Happy Hallowe'en!

Katniss Everdeen!

I have never LOVED Hallowe'en.  I like it, but I don't love it.  Growing up in Nova Scotia, it was always cold and damp, and any costume you wore had to be modified with some sort of raincoat and rubber boots, or a winter jacket and mitts.   Calgary is no different, though the last 5 years here have been so mild that tonight's "freezing" weather threw me for a loop.  But...it's all about the kids, and they had a blast tonight.  

Welcome to Zombie-land!

For the first time since we have been taking them Trick or Treating, tonight was the first night that they went on their own, with friends.   At first, I thought I would be sad (no, I didn't!).   I came home after dropping my daughter at her friends and it was just my husband and I.  A strange feeling at first on  Hallowe'en, but then, we opened some wine, made a fancy cheese and olive plate, and I was no longer feeling nostalgic...but feeling proud that my kids had friends to be with, and proud that they were out on their own, having fun.  

All in all, it was a Happy Hallwe'en for everyone...kids AND parents!

Tricks and Treats for us too!!!  Yum!

Lasagne Florentine-ish!

Tonight was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-dinner!

• Worked til 4:30. home by 4:55, with 5 minutes to spare before taking my daughter to dance.
• In that 5 minutes, it was quick thinking:  make dinner versus take out.  Nope...make dinner. Be good.

Then for a quick assessment of what I had (clock ticking)...

• Cooked chicken from Costco in the freezer, frozen bag of spinach, mozza in the fridge, milk, garlic, lasagne noodles....hmmmmmmmmm...this could actually work!
• 4:59....dump lasagne noodles in pot with water, turn on stove, and ask the boy to keep an eye on it while I drop his sis to dance.   He is so good...when I got home, the noodles were gently simmering, and he had pushed all the lasagne noodles to fit in the pot!

I was home again by 5:25 pm and had 35 minutes before I had to leave again to pick up the girl.

• Melt butter, garlic, flour, add milk...quick white sauce...done.
• Grate cheese
• Microwave frozen spinach and squeeze out water
• add fresh garlic and some mozza to spinach.  This will be the middle layer.....
• Chicken...all cooked cuz it was from Costco!
• Noodles...done.....

Time to put it all together....5:45 pm....here goes....

• First layer... noodles, then some chicken, sauce and a bit of mozza.   
• Next layer..noodles, and the spinach/garlic/mozza layer and a bit of sauce
• Next layer...noodles, chicken, sauce, and finish off with the rest of the mozza.  

5:57....3 minutes before I have to go get daughter from dance!

• Foil....oven....350.....I'm out the door, and dinner is in the oven!

Home again at 6:25 pm....dinner is almost ready, and I even have time to make garlic bread!

My biggest regret in all this?  I took no picture of dinner, as we were starving, and ready to eat!   It was actually pretty good!  What made it easy?  The chicken from Costco, the frozen spinach, and the fact that I basically think about food every time I am driving home from work!

Rivel Soup for the Soul...

Steaming bowl-a-soup, anyone?

 Both our kids were sick today...flu, cold, etc...I think most people, kids included, have their "safe foods" when they are feeling unwell.  My kids always ask for something called "rivel soup". I learned how to make this from my mother-in-law, and have to say, while mine is not as good as hers, it is pretty close (which means it is amazing!).  

It is dubbed "lazy man noodle" soup, but there is nothing lazy about it, unless you've been making it for years.   The first time I made it, it took me almost 45 minutes to make these rivels!



I always save my bones...be it from chicken or turkey.  I just bag 'em and chuck 'em in the freezer.  When I am ready to make soup, just add water, and boil 'em up.   I add a bay leaf or two, some soup base and some sea salt and pepper, and then the broth tastes amazing, fresh and cures what ails you. Start boiling it in the late morning and let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Strain out all the bones.  If there is meat on the bones, you can shred it off and use in the soup if you wish.

For the rivels, its simply eggs and flour, and you really need to see someone do it to know how to do it.   I will attempt to write the recipe out, though, just in case there are any adventurous people out there!

• start with 2 cups and a bit of flour
• add in 3 eggs.   NO water at this point.
• Mix together rubbing your hands together, and make it all look like sand at a beach.
• Then, you need to add water, but if you add too much, it will wreck it.  I find that if you just slightly wet your had under the tap, and mix it into your bowl, it works better.  Every time you do that, rub all the dough together.  Eventually, you'll get nice small little balls (I know, sounds funny). 
• If it still appears too fine, wet your hand again, and rub the dough all together between your hands.   
• Once it looks like this....then pour all your balls in a colander and shake out the tiny tiny balls, and use only the one's that stay in your colander.

The rivels.....

• The broth (which you should have ready after boiling up those bones) should be boiling, and then just add in the balls!  
• Boil for 5 minutes or so, and your soup is ready.  Add S&P to taste.  I know it has no veggies, but the broth, combined with the "lazy-man-egg-noodles" are just perfect for that comfort food that is much needed for colds, or getting over the flu, when you need those hot steaming liquids.  

One last pic of my perfect-rivels!

I am happy to say that my rivels were amazing today, and I made them in less than 15 minutes!  Practice does really make perfect!  

Yummy Breakie!

Melted cheese on a bagel with home-made apple butter......ahhhhh....

So this morning's breakfast was so blog-worthy!!!!  And yes, I know I probably should have had half of the damn bagel, but it was just too delish.

What did I have?   A multi-grain bagel with melted Balderson 5-year aged cheddar (are you salivating yet?) and then...I added something amazing....home-made apple butter!  One of my hockey friends gave me a jar of this bliss yesterday, and I think I am going to hide it in my fridge for just me.

The combination of flavours was exquisite.   I had my grain (bagel), I had my protein (cheese) and I am counting the apple butter as part of a fruit (I ended up smearing more on than the above pic shows!).

So yummy, just had to share!  

Dinner is ready!

Kids made dinner tonight!  Fabulous!

Tonight's dinner needs to be remembered.  Not just because it was delicious and well balanced, but because it was ready by the time hubby and I got home from work!

Yes, our kids made dinner, and not Kraft Dinner!!!  They made fettucini alfredo!  Our son came up with the idea, and both kids worked together to create this meal, which was delicious!   They looked up the recipe online, and made (yes...MADE!) the sauce from scratch! They had their melted butter, minced garlic and whipping cream and made the sauce!  Our son then found bacon in the freezer and fried it up (again, I am not kidding you) and added the fried bacon to the sauce.  They even added broccoli for some veggies, and then mixed the sauce with the fetuccini, and had it all ready for when we got home today!

We were so proud of them, as they showed creativity, initiative and worked together to make a wonderful dinner.   

Kudos Kids!   I am just so proud of you guys!  There's no turning back now from this dinner....I will expect a full-on 5 course meal by December!  

ps.  When we found about the fried bacon, we did show them where the fire extinguisher was, and explained how to put out a grease fire, just in case they fry up more bacon!

Power of a Parent Party!

So yes, hockey season has begun, and is in full gear.  Nothing kicks off a season better than an exhibition game (which we won!), and a parent party!!

Every year, when the season ends, it's such a rush of emotions....happy that we are finished with the busyness of the year, and at the same time, sad that we have to say goodbye to all of that.  Well, here we are again, and each year we have played, we have had an amazing group of kids, and more importantly, an amazing group of parents!  This year is no different, and while we know many of the parents on our team, there were some new faces last night, and it was great to get to know everyone, and make new friends.

There was so much enthusiasm, laughter and just a bit of drinking and carrying on (!!).  From the first moment we arrived at the party, we could tell this year was going to be nothing less than great!  We have great coaches, great parents and great kids.  We even have a great group of girls who can bond off the ice while their brothers battle for the puck.

All in all, I have a feeling that this year will absolutely ROCK!

There's only one thing left to say.....Go GLADIATORS!  

Post Thanksgiving Weight

Question:  Why would I weigh in the day after eating turkey and stuffing and pie all weekend?

Answer: Because sometimes I think that maybe...just maybe this time I did not gain weight.  Yeah, right!

Oh well, so I was up 3 pounds after our double turkey feast, but I did my duty, and weighed myself, if for no other reason than to keep on track instead of derailing completely!  I weighed myself again today, and the 3 pounds is miraculously gone.  Okay, it's no miracle, because I was good with my eating this week, instead of cramming double helpings of pie and stuffing in my face!


So what have I learned?

• My weight fluctuates.  Not new information, but it helps me to write it down

• When I overeat, I gain weight.  When I indulge in too much booze, I gain weight.   (duh...kind of a no brain-er, but again, helps to write it out!).  

• Weight fluctuates due to many things, not just overeating.  Fluid shifts, time of the month, amount of salt you eat,  amount of carbs you eat.  Total calories you eat, the exercise you do (or don't do!), etc... 

• Did you know that 1 gram of carbohydrate holds 3 grams of water?   That means if you ate 400 grams of carbs,  you would be holding  an extra 1200 grams (that's 1.2 kg!!!) of water!   EEK!   And no, I don't agree with a Paleo-no-carb-diet, but really, this just puts it in perspective.  Does my body need carbs?  Yes!  Does it need 400 grams of carbs? NO!  Everybody need carbs.  We just need to choose the good carbs, and choose not-to-much-carbs.  There's my sermon on carbs!

So....the moral of this week's weight loss tale?  Don't be so hard on yourself, enjoy the special occasions, but maybe not the double-double of pie and ice cream.   

How many weeks til Christmas season starts?   Time to get moving!

Brown Goddess Does Turkey!

Some beautiful flowers from my sister-in-law Tammy!  Thank you!

 Happy Thanksgiving!  Truly one of my favourite times of year, as it involves lots and LOTS of awesome food, fantastic times with family and friends, and just remembering to be thankful and grateful.  We had two amazing dinners this year, which also means double the weight gain, but no regrets from me!  I enjoyed every bite, from eating some of the crispy skin during the carving of beast (yes, I do that! I am like a vulture hanging out over the "garbage bowl"!) to the pumpkin pie, Saskatoon berry pie and apple crisp to finish off weekend of non-stop eating.

Dressing from turkey dinner # 1 at our house.
I made the dressing in the slowcooker...and OMG D-LISH!

 On Saturday, we made a 20-pound bird for some of my hubby's family (his mom and sister) and for some friends of ours that go back to the days when we had no kids.  It was a great time had by all!

Turkey dinner at our house!

On the menu:  Roasted Bird (of course), dressing made with Cobs bread, Spolumbo chicken apple sausage, bacon and fresh herbs (oh my), roasted yellow beets with herbs, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole and a fresh green salad with pecans and apples (so yummy).  Dessert...was pumpkin pie and Saskatoon berry pie with whipped cream or ice cream or both.  I can't remember what I wore...but I know that the pants had some stretch to them!  

Oven roasted vegetables at turkey dinner # 2 at
my sister-in-law's place...so very delicious, and festive!

 Sunday was a family affair at my brother-in-laws house, and I believe there were 17 for dinner!  Again, there was a traditional bird with stuffing, which was so delicious, I had to take seconds and graze around where the food was so I could sneak in "thirds".  We also had roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, cabbage rolls (two kinds!), and some Ukrainian delicacies called Nalesniki.  Now I am sure I am not spelling this correctly, but basically they are home-made crepes stuffed with either sauteed mushrooms or cottage cheese (again, both kinds were available) AND...then, they are covered in heavy cream and baked.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Dinner # 2 was followed by many desserts (that's "stressed" spelled backwards, ya know!).  But again, the desserts were delectable, and could not be avoided.   Best to just eat what you want in these situations, and just be really really REALLY good for the next month.  

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend, and today, was the best, because today...was leftovers day! Hurray for leftovers!  

What's in store for tomorrow?  Time to get back on that scale (ugh) and figure out how many weeks I have until Christmas to lose that weight.

Dessert....Day 2.  Traditional pies, and....
Apple crisp which was truly the best!

Seriously...check out this spread!  Everything
from turkey and stuffing to 2 kinds of cabbage rolls
and some Ukrainian Nalesniki...soooo goooood....

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

And now....we sleep....

What's Cookin' at 11 pm? Beef!

My favourite slow cooker cook book!

Fall is a great time for slow cooked meals that warm the heart, belly and soul.  So what else would I be doing at 11 pm at night, but preparing dinner for tomorrow!  I am trying desperately to use up things from my deep freeze in anticipation of buying not 1, but 2 farm fresh 20-plus pound turkeys from my turkey connection at work.  So tonight, I pulled out all of the beef we had left from our 1/4 cow purchase last year. It included 2 big round steaks and one pack of stewing meat...perfect for slow cookin'!  Flipping through the beef section, there were a lot of recipes, but I needed quick, simple, and easy to throw together in the morning while I am half dazed, sipping on coffee.   I actually found 2 that I liked, and of course did my own thing, kind of a variation of both.

Beef-a-la-slow-cooker

First, I cubed all the beef, and threw it in the ceramic part of the slow cooker.   I added a few cloves of minced garlic, 2 TBSP of brown sugar, a bit of sea salt and some beef spice mix I had from Epicure (love Epicure!).  Once it was all mixed, I threw it in the refrigerator, just about ready to go for the morning.  All that's left to do is add a bit of water, ketchup or tomato sauce, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and 3/4 can of beer.


Guess I'll be having a bit of beer after breakfast tomorrow!  When I come home from work, the beef will be oh-so-tender, and all that's left to do is cut the buns (from Cobs Bakery, of course!!) and whip up a salad.  Dinner is served!

Off To The Market I Go!

Happy October!

October is such a great time of year...lots of great produce around at the farmer's markets, leaves changing colour, turkey dinner with all the trimmings....yum!  Fall is a fantastic time to visit all the Farmer's Market's in the city, and to get really fresh local produce and baked goods and celebrate the harvest.

The old Farmer's Market at the Curry Barracks had all my vendors in one place...I'd go down the far aisle to the Greek Gals and get pita and hummus, then right next door was the Stock and Sauce guy and I'd get a variety of dips and bruschetta.  I'd visit Sylvan Star Cheese guy, and buy my gouda and a dozen eggs, and basically just make the rounds.  Next was Pearson's Berry Farm, and  hands down, they have the BEST pie EVER.  Pumpkin, Saskatoon, Saskatoon Apple, butter tarts, Saskatoon butter tarts...

Pumpkin Mini Tarts...so delicious!

Once the old CFM (that's Calgary Farmer's Market) closed, and moved, it was hard to find all the vendors in the same place.   And last year, tragically, I could not find my Pearson's Berry Farm....which meant, NO PIE!   I  looked at CFM and I looked at Kingsland, but they were not there.   Finally, I gave up, and ended up buying sub-par-pies at another vendor.  This year, I searched on Google, and found them at the Calgary's original Farmer's Market:  Crossroads!  I took a trip there yesterday, and boy oh boy, I went a bit overboard.  

Saskatoon Apple...warm it up, add ice cream...
and....ahhhhhhhhhh

I bought 2 pies (pumpkin and Saskatoon-apple) and 2 tray's of the pumpkin mini tarts.   While I am a great baker, one thing I can't do well is pie or pie crust...so I do the next best thing, and find someone else who can.

The flavour and the crust in these pies are flawless.  They are already baked when you buy them, and the freeze well!

Pumpkin Pie....soooo goooood.......

What more could you ask for?  Just looking at these pictures is making my mouth water!

Now...I guess my goal this week will be to save up my calories for Thanksgiving dinner and dessert!

Check out their website and the locations...if there is one near to you, I highly recommend it!


http://www.pearsonsberryfarm.ca/

Weight Motivation

So back on the horse I go.  After Monday's weigh-in (which was shocking, depressing, but not really surprising considering how much I "consumed"), it's back to working out, making healthier food choices and drinking less, (blah!).  My motivation ?  No, not to stay healthy, but to get a Coach bag (or two!), and maybe, just maybe when I reach my goal weight, I can go to Las Vegas to celebrate the new and improved,  toned and  hot, me.  My plan is simple;  I am going to bribe myself  into the 150 - 155 lb range.  My mantra?

Ok...imagine...me at 150 lb, on the strip with.....

Me. Coach. Vegas.  

Me. Coach. Vegas.   

Me. Coach Vegas. 

...this BAG!!!!

Okay, I am half serious.  The real reason of course for me to shed this final 10 - 15 lb is really to be healthy, to sustain a lifestyle that I love, enjoying food and wine (but not too much), and to really maintain my weight in my 150's range.  But, my mantra is really could motivate me this time...right?  I know, you have to want to change and all that, but I could do it this time.  I could just set some small attainable goals, and set myself up for success.



So....this week I have worked out already 2 times, for about 45 minutes each.  And, my food choices have been better.  And, I have not had any wine or gin since Saturday (it's only Wednesday!).  So....already a number of things to celebrate!












Just gotta keep my mantra going in my head....(and keep up with eating healthy, small portions, and all that exercise stuff, blah blah blah).....but the mantra!  Don't forget the mantra!


Me. Coach. Vegas. Me. Coach. Vegas. Me. Coach. Vegas.

Tell me why (I don't like Mondays...)

Like the song says....I don't like Mondays.   Particularly today!

I work part time, and Monday is MY day at home....so no, not sitting eating bon-bons watching soaps, but my day to do some cleaning, meal planning, going through last weeks mail, organizing etc...But today, many little things have happened already, and it's only 9 am.

• Our son has a bad cold and cough today, so he is at home in the hopes that we will nip this in the bud.  While I am all for taking care of my kids, it changes my plans for MY Monday.  Selfish of me?  A bit.  
• My weigh in the morning was NOT good (could it be all the wine I drank over the past two weekends?)  While I am not surprised at this more-than-2 lb-less-than-5 lb-gain, I am pissed off at myself for letting it go...again.   Back on the horse for me.  blah.
• My daughter just called from the school, and forgot her agenda.   My response for this was to just write down her homework on a piece of paper, but no!  That wouldn't do, as she stated "mom, i really need the agenda because I have to pass in my Entertainment Book money and the field trip forms!".  Well, okay honey, I'll get right to it!  Then I thought in my head that if she had packed her bag last night, as I had asked, we wouldn't be here, now would we????

I saw a magnet on my mother-in-law's fridge this weekend, and it is very fitting for today.  It reads something like:

"Hold on, and let ME drop everything so I can work on YOUR problem" 

or something like that.    

Yep.  That's about the size of it.  But I suppose when you look at my list of Monday complaints, it is all minor stuff that is fixable and solvable, and I guess if you're going to have problems, it's best to have these types of problems (except the weight thing, which really REALLY sucks!).

Happy Monday everyone!

Slappin' the Salami (not what you think!)

Mrs F's Slappin-the-Salami Appie

We had a fantastic weekend, surrounded by friends, family and food...my three favourite F-words!   Add in some fine wine, football and friendly conversation and it made for a fabulous weekend, full of fun (more F-words!).  As usual, I am always on the lookout for new and delish appies for my food repertoire, and this weekend did not disappoint!  Simple and delicious, eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing, it is a must-have at any gathering.  Plus, if you tell your friends you brought over your "slappin' the salami" appie, you are sure to be the most popular person there!  

What you need:  Pickled asparagus (from Costco of course), sliced Genoa salami and cream cheese.

What to do:  slap the cream cheese on the salami, and spread evenly.  Then just roll your asparaguses in the cream-cheese-smeared-salami, and layer nicely on a plate.  They'll go pretty fast, so make sure to grab your salami first before anyone else gets it!

And last, but not least...grab your drink, grab your plate and sit back, relax and enjoy!  And if you don't really get the rules of the CFL, or don't understand why those guys take a knee, and run the clock, just "fake it till you make it" and you'll be fine!



Cheers!

Schnitzel Schnitzel (betchya can't say that five times fast!)

Yesterday's dinner was so delicious, and we were so hungry, there is no picture.  We were famished when we got home, and I needed something delicious.   Last week, I had made some schnitzel with some fast-fry pork chops.  They were great cuts of meat with hardly any fat.  And why make one batch when you can make two?  I froze the schnitzel and made it today with gnocchi pasta and veggies on the side.  The pork schnitzel recipe is one I got from a friend at work (which I have modified of course!).

Schnitzel:, simply dust the chop with flour, dip in egg, and then roll in panko bread crumbs.  You can add in salt and pepper to the crumbs, or whatever spices you like.  Pan fry til cooked thru and golden brown.

Sauce:  about 1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth, a splash or three of white wine (or I used Prosecco, and had a glass for me too!), 2 - 3 minced garlic cloves, juice of about 1/2 of a lemon.   I also thickened it up with a bit of cornstarch and water.

I stuck the chops in the oven, covered them with the lemon/wine/garlic sauce, and then baked them up til nice and bubbly.  For the gnocchi, boil that at the last minute as it doesn't take very long.  Because I had no sauce to go on it, after they were cooked, I pan fried them in a bit of butter, and boy, were they delish!

All in all, it didn't take long between walking in the door from work to getting dinner on the table, and managing to having a nutritious meal.  Not bad for a Wednesday meal!

Easy Quinoa Salad

Some roasted chicken (top left); Quinoa salad (top right)
and leftover oven roasted beets and sauteed beet greens.

I love quinoa (pronounced keen-wa).  It is grain-like, and is highly nutritious, is gluten free, and is a good source of iron, protein and dietary fibre.  It is a great alternative to rice or pasta, and is excellent in salads, or as side dish to any meal.

I tried the recipe on the back of the "TruRoots" brand of quinoa at Costco, and it was delicious, and tasted even better the next day.  It made an excellent leftovers-lunch combined with my extra roasted chicken.  Yum!

True Roots Quinoa...available at Costco!
Link for "True Roots" products is below!

TruRoots Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa (I cooked 1 cup, so it ended up being about 2 cups of cooked...not sure if this was right, but its what I did!)  Take 1 cup raw quinoa and put in pot with 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer on medium low, covered for 15 minutes.  You'll know its ready when the seeds are a bit translucent.  Once ready, fluff with a fork and let cool.

Salad fixin's:  1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup of coursely chopped pecans (I added more than this, as I love pecans in any type of salad).  I wonder if raisins and/or currents could also work in this recipe?  Will have to try that next time!

Salad dressing:  6 TBSP orange juice, 1 TBSP olive oil, zest of one orange, dash of salt (optional...I never put this in) and fresh thyme leaves.

Throw it all together, and enjoy!


http://truroots.com/products/truroots-single-grains/organic-quinoa/

Meal-Planning Monday Madness!

Meal planning madness is an understatement!   I went a bit crazy with cooking today but my intentions were good AND we will reap the benefits for sure, as we now have some quick and nutritious meals that are crucial for surviving the hockey and ringette season.

I have always had it in me to cook more than is required.  Why not cook two chickens instead of one or brown five pounds of ground beef  at once?  Time always seems so limited, but when I have it, I really try and use it wisely, and this afternoon, it all started with the chickens.  Easy, quick and  no real recipe required. Simply put the raw birds in a roasting pan (rinse with water and lemon juice first..that's what my ma always says!), and season away!  My seasoning varies depending on what I have, but today I used the Epicure Poultry Blend, some salt, pepper and lemon juice, and then drizzled on some soy sauce.  I also threw in the lemon after I squeezed it on the birds.  Cover, and cook for about 1 hour, and then remove cover, and cook for another hour on 350.  One bird fed the four of us today and my hubby and I have leftovers for lunch AND we threw the carcass in the deep freeze to make soup.  Done.  And we still have one whole cooked bird in the deep freeze.  Next.....

I made the motherload in spaghetti sauce.   Again, I never use a recipe, as I just throw in whatever.  Just brown the ground round, and once cooked through and through, throw it in a big pot (or a slowcooker if you like), and get the creative juices flowin'!  I added a couple cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, some red wine that was leftover, (weird that I had some vino left!), some balsamic, lots of fresh minced garlic and fresh chopped basil.  I also had some tomatoes that needed to be eaten, so I threw them in the blender and tossed them in the sauce as well.  And presto!

Five meals of spaghetti, one of which will be to make a lasagne, one for sloppy Joe's and the others can be for spaghetti.   All labelled and in my deep freeze!

My last task tonight was of course was baking a batch of cookies so the kids have a treat in their lunches, and they make a great after school snack (with a glass of milk and a fruit of course!).  I made some brown sugar cookies which are super yummy, and I know the kids will love them!  I confess that I did try them (ate two) and they were delicious.




So in a nutshell, I baked 2 chickens, made 5 meals of spaghetti,. and baked 3 dozen (minus 2!) brown sugar cookies, and that was my Meal-Planning Monday Madness!

Was it worth it?   Most definitely!  I already know we'll be having spaghetti tomorrow!

Late Night Baking, etc...

So those of you who have read some of my posts know that I can be a bit...much.  I go overboard with baking and cooking, and sometimes, I do this at the most inopportune time.  Tonight, it was after 10 pm when I decided to bake not just my easy breezy brownies, but also make some pizza rolls for the kids to take for lunch (which also doubles as a great after school snack).  Cue the hubby rolling his eyes at my late night baking antics, and off I went to cook and bake, with my iPad  tuned to my fave soap (yes, I still enjoy the occasional episode of GH....and its REALLY good right now!).

I started after 10 pm and  finished before 11:30:

Pizza buns...yummmm.....

•  Made the dough, and while it was rising, I whipped up my easy brownies.
• While they were baking, it was time to roll out the dough in a rectangle shape, slap on the pizza sauce, shredded mozza and black forest ham.  
• After that was all topped up, time to roll it up like a log, pinch the seam and ends shut, cut into sandwich sized pieces and bake for 20 minutes on 350.  They heat up great in the microwave at school, and the kids really like them!  
• And of course they can be stored in your deep freeze for a quick snack/lunch/whatever!  When do I make anything I can't freeze??

The brownies of course turned out, and will make a yummy treat in the kids lunches tomorrow.

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 TBSP cocoa
Mix all the wet together, throw in the dry stuff, mix well, and bake for 18 minutes at 350!

That was...

Dinner in 20!

Tonight's dinner was slightly disjointed, but was home-made, healthy and ready in 20!


 September is synonymous with busy-beyond-all-belief.  Between hockey and ringette evaluations, piano lessons, back to school and morning routines, its enough to make you go mad.  As a family, we really try to eat dinner together, but it doesn't always work out that way.  We actually manage to sit down at the dining room table and eat dinner together as a family at least 4-5 nights per week.   But like I said, due to the kids activities, sometimes you really just have to work around their schedule.

Tonight was one of those nights, both kids with activities in different parts of the city, all around dinner time (of course).  I did the "hockey run" and once we were back, the boy was starving.  What's the first thing I was asked? "Can we order out?"   My response was a firm "No!" followed by a "Go shower, and I'll whip something up for dinner."    OK...time to make good on my meal planning skills...Ah ha!  In my deep freeze I found a frozen container of home made soup with orzo, chicken, carrots, celery, chick peas, green peas, quinoa.....yum!   But I knew it would not be quite enough...Ah ha again!   Pre-made, home-made frozen burgers (with some hemp hearts for extra nutrients!).  Ok...burgers and soup it is!  And I even had the buns!  Throw in some raw veggies and dip and a glass of milk, and  dinner was ready in 20 minutes, and was a completely balanced and healthy meal.

I will sometimes ask my kids...is the meal balanced?  Perhaps it is an occupational hazard of mine, but I want them to learn what a balanced meal is...so I ask them:   Does the meal have protein?  Does the meal have grain for your brain (cuz grain is fuels your brain!)?  Does the meal have fruits and/or vegetables?  Do you have a source of calcium?  OK...I don't do this at every meal (really, I don't) but I do think about these things when I am meal planning and today's dinner passed with flying colours:

• protein:  the burger, and some of the chicken and legumes in the soup
• grain: the bun, and the orzo in the soup
• fruit or veggie:  veggies in the soup, raw veggies and dip

My saving grace?  Having stuff in the deep freeze!  And by the time the other two got home from ringette, dinner was ready, and oh, so good.   

Ahhhhh.......Serendipity......

Today was a beautiful day for September.   Sunny and warm with a light breeze, and still too early in September to be so busy that you don't see the light of day.

There were some great moments of today that were so serendipitous, I had to share...

I had three hours to myself this afternoon since our daughter was on a play-date (can you still call them "play-dates" when they are 10 years old?) and my son was at hockey practice with the hubby.  3 hours!  Can you imagine?  I decided I was not going to do any house-tasks (not a difficult decision for me) and I ended up spending a luxurious afternoon trying to finish the second instalment of the Hunger Games.

Then, my hubby comes home around 3:30 without our son.  So lets add this up.  No son.  No daughter. Just me. Just hubby. Hmmmmmm.  So what to do with all this time?   We were both hungry...starving...for.....food!  So we opted for an early dinner (we ate at 4:30!!)  with a bottle of one of my fave California Red's, Deadly Zins.




Our supper tonite was again, one of our favourites...BBQ steak and salad.   Hubby does a phenomenal steak, and we had a few NY cuts and one small tenderloin cut in the freezer.  I made a salad with fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market, and it was delicious!  I had some green beens, Swiss chard, and fresh tomatoes. I steamed the green beans, and wilted the chard and once we were ready to eat, I added the tomatoes.   The dressing was super simple and inspired by Health Stand Nutrition, where I do some nutrition consulting.   It has red wine vinegar (had none, so used rice vinegar), sesame oil and minced garlic.    Steam the greens, throw in the reds, toss in the dressing and voila!

Delicious and nutritious, and tonight, it was all kid-free.   It really can't get any better than that!    Ahhhh....Serendipity.


Addendum:  A special thank you to our friends, who had our children today and fed them supper.  These serendipitous events could not have occurred without you guys!

You Can't Beet That!!

Who knew these
didn't grow in a can
on the store shelf??

Ok, so pun intended with the title of this post.    I went a little crazy at the farmers market this weekend.  The fruits and veggies always look so amazing, fresh and delicious in the  fall.  I bought baby corn (who knew they didn't grow in the can on the grocery store shelf??), Swiss chard, peppers (red, green and yellow bell peppers, and delicious poblano peppers) and beets (yellow beets, red beets and beet greens, oh my!).



Beets!   I have always enjoyed beets, but as a child, I only ever really had the canned ones (which are still good for you!).  While on summer vacation,  a friend of mine had bought some fresh beets from the local market and roasted them with dinner one night.  I couldn't believe how delicious they were!  When I saw them at the market last week, I had to buy and try them.  Yesterday,  I made a yummy dinner with some pork chops (breaded and pan fried with a lemon/garlic/white wine sauce), beet greens sauteed in garlic and a bit of olive oil, and oven roasted multi-coloured beets.  Add in some good bread and raw veggies and dip and it made for a fantastic, nutritious and delicious supper.

My children never cease to amaze me, and last nights dinner was no exception.  I am a true believer in not short-order cooking for my kids...whatever I cook for dinner is what's for dinner, you don't have to eat everything, but I do encourage that the kids try foods, and if they don't like it, then they don't have to eat it.  The kids were both willing to try the beets and the beet greens, and both my son and daughter really enjoyed them, and even went for a second round of the beet greens!  The best moment of last nights dinner?  When my son asked "what'd you season this with mom? Its delicious!".

It made the foodie / dietitian / mom in me smile from ear to ear!


Some nutritional benefits of beets:

• low calories and nutrient-rich (45 calories per 100 grams)
• contains antioxidants in the root (the bulb part) and the greens on top
• beet greens are rich in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant
• top greens are an excellent source of flavenoid antioxidants and carotenoids which may help protect from some lung and oral cancers
• top greens are also rich in vitamin A, essential for maintaining healthy mucous membranes, skin and essential for vision
• and...did you know that Swiss chard is also from the beet family?  

You can't beet that!   

It's Official!

A quick happy blog entry to say that I am proud to be working at Health Stand Nutrition!   Check out the website and our bios!

Cheers!

www.healthstandnutrition.com

Fresh Clean Slate

Another summer is almost over, and every year at this time I find myself saying the same thing...."where did the time go?"  I can't believe that in 4 more sleeps, we start school.  This means kids taking the bus (if they get up in time to catch it!), making their lunch (if they make AND take it), homework (ugh), earlier bedtime (hurrah!), hockey, ringette....and so it goes.

I loved our summer adventures this year (camping, BC wine country, Mara Lake), and while I could be in vacation-mode forever, it's just not realistic (though wouldn't it be nice?).    I try and give myself a good two weeks post-vacation so I can get over my PVD (post-vacation depression) and come back to the reality of cooking supper and not having happy hour and appetizers on a daily (and sometimes hourly!) basis!    While its sad that summer is over, there is something awesome about September.  The crispness of the fall, the changing colours on the trees, and the feeling that you can start the school year with a fresh clean slate and for everyone to get back to a routine.

The fresh clean slate is the appealing part for me.  September is just as powerful to me as those January New Years resolutions.  Time to start things over... refresh, renew, redo.  This year is the year to give our kids more responsibility.  They can come home on their own now on days that I work (maybe not get supper ready unless its pancakes, but hey, I'll eat pancakes!).  They can take more responsibility for getting up in the mornings without me nagging them...not sure how to accomplish that one yet, but I am sure I can come up with some sort of plan.  And as always, its time to lose that excess weight that I put on from the wining and dining we did during our camping trips (which was TOTALLY worth every pound!).


It's really just time to start over, and be inspired to do better not because we have to , but because we want to.  So....with that said, lets raise our glass (it's still August...happy hour isn't over yet!) and say cheers to a great summer, and here's to a great fall!