Home Alone

My kids had no school today, which is not surprising as there never seems to be more than 3 weeks at a time where kids go to school for all 5 days.  Typically if I have to work on a non-school day, the kids would go to the day-home.  Today we decided to test their home-alone skills!  Today was home-alone day!  

Both our kids have taken the Home Alone course offered through the Red Cross, and they have stayed home by themselves for an hour or two, but to be left alone for an entire day?  This was a first and the kids were excited to have a full day by themselves.  It was actually freeing this morning for me to get ready for work while they slept.  To not have to wake them up for school and to not rush to get out the door was a true gift! 

They likely experienced freedom as well...no school, no parents, and really being on their own for their meals.   Of course, being the way I am, I did write them a 2 page note this morning though I wonder if they even read it!  I wrote out a list of examples of what they could make to eat, and a list of our work numbers, and a list of rules (I guess I wouldn't have read the note either!).  Our son was so excited about the home alone adventure, that he even prepared last night!  He found a box of KD and put everything he needed to make it on the counter:  the pot, oven mitts and a strainer to drain the water.

So...how did it end?  I called about 10 times (they never called).  Each time I called, the kids said they were great!   They had whipped cream and berries and tea for breakfast (!), and chewy KD for lunch. And even though the pantry door and kitchen drawer were left open, they actually left the kitchen fairly tidy and all the dishes were in the sink!     Of course I had to overlook a few things...like eating KD, (not the best, but it was okay for today) and the fact that they likely watched movies and played video games for the bulk of the day (again, not the best, but okay for their home alone day).  

Overall,  I was impressed with their "survival skills" and I think they felt empowered by the fact that they COULD do it without me!  Great job kids!

An Unexpected Expense

End of the month.   In our house its like a reset button.   My husband gets paid once per month, so it gets a bit tricky near the end. That last week of the month is a bit of a juggling act with regards to expenses and I am not just referring to the automatic withdrawals that come out either (mortgage, electricity, gas, cell phone, internet, cable, property taxes....arg!).  But, today, the check is in!  Transfer funds! Pay credit card!  And our personal taxes were done already....ahhhh...breathe again until the last week of May.

But, there is always something that you don't expect each month. Our unexpected incident this month was a car expense (sigh).  Our son plays hockey and now that it's nice outside, he plays street hockey with neighbourhood friends.   He has the net set up in our driveway, and we have those awesome ball marks on our garage door, which I don't mind as it means he is being active and getting fresh air and is not playing video games.  Our rule is "if the garage door is open, no shooting on net!".  Pretty simple?  Well, just as  rules can be broken, so can the back window of our Kia...into a million pieces. SMASH!   The garage was open, and he took a HARD shot on net.  In his mind he never misses.  And while he does have an accurate shot, mistakes happen...and this was our unexpected April expense.  He never had any intention of shattering the glass, and as a parent, it is hard sometimes to remember intention.  He was freaked out for a while after it happened (ironically it happened just as we were getting ready to leave for his spring hockey practice!).  And then you think of that whole natural consequences thing.  Do we ground him forever? Use the belt (and I laugh at this option as we never EVER do that).  What to do??

His dad came home and you know its bad when I have to be the calm and reasonable one.  His dad was MAD.  I had to calm everyone down AND I had to be the voice of reason.   Uh oh.  Voice of reason.  Me.   Okaaaay.  In the end, our son helped clean up the tiny shattered pieces of glass.  He took the broom and vacuum to the garage, and was their for the clean up from start to finish.  We had also called our friends over to help us patch up the back window (btw, thank you for that...you guys SAVED us!).  The window was cleaned up and patched on a Tuesday and by Friday afternoon, there was new glass installed.  600 dollars later, it's fixed.  But now what? Does he pay for it?  He has less than $200.00 in his bank account, and while he won't be able to pay for the whole thing, we do plan on taking him to the bank and making him withdraw at least $150.00 from his account to give to us.   I think it's important to do that, although maybe it seems a bit mean.  Still not sure about that one.  I am hoping that him being involved in the clean up, and eventually paying us $150.00 will help him remember that it's all-sticks-down when the garage is open.  Other than that, if its closed, make ball marks to your hearts content!

Now almost 2 weeks later, its fixed and paid for.  These unexpected expenses are just that...unexpected and unpleasant, but always a part of our lives.  Remember the Disney film "Up"?  I love that movie (and yes, I bawled my eyes out).  In the beginning vignette, we saw the couple putting all their extra money into a jar and they also showed all the unexpected things that happened in life which resulted in them breaking into their savings.  But, in the end, they had a great life, filled with joy, and each other (anyone crying besides me yet??).  I guess its important to expect the unexpected, and just deal as best you can, and move on to the next month and pray that the unexpected is really just a blip in the road that can be easily fixed.

Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon

I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I miss it just about every day.  My dad still lives there and he sends me slabs....and I mean SLABS of uncut whole smoked salmon on a regular basis.  I received the most recent slab delivery two days ago.  One of them was 1.3 kg, and the other was just over 1.4 kg!  Amazing!  That's over 6 scrumptious pounds of Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon!   My dad and I have a routine with our salmon-trade.  He'll call me and tell me when its en route, and typically I will leave a cooler on my front step with an ice pack in it, just in case I am not at home for the delivery.  I'll stick a note on the door for the Fed-ex guy to leave the package in the cooler as its not a good thing for perishable goods to go back to the warehouse for pick up on the next business day!

As for the fish...I usually cut each slab into 4, and freeze it in Ziploc bags in my deep freezer.  It keeps down there forever!  My dad usually sends me a few deliveries of salmon every year.  And as much as I love my smoked salmon, I also love sharing it with friends for a night of drinks and appies!

Finger Food Friday! Nachos, Salsa, baguette,
olive oil and balsamic to dip,  AND...smoked salmon!   TGIFFF!

I know we can get smoked salmon here in Calgary, but...really, you can take the girl out of Nova Scotia, but you can never take Nova Scotia out of the girl!   Ever!   

Bliss Balls

Need I say more?   It's a chocolate ball of bliss.  A friend of mine introduced me to these...and now I can't get enough bliss from the ball!   If you are a chocoholic read on, but be warned you will crave chocolate!  If you are not a chocoholic, then I can't help you at all.  

So where can you find your own ball of bliss?  I bought these at Planet Organic, and honestly, once you start buying them, you won't be able to stop.  You will think of excuses as to why you just happen to be passing by.  Well, we're passing by, we might as well stop and get a few essentials, you'll tell yourself.  But thankfully, these balls are good for you!  The ingredient list is amazingly simple and there is nothing in there that you can't pronounce (always a good sign).   They are covered in chocolate and inside the ball,  the uniform consistency is a bit chewy, but not so chewy that it sticks to your teeth.  Ingredients are:  cashews, chocolate, dates, almonds, brown rice syrup and cocoa powder.  Just to let you know, it does have traces of milk, peanuts, other nuts and sesame seeds.   Each one has 110 calories, and while this may seem like a lot, these balls have benefits!   They also contain 4 grams of fibre, 3 grams of protein and a bit of iron as well!  

I don't know about you but I have a craving!  Even if all you have in your cupboard are chocolate chips or...sigh...crushed Oreo cookie crumbs (which my friends know I have eaten before to satisfy a craving..but that was a LONG time ago!), I suggest you listen to what your body is telling you.  Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the pantry!    

What's inside your head?

I am not a complicated person, but I do readily admit that I am high maintenance and that my problem solving skills are not always where they should be.   In some situations, I am great at problem-solving (I just can't think of any examples right now).  But in other situations, I feel overwhelmed, and often will ask my husband to help me figure something out before I drive myself crazy.

I had a problem this week, and it just about drove me to tears.  The details are not important, but the problem occurred because there were two activities that conflicted with each other.  I was quite distraught, as I truly wanted everyone to be happy.  I feel that it is my job to make sure everyone is happy.  It isn't, but that's how I feel.  Working on that.

After talking to my husband, he helped me solve the problem and then told me what I already know...that I often will get into a frenzy about things without thinking them through clearly.  I know this about myself and I am working on it, but I really wanted to give him a glimpse of what goes on inside my head.  And just a warning,  this next part of today's entry may contain imagery that is not suitable for organized people...proceed with caution.

Here was my analogy to help him understand how my head works.  Close your eyes and picture confetti, all scattered and and blowing around.  Each piece of confetti is a small tiny piece of paper, right?  And inside my head, picture that each confetti piece has a letter on it.  Its like my own personal-hell word scramble happening inside my head.  I am mentally trying find letters as fast as I can that go together to solve the problem.  But then I get distracted and I may make up a word that has nothing to do with the problem (yes, I can sometimes get off task).  That's my head on an average day.  I know its a good day when it is not to windy, and the confetti just stays settled for the most part.  But there are days when a gale force wind blows in, then all the tiny confetti pieces go nuts, and so do I.

Now...here is how I picture my husbands head.  Close your eyes again and picture those 3M post-it notes.  He has those inside his head.  All stuck perfectly aligned on a clean wall.  Maybe some different colours to help him determine which task is more important.  For problem solving, he mentally writes down each solution, and presents it to himself and if I am lucky (and willing to listen!), he presents it to me as well.

So there it is.  At least I recognize that I need to move more to the post-it model of problem solving than the blowing-confetti model.   Don't get me wrong, confetti CAN be fun.  Maybe the solution is to have a bit of both, and try and figure out when you need your mental post-it notes, and when you just need to throw caution to the wind and let the confetti part take over...just for a little while.

Quick Meal Fix

Meal planning is something that I really strive for, and when it happens, you can tell...we have all the ingredients to make the meal, it's always delicious and I feel less stressed out (which means everyone is less stressed out). On days where I haven't planned out the meals our household can be chaotic! So I have learned that even for those unplanned-meal-days, it is important to have quick dinner fixes and sure-things you have on hand in your pantry because the reality is you can't always plan your meals. Sometimes, it just has to be a quickie, and you'll find that those meals can be just as good as the planned meals with really great results from the kids.

Dinner from both yesterday and today was quick, nutritious and delicious! Wednesday we had an "oldie but a goodie"...grilled cheese and tomato soup. An easy meal with three out of four food groups. We used real cheddar cheese, and also used the high fibre bread from Cobs (yes, another plug for Cobs!). The kids love this meal and from stove-top to table it took 10 minutes. I always have the ingredients on hand to make grilled cheese and tomato soup and it is always a hit in our house. Tonight we had linguini with a curry cream sauce. I had bought the pasta and the sauce both fresh from Planet Organic (link is below). I added some cooked chicken breast and steamed green peas and presto...dinner was a hit and from stove-top to table was under 20 minutes. Two other hits in our house for the quick and dirty dinner-fix are home-made pancakes or waffles with fresh fruit or toast and scrambled eggs with fruit. Breakfast for dinner is a fun thing to do for kids and it's the ideal trio: quick, delicious and nutritious. What's not to love about that?

As for tomorrow...its Friday! And you know what that means....Finger Food Friday! Hurray!

http://www.planetorganic.ca/

The New Yogi: 6th Class

We had a NEW yogi tonight and she was tough! At one point my friend and I referred to her as evil. Note that she's not really evil and is actually quite sweet, but holy crap! Picture this...you are in your "table-top position" on all fours, and she says softly and slowly....raise your left arm and stretch it out in front of you (so far so good)...and now raise your left leg and stretch it out in back of you...(did she just say to raise the same leg and the same arm at the same time??), AND we had to do this while squeezing a frickin yoga-block between our thighs at the same time. All you heard during that move were groans (or were they ohmmmmmss...???) and the thuds from the blocks hitting the floor. Time for the second set of "same arm, same leg, stretched out..." but now she says... gently move your arm to the back, and gently (I now hate the word gently) kick your foot into your hand and raise it.... (What the frick? What is she saying to do?!?). Okay. Its yoga....only push yourself as far as you can go...no judgement happens here. And...breathe out. The downward dogging today was also a bit more tricky as I found out that you should not have to readjust your hands and feet to go from downward dog to high push-up /plank. Seriously??? I'll have to work on that.

But, in all honestly, sitting here right now at home, all showered and in my jammies, I feel great! I feel happy and I feel...not so old! Even though the evil yogi (who as I said is not really evil at all) challenged me today, the end result was the same...good for the mind, body and soul. And I am still going to go back for more! Namaste!

btw...I posted a link below...has one vulgar word at the end, so don't watch it if you don't like swearing. but if you are okay with it (I am) then make sure and watch til the end. Another friend of mine sent this to me before I even started yoga, and I thought it was pretty funny!

http://youtu.be/IMC1_RH_b3k

Best French Toast Ever!

Whenever we can, we make a nice brunch on a Sunday...love the concept of brunch! For me it means that you only have to cook twice that day and while I do enjoy cooking, its nice to have a break once in a while! Yesterday we had French toast, sausage, and fresh cut up fruit. Easy and simply delicious. In the past, French toast has not been a kids favourite in our house, but now we found the perfect and most delicious bread and it is sure-thing every time. The cinnamon loaf from Cobs is really the best bread to use in French toast. For starters, their bread has no preservatives and no additives. Its just real bread. Its as close to home made as you can get without making it yourself. Add in the slight sweetness in the bread and the swirls of cinnamon and it is mouth watering deliciousness. And as with most things I make, leftovers can be frozen for a quick breakfast before school.

This is totally not a plug for Cobs, but they have a pretty good website where you can find info on all of their products, and conveniently, they have a bakery-locater on their site! They even have a "frequent flyer" card where you can earn free loaves of bread! I don't work for them....but maybe I should! Check out their site, and for goodness sakes, next time you want to make French toast....buy the cinnamon loaf from Cobs!

http://www.cobsbread.com/home/

Saturday Night Special

I think that having an appie/dessert night is one of my favourite ways to entertain, as there is usually something yummy for everyone to enjoy!

On the menu from last night...

Cheese and crackers with pepper jelly (just to get things started)

Baked brie with multiple heads of fresh roasted garlic (OMG)

Smoked salmon (flown in from Nova Scotia, courtesy of my dad! Thanks dad!)

Wild mushroom pizza drizzled with truffle oil (see previous post for recipe)

Nachos (one batch fully loaded with jalapeno's, and one batch with just cheese)

Multiple bottles of red wine (of course!)

And for dessert...

Home made lava cakes served with whipped cream, fresh cut strawberries and a sprinkle of icing sugar on top. The link for this recipe is at the bottom. I doubled the recipe and baked them in muffin tins instead of custard cups. Doubling the recipe usually makes about 18 lava cakes, and while they are a bit smaller, they are so rich you only need one....or two! Leftovers freeze and reheat beautifully. They are a great make-ahead dessert as all you have to do is microwave two at a time for about 22 seconds. Then slap them on a plate and decorate with whipped cream, berries and icing sugar. What could be easier and tastier than that??

It truly was a fantastic night...great friends, great food and great wine. That was our Saturday night! Add in the kids playing hide-and-go-seek and Rock Band and it makes for an awesome time had by all! Cheers!

http://baking.about.com/od/chocolatecakes/r/moltenlava1.htm

Quiet Moments

Saturday. From September to March, we are usually busy every weekend with hockey and ringette. Practices, games, etc... This year, the kids are in spring activities, but as luck would have it, the activities are only during the week. That means no early mornings and no weekend games or practices. It felt a bit strange today, being able to wake up and not really know what our plans were! I actually ended up going to a yoga/pilates fusion class (and even enjoyed it despite the fact that I could not do the up-in-the-air-leg-splaying move). The kids both had a quiet morning, and they even were able to curl up with good book for while today! As important as it is to keep kids busy and active, part of healthy living also has to include those quiet moments where there are no electronics, no planned activities, and just some time to be by yourself. Nourishment of the mind, body and soul...that's what today was about for our family, and it was a great day!

Fancy Pizza

TGIFFF.....Thank Goodness it's Finger Food Friday! Tonight, I decided to make home made pizza. But not just any pizza...FANCY pizza.! And since it's Friday, a full-bodied red was consumed during AND after production. My recipe for dough (which is awesome) makes about 3 thin crust12-14 inch shells, or 2 regular-crust shells. I have always had a knack for making dough, which likely is from watching my mom when I was younger. She would always make bread or home made pizza and I would watch her knead and roll, and when she wasn't looking, I would just eat the dough. About one month ago, we had a make-your-own pizza night and my daughter had a friend over. It made me smile to see the two of them rolling out their dough and picking at it too! Tonight's feature pizzas: spinach and feta; and wild mushroom drizzled with truffle oil. Are you salivating yet? We even ended up freezing one of the pizzas uncooked in the hopes we can serve it up as a funky appetizer tomorrow night just in case we have guests...you know who you are!

One thing about this type of appetizer is that you can be so creative with your toppings. I have done a fig jam-proscuitto-blue cheese and a friend of mine did one with kalmata olives-goat cheese-caramelized onions. To. Die. For. Seriously. So be creative, and its okay to cheat and buy the dough from your local Italian grocery store (like Lina's Italian Market!). They freeze so well uncooked which makes for a quick meal. And just to note, for these "fancy" pizzas, I don't typically use the traditional tomato sauce.

Dough:

1 1/4 cup warm water (not too hot, not too cold.....just right)

1 TBSP sugar

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3 1 /4 cups flour (approximately)

1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil (I think I use closer to 1/4 cup)

Mix together the water, sugar and yeast and let it sit for a few minutes. Then add the flour and the olive oil and slowly begin to mix it with your clean hands. Slowly knead into a nice big ball and knead for a few minutes. When its nice and round and smooth, cover the bowl with a clean damp cloth. Let it sit on your counter for about 45 min-1 hour. Now you can get your toppings ready!

Tonights toppings:

Spinach and feta: 1 box fresh spinach (I think the box said 142 grams). Cook spinach and press out the water as best you can. Then add 2 cloves of minced garlic, a diced tomato, crumbled feta (no, I did not measure), and some parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Wild mushrooms sauteed in olive oil: I just took two packages of dried mushrooms and soaked them in water for about 20 minutes. Drain liquid and slice and fry them up in a bit of olive oil, and add 1/2 pack of sliced fresh mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.

Once the dough is ready, punch it down with your fist and divide it into three equal-ish lumps. Roll out and place each on a greased pizza pan. Spread the mushroom mixture on one, and then sprinkle fresh parmesan and shredded mozza. Once cooked, it is heavenly to drizzle just a bit of truffle oil on top....decadent! The spinach mixture is ready to spread, and no more cheese is needed, as its already in the mixture.

Bake at 375 convection for....well...it was cooked after my second glass of red and half way through my third...15 minutes? 20 minutes? Either way, its delicious and was perfect for our Finger Food Friday! Cheers!

Rink Race

As my profile suggests, I am proud to call myself both hockey mom and a ringette mom. But it wasn't always this way. Believe it or not, there was a time when I wanted NOTHING to do being in the "rink race". When our kids were younger, I remember seeing how much running around my brother-in-law and sister-in-law did with their kids (who I adore, and thank them every day for showing me the light!). I also remember thinking to myself that I never wanted to be that busy! Little did I know that being busy is synonymous with parenting! When my son was 6 years old, we put him in hockey (his dad's idea, not mine). I have to admit that it was a horrible year. I could not for the life of me wrap my head around the fact that my 6 year old had to get on all that gear (or rather I had to figure it out and get it on him). We had skates to tie, 6 am practices, ice times that were never the same week to week...the list went on. Thank goodness my husband did most of the 6 am and weekend practices. I was a mess for just about the entire year...I pretty much had full-on tantrums. I am not sure what all the stages are for anger, but am positive that I went through them unsuccessfully. I couldn't understand why hockey couldn't be twice per week on the same day and at the same stupid arena! Who would think to make us go all over the frickin city? It was ridiculous. Then....something happened. Our son's team had a year end "parent party" and I realized that all these parents were the same as us, and I was having...fun! But by the next year, I was back where I started, feeling the same way...angry at the ice times and frustrated that the huge (and I mean HUGE) hockey shorts could not fit over the skates (yes, I put his skates on first, and then told him to get his shorts on. It was not my finest moment). And again, something happened to shift my thinking. An out of town tournament. My eyes were opened for the first time that hockey was more than just about the children! It was about parents having fun and really getting to know each other. It was amazing!

Fast forward to my daughter starting ringette. I was a bit more in tune with the early ice times by the time she started, and a bit better at tying skates. The one down side was that I had just figured out what an "offside" was in hockey, and now had to figure out a whole new set of rules for ringette, another set of gear, and skates, and.....okay....so it wasn't all great at first, but I was cured by the "outta town tourney" fix. I swear the only reason we love to go out of town is to party...I mean to see those kids play!

Now, our son has been playing for 6 years, and our daughter has been in ringette for 3 years. Some of our best friends are from hockey and ringette, where the kids and parents share the same passion. I absolutely love watching my kids on the ice! Of course its so much easier now...both kids are independent in the dressing room from head to toe, with the occasional request to tighten skates, or fasten a helmet. It is amazing to see how far they have come, and how far I have come. Not only do I accept that this is the sport of their choice, but I embrace it, and have to admit that this year when the season was over, I felt a bit...lost! I missed the parents and I think I even missed the rush of getting dinner on the table and getting to the rink on time. I find myself looking forward to next year, and to cheering on my kids and their friends, and of course seeing MY friends at the rink and getting my "outta town tourney" fix. Oh yeah! Party in room 408!!!!!

Kale Chips!

A few weeks ago my friend made some kale chips...and they were surprisingly delicious! Everyone must have a nemesis-snack....mine is anything crunchy and salty. So chips....chips, crackers and chips. When I tried the kale chips, they were so yummy, I had to make them for myself. I was surprised by two things...they were very easy to make AND my kids (and their friends) loved them! I found a recipe from allrecipes.com. I added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to mine as that's how my friend had baked hers, and I love balsamic in anything! They are super healthy, somewhat crunchy, easy to make, and the kids loved them...not sure if they will continue loving them, but for today, they loved them!

Basically I washed and dried the Kale and tore it into bite sized pieces and drizzled olive oil and balsamic on top. Then I put them on parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkled sea salt on top. Then bake on convection for 10 - 12 minutes. Note that the kale suffers from some "shrinkage" during the cooking process....I made 2 bunches, and 1 bunch is already gone! Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-kale-chips/

Kids and "The Talk..."

About a month ago, our family was watching TV, and we happened to be watching an episode of "Glee". Because the show has some adult themes, when we do watch it, I typically watch it with my daughter (and okay, I admit it, I LOVE the show). Because one of the cheerleader characters is a bit promiscuous, we got on the subject of S-E-X. Here's how the conversation went:

" Mom, Brittany said she has had sex with everyone in the school".

"Well, is that a good choice? Or not a good choice" (deep breaths, Sherene, breaths....deep breaths....)

"I think not a good choice" (great answer!!). OK...time for the mom-response...aim high...set the bar high....

"Because you know," I say carefully, "to have sex, you have to be married first, you have to have a job, and not just a job anywhere, but a profession, AND you have to be in your late twenties." (like I said, aim high and maybe part of my statement will come true). Now she has a horrified look on her face....here it comes....

"You mean you and dad have had SEX???"

"Uh, yes, daughter, at least twice" I say jokingly, referring of course to the procreation of her and her brother.

"Yeah, last week...wink wink" says the husband. Really? Did this comment help at all?? No. Meanwhile, our son is busting a gut laughing, because he is 11, and apparently at 11, you know everything there is to know about sex.

"Hmmmmmm...." I say, "Maybe it's time we start reading the What's Happening To Me book. We can read it together, okay?"

"Okay mom," she smiles sweetly and gives me a kiss and hug. I love this moment!

Later that night...

We started reading THE BOOK. We read a few pages, and when we got to the cartoon page of the girl changing into a woman, you know with little buds here and there, and some curly black hair drawn in down there...my daughter has yet another horrified look on her face...

"That's gonna happen to ME??????" she exclaims, pointing at the curly hair cartoon picture. "Yes honey, it happens to all women...its okay, it won't happen overnight". Then I smile to myself and think....but I know a gal who can laser that RIGHT OFF, don't you worry!

Hot Yoga: 4th Class

My fourth class tonight with my friend, and I actually find myself liking this class...what the ???? The first few times I went, she would text me and ask if I am going to yoga....my response was always "maybe, haven't decided yet". Then she got smart, and asked me for a ride. But tonight, when I received her text at 6 pm, it said "yoga?" and my immediate response was "yup...you bet!" I guess that means I am changing for the better...and I can get out of the house from 6:30 - 8:30...no kids, no husband, no errands. Still had some challenging moves tonight. Like "plant your hands on the ground....then slowly place your knees on your triceps.....(really?!??) and gently lift your feet up..." not ready for THAT one yet. Got my feet up for a micro-second, and almost fell on my face. But, all in all, I feel great and I am sure I noticed some improvements. So will there be a fifth class? Yup, you bet.

Caribbean Cookin'!

My mom sent this Youtube video from the show "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives". The featured restaurant is "Pam's Kitchen" in Seattle (the food pic is from her website). It truly captures the type of Indian food I grew up with (which is not really Indian at all, but more Caribbean / Trinidadian!). I just had to pass this on, as even listening to the woman who owns the restaurant reminded me of my family, how they cook, how they talk, and I wanted to share a bit of my own heritage and culture. I can cook some of these traditional Caribbean dishes, but the food is never quite as good as when my gramma, my mom or when my aunties and uncles make it. If you live in Calgary, you can get this food at Joycee's Caribbean Foods in Bridgeland! My kids and my husband LOVE it! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPWT87zxZEg&sns=em

Chuck-Brisket

Easter dinner was a bit different this year, as usually we are somewhere else, eating someone else's turkey or ham. This year, we stayed home, and rather than buy a huge turkey, we decided to cook something we had already in our deep freeze.....chuck roast. hmmmm. Not really sure about that, but okay, I'll give it a try. I looked up the cut on Wikipedia. I had no idea what part the "chuck" came from, or if it was the same thing as brisket. I knew that a chuck roast has to be slow cooked on low heat in order for it to be tender. I just didn't know how to prepare it at all. That's the great thing about the internet...I looked up "best brisket recipes" and "best chuck roast recipes" and then just decided to make it up on my own. I did find out that the chuck is in the front of the cow, and the brisket, also in the front, is just lower down. The 2-D picture of the cow and the cuts of meat was actually very useful. Its probably not proper to call this a brisket at all, but I did combine the chuck and the brisket recipes I found AND I think the word "brisket" makes it sound better than just "chuck". Either way, the meal ended up being incredibly delicious, with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, and Yorkshire pudding. Don't forget the horseradish!

My version of a "chuck-brisket" roast:

• 4-5 lb chuck roast
• 1 TBSP sea salt (I used a bit less)
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 3-4 cloves of fresh minced garlic
• 1 TBSP dry mustard powder
• 1TBSP of thyme
• 2 tsp Montreal Steak Spice
• 2 tsp black pepper

Mix the dry ingredients together and rub onto the roast. Then with a knife, make some small slits in the beef, and stuff in some garlic cloves. Cover the bottom of the roaster with water, enough so it won't dry out. Bake uncovered at 350 for the first hour, then reduce the heat to 300 for another 4 hours covered. Check once to make sure the roaster has enough water.

Once it was cooked, I let it sit for about 45 minutes, and then sliced it up. It sliced beautifully, and for a cheap piece of meat (did I really just type that???) it was delicious!

Bunny Treats

My daughter wanted to make something special for the Easter Bunny today as he gets a bit hungry delivering all the chocolates. She decided to make mini carrot muffins, and they really turned out great!

Mini Carrot Muffins:

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/4 cup milk (a bit more if they seem dry)

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch salt

1 cup shredded carrots (just dumped some baby carrots in my mini Cuisinart Food processor; easy-breezy!)

Preheat oven to 350

Mix dry ingredients together. Combine eggs, oil and milk and carrots and then add the dry stuff. May need to add a bit more milk, depending on the consistency. Do not overmix. This recipe made 36 mini muffins. We baked them for about 15 minutes. Can frost them with a vanilla frosting if you like. My daughter decorated them with baby carrots for the Easter Bunny. Such a cute idea! Enjoy!

Good Friday Meal

Got this recipe from my mother-in-law, and it is a traditional dish that she makes for Good Friday. In one of my previous posts ("Weight a Minute!") I talked about how I have been trying to avoid white carbs...ironically, this dish that I made on Good Friday was ALL white, and ALL carbs...but man was it delicious. Everything in moderation, and this dish is a great one for Good Friday. It is called Gnabe. They are little button-sized dumplings that you boil first, and then pan fry them with butter and cooked potatoes. You can serve it with either scrambled egg mixed in, or fry up some sauerkraut with it. Yum!

Gnabe

1 cup of flour

1 egg

pinch of salt

1 medium diced potato

*Note that for our family of 4 (2 kids, 2 adults) I tripled the recipe and we hardly had any left! Guess we were in carb-loading mood!

In a medium bowl combine flour, egg and salt. Add some water to slowly and knead into a hard dough. Break off into button-sized pieces. Boil for 5 minutes and set aside. Boil potato separately and sent aside. When ready to serve, fry up half of the boiled gnabe with butter, half of the potato and some egg (I used 3 eggs and cracked them right into the frying pan with the gnabe). Fry the other half of the gnabe with the rest of the potato with some sauerkraut. Serve with Cheese Whiz (I know, really???) or plain yogurt or sour cream. Then, work your ass off the next day for your workout. High carbs, but totally worth it.

Let's Go Meatless!

Tried a new recipe tonight that I got from a friend of mine. I substituted lots because I didn't have all the ingredients (really just too lazy to go to the store), but it was tres yum! Here is the original recipe, and my substitutions. There are no amounts in this recipe...just gotta feel your way through it, and it'll turn out GREAT!

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Brown Fried Rice (I used Quinoa today)
• cook the rice (or quinoa) and set aside
• toast some almonds (i used some raw almonds and some raw cashews)
• Cut up apple (I used pear today, had no apple)
• Minced garlic and ginger
• soy sauce, sambel (optional), sesame oil (I also used the thick Indonesian soy sauce too)

When rice (quinoa) is done, set aside. Lightly cook your garlic and ginger in a wok with a bit of olive oil. Now add the rice (quinoa) and whatever sauces you are using....a bit of soy, a bit of sambel, a bit of sesame oil and some of that thick Indonesian soy sauce. I don't usually measure if I am cooking, so it was a bit of this, and a bit of that. Once the sauces are added, and to your liking, add the pear, toasted nuts...and voila! A delicious meatless meal and tastes great the next day for lunch!

Weight a Minute!

I am always trying to lose 10 lb, though this year it seems the "10" turned into 15 as I gained 5 at Christmas time. As I get older, it just gets harder and harder to do. Food is such a big part of my life, and I have no off switch! I eat if I am happy, sad, mad, angry....you name the emotion, and I can pretty much guarantee that I can find a food to make me feel better! Cheese, wine, cheese, cheese, wine....the list goes on.

But this time I feel I can do it, and maintain the loss (frick, I better, or I might get all depressed and eat a large bag of Ms. Vickies Salt and Malt Chips.......oh crap...why did I have to write that????)

OK...seriously, here are some tips for my 4th attempt at weight loss:

• I limit all white foods...white rice, white bread, cakes, pastries
• I include chocolate daily. Just a few chocolate chips in my home made trail mix of raw pecans and Thompson raisins....helps take the edge off.
• I have been trying to drink my water...this will be day 5
• I eat brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice or pasta
• I always make enough supper so I can have a good lunch the next day
• Yes, I am trying really hard to eat my fruits and vegetables
• Meatless meals.....try it once in a while.
• I don't typically snack after supper, though will allow myself to cheat once in a while
• Exercise...well...I started hot yoga, didn't I???

OK...that's enough for today. All this writing about food is making me hungry. Frick!!!!

Finger Food Friday

I think it is so important to have traditions, no matter how small you think these traditions are. For example, years ago, when my son was in elementary school, he hated haircuts. On those haircut days, our tradition became for us to go for lunch at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant, which is conveniently located just down the street from the hairdresser. Double bonus for me....his hair is finally cut, and can l have the beef sate soup and an order of spring rolls please? Yum! Another tradition we have in our house, which has become quite an event, is "Finger Food Fridays". As I have mentioned, I am a foodie....and food on Friday has to be fun and delicious! Finger Food Friday can be anything...we might make wings and nachos, or sometimes I'll go to the Farmer's Market and buy some yummy dips and have good cheese and bread and some fruit...fermented grapes from Argentina are best ;-)

Anything goes, as long as its fun, and finger food-ish. That means no spaghetti, no lasagne, no toast and eggs, no leftovers. The tradition of Finger Food Friday has spread to some of my extended family as well, and to my friends. It is such a great way for the kids to get excited about cooking, and being together. They ask every Thursday...."What are we having for Finger Food Friday??" It is such music to my ears to know that they too, get excited about good food, and being together. What a great tradition they can pass on to the next generation.

What's for Dinner?

I love to cook, honestly I do, and I think I am good at it. But what I don't love is the time that I don't have to do it. Being a bit of a foodie, and a bit high maintenance (oh you know I am!) I really try and plan my meals ahead of time. It doesn't always work, and there are some nights where we have toast and eggs but that's okay too. I find the more effort I put into meal planning, the more I get out of the time I don't have to prepare the meal. This past week, for example, I roasted not one, but two whole chickens, with the intention of eating leftovers the next day. Unfortunately, my plan backfired, as nobody was happy with leftovers yesterday. Sigh. Fortunately for me, I have a very proactive husband, who took matters into his own hands, and used the leftovers in a chicken pot pie and made home-made biscuits! The kids loved it! Today was day 3, and there was just enough for a nice big pot of chicken soup. We loaded the soup with potatoes, celery, carrots and some macaoroni, seasoned it up, and had it with some bread. Another success! So my chicken lasted for 3 days...and did I mention my husband and I even took some leftover pot pie for lunch today? Now what the hell am I going to cook tomorrow? Better start planning!

Wine with a friend

Wine. That's all I really need to say, isn't it? Tonight I had wine with a good friend that I have not seen in quite a long time. It was wonderful to sit, chat and realize that even though some time has passed, our friendship is still strong, and that we can make each other laugh, and say just about anything!

Hot Yoga Mishap

Tonight was my third hot yoga class. I am enjoying the feeling afterwards, and I think (think!!!) I am getting better at a few things...though I really don't like that mirror at the front. I am sure it is a trick mirror that makes me look 20 lb heavier even though everyone else looks normal.

So there I was doing the downward dog, and we'd done a few by this point, maybe like 15 minutes or so into the class. My head is upside down, and I feel this "thing" kind of dangling at my face. (so picture it....me, downward dog, and not doing it gracefully at all, and my head is hanging upside-down, and there's a thing flapping around the side of my face). I try to "gracefully" push it out of the way by lifting one of my hands off the sticky mat. I then brushed it away, and tried to feel what it was. Couldn't figure it out on the first try, almost fall on my face, then tried again. This time I got a hold of it, and it was my freakin' ta-ta tamer lulu bra strap! It had come undone! Wtf????? are you kidding me? I had to go out of the class, and nicely ask the receptionist to hook it back on for me as it had come off from the back clip! I have never had that happen to me before! That was my misadventure for the day....at least everyone was still "dogging" when I did a fast tip-toe out of the studio! Ah well. They say in yoga there is no judgement and that it is a safe place....so really, all in all, it could have been worse! I'll still be there next time, but will have to make sure the "girls" are secure in their holding cell.