this one.

We hung out a bit in first year, but she spent a lot of time partying and socializing while I spent most of my time sewing in my room or wandering through the city trying to untangle the thoughts in my head.

But when I decided to leave for Paris she was one of my heartfelt goodbyes.  She was happy for me and her eyes lit up with talk of travel.

When the next summer rolled around and I was finishing up my time running after kids as an au pair in Paris, she came to spend a week with me.

Even though we’d spent little time together before this, we made a perfect team, walking for hours then picking up wine, salad ingredients and pastries that we would slowly enjoy on the tiny balcony of my building.

She brought matching pink striped shirts to make me laugh, made hilarious videos with me by the Eiffel tower and came home early with me when we attempted to party on the Champs Elysees but decided going back to bed would be more pleasant.

When she asked me to move in with her and another friend when I came back to school in September, I agreed.  It was one of the best choices I’ve ever made.

We spent two years together in that apartment.  Robyn quickly became my best friend, my confidante, my martini drinking partner and my shoulder to cry on.

The only thing we ever “fought” over was an ugly lamp at Value Village she wanted to bring home and I said “No way”.  Her taste was too good for the lamp anyways.

I knew then, and I know now, that our times together would and will be some of the best of my life.  The perfect mornings spent strolling through our neighborhood with coffees in hand to go buy fresh fruit and vegetables, the late night dance parties in her bedroom, our picnics in the park and our random outings to go drink martinis will always be great memories.

Luckily for me, she is still a part of my life.  She’s a plane ride away and we’ve had the chance to get together every once and a while to catch up.  She’s also one of the few people I’ll speak on the phone with for more than five minutes.

Today she is a blossoming, 24-year-old journalist with a big bright future ahead of her.  She remains a light in my life and has the arms I crave whenever I need a good hug.

Happy birthday my beautiful friend, thank you for being you.

Celebrating my 20th together

Celebrating my 21st together

Having fun by the Eiffel tower

Dancing the night away

Hosting a Christmas party at our apartment

Showing some love in France

I celebrated Canada Day this morning with a giant fruit salad drizzled in some patriotic maple syrup.

As I munched through my salad I thought about how it represented Canada.

It was filled with local strawberries, raspberries, exotic pineapple, papaya and coconut, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, and of course a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

Canada is a young, open-minded country that embraces different cultures but is also very proud of its own roots.

After years of traveling I’ve grown to appreciate this country more and more.

I feel strong, safe and powerful being a woman in this country.

I grew up with friends who all came from different backgrounds and race or religion never set up walls for us.  Instead we felt fortunate to share our cultures, our food and traditions.

I have just accepted another job with the production company I’ve been working for so it looks like my feet will be firmly planted on beautiful British Columbia ground for some time.

I’m embracing it whole heartedly, getting into the West Coast vibe by getting outside to jog along the water, buying local produce and eating lots of healthy, energizing food.

I am happy to be here, to have my love by my side, to have my career blossoming so early and to be celebrating Canada Day in the city I was born in.

When I saw a recipe for raw granola bars on Kris’ website I knew I had to try them. They turned out so well that I had a ton of great plans for them- crumbles, raw granola and a perfect morning snack. This raw crumble makes a great dessert and a decadent healthy breakfast perfect for a summer morning.

Raw granola bar topping:

(adapted from Kris’ recipe)

• 1 cup oats
• 1 banana mashed
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup coconut
• 2 tbsp flax seed
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• Cinnamon
• ¼ cup agave nectar or honey

Filling:

• Chopped cherries (can alternate with apple or any other berry)
• Lemon

1. Mix all of the ingredients for your raw granola bars and feel free to taste and modify to your liking.
2. Freeze for 30-45 minutes pressed into a pan with parchment paper (or store them over night, these keep for a long time in the freezer and always taste fresh)
3. Chop up cherries or berry of choice and squeeze fresh lemon on top
4. Crumble raw granola over your berries
5. Top with lemon zest, coconut and agave nectar.

Summer Scallops with Citrus Guacamole and Arugula

Serves 2

• 1 Tortilla
• 8 Scallops
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Lemon
• 1 tbsp Ginger
• Arugula
• Cherry tomatoes
• 1 tsp Olive oil
• 2 tsp Baslsamic vinegar
• 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Zest lemon and set aside
3. Blend avocado in Cuisinart with lemon juice from your lemon and chopped fresh ginger
4. Cut tortilla into triangles, brush with oil, place in oven and bake until crispy
5. Sear scallops with olive until golden brown on each side and firm
6. Assemble arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, add avocado blend and crispy tortilla chips.
7. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and lemon zest

This can be served as a light meal or as an appetizer.  This would also be great with shrimp or salmon!

The weekend came at just the right time.

After a week of loss, stress and heavy emotions, I was ready to draw open the blinds and let the light in.

John and I celebrated the weekend by exploring the city, enjoying each other’s company and some great meals.

On Saturday morning the sun was shining and I set out to make a batch of raw cherry crumble with a big batch of beautiful cherries I’d just bought on sale.

I sliced up the cherries, crumbled my raw granola bars on top, drizzled some maple syrup and added some lemon zest.

The first few bites were heaven.  And then…I felt a strong heat running through my body.  My arms were burning and the heat was crawling up them.  They were turning red.  My knees turned red and my legs started to turn red.  I ran to the mirror to see my face start to turn red.

John immediately put on his shoes and ran to the pharmacy to get some antihistamines.  It turns out I’m severely allergic to cherries.  Wish I hadn’t bought a pound of them.  Fear not, John ate my portion and his of the delicious crumble so it wouldn’t go to waste.  I’ll be re-creating this with another berry soon.

While it was a stressful realization, I also realized that John will be there for me in a heart beat, and he realized how much it scared him to have anything happen to me.

I also figured it was better to find out on a Saturday morning at home then at someone’s house for dinner!  “This cherry pie is…oh my god…oh my god…my skin…” It would not be pleasant.

The rest of the day went by without crisis.  In fact, just the opposite.

We checked out one of the summer markets just down the street from us, treated ourselves to massages and a UV sauna session for the price of nothing using a coupon I’d found, watched some of the US Open in a restaurant and satisfied my urge to try Gorilla Food, an organic, raw, vegan restaurant.

We shared the raw falafel wrap (a romaine lettuce wrap filled with spicy seed and veggie falafel balls on a bed of zucchini hummus and topped with a seasoned tahini sauce and grainless tabouli) as well as a Southern fire veggie burger (two veggie burger patties thickly topped with guacamole, fresh tomato slices, cucumber slices, shredded seasonal veggies and a ginger-tomato ketchup with a hot salsa).

The verdict?  I loved the freshness, the textures of the falafel and the warm flavors of the veggie burger.  It was light, energizing and I left fantastic afterwards.  On the downside the food could use a little more spice, the space was a little cramped and the service a little lack luster.  I bought some crackers to take home and I was sold another kind than the one I asked for.

I would still come back for the freshness and the thrill of trying some different foods (I heard their carrot cake is to die for), but I may have to work on coaxing John back there.  I made him a tuna melt when we got home because he was still starving.  We both agreed that I should take the food as inspiration to make a more flavorful variation of my own.

After some shopping and strolling we settled up at the apartment with a barbeque dinner and a movie on TV.  We both kept smiling at each other and saying what a perfect weekend it was.

I can’t think of any better therapy than spending the day with someone I love, enjoying good food and making the most of the day.

Today I’m taking it easy, getting ready for the week, and feeling grateful for everything I have.

Friday night dinner: Scallops with a ginger, citrus guacamole, crispy tortilla chips and a fresh arugula salad

Saturday morning breakfast: Raw cherry crumble

Discovering the market near our apartment






Stopping to watch some of the US Open golf

Lunch at Gorilla Food

Raw veggie falafel and fire veggie burger with a side of dehydrated crackers

Cleaned that plate..


Spicy tuna melt for a hungry man

Question of the day: Are you interested in recipes of some of these meals? I’m working on a cookbook and would love to start sharing some of my creations and recipes with you! Let me know which recipes you’d like to see and I’ll put them in a follow-up post!