Oh Canada……

As I was slowly coming to my senses this morning as you can only do on a weekend morning, I realized that I could hear a bird chirping. Maybe not a big deal to some, but to me this is the first true sign that spring is not far off. When I got up and looked out the window, I was greeted by a beautiful cardinal! How I wish I had my camera handy! I savoured his music because I know all to well that in a few weeks, when all the babies start screaming for food, I will not be so happy to hear them! LOL!

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup PC steel cut oats
• cinnamon
• kefir
• strawberries

There’s a lot more kefir and berries than what the picture shows. Everything sunk on me! :)

After spending the morning at the farm we came home for a quick lunch. I warmed up some pork from last night and served it on an Arnold This with Sabra hummus, goat’s cheese brie and lettuce:

Then I had 2 Ryvita muesli crackers with PB&Co cinnamon raisin PB on top.

Then I quickly showered and we were back out the door to a party! But first we had to make a pit stop at the grocery store to buy a fruit tray to bring. Then we went to 7-11 so I could grab a large 1/2 coffee, 1/2 chocolate cup cake latte to go:

The party we were going to was DS’s hockey teams year end party. The fact that today was the Canada/US hockey game was the icing on the cake. We rented a hall, hired a bartender, all brought food and settled in to watch the game. And WHAT A GAME!!! It was tense, it was nerve wracking, but for us Canucks, it was ALL worth it in the end!!! Party pictures!!!

In the top picture you can see my hubby and DS at the right hand side. My hubby has a red shirt with white sleeves on. I even took some pictures of the TV after we won!

Not only did we win the game, but this puts us at 14 gold medals which is more than any country has ever won in the winter Olympics. You bet I’ve got my pride on today!!! Go Canada Go!!!

On to the food portion of the party. I started with a big plate of fruits and veggies:

Then I ate a piece of green pepper and tomato pizza:

Not too shabby! The coffee took the edge off my hunger or I’d probably have eaten more.

I’m home now in my trackies and I believe we’re going to be watching the closing ceremonies. Hope you all had a great day!!

BTW…before you call it a night you should head on over to A Pinch of This, A Dash of That for a great soup giveaway!!!

Bye for now!!

Q&A 3

one thing you can't live without? either food or anything else.

First and foremost would be my family. They're the most important, for sure.

But you did say "thing" so to that I would have to say books. Any kind of book. Reading is an essential part of my life as it calms and relaxes me.

Ask me anything

Sitting Pretty…

On the couch, that is. I woke up with a cold this morning so aside from DS’s hockey game, I’ve been parked at home. I shouldn’t be too surprised to have woken up with a stuffed nose and coated throat considering how energy sapped I felt Thursday and Friday. Blah. Despite that, I was hungry!

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oat bran
• cinnamon
• chocolate honey
• Dorset cereal

I scarfed that back which made my belly happy!

I had some time before the hockey game started so I whipped over to the grocery store next to the rink to buy some goat’s milk yogurt and kefir. I also found some lovely orange cauliflower in the “reduced to sell” area and a beautiful pork roast which was on for a great price. I made it back to the rink in time to buy a hot chocolate before the game got underway. And what a game! The boys won 5-0…this is their 3rd win in a row…..and the BEST part was that DS scored the 5th goal!! My excitement metre was off the charts. :) The boys didn’t fare so well during the regular season, but have won 3 out of 4 playoff games. There are 2 more games before the round robin ends. Then the 2 top teams will play a best 3 of out 5 for first place. So far, we are in 2nd.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted for lunch. I only knew that whatever it was, it had to be hot. I finally settled on a toasted Ezekiel English muffin with and egg white/egg beater mixture, goat’s milk brie and Sabra hummus. I also added some sour cream n’ onion rice cakes to my egg shaped, Easter bunny plate:

My hand wandered into the box of Whoppers a few more times than I would’ve liked so I got serious about a snack around 3 and filled a bowl with carrots and a tbsp of almond butter.

Much better for me and the cold of the carrots actually felt nice on my throat.

We got quite a bit of snow again today and to my surprise Pepper LOVED it! Here are a few pictures of him frolicking on the deck:

What a baby doll! I love all 3 of my kitty's, but because Pepper is so much younger than the other 2, he’s more fun.

I made a wonderful meal using the pork roast I bought today. I seasoned the meat with some salt and pepper and made a “sauce” for it. This consisted of 2/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup pomegranate preserves, 2 tbsp each of Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger and 3 minced garlic cloves. I whisked it until combined and poured it over the meat, then I added potatoes and carrots. I baked it 1.5hrs covered and another 1/2 uncovered.

I also made a pot of brown/jasmine rice as a side. This is the brand that I use:

And here’s my plate.

You’re not gonna believe this, but I had chocolate banana cake for dessert!

Oh, yes I did. And that was the last piece so you won’t have to see anymore of it for at least another year! :)

I’m going to disconnect now and curl up under a blanket with some magazines that need reading. Hope you’ve all had a great day!

Bye for now!!

Dinner and a Movie

***I’m posting this morning because I had some internet issues last night that I just didn’t feel like dealing with. I’ll catch ya all later on today!***

I just want to start off today’s post with a little note regarding my formspring account. I’ve set it up so that when I answer a question it will automatically post to blogger for me. I figure this way everyone can read the Q&A’s and hopefully gain some insight into me, or info on where to find elusive products in my area. So feel free to comment and/or put your 2 cents in!

On to the day! I woke up feeling refreshed after a great sleep, the stiffness is pretty much gone and my tummy seems to be sorting itself out. Life is good! The last Friday of each month is Subway Day at school for the kids so lunches were a matter of a few snacks. Easy peasy. This left me with ample time to enjoy my oats.
-1 cup water
½ cup Quaker oats
-cinnamon
-craisins
-chocolate honey
-walnut pieces
Num-a, Num-a!

I pretty much new as soon as I got up this morning that I wouldn’t be going to the gym so I brought some almonds for a snack:

It was snowing like a bugger today so when I got home at lunch I was feeling some hot chocolate. Enter Bellagio.

I shed a tear because this was the end of the jar. Boohoo!

I brought a serving of quinoa stew for lunch today which I dotted with some herbed Havarti before warming up. The cheese melted perfectly so that I had some with every bite.

I took a few pictures as I was leaving work so you could see just how crappy it was out:

I think we’ve gotten more snow in the past 2 days then we have all winter. Ugh…

The boys had dinner and hockey plans tonight so DD and I had a girls night out. We had SO much fun! We went to my favourite restaurant, Einstein’s, to eat some dinner. An old boss of mine who I’ve always remained friends with owns the place with her hubby and they make some of the best food around. Everything is fresh, homemade and delicious. My meal came with a salad which I shared with DD:

DD ordered a penne dish that was loaded with a few different cheeses.

She inhaled this with much enthusiasm. ;) I ordered one of the specials of which I can’t remember the name. It was a mixture of chicken, mushrooms, roasted garlic and cheese wrapped in phyllo pastry. It came with a baked potato, veggies and garlic toast on homemade grain bread.

I ate about half of the “pouch”, all the veggies and the bread. The rest came home for my hubby’s lunch. For dessert we split an apple cranberry pie which was topped with a pecan crumble. SO good!

I took a photo of one of the trees outside the restaurant because it was just so pretty:

After our meal we went to see Valentine’s Day. What a cute movie! I’ve heard a lot of people say that Taylor Swift can’t act, but I think she played the perfect ditsy teenage roll. DD and I both enjoyed it….for different reasons, I’m sure. :)

Well, I’m off to watch some hockey before hitting the sack! Here’s to hoping you all have a fantastic weekend!!

Bye for now!

Q&A 2

Hey there! I am from Toronto as well and was wondering where you buy Chiobani greek yogurt? So hard to find low fat greek yogurt. Even the whole foods across the street doesn't carry it! thanks!

Hi! I bought the Chobani while in Michigan in the summer. We don't have it, or Fage or Oikos here in Canada... Bummer....

Ask me anything

Q&A 1

What's your favorite oats topping?

I'd have to say fruit. Berries mostly!

Ask me anything

One More Sleep Until The Weekend

I was afraid to move when I woke up this morning but the stiffness wasn’t as bad as I thought. Phew! I did some leg stretching in bed then took an extra hot shower. I had “one of those” mornings with the kids today. Specifically, DD which is odd because it’s usually DS that is moody. Not gonna get into details and I love her to bits, but I was relieved to drop her off at the sitter this morning. Therefore, although breakfast was mighty tasty, it wasn’t all together enjoyed.
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup Quaker oats
-cinnamon
-pb/hazelnut butter
-pineapple jam
-carob chips
Last night DS and I ran to the store to buy a box of crackers and look what else I came home with!
My hubby took one look and asked; “What’s with all the junk?” I told him it was on sale 4/$5.00 and to help himself. Whoppers are my fave, that’s why you see 3 boxes! I did bring a box to work for the office candy bowl, though. LOL!!

I gotta say, up until 11:15 I was all “go gym, rawr, here I come!!” And then it was like my enthusiasm hit a big ole brick wall and my mind took a detour from the whole idea. And that, my friends, is something I do not ignore. Aside from being stiff (I can handle that) I’ve been weirdly exhausted all week and my tummy has been off (IBS issues, nothing new). I made the wise decision to go home and put my feet up for the duration of my lunch hour. I had packed a LUNA bar to eat before the gym, but ended up snacking on some almonds instead.
To me, the Luna is too big of a “snack” when not working out. And while home I ate a few Whoppers and sipped on a Celestial sugar cookie tea.
I ate lunch a bit later in the afternoon…around 2ish. This is what I had:
I’ve bought this Ocean’s product before in a Thai flavour so I thought I’d go Italian this time. I liked the Thai better, but this was very good, too. I like the convenience of everything being in the one can, already mixed up. And the tuna is in nice big chunks, not hiding:
The only thing I shoulda brought was some of those crackers I bought last night! HA! C’est la vie…

Going completely off topic here; I ordered some Avon stuff on Monday from a girl at work who sells it and it came in already! Here’s my loot:

P.M. Solutions Night Cream and a Thermal Cleanser. There was a special where you buy one, try another for $0.99. I’m all over deals like that! I’d say when it comes to facial products I use mostly Avon and Clinique. How about you? I’m always up for trying new products that come tester approved. ;)

Ate my bowl of fruit again today!

And a Stash tea a la Allie:

I made dinner to go tonight because DD had skating lessons at 5:30 and I didn’t have enough time, nor did I want, to eat at home. I poached 2 chicken breasts and sliced one into a container then mixed it with some Vidalia peach salsa. In a Ziploc I brought at Flatout wrap, lettuce and a LC cheese wedge. Once DD was on the ice I pulled up a chair in the cafe and prepared my wrap.

Like my Eating Well place mat? Ha! Here it is all wrapped up ready for my belly.

There was also a handful of Reece Pieces that didn’t make the shoot. ;)

I’m off to watch women’s hockey. Canada is leading 1-0…WAHOO! I’ll leave you with a few fun avocado tidbits care of Eating Well Magazine…

• it takes an avocado 12 months to mature
• avocados do not ripen until picked
• if left on the tree, they will continue to “put on fat” for an additional 6 months making them even better for you

There you have it!

Bye for now!!