A New Menu A New Outlook

What Im Loving On Pinterest

2012-01-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Love this look. Still on the hunt for the perfect pair of white jeans.

Source: preebrulee.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Ughh. to lust ..

Source: killtoshoot.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Bulldogs own my heart.

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

If only I could knit. This makes me think of my new baby cousin and my niece.

Source: facebook.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I just think this would be cool. See them in butcher shops often. Would love to have one to tuck on the back of a pantry dooor.

Source: madmanis.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Love these nails.

Source: en.wikipedia.org via Ashley on Pinterest

Again . The bulldogs steal my heart.

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

My dream kitchen , or at least part of it. Of course I'm after the bench.

What are you loving on Pinterest lately?

2012

2012-01-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year !

Carrot Cake Confessions

2011-10-02T11:32:00.001-07:00

I have a carrot problem .

There, I said it .

I buy too many carrots. I eat too many carrots. But I never really bake with carrots.

I was considering making an apple cake but was inspired to try something different . This recipe is a mesh of about 4 recipes. It is so altered ( as are most of my recipes ) because I am too stubborn to go to the store for ingredients I don’t have , that there is no point in linking to the original recipes . It would only cause confusion.

Make this when you have the urge to bake but are living in a chocolate free ( and sad ) house

Make this when you need something different on your counter and on your fork

I let this cake cool over night and iced it with a basic cream cheese icing. It makes one layer of a round cake pan or a small square. You could easily double the recipe to create a layer cake.

This cake is too delicious for me to explain .

But the proof is in the pictures. I was so eager to taste this cake , I forgot to photograph it until I had already sliced into it. Unfortunately I do not make Pacman shaped cakes on purpose.

Carrot Cake

1 cup peeled , steamed and pureed carrots
2/3 c. margarine or butter
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. packed organic brown sugar
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon

METHOD :

Preheat oven 350

1/ Peel and slice into large hunks a few carrots. I used about 6 large ones and ended up with about 1 3/4 cup . I fed the leftover to the dog

Place in steamer basket . When soft, remove and puree. Set aside.

2/Cream together butter , pureed carrots and sugars. Add vanilla and water.

3/ Mix in cinnamon, salt , baking soda, baking powder and flour. Do not over mix.

4/Spread into a greased or cooking sprayed pan ( 8x8) I used one 8 inch round cake pan and bake 15-25 minutes ( depends on your pan ) .

The Upside of Apple Picking

2011-09-17T13:05:00.001-07:00

Every year around this time , the local farms we’ve been getting fresh corn , bushels of beans and beautiful tomatoes , start to wind down and the bright colors of summer are replaced with the lush Autumn hues of apple trees and pumpkins.

My boyfriend has always apple picked with his family . Baskets and baskets full , just waiting to be sliced into a pie , or slathered with peanut butter.

I am new to this apple picking business and of course was excited .So excited I didn’t want to stop picking and ended up coming home with far too many .

On this particular Saturday , the chill in the air and the sight of the leaves changing colors urged me to do something with my bounty .

I based this recipe on my Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe and altered it to what I had on hand and what sounded good.

The result is a super moist ,fruit filled and cinnamon scented coffeecake like muffin . They are great with a cup of good coffee and would be awesome with vanilla ice-cream or packed in a school lunch bag.

Make these today . The smell alone is worth it.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

1 cup white organic flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tbsp sour cream ( or 1/2 cup milk or yogurt)

1/3 cup saffflower oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apple

Heat oven to 375.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, oats and cinnamon. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until flour is moistened. Spoon into muffin liners or greased muffin tray. Bake 18-23 minutes.Let cool.

Random Breakfast Food, Random Post

2011-04-04T15:52:00.001-07:00

The ever present bagel.

My love . Paired with my other lover. Old cheddar.

And again . Just because it ‘s so pretty .

Maybe I just love melted cheese. Probably, considering every food photo I see that involves melted cheese leaves me needing to make that recipe right now!

Cheese and bagel love aside , I also rekindled another love.

Cereal .

Oh lord. I know a lot of people have issues with cereal . Some people cannot stop at one bowl so they simply don’t buy it . Others are rigid about the nutritionals and will only eat a specific amount , in an attempt to ward off any attempts at cereal overdose.

I however do not have a cereal problem really, but for probably 10 years I haven’t eaten it or purchased it ( aside from granola used for yogurt or baking purposes ) purely because it doesn’t do anything for me , fuel wise. I feel exactly the same after eating a bowl as I did prior , only with a sloshy stomach because of the milk . Does not quell the hunger beast .

While the cereal lover was beautiful , I don’t think I’ll be partaking in the cereal daily . So my bagel and cheddar need not worry .

I ‘m not one to scoff at too many lovers so I thought it would be nice ( although horridly sunny at 9 am when these photos were taken )to bring in some banana blueberry muffins.

Horrible lighting and thus photos aside, these muffins were soo good and just what I wanted with a mug of green tea.

I used fresh blueberries I had in the fridge and adapted a recipe I found online . I ended up with this : ( well and yummy muffins)

Banana Blueberry Muffins

1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour,
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Becel Light ( you could use Smart Balance or something similiar or actual butter )
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup banana yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries

Cream together sugar , becel and maple syrup .Add in egg , mashed banana and vanilla and yogurt.

Mix together dry ingredients , and slowly add to wet. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into greased or papered muffins tins. Cook at 350 for 10-16 minutes or until tops are golden . Removed from pan immediately and set on wire rack to cool.

Now I want a muffin . And a cuddly dog who makes funny faces.

Questions :

1/ How do you feel about cereal ?

2/ What’s your favorite breakfast food?

Yesterday’s Bread and Breakfast

2011-01-26T09:12:00.001-08:00

I started my day with a cheddar and herb bagel with melted Havarti and some peppermint tea.

The bagel was large AND in charge. Superstore’s bakery section rocks. Lipton’s peppermint tea because my stomach was iffy and its the only tea I've found and liked that has a string . String is very important

Then after mucho time wasted on Twitter , I thought about the bag of pumpkin I had froze the last time I opened a can of it.

And I made …

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup ( plus a little bit more ) of Pureed Pumpkin . ( NOT pumpkin pie filling )

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Butter or Margarine

2 Eggs

2 cups of White Flour

1 tbsp of Baking Powder

1 tsp of Cinnamon

1/4 tsp of Salt

1/2 cup – 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips ( depends on your preference. you could leave this out )

Combine, sugar, butter, eggs and pumpkin

Mix dry ingredients together separately . Mix dry into wet. Into a greased or sprayed or non-stick loaf pan , spread batter/dough evenly .

Cook at 350 for 25 minutes .

A Couple Yummy Grocery Store Finds

Asian pears .

Huge and juicy. Lily eats the core and loves it .

Spring rolls.

Oh god . These are delicious and slowly becoming a bad obsession .

Just look at the nutritional stats. Or maybe don’t . Just eat them . They are that good.

What’s your favourite way to use up pumpkin ?

Best grocery store find lately?

Thankful Thursday

2011-01-20T08:30:00.001-08:00

The Daily Balance amongst other blogs have inspired me to take a moment and be thankful for some of the little things AND the big things in my life .

I ‘m thankful for all things Hello Kitty. Her bling makes me smile every time I look at my phone ,necklace and the embarrassing amount of Kittified swag I own.
I am thankful for my own relatively good health , and the inspiring strength of those close to me with not so good health .
I am thankful for CHEESE of many kinds. Recently I’ve gotten really into different kinds of cheeses and have been enjoying many a cheese plate.
I am thankful for options , choices and decisions . I don’t always like making them but I am thankful I have the opportunity to do so .
I am thankful for blogs and the bloggers who write them . Reading them keeps me sane on my breaks from studying and jobsearching .
I am thankful for friends and family who push me when I need it without acting like they are pushing me. you know who you are

What are you thankful for this Thursday ?

How Martha Failed Me And More Contents Of My Cookie Jar

2011-01-06T10:22:00.001-08:00

It happened again .

The cookie jar's contents are wanning already . Sigh.

Rather than put away the clean dishes ( or wash the newly dirty ones ) or get showered and dressed , I did what a reasonable person in such a situation would do.

I went to Martha Stewart's website, knowing she'd solve my quandry.

But Martha, MY Martha , failed me this time. There was not a recipe that fit my requirements :

- A soft oatmeal cookie

-No nuts or fruit.

-Maybe chocolate chips

-Classic

What I found was a list of recipes containing oat bran , cranberries and apricots . Walnuts too. Oh Martha, I had to stray but you left me little choice.

The Joy Of Baking has an awesome Oatmeal Cookie recipe that I only slightly had to alter . They were easy enough to make , smell amazing , and well ,just look .

See.

They are love.

And so is she .

The Contents Of My Cookie Jar

2011-01-05T09:00:00.001-08:00

Like most of us , I m still getting back into the swing of things post holidays. While I'm getting organized ( and yes I am applying to jobs !! ) here's another recipe.

After careful consideration and hemming and hawing , when my MIL asked me what I would like for Christmas, I decided.

A cookie jar.

My glass covered cake stand I received from her for my birthday is wonderful and I love it but I wanted something specifically for cookies. And my MIL delivered . An awesome , cookie jar that seals.

Of course an empty cookie jar is just a sad thing. Almost as sad as an empty wine rack , so I made cookies and of course I went to my current favorite source for classic recipes , Martha.

Martha Stewart's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies - My Way ( altered)

2 cups white organic flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat organic flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup becel light
1/2 cup white organic sugar
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 large organic eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the original unaltered recipe that involves a lot more sugar ( yes it's possible), real butter and all white flour , click here.

Martha also advises you use a hand mixer to incorporate but I would rather use power of the arm.

Cream together becel , sugars and maple syrup. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

Mix together dry ingredients and slowly incorporate into sugar mixture. Combine well and fold in chocolate chips. Use a large ice cream scoop or tbsp and drop by spoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12- 16 minutes.

NOTE: These cookies take much longer than other cookie recipes I have used but the product is a beautiful cookie that reminds me of a homemade yet healthier Chips Ahoy

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-01-04T10:51:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I'm not a very good gift giver.

Sometimes I am guilty of being the person that buys a gift that they want . Maybe more than the recipent.

Last year I really wanted The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, but I bought it for my MIL instead. She loves to cook and after awwing over the book prior to wrapping it for ( along with eagerly awaiting the book's release in the first place ) , I thought she'd really like it AND I could borrow it .

Thankfully The Pioneer Woman has every recipe online pretty much so after contemplating and planning to make her sought after and A-MAZING Cinnamon Rolls , I finally did it.

I admit that recipes involving yeast and waiting deter me from making them.

It's not really the yeast , as I'm not scared of pizza dough . It's more the waiting .

But I waited and it was worth it . There was a bit where I was not sure I would be dining on Cinnamon Rolls or Cinnamon Hockey Pucks , but they turned out pretty good.

Of course it wouldnt be The Pioneer Woman's recipe if it wasn't enough to feed a hundred. So I cut the recipe into a 1/4 . You can find the original version in her book or here.

Enjoy and don't be cheap with the butter.

Really.

New Years 2011

2011-01-01T10:23:00.001-08:00

I'm predictable .

Well , in certain aspects of my life I am at least.
Come New Years you can bet , that I will be conjuring up goals and resolutions, lists in my head .

So even though I've been neglecting this little blog here , in favour of other life pursuits . Er, job hunting , working and dealing with an ever growing young dog , when thinking of executing these goals and resolutions, I found myself back here.

I don't think my goals were lofty enough originally to warrant follow through. They were too easy , not to do . This time around I'm going to be a little more serious and dream bigger ,by making goals that are related to my life . It's a lot more personal than I've been with the blog , but I think that's a good thing.

Grown Up Stuff .

- Find a job or internship in the legal field. Obviously I'd prefer a job but I'm willing to do whatever to get experience so I am able to get a job

-Get serious and actually legitimately look for a house. Not just browse like I am on a guided tour.

Blog Stuff :

- Find a pattern/schedule that works for me and stick to it .

-More Foodbuzz, reviews , giveaways . As well as tracking of my own goals.

-RECIPES.

Mind , Body and Soul .

Yup. Just what it says.

Mind :

-Commit to "quiet time " more often . Get off the laptop. Turn off the blackberry and stop checking Twitter. Especially late at night.

- Make it a priority to have time to read . I can't remember the last time I had so many unfinished books .

-Register and write my ILCO exams.

-Get Organized. Buy a paper shredder and use it . File folders, and file . Do something about all these legal textbooks.

Body:

-Take Lily on the creek paths more often . Dog park , instead of the usual neighbourhood walk.

-Try Hot Yoga.

-Make use of my Pilates and yoga stuff or ditch it for something I will make use of .

Soul :

-Find a work / "play" balance that works for me ( makes me happy and not soul suckingly miserable )

-Relating to a " mind " goal , but I think it's important for the soul also , find /make quiet time. When I can just be calm with nothing electronic going on in the background.

-Learn how to say no . I guess this also relates to the "quiet time " goal because if I was able to say no , I wouldn't be so constantly busy that I didn't have the time to have "quiet time".

And now that I've written for the first time in forever and came up with half an essay , the food.

if you're still here , that is .

Like most people I thought I'd ring in the New Year but cooking and baking an abundance.
Honestly I'm just so happy to be home , finally and not have to be rushing all over the place. I love to cook as long as its in my own kitchen .So after preparing a platter with a vegetable cheese ball, various crackers and pastry hors doveres ( frozen ) , I decided to make cookies.

Dog cookies for Lily.

I've made the recipe so many times now that I have altered it , unrecognizable from the original . So here's my Lily's new favourite cookie .

Organic Peanut Butter Carrot Flax Cookies

4 tbsp. organic natural peanut butter

1/2 cup cold pressed organic flax oil

2 large brown eggs

2 cups organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic old fashioned oats

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup water

Mix together the wet ingredients. Add the flour , oats , shredded carrot . Add more water or flour if need be.

Mix into large bowl

Roll out onto floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Until edges are brown .

Store in airtight container or freeze in zip lock bags. Can also keep in between paper towels in zip lock bag in fridge to put off spoiling.

The Real Thing vs. The Skinny Version

2010-10-28T09:52:00.001-07:00

Bagels.

If there is one food in blog land that is both adored and despised simultaneously ,it's bagels.

Some are on the side of the fence that jumped with excitement and glee ( totally don't get that show btw ) when they came out with those Bagel Thins. They're the people that never eat bagels despite lusting over them because , well they're bagels.

The reason they are so good is the same reason they are so "bad".

Now, I am on the side of the fence that will jump at the chance for a trip to The Great Canadian Bagel and I had to try out Tim Horton's "new" cheese bagel . Never mind the fact that I have had many a cheese bagel and know what they taste like ( slight side note, I actually think Timmy's cheese bagel is kind of grossly cheesy. It is delicious toasted with butter though but I digress). Sure, I think a Bagel Thin is a good idea for the calorie conscious eater but :

a/ A bagel thin is not a bagel in anyway
b/ If you want a bagel , eat one! I promise you'll live . Seas may part and the heavens may open but you will live.

When I started seeing Bagel Thins popping up on everyone's plate , I wondered : Are they really like a bagel ? Are they any better for you than a bagel ?

When choosing a Bagel Thin or Sandwich Thin for that matter, you have a couple choices. Probably fewer if you are a Canadian gal like me.

Thomas' Bagel Thins

These guys are 110 calories a piece and come in Plain , 100 % Whole Wheat and Everything .

Stats for the Whole-wheat Bagel Thins:

Source: meltingmama.net

Serving Size: 1 bagel
Servings Per Container: 8
Calories: 110
Calories from Fat: 10
Total Fat: 1g
Sodium: 190 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 24g
Dietary Fibre: 5g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 6g

Nutritional stats are lovely to look at but often make us overlook the more important things.
Like ingredients.

Now I must say when researching this post, I found it very odd that one company , Bimbo Bakeries makes both the Arnold Sandwich Thins and the Thomas Bagel thins. So I figured I 'd take a look at the ingredients and stats for both products in comparison to an actual carbalicious bagel.

Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid], Water, Sugar, Cellulose Fiber, Cornmeal, Yeast, Salt, Monoglycerides, Wheat Gluten, Preservatives (Calcium Propionate, Sorbic Acid), Guar Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Soybean Oil, Soy Flour.

For the Multigrain sandwich thins

Source : brandweek.com

Serving Size: 1 Roll
Servings Per Container: 8
Calories: 100
Calories from Fat: 10
Total Fat: 1g
Sodium: 230 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 22g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 4g

Whole Grain Wheat Flour ,Water ,Wheat Bran ,Sugar ,Wheat (Triticum Vulgare) Gluten Cellulose ,Yeast,Sodium Chloride ,Polydextrose ,Canola Oil ,Soybean Oil ,Preservatives,Calcium Propionate ,Sorbic Acid ,Guar Gum ,Wheat (Triticum Vulgare) Flour,Monoglycerides ,Citric Acid ,Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate ,Sucralose

At a glance one one would probably think that the Sandwich Thins would be a better choice than the Bagel thins because they are 100 calories , less sugar and less carbs. They are also lower in protein though, but not by much . Despite the lower calories , the Sandwich thins definitely have scarier sounding ingredients than the Bagel thins . I have no idea what some of these items are and while the Bagel thins ingredient list isn't perfect either, it's a bit shorter.

But how do they measure up to an actual bagel ?

A whole wheat bagel from The Great Canadian Bagel

Source: thedailygreen.com

322 calories

1 gram of fat

9.4 grams of protein

69.0 grams of carbs

4.6 grams of fibre

455 mgs of sodium

Wow!

Obviously a real bagel is going to be more calories. It's a bagel not a thinned down skinnified version . I was shocked to see that a real bagel has the same amount of fat and near the same amount of fibre as a sandwich or bagel thin .

Yes the sodium and carbs are higher , but again, its larger.

Whole grain whole wheat flour including the germ, water, sugar/glucose-fructose, whole grain rye, cornmeal, salt, vegetable oil (canola or soybean), *yeast, malted barley flour, wheat gluten, calcium propionate, monoglycerides, sorbic acid. May contain potassium sorbate. *order may change. May contain soybean, egg, sesame seeds, milk ingredients and sulphites

Some of these ingredients are in the bagel and sandwich thins but I am happy to see more whole ingredients even if they may be cornmeal or canola oil.

Verdict: Bagel thins and sandwich thins are a good convenience food for the calorie conscious who don't have the time to slice a bagel in half if need be or would like more than half.

If time is no factor , slice your bagel in half and eat half, or eat scoop some of the innards of bread out and eat both halves.

If you'd normally eat more than one bagel or sandwich thin , then ditch them and jump on the bagel love bandwagon. A real bagel can be delicious, fulfilling and so worth it.

Satisfying Like Bagels , Chocolate And Good Cheese

2010-10-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

There are very few foods that satisfy me like a bagel does.

A cheddar and herb bagel topped with old sharp and strong cheddar warmed in the toaster oven until the cheese is all melty and goey , but the bagel is not quite toasted. This always trumps over oatmeal messes

.

Especially when the oeey gooey cheese came from the Cheese Factory near the cottage. The fresh cheddar that squeaks just like the cheese curd does is the bf's . Along with the cheese curd of course. While I adore reaaaaaaallly old cheddar, 6 year old is A-MAZING! 2 year old cheddar is much nicer for cooking and such when slicing is required. 6 year old is yummy and crumbly.

Like bagels, there are very few cookies that satisfy my chocolate cravings better than Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Cookies.

I missed the boat on good lighting this afternoon, but trust me these are ooey gooey, filled with chocolate and the addition of Reese's Peanut Butter chips.
They remind me a lot of those big flat bakery cookies you would get at the grocery store bakery counter or perhaps even at Subway.

Is there a cookie that is just your ultimate , never fail to amazing you cookie?

What's your favorite kind of cheese?

Coffee Cake and Self Love

2010-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

I had an abundance of apples from last weeks ' farmer's market and was going again today so I wanted to at least make a dent in them.

It was cold and really crisp out this morning , well all day really so an Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake sounded appealing.

Rather than use the recommended Icing Sugar + warm water mix as a drizzle, I warmed up the last of a jar of President's Choice Dulce de Leche.

Sadly , I had to use a bit of flash when taking these pictures , as the original pictures I took at 11 am in natural brilliant light, were taken with a camera that had a memory card inserted incorrectly .Grr.

The recipe came from here and I cut it in half.

I used half white and half brown sugar , low calorie margarine /butter subsitute instead of butter, and dulce de leche ( caramel ) instead of iciing sugar nonsense.

30 Days of Self Love - Trusting Your Body

Day 3

In what are do you know you need to trust your body more ? How do you plan to do so today ?

I need to trust my body when it sends me hunger signals and signals of fatigue.
I often try to quiet my body or don't believe it when it tells me I am hunger when my mind believes it has not been enough time or completed enough activities to be hungry or tired.

Day 4

the love we have from others and how it can help us more fully grasp self-love as well.

I m not really sure how to answer this one because as much as I ve hated myself at times in my life I have never doubted that I am loved. I have not loved myself but I have never doubted the love of others.

CSN Winner

2010-09-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

3
Timestamp: 2010-09-04 15:58:05 UTC

Here's the winner's comment .

CanyonCairns

I'm not sure if my last comment saved or not, so I'm trying again.

Here's my idea:

I volunteer at our local humane society and they are always looking for people to donate Kuranda pet beds. They have several but not enough for all the animals. They work really well for the humane society because they're easy to disinfect and very comfortable for the pets (disease prevention is a big deal at the humane society). These are the only pet beds they use.

Problem is they're expensive ($56-176). I can't afford to donate one on my own but I noticed that CSN sells these. If I won I'd pay the difference and donate a bed :)

Please email me at deathbysoup23 at gmail dot come so we can get the gift card to you :)

30 Days of Self Love - Day 2

2010-09-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today over at Faith, Fitness , Fun , Tina talked about gifts our body has given us and thanking our body for those gifts.
Here's my thoughts on 3 gifts my body has given me.

1. I am thankful for my brain and all that it's allowed me to do . I thank my brain for allowing me to learn , retain and grow from the information it holds.

2. I am thankful for my hands. I thank my hands for allowing to do , create, build, cook and feel.

3. I am thankful for my mouth ( of course ) for allowing me to express my thoughts , to shout and squee with excitement and to experience all the flavors of the world.

CSN Giveaway!

2010-09-01T08:59:00.001-07:00

As part of the preferred blogger program , the lovely people at CSNstores.com have offered a $35 dollar giftcard to one lucky reader to use at any of their sites.

HOW YOU CAN WIN :

1. Comment on this entry letting me know what you'd like from CSNstores.com

2. Link back to this contest on your blog, leaving me a seperate comment to let me know you did so .

Each will get you 1 entry .

CONTEST CLOSES : 02/09/2010 Thursday night at midnight.

Blamin' The Bowls On The Heat

2010-08-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

The heat has made me lazy .

When I'm lazy my food is usually something that can fit in a bowl.

Bow tie ( farfelle ) pasta topped with a bottled tomato spinach cheese sauce I jacked up with onions, garlic , mushrooms and more spinach and cheese, with some breaded and baked zuchinni and mushrooms for me and ..

Mini meatballs I had made previously and froze , for the bf.

Massive salads in big bowls.

With a bowl you don't even need a dining table really, just two knees . Or one if you're crafty.

Salads with chicken

Today after successfully turning my apartment into an igloo, I was ready for warm or hot food. Leftover double cheese pizza with bacon , warmed up in the toaster oven did nicely.

Of course accompanied by my favorite form of crack , CREAMY GARLIC dip .

UPCOMING

If you'd like to purchase things like bowls or dining room tables or any of the hundreds of products CSN stores sells, I'm hosting a giveaway where you can win a $35 dollar giftcard in the next day or so .

And with a high five from Lily , I'm out :)

I Have Nothing To Report. WAIT . Bacon

2010-08-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have nothing of note to report. I 've been a slack food photographer despite my wealth of free time lately. I am making an effort though .

To make up for it there was ...

Bacon.

Thick sliced CANADIAN bacon . Not this stuff parading about resembling the offspring of sliced ham and peameal .

There were potatoes

Washed sliced and layered in a dish with loads of butter ,onions, mrs dash and garlic.

Baked forever and a day . Mmm.

There were battered mushrooms and zuchinni.

Soo good , even if they are nothing like the bar food variety .

Of course there was also Lily.

While at the cottage Lily found that the best spot for stick eating ever is underneath the deck . She's too funny :)

What are the top five things you ate lately?

Something To Check Out :

Healthy Living Blogs is a new resource for the health blogging community. Created by Lindsey of Sound Eats, HLB is a site designed to enhance the positive community of the healthy living blog world. Bloggers and readers can explore the site and find more blogs to love, bloggers in their area, and forums to deepen healthy discussion and support. If you're interested in having your site listed on HLB, simply send the following information to healthylivingblogs@gmail.com and check the site out for yourself!
Email subject line: MEMBERS
Your name (please share if you prefer to go by first name, first and last, or however you prefer to be known on the Internet)
Blog Name
Blog URL (please start with http://, not www.)
Your twitter handle, if applicable
Your location (if you prefer not to disclose this information for privacy's sake, that is completely understandable. We'll simply include your blog listing in the A-Z listing, not by location, too)
Any specific labels (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, weight loss, running, etc.)

Zuchinni's on Door Steps and Operation Beautiful

2010-08-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've somehow lost the blogging spark .

Somewhere between writing my last exams, graduating , registering for licensing exams and beginning the job search , I just didn't feel like it.

So in attempt to get back in the swing of things, here are some things that caught my eye amongst the blogosphere.

- Operation Beautiful

The lovely Caitlin was on the Today Show the other day and I'm sure if you read any blogs at all you know that her baby, Operation Beautiful the book launched. The virtual book tour is also something to check out ;)

-Zucchinni !

The people at Vitamix are psychic . How did they know that this is my new favorite vegetable?
The lovely PR people over there sent my readers some Zuc recipes in lieu of National Leave A Zuchinni On Your Neighbor's Door Step Day .
Yup , that is really a day . Here are my favorites of the bunch Vitamix provided. If these don't suit your tastebuds , check out some of the other recipes on Vitamix's website

Zucchini Pesto Yield: 1 1/2-2 cups (360-480 ml)

1 1/2 pounds zucchini cut in 1” pieces

1-2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup cashews

2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup (50 g) freshly shredded Parmesan

cheese

1/4 lemon peeled and seeded

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, salt

NOTE: Turn this pesto into a hummus by

adding 1 14 ounce can (drained) cannellini

or garbanzo beans during blending.

Developed in collaboration with

Chef”s Garden.

1. Place cut zucchini into Vitamix container & secure lid.

2. Select Variable 5 and turn machine on. Coarsely chop

the zucchini using the tamper to press zucchini into

blades if necessary for 10-15 seconds. Stop machine

and scrape down the sides of the container and

fold larger pieces into the bottom of the container.

Continue for another 10 seconds.

3. Place the chopped zucchini into a strainer and mix in

2 teaspoons salt. Place strainer over a bowl and let

zucchini drain for 5-10 minutes. Stir and press zucchini

with the back of a large spoon to release as much

liquid as possible.

4. Add the drained zucchini and the rest of the

ingredients to the Vitamix container in order listed.

Secure lid.

5. Select Variable speed 1.

6. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to

Variable 10 and then to High. Use tamper to press all

ingredients into the blades for 30-45 seconds.

7. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Zucchini Pancakes Yield: 3 1/4 cups (780 ml)

1/3 cup (80 ml) 1% milk

2 cups (250 g) chopped zucchini

3/4 cup (180 ml) egg substitute or 3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 cup sugar or other sweetener, to taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 1/2 cups (180 g) whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1. Place milk, zucchini, egg, salt, sweetener, cinnamon

and allspice into the Vitamix container and secure lid.

2. Select Variable 1.

3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to

Variable 4 or 5.

4. Blend for 10 seconds. Remove the lid plug. Add flour

and baking powder through the lid plug opening.

Replace lid plug.

5. Blend for 5-10 seconds or until mixed.

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (105 ml) olive oil

2 pounds (908 g) zucchini, sliced thin

1/2 cup (80 g) yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons herbs de province

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable broth

1. Sauté zucchini, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in

3 tablespoons olive oil, for 5 minutes. Add vegetable

broth, cover and simmer for 7 minutes.

2. Place mixture into the Vitamix container and secure lid.

3. Select Variable 1.

4. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to

Variable 3 or 4. If necessary, use the tamper to press

any ingredients into the blades while processing.

Remove the lid plug.

5. Blend for 1 minute while drizzling in remaining olive oil

through the lid plug opening. Return to sauté pan to

finish heating, if necessary.

Thats all I've got for now. Hopefully the spark will refuel .

-A

Dog Cookie Recipe AKA Love My Dog Too Much

2010-07-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

As any reader of my blog knows, I love my dog.

Perhaps too much . I don't have any kids , although most of my friends do , so she is like my child at this point.

My bf makes fun of me but I am very concerned about what she eats .
I won't deprive her cookies but I always read the ingredients and have no problem paying 10-20 dollars for a small bag of cookies or treats for her if they are made of whole ingredients.

That can get pricey when your dog is being rewarded for training milestones so I went in search of a recipe.

Peanut Butter Lover Dog Cookies

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 plain oats ( I used bob's organic )

1/2 cup oil ( I used mostly flax and a dash of sunflower)

2 eggs ( I used PC's Omega )

3-4 tbsp of peanut butter ( I used maranathas natural unsalted. Ingredients read : Peanuts )

1/2 cup of water

Mix wet ingredients. Sift dry ingredients together and form a large dough ball.

Roll out onto lightly floured surface . Cut into shapes.

Cook at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover tray with a kitchen tool until cooled.

This hardens them

Upon removal from oven and while baking , they look greasy as hell. Bubbling! But after setting they are not greasy at all and harden like regular dog biscuits.

But does the dog like them?

I think so .

Sad Smoothie

2010-07-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

This face is the reason I just got back from a 3 mile dash of a walk on the creek path .

So pitiful Lily .

Rather than fix myself up at my vanity when I came back , I threw some laundry in, threw some consumables together and am now throwing this blog together :)

Yesterday there were veggies.
Wait.
When are there not veggies?

On my CSN bamboo cutting board, leftover chopped onions from Taco night , broccoli, carrot and some dirty mushrooms.

Choppe and cleaned and slightly softened them in a skillet with some sunflower oil . I added a bit of chicken broth , fat free cream cheese and some pre cooked bow tie pasta.

Yum.

I love dishes that are filling and delicious but don't leave me feeling bloated and heavy . Especially in this heat.

After the dash, I thought a smoothie was in order. Thought being the key word here people.

Whole Food Vega Smoothie Mix ( I used probably 1 tbsp of the package)

Maranatha's Organic Smooth Peanut Butter ( 1 tbsp) YEY for my fav peanut butter being back in stock .

1/4 cup of 2 % Milk

1 frozen and unpictured banana

1/4 cup of chopped strawberries also unpictured

couple handfuls of baby spinach

I was surprised that what appeared to be about 1/4 of a blender full , filled up my sbux cup and a club glass.

I was also surprised that while this mix tasted amazing it made me feel very phelm-y . Perhaps it was the milk or combo of milk AND banana . I couldn't drink more than the club glass .

Ready to gnaw off my hand at this point, I grabbed the quickest thing . A cheddar and herb bagel from Superstore's bakery section, and smeared half of it with herb and garlic cream cheese.

I paired it with a homemade iced coffee in yet another starbucks cup ( I have all the cute ones ) because I need fuel and it's too hot for, hot coffee.

What's your favorite smoothie mix ?

What items do you hate in your smoothie ?

Day of Eats and Dinner For One

2010-07-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

I think this is my first day of complete eats. Not completely sure, but anyways, this is everything I ate today.

I started with Starbucks Dark Roast something or other , brewed with love by the bf and added Hazelnut Coffeemate and sweetner.

And then took various pictures of it , rather than drinking it.

Lunch/breakfast, was this luscious bowl of oats.

In the Bowl:

1/2 cups Bob's Organic Old Fashioned Oats ( yey i got more. Steel Cut oats are NOT the same)
3/4 cup of water
1/2 a banana save a few slices for on top
pinch of salt
dash of vanilla

I was not lazy this time and cooked it on the stove top . I cooked most of the banana save for the slices on top, with the oats.
It made ALL the difference.
Stove top oats are so much better. I do hate washing the extra dish/pot though.

I topped these oats with a few fresh blueberries, some Blue Diamond Almond Butter and a couple slices of banana, and some PC Omega 3 Granola.

Blue Diamond Almond Butter is not my favorite but I am trying to eliminate nut butters before I purchase even more, and it's ok for oats. Definately not spreadable.
These oats were soooo creamy and delicious, yet chewy and not liquidy and such which i hate !

I purchased these items yesterday at the teensy health food store at the mall.

Vega Wholefood Smoothie packet, and a Berry Crush and Acai Energy drink packet . I love the berry one for after yoga or mid lecture. Even though I only have about 4 lectures left before I' m done school !
I also grabbed a Banana Larabar.

Loved it.

So far I love : Coconut Cream, Pb and J and Banana .
Hate : Cocoa Chew, Apple Pie, Cherry Pie

While making dinner I "made" Banana Soft Serve in my sad excuse for a blender.

It may be a ghetto blender but it crushes ice and it never lets me down.

Random Fact : No appliance in my house ever has near the correct time.

I missed the part where the banana is meant to be frozen?

So i blended for nothing and then when i realized it was far too easy , it was too late. Its in the freezer now but I am doubtful.

I even had frozen banana in the freezer but I guess my head was just not in it.

This was dinner.

2 tortillas , folded in half for sturdiness.

1 :

pasta sauce : vine ripened tomatos, garlic, onions, mushroom and spinach w/ marble cheddar and spinach

2: PC organic salsa w/ marble cheddar and spinach

And on the side the other half of the batard (?) from last nite's dinner, spread with i cant believe its not butter light and garlic powder pre toast over bake.

It was gooey. I could not manage to eat it all unfortunately .

What's your favorite dinner for one?

Dinner Math

2010-06-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed !

Fueled by 1 or 2 of these , I made dinner.

Dinner involved simple math .
Kinda.

Mushrooms and zuchinni

+

Badly pictured , Italian breadcrumbs and a beaten egg

Oliveri Herb and Cheese Pasta and a quick homemade sauce

= DINNER

And of course bread was multiplied.

Pasta appeared a little watery but that was because I was a lazy pasta drainer.

What's your go to , easy dinner?

Puppy and Dinner

2010-06-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

As usual I'm not sure where I left off so I'll go with the contents of my camera card.

Pizza happened on Thursday night.

I was lazy and when I even mention take out , the bf takes pizza delivery and runs with it.

These are the remains of 2 pizzas.

Mine had double cheese and bacon.

His had every vegetable known to man kind.

I slept horribly Thursday night. Woke up to rainy mopey weather . The only saviour was that it was Friday and my bf was off, so he took me to class

Got out of class early , came home and fell asleep.

The result of a nap, was breakfast for dinner.

The above plate is the boyfriends.

Toad in the hole x 2 ( the little circles are the cut out bread )

Bacon

Hashbrowns

My plate :

French toast w/ cinnamon and real maple syrup

Bit of hashbrowns

Bacon!

I slept amazing last night and woke up to this happy girl.

The sun was right on her,hence the odd lighting .

Last night was the first night this puppy didn't sleep in her locked kennel ( it could fit a camel so don't feel bad for her ) .

We decided to see how she would be if we just left her sleeping on her blanket in the living room last night .

She was fine . We woke up to her sleeping on the couch !

Perched on some pillows ( excuse the laptop cord ) and daddy was nice enough to put a blanket on her. Lily adores blankets and feeling confined ( by her own accord).

Aww i love when she makes this almost bashful face. I wish the lighting wasn't so tho.

Such a hard life.

Had to get in on the cuddles.

Went grocery shopping this afternooon and after making some spectacular unpictured sandwiches , I made these.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies !

I bought a very large bunch of bananas at the grocery store today and had a few less than yellow ones on the counter and an abundance in the fridge, so I wanted to bake something to lessen the stash.

Unforuntately this recipe only used 1 banana, fortuntely they are delicious.

You can find the recipe here.

The only modifications I made were to use I Cant Believe Its Not Butter Light in place of butter and I doubt I used as many chocolate chips as the recipe called for.

The dough is very thin and not like normal cookie recipes. Do not fret. The baking soda and baking powder take care of it . So don't be tempted to add more flour.

So good!

What have you had for dinner lately?

Scorcher and Killing Birds

2010-06-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today was another scorcher and I immediatly grabbed an Iced Coffee when I got home from class. I didn't have much of the crack that is hazelnut coffeemate liquid,so I used milk instead and a drizzle of President's Choice Dulce De Leche .

Bliss.

I am in love with the re-usable plastic Sbux cups. It took me forever to find them as I thought the baskets full of them at my local Sbux were just decorative disposable ones ! Definately worth the 14 bucks :)

Apologies for the dark pictures but the weather was all kinds of wacky today. Sun one minute, then dark and cloudy , then earthquake!

Really!

In an attempt to prove a friend that pillowy , lush mashed potatoes could be had without all the fat, I made these.

At the time I thought I also killed two birds with one stone so to speak . Thinking it could be a Fat Swap , but alas, they want you to use fruit puree and such or one of their sample recipes ( at least to my knowledge ) so I will try again.

At least I showed my friend AND got mashed potatoes which are a big favorite of mine.

I used 4 large Smart Spud potatoes

They apparently have fewer carbs than other potatoes but I buy them mostly because they come in a mesh bag rather than a paper one.

2 1/2 tbsp of Becel Light
1 1/2 tbsp of Fat Free Sour Cream
2 tbsp of Fat Free Philadelphia Cream cheese

Add ,mash . Add salt and pepper and voila . Yummy, creamy , full of flavor but doesn't have half and half or butter.

What do you do to make old favorites a bit healthier?

Your favorite way to have potatoes?

Week of Veggies

2010-06-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

This week in vegetables.

Stuffer mushrooms sliced into veggie messes.

Corn on the cob . :(

For some reason I found that taking pictures of mushrooms was very enjoyable. So many angles and perspectives of these fun guys.

Greens !!!

Broccoli crowns specifically. Of course, chucked into another easy yet delicious veggie mess.

My lovely bamboo cutting board .

Veggies messes pre, mushrooms and broccoli .
Basically , carrots, onion, garlic, celery and zuchinni.

Easy wraps made the minute I get home from class.
PC's Organic Spring Mix , PC's Maple Smoked Turkey Breast, Hellmann's Half the Fat Mayo and sliced mozzerella.

A cute Lily on the way back from the vet. She's a little " special " here ;)

And no those aren't her ribs! those are wrinkles!!

Random pictures out the car window on the drive back from the vet.

It was beautiful.

Sometimes pictures say so much more than paragraphs upon paragraphs.

News:

Fat Swap!

Galaxy Granola is trying to eliminate 10,000 lbs of fat from consumers diets, in 90 days . There are so many ways you can take part and win prizes! Visit their website for details and look for a Fat Swap post in this space soon!

Ooh and all this weekend CSNstores will take an extra 5 % off your order!

-A

Bamboo and Larabar Review

2010-06-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Aww. Lily in the morning.

I am not a morning person. Even a little bit , but this makes me want to get out of bed .

She is just so mellow,cuddly and cute in the morning.

What I do not love is her appreciation for tennis balls. She looooves them. She has a million other toys but is content destroying a tennis ball bit by bit. She usually kills it in a day and when she doesn't kill it she spends her time pushing it under couches and crevices and then crying for us to get it back out. Hate tennis balls.

What I did not hate , was this Larabar.

Shocking , I know . Considering I hated the other three Larabars I tried I really didn't have high hopes for this one.

I googled reviews before unwrapping and Tina's review convinced me.

It really does taste like a macaroon!

Other things I do not hate , include these awesome Bamboo Cutting Boards I was gifted with from CSN stores to review.

I used to think that my knifes sucked but after using these boards, I realized it was the plastic ( or whatever material it was made of , not wood of any kind and defintely not bamboo) that was making chopping and cutting difficult.

These made prepping spinach , amongst many other things since I recieved them , a breeze.

And the best part, well maybe second best part, EASY to clean . They do not stain or absorb very much . Warm water, a bit of soap and you're done.

Thanks CSNstores.

Up To Speed

2010-06-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

wooo. I'm not sure where I left off but Thursday sounds good to me, so we'll go with that.

Thursday brought pseudo BBQ-d Chicken , giant penne with garlic and old canadian cheddar and peaches and cream corn on the cob.

Pseudo BBQ because I baked them in the oven ;)

And now that I've perfected my Iced Coffee, there was some of that too.

Friday there was a farmer on the way to the cottage .

Of course corn was purchased because summer means corn , corn all the time to my bf .

Teensy asparagus and cherries !

I was kind of surprised at the size of the asparagus because it seems to be ginormous everywhere else.

It was a beautiful day outside so there was deck sitting with Harken and Lily.

Lily's on an extremely long rope from a sailboat sail so she can wander with Harken .

Lily's new bling :)

Saturday I spent the day not feeling well but I got this photo of Lily and her stick .

Which brings us to now, Sunday . Am finally home and relaxing . Doing laundry and cooking a fresh and delicious dinner.

What vegetables do you love in the summer?

Random But Warranted

2010-05-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

I have slept incredibly well the past couple of nights , which is saying something because the nights prior , I tossed and turned in the kind of half sleep state that leaves you wondering if you even slept when the alarm goes off in the morning.

Thankfully, my bf gave in and installed the air conditoner that was sitting on my kitchen floor taunting and teasing me with it's potential for coolness for far too long.
It took me whining coupled with my concerns of a far too pink , white puppy to get him to install it.In his defence, it took a day and a half of my comments.
*
After a blissful sleep in which I did not move the entire night, I was woke by a bouncy puppy at my bedside looking for me.
On weekends , my bf gets up with her as he is a morning person and he and the puppy get up naturally around 7-7;30.
I , on the other hand am not a morning person and I could sleep half the day away if permitted.

After doing the coffee thing.. we ran out of Sbux and had to use Tim Hortons and I tell you , perhaps I am used to extremely dark Sbux coffee but tim hortons, even 6 scoops in the coffee maker , tasted far too weak for me.
Yet it was ok in the Iced Coffee I had the other day. Hmm.
Anyways, after the coffee, we attacked the apartment with a vacuum that, my sweet Lily chased.
She has a thing for vacuums, brooms, if you wipe something on the floor ( ahem her pee ) with a papertowel, she chases it and wants to eat it .

Then we went to the butcher and got for 23.00:

4 chicken legs

3 chicken breasts

1 lb of peameal bacon

6 tri tip steaks

6 pepperettes ( tasted like kielbossa)

2 incredibly soft crossiants ( that didn't last long )

sooo soft and yummy long baguette for 1.00 !! ( half is left )

3 lbs of ground beef.

After that we went to the grocery store where I got the very above seen , bars.

I have never tried , nor seen , these Optimum Bars in stores so I figured I 'd give them a whirl.

The Coconut Cream Larabar however, well there's higher stakes placed on that bar . If I do not like this one , I am not purchasing another Lara Bar because that is just it , it is not the bar for me.
I REALLY ( obviously) want to like Lara Bars but if they are not for me I will just have to move on :(

Roasted mushrooms and broccoli , topped with krafts italian shredded cheese blend were had.

As was asparagus

I love when it's actually in season and thick!

Corn .

Oh god. Corn.

My bf goes on corn kicks that last entire summers. I should not encourage it.

Chicken.

Chicken wiht bbq sauce is important. And delicous.

Wraps.

Simple wraps on tortillas bigger than plates.

So big the contents are hidden.

I believe this one had spinach, cream cheese and pesto.

Delicious.

Simple and summery , like the veggies and chicken above.

And this , well .

The rest of this post was so random , why not. A cute puppy is always warranted.

Lily DOES NOT do mornings.

Well, she gets up, eats breakfast, acts like she has not seen you in a month, pees and such and then, once you are awake and the coffee is on, she passes out beside you .

I'm about to do the same.

'Night

-A

A Cool Sleep In

2010-05-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning .

It was another scorcher yesterday ( and today again ) and even though we finally installed the air conditioner , it didn't actually get cool in here until this morning.

I tossed and turned all night and felt like I woke up every ten minutes. Of course this caused me to sleep in and by the time I woke up I could have made it to class but chose the newly cooled apartment instead.

I wasn't in the mood for hot coffee but was a bit leery of making iced coffee , even though I've seen it all over the blogosphere. Mine never tasted right. It either tasted old or weak or just too sweet.

I know . I know. Who am I ? Goldilocks?

I followed Tina's directions and took a mug of brewed Tim Hortons and put it in the freezer while I took Lily for a walk. Came back and added a couple ice cubes, sugar free Hazelnut creamer and some sweetener.

DELICIOUS!

So wished I would have put more coffee in the fridge .

I didn't have breakfast so I was hungry for lunch early.

I made a can of tuna with light mayo and chopped dill pickles and spread some on whole wheat bread.

Not the prettiest picture but it was tasty.

And of course 'tis the season.

Strawberries with a hidden glob of peanut butter. I'm obsessed.

Do you like iced coffee? How do you make your iced drinks?

-A

A Morning In Pictures

2010-05-23T12:24:00.001-07:00

Random Facts and Dog Food

2010-05-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey :)

Yesterday's afternoon eats started with this :

Some of my new favorite peanut butter and a sliced banana.

Random fact #1 : I cannot eat a banana unsliced. Freaks me the hell out.

Unfortunately , or fortunately, depending how you look at it . There was far too much drizzly peanut butter in ratio to the amount of sliced banana. So I used some of the homemade granola from the other day, trying my hardest to not eat any raisins.

Random Fact #2: Raisins remind me of potato bugs and I despise them.

When I say this peanut butter was drizzly, I do not lie.

While we're on the subject of peanut butter , I would like to discuss this exhibit above the text.

Behold an empty jar of Maranatha's Peanut Butter. Notice the emptiness of said jar.

I do not know how you people ever get to consume oats in a jar because when my jar is empty , it is EMPTY!

Moving along.

Random fact #3 : There are approximatly 5 jars of nut butters in my fridge and cupboards currently, yet I really really want to buy another jar of the Maranatha's PB . It was so good. I really love the texture of it .

Bf and I took Lily on a walk this afternoon near the lake ( Ontario). I took this picture from above and shortly after while trying to get to the lower area where bf and Lily were, by way of one of those rocky clif like things you see in the picture, I slid down .

Damn flipflops.

Thankfully it was just a scratch, a sore ass and a wet and sandy pair of capris when a soaking puppy came to my rescue.

Random Fact #4: Some bull dogs cannot swim. It's pretty much 50:50 as far as whether they will be able to swim or not.

After the walk, Bf went and purchased new tires for the truck and brought us back and unpictured lunch from my favorite deli style restaurant. I had the usual , turkey club, hold the tomatoes, mayo on the side with fries and gravy and he got his usual, the roast beef dip with onion rings and stole my gravy and ate my coleslaw.

Random fact #5 I hate coleslaw and cabbage entirely.

After eating we went to Petsmart where I spent far too much considering I went in for food. Lily got a new girly collar and matching leash along with a stuffed duck, purple and girly colored rope, equally girlie colored giant tennis ball and a bag of Blue Buffalo Dog Cookies. She is spoiled.

Apparently this was too much for her because she promptly passed out on the couch person style for the remainder of the afternoon.

To those that have asked , Lily is an American Bulldog :)

Aww. Bf trying to get Lily to stop wiggling or something.

Does Lily like treats?

She likes these ones :)

And thankfully I like the ingredients.

They are made by Holistic Blend . There were about five ingredients and they were all things I had in my cupboard. I grabbed these at Superstore before finding the Blue Buffalo health bar treats at Petsmart.

Random Fact #6 : I am an impulse shopper.

Do you buy on impulse often or do you plan and research before making a purchase?What was your last impulse buy?

Tell me a random fact of your own !

-A

I Must Confess

2010-05-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

I must confess...

that I partaked in the worst bowl of oatmeal I've ever had.

Don't be fooled by it's appearance. This was horrendous. After going with plan old fashioned oats or steel cut oats, the pre-packaged Quaker already sweetened stuff smells delicious but tastes horrid. Even the peanut butter couldn't save it. And no the peanut butter never did melt. At all.

I must confess...

That I have filled numerous camera cards with pictures of these girls. Lily is love. I also must confess that 2 dogs is a massive difference from 1 dog. A difference I do not wish to partake in for lengthy periods of time despite the cuteness.

I must confess..

That I purchased and attempted to eat beautiful looking but horribly expensive and horrible tasting grocery store salads.
All of my favorite dressing in the world couldn't save this beast.

I must confess...

That numerous spoons of glorious peanut butter were had. While away I didn't have access to my stash but for some reason really enjoyed the Kraft Creamy Peanut Butter of my childhood.

I must confess...

That I made homemade granola for the bf and while I really should read directions completely instead of just reading the ingredient list and jumping in ( read : add raisins AFTER baking ) he loved this and said it reminded him of oatmeal raisin cookie granola style.

I must confess...

It's been far too long since my last post. But puppy trumps blog :)

I am getting the hang out of managing my time and a puppy so I am hopeful I will not have to confess to crappy blogging again :)

Do you have any confessions?

-A

Lily

2010-05-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Meet Lily. Our new puppy .

In The News

2010-04-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hey :)

I am pleased to say that my presentation went well ( 9/10 ) and my exam is over with . No idea on how I did on the exam but it was very short and I didn't struggle over certain questions like I usually do .

In other news, here's a table.

A table is not that exciting I know. What is exciting is that I actually cleared it off and one could eat at it , if one so chose. I think we've eaten at it once. :/

In other news, ( more exciting IMO , might I add ) , big salads were had.

Anything that starts with baby spinach and greens IS exciting news to me.

All the "junk" on the top , pre toss and pre dressing. Dark picture because I eat in the night like a crazy person.

Salad was accompanied, by old news. Chicken in PC's Honey Mustard Marinade. I always thought I hated mustard, but apparently I do not.

In other news, that is actually new ( to me! ), this dressing from Kraft is A-MAZING! I am big fan of asiago cheese and this is very asiago-y. It's my new favorite find.

And finally , very exciting news .

I got off my ass and got back into the yoga. I am loving the Dave Farmar yoga classes from Yogadownload.com and have been enjoying them all week. Well to be honest, the first half of the week , I enjoyed no part of Mr Farmar and may have spoken some obscenties about him , but now I love him and he's back on the Christmas list.

I celebrated the return of yoga to my life by finallly trying one of those drink packets I got ages ago. I tried the fruit one and it was pretty good. Tasted like watered down berry Crystal Light or something.

Well I think this is enough excitment for one entry so I 'll leave you with some nosey questions.

What's your new favorite grocery store find?

Do you , yoga? What's your favorite kind of class?

-A

wordless wednesday

2010-04-28T04:18:00.000-07:00

Crazy busy. Presentation tomorrow. Exam friday.
Be back soon .
-A

Broccoli Salad And Things That Make Me Happy

2010-04-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to the cottage.

The weather was far from tropical but it was peaceful mostly and it made me happy to be there.

Here are some other things that make me happy :

PICTURES ...

Clouds

Yellow labradors on decks , sleepy in the late afternoon . With sticks. Sticks are very important.

Sunsets .

Super simple salads that may not be the healthiest , but are so yummy that your bf eats cereal bowls full of it.

This isn't really a recipe persay. A classmate of mine brought it for a potluck we were having for some occasion I can't recall.

It didn't look that appetizing in the bowl and of course it doesn't smell like pumpkin pie either , but it is delicious and of course a broccoli lover, like me's dream .

I've attempted to health-ify it up a bit , but to be honest, there's not much hope unless you are willing to use Greek Yogurt, which I think would alter the taste a lot .

You can use as much or as little broccoli as you want. For 3/4 of a bowlful this size ( about 5 generous servings) I used a large crown .

Remove as much of the stem as you can. You really just want the floret.

Dice the hell out of it. Don't make it dust or anything though.

Add about 1/4 of shredded cheese of your choice ( the original potluck one had cheddar ) and generously shake bacon bits in . I have never measured the bacon bits so I couldn't tell you how much to use . I just go with what looks okay .

Add equal parts sour cream ( i used fat free because it makes me feel better about possible ass growth ) and mayo ( i used the light olive oil nonsense ) .

Then, and I know this is going to sound odd, but think of it like sugar in homemade pasta sauce, for some reason this just has to be done.

Add a scant teaspoon of sugar.

As you can see I am all about measurement, with my use of the word scant and the fact that I literally use a spoon for tea as a measuring device.

Then as the above picture demonstrates, you stir it up . It won't look lovely. Once you taste it , you won't care.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. The longer it sits, the better it is.

What's your favorite super simple salad?

Are you a broccoli lover?

-A

Vita Top Winner !

2010-04-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

Winner is # 5 Dances With Cupcakes

Her fav guilty pleasure is anything rum flavored.
Email your address and I'll pass it online to the Vitalicious people so they can send you , your vita tops!

* click the hyper link for random integer number*

Last Call

2010-04-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last day for Vita Top Giveaway .

Winners up tomorrow night.

You have until midnight to enter . Good Luck

Almost A Repeat Dinner

2010-04-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I filled up on salad and the bread seen below and my sauce that I had simmered and slaved over in my weakened state was not used.

No worries though. I poured it into a jar and refrigerated it for an easy dinner tonight!

Ciabatta bread and Oliveri's Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cheese "Medallion" Ravioli .

I could hug this bread.

OH! Hello there tomatoes and baby sunflower plant.

I used the tomatoes for the sauce and left baby sunflower plant alone. It is growing like crazy! There are three plants in that little glass container . I never imagined it would actually grow considering it was one of those dollar deals at the dollar store.

Guess I need to go to Home Depot.

I chopped the aforementioned tomatoes and added them to a hot pan with sunflower oil .

Then I took this guy ,err clove of garlic and chopped it and added it to !

Aren't they so cute?

So tiny , I didn't even have to slice most of them.

They are just like regular white mushrooms but petits.

And yes , horrible manicure and sick looking hand is there for size comparison , not for the vanity factor.

How could I reach for a jar when these two were begging to be sliced and chopped and well , killed I guess .

The tomatoes and garlic simmering .

Bliss!

Well , that's all I ve got . Back to more highlighting and Celeb Rehab watching .

What do you like to do to unwind before the week ?

-A

If you haven't entered and I know you haven't !! , Do it NOW!

You have an insanely awesome chance of getting some Deep Chocolate Vita Tops delivered to your doorstep.

Since My Last Post

2010-04-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

Since my last post , I made home made tortillas.

I rolled these balls of love out.

I made the tortillas with these guys.

PC's Organic White Flour and Sunflower Oil . I also added baking soda and salt because the recipe said so !

And rolled them out and cooked them. They take like a minute!

Then I took my badly manicured fingers , shopping with some birthday money . I stopped at the tiny health food store in the mall and snagged these and an unpictured Mint Chocolate Clif Bar that I had never seen nor tried before.

It reminded me of a girl guide cookie but was WAY too minty and I love mint. The mint was so strong that my mouth felt as if I had brushed my teeth or used mouth wash for a long while afterwards. Not in the buy again pile.

I was seeking the covetted Kombucha tea in its bottled form that I have seen everywhere around the blogosphere, but while the cashier knew what I was talking about she said she wasn't sure if it was available here yet and may be a U.S thing still.

She did direct me towards this stuff though which I am willing to try instead of my usual plain green tea.

I grabbed the little drink packet thingys because they claim to have anti oxidents and full servings of fruit and vegetables.

I am crossing my fingers that they taste nothing like the grass like Vega bar.

Since my last post, I recieved this glass cake stand from my bf's parents for my birthday. I think she feared she'd lose one of hers , as I've been eyeing the one she has at the cottage AND the one she has at home.

Not that I make cake or even particularly like cake, but muffins , coookies and such would be pretty.

Since my last post, I bought shoes !

They are no where near as shiny and pleather looking in real life as they are in this picture. I promise. I blame the lack of sunshine in Canada.

More importantly though , I bought shoes that are flat AND actually fit my entire foot. I have such isssues with these trendy flat cute shoes. My feet are narrow and and the shoe always ends up rubbing and creating a death by shoe situation.

I thought I was doomed until I found ones that are kinda elastic-y and look like rumpled up slippers when not on a foot, but still have a hard bottom instead of ballet slipper style.

So yeah YEY!

Since my last post, I took photos of Guess handbags and was responsible and said no , you have 345223 handbags and bags in general . Be sensible.

Then I must have gone into a special kinda of coma and swiped my card because the next thing I knew this bag was on my couch.

Tonight I'm taking it easy in my weakened state and am making storebought tortellini and semi homemade sauce and salad for dinner.

Whats the last item that followed you home from the mall?

-A

Want Chocolate?

You have until Thursday to enter to win a 12 pack of Deep Chocolate Vita Tops.

Deep Chocolate Vita Tops Giveaway!!!

2010-04-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: I was given this product for free to giveaway for readers. The words in this entry were not paid for .

It's another soggy April day over here, but this may brighten your day.

Vitalicious 's Deep Chocolate Vita Tops are now available in 12 packs at Costco in the Midwest states .

We buy spinach and almond butter in bulk, delicious yet light chocolate-y ness is even better , right?

Unfortunately these guys will be gone in 4-6 weeks so fill up your Costco cart and your freezer with some before they're gone.

If you can't find them where you are or I hoarded them all , no worries . You can WIN some!

How to Win :

1. Leave a comment and link back to this entry on your blog. ( 1 entry)

2. Leave a comment telling me your favorite guilty pleasure ( 1 entry)

You can get two entries if you do both .

Contest ends on Thursday. Good Luck!

-A

Pssst. Want Some Chocolate?

2010-04-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Yummy, chocolate-y yet caloric-ly reasonable.

Fudgey!!

Oh my god.

Who am I kidding these are oh so good.

Am I just bragging?

Nope!

Check back tomorrow because you can win 12 of the best part of these muffins ! Nope, not JUST the top, the Deep Chocolate Vita Top!!

-A

Double Dinner

2010-04-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started with loads of strawberries . LOVE them .

I can't wait until they are in actual season here.

THIS also happened yesterday .

I got snacky and figured I'd try out my new peanut butter.

I loved Maranatha's Almond Butter so since their Peanut Butter was on sale at Superstore , I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Verdict ?

I loved it. It is much runnier than the organic peanut butter I am used to but I think it would be awesome in oatmeal :D

Then THIS happened.

Pizza.

The bf wanted to order some but I really wanted to try to recreate a cheeseburger pizza we had ages ago, that is only sold in humongo sizes

Obviously he didn't take much convincing .

I use a dough recipe I found on All Recipes and used half Organic Whole Wheat and half Organic White flour , instead of all white.

I browned 1/2 a lb of ground beef on the stove, and some diced bacon ( seperately ) and added them to the sauced crust ,and topped with cheese. One half was cheeseburger and the other was bacon cheeseburger.

Obviously we loved it!

So much so that since there are leftover ingredients , I'm going to make it again !

What dish do you love enough to eat two nights in a row?

-A

Vitalicious and 20 Second Dinner

2010-03-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hey :)

Yet again I have been drowning in legal-lese and eating the same old "granola junk" not worthy of so many photos.

Something that is worthy though is this awesome package that Shelley at Vitalicious sent me . Full of vitamuffins and vita-tops.

I've only had a chance to try the chocolate vita-tops so far but I can't wait to try all of them and give a proper review .

The double chocolate vita tops reminded me of a fudgey brownie !! Thanks Shelley :)

In other news, dinners have been pretty simple. I've been busting out one of my favorite kitchen gadgets a lot lately. Love this spinner.

And making a lot of loaded salads.

And pairing the loaded salads with roasted chicken breast.

And of course eating the leftover, exact same salad the next day for lunch.

Easy , delicious and filling. Which is key when you have about ten seconds to cook dinner because a mountain of rice paper thin filled books awaits you .

Hoping for a proper update , reviews and recap on my NY's Goals this weekend :)

Hope everyone's week is going well

-A

Whats In Your Bowl

2010-03-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday ended with another one of these guys.

They're not my favorite cracker. I'd rather have a Breton but at least these are some what healthy.They do taste kinda.... dusty though.

And today started with another mess of a bowl.

I'm out of oats so I figured I'd use Bob's Muesli as the main component rather than a topper like I had been using it.

How was it?

It was full of almond slices and fruit like thingsbut it had a pretty different taste than oats. I don't think I'd like a bowl of it again.

What's in your bowl? Oat bran? Old fashioned?Steel cut?

Granola Love

2010-03-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've been eating a lot of messes lately.
Like this bowl of PC Omega Fruit and Nut Granola with PB.

And this one .

Same granola. Sans peanut butter. Addition of skim milk .

This was delicious but my stomach hated me for it.

I never drink milk . I use it sparingly in cooking but never actually have amounts like this. I don't understand why it bothers my stomach so much . I eat a lot of cheese and my stomach enjoys that.

As you can see I really love this granola. So much so that I teensy dipping bowl of it while putting off cooking dinner :)

That's all I have in me for now.

DONE like this Nature Valley Dark Chocolate Granola Bar. More like an oat-y chocolate bar.

What's your favorite "junk-y" granola bar?

-A

Heaven Sandwich and My Blobbiness

2010-03-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hey :)

I loved that Apple Cinnamon Bread. It turned out much better than the original time I made it. It was incredibly moist and banana bread like in texture.

Of course I enjoyed some with some Organic P.B.

So good.

Unfortunately I should have froze half of the loaf because I ended up throwing most of it out :(

Yesterday I got some new shirts and a couple pairs of jeans.

This is one of the shirts I grabbed from AE. It says " Friends With Benefits " on it.

And yes I really am that blobby.

My blobbiness did not put me off too much because while shopping I picked up my favorite sandwich to bring home for lunch. Obviously I didn't make it but while describing said sandwich to my wonderful friend Chunks ( she does not live up to her name! ) I took a pic at her request.

Yup I did eat the other half pre photo.

Roast Turkey Club from Druxy's.

Light Rye, Mayo (reduced fat ) , Swiss Cheese, Lettuce,Bacon and Turkey.

HEAVEN .

It was sooooo good.

Tonight on this rainy Saturday , I am going to attempt to make calzones /panzerotti for the bf . It's one of his favorites and I have a lot of leftovers from making pizzas earlier in the week that I'd like to use up .

I've never made a pizza dough or calzone dough , so this will be a first.

What's on your favorite pizza?
Any tried and true dough recipes?

-A

Apple Cinnamon Bread and PB Love

2010-03-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hola : )

I am happy to say I have finished everything I need to get done for the week ahead ! Well I am still doing laundry but aren't I always.

Last night I got snack -y and dinner wasn't for a couple hours . So I decided to be silly.

Organic PB with 2 Cream Crackers.

I love these crackers. Of course they are made by PC but they are almost identical to ones I get from the British Import Shop. Cheaper too!

I didn't think too poorly of the peanut butter either. I caressed it with my cheek .

Please to be ignoring my lazy mode look.

This morning I had planned on brunch or lunch with bf but he had to go out for a bit , so I made something to tide me over .

A gigantic soft tortilla. Folded in half with some swiss slices inside. Popped into the toaster oven until it gets spots!

Looooove Swiss Cheese and so happen I have found blocks of it now for a reasonable price. I was buying 6-7 thin slices for around 6 bucks before. The brick is 4 dollars and a much better deal!

To celebrate being done with school obligations at a reasonable time for once, I baked!

I took my apple cinnamon muffin recipe , tweaked it a bit ( of course ) and turned it into a loaf. I've done this before ( untweaked recipe though ) and it turned out awesome.

I loved it with almond butter the last time I made it.

Heres the recipe :

Apple Cinnamon Bread or Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour ( I used the PC Organic stuff)

3/4 cup white sugar ( I used 1/2 cup of brown )

1 egg

2/3 cup of milk ( I used 2 %)

1/2 cup of butter melted ( I used evo)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon ( i just sprinkle a ton in )

1 cup of chopped apple , peeled ( I used 2 large -ish organic pink lady apples)

Mix together brown sugar, apple, and butter.

Add egg.

Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until moistened.

Spread into a greased or sprayed loaf pan or muffin pan .

Cook at 375 for 20-30 minutes. ( the time varies depending on how much apples you use).

Let cool for 40 minutes. ENJOY!

Well , that's all I've got for now. Hope your weekend was awesome :)

-A

Scallopped Potatoes and Bad Food Luck

2010-03-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hey :)

I don't know what's wrong with me lately . I am havin bad luck with food!
First it was the cookies that were devoured before I could get a picture of them and then it was the chicken pot pie I told you guys about in my last entry

I cheated and purchased a frozen deep dish pie crust. Unfortuantely it was a brand I wasn't familiar with and it was very oily and crumbly . I couldn't even get it out of the pie tin !!

I ended up tweaking the pie filling a bit and adding in some rice. We had it with a grilled cheese. Definately not what i wanted that night!

Last night I made some scallopped potatoes. These are closely tied with first for favorite kind of potato for me. They're up against creamy mashed.
When my friend hol's asked what kind of soup I used to make the potatoes, I figured I should just put the recipe up .

Oh and no soup involved .

Peel and scrub a couple good sized potatoes. I think these are russets but to be honest I have no idea.

Slice them thinly length wise.

While you're slicing the potatoes , turn your burner on 4 ( just under medium) and melt 2-3 tbsp of butter or whatever you like.

When the butter is melted , add in the same amount of flour as you did butter.

Mix it together until its thick and mixed in and kinda bubbling .

THen pour in about 1 1/2 cups of milk . I added some diced onion and garlic. Stir.

Allow it to come to a boil but watch it closely so it doesn't foam up into cloud of milk doom . When its thick enough . Turn off the heat and let it sit for a sec.

Layer half of the sliced potatoes in a casserole dish.

Then pour half of the milk concoction over top . Add some cheese if you want to be like me.

Add the rest of your potatoes and pour the rest of the milk concoction over top .

Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of the potatoes and top with some shredded cheese.

Scallopped Potatoes

2-3 good sized potatoes , peeled and washed. Sliced lengthwise thinly.

2-3 tbsp margarine or butter

2-3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 onion finely chopped

1/2 cup grated cheese

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Over medium heat , melt butter in a sauce pan . Add flour and stir until mixed. Add milk and onion and bring to a boil . When thick , remove from heat.

Layer half of potatoes in a casserole dish . Pour half of milk mixture on top . Add remaining potatoes and milk mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and grated cheese.

Bake at 350 covered for 40 minutes and then for 30 minutes uncovered .

Enjoy!!!

-A

Banana Issues and Ugly Food

2010-03-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

I have a banana issue.

No matter how much I try , I always buy the biggest bunch of bananas. There are only two of us and they never get eaten . I already have an arsenol of frozen bananas for baking ( and oatmeal :) so that's not an option .

I saw a lot of homemade granola bar recipes hanging around so I thought I'd try to make one similar to the beloved 4 dollar Pro Bar.

The recipe I used was from Smitten Kitchen I believe but I altered it so much it's unrecognizable.

1 cup of Bobs Organic Oats
1/2 cup of Bobs Museli
1/2 cup of the PC Blue Menu Granola w/ fruit and nuts
2 bananas smashed
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of PC Celeb calorie reduced
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tbsp of vanilla
1/4 cup of maple syrup ( thank god for my step-mother's mom . I use this stuff alot instead of sugar)
1/4 cup of organic brown sugar

Mixed it all together and baked for about 30 minutes or until the edges were brown .

And here they are .

They are good and filling which is what I wanted. I wanted my version of a homemade Clif Bar or Pro Bar. They were not as banana-y as the pro bar and nowhere near as sweet as any bar I've ever bought but they were yummy .

I will defintely tweak this recipe and make again !

All wrapped up . I am so good at cutting evenly.

After a less than stellar morning at school I came home and pretty much devoured this bowl.

The usual Bobs with some organic peanut butter, half of a ripe banana and the rest of my Kashi sample

As for tonight, well I know neither of these look very appetizing right now but I promise it is going to make the yummiest chicken pot pie ever!!!

What's your ugliest fav food ?

-A

Chicken Parm and Alcoholic Chocolate Bars

2010-02-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

While I cooked last night bf tried out a couple of these guys. They are made by Cadbury ( sold at lcbo though) and are so rich and delicious. Too rich for me but he liked them.

I cooked some chicken breast pieces dipped in egg and Italian breadcrumbs in a skillet while the sauce simmered.

I tossed some fettucine noodles with an obscene amount of melted butter , garlic and mozzerella cheese.

I assembled the sauce and chicken breast pieces, topped it with some cheese and baked for 25 minutes.

Oh so good and probably oh so horrible for you too.

I also made Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits from Our Best Bites.

I altered the recipe a bit as I didn't have buttermilk and wasn't comfortable using real butter. I also used really old white cheddar cheese instead of orange. These are really good and hold up well. Not crumbly like Red Lobster Biscuits but similar in flavor .

Well , that's all I've got right now. I hope everyone had a good weekend :)

-A

Bimbos , Vegans and Snow

2010-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hey :)

This week felt like it went by too fast and dragged on all at the same time. The school work load was crazy this week and there were too many late nights studying and not enough food photo taking .

I did take a picture of this yummy and filling wrap I had on a snowy day .

Pre walk to meet a friend I made this lunch and even though I was full , I so wanted another one . It was that good.

Ginormous soft flour tortilla, reduced fat Hellmann's , baby spinach, thinly sliced honey ham and swiss cheese. Bliss.

I took a couple of photos of what mother nature has done to the neighborhood on my way to meet my friend.

I love how the snow hides in the corners and crevices of things like tree branches.

On an unrelated note , Mama and her girl are still rocking the Vegan For Lent challenge. Here are some peeks at her eats from the past days.

Dorset berries and cherries ceral is a new find of hers.

Dorset describes it as

a tangy mix of berries including raspberrys, blackcurrants, cranberries ,
blueberries and cherries with chilean flame raisins, sultanas and cereals.

It's suitable for vegans AND vegetarians!

What did Mama think of her new breakfast find ?

Good but pricey at 7 bucks a pop and that is no Costco sized twin pack box either!
She did say though, that she could see herself pairing this with yogurt when "this is all over."

On the dinner side of things, is this meal of brown rice topped with onions sauteed in olive oil , sea salt , Nature's Seasoning and a bit of cilantro.

Mama's Verdict : Very good and VERY filling!

Mama has dubbed this "what feels like a normal meal ".

What a normal meal consists of :

A Morningstar Veggie Chicken Patty ,Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce that apparently can be bought the gallon!, Galaxy International Foods' Vegan Cheese and mustard on a Oroweat Multigrain Sandwich Thin.

When finding the link for the sandwich thins, I found out the bakery company that makes them is called Bimbo Bakeries.

Yup that made me laugh :)

Making chicken parmesan for me and the bf tonight so perhaps I 'll be a good girl and snap some photos.

Question :

Are you a cereal person ? What's your fav?

What do you think of meat replacement foods like Morningstar?

-A

Snow Day Pasta Bake

2010-02-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

This

Pasta Bake !!

I cooked some spiral pasta and tossed it with :

-some of the leftover chicken from the whole chicken I roasted yesterday
-a couple handfuls of chopped baby spinach
-1/2 jar of organic mushroom tomato sauce
-clove of garlic
-1/4 cup of diced onion
-mozzerella cheese
- 1/4 cup light cream

Then after I mixed it all together , and spread it out in a casserole dish . Topped with italian bread crumbs and mozzerella cheese.

Ooey and gooey fresh out of the oven . So yummy and comforting on this incredibly snowy day.

Back tomorrow with more vegan goodies ( i hope ) . Mama had a day of "rest" on sunday and she reports that she partaked in Baked Lays ( my fav) and I think some lean pockets :)

Oh and those cookies from yesterday . They didn't even make it through the night for me to take a picture of the finished product. I guess that means I ll have to make them again !

-A

Suspense Filled Cookies and Vegan Yumminess

2010-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hey :)

My lunch was sooo good today. Or brunch considering it served the purpose of both breakfast and lunch.

Oh so fresh sliced italian bread. So fresh it was warm when we bought it , at the ungodly hour of 9;30 am , with mozzerella cheese , baby spinach and a bit of fat free cream cheeese.

My apologies for the sunshine-y-ness while taking this photo. This was without flash.

Yummy it was.

Vegan it was not.

This yummy and long favorite , guacamole of Mama's girl , Jordan is vegan though !

I was going to request a recipe but then I read the caption which basiclly stated that you throw various amounts of the following until it tastes right . In the mix :

-avocado

-onions

-tomatoes

-lemon juice

-cilantro

-and of course Nature's Seasoning

Mama had other words to share about the pictured Kashi crackers but they are not conducive to working up an appetite :P

That new Bob's Muesli , I got the other day ? Well I figured I better give it a whirl and because I'm all about taking risks , I used the recipe on the back of the package for cookies.

I'll make you wait til tomorrow to see the finished product. Not because I like being annoying but because I am too lazy to upload the rest of the photos and or fearful of prying the container of cookies away from bf's claws.

-A

Vegan For Lent

2010-02-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

I know what you're thinking.

That dish pictured above , looks amazingly healthy AND delicious . You're probably also thinking that it looks a little too healthy for me to be posting about it ;)

You're right if you voted that dishes like that are not my usual fare. Dishes like these are not really my friend Trae who I've dubbed Mama 's , usual fare either. But for lent , her and one of her girls decided to go vegan.

Yeah they are crazy and they live in an area that is pretty proud of beef, but that is besides the point. While I am all for vegetables and eating healthy , I just couldn't figure out what she was planning on eating .

To shut me up and reassure me that she's not dining on carrot sticks with the children , she's sent me some pictures of her trials with vegan cookery thus far and I thought it would be something fun and interesting to have on the blog. Food pics are always good :)

Oh and if you're curious , that above dish , is mixed baby greens, avocado , sunflower seeds topped with balsaimic vinegar and Nature's Seasoning. Note: I had never heard of Nature's Seasoning prior to this post and had to use google. :/

Mama tells me this is sugar snap peas, mushrooms, onions that had been sauteed and cooked in olive oil and some more of that Nature's Seasoning . Mama loved it but said it shrunk down so much it fit into a small cereal bowl ?!

I hate that . I also hate cooking rice because I can never make the correct amount. It is always too little or too much .

Last but not least we have the glory that is sweet potatoes!!

Loooove these. And so simple. Mama , baked these with olive oil and some brown sugar. They look amazing!

That's all I've got.Until I cook something :)

-A

Potato Pancakes and Moon Boots

2010-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

The bf purchased what I have now dubbed as camo moon boots and I had to do a size comparison . Come on ! those things are huge.

I purchased less large things but still exciting. Oatmeal toppers. A bowl of mush just doesn't cut it for me so I need some crunch on top.

Today's oats, unadultered for those who have asked me if I even cook them , since I don't like creamy or liquid-y oats at all.

Cooked !

In the bowl:

Bobs oats

organic natural pb

1/4 cup of the blue menu granola.

Delicious.

Other yumminess was also had. It started with this potato.

Doesn't he look exciting??

He doesn't look too much better here either.

But he's starting to look pretty good to me here.

And even better here.

Potato Pancakes

To make 6 medium sized pancakes

1 very large potato, peeled

3 tbsp flour

1 egg

sprinkle of garlic powder

minced onion if you want ( i did not )

salt and pepper

olive oil or oil product you like , a drizzle to coat the pan

Shred the potato on the largest size on your box grater. Then take a tea towel that you don't care about. Actually I would be considered if you care deeply about any of your tea towels, but anyways, put all the grated potato in the center of the towel and fold corners in . Squeeze the water out. Throw tea towel out unless you have a use for a tea towel , with a large pink ish colored circle on it now.

Put potato in bowl , crack egg, add spices and flour. Combine.

In a hot pan , drop by spoonful and flatten with a spatula. Cook 6-8 minutes a side and place on paper towels to drain .

To store , place between paper towels in a ziplock bag and warm up in toaster oven :)

ENJOY!

-A

Peanut Butter Kissed French Onion Soup

2010-02-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Today's been a pretty low key day. I slept in and had an A-MAZING breakfast of berry pancakes and bacon, gave the bf a haircut , did a tonne of laundry and went grocery shopping.

I also made these guys.

3/4 cup PC Organic Unbleached White Flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup ( Kauline , I got this from Erma ;) )

1/2 cup natural organic peanut butter

1 organic brown extra large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

hersheys Kisses ( Sidenote : but has anyone else noticed or tried the "new" hershey kisses? They are supposedly smoother and creamier and while they're fine and such I prefer the old ones that were rough and matte and just smelled awesome)

Combine sugar, maple syrup and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. Roll into balls and flatten with fork . Cook at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove from cookie tray immediatly and press an unwrapped hershey kiss into each cookie.

Hmm. What can I make with these ingredients?

FRENCH ONION SOUP!

I am not a fan personally. BUt I love making it. It's actually one of the first things I learned how to cook. Well, aside from crumpets or noodles.
In my grade ten food class, this was our groups project . My bf loves it so I make it often.

Since you've got your bread already,your cheese already shredded and your broth going . Slice some onions. I like to just chop off a hunk of an onion and then slice them in the longest thinnest way possible for that chunk.

Then with a hot pan with melted butter product of some sort, throw your onions in . Spice as you like.

In your cute but far too small onion soup bowl, put some cheese in the bottom , then bread, then distribute the onions.

Then take your broth that is simmering away and pour it over top. Don't fill to the top because it will bubble over like crazy.
Put in a 400 oven for 12 minutes. Serve with some crusty bread. Beware this is very very hot when it comes out and shouldn't be eaten for at least 20 minutes. You should also be sure to put this on a plate because you ll burn the hell out of your table if you don't :)

Hope your remaining weekend is awesome :)

-A

(early) Valentines Day

2010-02-13T17:26:00.000-08:00

Happy ( early ) Valentine's Day guys!
The bf and I are both impatient people. I can never keep gifts away from him . I always want to give them to him right away .. and usually do .
So Valentine's Day was no exception .

Every year he gets me a billion long stemmed roses in this perfect shade of red. I love them and nothing makes me happier :)

I got him an unpictured video game and a few boxes of gourmet chocolates that he devoured already :O

We had a relaxing Saturday. So relaxing I was able to take photos while making dinner. Here they are :

I had chicken with my meal . I really don't like steak . Odd , I know. This was just a boneless skinless chicken breast , in extra crispy shake and bake.

Sweet onion cooked in a mesquite smokey marinade, to go on top the bf's steak.

This is amazing on steaks or so I'm told. I rub it on and let the meat sit for a bit on the counter before cooking it.

I sear it in a pan with about a tsp of evo

Hers and his. Rounded out with some steamed broccoli and shredded fresh canadian cheddar from the local cheese factory :)

I ate about half the chicken and most of the rice, all the broccoli of course :)

What are your Valentine's plans? Is it just another day or commerical hallmark holiday to you?

-A

Random Eats

2010-02-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Woo. It's friday already . So here's some pics of random eats from this week.

Oats !! With glob of peanut butter and half of a delicious dark chocolate coconut kashi bar

I bought these eggs thinking they were new. Nope . Sneaky Nestle just stuck the foil wrapped eggs in a new package to trick people like me. I had the turtle one.

More Oats!! This time with 1/4 of a crumbled peanut butter crunch Clif bar and some peanut butter.

English muffins!! With some PC celeb , toasted :) Not as great as a crumpet but will do.

Popcorn !! Sprayed with some becel and salt . :D

That's all I've got . Have a great V-Day Weekend .

-A

Phoning It In

2010-02-08T15:26:00.001-08:00

Wow , it feels like I haven't blogged in forever. I am insanely busy with boring school stuff so I'm phoning this one in .

I got a sample sized box , which I found super cute, in my mail box today. Its one of the new cereals by Kashi .
I am a big fan of Kashi's Go Lean Crunch so I was excited!

I incorporated a couple of tablespoons into my breakfast lunch , bowl of oatmeal.

In the bowl :

The usual oats
Kashi's Honey Almond Flax cereal
tbsp of organic pb

So good. The cereal is really crunchy but granoly. :)

I ate this sometime last week but I could do with a bowl of PC Organic White Cheddar Mac and Cheese. Yum. No milk in mine either. I hate soupy mac and cheese.

That's all I've got . Back to the books for me.

-A

Best I Ever Had

2010-02-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

This week is going by pretty fast for me. Although during the day when I'm trying to get stuff done , I feel like the minutes are hours.

My lecture ended early today so I got home early enough for breakfast.

I took these two ,

And turned it into this :

In the bowl :

Bob's Oats of course

Tbsp of Organic Peanut Butter

1/2 of a crumbled Peanut Crunch Clif Bar ( i had the other half with my coffee mid-lecture)

splash of water

Coupled with a glorious mug of green tea.

Ok so it's not so much glorious as it is a tea bag with some hot water. But it's warm!

I finally tried this bar on the weekend. I have to say it is my favorite bar EVER!!!!

Unfortunately it is 4 dollars a bar!! I said to bf when I bought it , watch this will be my fav because it's 4 dollars and look what happens. He really liked it too .

So banana-y and loads of whole nuts. So fresh and yummy. It really tasted like something a family member or bakery made.

LOVED IT!

I might even say it was the best I ever had. Also I might even say that I'd like to look at mr Drake all day long

BUt keeping on topic , I'd buy it again but not for a daily bar because of the price.

Bf's birthday is on Friday. Big 2-8 ! He's not thrilled about it but I doubt I would be either. Birthday plans ( as per the birthday boy's request) are dinner with his parents tomorrow , a day off for him on Friday and hightailing it to the cottage Friday afternoon after my class.

What's your most memorable birthday celebration ?

Best gift ever ?

-A

Flowers and Staying Power

2010-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hola,

Yesterday I went and wrote my exam. I think I over studied but you can never be sure.
I went grocery shopping and congratulated myself for the tonne of studying with this.

I have no idea what kind of flower it is. But it's pretty which is the most important thing. Then I lugged everything home and devoured this english muffin w/ pc celeb .Love english muffins.

This morning I intended to make a usual big weekend breakfast with bacon and eggs and such but bf had to go to work for a bit .

I wanted something with staying power that wouldn't make me snack-y all day. So of course it was oatmeal .

Organic peanut butter ( sooo thick ) , Bob's Organic Oats ( the usual ), some water and a splash of International Delight's Vanilla Creamer.

THe fun stuff! The toppings. Half of a crumbled Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar ( omg so good) and a tsp of the PB.

All together .

1/3 cups oats

1/2 kashi dark chocolate coconut bar

1 tsp organic pb

1 tbsp vanilla creamer

Since I knocked the grocery shopping off yesterday I really don't have much to do this weekend.

What are your plans for the weekend?

What's your favorite food with staying power?

Flashback Friday .. Kinda

2010-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

While reading Tall N Lucky's blog entry today I thought about my own highschool years. I know everyone says these are the best years of your life , but you know, I've heard the same thing for the college years and I think one is defintely better than the other.

In highschool, I was not the popular girl and not the wallflower. I was in limbo I guess. I had a large group of friends that were very different from each other. Perhaps, a large group that consisted of a few seperate groups. My friends never meshed well with each other.

There was the group that studied hard and wouldn't dare lie to their parents. There was the group that lied and slept over at boy's houses while telling their parents they were doing movies and a sleepover with their girlfriends .I must add that these friends are the same ones I have today.

There was the group that were older than me , but I somehow connected with through advanced English and Art classes. Not sticking with that path is one of my biggest regrets, but I digress.

In highschool , my own locker was locked yet empty . I hated the effort required and shared a locker even though I didn't have to with my closest friend.
We ate "half and half" fries in the cafeteria and "dippy pizza" . Half fries and half onion rings if you're not familar with cafetaria fair, and pita pizza cut into trinagles and served with pizza sauce.
I was late for homeroom everyday ( an occurance I carry over to my college life. just not a morning gal ) and I smoked when i probably shouldn't have ( ahem). I got good grades but I didn't try very hard. I hated phys ed and would lie and get my mother to write me notes stating cramps to get out of whacking that ball across the frigid tennis court, or running kms to the pier at the waterfront. Sports are not for me.

I loved my English teacher but found myself very bored and got sent to the guidance office often for being an ass ( i know ) because what took hours or classes for some , flew onto the pages for me. Why did I have to read THe taming of the shrew, when i read it in grade 7 ? Why did I need to write a 5 paragaph essay when I could write a research paper ? It seemed silly to me and I rebelled rather than stating the fact.

I took ballet in lieu of gym for a few semesters and adored it. Minus the bloody toes.

I dyed my hair a far too bright shade of red for my grade 11 photo and my mother was ecstatic when i went back to blonde for my graduation photo . Although she still to this day says my eyes are red, when they are not . Perhaps its mascara. I do not photograph well as you well know.

It's no discussion for me whether high school was the best years of my life or not. It was far from it. I really was in limbo.
I couldn't decide who I was and my friends reflected that.

Brrrr

2010-01-29T04:22:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing sleep last night after feeling exhausted for days. Who knew reading and writing was so tiring?

But today's my exam and while I sit here getting read to leave , this is the situation outside my door .

-17

And I think that is before the windchill factor.

I'd be a bad Canadian if I complained about the weather ( apparently, thanks Citytv) but come on this is freezing!

Stay tuned this afternoon for some reviews and eats :) If I am not a popsicle by then .

-A

Bar Filled Update

2010-01-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

I'm still crazy insanely busy . My head is permantly in the books or staring at my computer :(
On the way back from observing at Family Court today ( trekking there in the frigid temperatures as well, I must add ) I picked up a few new , well to me at least items. As always reviews will be up in the coming days . Or when I devour them.

Chocolate Vega bar which many bloggers, have assured me , tastes nothing like chocolate and more like grass. Well, the bar is varily small compared to Clif bars and the like so I think I can handle it considering how many awesome ingredients are in .

Protein 2 Go bar is one I haven't seen before . 22 grams of protein and varily low calories which is suprising since I'm pretty sure it's going to resemble a chocolate bar. I predict I will only get a bite of this one and the bf will devour it.

Sun Cookies Meal Replacemtn Cookies in Maple Walnut Chip!

The idea that I can eat 3 cookies and it will fill me up as a meal , had me sold. The cashier told me she ate 1 1/2 of them yesterday and was full.She did also mention that they are very dry and require a beverage. The nutritional stats aren't that bad either. Mostly baking ingredients.

Of course I had to get it in two flavors.

I look forward to trying both , but the Coconut Almond one sounds soooo good to me.

Exam on Friday and I have the day off tomorrow . So it's study , study , study . Thank god I still think odd colored highlighters are cool or I 'd have no joy at all .

Question :

How do you feel about meal replacement items? Do you still want a meal or do they do the job for you ?

-A

Breakfast-y or Lunch-y

2010-01-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

I felt like this on Sunday at the cottage.
I really wish I could have been like Harken and just taken a nap until next week .

Unfortunately before I could even leave the cottage , I had to deal with this mess.

Yup. That's all me . Mostly clothes and random things tossed on the bed . I was barely there two days and you should be grateful I didn't show you the floor.

I didn't like the look or sound of the rain this morning so I extended my weekend. This was my brunch/accompanionment to Bravo's Wind At My Back. Sadly , I love that show.

In the bowl :
-Bob's Red Mill Organic Oldfashioned rolled oats ( i think) ( a bit more than 1/4 cup)
-half a banana
-tbsp of Maranatha's Almond Butter
-tsp of Organic Honey hiding beneath the bananas.
:)

This was the first thing I ate today and I had it at 12 ish . I can honestly say that it kept me full until around 4:30 when I had the other half of the banana on an unpicture slice of really soft italian bread with a bit of natural peanut butter.
I think it was a peanut butter and banana day at our house because the bf ate two sandwiches for his lunch consisting of them because there were no leftovers as I didnt cook sunday dinner last night :(

What's your favorite breakfast/lunch/brunch whatever you want to calll it food ? Do you prefer more lunch-y stuff or breakfast-y ?

Not Too Busy

2010-01-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

In my absence I 've been doing a lot of studying and typing . Fortunately I still had time for the important things, like some more bathroom photography.

I am working on perfecting both the creepy hand AND odd eyes. Not working hard enough that I didn't have time for salad concoctions.

Baby Spinach , Spinach Blend, Homestyle Croutons, Brococli Slaw , Bacon Bits, Shredded Cheddar and Mozz Blend and half of a crumbled Turkey Burger.

Oatmeal messes were also had. Not for breakfast but as a lunch-ish accompanionment to homework and Bravo's afternoon TV line up. Love me some , Law and Order and Without a Trace.

When oatmeal or a salad doesn't work , a banana sliced up so it doesnt resemble a male body part , dipped in glorious peanut butter always works.

New bars may also do the trick . The Rebar was basiclly compressed veggies and fruit but yummifed AND vegan.

Apparently I haven't been too busy though because I managed to find time to finally purchase and frame two of my favorite photos ever.

My lovely bf and my other love , miss Kate Moss.

And of course the icecream aisle is so close to the picture frame aisle that I had to make a purchase. Apparently a million flavors is just a bunch of chocolate covered nuts and toffee, peanut butter cups smooshed all together in a chocolate vanilla swirled icecream. Delicious but misleading.

So happy the "work" week has ended because I'm off to the cottage for the weekend :)

-A

Procastination Methods

2010-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to deal with this :

So I procrastinated.

By doing this :

Scaaaaaaaaaaared me.

Blah me.

Seeeeerious Me.

Bathroom photography at it's finest.

Unfortunately when I re-emerged from the bathroom , the laundry fairies hadn't arrived yet. So I procrastinated some more with some coffee.

And then I finally threw a load in .

I celebrated with a wrap .

Pre-rolled or wrapped:

Thinly sliced fat-free honey ham

Sprinkle of the Mexican cheese blend from yesterday

Leftover lettuce and baby spinach from yesterday

Reduced fat Hellmann's

All wrapped up , although hastily ,and tighting gripped in my paw. Delicious even if it was breakfast :)

Are you a procrastinator?

What do you most often procrastinate on doing?

-A

Not Taco Hell

2010-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

For dinner tonight, I choppped up some of these :

Sweet onions, tomatoes-on-the-vine, lettuce and baby spinach.

I was seriously wanting soft tacos. I fear the evil that is Taco Hell so i went to the grocery store for some fresh tortilllas and used these ingredients from home :

Mexican rice, extra lean ground beef cooked w/ a PC taco seasoning packet ,Kraft Mexican Cheese ( i have yet to see organic or "natural" versions pop up at the stores I frequent ) and some Newman's Own Original Salsa.

I've heard amazing things from so many bloggers about Newman's Own products. I don't see many of their products at the stores I shop at but they do have a whole shelf in the Mexican section! Has anyone tried the Mango salsa? The Blackbean?

I slapped together a "wrap" as I call it with some rice , sour cream and the cheese. I am not one for vegetables on my wraps or soft tacos as I do not like the idea , taste or feel of warm lettuce and I really hate raw tomatoes and onions.

What is your favorite mexican make at home food?

Favorite salsa or salsa recipe?

Half Sick

2010-01-12T17:12:00.000-08:00

I'm still half sick unfortunately but that didn't stop me from hauling my ass to school today and picking up random groceries on my way home

Clif bars, peppermint tea, organic honey and Sbux . Laughing Cow because this lady made me crave it and my favorite addiction, Artichoke and Asiago Dip. Love this stuff

The neighbors that I've mentioned before , felt sorry us in our time of need and sickness and gifted us with some homemade turkey soup . YUM!

Even better . It's sealed until I open it so i don't have to eat it immediatly. Which is great because i have an abundance of chicken soup currently.

Now it's back to the books and liquids because I have so much school stuff and I just WANT to feel better so bad. This weather is not helping .

But to be honest, I'd rather be reading a couple of these:

-A

Vegan-ish Cookies and Sick Inspired Soup

2010-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Normally, Fridays are by far my favorite day of the week. It means a break. Relief! This particular Friday was particulary good because I had an exam and it meant the end of a subject at school.

I slept horribly Thursday night because the bf caught a cold and kept me up with his coughing and stuffiness.

When the alarm went off at 6:30 i slept straight through until 7:17 :O

My exam was at 8!

I ended up getting up , washing face and brushing teeth. Throwing my hair back into a very messy pony tail and and grabbing random clothing items while calling a cab , since I would miss my bus

I arrived at school ten minutes before 8 and they didnt start the exame until 8;10 . grr. I made it though.

THis kinda set the mood for the rest of the day though. By 10 i had written my exam and visited the grocery store for milk ( for tea for bf) , coffee ( sbux french ) and hot chocolate ( Tim Hortons) . By this time the sick bf had also started on his idea of an early weekend. Well, a sick one.

He had texted me that he was on his way home early because he just felt so crappy.

It started snowing while I waited for the bus to come home. I beat the bf home by a few minutes:) And after changing into some comfy clothes, I made us a couple of sandwiches. Unpictured because, well it's me.

His : toasted italian bread w/ mayo , sliced fresh cheddar and turkey

Mine : un-toasted italian bread w/ r.f mayo and turkey

Our afternoon/day/weekend.

Loooooooove leftover turkey on sandwiches. Thankfully there's probably enough left for a sandwich or two tomorrow.

Dinner ended up being a catered affair.

Well, an ordered affair.

The bf napped the afternoon away and by late evening felt well enough to order us some dinner from a nearby pizza place.

what he ordered:

a medium Canadian pizza

a medium double cheeese and bacon pizza

wings w/ sauce on the side

garlic bread w/ cheese

He also ordered creamy garlic dipping sauce. my fav! But they forget it even though we paid for it :/

While waiting for our food to be delivered I took a glance at my course outline aka work load for next week's course. This one is a one week course which usually means a lot of work since I have to read a whole text book and usually do assigments all while studying for an exam on the subject Friday.

But in this case, all of the marks are based on the exam , attendance and completeing the review questions for the chapters. I can do that! Much easier!

When the pizza arrived, I devoured 2 big slices of the bacon and double cheese. My pizza.

The cheese at this place is a-mazing. Fresh mozzeralla . None of this mozz blend , pizza blend nonsense.

I ended up getitng bored later on and wanted a peanut butter oatmeal kinda cookie. I googled around and meshed together an oatmeal recipe with a vegan one. I came up with this :

Accidental vegan-ish cookies

1 cup oats ( i used Bob's Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats)

1/2 cup flour ( i used PC organics white flour , allpurpose)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup ( i used some local stuff i got from a family member's sugar shack)

1/2 cup becel oil

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch of salt

Mix together becel , sugar , peanut butter.

Add vanilla and maple syrup

Combine flour , oats, salt and baking soda.

Slowly incorporate into becel mixture.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet or they will shatter into a million pieces. Transfer to plate and let sit for awhile. store in airtight container.

VERDICT:

They were delicious but defintely not the kind of cookie you can eat straight off the cookie sheet, warm or hot. They will crumble. They have to set for a bit I guess because of the ingredients used. I'd love to try a version with almond butter.

Saturday brought more couch sitting as the bf still wasnt feeling very well and it was frigid outside. We managed to go to the Bank before it closed in the am , the liquor store ( for provisions) , the drug store ( cold pills and diet coke) and the butcher and make it back home where we've been ever since ( its now sunday as i write this ) .

The bf's idea of provisions.

Saturday's eats were nothing to write home about either. I did drink an awful lot of diet coke and peppermint tea though .

Dinner was some scallopped potatoes made with golden fingerling potatoes, 8 year old cheddar , onions and real butter. Very yummy and very rich . Tonnes of leftovers too . I made the bf some tri tip steaks and I gorged myself on a leftover salad and some roasted chicken breast.

Sunday , this morning , brought coffee made by the bf while I slowly got out of bed.

Very slowly.

Now I'M sick. Ugh.

No cooking going on for today . Well , not really. I made an omlette w/ cheese for breakfast and had it wiht some coffee. A couple of hours later i made a blender concoction .

In the blender:
Orange Juice

mixed berries

frozen banana

I of course made way too much and after pouring two tall glasses for me and the bf, we were left with this :

I took a bag of frozen chicken soup out of the freezer earlier because I predicted I wouldn't be feeling any better or want to cook dinner. It sucks because I love cooking Sunday dinners, but whatever .

I defrosted the frozen soup in a pot and added:

4 cups of broth

1/2 an onion

2 ribs of celery

1 clove of garlic

fresh thyme

a chopped up chicken breast

Food becoming soup.

I'll probably cook some egg noodles too because the bf demands them :)

Here's to a low key -rest-of Sunday .

-A