Meals in a Pinch

Things are ramping up for both Christopher and I at work these days, and will continue to be very busy right up until the Christmas eve weekend.  To make meals quicker and easier this week, we roasted a turkey on Sunday.  Then on Monday evening we just made some mashed potatoes and veggies, and enjoyed a full turkey dinner with all the fixings.

The turkey lasted us for a few days for both our lunches and dinner, and since we had picked it up for about $10 a while back, it was a pretty economical week of eating.

It tasted great on salads too:

All the leftovers are gone now, so we needed lunches for tomorrow.  We always keep a box of the Costco stuffed chicken breasts on hand for a meal in a pinch.

We just turn the oven to 375 F, chop up a few potatoes, add oil, salt and pepper, and then throw them in the oven with the frozen chicken breasts for about 35-30 minutes.  Presto - lunches ready!

The fully-cooked, frozen meatballs are great for meals in a pinch too. 

Our Christmas shopping is almost done.  After a little trip to the mall last night, and a package arriving in the mail today, I think we're basically set.  Most of the gifts we bought this year were for kids, so it was fun to shop for them.  I'm also doing a secret Santa exchange at work, which is always a blast ... I'm the sneakiest ;-)

Do you keep any foods on hand specifically for meals in a pinch?  

Is this a busy time at work for you?

Sunday Snacking

After a fun Christmas party out on Friday evening, we were all set for a quiet, relaxing weekend at home.

Other than Christopher making a couple of breakfasts (scrambled eggs, bacon, and truffle potatoes Saturday, and an omelet on Sunday), we didn't plan any other meals for the weekend.

We watched Christmas movies and TV, wrapped gifts, listened to Christmas music, and ate snacks all weekend.

 

This is a super busy month for both of us, so we'll probably do less cooking than usual for the rest of 2017.

Last week however, we did a bunch of cooking, including Asian noodles with bok choy:

Chicken Alfredo pizza:

And sausage soup loaded with kale:

Speaking of kale, I also had it in my breakfasts:

In order to make our meals easy this week we roasted a massive turkey this afternoon.

We made some gravy with the drippings, and then the meat and gravy went in the fridge to be used for lunches and dinner over the next few days.

How was your weekend?  Have you been snacking this month?  What is your favourite Christmas movie?

Festive Weekend

This past weekend I did a LOT of baking.  Christopher was my lovely assistant, and he did a great job of stirring, gathering ingredients, etc.

He also whipped up a gorgeous breakfast on Saturday, while I was working on the Christmas goodies.

These yogurt parfaits had coconut quinoa, pomegranate, plain Greek yogurt, and cacao nibs.

I made the following:

- chocolate mountains
- oatmeal bars
- chewy caramel bars
- cinnamon roll ups
- buttertarts
- shortbread
- Nanimo squares
- chocolates
- peanut butter blossoms
- peanut butter marshmallow squares
- snack mix (Bugles, pretzels, Shreddies etc.)
- caramel corn
- gingerbread spice mixture

By late afternoon we were done in the kitchen, and got to work on decorating the house.  When that was done, we spent the evening relaxing with snacks.  We had chicken wings, and a cream cheesy dip:

On Sunday morning Christopher made another lovely breakfast:

Then later he made peppermint lattes, and we enjoyed those with snacks.

We spent the day relaxing and wrapping gifts. 

In the evening I made a pot of beef stew, which we had for lunch for the first few days this week.

A weekend at home was exactly what we needed, and it was just right.

Have you done any holiday baking?  Any plans for holiday baking?

Pretty Little Things: Gift Guide

Sometimes it's nice to give gifts that are pretty little things people might not normally buy for themselves.  I don't think I have ever bought myself a $20-$30 candle, but you better believe that I admire the ones in Chapters every time I am there, and appreciate it when my sister wraps one of these up in a gift for me (she knows all about pretty little things).

Sometimes it's nice to give or receive something impractical but beautiful ... something to treasure.

Here is my pretty little things gift guide:

1) Voluspa: Mokara Scalloped Edge, Embossed Glass Candle

 

This is my all-time favourite candle, and not only does it smell amazing, it's utterly beautiful.

Some features of this candle include:

- Coconut wax blend
- Sustainable, ecologically sound, pesticide-free manufacturing
- 100% cotton wicks
- No animal testing

Purchase here or here (picture credit to the Voluspa website).

2) S'well Water Bottles are all the rage right now.  If you're going to carry around a water bottle every where you go, you might as well carry a pretty water bottle.  Liberty London Fabrics, a luxury design retailer, collaborated with S'well on this beautiful collection of five water bottles.

These BPA-free stainless steel bottles keep cold liquids cold for 24 hours, and hot liquids hot for 12 hour.  They are available exclusively at Starbucks.  When the kind people at Starbucks offered to send me a gift card to pick out my own S'well bottle, I knew instantly which one I'd choose.  I just love this floral design.

So pretty.  

Purchase one at your nearest Starbucks.

3) L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Night Cream

Otherwise known as the best night cream.  I love it.  I am hooked.  This is a lovely, special gift for the girl who has everything.

Purchase here (picture credit to the L'Occitane website).

4) Victoria's Secret Lace Trim Satin Slip.

This is the most gorgeous little slip, that also makes the prettiest sleepwear ever.  PJs don't need to be frumpy onesies 😉💗

Purchase here (picture credit to the Victoria's Secret website).

5) Coach Sunburst Necklace

Simple, pretty, and reasonably priced.

Purchase here (picture credit to the Coach website).

6) Monogram Cheeseboard and Spreader

Cheeseboards are practical gifts, that add a pretty little touch the table when entertaining.

Purchase here (picture credit to the Chapters/Indigo website).

7) Hillberg and Berk Rose Gold Sparkle Ball Pendant

This necklace looks pretty with so many different outfits/ colours/ styles.  It is incredibly versatile, and a must-have when it comes to pretty little things.

Purchase here.

8) Melrose Charger Plates (Taupe)

Bowring carries may pretty little things, and these chargers are just plain elegant.

Purchase here (picture credit to the Bowring website).
 
9) Homemade Gingerbread Spice

If you want to make a pretty little gift for someone, perhaps for a secret Santa game, you could make up a batch of gingerbread spice, that can then be sprinkled over oatmeal, into pancake or waffle batter, on a latte, etc.

Homemade Gingerbread Spice Recipe (1 small jar)

2 T ground cinnamon
2 T ground ginger
2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

10) Speaking of pretty little things ...

In order to feel like a pretty little thing yourself, beauty rest likely helps.  I wasn't one of those lucky kids that had a waterbed growing up, but you better believe I jumped at the chance to try a water pillow!

I had never heard of anything like it, until the people at Mediflow got in touch with me.  They sent me the Floating Comfort Pillow to try, and it blew my mind.  After filling it with three litres of water, I slept on it for a couple of nights, and was impressed.

I loved how it was soft, yet my head didn't sink all the way to the mattress like it does with other soft pillows.  You can fill it with varying amounts of water, depending on the firmness you desire.  It is very easy to fill, and there was no spillage as I filled it, nor after sleeping on it.  Also, in a peer-reviewed study, conducted at John Hopkins School of Medicine, this pillow was found to improve the quality of sleep

Christopher can't wait to give it a try too!

Purchase here.

What are your favourite pretty little things?  Do you still have some Christmas shopping to do?  Are you doing a secret Santa exchange, or something similar? 

(The S'well water bottle was provided to me by Starbucks; the pillow was provided to me by Mediflow; all opinions are my own).