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!

Exciting News, Travel, and Sex in A Pan

n exactly 18 days the hubby and I will be headed to NY for a week vacation! We have never been, and I have only been to 6 states in my life (Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Hawaii). NY has been on the top of my travel list for as long as I can remember. Other places on my list include: Egypt, India, Iceland, Samoa, Tonga, and many places in Europe.

What places are on your travel list?

On to food ...

Breakfast today was a smoothie made with 1 cup almond breeze, 1/2 banana, 1 T almond butter, 1 scoop chia seeds, Hemp/Cacao/ Maca Twister Powder, and 2 packs of Amazing Grass.





It was very protein, nutrient and antioxidant rich, and it kept me full all morning.

For lunch I ran out to Extreme Pita and got a vegetarian pita pizza:



I most definitely inhaled every last bite.

In the afternoon I had a glo-bar and a piece of cheese.

I went to the new organic grocery store in town after work today. It is my new favourite place. The customer service is exceptional. The food (including the produce) is of very high quality, and the prices are reasonable. I bought all of our groceries for the week from there. One thing I bought was organic sausage (4 large in-store made sausages for $4.49). We had the sausage for dinner tonight with rice and an avocado/ tomato salad. I topped my rice with green salsa.



I realized after your comments on yesterday's post that I cannot throw around phrases like "Sex in a Pan" and not provide a recipe. Here you go:

Sex in a Pan

Crust:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
2 T sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

Filling:
250 g softened cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 pack instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pack instant butterscotch pudding
1 1/2 cups milk

Crust Directions:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan
- Stir in the flour, sugar, and nuts
- Press into 9x13 pan
- Bake @ 325 F for 15 minutes

Filling Directions:
- Blend cream cheese and icing sugar and spread over the crust
- Whip the cream, and then spread 1/2 on the cream cheese layer
- Mix the chocolate pudding and milk for 2 minutes and pour over the cream layer
- Mix the butterscotch pudding and milk for 2 minutes and pour over the chocolate layer
- Top with the rest of the whip cream

Chill over night. Top with shaved chocolate before serving (optional).

I have had this dessert made numerous ways, and this is the BEST in my opinion!

Very exciting news!!!!!!!
As a Featured Publisher of FoodBuzz I had the opportunity to enter a contest called 24, 24, 24. To enter, one must submit a proposal for a dining experience that they want to partake in, and want FoodBuzz to fund. Twenty-four people were chosen, and all must make their meal happen within the same 24 hour period (March 27th) and blog about it the next day (24 blog posts). I was one of the winners, and will be given the cash to make the meal/ and evening come to life.

You will have to wait and see ...

In light of my BIG trip in 18 days, I am going to do a giveaway.
See my post tomorrow for details!!

How many US States have you visited? Which ones?

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

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?

Sandwiches

As you may or may not have noticed, I rarely eat sandwiches. I always pack a hot lunch for work, and only make sandwiches like grilled cheese when I am low on groceries. Well today I lived on the wild side a little ;-) and ate not one, but two sandwiches.

I am a rebel like that.

Before I get to that ...

Last night I had a lovely grapefruit with a single pack of Stevia sprinkled on top to make it a little sweet. I received the Stevia as a sample a while back, and this was my first time using the packets. I thought it was a perfect addition to the grapefruit.

I think I almost preferred the Stevia to sugar because it wasn't grainy. It has a sweet taste, and no gross aftertaste. It helped balance out the sourness of the grapefruit.

Breakfast this morning was a Green Monster (spinach, amazing grass, almond breeze, banana, almond butter).

Someone at work made little cinnamon rolls things, and I ate a tiny one at break.

For lunch I packed some bread and tuna (mixed with light mayo) to make a tuna sandwich.

I also had an orange:

And a glo-bar:

Someone at work asked me about the glo-bar. My meals are always so bizarre to everyone in the staffroom. Hehe. If they only knew about the green monsters!!

I coached basketball after work, and then came home and made sandwiches for dinner! My good friend Tricia and I used to always go to this little coffee shop to visit. We once tried a sandwich there called "The Cuban" and we fell in love with it. I made my husband try one too, and he also loved it. A year or so later the coffee shop stopped selling the sandwich, and I haven't seen one anywhere else since. I know that this is a "popular" kind of sandwich, but for some reason no one in my city sells them.

Cuban Sandwich

- 1 crusty bun
- couple slices of roasted pork (thickly sliced)
- couple slices of ham (thinly sliced)
- Swiss cheese
- pickles
- mayo

Warm up the sandwich (before you put the pickle and mayo on) for about 35 seconds.

Enjoy!

I enjoyed it with a spinach, mushroom, and romano salad topped with a lemon poppy seed dressing.

And because yesterday's grapefruit was so good, I had another for dessert.

Along with a couple of these crackers and 1 piece of cheese.



Swiss cheese is NASTY when it is not melted. Blech.

Are you a big sandwich lover? What is your favorite kind of sandwich?

I need to step out of the box a little more when it comes to the sandwich department. I still have to try Jessica's peanut butter and bacon combination ... I am scurrrrred!

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

I have been trying to nurse my sore throat - being a teacher, it is really hard to do my job when I have daggers in my throat. Last night I had a cup of bronchial tea that I got from the health food store. It looks like coffee, but it is a really dark purple!



This morning I made a powerful Green Monster (3 cups steamed spinach, 1 T almond butter, 1 scoop chia seeds, 1 T amazing grass, 1 cup almond milk, ice). I could feel my immune system getting stronger!



Lunch was leftover stir-fry:



And an orange for vitamin C:



This afternoon I had a couple bites of this bar, and then stashed the rest for tomorrow:



Dinner tonight was chicken soft tacos (made with ground chicken, salsa, taco seasoning, cheese, and dipped in sour cream):



After dinner I went to the university for a bit to do some stats for my thesis (after this thesis is written - in about a week ... I am officially DONE).

When I came home I decided to make some sour-cream blueberry muffins! I found the recipe in my "Food and Wine" magazine that just came in the mail.

Check out the batter:





I may or may not have dipped my finger in this batter. Twice.



Recipe:

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups (plus 1 T) flour - set the 1 T aside
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 T unsalted butter, melted
1 rounded cup of sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 rounded cup frozen blueberries

1) To make the topping - Preheat the oven to 375. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Rub with your fingers to form coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2) To make the muffins - Spray a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, whisk in 1 /12 cups of flour with the baking powder and soda, and salt. In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the egg until frothy. Add the sugar and melted butter and beat 1 min. Beat in the sour cream, zest, and vanilla. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining flour, and then fold into the batter.
3) Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full and then top with the topping. Bake for 25 min.

When they are done your house will smell amazing, and they will look like this:





Someone totally dug into one of these before they were even out of the pan. I have no idea who that someone could be.

While I baked I drank a Acai Blueberry Red Tea:



This drink is still from my stash of free samples that I received and reviewed this summer. I drink more water than anything, so these are around for "once in a while." I like how they are natural and refreshing! This flavour is pretty darn good too.

And now for some fun ... a bloggy survey that is making the rounds:

Favorite food to crunch - Tortilla chips in some yummy guacamole!

Favorite comfort food - 100% no question, Soup!!

Favorite picnic lunch - A big sandwich topped with veggies, and cheese. Cheese and crackers, veggies with hummus, and wine!

Best summer snack - Fresh fruit from the farmer's market, or a homemade pico de gallo with cilantro from my herb pot :-)

Favorite winter snack - Christmas baking and a cup of gingerbread tea, or a latte.

Food that reminds me of the ocean - Seaweed

Most likely to eat for lunch - Leftovers

Least likely to eat for lunch - A sandwich

Food that makes me gag - Blue Cheese. And oysters.

Food tradition I love - Chips and dip on Christmas eve (like my mom used to make us as kids). And Sunday morning breakfasts with my family :-)

Soup or salad - Soup for sure.

Favorite breakfast food - Bacon. Hehe. As a meal - a frittata, bacon and fruit.

Favorite ethnic cuisine - Italian and Korean

Favorite vegan ice cream flavor - None, I don't think I have had vegan ice cream, and I don't eat much ice cream in general.

Favorite type of chocolate - Bernard Callebout. Anything he makes.

Favorite beverage - Water and red wine.

Smooth or crunchy peanut butter - smooth

~~~What is your favourite food tradition?~~~

Good morning lovelies! Thank-you so much for all the sore throat remedies - I am going to try them all because I find sore throats UNBEARABLE!!
A couple of people commented that dinner last night looked good ... the reason I didn't post the recipe, is that it wasn't that great!
The hubby only ate half of his. I like mine and ate it all, but it wasn't the best pasta I've ever had. If anyone really wants the recipe I will happily share it though ... just thought I should let you know why I didn't post it initially.

For breakfast this morning I wanted an extra blast of nutrients to help fight off this cold.
I made a GREEN Monster with about 1 cup of this:

One of these:



3 Giant Handfuls of this:



One package of this:



1 T of this:



And 1 scoop of these (chia seeds):



It was delicious and FULL of nutrients.
Perfect way to start the day, in my opinion.

I am off to work with a cup of black java ... have a great day everyone!