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Happy Tuesday Folks!

         Hope you had a great weekend! Mine was pretty chill but with lots of fun stuff mixed in:)

Friday night we opted to stay in and relax. I look forward to Friday nights where we aren't on a schedule and we don't have to worry about getting up early the next morning. Well at least for me as Ry has been working a lot of Saturdays lately. Friday night is also usually fun food night:)

I have been craving CRUNCH so I went with the ever-so-classic rice krispie treats. I love topping them with Averie's killer frosting

Here's an oldie pict that I took at Christmas time when I was re-introduced to these childhood favorites!!! I know Kris is big on the childhood faves right now too:)

Other Krispie treats I'm going to try eventually:

Kris's Crispy Rice Chocolate Raspberry Nests

Angela's Almond Butter Chews

Angela's No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispies with PB fudge

Pretty much everything that comes up when you search "Krispie" on Tastespotting

Meghan's Exploding Marshmallows and Crispy Rice Square

My mouth is watering!! Why do I always tempt myself so much on fasting days?

You know when you see those videos with dogs that sit there with a treat balanced on their nose and they don't eat it until the owner gives them the go-ahead. I feel like that dog hahaha!!

Good thing I still have half a box of cereal left:)

Then Saturday night it was Earth Hour. Did you turn your lights off for one hour?

I found my tealights...all 4 of them and tried to read using my cell phone light. Yes, I couldn't wait to continue reading..more on the book later.

Now to discuss a little topic called removing yourself. I used to go to every function with everyone no matter what. Fun or boring I would laugh (or suffer) through it. Now, I'm a little more choosy. I like to hang around people that are engaging, funny, and that add something to my life. And so when plans come up where I know I'll be putting on the fake smile and  fake conversation all night I usually opt out. That means sometimes I'm stuck at home. But to me it's okay because I'm not in a situation where I'm unhappy. It's difficult when you enter a relationship with someone as their friends become your friends. Most of the time it's great but sometimes you have to make a choice if a group is healthy for you or not. It's not always easy to do as there is a lot at play when it comes to friendships. Yet, this way it's healthier and you will be happier in the end:)

Anyone have experience with "friends by association" and removing yourself?

Now for some eats!! I did eat something besides krispie treats :)

With this veggie stash I made these....

I LOVE rice wraps! I found some small wraps in the back of pantry and these were perfect for a quick meal. Besides veggies some of these had chicken (for the hubby) and marinated tofu for moi. I marinated the tofu in apricot jam , a little rice vinegar, and a touch of soy sauce for around 20 minutes. Super tasty! And of course the fun part of this dinner is dunking these wraps in various sauces.

All are delish but hoisen is one of my top favorite dipping sauces:)

Freshly juiced apples with homemade kombucha:) Awesome!! Just the right amount of sweetness. Especially since this batch of kombucha was left out a bit longer and so it is quite tangy.

Then it was smoothie and book time! Katie was raving about this 4-book series by Scott Westerfeld that begins with the book called Uglies. Naturally I had to pick it up at the library (I'm not a book buyer generally). It's awesome! On-the-edge-of-your-seat-futuristic-yet-current thrill ride and I'm only on page 100!

The "beautifier" smoothie has a frozen banana, frozen organic plums, lucuma, chia seed, ground flax, almond milk, organic spinach, and a sprinkle of raw carob powder. Perfecto! 

What are you reading right now? Do you like reading certain genres? I'm not picky really. I love to read a lot of different types of books because that keeps it fresh and always exciting! I'm a suspense girl but not really a crime/murder reader as they tend to make me a little scared and paranoid. I've noticed that if I watch Criminal Minds (which I find super interesting), I'm super nervous the next day thinking something bad is going to happen to me. I guess I better stick to the Care Bears haha!

Weeeeeeee!!!

I've also been tempted by the Twins and all their socca recipes so I purchased some chickpea (AKA Besan or gram) flour and am going to give some of their recipes a try.



Anyone made socca? What's your favorite?

On the weekend I did something that I haven't done in probably 10 years...I rode a bike!!! I was the recipient of a mountain bike that someone didn't want anymore that's in great shape (who doesn't love free stuff:) and it was sitting in my garage for a couple of months. I don't know why I let it sit that long?? shame on me! Ry and I put both our bikes in my little car (don't have a bike rack yet) and went downtown to one of the most beautiful destinations in Vancouver called Stanley Park.

They have a walkers/joggers lane and a bike/rollerblade lane so you don't have to dodge a lot of people. It's one way too which is awesome! It was so much fun:)

Then last night we decided to get all hardcore and we rode to where I work and back..for a total of 30km. Downhill on the way there, uphill all the way back. It was a great workout!

We rode there for another reason besides a killer leg workout. Basically it was to see if it's doable for me to commute with my bike to work everyday. And guess what, it totally is!!! It took us 45 minutes to get to my workplace and that was with some doddling and sightseeing along the way.

 I'm going to try it tomorrow morning and see how it goes. I do have to ride in some high traffic areas in relative darkness for about 15 minutes of my trip which I'm a little nervous about but I'm taking all the precautions- helmet, reflective gear, bike lights etc.

I'm really excited at the possibility of not having to use my car. In fact, I may totally take it off the road completely. Not only would it be great for the environment and my waistline, I would be saving a significant amount of money every month if I didn't have to buy gas, insurance, oil etc. It's a win, win really!

Do you ride your bike to work? Have you tried it in the past? Any advice?

Last but not least....

The wonderful Nelly gave me an award. Such a sweet lady she is:)

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For the One Lovely Blog Award:



* thank and link the blogger who has given you the award.

* copy and paste the logo in your blog.

* share 7 things about yourself.

* nominate 15 other great bloggers.

* comment and let them know of the award
 
 
7 Things about myself....
 
1. I've never dyed my hair fully. I put streaks in once.
2. I'm very scared of snakes but I can handle spiders
3. I talk to myself often..sometimes aloud!
4. I recently picked up knitting and I love it!
5. I'm afraid to cook without a recipe
6. I love the pool but have to go to my happy place if I use the showers as they gross me out to the point I could gag.
7. I like a plan. I don't like to just show up at someone's house or go for a drive to find dinner.
 
I nominate anyone and everyone who reads my little blog!! Thank you!!
 
Phew, that was a long post!! Hope you have an awesome rest of your day!!

Weekend in the sun!

Hey Everyone!!

               How are you all? Did you have a blast on the weekend?

First off, I wanted to thank you for your support and kind words regarding my interview. You are all so sweet and really help to bring my thoughts back to more positive places and out of the "what if" black hole.  I had a moment of weakness where I thought of everything negative and really brought myself down but I took some deep breaths and continued on to enjoy my weekend!

It was absolutely beautiful here on Saturday and Sunday! I bet you the ski hills were packed:)

Here's a random fact about me: I live within driving distance of 5 great ski hills and I've never visited any of them in the winter to ski, snowboard, or any other activity that involves snow! This is a sad fact, people!! I hope to change this soon. One of the local mountains has these cool events where you snowshoe in to their little lodge. They will host a local band to play for a couple of hours and you can grab a beer, then you snowshoe back! Sounds like a blast to me:)

While everyone was enjoying the powder, I was enjoying the sun downtown by the ocean!!

 I love these chairs!! Although they were a bit too cold to sit in:)

Yes, people this is B.C in the winter! Welcome to the temperate rainforest!

I love the country but one in a while I NEED to come to the city to get my fill. I love the vibe, the scenery, the stores, and of course, the food!

I love how these townhomes are curved!

Then we headed to the heart of the downtown and walked around in the hustle and bustle! Including the beautiful Vancouver Art Gallery. Once I saw those lions I knew I wanted a photo shoot!

 I don't think Aslan would approve of my riding skills!

But hugs make everything better:)

After my visit with Aslan we saw this group..not really sure what there cause was. They also had harmonicas?? It will remain a mystery.

We were planning on taking a tour of the art gallery but the admission price was just too high ( in my opinion). They have a donation night on Tuesday's so we plan on coming back.

Love this building. Sorry for the brightness...no photoshop:(

Lots and lots of great shops on Granville Street! I was on one mission, and one mission only, to find a kettlebell. Unfortunately I failed at my mission. Every fitness store I went to was sold out!!

Listen to the message kids...you don't want to be in Ryan's shoes! Some good scare tactics in the parkade.

Bye Bye big city...until next time!!

As you probably noticed there are no food picts..my bad! We did have a fabulous lunch from Choices market (similar to Whole Foods). I had a Thai noodle salad and Ry had a vegan chili. I also treated myself to some Macasure chocolate and natural licorice. I also had a soy tea misto without the vanilla ( I added honey). Yum this was good! I haven't had one in a long time. PS Saturday was my rewards day so I ate all my faves:)

I'm trying a new technique to combating my sweet tooth that creeps up in the evenings. I'm avoiding the call for sugar for 6 days, then on the 7th day I eat whatever I want. I really like this approach so far and it has been working for me.

Do you designate reward meals or reward days? Or do you simply have a few treats here and there during the week? I find I eat too many sweets at night. I'm not one of those people who can just have one square of chocolate and leave the rest..at least not yet. Eating clean 6 days out of 7 also has a little bit of science behind it that I won't go into here. I'll give that it's own post!

I did cook up some great things this weekend too!

Mexican and Indian spices combine to give this dish super amazing flavor. I added in chili powder, cayenne, paprika, turmeric, and cumin for the spices. The veggies included frozen peas/beans/carrots, orange pepper, and onion. I added in some of my homemade salsa which made this one of the best tasting tofu scrambles yet!

Then for dinner last night I made a delicious acorn squash using the same spice blend as I did for the tofu!

Oh this was good!! I loved the flavor of the spice and squash too. I think that spice blend is a real winner!!

And for dessert on Saturday night it was Averie's Rice Krispie treats. These are so yummy!!

Here's for something different. At Choices Market we found this dairy alternative. It's really quite good. Nice and thick, very similar to the real thing. In fact, it's one of the closest alternatives I've tried so far! If you aren't a fan of coconut don't fret! The coconut flavor is not very strong in this milk at all. I actually would prefer more coconut flavor, but that's just me!

Have you tried it? What did you think?

On Sunday night I finally saw Black Swan. Fantastic movie!!  I love movies that can keep me guessing!! Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis were exceptional. The weight loss that both of these already-thin girls had to do for the film was pretty extreme. If you have seen the movie, you know what Natalie's back looked like and it's not pretty. I was never in dance so I don't know about the pressures in the ballet industry first hand. All I know is what I've read and seen in the media. Considering this I can only imagine the pressure to be thin is very high. Yet, there is another greater theme to the movie that I won't talk about right now as the movie is still in theatres and I don't want to spoil it for you:)

Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts?

Have a great rest of your day!!