mornings

I've never considered myself a morning person because letting yourself fall back asleep in the mornings has always felt like a big treat. But i've always wanted to be a morning person. I want to be someone who gets up early with lots of energy, i've always loved the light and the stillness in the mornings. So, having to be at work by 8am didn't seem like such a bad thing. And once i started to got the early morning rhythm down it became enjoyable! Apart from those days when it's raining and cold and still dark.

Over the summer Hunter and i got into the routine of having porridge for breakfast almost every morning- we'd also have eggs but since i've found out i'm allergic they are off the menu. We played around with smoothies for breakfast, or cereal, but found porridge is really the only thing that keeps us full for hours. Plus it's quick and economical!

I have mine with a tiny bit of salt and goats milk. Hunter like his with cranberries, dehydrated blueberries, hemp hearts, cinnamon, honey or brown sugar, and this time fresh strawberries.

I'll wake up before Hunter to open all the blinds, wash my face, and get breakfast started. Hunter will get up and put away the dishes that were drying from the night before. We'll sit down and eat together, quietly, enjoying our little space.

Then i'll rush to get dressed and hop on my bike to work. Soon Hunter will be joining my morning commute - we get to bike together for a while each to our separate work locations.

What are your morning routines?

sick days

I haven't had a single flu, cold, virus or other sickness this whole winter and I was so proud of my immune system until last week. When you're working with toddlers it is easy to be contaminated with their sneezes, kisses, and little hands covered in saliva baring all sorts of lovely bacteria. The second day of work i woke up with an ominously sore throat. I stuffed myself with all the remedies i had in the house but i still got hit with a flu.

That first Friday i came home ready to throw myself into bed. Hunter had other plans, plans that involved delicious soup. He bought this Old Fashioned Beef Barley soup mix and the ground beef from our local butcher's, and had it slowly simmering on the stove when i walked through the door. I was so happy he found an equally comforting alternative to chicken noodle soup since i've found out i'm allergic to chicken.

The soup mix, Mitchell's, is made on The Island from local and organic ingredients. It's wildly popular in this area and i can see why. It was delicious and exactly what my tired body needed. Thank you Aunty K and family, I'm sure it tasted better because it was cooked in my gorgeous dutch oven!

Since then we've bought three more mixes (the butcher was having a sale): Fully Loaded Potato soup, Ginger Coconut Dahl, and West Coast Seafood Chowder. I'm excited for a rainy day when we can try them!

We drank obscene amounts of ginger, honey, lemon hot water and i was better in three days! Equal parts fresh chopped ginger, honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice in hot water and repeat until you're better. It also helps to have a warm body to snuggle and a good tv show/movies to watch.

I also tried the wet sock treatment on my landlord's recommendation and even though it felt weird the first night it wasn't that bad and i think it helped me speed through my flu. If you're interested, google it and you'll find lots of info! Socks need to be at least 90% cotton and wool, respectively. My cold socks weren't dripping wet and i didn't use any essential oils, but it seemed to help and my bed was completely dry the next morning.

What does your family do when someone's sick? Secret home remedies? Go-to cough syrup brands?
I hope you're all staying healthy.
xoxo, a+h

lately, food edition

Pictured

1. Hunter's baked yam fries with home made chipotle mayo (thank you G for the spices!). Sooo perfect. Crunchy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside. I love yam fries, more than potato fries i think. Although i'll never really pass up any starch in frie form.

2. This chickpea salad and some framboise (raspberry) lambic. Simple and delicious.

3. Blue potatoes, my favourite kind of 'tater. One day i will finally make blue mashed potatoes and it will look fantastic next to some asparagus and corn on the cob. Eating gorgeous food seems to enhance the whole experience and make me more grateful and present during the meal.

4. Hunter is a master at kale chips. I request them almost every night.

5. The hand-made colander i wanted! So happy with it, it holds my fruit and the odd piece of ginger or avocado so cutely. Thank you Mamma and Georgia!

6. A close up of a classic dinner in this little house: roast veggies (here we had cauliflower, rainbow carrots, shallots, brussels sprouts, garlic, tossed with olive oil + fresh thyme + asian nori salt mix). We ate them over a medley of wild and brown rice but honestly i kind of wished i just had a heaping plate of these veggies.

7. Gluten-free apple rhubarb pie (and fresh strawberries) that Hunter surprised me with after my first week at my new job (a post about that in the future!). It's safe to say pie is my favourite food.

8. Hunter convinced me that we should bring up his vitamix from home and now i don't know why i ever resisted. Or how i enjoyed smoothies before this. I'm a huge texture person (i couldn't eat bananas for many years) and this blender whizzes veggies and frozen fruit into the best texture ever.


Not pictured
Every other meal we eat because it looks too boring to grab the camera or we are too busy and hungry to bother taking a picture.

What's a classic meal in your house??