NuNaturals Giveaway Announcement

reakfast was a smoothie with 1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup frozen berries, 1 cup almond breeze, 1 pack Amazing Meal, 1 T almond butter.



I also had a small slice of lemon loaf at work.

Lunch was BBQ beef on rice, with an orange, and a glo-bar.

For dinner I had some chicken with BBQ sauce, rutabegas, and salad:





NuNaturals STEVIA GIVEAWAY

Ron from NuNaturals has offered to do a giveaway for my readers!! You have probably seen me use Stevia products from time to time. I love the products, and am very happy that Ron has given me the opportunity to do run a contest where 4 of my readers can win my 2 favourite products from NuNaturals!

Contest Prize:

(1) Box of NuStevia™ White Stevia Powder, 50 ct. box

AND

(1) Bottle of Vanilla Stevia Liquid, 2 oz.

4 winners will be chosen on Monday June 14th!!! The contest is open to US and Canadian Residents only.

Also, Ron is giving all my readers 15% off their entire purchase from NuNaturals from now until July 1st. The coupon code is: BLG710

To enter the contest:

Leave me a comment telling me how you would use one of those two products!!

For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway and let me know in the comments that you did.

Good Luck!

5k ReCap

had the worst sleep last night. I woke up in a panic, thinking that I had slept through my morning alarm and missed my race. I looked at the clock, and saw that it was 2:00 a.m.. This happened every half hour for the rest of the night!

I finally got up at 7:00 a.m. and headed out to pick up my race package. I fueled up with some oatmeal (toppings: 1/2 banana, 1 T maple PB, 1 t maple flakes, 1 scoop chia seeds, 4 macaroon chocolates). I also had 1 cup of coffee, and a tall glass of water.





I took off on my 5k race at 9:00, feeling great. Each km took me roughly the same amount of time (approx. 7 minutes), and I finished with a time of 35:01. This was earlier than my hubby and family expected, and they almost missed my finish!

I am VERY happy with this time!!

I have also decided, that although it was sort of fun to race ... I don't really like running. It isn't for me. I might do another 5k sometime, but I don't see myself doing anything more than that.

After the race, I quickly got showered and ready to head to Saskatoon to see my mom. We stopped on the way for lunch at a small town family restaurant. I had an egg salad sandwich and half of the fries:



We had a good visit with my mom, and then headed home around dinner time. We ate Thai food before going on the road. The hubby and I shared a tofu peanut curry, and a chicken red curry with rice:





This weekend was jam-packed, and I can't believe it is already time to go back to work tomorrow!

Today is also my dad's 69th Birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! We went out last night to celebrate.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Creme Brulee French Toast & Race Tomorrow!

reme Brulee French Toast - my breakfast was as sinful as it sounds.

Click here for the recipe.

I have been wanting to make this French toast since I first saw it on Jessica's blog back in December. I finally got around to it, and I am I ever glad I did!

This afternoon the hubby and I went to the Cathedral Arts Festival in our city. It was pouring rain, so it wasn't as great as it could have been. We had a small plate of Thai food for lunch:



This evening my sister and I took my dad out to celebrate his birthday. He will be 69 years old tomorrow!! We went to the Creek Bistro. I had a single slice of bread to start, and then the beef, and horseradish potatoes for dinner. It was fantastic!



When I got home from dinner, the hubby asked me to make him my "Apple Juliet" from the other night. He had tried a sip, and thought it was so good, so he wanted one for himself tonight. I made us each one, but I switched it up a bit:

Apple Juliet Remixed
(serves 2)

- 3 strawberries
- 2 apples
- 1 orange
- 3 apricots
- 3/4 cup water
- 6 ice cubes
- 12 drops vanilla stevia (liquid)

Remove stems and cores from all fruit (leave skin on).
Mix everything in the VitaMix or other powerful blender until perfectly smooth.



Don't have liquid vanilla stevia?

Stay tuned for my GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT Monday night!!!!!

Tomorrow morning I am "running" a 5K.
I use the term "running" loosely. I was doing the C25K training plan, but stopped halfway through on April 27th. I haven't gone for any type of run or jog in over a month - yikes! I had a terrible run on April 27th, and then the weather started getting crappy (snow) and things got busy with my mom being in the hospital, and I never made time for training. It is supposed to be COLD tomorrow (5 C) with rain, but I plan on doing the race anyway, and just doing it for fun! I will run when I feel like it, and walk when I feel like it. I have no time in mind, I just want to do my best.

Have you ever done a 5K? How long did it take you?

Coconut Curry Chicken Fingers

A berry green smoothie is a great way to start the morning!

(1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, 2 packs berry flavoured amazing grass, 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana, 1 T almond butter).

I also had half of a glo-bar:



Lunch was a hamburger, a cheese stick and an orange. I also snacked on 3 pieces of watermelon, a chocolate chip cookie, and a freezie today.

Dinner was coconut curry chicken fingers with mac and cheese!

Coconut Curry Chicken Fingers

- 1 cup coconut milk
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond breeze (or regular milk)
- 1.5 T of red curry paste
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 2 large chicken breasts cut into strips

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a shallow dish.
Mix the next 2 ingredients in another shallow dish.
Dip the chicken into the wet mixture, then dry, then lay on a baking dish in a single layer.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes (use thermometer to test for doneness).





This evening I prepped breakfast for tomorrow morning - I am so excited for it!!!! You will have to wait and see!!!!

What is one recipe you have been wanting to make forever, but just haven't gotten around to making?

You will see mine tomorrow ... I finally made it!

SATC 2 Review and a CSN Review (to come)

eauty ... it's what's for breakfast.

My oatmeal contained:

3/4 cup coffee
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
1/2 cup quick oats
1 T almond butter
1 t mini chocolate chips
6 strawberries

Lunch was 2 slices of pizza and an orange juice box.
I also had a tiny slice of lemon loaf at work.

Dinner was a curried beef recipe that I had frozen from the time I did The BIG Cook. I had it with some sticky rice and soy sauce:



This evening I went with some girlfriends to see SATC 2. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. The story line was very blah, and it just didn't come close to the first movie. Although, I did LOVE the karaoke scene.

I was recently contacted by a representative from CSN Stores to do a product review of a something from one of their 250 online stores. CSN Stores sell a wide range of goods from hardwood flooring and tools, to bathroom vanities and cookware. I obviously decided to review a product from the cookware site!

Stay tuned for my review, and to see the product that I chose.

I have a crazy busy weekend ahead!! Saturday afternoon will be spent at a street festival in my city. Saturday evening I am taking my dad out for supper for his birthday. Sunday I have my 5K walk/ run ... it is supposed to snow Sunday, so I am a little sketchy about wanting to do it. After the race, I am heading to Saskatoon to visit my mom.

What are your weekend plans?
Tell me your thoughts on SATC ... Aiden or Big?

I am totally on team Big.

Apple Juliet

any thanks to all of you who left kinds words of encouragement and support after my last post. Your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me, and I am so thankful to be a part of such a caring community of people.

I woke up this morning with a terrible headache.

My best remedy was a green chocolate smoothie with 1 cup almond breeze, 2 packs amazing grass, 1 scoop maca/ hemp/ cacao powder, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 t dark chocolate PB.



I spent the day outside leading a group of wild 13 and 14 year olds around for track and field.

Lunch was a tuna sandwich and an orange.

Dinner this evening was a hamburger with some roasted potatoes and onions with a bit of feta cheese:



I still had a headache this evening, so I rested on the couch and watched American Idol. I am so sad that Simon is leaving - I love him :-)

I also made a beautiful drink that is reminiscent of an "Orange Julius". I have named it the Apple Juliet:



Apple Juliet

1/2 cup water
1 apple
2 apricots
3 strawberries
4 icecubes
10 drops of Vanilla Liquid Stevia (thanks to NuNaturals for sending me this)

Remove stems and core of fruit (leave skin on). Blend in the VitaMix or other blender.



It was smooth, sweet, and delicious! I will definitely make this again!

Do you watch American Idol? Who is your favourite judge?
Do you ever go to Orange Julius? What do you order?

I like anything tropical, with coconut and pineapple.

Thankful

fter a long weekend outside in the cold, wind and rain, I only wanted one thing for breakfast this morning - Oatmeal!!

When I headed out for work this morning I realized that it was still cold and rainy.

It better be nicer tomorrow (Wednesday) because I will be outside all day for track.

Lunch today was 2 slices of toast, edamame & 1/2 an orange.

I also had a small handful of tortilla chips dipped in cheese.

Dinner was mushroom soup with a grilled apple and cheddar sandwich:

Re-Cap Regarding my Mom:

About 5 weeks ago my mom went into the hospital. She has MS and is not doing well, especially with her mobility. She has been in the hospital since then, and last week the doctors recommended that she go to a long-term care home. When this recommendation was made, my mom was not happy, and was insisting that she was going to go back to her apartment. The doctors informed me that she would have the final decision in this matter. This scared me to death. If she went home, I would not be able to sleep at night.

This was very stressful for me and my other family members, as we knew that my mom needed to be somewhere with more care.

On Friday I went to visit her, and I spent the entire day letting her know how I felt about the situation, and asking her to make the right decision and to trust me, and her other family to know what is best for her. By the end of the day, she had given me verbal confirmation that she would move to a long-term home.

By Sunday, she was saying she wanted to go to her apartment again. I had to go over everything I had discussed with her on Friday, again and again.

This morning the social worker told me that she would need my mom's written consent. I panicked. My mom is very stubborn (understandably) and I worried that she would not sign. I stressed about this all day, until 4:15 when I received word that she had signed the papers, no problem. I feel so relieved to know that my mom will be going to a long-term care home where she will have people to help her 24 hours a day if needed. It is very hard to have to see this happen, but I know it is the safest, and therefore only option.

She will be in the hospital until a room at a care home comes available.

I am so very thankful that she signed the papers, and that I don't have to worry about her going home alone. So thankful.

What are you thankful for today?

Camping Re-Cap!

This weekend was our 12th annual May long camping trip. We go camping on the Victoria day long weekend every year, and we never, ever learn our lesson. We are troopers.

In past years we had endured things like crazy winds, monsoon rain, freezing cold, and frost.

This year we were lucky enough to experience all of those forces of nature on one weekend.

We started our trip on Thursday after work. We met for a quick sub supper, and we were on our way to Buffalo Pound in the pouring (and I mean pouring) rain.

Luckily the rain died down just in time for us to get our tents up. It continued to drizzle as we ate some seeds, had a beer or two, and visited with friends.

On Friday the hubby and I got up early to head to Saskatoon for the day to see my mom in the hospital. I had a chocolate muffin on the way:



Lunch in Saskatoon was a taco salad:







We had a good day with my mom, and made it back to the campground for a late dinner of smokies and salad:



In the evening I snacked on crispy minis. I had a very cold sleep.

Saturday was a very cold and rainy day. We spent all our time huddled around the fire, or trying to escape to cook under a leaky tarp.

We had eggs and bacon for breakfast:



Mac and cheese for lunch (no pics of my mac and cheese, but I do have some of Heather and Jocelyn eating theirs!!)


(Heather)


(Joceyln)

In the afternoon we snacked on chips, and made friends with squirrels, who were so friendly that they would eat treats out of our hands!



Dinner was a hamburger, and some potatoes:



I had a late night hot dog as well.

On Sunday morning we woke up to WILD winds. Heather found the dining tent like this:



The winds were so bad that the hubby had to cook pancakes in the vestibule of our tent!


(He does not look happy :-( - I am the one in the pink).

We all crowded into one tent and ate our pancakes on the bed. I had grape juice and coffee with mine.

I had a burger for lunch, and some pasta with mushrooms and Alfredo sauce for dinner.

Later on Sunday night when the wind finally stopped (after about 80km winds all day) I wanted BACON!! I had a genius plan to cook 2 trays of bacon on the fire at 10 p.m..

I almost devoured it raw ...



Until I realized how disgusting that would be :-)



Don't be fooled by my style - the garbage bag is not a new fashion trend.

It is simply my bacon grease splatter protector. I will sell you one for $30.



WARNING: Bacon grease + fire = BIG fire!!



With our bellies full of bacony goodness, there was only one more thing I needed.

Cheese.

I snagged a slice from Heather and Jocelyn, and went to bed happy.
And cold.

This morning we got up, showered, and packed everything up to go home. I had a juice and 1/2 a glo-bar in the process. We stopped for brunch on the way home, where I had 1 of these lovely pancakes:



With about 3/4 of this:



For dinner this evening I made Greek chicken with bulgur and creamed corn:





Dessert was a tiny serving of maple walnut ice cream and an orange:



Although it was a cold, rainy, and windy camping trip, I still had fun because I was with awesome friends!! I can't wait for our next camping trip in July!

A couple of our very best friends (who we usually camp with) didn't come on this camping trip, and today is their wedding anniversary!



Happy 2nd Anniversary Jeff and Alaina!!

Exactly one week from today, I will be running my first 5k.

The problem is that I haven't been training.

I only made it half-way through the C25k program before I got frustrated with the program, and life started getting crazy. The most I have ever ran straight is 5 minutes, so for the race I plan on doing a run/ walk for the entire race. If I have to walk a lot, I am totally okay with that. I am clearly not shooting for a good time here - I just want to get out and move.

How was your weekend? Have you ever slept outside in a tent when it was close to zero degrees? Would you ever want to?

I don't recommend it!