Monthly Archives: January 2012

A different snack

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Raw avocado pudding…

I’ve seen a lot of interesting things on Pinterest, but this one took the…ahem…pudding. Raw avocado, mashed with cacao powder and agave syrup to make a chocolate pudding.

I was so intrigued that I grabbed an overripe avocado from the fridge, carob powder (I didn’t have cacao…), and agave syrup and went for it.

(I know…I’m impressed that I had all three ingredients too!!)

The result??

Different. But good! Really nutty, thanks to the carob. Gently sweet from the agave. And pleasantly creamy, thanks to the avocado.

It needed to be blended more, instead of just mashed, but the overall effect was tasty!! Give it a shot:

  • One very ripe avocado
  • 2-4 tbsp carob (or cacao) powder
  • 1 tbsp agave syrup

Exhaustion

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I am tired.

Not just “didn’t get enough sleep last night, chasing my kids today” tired. I am exhausted. There are days that I can barely keep my eyes open when I’m driving in the middle of the day. I can’t figure out why – I’m doing more than enough to keep myself healthy and active:

  • I sleep between 8-10 hours a night
  • I drink 2-3L of water every day
  • I exercise moderately for one hour, every day. Not intensely. Moderately
  • I take 4000ui of vitamin D in the winter to make up for the lack of sunshine
  • I take the lowest dose of my antidepressant, which has never made me tired before
  • I eat an average of 1500-1600kcal/day (more on Bikram days), and very little of it is junk
  • I go to yoga twice a week to de-stress
  • I write, blog, and journal
  • I take time to read and drink tea
  • I spend quality time with my husband
  • I keep in touch with, and visit friends a couple times a week
  • I play outside with my kids
  • I only drink one 8oz coffee a day…maybe two on the weekends
  • And no, I am 100% not pregnant
For all intents and purposes, I should feel like a million bucks! But instead, I am so. very. tired. most days of the week. I can’t figure it out. I’ve booked some blood work for this week to check my iron levels, and to also do a celiac blood test. I hope that my doctor has some other suggestions as well, because I can’t get over this fatigue.
I hate to say that it’s debilitating, but on mornings like this, I can’t drag myself out of bed until after 10am. I bribe my kids to play quietly in their room or my room. My eyes are so heavy that they ache.
Maybe it’s just my body giving in to the stress from December. Whatever it is, I’d like it to leave quickly so that I can perk back up again!

A small favour

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The next time the news airs a piece about someone shot, tasered, or otherwise harmed by the police, please, stop and read this:

I’ve wanted to write this from a child’s point of view for years, to have people understand that behind that uniform is a man (or woman) with a family who loves them. And that every single day, he is sacrificing the certainty of his future with that family to make sure that the laws that protect your family are upheld.
So please.
Before you bash your police officers, read it. Read it again, and again, and again. Lay awake at night and wonder if your daddy is going to come home, when you’ve been dragged to the neighbours’ house in the middle of the night because he was run over on highway patrol. Know that he’s been shot at. That he’s staked out the home of a man wanted for ruthlessly killing another officer.
Know that fear in your heart before you judge our officers.
Every. Single. Day.
They sacrifice their future with their family so that you can be safe with yours.
Every. Single. Day.
Their spouses and children wonder if their lives will be shattered in an instance.
And every single day? They deal with abuse and bullshit from people who don’t realize that.
Thank you, Daddy. For everything you did for everyone else, so that we could have the life we have today. I love you.

Counting Up

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43. Grilled cheese with apples, and fresh blueberries
44. Another positive celiac test (this time for C-boo), which means that they will both be equally restricted in their diets, instead of C-boo being restricted for the benefit of her sister
45. Holding hands in the car
46. Calves burning against my first run in 4 months
47. His support for my goals – half marathon in June!!
48. Fresh snow crunching under the 4-wheel drive
49. A weekend with my oldest, dearest friends :)
50. Squeals and hugs and kisses when I pick my bugz up from Grammy and Poppa’s house
51. Strong legs, running
52. Health benefits to pay for physiotherapy!!
53. Safe travels on icy roads
54. Impromptu play dates :)
55. Shoulder rubs at the end of a long day
56. Fitting into free 29″ jeans :) :)
57. Watching them devour fresh fruits
58. Baking cupcakes together after a grumpy morning
59. Sunshine streaming through our kitchen window
60. Watching them learn and problem solve!
61. Dirty dishes to wash…because it means we’ve had food to eat
62. Watching them learn to use scissors (yikes!!)

63. Toasty toes on the furnace vent
64. Orange juice dripping down our chins, smiling together
65. Singing in the car together

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Worth the weight

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I haven’t blogged since LAST FRIDAY?? What the heck? I’ll make up for it today though :)

Running.
That’s why I haven’t been around much. I’m running again!!! It feels so delicious to be busting my tail, heart pounding, legs flying…well, legs turning over and over on the giant hamster wheel that is my 16-year old treadmill, anyway.
I hate such a love-hate for that treadmill. Love, because it gives me 60 minutes of good, solid cardio 5 days a week. Love, because I don’t have to drive into town so that I can run with my Chariot stroller (no shoulders to run on our country roads = not safe for stroller running). My bugz can play and watch a movie while I walk/run.
Hate, because it’s 16 years old, has a short (50″) deck, no cushioning, and is louder than a 747 taking off.
Love, because it was free from my mom.
Hate, because it would cost me $2,500 to get the treadmill I want to replace it.
But I’m running anyway. I am running, training for the Footstock 2012 half marathon in June. You may remember me kicking ass in my first duathlon at Footstock in 2009. I loved the whole event, and want to go back there for my first half marathon. I was supposed to do my first half in late 2009, but with acreage renovations and a broken foot, it didn’t happen.
Then I got fatter and busier, more injured, more stressed, more unbalanced. Half marathon training takes time, and I just didn’t have time. I barely had the time for a 5k once in a while. But fast-forward to this past summer/fall, and my body has learned to run when it’s told to. I’ve found my groove, where I can pick up and run 30 minutes without a break regardless of how long I’ve been “off”. 
After 10 weeks of walking 30-60 minutes a day, I picked up the pace on Friday and ran my first 30 minutes since October. 
It hurt like hell. My IT-band had been bugging me, and it was my first time running in my Vibrams on this ancient treadmill. I’d ran in my Vs before, both outdoors and on real treadmills, but not on my beast. I compensated too much by getting up on the balls of my feet, and my calves SCREAMED at me for days. I pushed through the last few minutes and finished, but thank goodness for my fabulous physiotherapist, Laurie.
She needled me up with a good dose of IMS on Monday, and I’ve been good to go since. No more pain.
***
Here’s my recipe for the good life right now:
*60 minutes of walking, twice a week
*30 minutes of running, followed by 30 minutes of walking, three times a week
*90 minutes of Bikram yoga, twice a week (three if I’m lucky!!!)
I’ve been walking 30-60 minutes/day since mid-November, and watching what I eat. In mid-December, I started going back to Bikram classes twice a week. I added running back into the mix on Friday. Nothing is crazy-intense or painful (other than the first run), and I’m not restricting anything in my diet. I write down what I eat, and I’m not hungry. 
I’ve lost over 15lbs since November 12, 2011. I’m wearing size 29 jeans, and everything else in my closet is falling off of me. I’m officially below my pre-pregnancy weight for the first time since August 2007. Four-and-a-half years. I’m 4 pounds away from my Edmonton Rush dance team body, and I have the most incredible, lean muscle tone from Bikram yoga.
I feel like a million bucks right now. And the best part is that I didn’t starve myself to get here. I took everything in moderation. I ate whatever I wanted between Christmas Eve and New Years’ (within reason), but kept exercising. I made sure that my exercise was moderate, but consistent. I have committed one short hour out of every 24 hours to my fitness. I am mindful of what I am eating, making things worthwhile so that I’m not sacrificing my love of food for short-term satisfaction. Making sure I am full, happy, and energized every day.
It’s worth it.
And I have before pics. I can’t wait to show you the “afters” :)
2012 is the year of kicking ass. I’m on track in so many areas of my life right now…it feels great!

Counting up

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Another week gone by so quickly! While I try to pause for the little moments, I really am appreciating taking the time to actually write down the little things that make my life so full. Heather had a great quote on her blog this week, from Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts:
I discover that slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life. A lifetime of sermons on “thanks in all things” and the shelves sagging with books on these things and I testify: life-changing gratitude does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time.
It really made me think: it’s one thing to say you’re grateful, but it is another thing completely to be aware and focused on all the millions of tiny blessings that make up each day. There are so many that I miss while I am racing through my life that I am so grateful that I took the time to write down these special moments in my week:

24. How committed he is to putting his kids and family first, willingly, without complaint_uacct = “UA-4888259-1″;urchinTracker();

25. Weekly photo messages of Erin’s growing baby belly!!
26. Watching him taking care of his health, getting lots of exercise this winter, finally having time
27. Making a blanket tent in bed in the morning, and hearing their stories
28. A balanced cheque book, even between pay days
29. A roaring fire in the wood stove
30. When he gets home early, and I can make it to the last yoga class of the day
31. Sliding my wedding rings back on after class, and being so grateful for love
32. Letting them jump on the furniture!
33. Fresh orange zest
34. Hot baked oatmeal when the temperatures are frigid
35. Sun shining on a very, VERY cold day
36. That he knows the names of all their princesses :)
37. So much fresh water
38. How clean and white the road through our subdivision still is, even after the traffic has been through. No sand or dirt!
39. Finding them colouring quietly together
40. Seeing the seeds of their self-efficacy take root when their swimming teacher praises them
41. Peaceful drives home in the still darkness
42. Heated car seats on sore muscles

Chowder and biscuits

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This is the last recipe I’m posting for the next few days!! I’m going to take my kids to McDonald’s and Starbucks for the rest of the week… :p_uacct = “UA-4888259-1″;urchinTracker();

Fish Chowder:

This is my creation, aside from a quick look back to the potato corn chowder I love to make to figure out a milk-to-stock ratio. Other than deciding I also needed to make a roux (because my usual chowder is quite thin) and needing to google that how-to, this is all ME!

The Roux:
  • Melt 1/2c butter in a pan over low heat
  • Slowly whisk in 1/2c flour
  • Place in a container in the fridge to cool
The Fish:
  • Thaw, shell and drain a bag of regular prawns
  • Heat a frying pan over med-low heat and melt 1tbsp of coconut oil
  • Add the prawns and cook until just pink. Remove from heat
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  • Place 6 tilapia fillets (or any white fish, really) on a baking sheet
  • Douse liberally with spices – I used lemon pepper
  • Bake ~15 minutes, or until flaky and white
  • LEAVE THE OVEN ON, but turn it up to 375 degrees F
The Broth:
  • Heat a skillet over low heat, melting 1/8c butter
  • Add one whole diced onion, and gently cook to somewhere between caramalized and sauteed. (This is a real measure of doneness, I swear…) Halfway through, add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
  • While the onions and garlic cook, roughly chop 2 medium carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and 2-1/2c baby potatoes
  • Add 2c chicken broth to the onions and bring to a boil. Transfer to a large stock pot!!
  • Add the fish, shrimp, carrots, celery and potatoes, and continue to boil for about 5 minutes
  • Roughly chop ~2c kale and one whole red bell pepper. Add to the stock pot.
  • Add 4c skim milk and bring down to a simmer
  • Start your biscuits now!!
  • After about 10 minutes, add the cooled roux from the fridge, some cilantro, paprika, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir well, and then come back and stir it every once in a while ;)
  • Simmer until ready to serve
Makes 12 servings

Cheese Biscuits:
  • Combine 1-1/2c flour, 1-1/2tbsp baking powder, 1tbsp garlic powder and 1tbsp garlic salt
  • Use a pastry cutter to cut in 1/3c shortening (or margarine or butter…)
  • Slowly add 3/4c skim milk
  • Stir in 3/4c shredded cheddar cheese
  • Drop 12 servings onto a greased cookie sheet
  • Bake for ~15 minutes, until edges are crispy
**IF YOU WANT TO DIE HAPPY: brush the biscuits with melted butter before you put them in the oven, and a little bit more right when they come out. But I didn’t tell you this…


NOM.


Tea time!

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What is it about winter that makes me bake so much? Thank goodness for workouts, or I’d weigh a tonne right now ;) _uacct = “UA-4888259-1″;urchinTracker();

The bugz asked if we could have a tea party today, and how can you have tea without cookies?


(adapted from Afternoon Tea Cookies, courtesy of cooks.com)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and get your cookie sheets greased!

Begin by making syrup!
  • Combine 1/2c water, 2tbsp grated orange rind, and 1/4c sugar
  • Bring to a boil, and let boil for 10-15 minutes until you have a syrup – watch it carefully, stir it often, and adjust the temperature as needed!!

The wet:
  • Cream together 1/4c of butter with 1c of sugar and 1tsp of almond (or vanilla) extract
  • Beat it until it’s soft and fluffy!
The dry:
  • Combine 1c flour, 1/4c almond meal, 1tsp baking powder and 1tsp salt
Altogether!
  • Add the flour mixture and the syrup to the butter mixture. Stir until combined – it’s a very dry, crumbly dough
  • Roll into 1″ balls (more like squeeze and press firmly so that they actually stick together…!) and place on your greased cookie sheets with about 2″ space in between
  • Spray the bottom of a glass with cooking spray, and gently squash each dough ball. The trick: don’t lift the glass off the cookie after; twist and gently slide it off the side, or the dough will just stick to the bottom of the glass and fall off in a big pile of crumbs. True story.
  • Spray the flattened cookies with a little bit of cooking spray for sticking power, and sprinkle with coconut flakes. Make sure you sprinkle extra on the pan so that you have an excuse to eat the leftover toasted coconut ;)
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 8 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned:

makes 25 cookies!
These are absolutely divine, with just the right amount of subtle orange, almond and coconut flavours. We are going to have them at our fancy tea party this afternoon with a citrusy tea from David’s Tea called Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Stay warm, my friends :)