New Years 2011

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.

January 1st 2010

Happy 1st Day of 2010 Everyone!

I hope everyone was able to have a fantastic night.
We kept it low key as always. Massive bars and clubs downtown aren't really our thing anymore. My, I'm making us sound old.
We hit up Blockbuster and Walmart yesterday afternoon . Both of which were insanely busy. We rented The Hangover , Julie and Julia and District 9. A video game was also purchased. The name of which I do not know.

Julie and Julia was awesome. I feel like I missed parts so will defintely watch it again. The Hangover was ok , I guess. I'm not really into that kind of humour for some reason. But then again I hate Family Guy.

I made some mostly unpictured ( i may have a couple somewhere) appetizers. I ate way too much but thankfully I didn't drink too much at all. I actually made myself a fancy hot chocolate and switched to water after that. I think it may be because I ate a tonne though.
Stuffed mushroom caps, artichoke and asiago dip with my crack errr Baked Lays amongst other yummy stuff. I even made escargot for the bf .
All in all , even though the bf fell asleep about fifteen minutes before the new year rang in, it was an awesome night :)

Resolutions. Resolutions.
I always want to make things and usually end up halfassedingly making them . I never wholeheartedly do it and of course each year I say that I am going to change that. Well here's 2010's attempt .

Food/Body
-Managed my time better so I can eat more often .
-Figure out what foods work for me SO i can eat more often . I often find myself very full and then I don't eat for hours. Hence the 1 pm breakfast/lunch and 8-9 pm dinner.
-Find and stick with a healthy and sustainable snack /small meal for school hours. I leave the house at 7;25 am and return home around 1;30pm

Time/Organization
-Keep my google calender better updated.
-Managed my schoolwork better. Stay a day or two ahead more than 1 day of the week. Do the review questions for the chapters while reading the chapters even if they are not to be marked, instead of doing the review questions while studying.
-Buy some shelves for the walls for books.
-Go through all of the many clothes contained in various ways in the bedroom and reduce.
-Do the same for cupboards.
-Organize photos and purchase frames for large prints awaiting display.

Life
-Visit family more often. Email and IM is not a valid subsitute .
-Make a bucket list.
-BLOG! - establish what works for me blog wise and WRITE.

-A

Friday 5: On my Christmas List

Hey :)
So yes,I'm been m.i.a on the blog this week but I have reasons!! Good reasons! I had tonnes of school work that kept me pretty much chained to my books and laptop most nights and the better part of the days and an exam today that I am so glad is over.

Goal Update:

I didn't drink alcohol all week . 6 days pretty much . I am enjoying a glass of Naked Grape's Chardonnay tonight though. In moderation. Meaning not more than 2 glasses.

Meals this week have shown a big improvement. A lot of big salads and steamed brocccoli and asparagus . A few apples but definitely not An Apple A Day, who's hosting an awesome and veggie-ful give-away.

Have also resisted the urge for take-out and have been grabbing pre made to go salads from the grocery store on my way home from class for lunch. Tonight may be an exception though . Not a large one . Promise . Probably a turkey club sandwich and a dill pickle kinda exception.

I found some awesome new stuff to try at the grocery stores this week. Stacey's Pita Chips in Naked :O which I couldn't resist sampling and think they are A-MAZING! Review on this one to come. Clif's Builders Bar in Peanut Butter , have yet to try and some POMwonderful tea stuff .

Friday 5 : Things I'm Putting On My Christmas List

1/ This awesome book shelf from Umbra I love it I would be ecstatic if this was under my tree . So what if it only holds like ten books. It's quirky and cute.

2/ Oh my god .... I have no words for this one . But whoever makes this magically appear under my tree, well lets just say you are my new favorite. FOREVER! And I have no children so forever will be tough to accomplish once a cute cuddly child is here because I will have urges for them to be favorite but then I will make delicious pretty coffee out of this while i wake up with said child who is not the favorite, and I will remember your glorious gift. Oh keurig. I lust for you.

3/ This book by the man I watch peruse the same grocery store chain I shop at and then cook up awesome food. I love it because i can actually get those ingredients unlike other food shows that want me to get on my yacht and go into the jungle for a spice.

4/ I know what you're thinking the girl wants a bar for Christmas? WTF!? Well yes I do want this bar for Christmas or for anything really because I cannot find it anywhere in stores here and I A-DORE all things banana . Banana muffins , I attack them .Mmm.

5/ Lush's Sexbomb Bath Bomb. So yummy. I love them . Any excuse to stay in the bath for an excessive period of time is fine by me .

Now I'm off to take part in "exceptions" previously mentioned :)

-A

*Photo credits from amazon.ca and lush.com

Booze Cruise Is Docked

Hola :)

After an indulgent weekend , I'm back on the boat to a healthier body. As good as the weekend was , I didn't get enough sleep and while I did have a yummy veggie-ful dinner yesterday and a lake of water but I doubt that makes up for Saturday's naked grape in a glass. Or many glasses.

Couple of Goals for this week :

• Alcohol free. The booze cruise is over. To be honest I'd love for this to extend. I'd like to have a healthier relationship with alcohol. Not drinking for emotional reasons and definitely not drinking every week. Special occasions or a dinner out , fine. Vodka and diet coke while studying, not fine. Today marks 2/2 days booze free so wish me luck.
• Less meat and more greens. I've already been making a conscious effort to do this , this past week or so but would love to focus more on it . Relying on veggies rather than carby crunchiness. The penne w/ broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and asparagus I made last night was A- MAZING!
• Manage to study for and write my exam for Tort Law on Friday without succumbing to study snack crap and without celebrating with ahem, boozy cruises afterwards.

What do you guys use when you feel like you need to cleanse so to speak? Any tips on studying fuel?

-A

Goals Goals Goals

Hola :) I have to say that I am reading Goals Goals Goals to the tune of Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga , in my head .

Fourth day of getting up on the early schedule ( have I mentioned I am so totally not rockin' the morning thang ) and while it wasn't great , it was certainly better than yesterday even if I didn't get out of bed until 30 minutes before I had to leave the house.

Last night's eats ( BIG salad with loads of baby spinach and chicken breast) unfortunately went unphotographed but like I said , I am defintely not one of those take-a-pic-of-every-bite bloggers. I love them but it just wouldn't work out for me right now.
For me , I 'd just like a place to record and discuss ( hopefully with others eventually!!) my food , changes and goals. Yes goals. Apparently I like to say goals a lot without ever stating them. So a list!! I love lists.

Initial Changes I 'd Like To Make With My Eating :

• Find a sugar replacement that I love and stick with it. None of this , this kind of "sugar" for this food and this kind for that. 1 constant. Should be interesting since I can honestly say I love aspartame.
• Speaking of aspartame, reduce Diet Coke consumption aka love in a glass and find a suitable replacement that is not water because I already drink a butt load of that. I cannot eliminate ( well i could but what fun would that be ) it altogether as it is pretty much the only thing I mix alcohol (vodka) with and I need that for sanity related purposes.
• Incorporate whole grains and toss the white stuff. Well most of it :P

• Conquor the breakfast issue. I know I'd feel better if I ate breakfast but I am just not a breakfast gal. I love breakfast food but usually at lunch, err brunch .

I have to admit I've been super busy with school stuff so this entry was half written on Tuesday and half today. I have no been too busy though because I've managed to read way too many blogs ( i even figured out this " follow " business ) and even entered a few contests like this one over at The Healthy Everythingtarian.

Off to tackle some more school work . Next up on the "Menu" , a grocery post and another review.

A