Tuesday Things

1) I had a great time at my friend Mel's bridal shower on Sunday.  It was fun to get together with friends I have had for 20 + years.

I am second from the left, and the beautiful bride-to-be is second from the right.

2) Tried a new restaurant the other day ... Jamdon's Restaurant & Catering.  It is an authentic Jamaican buffet, low key atmosphere with a good selection.  I would prefer it if it were not buffet, but the food is pretty good, and the hubby left very happy.

3) One of the greatest smells in the world is chicken stock simmering on the stove (there is a chicken under there somewhere).  The chicken comes out so moist, and is great for use in the soup, and in sandwiches.



4) Chicken sandwiches are best on soft bread with mayo.  Serve with a green monster to get your veggies in.  I put spinach, 1/2 banana, 1 tsp cocoa, 1 scoop wheat grass and almond milk into mine.

 

5) Valentine's may be over but I am still loving the pink!  Out with the black, I am all about colour this year!

 

6) I am on holidays this week and bought 6 different kinds of flour today.  Things are going to be happening in the kitchen ...

What do you have going on this week?

Colour

have read that the best way to ensure proper nutrition, is to eat as much colour as possible, and mostly plants.

My snack last night fits with this advice.



This morning I was up bright and early for a conference. I chugged a Green Monster before I left (3 cups spinach, 1 cup Almond Breeze, 1 T almond butter, 1 pack Amazing Grass, 1 scoop Power Twister).

I had about 3/4 of this breakfast at the conference:



Along with 150 cups of coffee.

Mid-morning I had a cookie that didn't want its picture taken.

The lunch they served at the hotel was pretty good. I had some lentil soup, a wrap, some veggies, and a mini peanut butter marshmallow dessert:





In the late afternoon I snacked on half of this bar (thanks to Jessica for sending me this!):



The hubby and I went for dinner to one of our favourite places, 13th Avenue Coffee House. It has a full menu, and all the options are fresh, healthy and delicious. I had the Jivin Jerk Bowl which had tempeh, brown rice, veggies, and a tangy jerk sauce. It also had a couple plantain chips sticking out of it :-)









No big plans for me this Friday night ... just a quiet evening in.

My snack tonight was a grapefruit, and some crackers with goat cheese:





What do you have planned for the weekend?

Don't forget to enter my STARBUCKS giveaway!!

Java

he hubby always has coffee ready for me in the morning. I love the smell of fresh brewed coffee. I also love the sound of the coffee machine working it's magic.

I can't leave for work in the morning without my trusty coffee cup and water bottle.



Coffee out of a regular mug just doesn't work for me, as I find that it gets cold too quickly.

The one cup in the morning is typically all I have, unless I am out for breakfast, or we have friends over to our place. Then I drink a pot ... or eight.

Breakfast this morning was a Green Monster (1 cup almond breeze, 3 cups raw spinach, 1 banana, 1 T almond butter, 1 pack Amazing Grass Wheat Grass).



For any skeptics out there, you CANNOT taste the spinach. Not even a little bit.

I also had a piece of toast:



I went out for lunch with people from work to a Thai restaurant called Angkor. I was super original and ordered the Pad Thai :-)



I devoured most of it.

Dinner this evening was some fresh salmon, roasted zucchini and mushrooms, and bruschetta with yellow, orange, and red organic tomatoes.



Colourful Bruschetta

- 3 medium tomatoes (1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 red)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 tsp basil
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
- 4 slices of French bread
- Cheese to top (I used gruyere)

Mix the first 6 ingredients and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minute or more (to let the flavours blend). Toast the bread. Top the bread with the tomato mixture and cheese, and broil until melted.

Do you drink coffee? How do you take it?

I like it black!

Oats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nom, nom, nom.

(1/2 cup almond breeze, 1/2 cup coffee, 1/2 cup quick oats, 1 mashed banana, almond butter, sprinkle of coconut, and 4 macaroon chocolates). The right way to start the morning!

By 10:00 this morning I had a killer headache. I rubbed my temples while trying to convince twenty-six 13 year olds that working quietly is the new awesome.

They were easily duped.

When the Advil finally kicked in around 1:00, I must have given off a "she's back" vibe, because pretty quickly annoying the teacher and trying to give her another headache were the new awesome.

Lunch was leftover stir fry, an orange, and some cheese:


(Not too pretty, but tasty nonetheless).

I went to a meeting after work, and then came home to make Italian sausages (from a wonderful local Italian deli) and brown rice topped with pico de gallo:



The Italian sausages were the best I have ever had.

I am going to make myself a Green Monster, and watch Grey's with the man.

Do you get headaches? How often? What causes them? What is your remedy?

I used to get headaches all the time, but now I get about one a month - a bad one. I get nauseated, and often throw up. As much as I hate to take medication, I do for headaches because otherwise I would have no life for at least a day. I have no idea what causes them, but I think it may be when things in my life are out of balance (sleep, diet, etc.).

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?

Baby It's Cold Outside

Brrrrrrrr, I am not used to this cold. I would give anything to be back on the beach! It was -35 today (and felt even colder with the wind)!!!

I was not feeling 100% today, as my stomach has been a little off since Tuesday. I woke up in the Dominican with a bit of a stomach bug or something, and today it was really bad. I didn't have a very big appetite today.

Breakfast was some oats (1/2 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup almond breeze, 1/2 cup coffee, with almond butter, coconut and a sprinkle of yogurt covered raisins).

Lunch was a green monster ( 2 cups spinach, 1 banana, 1 cup almond breeze, 1 scoop amazing grass powder, 1 t almond butter, 1 scoop chia seeds).

The hubby made me dinner since I wasn't feeling great. He made a delicious chicken soup, and bought a loaf of sour dough bread to go with it. I had 1 bowl of soup and 1 slice of bread.

Soup is definitely my number one comfort food. If ever I am feeling sick, it always helps to make me feel better. My mom always made homemade soups when I was growing up, and I love to make them now too.

I watched the first episode of the Bachelor tonight!!!! Man do I love that show!!! My favourite so far is Gia. Do you watch? Who is your fave?

I am going to go to bed early tonight and try and sleep off this stomach bug.

What is your favourite comfort food?

Can you believe Christmas eve is in a week!!!!!!!!!!! Are you ready?

I could barely pull myself out of bed this morning ... it was so cold in my house, and my bed was just too warm! My lack of veggies yesterday made me think I should start my day with some this morning.

I made a green monster (with a big scoop of amazing grass in it) for breakfast:

I had a TimBit at work (a donut hole), and also 1 chocolate from the Pot of Gold box at work.

Lunch was another Amy's product. This one was REALLY good!

I also had an orange and some yogurt:

I had a great day at work today. I always have fun with my class - and today was a nice relaxed and fun day.

I was starving by the time I got home, and so I nuked a slice of pizza from last night to hold me over until dinner.

I went shopping for a bit and then came home to some Thai curry soup and a grilled cheese sandwich:

I am going to go make myself a berry smoothie and have a Christmas wrapping party :-)

Really I am just all alone, and I am going to blast Christmas music and pretend it's a party.

Do you like wrapping gifts, or would you rather have someone else do it?
I like it ... but get sick of it really quickly!

Monday's Eats and Basement "Before" Pics

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know that the hubby and I have been finishing our basement. We bought our house 2 years ago ... and let's just say that it was quite the "fixer upper." We completely gutted the main floor (right to the framing) and replaced all the drywall (including ceilings), electrical, plumbing, kitchen, bathroom, flooring etc.. That was a 3 month project with non-stop work, that we mostly did ourselves. Pictures of the main floor renos will come soon.

We waited 2 years to start working on our basement. Before I get to the "before" pics of the basement ... I want to tell you about my eats.

Last night I had a snack (yes, in addition to the Nanimo square - 'tis the season) :-) I had a small handful of salt and pepper chips with some helluvu dip:

And an orange:

This morning I boosted my immune system with a Green Monster (1 scoop chia seeds, 1 scoop amazing grass, 1 cup almond breeze, 1 T almond butter, 1 banana):

Lunch today was some leftover lasagna (looks nasty cold ... but it was really good once I warmed it up). I had another orange too. And a couple bites of a butter tart (not pictured).

Dinner this evening was a quick and easy sammie with tomato soup. My grilled sandwich contained Gruyere cheese and apple. If you have not tried apple on a grilled cheese yet, you must! It is delish!

Now for the "Before" Pics of our basement!!

When we bought our house, the basement looked like this ...





I know that you are thinking, "that is one sexy basement ... I wish I could move in."
Hold back your excitement guys.







As much as we loved the shotty frame job, and 1/2 done green wood paneling, we just had to tear it down to see what was underneath.

Lovely.



In April we hired general contractors for WAY too much money to "finish" our basement. They told us it would take 6 to 8 weeks. They just finished in October.

You do the math.

The contractors braced the walls, and did some preventative stuff so that we would never get water in our basement (interior weeping tile, dimpled membrane, etc.). They framed, dry-walled, mudded and taped. They hired a plumber to rough in our basement bathroom, and an electrician to wire the entire basement with lights, plug-ins, phone jacks etc..

Here are some pictures of the cement floor mid-jackhammer stage:





Awesome.

After the contractors worked their "magic" the hubby and I were left to take care of the following:

- Ceiling
- Installing toilet and sink
- Carpet and flooring
- Paint
- Baseboards and Trim
- Doors
- DECORATING!!!!!

The hubby did all of these except one. Bet you can't guess what I was in charge of ;-)

To see the FINISHED product ... you have to check back tomorrow (Tuesday)!!

I am off to watch Food Inc. with the hubby. I will give my review of it tomorrow.

Have you ever done renovations? Or, would you ever?
I totally did NOT want to do any renos. The day we bought our house I seriously had a lapse in judgement - a single moment of weakness in which the hubby was able to swoop in and exert whatever influence he has over me. The things you do for love hey!