Nice Nails- Rainy Nights

I have fallen in love with the 'blue nail polish' craze. I call this one 'Rainy Nights' because of the sparkly silver rain falling form my fingernails. It was so much fun to do... the traditionalists got a bit scared when I was showing them off, but I think they still appreciated the artistry!

The ring finger is this deep Sally Hansen Blue called 'Blue It'.

The light blue- kind of like a shimmery periwinkle- was called Rain Check.

The most fun was showing up to work the next day and realizing that I matched my colleague Iain's shirt... he just had to capture it on his iPhone and email it to me. Matching is so much fun!

Chicken Mango Asian Wrap

This is good option for a quick dinner idea. It incorporates many of our kitchen staples... chicken, soya sauce, mangos, pita, romaine lettuce.

I cooked up some chicken with hoisin sauce and soya sauce - then I placed some chopped water chestnuts (I just love their crunchiness).

I put it all inside a romaine lettuce leaf, then stuffed it into half of a whole wheat pita.

I added some fresh chopped mangos and chopped cashews. Really delicious... you don't even need the pita- it could really be a lettuce wrap.

Chicken Cashew Stirfry

Wanting to make a healthy dinner full of veggies and tired of salad... I turned to an old standby recipe. I  kicked it up a notch with new ingredients. Welcome Chicken Cashew Stirfry!

Melanie prefers her veggies raw, so I have to be careful which ones I included in this stirfry as she will only eat a few of them cooked- red/yellow peppers, carrots and cabbage... celery - not so much, oh well, you can't win them all!

This is what you'll need.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breast, cut up in chunks

2 stalks celery cut into chunks

2 carrots cut into chunks

1 bag of coleslaw mix

1 tbsp peanut oil

1tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp spicy peanut sauce

3 tbsp chopped cashews

Directions:

Heat the oil up in a wok and add the chicken turn to cook- about 3-4 minutes, set aside. Add veggies then add all the sauces. Cook for 4 minutes then add the chicken back in and the bag of coleslaw. Toss to coat and add a bit more sauce if needed.  Serve over rice.

This serves about 4 people and makes great leftovers.

Lightened Up Thumbprint Cookies

Recently, my friend came over to give me a haircut. Marla's got skills and she is kind enough to do it for free! To thank her, I thought I would make her favourite cookie. Now, I used to make these with alot of butter and roll them in walnuts. But this is a delicious, lightened up version of those cookies.

Low Fat Thumbprint Cookies (http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/christmas/r/thumbprintcooki.htm)

Ingredients:

•1/4 cup butter, softened

•1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

•1 egg

•1 tsp vanilla extract

•1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

•1/4 tsp salt

•1/2 cup good-quality raspberry jam

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until blended.

Whisk together flour and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add flour to wet ingredients, and mix with a wooden spoon, forming a large ball.

If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for an hour before proceeding. Otherwise, go ahead and form 1-inch balls and place them 1-inch apart on the cookie sheet, making a deep thumbprint in the center of each.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. After one minute, place on a wire rack to cool. Ad a little raspberry jam to the center of each cookie.  I used St. Dalfour Red Raspberry.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Per Cookie: Calories 101, Calories from Fat 24, Total Fat 2.6g (sat 1.5g), Cholesterol 17mg, Sodium 37mg, Carbohydrate 17.8g, Fiber 0.4g, Protein 1.4g 

Pretty little cookies ready to be shared!

My favourite springtime flower

Guess what it is? It's the tulip. You guessed right! I would have picked these for my wedding bouquet (12 years ago) but they don't hold up well out of water. But you know my friend Jenny once told me that when you do get some fresh cut tulips and put them in water, the secret for them not to droop too fast is to put a penny in the water... and you know what, it really works.

These pretty flowers are in my garden right now!

Red ones and pink ones, there were yellow ones last year... but you know, I don't have a green thumb and less and less keep popping up each spring. When we bought this home we, inherited a gorgeous perennial garden, but as the years have passed, fewer flowers come back. But this year, we will make it a beautiful garden, we are going to get pansies and daisy gerbers (my other favourite flower) and make it a colourful festival of flowers... you just wait!

Homemade Cheddar Cheese Biscuits and Baked Potato Soup

If you love the cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster, you are going to LOVE this recipe!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I had to try it. Well, it tasted incredibly delicious and not as greasy as the ones at Red Lobster and lower in calories in fat because I use low fat cheddar cheese. They are really easy to make and were loved by the whole family, in fact, they didn't last long in our house at all!

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits Recipe (modified from http://www.saltnturmeric.com/2008/11/cheesy-garlic-biscuits.html)

Makes 12

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

1 1/2cups shredded light cheddar cheese

1/2 cup 1% milk

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oregano (you can omit or use less)

3/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray cooking sheet with non-stick spray.

2. Put biscuit mix, cheese and milk in a bowl and mix well to form a sticky dough.

3. Using spoon, drop lumps of dough onto cookie sheets 1.5in apart. Bake for 10min.

4. In a bowl, melt butter and mix with oregano and garlic salt.

5. When the timer goes off, take them out and brush with butter mixture and bake 5min at 400F and another 5-6min at 350F.

6. Transfer into a plate and serves immediately.

Nutritional Information per biscuit:  115 calories, 11g carbs,  6g fat, 5g protein

I served these delicious biscuits with another great recipe I found on Pinterest. It was quite 'potatoee' so if you like that taste, you will love this soup.  This is taken from one of my favourite healthy cooking blog. Skinnytaste.com

Baked Potato Soup

(skinnytaste.comhttp://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/02/baked-potato-soup.html#more)

Servings: 5 • Size: 1 cup • Calories: 207.6 • Fat: 7.8 g • Carb: 22.5 g • Fiber: 2.4 g  • Protein: 11.9 g

Ingredients:

2 russet potatoes, washed and dried

1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets

1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth

1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup light sour cream

10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

6 tbsp chopped chives, divided

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)

Pierce potatoes with a fork; microwave on high for 5 minutes turn over and microwave another 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Or if you prefer to use your oven, bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes.

Meanwhile, steam cauliflower with water in a large covered pot until tender. Drain and return to pot. On medium heat, add chicken broth, milk, potatoes and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add sour cream, half the chives, salt and pepper and cook on low another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 tbsp cheese, remaining chives, and bacon.

Nice Nails- Girly Pink... with a sparkle

This design was around Easter Time... so my Girly Pink Sparkle was an hommage to this springtime Holiday. It's a take on a French manicure, but a much more bold take on it!

I used this awesome new colour by Sally Hansen called 'Bubble Gum' - what a great pink name. And then this O.P.I. purple colour called 'Grape Wall of China' - an oldy but a goody! And the little silver sparkly paintbrush to divide the two colours.

It's our Anniversary!

Ok, well it was... We recently celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary and we had an amazing day. I woke up to a beautiful card that just made me cry with love (see below) and we decicated a love song to each other- this was so was hilarious.

I dedicated with love the following song to Brent: Tony Toni Tone-Anniversary, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbt4XVRMcy0. Favourite line from this song, 'you better tell your supervisor you're leaving early from work today'... yeah baby! He thought it was soooo cheesy!

Brent dedicated the following song to me: Flintstones - Happy Anniversary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knp9-GY6fHE . That's why I married him.... he's so funny, right???  These 2 - I heart you pictures were taken at Milestones where we enjoyed a nice dinner.

We shared some 'no calorie' drinks.... he had a San Pellegrino.

I had water with lemon... I know, partyers, right?

He went for the big steak with a crab and shrimp sauce and veggies and garlic mash. He liked it a lot! (Big portions for sure)

I had a curried scallop dish with baby bok choy. It was a bit too creamy with the sauce, I would have just enjoyed it without any sauce and pan seared- I'm such a purest now, eh?

This is the most amazingly, a propos, touching card of my life. I cried just reading the cover of the card (in fact, Brent watches for my reaction and if I don't cry he's disappointed- I am after all a 'weaping princess').

The reason I was floored by this awesome card was that it captured what I believe has been my transformation since I started on this journey way back in September. I see a beautiful purple dress-my favourite colour- with flowing, long brown hair, and my favourite element is in fact wind and dancing and my spirit has been recharged... and the fact that Brent picked this card was just too much for my soul to take, hence, that is why I cried. I love him and I love that he is recognizing the changes in me and sharing and seeing and living with me and my dreams!

Five Spice Ginger Beef

This was a real delicious Asian inspired meal. We just love sweet and savory dishes at our house. This did not disappoint. 

Five Spice Ginger Beef  (http://rockrecipes.blogspot.ca/2011/05/five-spice-ginger-beef.html)

 Serves 4

Start with:

2 thick cut strip loin steaks, well trimmed and thinly sliced.

In a very hot wok, heat 3 tbsp peanut oil

Season the steak strips with salt and pepper and quickly stir fry for only a minute or two. Be careful not to overcook the beef at this stage ; a minute or two is really long enough. Remove beef from the wok and set aside.

Add another couple of tablespoons of peanut oil to the wok and quickly sauté

4 cloves minced garlic

Add to the wok:

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce

3 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp Chinese five spice powder

4 tbsp molasses

1 tsp crushed chili paste

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

3 tsp toasted sesame oil

Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes or until it thickens to the consistency of a glaze. Toss the beef back into the sauce along with one chopped red bell pepper and cook only enough to heat through, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately over rice or Chinese noodles and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Nutritional Information per serving with half cup of basmati rice:

562 calories, 75g carbs, 15g fat, 31g protein, 4g fibre, 16g sugar



Purple Cousins and French Canadian Lunch Special

We were recently invited to my sister's home to help her out - dye her hair- and watch her baby while she recuperated. What an awesome bonding time for the girls!

Look at the Precious Purple Cousins- how sweet eh? This is such a gorgeous photo filled with love... it's my desktop photo at work! Sure puts a smile on my face every time I log in in the morning. Melanie had to take turns just loving and holding Stephanie while she napped... we would just spend the whole time staring at her beauty.

Ok, so some of you might be wondering... 'What the heck is this picture of'? But if you are French Canadian you know that this is 'Jambon haché'.... still you say, 'What'. Well it's simple really, it's chunked up ham with mustard. No, it's not that gross stuff that is out of the can. You take a cooked ham and put it into your food processor and chop it up real fine, then take it out, put it into a bowl and add some mustard. OOOHHHH, it's so good. We all go crazy for it! So Julie treated us when we came over and we made a delicious sandwich each- just mustard on the bread and the ham. It's not the healthiest thing- the salt and preservatives in the ham and all- but it's a 'once-in-a-while' Frenchy treat!

But a girl can't leave on jambon haché alone, so we also made colourful and delicious salads. Julie makes the best salads.... really!

And as far as Stephanie was concerned...she was too tired to eat, so she just went to sleep. Sweet!

Deviled Eggs...Light

Here's the recipe I promised you.... The Deviled Eggs I brought to my Potluck lunch. I love this recipe. It's a variation from my friend Gaetane's recipe. The secret is.....

The Celery Salt!

Light Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1/3 cup light Miracle Whip

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Boil and peel your eggs. Cut eggs length wise and scoop out the yolks. Add all the ingredients together and mash them up... adjust seasoning to your liking. Scoop the yolk mixture into the egg whites and sprinkle some paprika on the yolks. You are done!

Swiss Chalet Lunch date... and no French Fries were had

We had a nice Swiss Chalet Lunch date recently. You say Swiss Chalet???? Those fries!!!!! I know, I know.... but guess what, neithey myself or any of my 3 other lunch friends had fries! Impressive right! Well, they are all thin girls who just naturally eat well. None of them even thought of fries for lunch, and me.... well.... I just don't eat that way anymore... Let me tell you, I usually would have, but that is the old me. The new me has found a really delicious meal that I always fall back on at Swiss Chalet. 

Here's my lunch. A quarter chicken breast, and yes, I eat the skin- it's my treat!...A fresh garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a bun and I use just a bit of sauce.  Here are the nutritional details below- total of 483 calories for it all.

Swiss Chalet - Classic 1/4 Chicken Breast with skin, 290 calories

Swiss Chalet- Garden Salad, 40 calories

Swiss Chalet - Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, 15 ml,  40 calories  

Swiss Chalet - Multi Grain Bun, 110 calories

Swiss Chalet - Dipping Sauce, 10 ml ( I use about 1/5^th of the sauce),  3 calories

Here's what my some of my friends enjoyed. A giant West Coast Salad with a roasted chicken breast. They loved it- so colourful, right? I might try that one next time- minus the onions though!

Here's Cheryl and I smiling before we dig in!



Earth Hour - Mexican Style

We celebrated Earth Hour in Mexican Style a few weekends ago. First we had a nice Mexican dinner and then played some games 'in the dark'. Fun Family Times were had by all! We made sure we were all done cooking and stuff before the 8 o'clock hour.

Here you have a concoction I had been dreaming about for a while. Beef Tostadas.... but with healthy vessels.

What I did instead of using the fried corn tostadas, I made my own healthy alternative. I sprayed a fry pan with Pam and then placed the whole wheat tortilla on it and then spray the top side. Making sure I didn't burn it. I then flipped it to the other side until it got crunchy.

I cooked up some extra lean ground beef - I added about a cup of fresh salsa and some chili powder, salt and pepper to spice it up.

I made some delicious 'Szos Guac'.

Chopped up some sweet yellow peppers.

Shredded up some crispy romaine hearts.

...then came the building of the 'mountain'.... tostatda, beef, shredded low fat cheddar.... and then whatever you like on top. As you can see from the first picture at the top, I kicked mine up with some tomatoes, salsa, kalamata olives, guac, sour cream and jalapenos (ok- I was trying to be a tough girl, they burned the crap out of my mouth- but I always see Brent doing it .... so why not!).

Here's Melanie enjoying her creation... let me tell you, they are good, but quite messy. Definitively not a 'first date' food choice.

Ok, they never really let me pick them up at the same time, but Ace and Diamond were sleeping on the couch and I had to get them while they were still drowsy... how cute eh? They can't wait for Earth Hour!

Mella has to get in on the action too, look at Ace's smoldering eyes... He's sexy and he knows it!

Following the Earth Hour Conservation Movement, from 8-9pm we turned off all the lights. We light a whole bunch of candles and shared some homemade oatmeal cookies and coffee and played some Yahtzee. Melanie's first time, and she beat us! Beginner's luck!

The shimmery lights were nice, but we had to pull out some flashlights to see the Yahtzee dice!

Mella made a little poster to commemorate the event. Get it! So what you see there is a reflection of our kitchen light fixture on the window, and you also see our neighbours in the apartments across the street not really following along!!!!

Here's my beautiful girl... she didn't last long playing Yahtzee, we only played one game... too much math I guess!!! So we played Headbanz... too funny, especially since she could see her reflection in the window!



Pot Luck Lunch... My luck, everyone's a healthy eater

Recently we had a poluck lunch at our office to say farewell to one of our colleagues. My luck, everyone (well almost) brought healhty food for us to share.

I brought some deviled eggs  (recipe coming soon). You like my retro '60s Egg Holder Plate? Thanks to my mother-in-law's hand me down....they were the talk of the town...I think it made them taste even better.

Here's my colleague Iain standing above his sweet contribution (Italian bake shop cookies)- he can't wait to dig in! I also bought some of my Oatmeal Raspberry Almond Bars- they were a hit!

We had a Mediteranean Pasta Salad and Quinoa Salad.

Some Asian green beans and Pear, Almond and Walnut Salad.

I think most impressive goes to my colleague Susie who rolled her own Sushi. These are all vegetarian and really fresh and delicious.

So when faced with so many choices at the Potluck lunch table, I had to make smart choices. I knew my favourites were the deviled eggs and the vegetarian sushi rolls- so I had to allow for those. Then I made lots of room for veggies- salad, quinoa salad and green beans, and out of the Meditaraneon salad I picked mostly the veggies out. I wanted to try these delicious proteins too... BBQ meatballs and Asian stewed beef. That's my plate... I didn't go back for more- I had tasted everything I wanted to. What a delicious lunch to share with my colleagues!