It's been a very long time...

HI EVERYONE!!!!!!  I am so excited to be back.  I know it has been a super long time since I have posted but the last few months of my life have been some of the best/worst months of my entire life!  I won't go into too much detail because there isn't enough room on this page, but I will give you a bit of an update!

Let's start with June...Francis and I were in the middle of looking for jobs for September.  A lot of areas were on our radar: Quebec City, Calgary, Vancouver area etc...  It was a really hard time for us.  We were trying to find jobs in the same area, which let's face it is nearly impossible.  I made a very difficult decision in June to put in my notice at my job.  I realized that I needed time to really focus on applying for jobs and wasn't giving it the time that it deserved.  After 7 long years at University, I owed it to myself to really concentrate on my future!  It was a fun 6 months working with awesome people and having fun but I had the rest of my life to look after!  Francis had also applied for a job in Calgary...a VERY good opportunity for him...so I wanted to try to go with him.  If he got the job I was going to move there regardless if I got a teaching job or not.  We just wanted to be together...

On my last day of work I got a call from the school district in my hometown!  They wanted me to come in for an interview.  Umm...what??? I didn't even know what to do!  I was so excited and so flipping nervous at the same time!  Of course, I said yes.  Francis also had an interview at a job in Vancouver!  Francis' interview went well and he found out that he got the job (woo hoo).  My interview went well but I wasn't offered the job...super bummer, but you know what?  I got over it and I realized that it wasn't the end of the world.  I was so nervous for the interview that I ended up crying...yup, you heard that right.  It was a combination of nerves and getting emotional over the relationship I had with the students in my final practicum class!  I'm not embarrassed about that anymore...I did my very best and I was happy that I was completely myself!

That same day the school district called me again...they wanted me to come in for another interview the next morning.  I almost turned it down because I didn't want to be nervous again...but I realized that that would be a huge mistake and that I should just go in there, give it my all and not be nervous.  I looked at it as a learning experience and told myself I probably wouldn't get it but that I was very fortunate to have been giving an interview (getting on the sub list is very hard, let alone getting a teaching job with little to no experience).

Later on that day, the principal of the school called me and said she was trying to get a hold of my references but couldn't.  Ahhhhhh she was actually calling my references?  I gave her the numbers and became extremely nervous.  Over the weekend I was very relaxed because I knew they wouldn't call me to tell me the good or bad news.  Monday rolled around and I had just come in from my morning run when the phone rang...I didn't answer it.  I was WAY too nervous.  I called back and was expecting to be told that I didn't get the job but I was prepared for it.  She told me that they would LIKE TO OFFERING ME THE POSITION I INTERVIEWED FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I couldn't believe it!  I got super chatty and the lovely lady on the phone had to ask me...after about 5 solid minutes of my chatter...she said...so, do you accept the position?  OF COURSE I DO!!!!!  It was such an amazing moment that I will never forget!  Completely surreal....

The rest of my summer consisted of packing, shopping for my very first car (eek) planning lessons, shopping for my classroom (SO FLIPPIN' FUN!).  We officially moved out of our place at the end of August and I am now settled into my new life in my hometown.  Francis is in Vancouver and we see eachother most weekends, which we both really look forward to!

My new car :)

Teacher supply store my good friend, Nicole and I went to in Van!  SOOOOOOO overwhelming...I walked out with some stickers...

Oh the chaos...

Moved in trying to unpack and get settled asap!

Starting to come together...walls are still bare but that will change once I make a trip to Emporia for some beautiful prints!

My bedroom...yes, I have a view of the ocean! I am SUPER lucky!

The stunning view the very first morning of my new job :)

View from my office!  Seriously?  So gorgeous!

The forest I take my class to everyday...we have so much fun in there!

There is only ONE stop on the way to my school...and she makes the LARGEST cinnamon buns EVER!  This doesn't do it justice...it is the size of my head...not even kidding!  It fed about 6 people...

The beautiful Elk that I get to see at least a couple of times of a week... they are the most majestic creatures I think I have ever seen.  They are beautiful.

And just one of my little B-man looking all cute...he has settled in to his new home quite nicely :)

I am in love with my career...the people, the atmosphere, the village (yes, it's a village, not a town...it's that small :) and of course my absolutely wonderful class!  I look forward to seeing them every morning...the smiles, the hugs, the laughter!  It is THE most rewarding, fun career I could have ever asked for and I am so beyond grateful that I was given this opportunity!  We have only been in school for 2 months but it has gone by super fast and I feel like that will continue throughout the year!  The best part is that I always know I have weekends off and so does Francis...so I work very hard during the week so that I can look forward to a relaxing/fun weekend away or at home!

I PROMISE I am going to get back to some more regular blogging...and I will include more running/exercise updates and food recipes, of course!  I am sorry it has been so long but I have also had a rough few weeks as I have lost a very close family member unexpectedly and it has been extremely tough...trying very hard to cope and I think that just getting back into the swing of things will help...having an outlet like blogging will also be very good for me!  Sorry for such a ramble but I had a lot of share obviously!  I hope I haven't lost any readers...but if I have I am sorry and maybe I will gain some new ones! :)

Have a great Saturday night!  I am having a nice glass of wine by my fire watching some Gilmore Girls overlooking the ocean with my kitty... perfect!

Fresh is Best

Is everyone else in Victoria absolutely dying over this amazing weather we've been having? It's absolutely phenomenal!  We are supposed to break some records today and hopefully it keeps up! So far so good :) 

So, after Francis and I finished lazing around yesterday afternoon we had some lunch.  He had the locally made, FRESH herb pasta we bought yesterday with a rose sauce (to die for) and I whipped up a  nice big salad.  

Same as yesterday but with grated beets and parsnip, basil infused olive oil and a poached egg on top.  I wasn't patient enough to cook it over the stove so I microwaved it? Has anyone done that before? It was a scary experience...a few explosions were involved.

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving around West Saanich, stopping at a few farms/markets along the way...just to see what they had to offer this time of year.  Nothing exciting as of yet but strawberry picking season is next month (TRYING TO CONTROL MY EXCITEMENT).  We also drove into Oak Bay to get a new house plant...I killed our love fern...yet again...

When we got home, Francis watched the hockey game and I got my bikini on and laid out in the sun to soak in some rays.  It felt amazing!  I didn't have sunscreen on so I didn't stay out very long...but I am going to be buying some this week so that I can stay out longer next time!  My pasty legs need some vitamin D.

At about 5 pm I whipped up some dins.  Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon, brown rice and a HUGE green salad for me.

His - Sans the salad.

Hers.  His just looked much prettier than mine...  The salmon was pretty tasty, but I have to admit I am a HUGE seafood snob.  I grew up in the salmon capital of the world and we ate fresh salmon all the time.  We would go out on our family boat, put down the prawn and crab traps and then go salmon fishing, sometimes stopping at our favourite islands for a swim along the way (in the summer of course).

We would bring our catch of the day (Summer Spring's are my favourite salmon) home and cook it that night.  Talk about fresh, right?  The toppings were always simple. Salt, pepper and dill or fresh garlic and lemon or sun dried tomatoes.  We always used very fresh ingredients to compliment the fish not mask it like this recipe did.  This salmon also tasted quite fishy, which SUPER fresh fish does not...BUT...it was pretty good but I don't think I will make it again.

Dessert was, as you know, Rhubarb Crisp.  Topped with vanilla ice cream!  One word: Incredible.

Today, Britta and I went to Elk Lake at 6:30 am for a 12 km run.  The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, it was quiet and the air smelled fresh and sweet.  It was a great way to start the day!  Breakfast was a simple bowl of flax flakes cereal topped with some strawberries and banana! Mmmm mmmm good.  I really wanted a nice, cold smoothie but forgot to freeze a banana last night (fail), so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow!

Now get out there and enjoy the sunshine!

xo

Update and a VERY Special Birthday Wish

I know, I know...I have been MIA for over a month! Isn't that crazy?  I definitely missed my time away from you all and am super happy to be back in action!  Not a lot has been going on with me lately...just enjoying life as much as I possibly can! Going to fitness classes I've never been to before (bodybump, step and sculpt and ZUMBA), running, working and hanging out with some of my fav. peeps.  So pretty much the same as always... before I get into the goods, I'd like to wish a very special person a Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful, inspirational and just plain wonderful woman I know.  I love you more than words can say, mom and if I can be half the woman you are I will be one lucky lady.

Now onto yesterday.  It was a great day! Actually...I think it's safe to say that it was one of the best days I've had in awhile.  I didn't do anything that most people would find exciting but for those of you who know me know that I live for the simple things!

I started off my day nice and early at about 6:30 am.  I got up, enjoyed some breakfast and headed out the door bright and early grocery shopping!  I stopped by the Rootcellar first, which has recently been renovated and expanded and is absolutely AMAZING!  I was actually happy that I was shopping by myself because I could take my sweet time looking at each and every product that they had to offer, and I did.  TONS of local meat, bread, produce and dairy products!

After about an hour of looking around the market, I grabbed an americano from the bakery next door and headed over to Thrifties to get a few things.  Let me tell ya...Thrifties looked terrible compared to the Rootcellar so I spent about 10 minutes in there and was out as quick as possible.  Next on my list (yes, I made a list of the order of where to go...let me explain...you see...all of the places I wanted to go opened at different times so I started with the places that opened first and that would have the best selection/deals before I head to the other stores)

My last THREE stops were Lifestyles (always a favourite), Costco (mostly for the gum) and Fairway for the few things left on my grocery list (still wasn't able to get everything - who would have thought that raw, frozen prawns would be so hard to come by).

When I got home I immediately cleaned out and restocked the fridge.  Boston was also super excited by all of the fresh goods!

I think I might have got a TAD over excited by all of the deals and great produce that I found...but it will definitely get eaten.  Francis and I love us some fully loaded salads, especially this time of year!

While I was putting the groceries away I sipped on this Hint Fizz.  I hadn't tried one before but I'll surely be getting one again!  Zero cal, zero sugar, all natural! I'll take it ;)

After all of the groceries were put away I made some stewed rhubarb sweetened with agave.  $12  worth of rhubarb = a crap load of rhubarb.  I froze a few containers, have one in the fridge to mix in with my greek yogurt AND a huge container of raw stuff left, which I will use up tonight in a crisp!

In the afternoon, Francis and I went for a walk around Thetis Lake and then made a pit stop at Young Young's Tea House for a "Bubble Tea" aka fruit slushie with little jelly goobers in the bottom.  We both used to get these about twice a month when we lived in that area but hadn't had one in years.  They totally hit the spot.  They were even better than I remember.  I had a mango with coconut jelly and Francis had peach with passion fruit poppers.

Read the fine print.  "Warning: Please be careful not to choke while sucking on the pearls or jellies." How hilarious is that?  I guess you can never be TOO safe...

When we got home we relaxed, watched some hockey (I watched Full House ;) and made up some yummy salads for dins.

Pre washed romaine hearts (best invention EVER), strawberries, cucumber, grape tomatoes, avocado, natural chicken deli meat, fig goat cheese, strawberry balsamic reduction and pepper.  WOW! That's a mouthful.  It was so flippin' fresh and delicious. Mmmm...K, I'm hungry now!

This morning I was woken up early with a nice fury butt all up in my grill (classy, Boston, real classy) so I got up...which I was planning on doing whether Boston stuck his tush in my face or not.  I thought about going for a run at the lake again..but I really wasn't feeling up to it.  Because I pushed myself so many mornings during half marathon training I am really enjoying listening to my body and doing something active when I feel like it, which, luckily for me, is most days!  

Instead of a run...I made myself a really yummy breaky: greek yogurt, banana, strawbs, stewed rhubarb and a local granola I found in the bulk section at Lifestyles.  I'm happy I only got about 1/2 cup because I'm not lovin' it.  Nothing beats homemade granola, am I right?

After breakfast Francis and I headed out to the Rootcellar again to get a few more things...okay okay...I just wanted to look around at everything again!  We came home with some local chipotle turkey sausages, local fresh pasta, local root beer (for Franny Bear), and a beet and parsnip for salads.

I also wanted to grab a coffee at the bakery next door...and Francis saw a HUGE cupcake that he just had to have for his breakfast! "It's Saturday" he said.  I like the way you think!

This afternoon we are going to do some research on biking trails around here so we can go on a bike ride.  The weather is amazing and we both have the day off together.  We've gotta take advantage of it!  Hoping to do something fun tonight as well but only time will tell what our crazy selves will be up to...stay tuned!

Biscotti Love

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Nicole and I decided to spend the afternoon baking biscotti.  It was a pretty grey day and there was no better way to spend it.  Catching up, drinking tea and baking! Perfect!

I think we probably went a tad overboard...we made 4 different kinds.  Mint Chocolate, Butterscotch, Lemon Lavender White Chocolate, Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate.

We didn't want to play around with such a simple, delicious cookie.  There are so many ways to lighten up these recipes, which I have done in the past, but why change something that is already so perfect.  Plus, biscotti's are actually quite a low calorie cookie that you can feel good about treating yourself to!

Lemon Lavender White Chocolate

(adapted from Bon-Bon Bonnie's Lavender/Lemon Biscotti

Light and refreshing, with a hint of sweetness from the white chocolate.  The perfect afternoon treat to have with your cup of tea.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp dried lavender blossoms

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Process sugar and lavender blossoms in food processor until a fine powder forms.
2. Cream butter and sugar in your stand mixer or large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix well.

3. Add all dry ingredients (except white chocolate chips) to your stand mixer, or a large bowl.  Combine well.
4.  Add dry to wet.
5. Mix until well combined.
6.  Add white chocolate chips.
7.  Split dough into 2.
8. Form each section of dough into a log, approx. 10 inches long, 3 inches wide.
9.  Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or use your silpat) for 20-25 minutes until corners are brown and crispy.  The centre will be soft.
10.  Remove from oven, cut into ~3/4 inch-1 inch slices.
11.  Place slices on their side and bake for ~10 minutes on each side.
12.  Remove from oven, allow to cool, and serve with your favourite cup of tea.  My personal favourite is red rose with milk :)

Butterscotch Biscotti

We used a plain biscotti recipe and just added 1-1/2 cups of butterscotch chips.  These are so beyond amazing.  Words can't even describe.  These were the first to go out of my freezer...

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix well.

3. Add all dry ingredients (except butterscotch chips) to your stand mixer, or a large bowl.  Combine well.
4.  Add dry to wet.
5. Mix until well combined.
6.  Add butterscotch chips.
7.  Split dough into 2.
8. Form each section of dough into a log, approx. 10 inches long, 3 inches wide.
9.  Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or use your silpat) for 20-25 minutes until corners are brown and crispy.  The centre will be soft.
10.  Remove from oven, cut into ~3/4 inch-1 inch slices.
11.  Place slices on their side and bake for ~10 minutes on each side.
12.  Remove from oven, allow to cool.

Pistachio Cranberry Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Full of some seriously delicious ingredients.  The pistachios add a nice crunch, cranberries add a nice chew and the dark chocolate adds a nice richness to these yummy cookies.  

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted pistachios
1/2-1 cup dried cranberries
1/2-1 cup dark chocolate chips



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix well.

3. Add all dry ingredients (except pistachios, cranberries, and chocolate chips) to your stand mixer, or a large bowl.  Combine well.
4.  Add dry to wet.
5. Mix until well combined.
6.  Add dark chocolate chips, pistachios, cranberries.
7.  Split dough into 2.
8. Form each section of dough into a log, approx. 10 inches long, 3 inches wide.
9.  Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or use your silpat) for 20-25 minutes until corners are brown and crispy.  The centre will be soft.
10.  Remove from oven, cut into ~3/4 inch-1 inch slices.
11.  Place slices on their side and bake for ~10 minutes on each side.
12.  Remove from oven, allow to cool.

Chocolate Mint Biscotti
adapted from Honest Cooking's Double Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti

'Nuf said.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-2 tsp peppermint extract (we used 2)
1 cup mint chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix well.

3. Add all dry ingredients (except mint chocolate chips) to your stand mixer, or a large bowl.  Combine well.
4.  Add dry to wet.
5. Mix until well combined.
6.  Add mint chocolate chips.
7.  Split dough into 2.
8. Form each section of dough into a log, approx. 10 inches long, 3 inches wide.
9.  Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or use your silpat) for 20-25 minutes until corners are brown and crispy.  The centre will be soft.
10.  Remove from oven, cut into ~3/4 inch-1 inch slices.
11.  Place slices on their side and bake for ~10 minutes on each side.
12.  Remove from oven, allow to cool.

A few stragglers...

Sooooooo...I'm sorry I waited so long to post these recipes.  I just thought it was going to take much longer than it really did.  I hope you guys make at least one of these recipes.  They are too good to pass up.  

All right...I am off to continue my relaxing day.  The couch is calling my name! Trying to get as much rest in as I can before the COMOX VALLEY HALF MARATHON this Sunday! EEK so soon.  

xo

Pesto Minestrone Soup with Turkey "Meatballs"

All right.  Get ready for it.  Minestrone soup with turkey meatballs, pesto and white wine.  Yes, you heard me right.  I made this soup, or rather  a variation of it, with my mom over the Christmas holidays.  It was absolutely delicious when we made it then...but I must say, it was even BETTER this time around.  Dare I say...the best soup I have ever made? Yes, I dare...  So Mom, make it again and you'll see what I mean!

It's a variation off of the Barefoot Contessa's Winter Minestrone soup, which I posted at Christmas time, but will repost now because it is quite different from the original version.

Pesto Minestrone Soup with Turkey "Meatballs"

inspired by the Barefoot Contessa's Winter Minestrone

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion

2 cups diced carrots (~3)

2 cups diced celery (~3)

2 1/2 cups sweet potato/yam

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)

1 tsp dried thyme (2 tsp fresh chopped thyme)

4 italian turkey sausages (cut into 1/2 inch wide pieces)

26 ounce diced tomatoes (partially drained)

6 - 8 cups of vegetable stock (depending on how think you want it.  You can always add more so I'd start with less)

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans/white navy beans, drained and rinsed

2-3 cups chopped spinach

1/2 cup good quality dry white wine (this is key)

3 tbsp basil pesto

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat, add onion, carrots, celery, sweet potato/yam, garlic, thyme and turkey sausages.  Stirring occasionally, cook until vegetables begin to soften.  

2. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until the veggies are tender and ready to eat.

4. Discard the bay leaf, add the cannellini beans, chopped spinach, white white and pesto.

5.  Cook for another couple of minutes until it is heated through.

6.  Serve and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  

This soup is extremely comforting and satisfying, yet it is extremely healthy.  Because of this, it doesn't leave you feeling heavy.  The turkey meatballs add a wonderful element, as the sausage pieces puff up into small meatball like thingers as they cook.  For those local Victorian's out there, I bought my local turkey sausages from Lifestyle Markets.

If there is ONE thing you ever choose to make on my blog...this should be it.  It's THAT good!  This coming from a lady with very high standards when it comes to food...

Citrus Kale Salad

Salads.  Where do I begin... I seriously love you.  I love how simple, yet complex you can be.  You are versatile, delicious and can be extremely healthy and satisfying.  You also take a long time to eat...and let's face it, who doesn't love a meal that takes a long time to eat...unless of course you are in a hurry, then you might not be the best choice, but in general you are fantastic!

Last week I was having dinner at Rebar with my friend, Nicole and we got to talking about kale.  Vegetables and cooking usually take up about 80% of our conversations but kale hadn't been talked about much lately.  Now, I love kale...but I haven't bought it in months.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I was just a little bored with it.  Regardless, as soon as she said the word "kale" I couldn't get it out of my mind.  I had to have some right away.  I bought a few heads of organic kale at the grocery store the next day and decided to make a large raw kale salad for my weekly lunches.

HOLYYYYYY I am so incredibly happy that I did.  I haven't been this excited about my lunches/meals in such a long time and it is really refreshing to feel that way.  I love looking forward to a yummy meal.  I wanted to incorporate some kind of citrus, because oranges are so delicious right now.  This isn't really a recipe because I made a large batch of the kale and a separate container of the hazelnut topping and have been making different varieties as I go along.  But, here's the recipe for the dressing I used.

Citrus Kale Salad
inspired by TumblrRumblr's Kale Salad

I started off by ripping up and washing my kale.  Then I drizzled some organic extra virgin olive oil on top, dusted it with course salt and freshly ground pepper and massaged it.  Yes, you heard that right...I massaged my kale.  Everyone needs a little lovin' from time to time ;)

I then mixed up the following ingredients in my magic bullet.  You can use a blender as well.

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1-2 dates (1 medjool)

1/2 tsp coarse salt

Next, I poured this on top of the kale and massaged again.  I let this sit overnight.  It breaks down the kale and makes it softer, not as chewy, and easier to digest!

In my magic bullet, again you can use your food processor or another blender, I pulsed 1/3 cup roasted, peeled hazelnuts (they can be raw with their skins on too) and ~6 dates until they were coarsely chopped.

In the morning, when I was putting my lunch together, I put the kale in a to-go container, topped it with some plain chicken breast, the hazelnut date mixture and some reduced balsamic vinegar. AMAZING. PHENOMENAL. TO DO FOR. FANTASTIC. INCREDIBLE... okay, I think you get the picture.

Today, I did the same, but I added on some basil vinaigrette, blueberries and feta cheese.  Seriously? Too good...I am craving it already and I ate it only a few hours ago.  Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow...  Oh well, at least I have something to look forward to :-)

Inspiration

For some reason I really felt like writing an inspirational post.  So time for a little ramble...get prepared.  Sometimes I feel like we get bogged down by the pressures we face in our daily lives.  We let little things get to us and we stress ourselves out over things that really don't matter.  And for what? What's the point? Over the years, I have really gotten to know myself and understand how I function on a day to day basis. What makes me happy and what doesn't.  

I definitely try to incorporate the little things that make me happy on a daily basis no matter how small they may be.  I enjoy every single day because of these things.  Of course, I don't enjoy ever second of every day, and like many of you there are always things that I would like to change but can't.  I don't let any of these things bother me.  Things I have no control over.  Things that really don't matter.  If something like this does happen, I stop and think about what it is that is upsetting me at that very moment and ask myself "is it really worth it?" and my answer is usually "No."  

Not only do I no longer let the small things bother me, but I also try to approach every day and everything that happens throughout the day with a positive and optimistic perspective. 

I wake up every morning, some days a tad more tired than others, and know that today is going to be a great day.  How do I know it is going to be great? Because I am going to make it that way!  I have control over it.  I focus on positive thinking and enjoying the little things that make me tick.  My morning runs with awesome people (Britta and Max), the nice clothes that I am so lucky to own, having access to wonderful food, the great apartment I live in, my little Victoria family (shout out to Francis and Boston, my kitty), talking to my friends and family who live away from here, the delicious breakfast I always make myself, my health, my coffee/tea pitstop before work, my co-workers/owners smiling faces, watching my favourite shows, listening to great music...and the list goes on and on.  

I want to live a happy and fulfilled life and in order to do so I truly believe that we should stop and smell the roses.  It's amazing how the bad things start to fade when we focus on the good things in our lives.

So tomorrow, I urge you all to start your day on a positive note.  Tell yourself "today is going to be a GREAT day."  Be optimistic.  Find beauty in the small things and get out there and enjoy your life...it's the only one you have so make it the best it can possibly be :)

Ramble officially ended.

Weekly Glory

This past week was definitely a great one!  I worked Monday-Friday and ran before work on Tuesday and Weds, which I thoroughly enjoyed!  I wasn't feel well on Thursday so I decided to skip the run.  Thursday afternoon I went to a ladies luncheon for my dad's work and it was seriously lovely.  My mom and I ate some delicious food, including this sparkly little bad boy below, listened to wonderful female speakers, watched a fashion show and got some free goods! What could be better?

ALMOST too pretty to eat.  I said almost...

On Saturday morning, I met Britta and Max for a nice and easy 7 km run followed by a delicious americano at Cafe Fantastico!  After I got back and showered up, my mom and I decided to do a little bit of shopping and then met with the boys for some delicious lunch at Rebar (where else?).  We spent the afternoon lazing around and in the evening we left the boys to their hockey game and went to watched Silver Linings Playbook (SO FLIPPING GOOD. GO SEE IT NOW).  

Sunday was another AMAZING day.  We started our day off by going to Willie's Bakery and Cafe on Lo Jo.  I have gone past here hundreds of times...get my hair done right beside it, eat and shop all the way around it and yet I've never gone in.  So, we decided to check it out after Britta recommended it to me!  Holy moly was it ever good!  I wasn't sure what to order...there were so many amazing things on the menu and I was very excited...so I started off with an americano and decided on the cinnamon raisin french toast.  I had 2 slices and left the 3rd for Francis.  Stuffed to the brim!

My mom got the pancakes (BEST I HAVE EVER HAD OUT), an egg and sausage.  

Francis got the huevos rancheros, what else?  Isn't he handsome?

After breakfast my mom and I headed to Costco to get some goods.  It was so busy that we were in and out as fast as we could.

Goods from Costco: yogurt, hummus, mango, lettuce, blackberries, tomatoes, organic eggs and a melon.  The only things that aren't pictured are pears, oranges and chicken.

We spent the afternoon relaxing at home.  I had a quick lay down and then met Britta for our long run around 4 pm.  We were set up to do 13-14 km but by the time we got to 14 we weren't back to the car yet and it was getting dark and a tad sketchy so we decided to keep running...since we got to the car at 14.7 km we decided to even it out and stop at 15 km!  It was an absolutely fantastic run...and we both agreed that we could have kept going, which is always THE BEST feeling :-)  I was definitely feeling amazing after this run.  Had a HUGE smile on my face for the rest of the night and just feel so fortunate, giddy and just plain great!!!!  For more info on my half marathon training, check out my Workouts page.

When I got home I had a little facetime sesh with my sis, snacked on some mango and made some delicious dinner.  Garam Masala Yogurt Chicken it was!!!

Garam Masala Yogurt Chicken

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

3 gloves garlic, minced

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp tumeric

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

3/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 cup grape/cherry tomatoes

2-3 chicken breasts

Directions

1. Put 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add in onion, garlic and ginger.  Cook until onion is soft.

2.  Add in spices and cook for about 2 mins.

3.  Turn down heat to low/medium.  Wait for a minute or so until it cools down and then add in the yogurt stirring frequently until it is well combined with other ingredients.

4.  Cut tomatoes in half and add them to the mixture.  Cut up chicken breast into strips or bite size pieces and add them in as well.

5.  Stir to combine all ingredients, and cover with a lid.  On medium heat, allow chicken to steam for about 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 mins.

6. Serve over grain of choice, top with greek yogurt!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!  Here is my FAVOURITE song right now.  Feel free to get up and dance to it...you know you wanna ;)