Did the Earth Suddenly Stop?

     This Monday will be a monumental day, even if it's only in my world.  Bryn, yes the very one I married, is going vegetarian.  This may not seem like a big deal but in my reality it's a big deal!  It's only for one week but still a big deal.  Bryn has been on a high protein/low carb diet for over ten years, which means he eats a lot of meat.  I like to think the recent changes in my diet and overall health had something to do with him deciding to go vegetarian but in all honesty I believe it's because I told him that I thought there was no way he could do it (yes, I'm pretty proud of myself).  I never thought he'd actually take the bait.  But he did and now I must feed him delicious vegetarian dishes that meet his tastes and preferences, he's a bit of a picky eater.  So the challenge is set, I'll have my work cut out for me and I hope he realizes that the food I make will be for both of us!

New Favourite Soup #2

It seems that whenever I open a can of coconut milk I feel compelled to use every last drop and write 2 posts about it. My 3 favourite ways to use it are: smoothies, soups and curries. With this recipe I get to do all three, I know, I'm a culinary genius! I improvised a little with my previous New Favourite Soup, the Curried Coconut Butternut Squash Soup by adding yam and cranking the heat up a little. I love making soups, they are so easy and if you have some experience in the kitchen they can be a lot of fun playing with and changing to make your own. Truthfully, I rarely follow a soup recipe 100% and for that matter any recipe, I guess I have my own flare in the kitchen and I've been doing it for over 30 years so I'm confident in my abilities ;)

This soup is no exception, I had fun experimenting and loved the results!

Spicy Curry Butternut Squash and Yam* or Sweet Potato* Soup

*depending on what you call the orange ones.

1 sm-med butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 sm-med yam* or sweet potato*, peeled, chopped
1 lg carrot, peeled, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil -divided
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp curry powder
1/8-1/2 tsp cayenne
2-3 C veggie stock
1 C water (optional -depending on your consistency preference)
2/3-3/4 C coconut milk
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F and put the squash, yam, carrot on a large baking sheet, drizzle on half of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat veggies, you can add a little more olive oil if needed. spread evenly on baking sheet and roast about 30-40 mins stirring veggies every 15 mins or so. Test for doneness by piercing with a fork, set aside.

In large pot heat up rest of the olive oil and saute the onions until they start to turn golden, about 5-8 mins. Add curry powder and cayenne heat spices for 1 min and add the roasted veggies, stir well with onions and spices. Add stock to cover veggies, using water if more liquid is needed. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off and with an immersion blender puree the soup to desired consistency (alternately you could do batches in a blender or food processor). Add coconut milk, stir until well blended and season with salt and pepper to taste. At this point you could add extra stock or water or coconut milk if it's too thick for you. Garnish with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!

Not sure if I mentioned yesterday but the coconut milk I buy is Earth's Choice and it's the most delicious brand that I've tried.

drool

The Best Protein Shake

Tuesday is without a doubt my busiest day of the week! Just getting the kids ready in the morning used be such a big job but now add in all the other bits that need to be done and planned for (not including meals and healthy ones at that) and I'm exhausted by noon. Kaden has school and I have Brody registered in 2 classes at the rec centre in the morning (music & swimming) then Brody and I head home for lunch. After lunch I get myself ready for work, which includes putting together my dinner and the kids' stuff ready for karate. By now, it's time to go pick Kaden up from school. Some Tuesdays my friend Natasha is kind enough to take the boys with her after school, feed them dinner and take them to karate with her kids. Yay for Natasha!! On the other Tuesdays when that doesn't work out, I'm not without help, Bryn kicks in and makes dinner for the kids and makes sure they're ready when I get home from work. So once I'm done teaching at Children's I rush home, grab the kids and my already prepared dinner and run them to karate. While I'm waiting I get to eat my dinner and hopefully hang out with some of the other parents if they're there. And sadly all of this is going to change come the new year because I'll be teaching another class right after this one and won't be able to do the Tuesday run around.

Now, what does this all have to do with the best protein shake?
I make a protein shake for my afternoon snack, it has become part of my "get ready for work" routine. Tuesday is the only day of the week I have my protein shake and I love it! This is one of the smoothies I drink about an hour and half before I teach a yoga class.

The Best Protein Shake

handful of spinach
1 banana, broken into chunks
1 scoop vegetarian protein powder
1/2 C coconut milk (canned)
1/2 C almond milk (depending on how thick you want it)
2 tbsp Udo's oil

Put all ingredients in blender and blend to desired consistency adding more or less almond milk to your preference.

If I could get you to try this without knowing what's in it you would be surprised! I can't believe how good this combo is, it tastes like a real junk food style milkshake. I think it's the quality of the coconut milk, it tastes so authentic. The brand I used is Earth's Choice, I've tried a few others and this one is by far the best. It's high in fat and that's just the way I like it, if this is going to be one of my main fat sources I'm going to drink the whole can!

A Little Food Obsessed?

It may seem that I'm a little obsessed with food lately with 3 days worth of rapid fire food related posts, well what can I say, guilty! And today's post is no exception! Now that I have made changes in my own diet, we as a family have become the most difficult family to have over for dinner. Bryn with his carb-free diet and it's taken our family 10 years to get used to all the things he doesn't eat. Now here's me, practically the opposite as him, with an almost vegan diet (I say almost because there are times I occasionally eat cheese). One of my biggest challenges at the moment is that our family doesn't know the difference between vegetarian & vegan, as well, the misconception that if something pre-made is vegetarian then it must be healthy. I'm taking my time and exercising my patience as we all walk this uphill hike together. It's all good and the great positive thing about it is that I get to help educate the ones I love about a healthier way of nourishing our bodies.
So this evening we are going to my inlaws for dinner and it's going to be great! My step-mother inlaw is always so accommodating to everyone's needs, which admittedly can't be easy for her with all the diet restrictions but that's the awesomeness of family.

Here's the menu:
BBQ Chicken Wings
Ceasar Salad (one batch without croutons & one with)
BBQ marinated Portabello Mushrooms (for me)
Black Bean, Chickpea & Avocado Salad (again for me)

there may be a veggie pasta (artichoke canelloni or lasagne)
& there will be wine :)

I am bringing both dishes that are tagged for me but I don't mind because everybody can have some and they might even like it too!

Recipe review -Skinny Bitch

"Curried Chickpea Cakes"
From Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

First recipe is a success!
***** stars

They're made with cooked chickpeas and brown rice all mashed up and shaped into little patties with a perfect amount of curry seasonings, I added a little fresh chopped cilantro. Topped them off with some organic Peach Chutney from Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna BC and served them with a green salad. They are easy to make and reminiscent of pakora (chickpea battered & deep fried veggies) that you would typically find in an Indian restaurant. I would definitely makes these again! Can't wait for lunch tomorrow, leftovers! The only negative thing was that the kids didn't like them, booo. They "liked" them enough so they could get their dessert but complained about it the entire time. I'm hoping it's because the chickpea cakes are a new taste sensation for them and next time I make them will go over a little easier because they should have the opportunity to be skinny dudes ;)

Skinny Bitch -a cookbook review

Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

I've never done a book review before but I couldn't resist plunging in when Bryn surprised me with Kim Barnouin's (of the Skinny Bitch series fame) "Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook" yesterday. I haven't put it down since he brought it home and even slept with it last night! I haven't had the chance to make anything from it yet but I'm already in love with the philosophy/lifestyle behind it and the pictures look good so the recipes must be good too. I mean if the title alone doesn't grab you then maybe you don't deserve to be healthified...but wait, yeah, you do! Who doesn't in some deep dark corner of their teenage self-esteem self want to be a skinny bitch? I know, I know, did I just say that out loud? In all honesty, we all are awesome just the way we are and it's not about our weight because we are all beautiful on the inside (gag)...Ok, let's just stop with the mamby-pamby pandering. The Skinny Bitch series is not about weightloss or having a "prefect" body nor is it a crash diet. This cookbook is promoting veganism without being in your face about it and I feel that it caters to the inexperienced layperson possibly new to vegetarianism or veganism or just a healthy lifestyle in general. The recipes seem simple with easy to find ingredients and simple steps and there are lots of pictures, which should be mandatory for all cookbooks. Kim hasn't lost any of her charm in this book and is just as sassy as ever, if anything, reading the book for this alone is worth the cost of the book. I haven't read all of her first book, Skinny Bitch, just the bits that are on google because I'm already on the same path of eating consciously but I do love a great cookbook and there's always room for one more. I never would have chosen this book for myself because I'm not a fan of celebrity-ism and probably wouldn't have gotten past the cover. So a big thanks goes out to Bryn for thinking of me and bringing this dandy home!

***** stars

First Recipe Review Curried Chickpea Cakes

Nut-thing Better!

Today I decided to try my hand at making a "healthy" sweet treat for myself to indulge in. I remember really loving Nutella but haven't had any in years since I started eating consciously. It was surprisingly easy to make...once I got all the hazelnuts peeled, oi vay! I think this is my new favourite thing.

Homemade Vegan Nutella

1/2 Cup Hazelnuts
1/2 Cup Almonds*
1/4 Cup Carob Powder
1 Tbsp Vanilla
3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
3 Tbsp Almond Milk
1 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil

I wanted to keep the ingredients raw but had to heat the hazelnuts slightly to help loosen the skins so I could peel them. Pre-heat oven to 275 F and roast hazelnuts for 10-15 mins. Roll the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel to help loosen the skins and peel the rest by hand, let them cool completely. Put almonds and hazelnuts in food processor and blend until they become smooth and shiny. Add carob, vanilla, maple syrup, almond milk and grapeseed oil and blend till mixed stop and scrap the sides if needed mix again.

Makes about 1 cup.

* I only had 1/2 cup of hazelnuts on hand so I subbed almonds to make 1 cup of nuts. You can make the recipe with 1 cup hazelnuts and I highly recommend getting organic raw hazelnuts that already have the skins removed.

He Won the Gold!!

Last Saturday was Kaden's Karate Tournament, yes the one I was very nervous about last week. He did such a great job that his Sensei and some of the Sempais didn't recognize him because he brought it when he stepped into the ring (also he had a hair cut -but still). He was so focused and intense. He and his best buddy were in the same category and they tied at first so they had to do their katas over again. After the second performance (I know I'm not supposed to call it a performance but I like to think of it as a dance :)) I have to admit I felt a little anxious for Kaden and his scores weren't as high as the last round...I know, I know it's not about what place he comes in and I really didn't mean to feel this way but I couldn't help get caught up in the drama of it, I mean, come on, they tied and I thought they both would've gotten gold metals. Anyway, Kaden ended up winning the competition by .1 of a point! It was so close. We are just so proud of him, what a wonderful experience for him too.

Family Love -The Johnston-Yu's stopped by to support Kaden!

Getting ready to begin the Katas

Milos & Kaden with their metals

Another Performer

This weekend is Kaden's first Karate Tournament. I filled out the forms, handed over the money, read the information handout and thought everything was done and taken care of. I registered him for "team kata" (what I like to call a coreographed karate dance routine) or so I thought. I emailed his Sensei to ask about some equipment that Kaden told me he needed for the tournament which didn't make sense since he was only entered in the team kata. Sensei told me that he didn't have Kaden on the team kata list, only for individual kata! What?!?!? Doesn't that mean he'll be going it alone, by himself, without a team?? There must be a mistake, how am I going to fix this for him 2 days before the tournament?
So I casually ask Kaden "who are you doing your kata with."
He casually answers back "no one."
"Really? How did that happen? I thought you signed up for team kata?"
His (again casual) reply "ya when Sensei asked us to put our hand up for team kata, I didn't raise my hand. I wanted to do it by myself so I could be in front."
"Oh, are you ok with that?" He nodded "do you feel prepared?"
He just gave another nod and said "yup".

I felt myself immediately bust with pride for this kid, who is nothing like me because I was insanely nervous for him, not only did he make this decision on his own and go for it but he's also so unassuming and humble that he doesn't need to announce to everybody that he's done it. If I hadn't emailed Sensei then I would've found out at the tournament. I hope I don't cry like I did at his talent show last spring. I'm just so darn proud of him and am amazed at the kind of kid he is which is much more like his Papa.