What's my motivation?

Meal planning can be hard sometimes.  How do people do it?  What guides them? When is the best time?  As the kids get older (and way busier!), I find myself planning more and more.  I try to do the whole "cook once eat twice" thing, though this does not always work.

In general, I cook three times per week, eat leftovers two to three times depending on the meal, and then one to two times per week is the "wildcard" meal (like grilled cheese and tomato soup, or breakfast for dinner, or pulling something from the deep freezer).  Here are a few key questions you can ask yourself when meal planning.  Note my answers are from last Thursday, just to give you an idea of how the conversation with myself went....

1.  What is happening tomorrow?
hockey way down south at an awful time on a Friday.

2.  What do I have in my refrigerator that needs using up?
cheese, bruschetta from the market

Lightbulb!  Pizza cuz its a fun friday thing!

3. Do I have ingredients NOW to make this work?
yes!  tomato sauce, oregano, garlic,  frozen cooked ground beef which I cooked and froze last week, cheddar, mozza, bruschetta....

4.  What can I do ahead of time?
make the dough, prep the pizza, freeze and cook it up tomorrow!

This line of thinking does not always work, but when it does the results are AWESOME!  

My girlfriend texted me that night after I told her what I was doing...

Bruschetta pizza topped with sliced bocconcini cheese

me: Made 2 pizzas for supper tomorrow since I work and we have that game down south!

her: U smart girl!

me: Smart. Maybe. High maintenance and wanting something scrumptious on a Friday? Yep, that's me!

So my motivation for this meal was definitely my need for good food.  When I think about it, this is likely my motivation for most things!

Cheeseburger pizza

Pizza Dough Recipe (keeping in mind that I start with a recipe and then don't use it)

3 1/4 cups flour (yes I usually use white!)
1/2 tsp salt (optional..sometimes I remember to put in, other times I do not)
1 cup warm water
2 - 3 tsp fast rising yeast
1 TBSP sugar
~1/4 cup olive oil

Method:
Place flour and salt in bowl. Set aside.  Now in a large 2 cup measuring cup (like those Tupperware shakers) fill to 1 cup (or just a bit more) with warm water.  Mix in yeast and sugar and pour over flour mixture.  Add olive oil. Knead slowly, as you may need to add more water or flour...depending on how it feels.  Should feel soft.  Cover with a clean lint free cloth and let rise for 45 min or so.  

Of course the best thing is to invite me over and I will show you all how to do the pizza dough!  All it takes is a bit of red in a nice glass....

This was delicious!

January again....

2016.   When did that happen?  Time to start fresh, start new.  Time to be in non-holiday mode...that means cooking for our family, driving to arena's, piano, driving my oldest to his job (yes he has a job now), and on and on and on.  I thought I would try and blog more this year and try and capture our dinners a few times per week, just to get things going and to get people inspired to cook simply but deliciously! 


Yesterday was piano day, which means eating super early or a bit later, depending on what else is going on. Typically I do slow-cooker Monday's, but the weekend was so busy with hockey and ringette that I did not have time to prep the night before.   Now I am okay with the whole concept of breakfast-for-dinner, and grilled cheese and tomato soup, but there's something about Monday's...I need to have it be delicious and full of good flavour.  Salmon!  That's it!  Cooks quickly, pairs nicely with....gnocchi (already had in my pantry).  Cooks quickly, and  can lightly pan fry in...brown butter and fresh sage (yes, I had those things on hand too).  And what veggies....zucchini from the farmers market, and a fresh spinach salad! Done!    And the "piece-de-resistance".....my homemade dill garlic lemon mayonnaise....so good you could eat it with a spoon (I didn`t do that.....but I coulda)

Baked salmon, gnocchi, zucchini and spinach salad

Baked Salmon
-start with a salmon fillet (I get mine at Costco)
-season with sea salt, ground pepper and fresh minced garlic
-rub all over fish
-garnish with lemon slices to bake
-bake at 375 convection, lightly covered with foil....I think I baked it for about 20 min


Gnocchi
- boil for under 2 minutes
-drain and quickly transfer to a butter-seasoned non stick pan
-fry on medium low until you get some nice crispy parts
-cut up fresh sage and toss in with the brown butter / gnocchi


Mayonnaise
-Get out your blender!
-put in 2 medium eggs
-juice of half a lemon
-1 - 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic (okay I used 3..but LOVE garlic)
-fresh dill (or whatever herb...if no herb its good with just the lemon and garlic)
-salt and peppa

Now blend this up....and open the lid of your blender and SLOWLY pour in vegetable oil.  Olive oil is a bit heavy, and while I love olive oil, I do not like the taste of it in mayonnaise.   Eventually your ingredients will emulsify and blender will make weird gurgly sounds...its done then!  Can store in the fridge for about a week, but never lasts that long in our fridge.  We use it to dip veggies, as a creamy salad dressing, spread on sandwiches....lots of possibilities!

And presto..dinner was ready by the time the kids came home (hubby picked them up!)

Happy cooking!

"To Sir, with Love"...dedicated to my Uncle Zaim

My last post was in October 2014,  and between then and now, my world has been ripped apart, and everyone I love has been affected.    Here I am, and it is now 2015.  I started writing this in February and it is now July.  Six months.  This is truly the most difficult story I have ever written, but I need to write this, and share it so I can move along this very different path that I never expected.

On November 20, 2014, my favourite uncle (aka fav unc, aka Uncle Zaim, aka UZ) was diagnosed with a rare tumour that unfortunately spread to his liver and stomach.  7 weeks later, on January 11, at 11:21 am, he passed away in the hospital, with his family by his side, including me.  He was 64 years old.

He was like a father to me, and I am lucky to say that my own father (dad) and stepfather (pops) are still alive and kicking (and I am very close to them).  I also have an amazing mother and though she lives far, I talk with her daily, and she is a constant in my life.  I am lucky to have such people in my life when I know that there are others who don't get anything.

November 20, 2014.  What was I doing at that moment?   I knew that the results were coming, so on purpose I did not look at my texts until the end of my work day.  Then, I looked.  I fell to the floor as I read my mothers text.....its bad call me.   I called her....stomach cancer and has spread to the liver.....he has 1 - 3 months to live....she said.  I remember crumpling to the floor while talking to my mom.   I remember calling my husband to come get me as I couldn't breath. I can't breath...I can't breath.....come get me please.....

1 to 3 months.   Wtf?    I am sure everyone who is affected by cancer says this, but why him?  He was...is....was one of the good guys.  He was everyone's hero, everyone's fan, everyone's champion.  He was of pure heart and mind.  He was strong with his family, his faith and his friends.  He never drank. He never smoked.  He was good.  He was all heart.  I think back on my life, and how he was always there for me, even though I lived thousands of miles away. He made the distance not matter ("it's just geography", he would say, quoting a line from Pretty Woman).

When I first learned of his diagnosis, I was dumbfounded.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Should I go? Do I wait?  The best advice was from my dad...who told me to go, as no matter what, I wouldn't regret going and spending time with Uncle Zaim and his family.   He was right.   I called my uncle and told him I was coming.  He told me on the phone..."Sher...don't come...I just saw you in July....you are in my heart..."    I went.  The week I spent there in November was the last week I would ever spend with him.

The day I arrived, he was still in the hospital, but was going to be released that evening.  It was a Sunday when I got there, and we were not going to hear any specific results until the following Friday.  Friday.   6 days away.  Once he was home, it was...emotional.  He was still so weak, looking to me for advice on what to eat all of the time (he was so proud of me becoming a Dietitian).  The first day, he was so excited to try food and to see everybody.  Too much excitement.  He vomited.  I watched him, sitting at the table, weak, scared.  Immediately I knew what my role this week had to be.  Take care of everyone.  Be there for my aunt, my cousins, for my mom, for my uncle.  Do the cooking, get groceries.....pray with my uncle, talk to him, hold his hand.

 I remember every night that November,  he would want to pray with us.  Even though I was not his daughter, he wanted me to be there with them, holding hands to pray with them together.  Often he would need a cold cloth on his head, or on his stomach.   One night, I was sitting with him on the bed.  We were alone, as everyone was getting ready to sleep, brushing teeth and putting on pajamas.  I looked at him and and told him "I don't like that you are suffering.  I don't like that you are in pain.  I wish I could take this away from you, uncle".  He told me "This is Allah's plan."  I whispered to him "I don't like His plan, uncle."  He looked at me and softly spoke..."We don't have a choice."  Even in his most scared moments, he was trying to give us strength to deal with whatever followed.

On another night he asked my aunt to find the song "To Sir with Love" .   Such an appropriate choice as my uncle was a teacher, an audiologist, and he dedicated his life to helping those with hearing impairments.  My aunt found the song, and my uncle...lay there...in the bed, and signed the song.   It was so very touching and beautiful.  Yet another memory that is always with me.

He found his own strength in his family, his faith and his friends.  One evening the neighbours from across the street dropped by.  I think my uncle actually saw them from the living room window and asked my aunt to call them to come over.  He was like that...always thinking of others.   He called for them, and they came.  Before they left, he said to the husband...."Jay, can you pray with me?" And it didn't matter that it was not the same faith.  What mattered was praying together.  I was always amazed at that.  My uncle told me later that week, as he had told me many times during our time together, "Sherene, you must always pray.  It centres you."  He would then say "God doesn't mind how you pray or where you pray.  Just pray."  

I remember the week going by so slowly, yet it was too fast.  Waiting for the test results....there are no words to describe how it felt to wait.  And then, the results....we had tiny ray of hope the moment the results were given...but it was just that....a moment, even less than a moment where we were hopeful, researching this type of tumor, and all the success stories.  Neuro-endocrine tumor.  For a moment it spelled hope to all of us, even though none of us really knew what it was.  He could get treatment. He could live.  Perhaps it was good for us to think like this, even if it was only for a minute.

A few days before I left to go back home, he was readmitted to the hospital because of continued weakness and dehydration.  I had to say goodbye to him this time in the hospital.  But I stayed with him as much as I could for during the day.  I slept at my aunts house with my cousins at night, praying, telling stories, sometimes even laughing with them (we do that a lot).  The day I said goodbye I promised him that I would see him again in January.  January.  Seemed like a far away time.   But I did make good on my promise.

I left with a heavy heart, but needed to go home to my husband and children.  I had been gone for over a week, and it was time for me to go back.   He called me a few times from the hospital.  One time which I will treasure forever was during his first chemo treatment.  He called my cell, and started singing "I feel good" and would imitate the guitar sounds afterwards (he loved pretending he was playing a guitar, and making all the sound effects).   He sounded so strong.  So ...with it.  I still hear that conversation in my head.  Then he would text me....and always say "love you everyday that there is....fav unc".  This is what we did since I was a baby....we would always say that to each other.  It was our thing.   He just sounded so strong.

Christmas came and went.  My daughter and I went to Florida to be with my mom, while my husband and son stayed home.   It was a quiet and sombre time as we were so worried about my uncle.  And then it happened.  Things were getting worse, and my mom left to go up to Toronto.  We were in Florida still, but looking back, it was good and necessary that we were there.  My sister, my daughter and I were there with my pops, and it was so wonderful to be with him.   It was a relief for my mom to not have to worry about pops while she was with her dying brother.

One week after New Years, things with my uncle had significantly deteriorated.   I felt again, a pull that I needed to be there, so I went.  I arrived on Saturday January 10th at midnight.  Couldn't go to the hospital as it was too late.  In the morning, I showered, got ready and went with my other uncles and we arrived shortly after 10 am.  I saw him.  My uncle Zaim.  His breathing seemed laboured, but was so silent.  He had nice smelling oils on his skin. I sat with him and held his hand. He could not squeeze my hand, but his face...he knew I was there.  I know he did.  His face turned towards me as I said... "Hi Uncle, I'm here. I promised I would come back and see you in January". I talked to him. I told him I loved him.

I told him I would love him everyday that there is.  On 1-11 at 11:21 am....he took his last breath.  I was there.   It was so peaceful.  I was there.  He waited for me to say goodbye.  He knew that I would be needed there after he was gone.  And I was.  I was there for the week.   I helped plan the funeral and gathered pictures. I was there with my cousins and my aunt that week and we cried together, comforted each other.  We cooked together (always will remember the butternut squash soup and the egg, cheese and tomato with avocado).

I was honored when my cousins and aunt asked me to go with them to crematorium later that week, truly a surreal experience.  We were able to say one last goodbye.  I wrote him a note and put it with him before the cremation. I kissed him goodbye. I told him one last time...."I love you everyday that there is". 

Thai-Die For!

Okay so its a cheesy title!

But, inspired from Julie Van Rosendaal last week on CBC radio, this one is a keeper!

Every Tuesday on CBC radio, I look forward to hearing what Julie Van Rosendaal has created, and a few weeks ago, I heard the most delicious-sounding recipe ever for fish.  Of course due to the fact that I didn't have every ingredient, we had to add-lib a bit, but sometimes this is half the fun!  So here's what I had in the pantry: coconut milk, lime juice, peanut butter (yes, a bit of pb!) and some Epicure Satay seasoning.  Dinner done in less than 30 minutes!  And, to make it more impressive, my husband cooked since I had boot camp that evening!

I came home with only 10 minutes to get dinner going, change into my bootie-camp clothes and dash out the door.  My hubby, who is very competent in kitchen, (and is a super-awesome cleaner, so really, its a win-win!) did supper, with just a few minor instructions...

me:  Sautee the veggies in a bit of oil and then...deglaze with wine or something...okay?  Then just....
him:  De-what?? 
me:  Deglaze...once the veggies are cooking and almost sticking to the pan, pour in a bit of liquid. him:  So pour in...
me: White wine...and just wait for it to boil off, then add the coconut milk, spices,
him:  I got this! Go workout!
me:   Oh yeah..we have whole grain 10-minute rice, just whip that up for our grains!

Yes, I know this rice is slightly processed, but it's a  pantry-must-have for those quick nights where you don't want to fuss and you don't have time to cook the nice brown rice in the rice cooker that takes an hour.

So off I went to my boot camp (ugh!)...but, when I came home, a wonderfully tasty and flavourful meal was waiting for me!  He even took pictures!









Ingredients

2 - 3 Basa Fillets (that's what was in the freezer..could do any white fish!)
3 cups chopped vegetables....broccoli, carrots, celery, mushrooms, red pepper)
1 small can of coconut milk
a few tablespoons of peanut butter
lime juice
soy sauce
Epicure Satay seasoning (you can use Thai green curry paste, or whatever you have)
wine to deglaze

Saute vegetables, and "deglaze" once they are almost sticking to the bottom.   While veggies are cooking, make a mixture of the coconut milk, the pb, the lime juice and the satay seasoning.  Once veggies are successfully deglazed, pour in coconut mixture and simmer in the savoury sauce.  Once boiled down, place cut up pieces of fish in the broth, and cover.  Don't mix, especially with basa, as it will break apart.

Serve over rice and voila! Dinner made by hubby...and just so delicious!


http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/food/2014/09/23/julie-van-rosendaal-cooks-sockeye-salmon/

Delicious dinner in 20!

What a beautiful looking dinner!

Today is the first time in 4 nights that our family has sat down together for dinner.  Between hockey and ringette evaluations, work, school and all the other "normal" stuff that still has to happen (meal planning, laundry, cleaning), it has been a bit of a difficult week.  Miraculously we had nothing on the go tonight.   What to do with ground dark turkey, tomatoes, cucumbers and tzatziki in my fridge?  Lets go Greek tonight!   After a quick stop at the grocery for fresh pita and olives, its show time!

Once I got home, of course I had to cuddle the puppy first and take her for our ritual walk down the hill to meet hubby.  By the time I got started, it was close to 6:15.....and honest to goodness, we were sitting and eating dinner by 6:35 pm.

Yummmmm!

Here's what you do:

1 lb ground dark turkey + spices

1 tomato, diced

3 mini cucumbers (or equivalent), diced

1 orange pepper, diced

olives (optional, but why not??)

tzatziki

pita

Preheat a pan with 2 TBSP of  vegetable oil. 

When you think Greek...think of the spices you have in your pantry that will work.  I had fresh garlic, dried rosemary, adobo (from Epicure) and seasoning salt.   Quickly mix together the dark turkey with your spices.  Once mixed, place turkey in preheated pan and let it sizzle! Even if you just have garlic, oregano and sea salt and pepper...you are good to go!

Chop up your veggies (or in my case, kindly request your 12 year old daughter to do the chopping and at the same time, get your 14 year old son to set the table).  

Love this tzatziki from Costco

For the pita, if you want it to be soft and warm....run it under the tap for a few seconds and then quickly heat in a non stick pan.

Presto!  Dinner is ready!  Table is set!  Veggies are chopped!






The fact that my tablecloth looked Greek was completely coincidental!   Delicious!   

Suddenly September...

September.

First, on Sunday, it was 25 degrees...did my perennial planting,
Got some great sun, had the neighbours over....good times....

While I love the fall, falling back into September pretty much sucks.  Gone are the whimsical days of summer, and we are forced back into a rigid routine, ditching our flip flops for proper shoe-ware, and telling ourselves that we need to cut back on all the wine and cheese we feasted on over the summer (nothing good can come of this!).  

...then...this happened the
NEXT day! Its still summer!!!!

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things about September...the fall is beautiful (well, not today in Calgary), the kids are back in school, and while they don't realize it, they DO thrive on structure. 

But, before I become to bitter and numb to the pain of September, it would be good to reflect on the wonderful summer we had, from east to west!    We did two weeks in Ontario for my cousins wedding,  with a side trip to Montreal (yes, got bagels AND 4 lb of smoked meat!).   What a great wedding (with a fab and sexy MC...me!), and just some much needed connection with my entire family.  Then we did two weeks out west and drove to Victoria, stayed with my hubby's bro and his wonderful family. On our way back we stopped for our annual week at Mara Lake, which was fantastic, as usual!

Summer recap!

Went out for Ben and Sandy's wedding....what a great
picture of my hubby and I!  Brown Goddess indeed!

And more brown!!!!  Love this pic of my sis and some cousins!

Got to see my dad and two sisters!!!  
Wish we did not live so far apart!!!!

Wedding time.....check out the MC and her
main squeeze!

Mommy and daughter...love it!

Nanee and Noah!

Fun times with my mom and aunt, my cousin and daughter!

BC ferries!  Off to Victoria!

Love this pic of my son and I!

Tea at the Empress with my
sister-in-law and daughter....and she loved EVERY minute!

Simply delicious!

Me driving a boat at Mara Lake!   Who woulda thought???

Ahhhh...back to school....Grade 7 and 9!  Wha???????

Katy!!!!!!  We love Katy!!!!!!!  What a great show!

Here's to summer!    Bring on the fall (I guess).   I did get a great gift from my sister-in-law which I have now decided (after writing this blog post),  I will use to survive September...."Fifty Excuses for Wine"...here is one of my faves....

Love this......it's the only way to survive September....
how many days til Thanksgiving???

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/