The NOW Generation. I want it NOW.

mber's post this morning caught my interest. She was talking about how she needs to work on her patience, and how when she wants something, she wants it now. This post got me thinking about how we are living in a "Now Generation" (cue the Black Eyed Peas song). Everything seems to be instantly accessible, at our fingertips, day or night. We can book at vacation in 3 minutes without leaving our homes. We can do all of our Christmas shopping with the click of a mouse. Endless information awaits our search. We don't need to be patient anymore.

Young people are building brand new houses, maxing out credit cards, doing and having things in their 20s that their parents waited until middle age to have and do. People don't save up to buy anything anymore ... they just buy it. They go on trips they can't afford, buy huge TVs they don't need, and still long for more.

Although I refuse to go into debt for anything other than a mortgage and car, I do find myself falling into this "now" way of life - mostly when it comes to travel. I want to see the world, and I want to do it now. I don't want to save up, or wait until I am retired ... I want to go everywhere, and do everything NOW!

Also, when I send an email ... I want a response NOW. I check obsessively until my email is replied to. But, hypocritically I get annoyed with people who expect me to get back to their text messages quickly. I don't always carry my phone with me, and I rarely check it. Sorry.

Anyway ... enough of my rant.

What do you think about the whole generation now thing? Do you have trouble waiting for things in life? What is your theory on this?

On to eats.

Last night I enjoyed a grapefruit with a packet of stevia (NuNaturals sample) sprinkled on top:

Breakfast this morning featured 2 organic products:

Oatmeal with APPLE BUTTER and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I also juiced the following to take with me to work:
- 2 cups honeydew
- 1/2 lime
- 1 apple
- 1 pear

Lunch included my juice:

Leftover soup with sour cream and avocado toppings:

Cheese and an orange:

The bus and taxi services were canceled again today, so I only had 11 out of 26 kids again. It was a pretty slack day for both them and me :-)

The hubby had supper ready when I got home from work today. We had a Dr. Oetker veggie pizza with spinach/ tomato/ pepper/ cheese/ bacon salad topped with lemon, poppy seed dressing:

After dinner the hubby and I went to "Up in the Air" at the theatre. We shared a small popcorn, and I thought the movie was really good!

G'night peeps!

Jolene xoxo

P.S. Taylor from JoyOfFood ... I can't get to your blogposts!!! Help!!!

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?

BLIZZARD!!!!!!

e have been getting DUMPED on the past couple of days!!

The snow in my yard is at least waist high and it is still snowing!! I think the hubby has spent about 3-4 hours shoveling today ... it is absolutely ridiculous.

I wish my city would have a snow day, but I don't think it has ever happened or ever will :-(

Yesterday I had a great day just relaxing at home for most of the afternoon. Lunch was Annie's mac and cheese:

In the evening we picked up our little nephew and went over to the hubby's cousins house for dinner and a play date. We had a delicious dinner of barbecued chicken (yes, in Saskatchewan we totally still BBQ even if it is blizzarding - we are hardcore like that). With the chicken we had rice, and a couple different salads, some bread, and red wine.

The food was delicious!

Dessert was an apple crumble pie and ice-cream!!!

This was my serving:

After dinner the kids played and played, and had SO much fun! Ahhhh, to be a kid again :-)

We didn't put Giovanni to bed until about 10:30, and he was up bright and early this morning!! (Aren't they always)!!

I used my juicer again today and made a juice with:
- 1/2 lime
- 1 grapefruit
- 1 orange
- 1 red pepper
- 1 cup honeydew

I downed it before I remembered to take a pic.

The hubby also made egg in a hole, and I had 1:

We went shopping this afternoon ... check out my purchases!!

I am a firm believer that a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes :-) You with me?

We ate lunch in the mall, and I had Sukiyaki beef from Edo Japan.

In the later afternoon the hubby and I rented "The Invention of Lying" and curled up to watch it with some chips and dip:

The chips were good, but the movie was only alright.

Dinner was at the hubby's parents. We enjoyed steak, stuffed baked potatoes, garlic bread, Caesar salad, and sautéed mushrooms:

I had a sliver of banana cream pie for dessert:

I am totally ready to hit the hay!
G'nite peeps!!

Are you a big shoe person? Or are you more of a purse person? Or a jewelry person? Or makeup? What do you frivolously spend your money on? ... Or do you only buy what you really need?

I am definitely a shoe and purse person!! And jeans ... you can't have too many jeans!!

"Bitten" and my first juicer experience

ood afternoon blog faces! Sorry I didn't post yesterday - I will recap now:

Breakfast yesterday was a green smoothie with almond breeze, and a banana ...



Chia seeds ...



2 packs of amazing grass ...



And some peanut butter ...



Voila:



At work I ate a chocolate brownie, and for lunch I had a small chicken pita from Extreme Pita, an apple sauce, a piece of cheese and an orange.

The hubby and I went out for dinner last night with our friends to celebrate our buddy Brad's 31st b-day. We started the night at a restaurant called "Bitten."

For an appetizer the hubby and I shared coconut prawns. I was clearly very hungry, as I devoured them before remembering to take a pic!



My meal was a honey mustard pork pizza (mini) with a spinach salad on the side:





The salad was good, but the pizza was blah.

I am not a big dessert person, but the vanilla marscapone parcels caught my eye. The hubby and I shared them, and they were pretty darn good.



I also had a couple bevvies throughout the night (3 I think).



This morning I decided to try out my new juicer for the first time!!! I bought a juicer at Costco a couple weeks ago, and I was debating whether or not I wanted to keep it. I don't like how big it is and how much room it takes up on the counter, but I am worried if I put it away I will never use it. I finally decided to keep it.

This morning I juiced the following:

1 grapefruit
1 orange
1 apple
1 yellow pepper



I was very impressed with how the juicer worked, and how smooth the juice was. When I checked the pulp container, there was only about 1-2 tablespoons to toss out! 4 servings of fruit/veggies just like that!!



This juice was SO good! The grapefruit definitely "made" the juice. I am sold.

With my juice I enjoyed a bowl of maple, brown sugar oats, featuring these maple flakes that I stumbled across in Safeway the other day:







I am going to spend the day cleaning/ organizing and running errands.

This evening my best little buddy is coming over for a sleepover!!! I can't wait!!!

Being an auntie is seriously the BEST!

Do you have any nieces or nephews? Tell me about them!!
Do you see them often? We try to see Giovanni once a week :-)