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29 June 2012

potluck party : celebrating canada day and the fourth of july

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Happy Friday! This is it ~ we’re at the last weekend of June and officially kicking off SUMMER!!! And not just in small ways… There’s partying and celebrating to be done with maybe even… fireworks!!!???? Yes, as it’s Canada Day and Fourth of July nearly at the same time! Here’s to good times, here’s to celebrating with family and friends this weekend!!!

Welcome to another Potluck Party! This time it sure is all about Celebrating ~ and since you can’t celebrate without food (can ya?) this Potluck Party will be a huge fun and important event to inspire everyone that visit’s here!

Have a great healthy recipe to share from your blog? You need to add a backlink to your post, then click below and just follow the simple instructions on how to post. The Potluck Parties are all about HEALTHY mostly Vegan and Gluten Free with a few exceptions such as ancient grains and wild fish or raw honey. But no meat or dairy, eggs, wheat, processed foods or any refined sugars or artificial additives and preservatives. Link up and let’s have fun!

ps. the last party was such a great success. Thanks everyone who linked up to our Summer Food recipe party.

So my dear friends, how are you planning to celebrate Canada Day or the Fourth of July? Better yet, what will you be eating? Grilled food comes to mind ;) Can’t wait to see what you will all ‘bring’  to this Potluck Party ;) xoxo

Wishing you an awesome fun long-weekend whether you celebrate Canada Day or The Fourth of July! xo Ella




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Tags: everything else, photography
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28 June 2012

passionate : the one word that describes me best

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I have many passions. Aside from blogging here about life : health and nutrition, sharing yummy recipes and everything else I do and love and want to share with all of you ~ I do wear other shoes (all quite comfortable and sometimes I have no idea which ones to choose on a given day!). I’m a professional photographer and love getting out and doing a session for wonderful families. Pure Love Captured Photography is my photography site.

{view more adorable shots from this session here}

I also shoot commercial work for our graphic design clients, so sometimes I’m propping/ styling and shooting a whole room for a few shots for a catalogue for a giftware company ~ that however is a little different in style and I usually don’t share that here in Lifeologia-land. I’ve been doing that for over 9 years and it’s been something that keeps evolving and challenging me creatively over the years.

I love how my passions have evolved over the years, from graphic design, to professional product photography, to lifestyle photography…. and now blogging which also added food photography to my repertoire.

What was new to me was the health and nutrition passions that sparked when I got comfortable on my journey towards better health. Now I’m balancing it all ~ and I love it. But sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the directions that are pulling me away…. and separating a paying job from a loved-hobby, like blogging is often times very difficult.

So when you don’t see a fresh new post or I’m not engaging in visiting your blogs, please understand that I’m trying my best to stay on top of it all…. but sometimes when it’s too much – I must keep my balance and to do that I must choose my priorities more wisely. That said, I do love blogging the most ~ I feel like it’s the one place where I can apply all my passions and talents and feel so complete with amazing friends I’m meeting and interacting with along the way…. Yes, it’s YOU I love the most! ;)

Essentially I noticed how much I love to help. And I always mentioned to my clients when designing their new logo or packaging that I want to help them look their best….(that was always the truth and I always delivered). Interesting how I’m on a different path now in life and I also want to help.

And in my humble little way I’ve felt like I put my best effort into everything I’ve done.

If I enjoy something, I give it my all…. my passions fuel me and help me discover new things about me I would never have known.

But I’m also always open to adapt to new situations… and if something no longer excites me… I move myself away from it gently (safely) trying carefully not to burn any bridges along the way. One thing I’ve also learned in my business life and personal life, is that you never know who might end up helping you out, referring you to potential new business opportunities or connecting you with inspiring people.

To add more to my life, (and essentially change and cut back on my other work) I think I will be taking a Nutrition course in the fall and pushing myself further into wellness and nutrition. Currently, I’m in touch with a few people I’ve met through my blog and I’m coaching them through their diet and lifestyle change – and I love it. Amongst all of this, I do have a big heart and I want to help people more live better, and through food and nutrition, I think I can do that and really contribute in life-changing way to inspire and help others.

So until I master my nutrition course and carry on with my wellness and life coaching path…. and really see where life will take me….

I will be designing branding, packaging and all print and web material for our clients. If you are interested, please email me for our portfolio. (ps.I run our small business with my husband ;)

And I will be shooting product from small body care lines to home decor and other product… as well as lifestyle/people photography. If you are local to the Greater Toronto Area and would like to work together, please email me for more information. For Pure Love Captured, you can visit the website here.

And when I only can, I will be here and on Facebook to connect with my friends that are a true inspiration for what I do. I promise to help in any way I can. My passions in cooking and eating healthy are the most enjoyable passions I could ever share, so thank you for cheering me on with Lifeologia ~ the joy of spreading health and happiness…. ;)

♥ Ella

What word describes you the most? What are your passions…. do you also have more than one? ;)


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Tags: health and nutrition
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27 June 2012

good to know : why coke should be next to your cleaning products and not in the fridge

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It’s the Real Thing! Now available in a convenient trigger sprayer or a handy industrial size with a pump dispenser.

Coke – your crazy industrial-strength cleaner!

#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the ‘real thing’ sit for one hour, then flush clean. The acids in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#6. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches
calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years! (source)

Moral of the story, if it’s this hazardous and has the effects of a strong cleaner – think about what it’s doing inside your body. Not to mention that a single can of soda contains about 22 teaspoons of sugar. It is highly addictive and you should also watch out for those artificial sweeteners:

The dangers of aspertame:

“Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.”

Drinking this ‘Popular Poison” and “Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous…

The beverage findings should be “a wakeup call to pay attention to diet sodas,” said Dr. Steven Greenberg. He is a Harvard Medical School neurologist and vice chairman of the International Stroke Conference in California, where the research was presented on Wednesday…

Daily diet soda drinkers (there were 116 in the study) had a 48 percent higher risk of stroke or heart attack than people who drank no soda of any kind (901 people, or 35 percent of total participants). That’s after taking into account rates of smoking, diabetes, waistline size and other differences among the groups.

Studying 2,564 people in New York revealed that people who said they drank diet sodas on a daily basis had a 61 percent higher chance of vascular events as opposed to those who didn’t drink the beverages.

Study Highlights:

  • Drinking diet soda daily is linked to a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and vascular-related deaths.
  • High salt intake may double the risk of ischemic stroke, independent of sodium’s role in hypertension. (source)

So when the heat rises, and you get thirsty faster… think about what you’re pouring down into your body. Always go with natural ingredients, simple is best. Make your own lemonade or iced tea and smoothies. Filtered or carbonated water are always the best thirst quenchers. Keep in mind that sugary drinks will only make you more thirsty and make you crave more!

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Tags: healthy recipes
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26 June 2012

raw wraps : collard greens & raw wraps with a carrot-slaw filling

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Lately, I’m in a bit of a wrap phase! And not just any wraps… fresh, crunchy, healthy, vitamin-rich enzyme boosting RAW wraps! Can you blame me? Don’t they look delicious they make your mouth water?

Now I’m not on an all Raw diet ~ but come summertime, I do love that extra freshness in my foods that raw foods deliver. When seasons will change, I will probably really want that bowl of soup… therefore I know I may never be a fully devoted raw foodie. But for now… I sure do turn to more and more recipes that are raw. And guess what, they’re super easy to pull off for anyone ~ even if you have no special diet but just want to spice up your summertime menu plan! How simple, you ask? Well, let me show you….

First let me tell you how excited I got when I found the “Wrap it up – RAW” organic wrap wraps from Naturally Living. They come frozen but defrost really quickly and are separated with paper inside the packaging to make it really easy to grab a few and put the rest back in the freezer. I got so excited at first, that I ate one whole raw wrap all on its own before I even made the filling. There. Needed to get that off my chest. ;) And, they were so darn amazing ~ I will no-doupt buy out all the stock from Organic Garage over the summer months.

For my wraps, I used the delicious raw wraps from Naturally Living and for a nice variety on the plate, I used organic collard greens to wrap my filling in. The two types of wraps are super awesome so it doesn’t matter which ones you do, or do both – you will love a wrap version that’s not as heavy as a flour wrap, especially if you’re concerned about allergies or gluten. This, makes the decisions easy ~ and delicious!

Now for the filling:

Vegan/ Raw Carrot-Slaw Filling
for Organic Raw Wraps and Collard Wraps

  • 2 medium carrots, shredded thinly
  • 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded thinly
  • 1 medium tomato, diced fine
  • 2 tbsp of raisins
  • 4 tbsp of Vegan Mayo (Mindful Mayo by Earth Balance)
  • some fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric

Mix all ingredients and spices in a medium bowl. Add into the wraps, roll up and enjoy! (use toothpicks to keep them holding together if they keep unrolling)

Welcome to beautiful long summer days and beautiful Summer Food! Yessss…. to food you don’t have to cook! Yes…. to healthier more nutritious foods!  Here’s to good times over some Raw Carrot-Slaw Wraps!

ps. it’s not too late to add your favourite Summer Food recipe to the Potluck Party…. go and visit the page and add your favourite link! xo

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Tags: family fun
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25 June 2012

happiness is…

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happiness is…

getting away for the weekend
relaxing
just doing nothing in the fresh outdoors
diving into a new summer book
laughter and silliness
endless conversations
family time
ps. the sausages are my husband’s, I had the vegan burger
and our daughter had a bit of both ;)

what’s making you happy right now?

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