It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

... and sound like it. Well at least in my world. Mella has been singing Christmas songs for a week now and is preparing her Christmas list for Santa. I have done lots of bits and pieces of the Christmas shopping I need to do. Hope to be creative for many!  And check this photo out, enjoying my favourite Cafe Misto, non fat mild with half a pack of splenda... now being served in a Christmas Cup.

Enjoyed at my local Longos along with this healthy treat... it was hard to find something at the Starbucks that wasn't loaded with fat and sugar... but this came in on the healtier side. They are labelled with Starbucks and come in a 42.5g serving.

I tried to search for a recipe to show me how to make these at home and then stumbled upon the manufacturer's website. So they sell these in Whole Foods, No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart. So maybe I will go check them out in the 'big girl' size at one of these stores as the little pouch cost me about $2 at Starbucks.

Tea and Love

Since starting this blog and sharing with you all my journey and inspirations many of you have let me know that you are following along and getting inspired in your own life and are following some of the same suggestions I am blogging about. Well, the other day I got home to find a puffy envelope in the mail... who doesn't love to get the real 'old-fashioned' mail. I opened it up to find a beautiful semi-handmade card from one of my oldest (grade 9) and dearest friends who has since moved to America- my friend Sam.

It was a cute little card with puppy dogs eating a 'sugar-free, high fibre carrot cupcake'- I am sure - glued onto contruction paper. The words inside just touched my heart... My inspiration.... (by the way purple is our mutual favourite colour!)

See what else fell out of the envelope...

Wow, it's was like snowing tea packets at my house. She sent me delicious teas. I have sampled quite a few and my favourite is the Orange Spice Roobios Tea from Trader Joe's. That's an awesome American store I wish we had up here.

Thanks again Sam, I just love your love! What an awesome gesture!



Sweet and Simple Catalina Pork

 Sweet and Simple Catalina Pork (kraftcanada.com)

My dear husband Brent actually followed the recipe step-by-step and this turned out to be one of the most delicious stirfry recipes we've had in a while. It's because, unlike me- who's more creative and a 'risk taker'- he followed the recipe exactly!

Ingredients:

1 Pork Tenderloin cut into 1/4 inch thick medallions

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 each: small onion, red and green (used yellow pepper), coarsely chopped

2 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp soya sauce

1 14oz can of pineapple chunks undrained

1/2 cup Kraft Fat Free Catalina Dressing

Your favourtie rice

Directions:

Toss pork with garlice powder. Heat half the oil in large frypan and stir fry pan until just cooked. Set aside.

Stir fry the vegetable and the remaining oil until tender crisp. Disolve cornstarch in soya sauce and add to pan along with pineapple and dressing.

Cook on medium heat until sauce bubbles and thickens. Add pork and heat through. Serve over cooked rice.

Serves 4

Nutrional Information:

238 Calories

31g Carbs

5g fat

19g protein

2g fibre

Cool Kitchen- Check out this Pair

What fashionista wouldn't like to enjoy a tall cool glass of ... (fill in the blank- mine is water) in this amazing glass and create a matching pair by placing your favourite healthy snack in this cool bowl (try healthy popcorn or cut up apples).

I found these at a store that was going out of business in Niagara-on-the-Lake- Morrison House... great deal, but too bad it had to close, I recall there was one in Oakville as well, but it went out of business as well. It had great kitchen and home design accessories.

Soupy Sundays- Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny Soup (perpetualfeast.com)

I heard about this soup for the first time on 'Seinfeld', remember the episode... 'NO SOUP FOR YOU'. Brent reminded me that this was Kramer's favourite soup from the Soup Nazi. It was nice and filling, I would add more curry powder or even some hot sauce for a kick.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 green pepper, deveined and diced

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 cup (about 1 pound) raw chicken breast, diced

1/3 cup flour

1-2 teaspoons curry powder

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

5 cups non-fat chicken broth

2 sprigs parley, chopped (I used dried parsley)

1 14 ounce can chopped tomatoes, lightly drained

2 cups cooked rice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, green pepper, apple, and chicken.  Cook over medium low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix flour with curry powder and nutmeg, add to the pot, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, parsley, and tomatoes.  Partially cover and simmer for about 1 hour. Stir once in a while to make sure it doesn’t stick.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon some cooked rice into the bowl when serving the soup. (I did this the first time, and then mixed the remaining rice into the soup for later servings.) 

Serves 6.

Nutrional Information:

244 calories

28g carbs
5g fat
14g protein
3g fibre

Amazing Adventure- Erindale Park

Last weekend Melanie and I enjoyed a beautiful sunny hike in our local Erindale Park. We love walking beside the rushing (well not so much rushing, but more than a glass of water) waters of the Credit River, looking at the fishermen. This time we actually saw them catch fish of all sizes.

The wind was cold we had to wear hats...

and scarfes (well you know I almost never go without a scarf anyway!).

Walking over the bridge.

The view from the bridge, see the big rapids???

Big pile of driftwood.

The mallard ducks were still enjoying the cold water.

Melanie had fun climbing the rocks, with this new healthy lifestyle and amazing adventures she has found joy and excitment in being outside and trying new things (like climbing giant rocks)!

And saying... 'Mommy, take a picture of me up here'.

I love my beautiful Melanie. I love that every weekend she reminds me of how she loves her life. I love that we come back into the car puffed with fresh air and glowing red cheeks. She is my little partner on this great big journey and her new found love of nature keeps me pounding through the week so we can enjoy another weekend Amazing Adventure.



Whole Foods- what an inspiration!

During my last visit to Whole Foods I was struck by not only the awesomeness of their Whole Foods and 'Clean' Foods (to coin my friend Jenny's term). But just how amazingly colourful and brilliant they make everything look- and you might know, I am all about loving shinny, colourful things. It almost makes the expensive prices worth it!

The start of the experience....

This is where you come in... all pre-cut ready to eat fruits and homemade salsas and guacamole. We went on a Saturday, so we got the opportunity to sample delicious things... like the homemade salsa.

Look how they display their carrots. It's like a Tower of Beta-Carotene!!!

The prepared Whole Foods section is incredible, look at the gorgeous, healthy, good for you salad....

Doesn't this dish look delicious, and the list of ingredients... I just might make it myself one day... (or go back and buy it when I feel like a 'treat').

Then I got carried away in the flower section. I love flowers, Daisy Gerbers are my favourites. But with cats, I can't have them in my house anymore... they just terrorize them. Look at these gorgeous blooms.

So to all my friends and followers I give you each a bouquet of these virtual flowers!

Fajita Night- A quick and healthy Mexican Fiesta!

Beef Fajitas on Whole Wheat Tortilla Shells

Ingredients:

3 thin, fast fry steaks (cheap cut of meat and lean too!), you could substitute chicken breasts or shrimp
1 green and 1 red pepper, chopped in strips
1 oninon, chopped in strips
1 paquet of fajita spices (found a good organic kind at Whole Foods)
1 Tbsp of canola oil
8 Whole wheat tortilla shells
Garnish with:
low fat sour cream
salsa
lettuce
tomatoes
jalapenos (if you dare!)

Directions:
Place oil in a hot stir fry pan, add onions and peppers, stirfry for about 5 minutes, add cut up steaks, they are very thin so they fry up fast... about 3-4 minutes. Add the Fajita seasoning and follow directions for adding water. Cook until done.
Warm up tortillas. I place them in the microwave for 1 1/2 minute wrapped up in paper towel.
And you are done! So fast, and fresh and as spicy as you want it to be.
Serves 8 (2 per person)

Nutrional information:

473 calories
39g carbs
22g fat
25g protein
3g fibre

This is my favourtie salsa. Few ingredients, and you all know what they mean!

This is how I build mine... Tortilla shell, beef/veg mixture, cheese (so it melts)...

Then I add the cool lettuce, the salsa and the sour cream. That's all for me!

Magenta Purple Passion

Yes, that is what I call this outfit. It's my semi-hippie top with a great magenta long sleeve T.

Here are my lips, hot/cool pinky magenta. It's an oldie but a goodie. Chiffon by Rimmel. It goes on really smooth.

This bold and bright coco mado necklace completes the outfit. Do you know I designed this necklace without even this shirt in mind... yet it's a perfect match! Makes my 'matchy-matchy' side so happy!

Trip to Whole Foods – on a Quest for Healthy Lunch Meat

In my quest for healthy, ‘clean’ eating for me and my family, I am trying to avoid chemicals and preservatives in foods. One item that we buy for Melanie’s lunch (when we don’t have ‘leftovers’ for her Thermos) is lunch meat. I had heard before about not buying anything pink – like ham- because it contains nitrates which are bad for you. But check this link out that I stumbled upon commenting on the exact same subject.  http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/choose-healthier-lunch-meat-six-key-ingredients-avoid-040000758.html

Here’s a highlight of what I found most interesting and shocking!

 Q: What ingredients do you think we should be avoiding?

A: Make sure your food always contains ingredients that you know, and can pronounce! Here is a list of ingredients you should avoid:
Sodium nitrate/sodium nitrite: Increased risk of cancers, diabetes and heart disease
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole): Possible carcinogen
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene): Possible carcinogen
Smoked/naturally smoked/smoke flavour: Could contain unlisted toxic chemicals.
Corn syrup: Glucose-heavy, and too much sugar can lead to diabetes, heart disease and other health issues
Aspartame: Possible health risks including delayed mental development and seizures

Also, be conscious of excess sodium. For example, Maple Leaf Natural Selections turkey has 570 mg sodium per serving, which is nearly half of our daily recommended intake (1000 to 1500 mg)! And keep in mind that food manufacturers are not required to list all the ingredients if they fall under spices and seasonings -- something to keep in mind when you're eyeballing the Cajun chicken or the honey-smoked ham. If you have common food allergies, check for wheat, soy, or milk products, which are sometimes added to deli meats. If you have digestive problems, it's best to avoid carrageenan, which is a common ingredient.

It’s just proof that people in Marketing get paid to ‘fool’ us really, if you don’t read the fine print and check the ingredients out you would think the Maple Leaf Natural Selections Turkey would be a healthy alternative- but look at the salt!!!!

So when I visited Whole Foods, I went to their ‘Deli Counter’, they seriously had only a few pieces of meat to choose from... and just like the article quoted above mentioned:

Look for roast beef or chicken at the deli counter, where you can actually see that they are cutting the meat from the animal. Avoid the pre-packed stuff if you aren't certain where it comes from, and if you don't see the ingredients listed at the deli counter, make sure to ask the staff.

So look what I found at Whole Foods... Whole Roasted Turkey, Beef and Ham.

And look at the ingredients...

I feel like I have to say 'Ta Da'!

How about, 'Feel good about what you put in your body!'. I should be Whole Foods next Marketing Genius!  So as the article mentioned, I ask the staff how long this 100 grams of turkey will last and she said '3 days Ma'am'. Alrighty then.... Melanie you are having a couple of turkey sandwiches in the next few days my girl!



Nice Nails- Shimmering Zebra

Oh yeah. this is what I call this design.

Shimmering Zebra.  It's my favourite of the season so far. It's dark brown nail polish with this new fun set of nail paints that Mella and I found at Loblaws. I used the white paint and the silver sparkly paint.

It's called Art Deco by L.A. Colors, this is the kind that I see used in the Salon when you pay $5 extra for a 'design' on your big toe. It's got the tiny little paint brush at the end which allows you to make nice thin lines. And it comes with little nail stickers too. This whole set was only $9.99. I think that is a great deal for all this great creative nail design stuff... So now I want to know if they have more colours. I want gold sparkles and blue and red paint too... I know, demading right!!! I was just thinking of how nice that would look at Christmas time!

Pumpkin Muffins and Tea Party

These Pumkins Muffins are good for you and not too sweet, perfect for an early morning tea party. Just check out me and my beautiful friend Jenny and our beaming daughters Georgia and Melanie enjoying the day.

Pumpkin Muffins (adapted from http://recipes.sparkpeople.com)

Ingredients:

 2 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups white enriched flour    

6 Tbsp white sugar         

2 tsp baking powder      

½ tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups 1% milk

4 Tbsp canola oil                

1 ½ cups 100% pure canned pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp all spice

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

Sliced almonds, seeds (about 2 Tbsp)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 24 muffin tins. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, milk and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix well, then gently mix the pumpkin puree.  Batter will be lumpy. Add a few sliced almonds and seeds to the top of the muffins to add crunch. Bake muffins for 15-18 minutes. I made a tray of 12 regular sized muffins and 24 mini muffins.

Nutritional Information:

114 calories

18g carbs

3g fat

 3g protein

 2g fibre

Check out our Tea Party

Look at Melanie's 'Special Instructions' for the Tea Party... another 'cute daughter moment'.

A great pose to start the Tea Party- Peace and Attitude.

Georgia giving us her 'version' of Peace.