Party Day

Seems like DS’s b-day has run 4 days long! Gotta love being a kid, eh?! Today was the last day of DS-fest with his birthday party with 7 of his friends. He had decided last month that he wanted his party to be at the local glow in the dark mini golf place. I was a little nervous because we’ve been there as guests for parties before and they always seemed like a gong show to me. But the bash went off without a hitch and the kids had a blast. But first I fuelled with a wonderful bowl of oats.

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flax seed porridge
• cinnamon
• Enjoy Life Foods trail mix
• splash of vanilla toffee coffee “creamer”

Nom, nom, nom! And before I forget, I enjoyed a mug of Bellagio hot chocolate last night while watching “the Reader”.

Anybody seen this movie? What did you think of it? My hubby went to watch a hockey game so I took the opportunity to watch it. It wasn’t terrible or anything like that….I just have a gut feeling that the book is MUCH better. Actually, I think I’m going to see if I can borrow it from the library.

Party time was from 12-2. The kids golfed and played some arcade games before diving into 3 boxes of pizza. I planned ahead with my lunch a packed a WW bagel stuffed with a LC cheese wedge, ham, lettuce and mango wasabi sauce:

I packed it up in this way cute Valentine’s Ziploc baggie:

I couldn’t resist these bags when I saw them at the dollar store. I’m such a dweeb! :) HA! I also snacked a some dried apricots and nuts as we were walking out the door.

Here are some shots of the golf course. It’s actually a pretty neat place and my new camera did a good job of taking pictures with the lighting…

Here’s DS at the air hockey table and doing the birthday cake thang;

And a close up of the cake. I’m sure you’ll all be shocked at the theme! :D

We were home and settled in by 3pm for some serious down time. I didn’t have to worry about cooking dinner because we had lots of leftovers to use up. I spent my time reading some magazine’s, reading some blogs, watching a few cooking shows and enjoying a pineapple flax muffin with a little chocolate honey spread on.

When we finally got around to supper I made the exact same as last night. Half a kabocha with some tomato sauce and Allegro cheese.

Who even needs lasagna? To me this tasted like the real deal! We went to my parents for a visit tonight where I munched on 2 chocolate chip cookies and sipped a tea. We were discussing how it’s just not fair that the weekend is only 2 days. We’re of the same opinion that it should be at least 3 days long. Yes? LOL! I wish.

This week is pretty booked up again. Here’s sneak peek.

• Monday: Dance and hockey practice
• Tuesday: Pilate’s
• Wednesday: swimming
• Thursday: skating lessons (DD) and a hockey game (DS)
• Friday: free so far

How’s your week shaping up?

Bye for now!!

A New Toy

Is everybody enjoying the weekend so far? Hope so!! My day included a little bit of hockey, a little bit of shopping and a little bit of relaxing. Nice. I went with a tropical themed breakfast this morning in an effort to banish the cold weather that we’ve been having.

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup Quaker oats
• cinnamon
• banana
• crushed pineapple
• dorset cereal
• shaved coconut

I had some time to chill before we needed to leave for hockey practice. It was nice to be able to sit around for a bit. I dropped the fam off at the rink and hit the grocery store to stock up on some items that the stores on my end of town don’t carry. By far the best deal was $1.00 Clif Bars! YEAH!

We got home from the rink around 1:30 which gave me enough time to whip up a quick lunch before heading out to the mall with DS to buy party supplies for tomorrow. I toasted a WW bagel and topped it with some Allegro cheese, egg whites and hot sauce. A few BBQ flavoured mini rice cakes also made it on my plate:

After we were done gathering mini sticks, balls, packs of gum, etc, I made my way to Blacks to purchase my new toy. And boy am I ever excited to use it! Let me introduce you to my brand new, shiny purple Canon Power Shot SD980 IS camera!!!

WAHOO! I used it for some random shots before I put it on the charger and so far it seems to take great pictures. I can’t wait to test it out in different situations.

The fam had lasagna, Caesar salad and garlic bread for dinner tonight. I went with 1/2 a roasted kabocha that was topped with tomato sauce, salt, pepper, parmesan and herb seasoning and grated Allegro cheese. I also had a small garden salad on the side that was dressed with some white balsamic vinegar and a tiny piece of garlic bread.

T’was a great meal!

So, today’s my Mom’s b-day and the ‘rents will be here soon. That means I must disconnect and get her present ready to go! I also have grab bags to assemble a little later on. What a Saturday night! ;)

Bye for now!!

Dentist Woe’s

Today was a pretty quiet hump day which is just fine by me! The kids actually got dressed and played some Monopoly while I was in the shower instead of their normal fight, fight, fight routine. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll play nice again tomorrow! I even thought ahead last night and pulled a serving of apple pie crock pot oats from the freezer so breakfast was done in no time!

I added some water to plump it back up and then topped it off with USVAB and walnut pieces.

Love, love, love!

I spent some quality time with Mr. Elliptical today, but snacked on ½ of this PB&J Lara Bar that I found at the store over the weekend;

While I still prefer Clif Bars to the Lara Bars, this one was very, very good. To me, it really did taste just like a PB&J sandwich. I’d buy it again for sure. I’m hoping to find the tropical one around here, too. Back to gym stuff!

Time: 45 minutes
Avg Hr: 156
Max Hr: 175
Calories Torched: 436
Distance: 5.1

Erica noticed that I used “burned” instead of “torched” yesterday in regards to my calories. Good eye, girl! I hadn’t noticed myself, but I definitely torched those babies!!

Lunch was more of last night’s fab dinner! Quiche and salad;

Tasted just as good today, re heated. I’m going to have to keep the quiche idea tucked into my back pocket for an easy meal on a busy night. I ate the rest of the Lara Bar when lunch was done. I also sipped on an orange pecan hot cocoa;

How’s that for a retro mug??? I used more powder this time and it was 100% better than yesterday’s drink. Oh la la!

The afternoon was spent keypunching. Fun times, let me tell you. I snacked on some grapes while labouring away,

I also had a Stash tea because the office was cool for some reason this afternoon.

Much to my chagrin, I had to make another trip back to the dentist after work so he could “fix” the filling he put in last June. Apparently a piece had broken off. Ugh. Needless to say, my mouth was still frozen at supper time. Not impressed. I made the ravioli bake for the fam and ended up having a scoop myself because it was soft. I put some kabocha on my plate, too;

This meal was so blah….and difficult to eat. Eating it turned me into Miss Sassy Pants. :(

I just got back from the pool and I’m gonna try a tea shortly. Keep your fingers crossed that I don’t burn my face! At least I can feel my bottom lip now. I’ll be hitting the hay early tonight because DS has a 7:30 dr’s appointment in the morning which means I have to get out of bed 45 mins earlier than usual.

Candy confession time!

I actually didn’t end up eating the orange sucker in the top photo. Catch ya on the flip side!!

Bye for now!!

Wish I was Doing Yoga

The day started out mild and sunny and ended up wet and cold. Urgh. Tis the season, I suppose!

• 2/3 cup coffee
• 1/3 cup PC 5 grain cereal
• currants
• Enjoy Life Foods trail mix

As you can see, it’s now dark enough in the morning to warrant the flash. Bugger. Still looks pretty, though, eh?!

I was a little miffed to find out today that for the next 10 weeks on Thursday’s the gym will be “closed”. There’s a yoga class going on in the upper level which I did know about but can’t participate in because the department I’m in rotates lunch hours. Initially, we were going to be able to use the lower level where the cardio machines are, but the committee changed their minds. I ate this Kashi bar while I mulled over what to do during my lunch hour;

I decided to make a trip to the bank to get some American moola while the exchange rate is still pretty good seeing as I’ll be doing some State side shopping in November. Then I dropped my prescription off and went home to throw some food into the crock pot. Productive, no?

Lunch was the leftover tofu and kabocha squash from last night. **WARNING** ugly food photo ahead!!

Ya just can’t make something like this look pretty, but it sure tasted good! As you can probably tell by the dimness, the clouds had rolled in.

I wore my new trial contact lenses to work today. I’ve been using the Acuvue for a few years, but can’t wear them to work because I get a major headache by noon from looking at the computer so much. My Dr. is having me try the Acuvue Oasys and they worked out OK. No headache, but the screen was still a bit on the blurry side. I’ll wear them again tomorrow and see if it gets any better. I’m hoping my eyes just need to adjust. Anybody have any tips for me??

When I got home from work I had a present waiting for me! Nature’s Path sent me their new gluten free cereals to try!

Crunchy Vanilla and Crunchy Maple. Both sounds mouth watering to me! Thanks, Kari!!

Back to my crock pot dinner. Into the insert I tossed a smallish pork tenderloin, chopped, 1 cup dry kasha, 2 red bell peppers, 2 chopped carrots, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can each of chickpeas & kidney beans and a can of mini corn cobs. Seasonings included oregano, coriander, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I didn’t measure, just gave each a good shake or 2. I set it on high and washed my hands of it until dinner time. The fam had theirs over pasta, I ate mine With some Goat’s milk yogurt.

I had used one of my POM coupons the other day to buy some POM iced tea. I drank some of that with my dinner;

It was refreshing and a bit tart. My kids really enjoyed it, too! Dessert was some grapes that I shared with DS…

I just got home from a meeting at the school and plan on snacking on some yogurt with cranberry sauce while watching the rest of CSI. And then it’s time for Vampire Diaries! You may not see me around tomorrow. DS has an out of town game that we have to leave right after work for and I’m not expecting that we’ll be home before 9:30pm. Make sure you all have a fantastic Friday!!

Bye for now!!

A Tired Blogger

Phew! It’s 8:30 and I finally made it to the couch. Hehe! DS had hockey practice from 5:30-6:30 and then both the kids were in the pool at 7pm. Thankfully the rink and pool were in the same facility…and close to the house!

Let’s get on with my eats for the day!!

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup Windy Hill cremo cereal
• cinnamon
• cranberry sauce
• chopped peanuts

Purr-fect start to the day!

Pre-gym snack was a Blueberry Crisp Clif bar;

The gym kicked my ass today. I was so not feeling it! I managed 40 minutes on the elliptical, but it felt like 400. Ugh…

• Time: 40 minutes
• Avg Hr: 146
• Max Hr: 161
• Calories Torched: 360
• Distance: 4.3 miles

Lunch was a dish you’ll all be familiar with; Curried red lentil soup with chickpeas & quinoa.

This is such a great meal, but don’t fear…I put the last serving in the freezer! :) I also crunched on a Doctor Kracker Pumpkin & Cheddar flatbread;

These pack a serious crunch! The girl in the cell cubicle next to me must’ve been wondering what I was crunching on!! Much later in the day I ate most of these raspberries;

It was one of those situations where it was eat’em or throw’em out. There were a few that ended up in the trash….

We ate a very early dinner. 5pm to be exact! I just heated up a store bought pizza for the fam and for myself I baked up some tofu and served it on a toasted WW Arnold Thin with goat’s cheese mozzarella & sliced cucumber. There was also some kabocha on my plate, but I didn’t end up eating it.

The sandwich was awesome!! There was such great texture to it….creamy, crunchy, chewy….mmm…..

Next was hockey, pool then home, snack time and blogging! I made a coconut chai tea and an English muffin with some almond butter and pumpkin butter;

Crappy picture, tasty snack! I just finished that up before starting this post. I do have to apologize for the quickness of this entry, but I am exhausted and have plans to hit the hay shortly. On that note…

Bye for now!!

Some New Food Items

Happy Saturday! I’ve had a busy, fun day so far. It all started out with a stellar breakfast;

• 1/2 cup water & USAB
• 1/3 cup Windy Hill Cremo cereal
• cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup cranberry sauce

All the wonderful flavours of fall in one bowl!

I caught up on some blogs while eating and then got ready to get the grocery shopping done. I timed it so that I had just enough time to put everything away before we had to leave for hockey. The game was actually cancelled, but the coach was able to get a power skating instructor in for the boys. Were they ever done in for when they got off the ice!! I had a few more items to pick up at the grocery store beside the rink….it carries a MUCH larger selection the the store by my house…..so I got the fam settled in with some lunch from the hot bar while I whipped around the store. I stocked up on Almond Breeze (on sale for 2/$4) and Nature’s Path granola (on sale 3/$10). I also bought some of this almond butter to try out;

I spread it on a toasted Stonemill bagel along with some of this pomegranate jelly;

The almond butter was OK. Certainly not TJ’s or MaraNantha. I’d buy it again, but I wouldn’t RUN out to buy it again. Here’s my lunch plate with the bagel and the other half of the kabocha from last night. That had some butter, cinnamon & maple syrup on it. Mmmm…

I was so eager to eat I snagged a bite pre photo shoot! :D After lunch was done DD and I took KC for a walk. We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to spend time with him lately and I missed the little bugger. DD bought him a costume at the dollar store. Check him out!

In this picture he was playing with Pepper, who wasn’t exactly thrilled with his playmate. After we got back I ran out to do the rest of the errands. The Bulk Barn was on my list and I stocked up on a bunch of items as well as picking up a few new things to try. Here are the 2 grain blends that perked me interest…

I’m pretty psyched to try these out. I bet they’d be good in a soup or pilaf style. I’ll definitely be playing around with them. I also discovered that they carry a version of TJ’s Harvest Grain Blend that I love so much! The call it a “jewelled blend”, but it has all the same grains in it. SCORE!! I didn’t buy any because I still have some of the TJ’s kind. I also got a new tea;

I’ll be giving this one a whirl a little later on. When I got home I switched my shopper hat for my Betty Crocker apron and got some housework done. Fun times….enter sarcasm. I did inhale a honey crisp before getting started. All the shopping made this girl hungry!

Dinner was easy peasy. The fam wanted eggs and pea meal bacon and I warmed up a serving of quinoa stew which was served over a bed of sautéed kale.

What I haven’t mentioned yet in this post is that I’ve been itching all day to pick Twilight back up. I started it on Tuesday, but was really tired and didn’t get in as much reading before falling asleep as I usually do. I sat down with it last night at 8pm and before I knew it….WHOOSH…..it was 11pm and I had gotten SUCKED IN. Now, I’m not anywhere near 17 anymore. In fact, I’m 17 x 2 + 1! :D But this book totally took me over last night. I was so completely drawn in that I peeled myself off the couch and read for another hour in bed. Even at that, I had to force myself to turn the light off. Now I’m almost done the whole book, but would really like to draw it out a few more days. I left it upstairs in my room and put a magazine by the couch so I don’t read until I head upstairs. YIKES!

Well, I’m signing off for the evening as my folks will be here soon. I hope you all have a great Saturday night!!

Bye for now!!