PHAB Lifestyle A blog dedicated to a healthy balance

Why Hello!  So happy that today is Friday and also that it is a long weekend to boot!  I started off my morning with a delicious bowl of oats today!

As you can see it had a generous sprinkling of chia seeds on top.  This bowl was extra yummy this morning.  I was pretty hungry and it hit the spot!

Into the pot went:

• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1 cup water
• cinnamon
• 1/2 small banana
• 1/8 cup of egg whites mixed in at the end

My toppings:

• the rest of the banana
• 2Tbs of Chocolate PB2
• 1 generous sprinkle of chia seeds

It was delish!

On my way to work today I stopped and treated myself to Starbucks….a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte..super yummy.  I did not snap a picture because it was pretty dark out still.

On my lunch break today I did my weekly shop at the Farmers Market.  I love going there and picking out fresh veggies for the week.

I picked up:

• Organic grape tomatoes
• Organic carrots
• Organic red peppers (2)
• Organic Gala apples (3)
• Zucchini (not organic because they were way too small and a tad pricy)
• Organic Free Range Chicken

I plan on roasting the Chicken on Monday for my lunches for the week.  I picked up a roasted chicken from the grocery store last week and it was tiny and cost 9 bucks.  This will be better plus the this chicken is way bigger than that one and it is from a local farm.  I really like being able to by local products.

I also got some spices from this great place called The Silk Road they grind the spices themselves and buy in small batches to ensure freshness.  They had so many great spices to choose from but I got these two for now.

Herbes de Provence and Korintje Cinnamon.  The Cinnamon smells amazing! I can’t wait to put in my oats tomorrow.  The Herbes de Provence also smells unbelievable and I think I might use it to season my roast chicken!

Tonight for supper I was on my own but that did not stop me from having pizza.  But tonight there was no compromise…I got to have it my way!

The toppings tonight were:

• tomato sauce for the base
• tiny bit of the leftover roast chicken
• artichoke hearts
• broccoli
• mushrooms
• grape tomatoes
• onion
• mozza cheese

It was so yummy…I was starving and it tasted great!

I may have had more!

While I munched I started watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies!  It is so exciting to be having the games in Canada again.  I live in Calgary and I remember when we had the Olympics here in 1988.  Gosh that seems so very long ago.  I was just a teenager but I remember it so well.  I went to a few of the events and the excitement here was incredible.  I can just imagine it is the same way in Vancouver right now.

So far I have really enjoyed watching the TV coverage.  They have been putting on quite the show so far.  So this weekend I will have the TV on and try and catch some of the events while I go about my day.  I like watching the hockey, downhill skiing, curling and ice skating.

Right now I am going to curl up on the couch and watch the rest of the program and then hit the hay. 

Good night!

I have been fighting a cold off and on now since Christmas!  It started with a bit of a cold then I started to cough and have been coughing ever since.  I did go to the doctor and got an inhaler for my cough which seemed to help.  Once I got that under control I got a head cold with a stuffy nose!  BAH…so frustrating!  I am starting to get better now and I THINK I just might be seeing the end of this blecky sick feeling…thank goodness!

Top it all off my workouts have been sporadic at best!  I am started to feel so frumpy.  I need the great energy surge I get from a great workout!  But it has been mighty hard to do when I don’t get the quality sleep that I am used to.  So it makes it extra hard to get up in the morning.  I have been fine with the fact that I need my body to rest and get better before I go back to a full tilt workout at 4:30 am.  Just taking one day at a time.

So I have been trying really hard to watch what I have been eating.  So tonight it was fish again but of a different type.

Tasty scallops done by simply pan frying them with a little olive oil and just salt and pepper on them for seasoning.

I also made some stir fry asparagus and zucchini plus parmesan risotto.  It was a delicious supper!

The scallops were moist and sweet.  They don’t take long to cook so it made for a quick meal.

I also squeezed some lemon on the scallops before taking them out of the pan.  I love lemon on seafood it tastes awesome!

It was light but satisfying!

Now my plan for tonight is to go to bed early enough to get some sleep and TRY and get up tomorrow for a morning workout.  We will see…

Catch ya later!

I am slowly finding some time to blog here and there.  Still sporadically but at least I am trying

Supper tonight was totally healthy and totally yummy!

I have been on a big salmon kick lately and that is what I whipped up for supper tonight.

I marinated the salmon filet in 1T of Dijon mustard, 2T of Tamari, 1T of olive oil and 1tsp of crushed garlic.  I cooked it in my grill pan and it turned out so delicious!  Crisp on the outside but moist on the inside.

I had it with some sautéed asparagus and zucchini seasoned with Sundried Tomato and Herb.

and a big bowl of salad with cucumber and tomatoes.

 

It was veggie packed and it tasted great!

 

Well I think tonight I am going to try and hit the hay early!

Good night….

So today I got a taste of what life will be like once I am home full-time looking after J.  It was a good day actually.  I got up at 6am and took a shower and then had breakfast.  I am still fighting a cold so a nice hot shower felt so good this morning.

My lovely bowl of overnight oats!  Love this stuff it is just so darn yummy!  Plus it is so easy!

• 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Muesli
• 2T rolled oats
• 1T chia seeds
• 4 oz of plain yogurt
• 1tsp of cinnamon
• 2/3 cup Vanilla Almond Milk

Combine all this in a bowl and stick it in the fridge overnight.  In the morning add a few toppings and you have a quick and wonderfully tasty breakfast!

Then I got J up and he had some breakfast of cereal and banana…one of his favourites.  Then we ran out the door to do a few quick arrons before J’s therapist came over.

We had a pretty busy morning.  Once I put J down for his nap after lunch I got busy doing a few things.

Like fold towels.

and bake cookies!

My stock of Super Charge Me Cookies had been done days ago and I was do to replenish it!

I just love these cookies and the best part is I don’t feel totally guilty eating them!  With the good wholesome ingredients they have it is a bonus.

Hot out of the oven!

Of course my afternoon snack was on of these yummy cookies!

Nom…nom….nom…

Dinner tonight is going to be good old comfort food since it is quite chilly out today.

I am making a super easy beef stew from an issue of Cooking Light.  It is in the oven right now and it sure is starting to smell awesome in my kitchen!

Well better get going sounds like J is waking up.

Our culinary experience last night a Rush restaurant was incredibly good!  The restaurant itself is very romantic and cozy for such a large space.   The tasting menu at this restaurant has a choice of what you would like but instead of making a choice of the two that they had for each course they just served one to the hubs and one to me so we could taste it all!  It was a great way to do it.

plus the service was impeccable!

When we sat down to our table I was giving a cute little purse hook to hang my purse on.

They think of everything!

We started with some water.

I had sparkling and the hubs still.

We were also served the most delicious mini breads.

A cute little brioche and a chewy fig and rosemary bread.  Yum! 

First up they served us an amuse boche of a small tuna cake.  It was very good.

After this the tasting menu moved along at a pretty good pace but not too fast.  They had it timed quite good and there was not a long wait between courses.

First Course:

This was served with a really nice white wine that I cannot remember the name of and did not snap a picture of…oops!

This was a cantaloupe reduction with prosciutto ham in the middle.  It was an interesting way of having it.  It was very refreshing and tasted wonderful.

Second Course:

Two wines for this one.  They did a small pour of each.  One was a red and the other a white.  They were both delicious!

I was giving the pouched octopus this was to go with the white wine.

The octopus was cooked to perfection and was not at all tuff.  It was served with olives and squid ink croutons.  It was so good.

Hubs got the white bean ravioli to go with the red.  This had the most delicious ham sauce on it.  It was rich tasting and the red wine went with it wonderfully to cut the richness of the dish.

We each at half and then switched. 

Third Course:

A lovely red wine to go with suckling pig with apple and brussel sprouts.  This also had the crispy skin with it too…I did taste that as well.

and a very tender beef medallion with a very tasty gravy.  Sorry I cannot describe this better as the tasting menu changes all the time and the descriptions online are not the same as what we had last night.

Needless to say this was also very good.  I did however prefer the beef over the pork. 

Fourth Course:

Another lovely white wine to go with this.

Sesame crusted sable fish with Swiss chard and a carrot broth.  This dish was sooooo GOOD!  The fish was tender and flaky with a perfect crust of sesame.  Loved it!

Fifth Course:

We took a picture while waiting.

This was a cheese course and was served with a port.

It was so good.  It was spicy and had a lovely caramel flavour.  It was great with the cheese.

We dug in right away and almost forgot to take a picture.  But also by this time a lot of wine was consumed and we were starting to get a bit goofy!  This was a mini fondue type dish with the most awesome crackers to put it on.  It was pretty cheezy and rich!

Finishing up the wine from my last course!  Chug…chug!

Palate Cleanser:

They placed a pair of scissors in front of us…interesting…….

To cut open this.  A freezy of pureed passion fruit.  It was so darn yummy!  The server said that the chef was being a bit cheeky serving it this way.  But it was fun!

We thoroughly enjoyed it!

It was a great way to get prepared for dessert!

Sixth Course:

Finally dessert and it was a good one!

Served with a dessert wine that the server described as a fancy fruit juice as the alcohol content was very low.  It was very good and so was the dessert!

A chocoholics paradise!  Chocolate sorbet, Hazelnut chocolate cake and a flourless chocolate cake.  It was all so very good.  The Hazelnut chocolate cake was my favourite it tasted more like a brownie and I loved it!  By this time I was getting pretty full and had to leave bit of the sorbet and a few bites of the flourless cake left.  I just could not fit anymore in my tummy.

Cheers!  To a wonderful dinner!

We had a great time and my Dad was kind enough to pick us up and drive us home.  Thanks Dad!

I however, did wake up this morning feeling a little worse for wear that is for sure.  I don’t usually drink that much wine so I was a bit dehydrated and hurting.  Plus I now have a cold thanks to J.

We have been having a really hard time kicking the colds out of our house!  I sure am hoping it ends soon!

Well I am stuffed up and coughing…I think a hot bath is in order for me!

Night!

Things will be changing for me in the next few months and I will have to make adjustments.  As of April 1st I will be becoming a stay at home Mom for good.  We made the big decision of me quitting my career and taking care of J full-time.  He needs a lot of care and who better than Mommy to do it!

I admit I am excited but also it will take me some time to get used to the idea that my job is going to be different than the office job I have been doing for about 20 years!  So there you have it that is one of the changes as of late and it is a big one.

Also I bought a new lens for my camera

A Canon 50mm f/1.8 II and let me tell you I LOVE it!  It takes great pictures for the blog.

This morning I tried something new for breakfast.  Overnight oats.  I have seen them around a lot of blogs and thought I needed to give it a try.

I used Bob’s Red Mill Muesli as the base and added:

• 1/3 cup muesli
• 2T rolled oats
• 1T chia seeds
• 4 oz of plain yogurt
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2/3 cup Vanilla Almond milk

For toppings I put 2 dried apricots diced, 1T of walnuts and 1T of granola with a dollop of pumpkin butter on top.  This was so darn good!  I ate it all up and practically licked the bowl clean!  I can’t wait to have it again.  This one is a keeper!  I got the idea from The Edible Perspective…thanks girl!

Breakfast this morning was also enjoyed with a cup of fresh French press coffee. Delightful!

This afternoon lunch was a veggie feast!

I took a spaghetti squash and roasted it up.  Scooped the half the flesh into a bowl and proceeded to top it with roasted brussel sprouts, broccoli and red pepper and for dressing I made the best “cheeze” ever!  Thank you Mae for sharing your amazing recipe!

I also added some very ripe avocado as well! YUM! This was so very tasty!  I have more for tomorrow too.

This evening the hubs and I are going on a date night!  We are heading out for a fancy smancy dinner at a restaurant called Rush.  We purchased an Exclusive tasting menu for two including wine from a silent auction and we are using it tonight.  I love having meals like this they are always so good.  At least in my experience anyway. 

So come by tomorrow to see if I was right!

Ta..Ta…for now!

Why hello there!  Thought that maybe I was gone forever??  Nahhhhh…just a little hiatus as life has been pretty busy!

Our morning started out a little crazy!  J woke us up at 5:15 this morning gasping for air and a barking cough…YUP he has croup!  Of course since he has never had this before it naturally scared Mommy and Daddy to death so we took him to the hospital where it was confirmed as croup.  He got a dose of medicine and should be fine in about 48 hours.  It sure started my day off from work with a bang!

J is doing fine now but still sounds horse and a bit barky.  He is staying home from his play school today.

When we got home from the hospital I made J some breakfast of Cherrios and banana his favourite which he ate right up.

I drank my coffee from Tim’s which we picked up on the way home…I needed it after being up pretty darn early unexpectedly!

After J was done eating I made myself a little breakfast of banana oats. Yummm….

In the mix was:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 banana
• cinnamon
• splash of vanilla
• 1/8 cup egg whites (whisked in at the end)
• Toppings – strawberries, raw coconut, glob of Almond Butter and sprinkle of hempseed It was delish!

I also made sure to take my vitamins this morning…we have been a sickly bunch this winter!

What a crazy morning….but this afternoon I am heading to the spa with my friends for an afternoon of relaxation with a massage and pedicures!  Daddy will be looking after the little man so mommy can relax!

Well time for me to have some play time with my little pea!

Time sure files!  J is already 3 years old today!  It sure has been fun and he has grown into his own neat little person.  Life with J is never dull that is for sure.

He started out so small.

He barely fit into his car seat to take him home from the hospital.

Sleeping was his number one favourite thing to do in the beginning.

Being his happy little self with chubby cheeks.

Making faces with Daddy.

 

Mugging for the camera.

Showing off his cool leather jacket.

Sporting his new glasses…looking like a professor.

Enjoying the view out the window.

Testing out his new sled that Grandma and Grandpa got him for Christmas this year.  He had a great time.

 

I can’t believe out little man is already 3 years old.  Happy Birthday Sweety Pea!  Mommy and Daddy love you lots!

Sweet Potato hummus actually.  I found a recipe in Body + Soul magazine’s last issue and since I had a sweet potato that needed to be eaten up I gave the recipe a whirl!

I love this magazine for it’s healthy approach to living.  I buy it quite often.

 

I was interested in trying this recipe with the sweet potato plus I would have something to dip my pita chips into.

Simple ingredients.

All in the food processor.

I gave it a whirl for about a couple a minutes and had to use some water to thin it out a little as it was pretty thick.

But it turned out light and fluffy and pretty creamy.  Plus it makes quite a bit.  I will have hummus for the week now.

The taste was really good.  I am usually not a huge fan of cumin but it tasted really good in this hummus.

I had some of the pita chips and hummus as a pre-dinner treat.

While I was snacking I made J some supper.  We were not very hungry yet so I made something quick for my little man.

I went with breakie for supper.  I made him a little spinach and cheese omelette, toast with a smear of pumpkin butter and a kiwi.  He enjoyed it all…cleaned it up.

Our supper tonight was quick and easy as well.

My favourite Amy’s Pizza but I “beefed” it up a little.  Love this pizza it is so darn good!

I added some shredded roasted chicken and spinach and just a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

I had three small pieces along with some steamed broccoli.  It was scrumptious doused in Franks Red Hot.

Dessert was consumed a short time later…a small cup of caramel pecan fro-yo.  So yummy!

Now after a warm bath I think I will prepare myself a cup of hot water and lemon and cozy into bed with a book.

Night!

This afternoon I took a little walk in the cold but sunny outdoors.  It was relaxing and very refreshing!  We are at about minus 14 today.  I bundle up in my big parka, mitts, scarf and winter boots and was good to go.

It was lovely with the sun shining and the cool crisp air.

I walked on some of the park paths through my neighbourhood.

Took a few pictures while I was walking…it was fun.  We still have a lot of snow.  Plus looks like more is coming during the week.  I would really like a Chinook to melt some of it!

  

I had my Garmin on while walking to get the stats.

I walked 2.33 miles in about 43 minutes.  I was ready to come in as I was getting a little cold.

I warmed up with some decaf green tea and citrus.

 

I love the saying on the Yogi tea tags.  They can be so inspiring.

Now I need to tackle a mountain of laundry! Grufff!

Plus J is waking up from his nap…better go get him!

Adios