Gone Camping and Mystery Giveawy

y first full day of summer holidays has been great so far! I slept in until 9:30, then made a nutrient packed juice with: 1/2 a canary melon, 1 grapefruit, 1 red pepper, and 5 strawberries. I juiced it first, then tossed some ice in and blended it in my Vita-Mix:







I also had some eggs with mushrooms, cheese and hot sauce:


(2 whole eggs and 2 whites)

After breakfast I went for an approximately 7 km bike ride in the blazing heat.

I came home and got ready for camping! The hubby and I are leaving today to go camping with some of our friends for the weekend. July 1st is a Holiday in Canada (Canada Day). We will be home Sunday.

I baked some cookies for our camping trip:



I packed my stuff:



And had oatmeal for lunch :-)


(Inside a canary melon - they taste so good together!)

Mystery Giveaway
(It's a good one!)

As a thank-you to my readers, I am going to do a little Mystery Giveaway! The winner will receive a surprise package in the mail, but they won't know what they are getting - you know, like Christmas!!

This giveaway is open to residents from the US and Canada only.

The winner will be chosen randomly when I get home on Sunday July 4th.

How to enter: Leave a comment. You can enter ONCE PER DAY from TODAY (Wednesday June 30th) to (SATURDAY July 3rd). A total of 4 ENTRIES per person.

Wednesday's Question: What is your favourite song at the moment? I need download ideas for a summer CD!

Thursday's Question: Today is Canada day! Are you from Canada? Have you been to Canada? What do you know/ think about Canada? Is there anywhere in Canada you hope to visit?

Friday's Question: What are your weekend plans?

Saturday's Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself!

Happy entering! Enjoy your weekend, and I will be back on Sunday to Announce the Giveaway winner and catch up on all your blogs.

Giveaway Winner, and Dessert Cheeseball

essert Cheese Ball

1 pack of cream cheese (you can use light)
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup icing sugar
2 T brown sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream together the first 3 ingredients, then slowly add in the rest and stir well. Line a bowl with plastic wrap and fill with the mixture to make it round (like a cheeseball). Put on a platter and serve with sliced strawberries! It is also great with pineapple, Teddy Grahams, Animal Crackers etc..







This is SURE to be a hit! Warning: It is very addictive.

Giveaway Winner:

Enter a number:

I want a random number between 1 and 34.

Result:

29

The winner of the $40 CSN Credit is Debbie from Suburb Sanity! Congrats Debbie! The people from CSN stores will email you a code to enter for $40 off at the checkout of CSN Stores!

Today was officially my last day of work for the summer! I had to go in and clean up my classroom a bit, but we were done by 11:30 a.m.

Breakfast was egg in a hole (1 egg, 1 slice of bread) and a glass of OJ:

I also had a about 4 strawberries with the cheese ball spread.

Lunch was a pulled pork sandwich (about 1/2), 1/4 cup baked beans, and 1/2 cup seafood salad. I also had 1 beer and a fudgesicle.

Dinner was leftover pasta:



This evening I went to a games night with friends. I had 2 drinks throughout the evening, and an ounce of goat cheese with a few rice crackers when I got home.

It feels so good to know that I don't have to get up for work in the morning :-) Just one of the perks of being a teacher!

Who was your favourite teacher, and why? What do you miss most about elementary school? High school? University? What is your best/ worst memory from school? Did you love school, or hate it?

Bubble and Brown Review

ife is good right now ...

Last time I posted it was Sunday morning. Later in the day the hubby and I shopped and I had a hot dog for lunch. Sunday evening was spent at the hubby's Aunt Charmain's house. She made a lovely dinner (steak, stuffed potatoes, corn, salad, stuffed tomatoes, flat bread, red wine, cake and fruit, olives and cheese). The food was superb.















This morning I had an orange and a glo-bar for breakfast:





I also had a mini Cinnamon bun at work during our staff meeting.

Lunch was a piece of quiche, and a side salad from a restaurant called The Mediterranean Bistro.



The kind people at CSN stores sent me some Rachel Ray Bubble and Brown stoneware dishes to try and review. I LOVE the look of these dishes! I instantly knew I wanted to try out a Rachel Ray recipe in them.





Italian Mac and Cheese
(Slightly Adapted from Rachel Ray Recipe)

Ingredients

4 cups penne noodles
3 Italian sausages
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T butter
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 T flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 bag Italian 4 - cheese blend cheese
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank's)





Directions

- Cook pasta until el dente.
- Meanwhile, brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on paper towel lined plate. Use the same pan to heat the oil and butter. Add mushrooms, and brown. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pre-heat broiler (high)
- To the mushrooms, add flour and stir. Whisk in stock and cream. Bring to a bubble, and then add 2 cups of the cheese. When melted, add tomatoes & hot sauce. Toss with pasta & sausage.
- Transfer to a baking dish & top with remaining cheese. Broil until browned (3-4 minutes).

I absolutely LOVE my Bubble and Browns! They are dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe. They look cool, and would work perfectly as serving dishes. I love having baking dishes that double as serving dishes. The mac and cheese browned perfectly. I like that the dishes are heavy duty, and won't warp with high heat. I cannot wait to use them again - there is nothing better than bubbly, brown, cheesey goodness!

Tomorrow (Tuesday June 29th) is your last day to enter my CSN $40 gift card giveaway! If you win, you could buy your own set (they come in other colours too) or whatever else you may want!



Another new thing that I tried this evening ...



A canary melon!



It tasted like a canteloupy honeydoo.

I had a small bite, then juiced about a 1/4 of it with a grapefruit, and a red pepper:





Have you ever tried a canary melon?

What is the most unique fruit you have tried?

Tomorrow is my last day of work (only 2.5 hours) before summer holidays begin!
I will have 2 months off - I am so excited!

Friday/ Saturday Re-Cap

riday was a busy, yet great day! It was the last day of school for kids, and the end-of-the-year party for the staff at my school. I forgot to take pictures of my food on Friday, as I had too much on my mind.

Breakfast was a simple bowl of oatmeal. I was busy at lunch, so I only had a small strawberry milkshake.

After work I came home to make sure my house/ yard was ready to host 30+ people for the evening. I also snacked on some goat cheese and crackers before the party.

We lucked out, and had the most beautiful weather.



The tall trees in my backyard gave us privacy.

We mingled, ate and drank in the back yard all evening:









Dinner was catered. I had 3 perogies, a little piece of sausage, and 1 cabbage roll. I also nibbled on some veggies and dip, and a handful of chips. I drank beer, and wine throughout the night.

It was a great night!

Saturday was a day to relax. The hubby made pancakes in the morning, and I enjoyed 3 with some strawberries, and maple syrup:



In the afternoon we went to a movie, and shared some popcorn.

The pancakes and popcorn held us over until dinner. We had some pot stickers to start:



And then a chicken curry on rice:



Later in the evening I had some crackers with goat cheese and a couple drinks with friends:



This morning I made baked eggs and a fresh juice for breakfast/ lunch:





(2 eggs, broccoli, tomatoes, cheese - 400 degrees 16 minutes).

My fresh juice contained 1 whole grapefruit, 1 whole banana, and 1/2 cup OJ - liquefied in my Vita-Mix. 4 servings of fruits/veggies before noon - not bad!



This evening we will be going to the hubby's aunt's house for dinner/ hubby's sister's b-day. The food is sure to be excellent - his aunt is a fabulous cook!

Tomorrow I will be reviewing a product sent to me by CSN Stores, and Tuesday I will be announcing the winner for the $40 CSN Store Giveaway. Have you entered yet?

Random Question:

The hubby and I have our 6 year wedding anniversary coming up on July 23rd.

What should we do to celebrate?

I need some new ideas!! In the past we have done dinner and a movie, or dinner and live theater. Last year we flew to Vegas, and had dinner at Emeril's Table 10, followed by an evening spent at a Dueling Piano bar, and a few more days of Vegas fun. Our anniversary this year falls on a Friday, and the hubby will be at work all day, but I will be home.