Where Have You Been? On a Food Truck!

So much has changed since the last time I checked in and I've been avoiding blogging because I had to keep this secret for quite a while. I just couldn't not hint at it if I came on here to chat with you all.

So here it is... We are opening up a Healthy Food Truck in our city, Port Moody!
It's called WildRoots Juice Bistro . Scott and I will serve cold pressed organic juices, smoothies, healthy salads, soups, wraps/sandwiches and other healthy snacks. We plan on opening at the end of April but most likely the beginning of May. You can follow adventure on Facebook or Twitter @WildRootsBC


This business idea has been in the background for about a year now. It's amazing to see it all come together and a dream coming true right in front of our eyes. Still at times I feel like it's not real and something is going to happen but then I remember nope... this is real! I love it! We bought the truck in February and it's currently being fabricated to fit our needs. At home we have been narrowing down our food choices/recipes and working on the different juices we will offer.

The "Before" Picture of our Healthy Food Truck

So why a healthy food truck? The idea for the food truck came to me more than a year ago when I noticed that our community was resorting to harmful unhealthy food because they just didn't have any other options when they were on the go. At the same time my mom was told she was at her limit for chemotherapy treatments and the next step was to try new pharmaceutical drugs from Europe. After listening to her tell me "Michelle, I will never give cancer a chance to live in my body again! I will never feed my body junk food again! There's no reason for anyone to have to go through this". I knew it was time to help spread the word about prevention of cancer and other diseases that we can control. I'm huge believer that we can heal and do our best to prevent disease with pure clean food. On the side of the truck I will put up daily health tips, tricks & "did you know...". Education is key!

I have also created a cleanse called "The WildRoots Juice Cleanse" and it was created to align with your 24hr Qi Cycle. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (and other ancient healing traditions in Asia) vital energy flows through the twelve organs and completes one cycle every twenty-four hours. Completing the activity, such as eating, at the right time, ensures that energy flows properly and the digestive system works at its best. Each juice is designed for a particular organ and part of your body, which should be focused on and cleansed. The cleanse is available for delivery around the Port Moody area before we open the truck.

In other news... We got married! :)

So that's what has been happening in my life lately.
How is everyone?

-Michelle
Holistic Health Coach
 

New to Yoga

I've found something new for me and I absolutely adore it! It's Yoga!

Over the past few years I've tried yoga here and there but always found it to be a challenge. Not physically but mentally. Stuck in my head were the thoughts "is this almost over" , "ugh, I hate being told what to do", and "I should be doing ____ instead of yoga right now". All these caused me to become irritated with yoga.

I couldn't understand how people developed this intense love for yoga. I tried giving it a shot at home but nope.. again easily distracted and left it behind until. Until recently when I was adamant about meditating every morning for at least 15minutes. This helped me become grounded (being in the present moment), control my breathing and set intentions for the day. My days became a lot more in the moment and less worrying about the past and future.

One day I saw that one of our local yoga studios (I live in the Vancouver area- there's lots!), Kushala offered an early morning class. I'm a morning person and am truly willing to try new things early on in the day so I thought I'd give it yet another shot. I walked out of the class thinking "hmm, that was different and I like it". Putting it out there and wanting more, the universe gave me a kind nudge and gift. Kushala Yoga had a deal for the summer - 2 months unlimited for a cheap price. Okay, I got the hint and I snagged the deal.

It's been 11 days since and I'm so in love with Yoga! My days are so much calmer. When stressful situations arise I don't react as I would have a month ago. My body is transforming into a long lean working power house that holds my found again spiritual side. I'm being challenged to try new things at my classes and I'm actually taking the risks. My thinking is going deeper into my true self and I'm wanting to express my true self to the world, accept me as I am. My posture when I do other exercises or even sit/stand has improved (my core is building). There are so many benefits that are naturally adding up after each class.

I'm aligned again and looking forward to the rest of my summer yoga journey. I will give you all an update on the rest of the yoga journey in September.

*Side note: Lululemon has come out with a great app that locates the nearest yoga studio near you and what their schedule is. Check it out here: Lululemon Om Finder

-Michelle
Certified Holistic Health Coach

Yoga for Starters - Namaste infographic by HealthCentral.

Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver

We had a blast this past weekend at The Dirty Apron Cooking School.

The whole experience was all around exceptional. It's in this brick building tucked in Downtown Vancouver. The 4 of us took a cab over as we didn't want to be cooking in soaking wet clothes from the down pour of rain coming down. We were greeted with welcoming smiles and a lovely glass of sparkling wine. There was about 20 people in the class and we all gathered to sit and watch the chef teach us our first course. After teaching us our first recipe he let us free to find out cooking stations.

Chef and his Students

Our first course was a goat cheese and arugula ravioli in a walnut sage sauce. For the first time in my life, I made fresh pasta people! I'm never going back and Scott & I are investing in a pasta machine. After we were done cooking the appitizer we all got to take our dishes back to a long dining table to enjoy it. Yum! The common comment around the table was "I made that?!".

Our main entree was grilled lamb sirloin with ricotta herb gnocchi and chanterelle sauce. They were nice of enough to provide a piece of black cod for me (being the veg and all). It was also nice that the gnocchi wasn't potato based but instead a ricotta base which made it much lighter. It was all super easy to cook and the staff was great at coming around to check on your progress and offer tips.

Again we came back to the long wooden table and enjoyed the meal with our friends over a delish glass of wine. Our desserts, lemon panacotta that we made were brought out to us after we were finished our entrees. I accidentally forgot to put the gelatin in mine (oops lol). Mine came out like a soup but it was great to dip my biscotti in!

The whole experience was exciting and worth the money. It's something different to do with friends if you are looking to change up your typical dinner night. We got to take our nice aprons home and the recipes we made. The only flaw I encountered is the food is a bit on the unhealthy side but it was nice as a treat.

How was your weekend?
-Michelle

Thanksgiving & Gratitude

Sunflowers at Kits Whole Foods

This weekend here in Canada it's our Thanksgiving. My family usually gathers at my mom/grandparents house or my aunts house to dive into delicious food. This year though there's been a mix up in dates with my cousin's hockey tournament and my aunts family will be out of town. So my mom and I will be joining my boyfriends family on Sunday for a quiet Thanksgiving there. I'll miss my own family dinner but this will be nice to spend some time with his side of the family. I don't know if I'll be able to grab pictures of the thanksgiving spread before it's rummaged apart. It's good food over at the Kennedy's!

Like everyone else I find Thanksgiving a great time to slow down and appreciate the people around us. Ponder how the year has gone and what I'm looking forward to in the last few months of the year.

Do you take the time everyday to be grateful? Should we have to wait for Thanksgiving to share with family what we are thankful for? I think I'm going to suggest to my family the next time we gather all together for a meal that we say what we are thankful for. A new family tradition!

Practising gratitude every day can create a positive environment for you and the people surrounding you. Think about what happens when you roll through your gratitude list. Soon there's a smile on your face, your feeling a little lighter, you forget about the minuscule problems in life and fresh ideas pop into your head. People around you feel this energy. They notice a smile on your face and imitate it, thus creating a domino effect. Try starting your day with a gratitude note. It doesn't have to be perfect, it's just to get the ideas strolling through your head.

• Over at Lululemon they wrote a great blog post about Gratitude : Today I'm Grateful For...
• and our local girl, former Bachelorette, Jillian Harris wrote about what she is grateful : My 2012 Thanksgiving Thanks!

img via

My Personal Thanks:   I'm thankful for, are you ready for this one.....  My mom's tumour on her neck has decreased in size and the chemo has made the cancer in her lungs go from a black mass to a grey matter! Woohoo. I'm grateful treatment is working. I'm grateful she continues to laugh and smile (laughter reverses cancer - studies actually show!). I'm grateful for my family who unconditionally love and support me. I'm grateful that I have a soul mate who knows me so well and who continues to be there for me even when I get very aggressive or mad when there's waay to much going on in my head! I'm grateful for my job, new SUV (the perfect health coach mobile) and my health. I'm grateful for gaining knowledge to become a health coach so I can teach people that cancer is preventable: don't give Cancer the chance to be a part of your life.

Are you grateful for anything special this year?
-Michelle

Weekend Warm-Up : Pictures & Pinterest

A short week has come to an end!

What's everyone up too this weekend? We are heading out to see a DJ (Morgan Page) downtown tonight. It's a nice chance to let go. Lately everything has been so high strung and the idea of relaxing is forced. I've made sure to meditate in the morning to ensure I'm get some "grounding time".

I've been wandering through Pinterest this week so I thought I would share some of my favourites and a couple of my own pictures from the week.

This is from last weekend at Joe Fortes. Lucky for us we showed up at happy hour and scored a perfect spot on the roof top patio (score!). Everything in this picture made me feel blah! It's amazing how you can feel the difference between "fresh/whole food" and "deep fried/proccessed" food. Don't get me wrong... it all tasted in INCREDIBLE. The best part of the appies was the bread with lobster oil and balsamic vinegar dip.

via Pinterest

This is a great DIY project I would actually take on. We haven't put anything up on our bedroom walls yet. It's been 9 months since we moved in! Can you tell I'm not much of a interior designer?? Help me!

via Pinterest

Love this look! Not a huge fan of the braclet though. I can't believe how excited I am getting for Fall fashion.

via Pinterest

This is what fills me :  FAITH - HOPE- LOVE

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Michelle