Monday, January 25, 2010

SNOW DAY!!!!?? Well, Kind Of.


H


ow was your Monday?


Mine was "different." In a good way though!

Today was the closest we have ever had to a "Snow Day" in my city, in my lifetime! Of course, we are too hardcore to have a real snow day, in which the city is shut down, and schools are closed ... but the schools did cancel all bus, van, and cab services - which means my classroom was VERY empty!

I had 11 out of 26 kids in my room today, so it was a pretty unique day. We have already been informed that the transit is also canceled for tomorrow, so I am in for a unique Tuesday as well. The kids who walked to school had to trudge through waist high snow all the way to school!!

Many people did not go to work today, and people were stuck all over the place, leaving their cars because they could not get them out and the tow trucks were WAY too busy.

I didn't want to drive to work today, so the hubby dropped me off. I was pretty rushed in the morning so I forgot to take a picture of what I packed for lunch.

Breakfast was a green monster (2 cups spinach, lightly steamed; almond butter; almond breeze; a banana; amazing grass wheat grass):



For lunch I packed:
- 5 perogies
- 1 cheese stick
- 1 unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 orange

I also had a few (about 8) taco chips with guacamole/bean dip at work.

I wanted something really warm for dinner tonight, so I made one of my favourite soup recipes (adapted from a recipe in a local food magazine called Flavours).

It took a while to cook so I had a little snack to hold me over:



Black Bean Soup with Chipotle Peppers and Avocado

1) Saute 1 chopped onion, and 1 chopped carrot in 1 T olive oil for a couple minutes.

2) Add 1 chopped garlic clove, 1 t cumin, 1 t oregano, and cook 1 minute.

3) Add 2 chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (you buy these in a can, and then just take 2 out and you can freeze the rest).

4) Add 2 cups canned black beans and 8 cups chicken broth. Toss in 1/4 - 1/2 of a small ham, or leftover ham (or none at all ... it just adds a nice flavour).

5) Simmer for about an hour, and then shred some of the ham for the soup - or toss the ham if your prefer (I have done it both ways, and I don't think the soup needs the ham).



6) Add 1 T vinegar and season to taste.

7) Serve topped with avocado slices, cilantro, lime wedges and sour cream.





This soup is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! You have to try it to know what I mean. It might not sound good, but trust me - it is!! We made this soup for many of our friends, and they have all LOVED it. Also, the sour cream is crucial ... it is too spicy without it.

The hubby and I enjoyed dinner while watching the Bachelor!! I must say, Jake doesn't mess around. He knows what he wants, and I am glad he doesn't keep people any longer than he has to. Ahhh trashy TV ... gotta love it!

Do you like spicy food? What is your favourite spicy dish?

9 comments:

Biz said...

I will put this soup on the list of things to make - and I believe spicy or not, everything is better with sour cream!

Um, to say I like spicy food is an understatement - in fact my husband thinks I have no tastebuds left because I have burned them all off!

Tabasco is with me at all times - not kidding - I carry a small one in my purse for when restaurants try to pawn off Louisiana hot sauce when I ask for Tabasco! :D

I'll let you know how the soup turns out!

p.s. for some reason every blogspot blog I've tried to leave a comment on, doesn't let me - poo!

I am Biz at http://www.biz319.wordpress.com

Jocelyn said...

mmm that soup sounds delish!
Can't believe they don't shut down over there when snow is at waist high. It's just dangerous to travel!..EEk! stay safe!

sophia said...

Aw, so what did the kids who DID come do? It must have been a very relaxed day.

I LOVE spicy food! Ah, all kinds of spicy food: belacan kangkong, carrot cake, mee siam, curry fish head...haha, they are all Singaporean dishes, so you probably don't know what I'm talking about!

Amber said...

I am so not a fan of Jake I think he's a big baby. And I really liked Ella so I was sad to see her go tonight!!

I'm amazed at how much snow you guys are getting - waist deep! Wowza!

Anonymous said...

BTW i think it's really DANGEROUS that you guys don't have snow day! If public transportation is closed than that means it's not SAFE TO DRIVEEE. Anyways, I'll stop yelling. I heart spicy foods!! I especially love uber hot thai foods. Great healthy soup btw. ;)

Simply Life said...

WOw sounds like a crazy school day! Yes, I like spicy food a lot, but not too spicy :)

Kacy said...

Yay for a semi-snow day! Better than nothing :)

That soup looks incredible, especially the big chunks of avocado. yum!

monicaonthego.com said...

Yummy soup, I may have to try that. Sounds like a lot of snow! We are getting hit tonight here in Cleveland OH.

*Check out the 2 great giveaways going on @ MonicaOnTheGo.com - yoga mat bag and perfume/lip gloss kit*

Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) said...

Wow, this soup does look phenomenal! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. :)