the best place to photograph a new baby.

Published Monday, May 06, 2013 by jodi renee.


Want to know the best place to take photos of a new baby?
Seriously.
It's not in a nutshell.
It's not in basket or a drawer.
Not wrapped in freaky gauze, even freakier than the gauze is hanging from a tree IN the gauze.
No overheated room, folding a sleeping baby into our many configurations.
No wings or weird props to make the baby look 'cute'.

(biggest secret eveerrr....) Are you ready?
The best place to take photos of a new baby...
Is in mom and dad's arms.

Welcome Kohen.
You're absolutely perfect.
Congrats Erin and Chris..xo

jodi renée

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chelsea + darcy

Published Wednesday, May 01, 2013 by jodi renee.

Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers,
the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself
with those who see the greatness within you, even when
you don't see it yourself.
- Edmund Lee

Sometimes what we need to see, is something we never give ourselves the
opportunity to see...
jodi renée xo

hair and make-up by amanda lisa // 519.635.1903

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the number 1 way to get kids to eat kale (or anything green for that matter)

Published Sunday, April 21, 2013 by jodi renee.

When kids grow kale, kids eat kale.
They grow tomatoes, they eat tomatoes.
When none of this is presented to them, if they're not shown how food affects the mind and body, they blindly eat whatever the hell you put in front of them. - Rob Finley

I've been rallying anyone with a patch of grass, as Ron Finely would say: To plant some shit.
I walk into the grocery store and feel like I'm the only one a little alarmed at the perfect lettuce, the rows of tomato soldiers, lined up, same shade, same size, same everything. I can't tell them apart.
Rifling through produce I'm eager to find something that is a little flawed, maybe even disfigured.
Remember tiny and tasty strawberries?
As if walking into the gym isn't enough, now we have jacked up, anabolic strawberries, ironically with hollow centers and completely void of any...taste?
So what's the point?
Profit profit profit.
Food is a business.
And just for minute, imagine THIS.
Every household grows their own garden, we're taking back the farm. Sending mass commercial 'farming' on the decline while FOOD, real food, is on the incline.
More importantly...so is our health.
We go back to getting our hands dirty in the soil, for ourselves and our family.
Even IF...it's just a few pots on the deck.
Swap a few flowers for some culinary herbs, shrubs for some kale.
The greatest thing you can do for yourself and your family?
Grow, nurture and feed yourselves. 

Take 11 minutes to watch the below TEDtalk with Ron Finley. Comment on my Facebook Fanpage and let me know what you think!


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super salad

Published Wednesday, April 03, 2013 by jodi renee.



Sometimes I beat myself up over where I am professionally, because my mind is too far in the future of where I want to be, dream of being.
And then I stop to remind myself that anything you want to master, anything you wish to truly be good at, is a never ending process...a practice.
It's chalk full of mistakes, and snafus.
A whole lot of angry rants, bursting frustrations, at times a bottle of white wine with tears streaming down your face, or the crazy mad laugh where you wish you could just lock eyes with someone, so for ONE instant someone would know you're reeaaalllly fuckin serious. And yes, quite crazy most of the time.
Predominately all of the time.
Un-crazy?...2% of the time.

Work has been a big clusterf$@k (I'm sooo getting there...) and for those of you who are questioning this cluster - trust me, it's an ongoing battle, AND I see more light at the end of the tunnel than I ever have before. Yay for hats with flashlights attached. I picture myself as a miner of sorts. Looking for that exact thing. And no, it's not perfection, it's just perfect for me.
Because I'm tired, tired, tired of so much the same. So much herding and status quo, so much 'standard' and 'the way it is'. So much of everyone JUST-LIKE-EVERYONE-ELSE.
Compromising what truly fills your heart.
I want to be different, in the way I know that I am.
This is not a journey for the light-hearted.

I say this all the time to people: You get what you pour into ANYTHING.
Be that your job, your health and fitness, any and all of your relationships.
Yet most of us want everything, for nothing.
Is anyone willing to put in the hard work?

I know, I KNOW I am on my way.
Pieces are falling together and what looks like ruin is the road to transformation.
As I stood today over the counter top, compiling all the ingredients for this Super Salad, it dawned on me, how easy this was for me. Foods in their simplicity, where they came from in the ground, where they're going in the body. An appreciation and respect for something we need, that we're given, often take for granted and the absolute power foods hold in all their simplicity.
It wasn't always this way...

I began, somewhere. A loooooong time ago.
The gym after school.
Making my own food.
And then non-stop workshops, books and trainings. I have immersed myself into everything mind/body/spirit. Fascinated with this ONE instrument that is possibly the best investment right under our noses.
The greatest gift we have ever been given...
Our body.

An ode to celebrate this wonderful and amazing gift shall we? Annnnd because my mom always wants more simple salad recipes (with awesome photos...ahem...) :)
Here's to one mother of a SIMPLE salad - a powerhouse of nutrients.

the salad
a few handfuls of arugala
a handful of spinach
5-6 stems of lacinato kale (they also call it dinosaur kale)
half of an avocado
1 large beet that I baked in the oven for about 30 minutes in olive oil, sea salt and pepper
however may tomatoes you'd like :)

the dressing
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
maple syrup
...just play around to taste. Less olive oil than vinegar and less maple syrup than well...everything :)

*you can add feta, walnuts and perhaps a fruit if you'd like, like pear would work well

You have no idea how good this is for you. No excuses.
xo
jodi renée

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eat your chocolate.

Published Friday, February 15, 2013 by jodi renee.

Spent most of yesterday in the kitchen, brewing up some healthy chocolate treats for Valentine's Day! ...and today...and maybe tomorrow. Annnnd then...they'll be gone.
The truffles are honestly so easy and SO good for you. Dates! Full of iron and all the sugars are natural. Plus the coconut oil is such a great oil, that really...you can't not make these!

As for the entree, I wanted something really tasty and super nutritious, often getting too ambitious trying new recipes, and not at the right times. Like when I tried cooking mussels on new years and to avoid poisoning the crowd, sadly had to chuck all those tight lipped Lucy's into the garbage. Or my first ever gluten free lasagna for a big birthday soiree. Which actually turned out great except for the fact that anything gluten is always a challenge. Soooo the noodles completely fell apart. More like a lasagna casserole.
So what's that little phyllo pocket of awesome? Beef Wellington! Stuffed with even more awesome. Picked up some hormone/antibiotic free, local and free range filet-Mignon. Yes, ambitious recipe, yet I've made it before (just not with the phyllo paper) so I felt confident making it again. Originally was going to make a garlic mash, and I wanted vibrant colours with nutrition so I went with roasted butternut squash (mashed) and green beans. SO GOOD. Probably hands down the best feast I've ever made!!!!

Try the chocolate recipes below. Let me know what you think.

date and cocoa truffles //
14 good quality dates
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp coconut oil (I used 2, probably could have used 1)
1 tbsp spiced rum (or vanilla) optional 
unsweetened cocoa to roll the truffles in

Throw everything in food processor.
Roll into small little balls. 
And done!
Try rolling in cocoa powder, icing sugar or chopped nuts. I put these in the fridge, and I'm sure you can leave them out in an air tight container. Annnnd you may want to double the recipe.

chocolate cupcakes // 
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup unsweetened good quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
2 free range organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 cup coconut oil
14/ cup choice of soy, almond, or coconut milk
2 tbsp honey

 Preheat oven to 350
Combine almond meal, cocoa powder and baking powder.
Add the eggs, oil, milk and honey to form a smooth batter.
Spoon into cupcake tins. And I barely half filled 12 so you can either double recipe or maybe just fill 8 tins!
Serve alone or in my honest opinion, warm with ice cream!
Inspired by the healthy chef. 

enjoy!
xo 
jodi renée

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pause.

Published Friday, January 18, 2013 by jodi renee.

 

I have to re-focus my attention elsewhere.
Because what was working, isn't.
It's frightening because I put a lot of pressure on myself and to take any sort of time off or away feels
like I'm going backwards. Only I have to remind myself that slowing down, pausing...resting, is
where strength renews itself and clarity can find it's way.

This is the 2nd time I'd attempted to make a soy latte and perhaps I'd succeed...third time is a charm.
It's scalding liquid however, that somehow erupts like a volcano all over my hands and arms.
I swear I hear the silent snickers of the Starbuck's baristas.
The latte is a journay-fail, destination-success.
So I'm happy to throw the towel in, leaving lattes to the masters.

And for the purpose of food quantity control, I fulfilled the request for muffins vs. bread.
Although I swear a whole Tupperware went missing this morning...
I do eat muffins with a fork. No lie.
And...in a bowl.
Visually, in the bowl, it would probably just come across as the weird, quirky habit that it is.
As much as I'd like, NOT to eat around the computers while I'm working or surfing, I find it close to
impossible. Sometimes I switch it up and read, either way there's no avoiding...muffin fingers.
Is this just getting weirder, because I know you know, how annoying it is to rip apart a muffin and
then go type something on your computer. Unless you reserve ONE clean, food-free finger for type,
then that's just as odd as eating a muffin with a fork...almost.
Same goes for trying to the turn the pages of your book, setting the coffee down, rip off a bit of
muffin annnnnd...greasy food pages.
So go ahead, try it my way.
With these fibre-filled awesome, vegan banana and coconut muffins.
You might like LOVE them. Everyone here does. And hopefully Paul does too :)

Vegan Banana Coconut Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup of coconut milk
Cardamom - 5 pods crushed into powder (or 1 tsp of vanilla)
1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened I used, you can use sweetened!)
2 tbsp flax seed powder
1/3 cup coconut oil (or vegan butter/shortening)
3 large bananas mashed

Preheat oven to 350 and make sure the muffin pan is greased.
In a bowl blend the fours, baking powder and soda, salt, cardamon and flaked coconut. Set aside.
Add the flax powder to the coconut milk, whisk and set aside - 5 minutes.
In another bowl, beat together mashed bananas, oil and brown sugar. Add the coconut/flax mix and
continue to mix. Adding the dry ingredients a little at a time, be careful not to over mix.
Pour batter into muffin tins.
Set the timer for 30 minutes...although check with a toothpick! I think these were ready in 25 minutes.
Cool completely and serve.

love,
jodi renée

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