Keira-anne.com

I can’t even begin to count the number of posts I have written over the years pertaining to exercise, eating right, yoga and general health. For most of us, maintaining some semblance of balance in these areas is an ongoing challenge.

All my life I’ve had a high metabolism. In my earlier years, I was often called a “tall drink of water” due to my waif-like frame. However, once my late 20s came calling, my metabolism changed and keeping my weight on an even keel was next to impossible without effort. Since the age of 25, my weight has always fluctuated by 10-15 pounds. While that doesn’t seem like much, diabetes and heart issues affect my family, so fluctuation can be quite dangerous.

Photo: Eric Bjerke on Flickr

Each year over the Christmas holidays, I tend to take the approach of “it’s December – anything goes!” in terms of eating and lack of exercise. On Boxing Day, as I finished off the second 48-piece box of Toffifee chocolates I’d eaten in as many days (gross, right?), I suddenly realized that this mantra wasn’t going to work anymore.

As painfully cliche as it seems, I’ve taken up counting calories over the past few days. It’s not a diet; it’s an endeavour to get back on track. Eating healthy foods isn’t my problem. Portion control is what I lack. Since starting to count the actual calories I consume, it’s become apparent to me that I was probably eating between 3,000 – 4,000 calories each day over the holidays!

Photo: Lululemon Athletica on Flickr

Along with a few friends, I recently signed up for MyFitnessPal online. Including a handy smartphone app, it allows me to log any physical activity I do each day, diarize the foods I eat and keep track of how much I eat and – most importantly – provides an opportunity to encourage my friends who are on the same journey to health.

In addition to giving a damn about what I eat, I’ve finally bitten the bullet and bought myself some flex time with YYoga. I’ve been dabbling in yoga on and off for years and it’s high time that I finally give my practice the time and attention it deserves.

I feel like when we “resolve” to do something at the start of a new year, failing is likely because we lack the support needed to back up our choices. Structuring this new lifestyle change in the way that I have will, hopefully, allow me to stick with it in a tangible way. If it’s something you’re into doing too, find me on MyFitnessPal and let’s support each other!

When I was a little girl, there was a quaint bakery – complete with wood paneling and tufted vinyl seats – on 5th Street in Courtenay. It has long since closed its doors, but at the height of its popularity, visits to the Courtenay Bakery were a frequent part of my childhood.

Photo: Omid Tavallai on Flickr

My dad would bring my brother and I to the Courtenay Bakery for an after-school treat at least once a week, usually in the company of our grandparents. With my nose pressed firmly against the glass, I’d marvel at the never-ending treats before always settling on my favourite: a glass of milk and a sugar-and-cinnamon donut.

Whether it was our visits to the Courtenay Bakery or helping my mom make apple crisp in the kitchen, a love of all things baking was instilled in me from an early age. I’ve long been able to whip up a batch of chewy, gooey cookies off the top of my head and no recipe is ever too intimidating for me to give my best shot to.

Sometimes there is no gift that’s more appreciated than food – especially food of the baked variety. I often tote cupcakes, pie or other delicate delights when visiting friends or to offer a token of thanks. In recent years it’s gotten to the point where my baked goods are requested, so I’ve decided to take my love of baking one step further. After much encouragement from a few much-loved friends and family, I’ve started to offer my baked goods in a more “official” capacity.

I want to proudly present my newest side project: West Coast Cakery – an easy way to get your mitts on my home-baked cookies, cupcakes, pies and cakes. It’s my style of baking with my style of branding. All orders can be customized, made organic or sugar-free and yes… I’m currently taking Christmas orders for within the Comox Valley!

For all the details and information on what to order and how to order it, please visit my Facebook page and “like” West Coast Cakery. You can also follow my updates on Twitter!

/shameless plug

British Columbia has come a long way in the last decade in terms of healthy living and healthy eating. With a backyard as beautiful as BC’s, it’s impossible not to get outside and enjoy everything this Province has to offer.

Photo: Natalie Lucier on Flickr

As Vancouver Islanders we, in particular, have a virtual paradise right outside our doors. We hike in Port Hardy, kayak in Qualicum Bay, ride bikes in Cobble Hill and surf in Ucluelet. With farms and food producers dotted up and down the Island, eating healthy with local food has never been easier.

The Province of British Columbia has recently kicked off a health-focused initiative called Healthy Families BC. Its aim is to engage BC’s residents, educate them on the importance of healthy living and give them the tools and resources they need to live a healthy lifestyle.

Photo: Mt. Washington Auto Road on Flickr

Healthy Families BC wants to reach out to all of BC and initiate exciting thoughts and discussion on healthy living. Their Facebook page is a great place to start!

On the Healthy Families BC official website you’ll find comprehensive resources to start your own healthy living action plan. You can also follow Healthy Families BC on Twitter to stay in-the-loop about their new ideas.

Photo: BigA888 on Flickr

To celebrate this initiative, Healthy Families BC wants to give Keira-Anne.com readers a chance to be part of this new movement and possibly win a great prize for doing so! I have two prizes to give away:

• First prize is a $250 Lululemon gift card
• Second prize is a $50 gift card to The Market grocery store in Victoria (with locations on Yates Street and Millstream Avenue)

To enter to win, you must leave a comment below and tell me: your favourite Vancouver Island activity to stay in shape or your favourite locally-produced food and why it’s so good for you.

You can earn an additional entry by posting the following on Twitter:

I shared a health tip to win a $250 Lululemon gift card from @HealthyFamilyBC and @KeiraAnne! http://tinyurl.com/3v2yj7u

I will draw one winner at random on Wednesday, August 31st at noon. Good luck!

Keira-Anne.com contest winners from within the last six months are not eligible to win. The winner must reside within British Columbia.

Long known for attracting skiers, snowboarders, hiking enthusiasts and even bird watchers, in recent years Mount Washington Alpine Resort has added foodies and wine lovers to that list. Year-round events at the mountain are rapidly gaining traction, perhaps none more than the Alpine Wine and Food Festival.

This year’s festival combines two of Mount Washington’s most popular summer events into one tasty weekend. Wine makers and distributors will converge at the Raven Lodge on Friday, August 26th for your sipping pleasure. Entertainment will be provided by the Melissa Hill Jazz Quartet and samplings of BC salmon, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, BC grown oysters, Comox Valley-made Hot Chocolates and a BBQ dinner will also be on hand.

The culinary caper continues on Saturday, August 27th in the Alpine Lodge with cooking demonstrations created with fresh, local ingredients. Those attending will have the opportunity to ask chefs one-on-one questions, sample the product and take home the recipes. That evening a six-course meal of local food will be served, paired with incredible wines and commentary by a sommelier.

Ticket prices for the weekend vary: the Wine Festival is $30 per person, the cooking demonstrations are $15 per person and the Saturday dinner is $100 per person including a mile-high chair ride. Mount Washington Alpine Resort is offering package deals including two nights’ accommodation starting at $197 per person. For more information or to buy tickets, check out the Alpine Wine & Food Festival online. Be sure to follow Mount Washington on Twitter while you’re at it!

Please enjoy your weekend responsibly and arrange for a ride home. Shuttle buses will depart from the Driftwood Mall at 5:15 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis. This event is for 19+ only.

Not since childhood camping trips to Hornby Island had I slurped on a raw oyster, so on my recent trip to Victoria, I grabbed a girlfriend and headed to The Oyster Bar at Pescatores.

Taking our seats on the sun-drenched patio near the Inner Harbour, Sarah and I started with an assortment of oysters harvested from Vancouver Island and Cortes Island. Surprising to me was learning that, much like the different grapes that create varietals of wine, oysters too come in different shapes, shells, flavours and finishes.

Our oyster platter was accompanied by a number of condiments including classic mignonette, cucumber mignonette, soy lime mignonette and freshly grated horseradish. While the oysters are phenomenal on their own, adding a mignonette and a spritz of lemon juice can enhance the flavour notes of the oyster.

Sarah and I both opted for the French 75 cocktail – a crisp way to wash down the oysters.

Like any great oyster-serving establishment, The Oyster Bar hosts a daily “Buck-A-Shuck” between 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Getting there early is key! This place fills up fast…

Our appetites nowhere near to being satisfied, we ordered the fish tacos. Served with a house-made salsa verde infused with jalapeño peppers, these fish tacos were – without question – the very best I’ve ever eaten. Considering that I’ve indulged in my love of fish tacos from Mexico to Tofino, that’s saying a lot!

After that, the plates and cocktails kept rolling out. Indulging in both the sashimi tuna with avocado salad and a plate of local cheese, I think it was safe to say we’d reached our limit. Always looking to try something new, we opted for the Blushing Oyster cocktail with our salads.

Look who else joined us for lunch! Not only was Jordy welcomed on the patio (and not just tied up on the sidewalk), but our server also graciously brought a bowl of water for Lil’ J to sip on in between his naps under my chair.

Wrapping up our incredible and lounging lunch with a classic mojito, our only regret was that we didn’t have room for more. Between impeccable and informative staff, a relaxing dining ambiance and food that left you wanting more, The Oyster Bar is one of those rare culinary experiences that you can’t wait to tell your friends about.

Open seven days a week, The Oyster Bar serves up tantalizing specials all week – including $10 Eggs Benny on Sundays and Taco & Tequila Tuesdays. You can find them at 614 Humboldt Street in downtown Victoria or on the web at The Oyster Bar. Be sure to follow them on Twitter and check out their Facebook page while you’re at it!

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 (I was not paid or expected to write this post but we did receive our meal courtesy of The Oyster Bar.)

There are some things that no summer of mine would be complete without: flip flops, camping trips, BBQs and the Filberg Festival. It’s become an essential part of the hot months since I was a small child.

This year I was fortunate enough to bring my niece with me, though with her abundant energy and non-existent attention span, our time there was limited. After a cuddly visit to the Hands-On Farm, a pink balloon painted on her cheek and a roam of the grounds, she was ready to go.

My mom and I returned the next day, ready for savoury treats and a little bit of spending. My first stop has always been Lemon Heaven. Fresh-squeezed fruit and a little bit of sunshine (I swear) goes into every cup. I’m partial to the cherry lemonade.

Embracing social media, Lemon Heaven is now on Twitter and on Facebook!

Choosing what to eat can always be the most difficult part of visiting the Filberg Festival. Offering up everything from decadent ice cream and sizzling burgers to pad Thai noodles and perogies, my mom and I settled on Greek goodness. My hope for next year is that a vendor will add authentic Mexican food to the mix!

While the Filberg Festival is no doubt the highlight of each year at Filberg Lodge and Park, it’s impossible to ignore what makes this place so special. Shady trees, bushes and shrubs, brightly-blooming flowers and trickling streams are everywhere you turn.

With full tummies and excited anticipation, we spent the remainder of our afternoon wandering from booth to booth. This is is not your grandmother’s craft fair. The Filberg Festival highlights vibrant painters, knitters, jewelers, sculptors, woodworkers and glass-blowers among others. Textile arts have also seen a resurgence in recent years.

While some people visit the Filberg Festival for art and food, others visit it for the non-stop entertainment and music. With two stages and a children’s performance area, there’s no shortage of mega-watt talent. I managed to catch the end of Comox Valley-native Sue Medley‘s acoustic set before making time to rock out with the Russell Jackson Band.

Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Wichita, Kansas, rhythm and blues are in Russell Jackson’s blood. His knee-clapping, foot-stomping, funked-out set had the audience captivated!

Another exhibitor well worth stopping for is West Coast artist Monk. Her mythical, paint-swept landscapes are earning her international acclaim. Each year at the Filberg Festival, a piece of hers is contributed while attendees can add to it, making it a unique group effort.

Last year‘s Filberg Festival painting was created in memory of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the fallen Georgian luger who tragically lost his life at the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Earlier this summer, Monk traveled to Kumaritashvili’s hometown to present the painting to his family. You can learn more about the painting known as “Nodar’s Spirit” here.

As we continued to make our way through the exhibits, I no doubt had to stop at Saltspring Soapworks. For years this homegrown company has been creating delicious, natural products for the body, hair, skin and even pets!

Lured by the tempting scents of their body gelato scrubs, I indulged in the Rose Provencal and hand therapy lotion (for those long days at the office). Thanks to the body gelato, if my skin could purr, it certainly would.

Reflecting on my photos and remembering the sights and sounds of this year’s Filberg Festival already incites nostalgia. 365 days seems like a long time, but as they say, good lemonade comes to those who wait…

You can see the rest of my photos on my Flickr set.

Disclosure: cmp.ly/6 (I was not paid to write this post but did receive my weekend passes compliments of the Filberg Festival.)

For 29 years, the annual Filberg Festival has drawn art and music enthusiasts from all corners of Vancouver Island and beyond. I remember attending the festival for as far back as my memory goes, spending many BC Day long weekends slurping hand-squeezed lemonade while wandering the grounds of the Filberg Park in steamy sunshine.

Festival goers will once again be treated to arts, crafts, food, music and more from July 29th through to August 1st as the entire Town of Comox is in full celebratory swing. More than 130 artisans will converge at this picturesque park, toting incredible creations ranging from pottery and metal works to jewelry, textiles and specialty food items.

This year’s guest artist is Coral May Barclay whose exceptional oil paintings will be showcased at the historic Filberg Lodge. Barclay is a Northwest coast artist widely acclaimed for her landscape paintings. In addition, Filberg Festival organizers are pleased to pack their stages with the musical stylings of Barney Bentall, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Mae Moore, Lunch At Allen’s and Michael Kaeshammer among others.

New to the Filberg Festival for 2011 is “Sip & Bid” – giving attendees the opportunity to sip offerings from the finest of Vancouver Island’s wineries and breweries while bidding on original artwork by MONK and Marion Webber, travel vouchers and airfare for two with Harbour Air/West Coast Air and accommodation at Fairmont Pacific Rim.

If you’re planning on making the Filberg Festival a part of your BC Day Long Weekend – which you should – here’s what you need to know:

Where: Filberg Lodge & Park, 61 Filberg Road, Comox, BC

When: Friday, July 29th – Monday, August 1st (11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; closing at 6:00 p.m. on August 1st)

How: Very limited street parking is available. Your best bet is to grab a seat on the Park & Ride from Brooklyn Elementary School (1475 Noel Avenue). Ample bicycle parking and lock-up is available on site.

Admission: Advance one-day tickets are available at Thrifty Foods locations for $13. Tickets at the gate are $15 each or $30 for a full weekend pass. Kids 12 and under are FREE!

Filberg Festival organizers would like to kindly remind attendees that pets are not permitted on the Park’s grounds. Count on heat and sunshine so slather on sunscreen, fill up your reusable water bottle and have fun! For more information, visit the Filberg Festival online.

If you’re anything like me, you have a hard time passing up dessert of the gooey, chocolaty variety. Lava cakes, brownies and chocolate layer cake are anything but healthy, but one recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter gives them a run for their money while lowering your caloric intake.

What separates these Fudgy Chocolate Brownies from their competition is the ingredients. Spelt flour can be better than all-purpose baking flour because many bodies find it easier to digest. Instead of dumping in cups of refined sugar, the recipe calls for maple syrup and light agave syrup – the agave syrup, consumed in moderation, won’t cause blood sugar levels to spike. [source]

The fewer the bowls and tools that a baking recipe requires, the easier it is to create. Much like muffin recipes, G’s Fudgy Chocolate Brownies recipe combines a bowl of dry ingredients with a bowl of wet ingredients (including yummy, slightly sweetened soy milk). The batter is more similar to that of a cake, but trust me – it’s got more than enough “oomph” to pack a punch in the pan.

A squared is called for, something I don’t own. I poured the entire bowl of batter into one, small round pan, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Making substitutions like that can be risky, and this could have been disastrous! The batter was deep and therefore required a much longer baking time than the recipe suggested.

As the clock ticked, my apartment smelled increasingly delicious. Though they didn’t look exactly like the brownies in the illustration, I have no doubt that my attempt tasted as good as can be expected.

Warm and fluffy with melted chocolate chips, the only thing dense about these brownies was the rich, chocolate flavour. Delicious on their own (and not a terrible dessert at less than 350 calories per serving), it’s difficult to eat just one. While they could be considered a healthy-ish option for dessert, J and I went for gold and scooped chocolate chip mint ice cream alongside our brownie servings.

As usual, I won’t post G’s recipes on my blog (go buy the book!) but Self Magazine has published the recipe online.

Few things are tastier when fresh out of the oven than soft, fruity muffins with perfect sweetness and tender crumbles. For those of that you don’t bake – or are just learning how – muffins are one of the easiest items to start with. However, they’re also one of the easiest recipes to mess up if you’re not careful.

Growing up, it was Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom, Blythe Danner, that made the family’s best muffins. Decades later, G still craves her mom’s baking and found herself constantly requesting this very recipe when she was pregnant with Apple. This week I departed from stocks and soups and tried this legendary recipe on for size.

What I instantly appreciated about this recipe was that it called for ingredients that most of us have on hand in our kitchens. I had to make a quick trip to the market for some organic blueberries and farm fresh eggs, but everything else I found in my cupboards.

Muffins are one of the only baking recipes for which I will not use my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer (you’ll find out why in a moment). Typically speaking, muffin recipes consist of a bowl of dry ingredients whisked together and a separate bowl of wet ingredients.

In this case, the recipe included milk, eggs and butter that had been melted but cooled. It’s important to let the butter cool completely after melting or it will cause the milk to curdle once you try to whisk them together.

After both bowls have been properly whisked – separately – the best method is to make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold the batter only until the liquid and dry ingredients have made a batter. Over-mixing will cause your muffins to be dry and dense.

Once the batter has been folded, toss in the blueberries and continue to fold but only as little folding is as needed. This recipe would also work deliciously with cranberries and orange zest!

Another lesson I’ve recently learned is to only fill your muffin trays 3/4 full. Muffins need room to rise and if the trays are too full, the batter has nowhere to go. This also applies to cupcakes and will prevent your muffins or cupcakes from deflating after removing them from the oven. (Bonus tip: placing a pan on the bottom rack will help disperse heat more evenly and prevent the bottoms from burning!)

A tiny sprinkle of sugar on each of the muffins tops them quite nicely.

Et voila! Apart from one runt in the back that didn’t rise as well as I’d hoped, the muffins turned out perfectly. They were warm and moist and between J and I, nearly half a dozen was gone within an hour or two! I prefer mine smeared with butter.

While I have stated before that I won’t be publishing the actual recipes throughout my G-ology project for ethical reasons, Self magazine has published the recipe online.

Another habit I’ve picked up recently? Many of G’s recipes make multiple portions which, when you’re cooking for one or two, leaves a lot of leftovers. Freezing soup, stock and even fresh herbs for later use has proven to be really handy. Make sure you date everything and follow a recipe’s freezing instructions if there are any. Most foods will keep for a few months if properly stored in the freezer.

It’s confession time: I don’t like soup. I can probably count on one hand the times in my life where I’ve truly enjoyed a bowl of soup. In its heyday, Courtenay’s Old House Restaurant made an incredibly creamy clam chowder and I once had a crab bisque at Nanaimo’s Acme Food Co. that I’ll probably never forget.

However, one soup that I can rarely turn down is butternut squash. With its earthy texture and hearty flavour, it instantly invokes that warmth you only feel in the autumn. Last week I followed Gwyneth’s recipe for vegetable stock, a key ingredient in her butternut squash soup recipe.

While I couldn’t wait to make my own, the notion of working with a fresh, raw gourd intimidated me. How was I supposed to get all the good stuff out of the butternut squash and shed only the peel? As I quickly found out, butternut squash is quite easy to work with.

Start by using a sharp knife and carefully slice off each end of the gourd – about 1″ will do. Using a standard vegetable peeler, peel away what you don’t need. This will make the squash easy to slice in half.

The inside of a butternut squash is not much different than the inside of its cousin, the pumpkin. Gently scrape away the clingy webs and seeds using a spoon.

The bane of urban apartment dwelling? Zero facilities for composting. It kills me to throw all of this in the trash, but at the very least I use biodegradable garbage bags. (Let’s get on that, City of Vancouver!)

Once the butternut squash is peeled and gutted, chopping is a breeze. When making a recipe with many ingredients that require preparation, I like to get all of the chopping done before I even turn on the stove. The onions alone took me nearly 20 minutes to slice and dice!

As a kid, I foolishly thought wearing my swim goggles would prevent the tears. Little did I realize that it was the inhaling of the onions that caused the tears. Now I take lots of breaks and stick my head out of the window to breathe.

Once the vegetables and garlic were chopped, I slowly sautéed the onions and garlic in the biggest pot in my kitchen. I’ve learned that keeping the heat lower and allowing more time to sautée will prevent burning.

After cooking down the vegetables they’re bathed in warmed up vegetable stock for about 20 minutes. This allows the softened butternut squash to absorb more flavour.

The next step involves blending to get that smooth, creamy texture that butternut squash soup is famous for. Because the ingredients are hot, G’s tip is to work in small batches and work slowly. The piping steam can cause the blender’s lid to blow off.

Once everything has been perfectly puréed, re-heat the now finished soup and serve. My favourite garnish is a sprinkle of nutmeg, but a dash of heavy cream or sour cream would be tasty too. This soup was so yummy that I very quickly downed it and ladled myself a second serving – enjoy!

Have you ever looked at the back of your soup can and tried to pronounce any of the ingredients? Nothing makes a bowl of soup taste even better than knowing exactly what you’ve put into it.

For this and other terrifically healthy recipes, grab your own copy of My Father’s Daughter. You can also now follow G on Twitter!