First Day of School

et the fun begin! Kids are back, I am back in work mode.

183 days to go :-)

Hehe, just kidding. I haven't started the countdown yet!

Give me a week or two.

All jokes aside, I am excited for an awesome year, with a great bunch of kids!

I couldn't sleep last night. I tossed and turned, wide awake until about 3:30 a.m.. When I pulled myself out of bed at 6:30 this morning, I was seriously draaaaaaaaaging. I needed a breakfast pick-me-up, and I knew coffee had to be involved.

I started my morning out with a Mocha VOO and PB Banana Soft serve Parfait.

PB Banana Soft Serve

1 frozen banana
1 t PB
1/4 cup milk

Mix in Vita-Mix or food processor until soft-serve consistency.

Mocha Vegan Overnight Oats

- 1/3 cup quick oats
- 2/3 cup coffee
- 1 T cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 scoop chia seeds

Mix and put in fridge overnight. Layer with soft serve in the morning.



Lunch was 2 slices of leftover Thai pizza from Saturdays lunch, 1 cheese string, and a clementine. In the afternoon I had an icecap that a very sweet colleague bought for me!!

Dinner this evening was a red curry with chickpeas, served over organic kamut.
Dessert was one of the 3 bite muffins I made the other day.



Do you have trouble sleeping before big days or exciting events?
How do you get yourself to fall asleep?

I find that the harder I try to fall asleep, the more trouble I have.

Creamy Parmesan Fusilli

Creamy Parmesan Fusilli

4 cups tricolour fusilli
3 T butter
2/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1 1/2 T mayo
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 cloves garlic
8 bacon slices, fried crisp and crumbled

1) Cook and Drain Pasta
2) Melt butter in saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and warm. Do not boil.
Toss with pasta and season with pepper.

Serve Immediately.



This is one of my favourite pastas, and it is SUPER easy to make.
I made this for dinner on Saturday.

On Saturday I had 3 egg whites for breakfast, and then a couple pieces of Thai pizza for lunch.

My snack last night was 2 peppers with dip:



I spent my Saturday running errands, watching a movie with the hubby and relaxing.

This morning the hubby made pancakes for breakfast. I dipped mine in pure maple syrup:



I had some leftover pasta for lunch, and then went to work for a while. Tomorrow the kids are back to school, and I am ready for 'em!

Dinner was at the in-laws this evening.
We had roast beef, potatoes, corn, beets and bruschetta.

Dessert was chocolate fondue with LOADS of fruit.

I have to get to bed early tonight ...
Even the teacher has trouble sleeping before the "First Day of School!"

What is your favourite kind of pasta? Noodle shape? Sauce?

Back to the Grind

ince starting back at work on Wednesday I have been keeping myself quite busy.

Not the best time for us to discover that our shingles need replacing.

Lovely.

The hubby was going to do the shingling, but then decided against it after scoping things out on the roof. We are in the process of trying to find someone to do it for a reasonable price (less than 4 grand would be nice).

Do you own a home? Don't you find that if it is not one thing, it is something else?

My eats have been pretty simple the last couple days because I haven't gotten around to buying groceries or planning meals.

Breakfast yesterday was yogurt with a clementine, and a slice of toast with PB:







I went for lunch with coworkers and had Green Thai Curry with rice.
I had the leftovers for dinner:



Last night I made Averie's Vegan GF Cinnamon Raisin Banana Oatmeal Muffins:



These are delicious little 3 bite goodies. I gobbled up 2.

I must have done something wrong though, because after I cooked them I could not get them out of the papers; they were stuck to it. I just ate them off of the paper. They were still fantastic! I had another 1 today.

Breakfast this morning was a small smoothie with a banana, amazing grass, hemp seeds, salba, and chocolate almond milk:



Lunch was more Thai food! I didn't eat it all - there was WAY too much!



The hubby made dinner tonight so I could work late. He made chicken and mushroom rice. I also had a Guinness after work.



This evening the hubby and I went to Inception. This movie was EXCELLENT.

Some of you asked how I liked Eat, Pray, Love. I thought it was good, but the book was (obviously) much better. Eat, Pray, Love didn't hold a candle to Inception though ... just not the same caliber.

What are your plans for the weekend?
Have you seen any good movies lately? What do you recommend?

Behind the Name: Everyday Foodie

esterday was my last day of summer holidays.

The hubby BBQd smokies for dinner, which we enjoyed with some maple beans. We then went out to see Eat, Pray, Love.



This morning I had to get up bright and early for some blog related chit chat ... more news on this in a few weeks or so :-)

I was going to use my juicer but it was dead!

I bought it about 6 months ago from Costco, so I am NOT happy.
I will be returning it for a new one. Luckily Costco is really good about returns.

Instead, I tossed all of this into my Vita-Mix to make a whole fruit "juice":


(2 grapefruits, 2 clementine, 1 yellow pepper)

The Vita-Mix blended it all into smithereeeeeeeens - seeds, fiber, and all. I drank the glass for breakfast and kept the other container to have with my dinner:



Today was my first day back at work after having the summer off. It was a good day! I got a lot done, and was happy to see all of the awesome people that I work with. I nibbled on a couple pieces of cheese, some crackers, and some grapes at work during our staff meeting.

After seeing Eat, Pray, Love last night, I was craving pasta!
I had chicken carbonara for lunch:


(From Mediterranean Bistro)

I ate about 3/4.

Dinner was fish, the rest of my whole fruit juice, and potatoes with tomato, basil, and goat cheese:



Behind the Name: Everyday Foodie

When I started this blog I chose the name "Everyday Foodie" for a few reasons. I liked the multiple layers of meaning behind the name, all representing who I am, and what this blog is about.

I blog about my eats (almost) every day.

The enjoyment of good food is an everyday occurrence in my life. Chocolate isn't for special occasions. It is something that I believe can be enjoyed each day in moderation.

I am not a chef or a culinary expert. I am not an epicure or gourmet of distinguished tastes or a refined, discriminating palate. I am simply a girl who loves food and wants to celebrate life and good eats every day - your ordinary, unpretentious, Everyday Foodie.

According to Wikipedia:

- Foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news.

- Foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry.

If you have a blog, what is the meaning behind your name?
Do you enjoy learning about food? Food science?
What is your favourite foodie related topic to read about?

I love reading about the science of food, and learning about different nutrients and how they effect the body. I also love to learn about new foods and flavour combinations. The majority of what I read is food/ food science/ nutrition related.

Last Day

oday is the last day of my summer holidays. Time really does fly when you are having fun, because the past two months have felt like 2 weeks.

Yesterday I realized that I had not had hot oatmeal all summer. It was raining, cold and dreary, so I thought it would be the perfect day to get back to my hot oatmeal breakfasts.

I made a loaded bowl of mocha oats (1/2 cup coffee, 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond breeze, 1/2 cup quick oats). My toppings included: PB, Strawberries, Blueberries, Chia Seeds:





I wasn't really hungry for lunch yesterday, so I just had a few tablespoons of leftover dip from Friday with about 8 tortilla chips.

My little nephew Giovanni came over for a sleepover last night. We had meatloaf and mushroom risotto for dinner, and then we played and watched Ice Age.



This morning we were up by 8:00, and we had some leftover wifesaver for breakfast:



We met my sister (Giovanni's mom) for lunch at the Creek Bistro. I had a mushroom omelet with tabbouleh salad.

I am going to miss my relaxing days off - I still can't believe I go back to work tomorrow! I have 3 days to plan, and then the kids return on Monday.

I am off to do some back-to-school shopping!

Are you in school? What are you taking?
Do you like back-to-school time?
Or, what do you miss most about school, or back-to-school time?

Next week, I am back at University (for my Master's in Ed. Psych.). I am taking full-time classes while working full-time, so it will be a busy semester!

Weekend Re-Cap - Sleepover Food!

y weekend was jam packed!

On Friday afternoon I cleaned my house, and got cooking/ baking in preparation for the fun evening we had ahead. The hubby and I invited about 12 friends over for a games night/dessert and hors d'oeuvres potluck/ sleepover with breakfast to follow in the morning!

The party didn't start until 8:00, so around 5:00 the hubby and I had a frozen pizza to hold us over. I had a few small pieces of the veggie pizza:



Everyone that came brought a tasty dish. We had everything from buffalo chicken dip, and Asian dumplings, to baklava and mojito pie:



I made a bacon and mushroom dip.

Bacon and Mushroom Dip

10 slices of bacon (chopped)
1 lb sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 leeks (chopped - white and light green part only)
3 cloves garlic
1 pack cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
salt and pepper

Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Pour all the fat out of pan, except about 3 T. Add the chopped leeks and garlic. Cook until translucent (2 min). Add the mushrooms and some salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes, until tender. Remove and cool.

With a mixer, blend the cream cheese (softened) and sour cream until smooth. Use a spatula to stir in the bacon, leeks, and mushrooms.

Warm in oven, and serve with bread, crackers, or whatever!



This dip was a HIT!! One of the best dips I have ever had for sure.

I also made a chocolate cake. Check here for the recipe.



I nibbled on a bit of everything throughout the night, and had some beer and wine. We played a card game called "Werewolves" and then blew up our air mattresses and lined them up in the basement around 3 a.m.. Six people stayed. It was fun!

In the morning the hubby and I made breakfast. We had wifesaver breakfast, sausages, pull apart cinnamon buns, cinnamon loaf, fruit, OJ and coffee:









Emily's cinnamon quick bread was great - everyone loved the crumbly topping.





My breakfast included a tiny piece of wifesaver, 2 sausages, 1/2 a slice of cinnamon bread and 2 strawberries. This kept me full until supper.

For supper Saturday evening I made whole wheat spaghetti with marinara and chicken Parmesan:



This morning the hubby did a 60 km bike ride to raise money for palliative care. I was up early to go out to the finish. Before leaving the house I made some coffee, and a quick smoothie (1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond breeze, 1 scoop amazing grass, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 scoop chia seeds, 1 scoop salba).



I had some eggs and sausage with the hubby after his ride.

After the ride, we drove a couple hours to visit my mom.

Dinner this evening was at a little Asian diner. The hubby and I split some shrimp fresh roles, and then I had the curried chicken noodle soup. I barely put a dent in the soup - it was HUGE!





What was the highlight of your weekend?
What is the most unique pie flavour you have ever had?

The mojito one we had on Friday night takes the cake (umm, pie?) for me :-)

Foodie Fashion Friday ...

ecause accessories make me giddy.

And bacon isn't my only passion.


(Ring, and Necklace - From NY)


(Necklace)


(Earrings, Necklaces)


(Cross Necklace, Nixon Watch: The Naughty, Rings)


(Vintage Necklace)


(Fan necklace, Ring)

Now for the food ... Because a Girl has to eat.

I met some friends for lunch yesterday at a gorgeous downtown hotel. I had a club sandwich with Caesar salad, and ate most of it.



Dinner was 1 1/2 beef burritos:



This morning I had baked eggs with yellow pepper, onion, tomato and Gruyère cheese.



I have a busy day ahead, and a fun night planned. I will see you tomorrow with the pics and details!

What do you have planned for the weekend?
What is your favourite type of accessory (rings, earrings, necklaces)?

I am totally a ring girl.