Valentine’s Day, Recipes and a Cat Video

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!  Did anyone do anything special over the weekend to celebrate?  My hubby, parents and I go to a dance each year that is put on by the kid’s school as a fundraiser.  It’s always a fun night with a dinner, dancing a silent auction as well as a live one.  This year I bid on a custom made blanket box and won it!  I did take a picture, but it’s too dark out so it didn’t do it justice.  For now it will go into our computer room, but once we get our new furniture in the living room it will move there.  Here are some  photos from the night:  
Other than that the week seemed really low key.  I was still out of the house each evening, but didn’t feel nearly as rushed as I usually do.  Hey!  I’m not gonna question it!  This week coming DS is on the ice 3 times, I’m at Pilate’s Tuesday, DD has dance tonight and Friday I’m going to visit friends of mine who just had their second baby.  Looking forward to baby snuggles!!  Yesterday was blissfully free so I made a few meals to carry us through the week.  Whenever I make bone in chicken I save the bones in a bag in the freezer.  Once it’s full, like yesterday, I put them in the crock pot, cover them with water and set it to low for the day.  This gives us a few meals worth of homemade chicken soup to work with.  Next I made 2 batches of muffins; Blueberry Corn Muffins and Banana Dark Chocolate Walnut.   Recipes!!  Recipes!!
Blueberry Corn Muffins

• 1.5 cups WW flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter milk*
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 egg or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters or 1 flax egg*
• 1/5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400*C, lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan
2. Whisk first 6 ingredients in a large bowl
3. Whisk buttermilk, oil and egg until combined well
4. Add wet to dry just until mixture is moist
5. Gently stir in blueberries
6. Fill muffin tin and bake 20 minutes
7. Let cool completely before storing

*I never buy buttermilk.  The easiest thing to do is add 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice to your milk of choice and letting it sit for a few minutes.  Voila….buttermilk.  I always use Almond Breeze in my baking.  To make a flax egg combine 1 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp of water.  Stir then let sit for a few minutes.
Banana Dark Chocolate Walnut Muffins

• 1 cup WW flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Quaker oats
• 1 egg, beaten or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters or 1 flax egg
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup well mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400*C and grease a 12 cup muffin tin
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl
3. Stir in oats
4. Add the next 4 ingredients and combine
5. Stir in walnuts and dark chocolate chips
6. Bake for 20 minutes

I also made Averie’s Sweet and Sour Honey Lemon Tofu and Chipotle Salsa Lentils with Mixed Vegetables.  That’s what my hubby and I ate for dinner last night:
And today’s lunch was more lentils with some chicken from the broth I made!
My hubby made breakfast for me this weekend; oats with blueberries and dark chocolate chips:
And waffles which I choose the same oats toppings for.  LOL
I enjoyed some fabulous sandwiches over the weekend, too.  It’s nice to have the time to devote to my meals!
One night I made “pizza rolls”. 
I simply divided the dough in half, rolled it out and filled it with tomato sauce, ham, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and marble cheese.  Then I baked it for 20 minutes at 475*C.
I let the rolls cooled for a few minutes then sliced and served! The kids thought this meal was especially cool.  Hehe! Another night I made Mu Shu Chicken, but subbed sliced pork chops in for the chicken.  It turned out really good!
I think I’ll leave the food at that for today, but I will leave you with a quick video of Pepper.  He begs to go out on the deck and usually wants back in within a few minutes.  This is what he does when we “ignore” him!

Bye for now!!

Finally Some Dance!

Hi!  I hope that everyone’s been enjoying their week so far.  Mine’s been pretty good.  I’m sure I’m not the only one out there that’s has a ramped up schedule due to Christmas being right around the corner!  Just last night Mom and I went out and got some shopping done.  I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling a little scattered with gift shopping this year.  The adults in my family started a tradition a few years ago where we pick a name out of a hat at Thanksgiving dinner and have a $100 limit on that person.  I got my Dad this year and knew right away what to get him so he is done.    My kids are at the age where they don’t want (or need) toys anymore and really, we buy them pretty much what they want throughout the year so the pickings are slim now.  That sounds so vain.  Hehe!  My hubby is another tricky one.  Humpf!  I know I’ll get there, but right now I feel a bit frantic.  Hello holidays!!!
Time for a little Q&A!  Allie tagged me to answer a few “deserted island” questions so here ya go!
1. For which reality show would you want to be a judge?
So You Think You Can Dance 2. If you could interview anyone in the world, who would you choose? Jon Bon Jovi 3. What is one piece of advice you would tell your 3rd grade self? The retaliator is ALWAYS the one that gets busted.
4. If you could have a role in any movie/TV show (already released), which would you choose? Twilight.  Hands down.
5. What is your favourite dessert (be specific!)? Tiramisu….specifically, my Mom’s.
6. If you could magically be fluent in another language, which would you choose? Japanese
7. What is one item on your holiday wish list? Make sure your family members read your answer Jillian Michaels 6Week 6 Pack
So yesterday we welcomed December! Can you believe it?  Yikes!  The end of November also saw the end of this:
Welcome back, smooth face!
YAY!  DD was practically jumping for joy.  She hated that moustache with a passion.  LOL My hubby was pretty happy to shave it off, too although I think he was impressed at how good it grew in.  Some of the guys were pretty patchy!   The team my hubby was on raised $675.00 for prostate cancer so it was all for a good cause.
In other news; DS made the newspaper!!!  The picture was taken in the last game they played in the tournament this past weekend.  Check it out:
LOL!!!  (He’s on his belly)  I didn’t even realize it was there so thankfully one of his classmates saw it and brought it in for him to see.  He was quite pleased with himself.  HA!  I know I go on and on about hockey so I’m excited to share some photos of DD in action at her dance class Monday night!  She dances at a closed studio so the only time I get to actually see her is at the Christmas open house and the year end recital in June.  Not sure what this “move” is called, but it looks painful!
OUCH!  Here’s 2 more;
 
I think I finally figured out how to post a video!!!  DD is in the middle-ish with a heart on her t-shirt. 

PLEASE let me know in the comments if you could view it or not.  And if you can; ENJOY!
Guess I better show a little food, eh?  Hehe!  
DS had 6am practice this morning so I treated myself to a grande NF caramel Brule misto:
 
And I bought a bag of Werthers for the office candy dish, making sure to hold a few back for myself.  :)
Well, me thinks that’s all I’ve got!  See ya Sunday with food item #9 and a fun giveaway!!
Bye for now!!