My World

Things that have been going on in my world:

1) The hubby and I went to see Sir Elton John in concert last night, and I was super impressed. 

2) I finally found coconut milk in a carton, and have been using it in my oatmeal and smoothies.

3) I sent my reply to my sister re: her wedding and I am having the trout for my meal.  Steel head trout is my favourite kind of fish.  We also had it for supper yesterday.

4) I roasted a chicken this evening.  We ate some of it, and the rest was used in a soup that I will be serving tomorrow when we have a couple friends over for dinner.

 

5) I only have 28 days left with students before two months of summer holidays!  

Where did the year go?

What has been going on in your world?

10 on Tuesday: Movie Edition

I am a HUGE movie buff, and the hubby and I go to and rent a lot of movies.  

We have been known to leave a movie theater, and then get back in line for another show.  

1. If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Home Alone. 

2. Let’s say someone wrote a screenplay about you; what actor/actress would you choose to play you and why?  No idea - what do you guys think!?

3. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in theaters? I think it was "The Little Mermaid."

4. Did you ever make out at the back of a movie theater in middle school/high school? Nope.

5. Are you a Netflix-er, Blockbuster-er or a Redbox-er? (Or none of the above?)
Blockbuster.  I like actually going to a movie store to pick out something to rent.

6. Name one actor/actress who you would give anything to have a dinner date with.
Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie.

7. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
"In Dreams."  Walked out of the theater.

8. Do you sneak snacks into the theater when you go?
If I remember, then I will sneak a bottled water in.

9. Movie theater popcorn: love or hate it?
I love it with extra topping!

10. What is the all-time best Disney movie in your opinion?
The Little Mermaid.

What are your answers to some or all of the questions above?

Green Monsters and New Dinners

Thanks to everyone who emailed me shower/bachelorette ideas!  

If you didn't see my last post, where I asked for some suggestions - check here.

Have you ever seen that GIANT bag of spinach that they have at Costco?

I consumed the entire thing in 3 days ... in three green monsters 

(which I had with toasted Ezekiel raisin bread).  

I have had Costco Shepherd's Pie for lunch the past two days, along with an orange.

Yesterday for dinner I made Chickpea and Blueberry Barley Salad.  

I saw the recipe on Lovely As Charged and knew instantly that I wanted to make it sooner than later. 

It was a perfect spring salad - light and fresh.

I have been in the mood to try new recipes lately, and made another today.  I tried a Sweet Potato Frittata that I had seen on Readhead Recipes.  I omitted the bacon, because we didn't have any, but it was still really good and it held together well.  This was my first time making a large frittata. 

After dinner and a workout I juiced 2 red peppers and 2 grapefruits.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, bell peppers with grapefruit is the BEST juice combination.

Have you ever made a frittata?  

What is the last new thing that you made for dinner?

Need Readers' Help! Wedding Fun!

I got to spend the day with this handsome fellow ...

 

Doesn't get much better than that!  

My 4 year old nephew is as cute as they come.

I had a really productive weekend.  On Friday evening the hubby and I stayed in and had an easy dinner of Annie's mac and cheese.  I also juiced a beet, grapefruit, orange, and some pineapple.

On Saturday we met my sister for breakfast at our favourite restaurant, 13th Avenue Coffee House.  

We tried the new breakfast bowls, and they were awesome!  

I had the Golden Bowl, and the hubby had the Power Bowl.

We then spent the day making my sister and her fiance's wedding invitations.  

It went really well, and they turned out beautifully, fitting perfectly with their colours and formal, traditional theme.

The hubby made maps to include with the invites.

My sister also brought a sample favour to show me.   

Her future-mother-in-law is making them, and they are consistent with Italian tradition, but they are even more special because the confetti is chocolate filled.

I snacked on this in the late afternoon when I realized I hadn't eaten lunch:

For dinner on Saturday night we met up with some friends and went to a struggling German restaurant in the city called Bavarian Forest.  We like to support local restaurants, and figured we would give this a try.

The Caesar salad that they brought out to start was alright, but my meal wasn't what I expected.  I ordered meatloaf topped with a fried egg, and got something that resembled a slab of bologna with a fried egg instead.  It wasn't good.  The dough on the side was pretty decent, and I ate about 1/2 of it.

This morning I had a Green Monster (3 giant handfuls spinach, 1 cup unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze, 1 T hemp hearts, and 1 tsp cocoa) before heading to the University to watch the hubby compete in a triathlon.

It was a gorgeous summery day - ideal spectator weather.

We spent the afternoon with our little nephew, grocery shopping and playing, before having a mothers' day dinner at the in-laws.

Do you have any weddings to attend or to be a part of this summer?  

Do you like weddings?  What is your favourite part of a wedding?  

Reader Help: Please Email Answers

I need the help of my readers.  I have a couple questions, and would love to hear your answers.  If you could EMAIL me any ideas you have to everydayfoodie@hotmail.com I would really appreciate it.  

My sister reads my blog/comments, so I would like some special ideas that she doesn't know about to surprise her with!

What is the best idea/coolest thing (game/food/anything) you have ever seen at a  bridal shower?

What was your favourite part of your shower?

What is the coolest/best idea you have seen for a bachelorette party?

What was your favourite absolute shower/wedding gift?

Also, a HUGE congratulations to my girl Diana and her new husband Glenn who tied the knot in NY yesterday.  I am so happy for you both, and wish you all the best in your new life together.

Cinco De Mayo

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I used the black beans I made yesterday in an awesome chili for this evenings supper. 

It was a perfect Cinco De Mayo dinner.

Pot of black beans recipe

Chili recipe (using the pot of black beans)

 

Other eats of the day included some oats, sushi, and a grapefruit.

Yesterday was my first time cooking with dried beans, believe it or not!  

I had always used the canned ones before this, and was intimidated by dried beans.

Have you ever cooked with dried beans, or do you stick to canned?

3 New Dinners

Since arriving home from New York late Friday evening, I have made 3 new dinner recipes.

I came up with Chipotle Chicken Chili on Saturday evening because I needed to throw something together with the minimal ingredients we had on hand: sour cream, frozen chicken and pantry staples.

Chipotle Chicken Chili 

(Serves 2-3)

1 tsp coconut oil (or other)

Diced chicken (1 lg breast or 3 thighs) 

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)

19 oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp chipotle powder

1 cup sour cream

Heat oil on medium. Add chicken and cook until browned.  Throw in onion and garlic and cook until onion is starting to become translucent.  Add broth, beans and spices and simmer until desired thickness.  Stir in sour cream before serving.  Dollop with more sour cream if desired, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Hippie Bowl

(serves 2-3) 

Hippie Sauce

1/4 cup almond butter

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup chickpeas (drained/rinsed)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 t curry powder

small handful fresh cilantro leaves

Other Ingredients

1/2 block extra firm tofu

cooked brown rice

2 cups raw chopped veggies (I used tomato, red pepper and cucumbers)

Directions

Mix all ingredients for the hippie sauce into a blender and blend until very smooth.  Chop the tofu into cubes and let sit in sauce for a couple minutes.  Layer in bowls, first warm brown rice, then the tofu with sauce, then the raw veggies on top.

I also made a giant pot of black beans, which was very time consuming, but well worth it. I served them over rice and topped them with a handful or two of cilantro.

I haven't only been cooking.  I have also been juicing lovely colour combinations. 

In other news, blogger is acting up again, and my reader is not working for blogs.  I have tried to find all of your blogs to catch up on the last couple of posts, and I think I have found them all.  I hope blogger is fixed very soon.  Also, tonight was my first day of class for the spring semester - looks like it will be a good one!

How is your week going so far?  
Have you made any new recipes this week?  

Do you have any plans for Cinco De Mayo?

Are you taking any classes this spring?

Goodbye New York ... For Now!

We got home from New York on Friday night, and miss it already.

The weather was beautiful during our week vacation, with only one gloomy, rainy day.  We bought a $5 NY umbrella off the street (these materialize like magic as soon as a single raindrop ground) and ventured out to wander around anyway.

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge, went to the UN Headquarters, and checked out Grand Central Station.

We saw some great shows on our trip, including "Freud's Last Session", "Avenue Q", and a comedy show at "The Comedy Cellar".  Our seats at the comedy cellar were front row and center, basically on the stage.

 

In addition to the restaurants I mentioned in my previous posts, we also ate at ... 

5 Napkin Burger

 

Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Brooklyn

Quintessence

Nona's

 

and Macaroni Macaroni

 

"One belongs to New York instantly.  

One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." - Thomas Wolfe.

I can't wait to go back.

I was back to work today after 10 days off, and it was a great day.  

I am shocked that we are into May already! 

I have a busy month ahead, with a University spring semester starting up tomorrow, and many social engagements, as well as a lot to get done at work.

What lies ahead for you this month?