Best Monday Ever!

Today was the best Monday ever.
Here is a text conversation today to demonstrate the fun-factor in my day:

    

Drinks anyone?

friend:  So my kid's at ur house! What time should I come get him?
me: Whenever! I am not home til 10 :-) 
friend: wtf? Why soooo late?
me: Tequila at work


So just to back up, yes I am a dietitian at Health Stand Nutrition, no I don't drink tequila or any alcohol with clients,
but yes we have amazing meetings that include fun drinks and good eats.

Today was strawberry margaritas and Mexican bean dip!

Time to start our staff meeting on the deck!

It was a great day and we had a productive, meaningful and fun meeting.  AND...to top it all off, we went for dinner at Aida's Mediterranean Bistro!  My only regret is that I forgot to take a picture of all the fabulous food we ordered!

To all the phenomenal women I work with at Health Stand Nutrition...thank you for a great day today!  


http://www.aidasbistro.ca/

http://www.healthstandnutrition.com/

Foodie Kiddies!

My kids are foodie kids, and I have evidence to prove this....

1.  The kids surprised us once by making dinner.  They made fettuccini alfredo with bacon, and had googled the recipe for alfredo sauce, made it with real whipping cream, cooked real bacon and had everything ready for us when we arrived home, right down to setting the table.

My son's amazing stuffed crust pizza!

2.  My son will often take it upon himself to create a sauce if we are barbecuing.  The sauce is never the same twice as he is great at ad-libbing, and it is always delicious.  He is also quite curious about what I am cooking for dinner, what spices I am using and will often question what I am doing (yes, he IS 14!!). Whenever we have make-your-own-pizza night, he always stuffs his crust, and makes his pizza truly unique.

My daughter's delicious eggs benny!

3.  The other day my daughter suggested making a garlic and white wine sauce with our pasta.  She loves baking and I will often come home to a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies (and a clean kitchen).   She also made eggs benedict for dinner on her own last week, and yes, she made home-made hollandaise sauce which turned out to be absolutely fantastic...did I mention she is 11 years old?

4.  The kids will eat just about anything, whether it's Greek, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, German, Mexican....they have their favourite dishes I make, and honestly get excited about a good meal.  

They are definitely foodie kids, and it is easy to see where their foodie-ism came from.  Both my husband and I grew up in homes where the food was good, comforting and wholesome. Dinners were always together as a family and ready and on the table despite the fact that our parents worked full time.  We sat together no matter what (and also fought about who had to set and clear the table...but that's another story!).

I have carried this love and passion for food with me everywhere I go, and am now in a profession where I am constantly talking to clients about food. Despite our busyness, our family still manages to eat together most nights at the dining room table with no TV,  and just good food and good conversation.  And now as the kids are getting older, mealtimes are more than just about food.  Sitting down as a family is a great time to connect with each other and share stories about our day.

I love the fact that my kids are foodies-in-the-making.  My daughter asks for truffle oil on her pizza and my son asks if we have any aged gouda for his toast.  They like to cook, and they see value and get enjoyment out of a good home-cooked meal.  And all of this gives me great hope that they will someday pass this on, just as our parents passed this onto us.

Let's hear it for Foodie Kiddies!

Chicken and Waffles Anyone?

I have had chicken and waffles three times in my life.

The first time was at an classy Beverly Hills restaurant called Bouchon.  The second time was when I made some good old fashioned buttermilk fried chicken and decided to jump on the C & W bandwagon to see if I could pull it off at home (I sorta did...but the sauce was not quite right!).  And, just like the saying goes...third time's the charm!  It was just last weekend for our seventeenth wedding anniversary.  I had heard so much about Calgary restaurant Model Milk, specifically about about their chicken and waffles for two, I HAD to have them.

Crispy fried (and not greasy) tender chicken, waffles (more like squished Yorkshire puddings...but they were delicious) served on top of a chicken maple gravy (and a side salad with fresh greens and radishes in a light lemony dressing).   Of course we also had the foie gras for our appie,  which they made twice by mistake...lucky us!

 It. Was. Heaven.

Foie gras with cornbread toast to start (twice....)

Followed by chicken and waffles for 2....

Lets load up my plate!!!!

Ah yes...pass the salad please!!!!

So what is the history of this unique combo, that has crispy savoury chicken and delicious fluffy waffles served with a maple gravy?

The Chicken Story...

• 1300's: Chicken Fricassee popular in French Cuisine...fried chicken braised in a sauce.  By the 17th Century, it evolved to a more traditional fried chicken, coated in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in butter....
• 1800's:  Fried chicken evolves by the African slaves in Southern kitchens
• 1940's:  Harlan Sanders (aka Colonel Sanders) developed his signature fried chicken

The Waffle Story....(and how these two foods got together)

• Waffles were seen in the middle ages and made by bakeries that also made communion wafers
• 1600's: Pilgrams brought waffles to America after seeing them during a brief stop in Holland.  The earliest combination of chicken and waffles was seen in Pennsylvania Dutch country..waffles topped with pulled chicken and gravy
• As with everything...the combination evolved...soul-food inspired versions were seen at jazz clubs in America in the 1930's. 
• 1976:  A restaurant in America opens called Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.  
• The dish continues to gain in popularity today, being recreated and reinvented from a fast food style to a high end restaurant style C & W dish. 

Happy Anniversary!   

I for one am a fan, and will definitely be going back to Model Milk for more!

HMD 2014!

Some pictures from today!  Happy Mother's Day!

My Traditional Mother's Day Brunch
with my favourite things!

What a wonderful Mother's Day!   It is so great to have traditions...no matter what they are.  Our tradition for quite a long time has been for the kids and my husband to make me a delicious brunch, followed by "Whatever-Mommy-Wants-To-Do" today.  Brunch was as usual, a brilliant collection of my favourite things...smoked salmon with caper berries, a selection of fine cheeses and bread, fresh berries, chocolate croissant, sausage, scrambled eggs served with coffee and orange juice.  It was magnificent!  Later on, we walked through Nosehill park, relaxed at home, went to Without Papers for dinner (totally yummy and trendy pizza) followed by a family movie.


As for gifts,  I asked for no complaining no matter how many pictures I took today...and I took A LOT of pictures! Though I also got the perfect tea mug from David's Tea (thank you!!!) and a homemade collage from my daughter, complete with coupons for hugs and kisses.

And there were no complaints for the 40 pictures that I took!

Ahhhh....Nova Scotia
Smoked Salmon....

Thank you for a fabulous day!

The Brown Goddess Can Run!

 So today was THE day!   May 4 (yes, its really May and it really looks like this outside...)   The Firefighters fun run / walk!   Wooo Hooo!    I had signed up months ago to do this, and signed up for the 9.11 km run.   Today was the day.  And I did it! And I wasn't dreading it (too much).  I have never enjoyed running, and today...I was going to prove to myself that the Brown Goddess CAN run.....

Some pre-run pics.....

Everyone say.....Its FREEEZING!!!!!!!!!!

Okay...everyone ready???   Ooooh look!  A firefighter....
lets show him our best side....

Half way with the Handsome Hunk

 Then it was ON.   The sound of the siren...and all the 9.11'ers were off!  Had to focus on my breathing, and just go at my own pace.    Crap...where is that half way mark?  *Fast forward 38 minutes* Ahhhhh...here he is.......I could not resist taking a picture!   I downed my water, and said "You are too cute and gorgeous to not take a picture of...can we take pic together?"  He must have thought I was nuts...but not in a dangerous way, so gracefully agreed and told me I was the first one who asked him that....seriously?   I am almost dead last and nobody asked him?   Their loss.......

One more, and I guess I better get back....
38 minutes and counting

Okay.....I've made it this far.....I can do it.   Of course I can......and what is with this snow???    All I could think about was getting back, and seeing my family and my bootcamp friends......6 km.....7 km, 8.....9....can't stop now!!!  Keep running Sherene!  Then, I see the bridge, and see the start/finish line....I hear them cheering!    

I think the best moment for me was when I saw my Body N' Sole buddies....  They saw me, and ran towards me cheering...Dammit!  Don't make me cry (too late!).   And they ran across the finish line with me! Then I saw my hubby, kids and puppy....and it was absolutely amazing!   My running time was 1 hr and 17 minutes (and 47 seconds), and I ran just about 85 - 90 % of the way, stopping for water breaks, the half-way-hunk-break and a few walking breaks....but....I did it!   The Brown Goddess Ran 9.11 km!   

Me...running across the finish line......Wooo Hooo!

Check us OUT!!!!!

Thank you to my husband and kids for being there for me today and everyday...and thank you Laurie (and Cheryl!) for just about the last 2 years of bootcamp....I never would have been able to do this with you!   And of course, just in case you are wondering, as I crossed the finish line, I was carried by two firefighters.....picture to follow!  

Yeah Baby!!!!  

http://bodynsole.ca/

Be One with the Food....

Yoga:   physical, mental and spiritual practices to attain a state of permanent peace of mind in order to experience one's true self. 

The beauty of my Mother's Day
Brunch last year....

I started blogging a couple years ago due to a yoga-related mishap.   Even though I am not a "bendy and flexy" person, when I do go to the occasional yoga class, I am able to breath and find some moments of inner peace.  But I have found one form of yoga I could truly master...Food Yoga.  Even just saying the term "food yoga" makes me think of food on so many different levels.   I used this term recently with a client while describing the art of mindful eating.  What would my definition of food yoga be?

Food Yoga:  To practice healthy, wholesome and soulful eating while being mindful of both your inner and outer surroundings.

Think for a minute about our inner surroundings.  Eating is an incredibly complex process that we often take for granted.  It involves all five of our senses, all twelve of our cranial nerves, facial muscles, a complex swallowing mechanism so we don't choke on our food...and that all happens before the food even reaches the stomach!

Now think about our outer surroundings.What does the food look like?  Sound like?  Smell like?  Can you see the different colours on your plate?  Can you hear the crackle of  breaking bread?  The sizzle of steak on the BBQ?  Smell the wonderful aroma....take it in before really taking it in.  We have all or our senses activated before we even manage to actually eat what is in front of us.

The wonderful feeling of sharing a
holiday feast with family 

We take all of these food-steps for granted when we rush or eat mindlessly.  We may not even notice other aspects of our surroundings...the ambiance, the company we keep, the conversations we may miss due to rushing.  I am not saying we always have to be aware of every step, but practicing food yoga can help strengthen our relationship with food.  Ultimately, food yoga can enable us be mindful of what we are doing and focus on the enjoyment of eating and the afterglow of a good meal instead of rushing to the finish line.  What's that saying...it's not the destination, but the journey?

I know you may be thinking..."it's just food...what is she going on (and on) about?" but eating is something we do on a daily basis.  While we may not have time to practice food yoga everyday, maybe we should try sometimes to just take a moment during a meal....stop....close our eyes...and just.... breathe.

Calgary Herald....How to get your teens and tweens to contribute to healthy meals

I'm in the paper today!!!!

Woo hoo!!!

Follow this link and check it out!

http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/your+tweens+teens+contribute+healthy+meals/9767882/story.html