Out Like a Lamb

nd just like that, March is gone. 1/4 through the year already.

Kids started their spring break today, and mine officially starts Friday - 10 days off!! Did I mention that I love my job?

My breakfast today was a bowl of oatmeal (made with 1/2 cup coffee, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup quick oats, and topped with 1 T White Chocolate PB, 1 t unsweetened organic coconut, and 1 t maple flakes):







Lunch was a veggie burger, with some edamame and an orange:



I also had a couple bites of a cinnamon bun, and a sample or two at Costco. Gotta love Costco samples!! Are you like me ... do you go just for the samples? C'mon, admit it.

Dinner was bowl of hot and sour soup with tofu, and some potstickers:





This evening I trained for my 5k. I did the following:

5 minute warm-up walk
3 minute run
90 second walk
5 minute run
2.5 minute walk
3 minute run
90 second walk
5 minute run

I can't believe I ran for 5 minutes straight, when on Monday I struggled with 3!!! This program really works! I felt GREAT after. My legs felt amazing, and I felt so energized. It was not fun while I was doing it though. 5 minutes is probably the most I have ever run straight in my ENTIRE life. Crazy, I know. I could sprint, but never had much distance in me. I am hoping to change that. I have to change that. May 3oth is my 5k race.

Have you ever participated in a race? Would you ever want to?

Dumpster Diving and Hotdogs - Pure Class.

unday morning if you would have looked out behind my house, you would have seen the hubby in pajamas digging through the dumpster.

Was it because I didn't make him breakfast?

Guess Again.

Perhaps it was because I asked him where our $350 (Sold Out)
Broadway tickets were ...

When he was cleaning the house for our 24, 24, 24 dinner he tossed out the GIANT envelope that they came in, and then took the trash out to the alley dumpster. Needless to say, he forgot to look in the GIANT envelope to see if there were any tickets in it!

Nearly 2 days later they were recovered safe and sound, but they had quite the journey.

We will be going to see Wicked on Broadway this Saturday (as long as the tickets don't go slumming it again). I am so excited!! It is supposed to be a great show.

Another reason I am excited to go to NY is to buy more flavours of this lovely stuff:



There is a PB & Co. restaurant in NY that we hope to check out.
I am thinking that I want to try "The Elvis" complete with bacon and all.

I had a scoop of the Dark Chocolate Dreams with my apple last night:



I also had a grapefruit with a sprinkle of Stevia:



Breakfast this morning was an English muffin with 2 runny eggs:



I picked up a 6" chicken breast sub for lunch:



The sub just didn't cut it for me today. I was haaaaaaaaaaaaangry!!

So, I did the only logical thing I could think of and raid the student hot dog lunch at school for leftovers.



I am classy like that.

After work I had some edamame, and 1/3 of a pita with 2 T hummus:







Dinner was terriyaki chicken breasts with lots of HOT sauce, a bunch of asparagus, and a salad with Saskatoon vinaigrette and a sprinkle of cheese and bacon bits:





This evening the hubby and I went to Chapters and I had a decaf latte. No caffeine for me after about 4:00 or I won't sleep.

Does caffeine affect you at night?

What is your take on hot dogs? Do you eat them?
Are you afraid of what they are made of?

My friend once told me they are made of pigeons and old men's hats :-)

Probably.

But frankly, my dears, I don't give a damn.

Starbucks Card WINNER!!!!!!! And 2 Day Re-Cap

id you miss my 24, 24, 24 Dinner Re-Cap?
Check Here!

$25 Dollar Starbucks Card Giveaway WINNER:

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max: 50 Result: 6

The winner is: AMBER (Girl with the Red Hair)!! Please contact me with your mailing address and I will get the gift card to you right away!!

Sunday Re-Cap:

Breakfast/ Lunch - 2 scrambled eggs with Sriracha hot sauce, and a glo-bar:





Dinner at In-Laws - Perogies, sausage, potatoes, pickle, cheese:





With a glass of Icetea:



Snack Sunday night - Grapefruit:



Monday Re-Cap:

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day!! Spring has definitely sprung in Regina. It was about 14C.
I started my day with a bowl of banana maple walnut oats:


(1/2 cup maple coffee, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 t maple flakes, 1/2 banana, 1 tsp walnuts).



Lunch was leftover bison and Saskatoon berry ragout on rice, with an orange and a yogurt:



Dinner was a veggie burger and a salad with mixed greens, tomato, cucumbers, Gruyere, bacon bits, and Saskatoon berry vinaigrette:





I went for a run this evening. I am pretty crappy. I can only run about a quarter mile at a time, and then I am huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. BUT, I have improved (yes, I used to be worse!) When I started I could barely run a minute. You should have seen me. I was pathetic. Still am, but at least I am improving!

My next run on the C25K plan is about a quarter mile MORE than what I am doing now. I don't know how I will run a half mile straight ... then walk a couple minutes, then do it again. I am scurrrrrrrrrrred!

On Friday morning the hubby and I will be leaving for NYC! We will be there for a week.

Are any NY bloggers interested in a blogger meet-up?
Let me know!!

What do you have planned for the Easter weekend?

This will be the first time my hubby and I won't be with family over Easter. We will have to check out the Easter Parade in NY, and see what else is happening! We will also be there for the hubby's 29th B-Day which is on April 6th!

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: A Little Feast on the Prairies

very month Foodbuzz holds a contest for its Featured Publishers called 24, 24, 24. In order to enter the contest a Featured Publisher needs to create a proposal for a unique dinner that they will create, capture and post about. The winners are given $250 to help make the proposal happen. I entered a proposal called "A Little Feast on the Prairies" that would showcase food grown or made on the Saskatchewan prairies. I was so excited to find out, the day after submitting my proposal, that I had won!!

I immediately called up some friends that had helped me to come up with the idea and let them know the great news, inviting them to share in the event. The lucky guests were our good friends, Jeff, Alaina, Chris and Cori.

A lot of my readers may not be familiar with Saskatchewan, so I would like to share a few facts about my lovely province.


(Source: Wikipedia)

- Saskatchewan is one of the 3 prairie provinces in Canada (the others are Alberta to the west, and Manitoba to the East)
- Saskatchewan has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres.
- The population is just over 1 million people (in the entire province).
- I live in the capital city, Regina.
- The largest city in Saskatchewan is Saskatoon.
- The hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada happened in Saskatchewan
(45 degrees C).
- The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was also in Saskatchewan
(-56.7 degrees C).
- We have the best Football team around - The Saskatchewan Roughriders!!

My 24, 24, 24 dinner took place last night.

I woke up early yesterday morning, ate a quick breakfast (oatmeal with 1 T graham crumbs, 1 square chocolate, 1 t white choc. PB, maple flakes), and then got cooking!!!:



A Little Feast on the Prairies

The Place Setting:





The Menu:





The Ambiance:





The Music:



The Appetizers:

1) Goat cheese with wheat crackers, Saskatoon Berry Chutney, and Bison Sausage







2) Cheddar and Potato Perogies with Herb Creme Fraiche





Herb Creme Fraiche

- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (whipped)
- 1 T chopped fresh chives
- 1 T chopped fresh parsley

Mix all together, and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3) Venison Meatballs with Homemade Mustard





Venison Meatballs

- 1 lb. ground Elk or Deer meat
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion

Mix all ingredients together. Form meatballs. Brown in a sprayed pan on all sides. Bake in oven at 350 for approx. 25 minutes.

Homemade Mustard

- 1/2 cup mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup beer
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp brown sugar
- 1 T maple syrup or maple flakes

Combine all ingredients and let sit at room temperature for a couple days. Food process (or use Bamix) to break up seeds.

The Salad:

Mixed Greens with Saskatoon Berry Vinaigrette





Saskatoon Berry Vinaigrette

- 1/2 cup Saskatoon berries
- 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 heaping T honey
- 3/4 cup Canola oil
- Sprinkle and salt and pepper to taste

The Soup:

Palliser Porter and Cheddar Soup





The Main Course:

Bison and Saskatoon Berry Ragout with Wild Rice, Asparagus, and Fried Bannock







The Dessert:

Chocolate Pie, Cheesecake with Field Berry Sauce, and Saskatoon Berry Perogies





Field Berry Sauce

- 2 cups frozen berries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 T cornstarch
- 1 T Orange Juice

Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes.

The Drinks:

Bushwakker Beer (Brewed in Regina)



Canadian Maple Coffee



The Favours:







The Guests:

Jeff and Alaina



Cori and Chris



Our lovely friends Jeff and Alaina brought us this beautiful piece of pottery by Saskatchewan artist Zach Dietrich.



It was filled with Red Lentils from Alaina's family farm near Elrose, SK.



Thank-you again Jeff and Alaina! How thoughtful!!

Our "Little Feast on the Prairies" was a BIG success!

Thanks to Foodbuzz for helping to make it possible, and to our dear friends for sharing in the fun.