When things are rough - drink chocolate milk. No?

Somedays when stuff happens - you just have to make faces like this. 

"What the he77 just happened?"

or 

"Huh??"

Sigh - not sure if that is because the weekend is over and it was a 'weekend like no other' or if it is because it is the start of the week and this next weekend can't come soon enough. 

I am not going to get into details, my family and I are all well - we love and are loved - but there has been a crisis within our small group of friends - one that cannot be fixed and one that has changed our friendships forever. 

Another crisis - my bank account was compromised and someone took $400 out on Saturday night. Thankfully Chris keeps a very close eye on this sort of thing. He likes to think of himself as my very own 'Bank Account Security Team'. I had to go to the bank today after work and get it sorted and there were a ton of people in the lineup - almost everyone there for the same reason. I think that it must have been a huge hit, b/c people at work were affected or knew of people affected. I am dying to know what store(s) had the device that copied my account info. I really need to get into the habit of using cash. But... when I have cash in my pocket it seems to burn a hole. Very fast. 

And one other crisis. I am pretty sure that Magnum 'relieved' himself all over the spare bedroom duvet yesterday. When we asked him if it was him - he did a lot of looking away. Can you believe it? He has also upped his game of chasing bikes passing by - to cars! Tonight - he almost got hit. He was on a leash. And it was scary. Not sure how to break him of this - but something needs to be done.

The main attraction of the weekend was Super Bowl Sunday. (PS I just finished a glass of chocolate milk - way to fast (similar to what happens when I have cash in my pocket) - Chris brought it home yesterday and I tried to stay away from it - good luck with that). Our little party went on. I had a hiccup during the day - so my plans to have a few decorations and goody bags fell through. The moral of that story is 'don't put off today what you can't do tomorrow'. We had a great time. We had the party in our Sweet B. We got to meet Connor's girlfriend - Abby - for the first time. She is lovely. I still can't believe that he has a GF, but I am glad that it is her and not some of these other 14 year old young ladies that I have seen.  I did a pretty big spread of just appy's - and I will show you all of them now - but I don't have the time and energy to post the recipes. Don't worry I will be sharing them - b/c they were delicious!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with homemade pita chips - Dear Jeannie, it was so good and SO easy.

Pizza dip with breadsticks

Potato skins - they look like a cheesy globby mess - but they were delicious!

Wonton cups with roasted vegetables

Cake-pop - like a lollipop - seriously I'm not lying, these were delicious.

My attempt at footballs - I didn't care what they looked like - there were delicious.

It was a good day. And in the end, a day that reminded me just how lucky and blessed I am to have family around - family that I want to spend time with - and family that I love so much. It reminded me that I am very blessed to have a great partner - and although he drives me a bit crazy - he is the one that I am with - and I love him so. And it reminded me that there is one thing that you should be in life - a good friend. There are times when a friend is going to need you - so letting the friends you love know that you are there for them - is important.

Some of my favourite quotes from the evening:

"Hit Him!!!!!!!" - Jules re: Saints player should be tackling a Colts player

"Chris you're going to make me wet my pants" - Debbie - Chris was probably doing something inappropriate that was making my sister laugh

"I am saving room for the chicken wings" - Callum - he wouldn't eat anything but the Doritos that were put out first b/c he wanted to only eat chicken wings - and he did

"AaAa - you should totally become a chef at Moxie's" - Connor - as he was leaving b/c he always likes a dinner at my house - see!!!! So cute.

"Is there anything that I can help you with" - Abby - nice!!!! She asked if she could help with anything - what 14 year old girls do that. :)

"Oh god, Chocolate milk" - me.

Alright I will leave you with that. Valentine's Day is coming up. Any suggestions on what I should be getting my sweetheart? 

Loves.

Enjoy!

Wee Weekend you didn't come soon enough.

TGIF! It's been a great week. It's been a long week. And I am very happy that this week is over. 

I have ended this week (I know that officially it's not over until Sunday, but I like to think of Friday as the last day of the week and the weekend being it's own little entity) with a nice little dinner out with the 'phews. Callum LOVES ribs - so we took a trip to Swiss Chalet (Jocelyn said they were good) and he feasted on some ribs. I'm not going to lie - I've probably been to the Swiss Chalet 5 times before - and I like it. I know that it's not good for  you - but how bad can a piece of chicken and salad be for you - with a bit of fries? C'mon... it's Friday. 

We drove Connor to meet a buddy and Callum came home to spend the night. I am feeling a little verklempt at the moment. I love those boys! They are just so good - and I love hanging out with them. I know that I don't have children of my own, and I know that I don't know the 'love of a mother' - but I am very blessed to have a such a great relationship with them - and I never want them to grow old, but I know as they do they will become amazing men. 

Tomorrow morning - we are going to have Mini Wheats for a special breakfast (I will probably stick to my oatmeal) - please don't tell Debs - she will freak - and then we'll do a dog walk and then it's off to hockey. I have to do a bunch of grocery shopping - coffee/dog walk with Micki - and then hopefully some time for a little R&R.

I have to tell you a funny story. I have been posting a few recipes on www.foodista.com - it's a great food blog - and a friend of mine at work knows the founder of it so recommended it to me. So anyways, I have posted a couple of recipes - my last one was 'Not My Dad's Stew'. It gives other members the option to post a comment or leave feedback. Well I got my first feedback. I was excited - until I read 'your stew looks like dog food. It doesn't look appetizing at all.' !!!! Hahahah!!! OMG - who says that. I love feedback - I appreciate it and can take it - but c'mon, who says that? If he knew food he would have known that it was a good cut of beef that was used - so who would feed that to their dogs! Anyways - I wasn't offended - found it humourous. I guess I should be flattered that he found my recipe and looked at it. 

I am prepping my menu for Super Bowl Sunday. I think that we will stick to an afternoon full of appetizers. I know that I am making Spinach and Artichoke Dip (in the slowcooker), potato skins (Callum's pick), chicken wings, wonton cups with roasted vegatables, mini franks in puff pastry, veggies, and cake pops. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post the recipes.

OK weekend fans - I hope you have a great one. 

Loves. 

Enjoy!

Non-traditional is good!

When I started my new Running for My Life series - 2010 - I knew that there were going to be some challenges. Challenges in the sense that I have to alter my semi-organized, comfortable, day to day existence, and spice it up. Spice it up with sweat, heavy breathing, curse words (hmmm?), and nights away from the comfort of my own home. But, it's all for a good cause. It's for me. For me that I head out with runners on my feet to 'run for my life'. So far I have successfully completed week 3 of my Thursday night clinic - and week two of Tuesday nights. So far so good.

One of the challenges was being away on Thursday nights. Thursdays are Chris' and mine first night that we can spend more than 1 hour together before I have to hit the hay. I love it - it's like my Friday almost. Chris is very supportive - he loves that I am running and he makes sure to whip home to walk the pups - so that my guilt doesn't eat at me - that they are home alone, as they have been all day and haven't had a good walk. Check. Chris does this great. Another challenge is ensuring that we're eating sensibly and I am not wishing that there was a KFC on the home to pick up the Easter Feaster bucket O chicken. Ok - really I just through that it so that the story had a really good affect. I can't do KFC.  

I planned our dinner last night - and next week will even be more organized. I whipped up a chicken caesar salad - and it turned out to be delicious. I feel that it was a great and healthy and light dinner to have after a run. FYI - the run tonight - slow. Slooooowww. My new friend, Deb, wasn't there so I ran a bit on my own and then ran with some women that I confronted when it was a bit dark and I was solo. I am trying so hard to make this year different from last. We ran 9 sets tonight - 1.5 minutes running and 2.5 minutes walking. It felt great - I struggled a bit, but I am comparing myself to last year - and I know that it is different - so that makes me think that it can only get better.

So back to dinner. I don't make a tradition caesar salad. In fact, I have never made from scratch, caesar salad dressing. I do make my own croutons (most of the time) and I do like to add bacon and fresh parmesan cheese, but I think that there are some great dressings out there that are low in calories and don't take up the time of preparing the dressing.  I am going to make this my Thursday night dinner - and love it every time.

Non-traditional Caesar Salad

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into thin strips         1 tsp garlic powder

1 romaine lettuce - chopped into bite size pieces

1 medium yellow pepper - cut into thin strips

1 cup of grape tomatoes - sliced in half

Caesar salad dressing - try Renee's Roasted Garlic with yogurt - so delicious

Croutons - I like to make my own - but I love Marcy's Multigrain Croutons

Parmesan cheese - freshly grated if you have it on hand

In a saute pan - add 1tbsp of olive oil. Add the garlic powder, and saute on medium heat for about 15 minutes until the chicken starts to brown.

Wash and dry the romaine leaves. I washed and dried ours before running tonight. I wrapped it in a lightly dampened paper towel and then put it in a ziploc bag.

Cut the yellow pepper into thinly strips.

Slice grape tomatoes into half. These gems were picked up at the Root Cellar this weekend - and they were delicious. Almost as close to my crop :)

Add everything to a large bowl. Top with the salad dressing. Start out with a small amount and add more if needed. I don't like my salad drenched in dressing.

Top the tossed salad with parmesan cheese and croutons and give the salad another toss.

Serve the salad on to a plate or a bowl and top with warm chicken. And you have a meal fit for Royalty.

Alright friends. I am off tomorrow night with the 'phews. We're going out for dinner - for ribs. Callum's favourite. I am so excited that the weekend is near. Oh so near.  Plan something good.

Loves.

Enjoy! 

Inspire me... please.

I am needing some inspiration. Big, bad inspiration. Perhaps it's the time of the year, or long work days, or just life - but I am not feeling like cooking these days - and I LOVE to cook. I love trying new recipes, trying new ingredients, to cook for others, to cook for my blog - but lately I have been struggling to come up with anything - and would prefer to hit up M&M's, Subway or a frozen pizza. 

I am excited to cook up a feast for our Super Bowl party on Sunday - but until then I think that we'll just eat caesar salad :). I know that this is just a phase - and life will organize itself out soon - and I will be back on track.  I did make dinner tonight - thank goodness for Campbell's soup and my new rice cooker.

My run last night was lovely. I purchased a new jacket on the weekend. It's a black cycling jacket from MEC. It's a wee bit tight in the belly area - but that's ok - with the running I better lose some of my lady lumps. Actually I would be good with even loosing one lump. I feel a little stylish - like a bit of a 'runner' and not a make-shift raggamuffin. I am not as emotional this time round. I don't choke up after I run up a hill. I haven't choked up after Megan turns back to run with me. And I haven't struggled. I am on the right track. This year, I haven't run at the back of the group - not that there is anything wrong with that. I haven't struggled with my breathing. And I have tackled a hill like it's a walk in the park. I have a positive attitude. I am trying to turn my 'Must run. Hate to run. Must run.' attitude into 'Must run b/c I love it'. I may be a little exaggerative when I say 'love' - but I am enjoying it - I am doing something for me - and I want to do it because I WANT to and not because I HAVE to. 

Alrighty - let's get on to dinner. Now I have to warn you - that this dish doesn't really look appealing - it may look something like they would serve in prison - no offense pris. But in the end - sometimes you have to trade looks for flavour. Sounds like my last date. Ha!!!! Just kidding, Chris. Anyways, it's a good easy dish. It reminds me of when I was first living with my grandma and relied on a good ol' can of Campbell's often. 

I will probably call this dinner:

What to cook for dinner when you don't want to cook

Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 head of cauliflower, 1 bunch of asparagus, 2 cups of sliced mushrooms, 1.5 cans of Cream of Broccoli (low fat) soup, 1/2 cup of sour cream.

Cut the chicken breasts in half. Place them in a casserole dish and season lightly with kosher salt and pepper. 

Check to see if your boy dog is watching you.

And your girl dog. Yes - check.

Chop the cauliflower into small pieces and place on top of the chicken in the dish. Then add the mushrooms, and the asparagus that have been chopped into small pieces. 

In a bowl, mix the soup and sour cream together. I seasoned it this mixture with a pinch of celery salt, fresh ground pepper, and a pinch of chili peppers. 

Spread the mixture over top of the vegetables and chicken. Don't worry - it is thick but it will become creamy during baking. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 oven for 1 hour. 

And that's it! Serve on top of brown rice - and you have an easy dinner that didn't take any time to make.

So... if you have a spare minute - send me a vibe - give me some inspiration - tell me to get off of my Royal Canadian and make dinner for the love of god!!!!

Loves.

Enjoy!

Monday - waiting for Friday.

Before I share my recipe for today - I had the weirdest thing happen today. I was at work - working hard - and all of a sudden I realized that I had just thought 'I should give my dad a call'. What is that all about I wonder? It was the strangest feeling. I have never thought that before. He is always on my mind - but this thought today was a really natural feeling - like it was meant to be - like it was my daily call for him. I just think that something is going on - something made me think that. I miss him - I guess I just want to talk to him. 

I was moved 'some' of my cookbooks to our new hutch yesterday. They were in a little nook in our kitchen cupboards - like a little cubby hole - anyways - I went through some of the cookbooks and magazines - and tried to organize them. I have another huge box of cookbooks in our shed - and they need to come inside - I just haven't had a place to put them before. I miss them - I am very excited to go through them. 

I found a recipe for sweet potato fries - so I thought that I would give them a try. Click HERE for the recipe. I didn't use this one exactly - I altered it slightly. I wish that the picture was available - b/c they were picture perfect. I am pretty sure following the recipe to a tee would not make them turn out as wonderful as they do in the magazine. I am pretty sure that they smother them in butter - and they aren't really as healthy as the recipe says they are.

Here is my version - very similar - I just don't have Italian salad dressings on hand.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato - peeled - and cut into wedges just like fries

2 tbsp of olive oil

Kosher Salt and ground pepper

1 tsp of red chili pepper flakes

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Add the sweet potatoes, oil and spices to a bowl, get in there with your hands and mix everything fully. Place them on a lightly greased, or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a 425 oven for 25 minutes - take out turn over - and then bake again for another 25 minutes. 5 minutes before they are done - sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Let them cool off - and enjoy. 

Ok peeps - I hope that all is well.

Loves,

Enjoy!

Stewing...

I've been a little MIA - I haven't been feeling 100%. I'm hoping that I'm on the mend - we'll see. One thing that I am going to do today is take a trip to Frontrunners - to look for a new pair of kicks. We had one of the owners from Frontrunners come to our clinic the other night and gave us a good chat on the importance of having good shoes. Mine are about 11 months old, and I am in need of a new pair. I am looking forward to having them find the pair that is best suited for me. 

I got in a great visit with my gf Jocelyn and her granddad last night. I am so bad at keeping in touch - and she is always so forgiving. I love it when we do catch up b/c it doesn't seem like it has been so long since we last visited. Her granddad is a gem. I have known him for years and he has always been so generous to me. When Joc and I were roommates we would head out on a regular basis and be treated to great dinners at her grandparents house - such good memories.

So, I haven't really cooked in days - but last night I made a quick stew - SO QUICK - for Chris. This is the first stew, with beef, that I have ever made. Seriously. I saw the end of a cooking show yesterday - and they gave a recap of what they did - so I am not sure if I did it exactly right, but it seemed to turn out really well.

My dad had a few dishes that he made for lunches and dinner. His repertoire included: hard/soft boiled eggs with toast, baked bananas, canned tuna and toast, beans and toast, and stew. I loved all of them. It was always a very special treat to come home for lunch on a school day to a prepared lunch waiting for us. It was simple but always warm and tasty. His stew was his specialty. He didn't make it often, but when he did, it was delicious. It was a day long event, all dishes were used, there was always a big clean to be done afterwards, but it was always well worth it. I would give anything to sit in the kitchen and watch him prepare his stew. I can remember how happy he was, he didn't want/need any help, and he would just get the hype up all day about how delicious dinner was going to be. It's one of those things that I can picture to this day - and wish that I just had one day in the kitchen with him - I would take pictures, I would watch him step by step, taking notes and savour every bite. 

I think that if you have a favourite recipe that a parent, grandparent, friend, sibling makes - that you should make it with them. Make the memory so that it is something that you have with you always.

This stew is very different - but it was delicious - and b/c it was so easy - it will definitely be made again.

Not My Dad's Stew

1 onion - chopped

1.5 tsp - smoked paprika

1 can of tomato paste

2.5 lbs of top beef loin sirloin steaks (I wasn't really sure what beef to use - but this meat was so good)

3 carrots - chopped

4 white potatoes - chopped

1 cup of stock

1 tsp rosemary

Kosher salt and pepper

Saute the onion in olive oil and add a pinch of kosher salt. Saute for about 7 minutes over medium heat. Add the smoked paprika and coat the onions.

Add a can of tomato paste and let this simmer with the onions for a couple of minutes. The paste will start to stick to the bottom of the pot - just be sure that it doesn't burn.

Chop the sirloin steak into small chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the onions and tomatoes. 

Add the the potatoes and carrots and the rosemary and stir to ensure that everything is coated. Add the stock (beef, vegetable or chicken - that's what I used), and stir to ensure that everything is coated. 

Bake in a 350 oven for 1.5 hours. Every 30 minutes take it out and give it a good stir to ensure that there is still enough liquid in the pot. This is one of my favourite Lagostina pots that Chris got for me a couple of years ago. They are awesome - extremely heavy - but incredible to cook with.

And stew is ready! That's it. It only took about 10-12 minutes to prepare and then the oven did the rest of the work.

Chris rated this a 5!!

This is something that we picked up when we were in Vancouver last weekend. A new hutch. We stopped in to Country Furniture on Granville - I thought it was going to be a painful visit for Chris - but he ended up finding this! I love it when he finds treats :). We have been looking for something for this nook since we bought our house. And this is EXACTLY what I wanted. It's a little big for the space - a little wide - but it still works. I think that our next house will have to be planned around this piece - right Chris? Chris? ;) I love it. And it is going to give us more storage. The plants were just put there for the pic - b/c our phone has to be on it - and it looks a bit ugs right now - so it is being camouflaged. 

Alright friends. I hope that you're having a good Sunday. I am off to take the dogs for a wee walk - and then a quick trip to the Root Cellar.

I hope that all is well.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Whattup G?

Love this pic - downtown Vancouver. Welcome Olympics!!

Our seats at the game - thanks mom!!

Uh - I think that I look a bit 'special' in this picture.

I was all excited to post - tell some stories of my weekend and my running - but all of a sudden I saw two things on tv - and I am all emotional - and it's not even that time of the month that I should be emotional. I have the tv on for 'background' noise - and sometimes, something catches my eye.

1. The Tim Horton's commercial with Sidney Crosby - he's talking in present time, and then it goes to him when he was a young boy - someone knew that he was going to be famous. He is saying something like 'imagine waking up everyday and doing something that you love to do'. I want to be Sidney!!! Are you doing what you wanted to do as a kid? Are you waking up and doing what you love? 

2. American Idol - a guy just got through that has Tourettes Syndrome. He had a great voice. 

I love to hear stories of people who are doing what they love. They are all so inspiring. 

Our weekend getaway was lovely. It was a very relaxing weekend. We stayed downtown - so we spent a majority of the time downtown - walking around, sipping Starbucks and people watching, a little shopping, a Canuck game!!, a visit with the newest member of the family - Angus (and his momma and papa). All in all such a great trip. It's such a treat to just get away - relax, spend some good quality time with your love and getting away from the chaos of our busy lives.

Meeting Angus was so great. He is such a beautiful little boy. Cuz Marsha gave me a jar of Salt with Herbs de Provence - and it is amazing!!! I put some on a roast chicken the other night with a bit of olive oil - and it was divine. Thanks Marsh!!! 

Running for my life! 

Oh my it's started again. This year, I have decided to do two running clinics. HELLS YA. 2 clinics! Die hard. NOT. I need the routine and to make sure that I don't sit on my Royal Canadian for 6 other nights. So my plan is that I run with the Sole Sisters on Tuesdays, with the Pearkes Running clinic on Thursdays, and then run on Sundays. So that gives me 4 nights to sit on my Royal Canadian for the other days. So far so good. 

I haven't been cooking anything exciting. I have been doing a lot of repeats. Monday night was Roast Chicken - I thought that I have posted a recipe for that - but I can't find it. It is the easiest dinner ever - put it in a roasting pan, drizzle a bit of olive oil and then rubbing in some dried herbs - roast in a 425 oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I like to add potatoes, squash, onions and carrots around the pan. Rosemary is a lovely herb to add.

Tonight's dinner was a pasta dish with whole wheat gnocchi that I picked up at the Gourmet Warehouse. I will post that recipe soon.

Alrighty friends - hope all is well. 

Loves.

Enjoy!