Wednesday, May 30, 2018

What's Up Wednesday- May 2018!




Last Wednesday in beautiful May, which might be one of my most favourite months of the year! Here's what's happening with us!!

What we're eating this week?
D and I are on a ketogenic meal plan along with some other friends of ours. Lots of protein, higher fats than I usually have and really limited carbs. Here's a sample of what we've been having.
Monday: grilled chicken, grilled okra and mixed greens
Tuesday: something grilled, maybe lamb and veggies
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: thai tofu curry with zoodles
Friday: not sure yet but we are trying our best to limit the carbs and sugars.

Lots of ceviche and poke has also been on the menu!

What I'm reminiscing about
Not a whole lot to be honest. This season in life has me swamped. 


What I'm loving
This grilled calamari  that I made over the weekend. I'm craving it and can't wait to make it again. Recipe found here.

What we've been up to…
The pool is open and swimming in the backyard with the awesome Sarah has started. Only lessons for A so far but when Cassia's competitive swim ends, she might do a lesson or two. 

Also, we had our final swim meet this season. Little Miss got two of her three personal times improved and placed in the top three respectively. Girlfriend tries so hard.



Music for C EQAO (testing at schools) also ends today! 

Add in lacrosse, soccer, dance and skating and life is so hectic!

What I'm dreading…
Dance Recital weekend. Three recitals in two days. It takes a toll, friends.

What I'm working on
I've begun seeing a naturopath (naysayers chill, it's my coin) for some long term health issues I've been having. So far, so good and I'm getting some bloodwork done as well. I'm praying I get some benefits.

What I'm excited about…
Summ-summ-summer. And a little trip D and I have planned to kick the summer off right.

What I'm watching/reading…
Just finished the entire season of Party of Five and now ontoJane the Virgin while I'm cooking. Please don't judge me harshly ;-).  Other than that, most nights I spend reading some Elin Hilderbrand repeats before her new one comes out.


What I'm listening to..
Sirius XM that's on preview in my car right now.

What I'm wearing…
All the summer dresses!! Yay, me!!

What I'm doing this weekend…
A movie night with some friends, a birthday party for A's friend, date night with another couple, skating for A and a few of C's swim friends coming over for swim and snacks. 

What I'm looking forward to next month..
The end of the school year!

What else is new?
I got this inflatable Pouch Couch to try out and my kids just LOVED it. They used it both indoors and outdoors. Would be an awesome purchase for the beach, to go camping, backyards or even indoors for the kiddos watching TV. As you can see both fit, and they took turns as well! If you purchase, follow these  instructions and set up should be easier.



Favourite summer salad:
This sesame chicken pasta is on repeat every summer!! 

Hey, is anyone also having some issues with blogger comments. I don't get the emails informing me about comments anymore. Am I able to change this? Does anyone know?

Happy hump day! 

 Linking up with the lovely Mel, Shay and Shaeffer

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Tasty Tuesday- Grilled Calamari Recipe



It's BBQ season at long last!! We've been using the grill like it's our job and this time we tried some squid. You either love squid or hate it- we happen to love it but I try to avoid the fried squid as it's mostly breading and who needs breading with swimsuit season coming up ;-)

One of my besties, AKA Priya the grilling queen, gave me this recipe. I added my own touch and here we go...

Ingredients:
1 pound squid tubes, cleaned
2 lemons or limes
1/4 cup or more avocado oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 table spoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of crushed pepper
4 cloves of fresh garlic 
1/4 cup of onion chopped
chopped fresh hot peppers (optional)
1/2 cup of whatever fresh herbs you have on hand coursely chopped. (I used thyme and parsley)
salt and pepper to taste
Feta cheese for garnishing(optional)


Method:
1- Score squid on either side every two inches.

2- Squeeze one whole lemon onto the squid. I even grated some zest and sprinkled it on.

3- Mix avocado, all the spices, herbs, onion and garlic together and pour onto squid.

4- Let the mixture marinate for 2-3 hours, turning the squid once or twice

(at this point, I was very excited)

5- Turn your grill to the highest possible setting- (think 500-600!) before lowering it just a little bit.

6- Place squid on the grill for 1-2 minutes on either side just enough to char a bit

7- When you remove it from the grill, chop into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces and squeeze more lemon if desired.

8- Garnish with feta crumbles if desired.


(sidenote and totally optional- I put the marinade on the stove top and let it simmer for a couple minutes, then I poured it onto the calamari)

It was so delicious, light and flavourful. This recipe will definitely be on repeat in my house. Thanks, Priya!!

What's grilling with you?




Friday, May 25, 2018

Friday Five

Image result for friday

Happy Friday friends. We have an easy one planned with our last swim meet, a playdate and maybe some pool time. Speaking of which, here's my Friday five:

1- So this happened this week....

Still a little cloudy so we are working on it before we jump in.

2- Did everyone watch The Royal Wedding? Here are my thoughts:
- I loved the ceremony- so classic but so subdued
-Prince Harry seems so in love
- Meghan's dress was a little simple for me but so timeless nonetheless and she looked exquisite. 
-Her mom rocked it. I would have sobbed. And I love her nosering.
-How did Oprah score an invite?
- Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice were definitely more subdued with the fascinators than last time.
-Loved the wedding party
- Wasn't the music simply lovely? From the British choir to the gospel group to the cellist- so beautiful.
- Princess Kate looked AWESOME for having a baby a few weeks before
- Loved the reactions of the Royal Family during the main sermon

3- Osmo is such a great learning tool for both my kids. The starter kit comes with four different types of games that make learning such fun for the kids. I think it's for five and up. It's a bit of an investment but I highly recommend it. Next on the list for C is their coding game, Awbie.

A hard at work.

4-  From the first picture to the second-- babies really don't keep!


Her body basically bent in half.
Speaking of growing too quickly, C  asked me to curl her hair this Monday. Isn't it funny that straight haired girls always want curly hair and curly haired girls want straight?

5- And finally, I'm a 51, what are you?


Happy weekending, lovelies! 






Linking up with
Andrea, Erika and Narci for Favourites on Friday

Monday, May 21, 2018

Snapshots from Victoria Day Weekend

Love me some long weekends! Victoria Day has to be one of my very favourites here in Canada. Maybe it's the anticipation of summer, maybe it's D's birthday, maybe it's that school is almost out! Whatever the reason, we love it!!

This Victoria Day:
- On Friday, after getting fresh highlights and a cut and an eye appointment for the kids, we BBQ'd and made scallops, hung out with the kids and Facetimed our very favourite cousin.

- We woke up bright and early Saturday for some tea and the Royal Wedding--- okay two hours later than it started but still early for a Saturday.

- Lots of laundry and cooking.

- Early birthday dinner with our family at this tapas place in town.

- Sunday was filled with birthday cheer, a long walk by the river, a BBQ with some of our favourite people, cake and conversation almost until the birthday was finished.

- Low key Monday

- C and I took a long walk, D did some gardening, I did some reading and house stuff and we all headed out for a simple low key dinner to finish off the weekend!!


 Wedding china was brought out!














Cheers to an awesome week ahead!!

Friday, May 18, 2018

Fri-yay

Image result for friyay


Especially when we have the Friday before a Canadian long weekend! Friyay indeed!! Here are five favourite things going on this week.


1- Happy Birthday, D!


We are celebrating a very special someone this weekend with lots of laughs and family time. Happy Birthday to the keeper of my flame and the owner of my heart, the person I chose to make my family! Thanks for the love and laughter! Here's hoping the day and the year that follows is an epic one.






2- All the sports
This week we started soccer (C)and lacrosse (A). It's going to be a busy few weeks until violin, piano, dance and swimming are done but the weather is warm and the kids are  having fun so chug along we will! 

3- Royal Wedding Mania
Who here is watching the Royal Wedding tomorrow? I'll confess that I'm not getting up at 4 am but I'll certainly record it and watch it at 7 :-). I may not be into all of the mania and yes, there are lots of other serious issues going on in the world but I think the wedding is a delightful respite from it all and I can't wait to watch and maybe also watch the Lifetime movie that you know is coming about their relationship! 

4- Mama's girl
These little  hands won't always be this tiny!



5- Leith Love
My very favourite Leith dress is on sale for the first time ever at under $30!!! Check it out! It is wonderful both dressed up and down. 



And finally, just because we always need a chuckle.

All.the.time. It's like the person who did this pie chart is in my house.

No word of a lie

 I heard Yanny and D heard Laurel

My life

Also my life!


Linking up with
Andrea, Erika and Narci for Favourites on Friday




Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The Most Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of our cousins posted this on Instagram and I knew we'd have to try it... It's the most easy cookie to whip a quick batch up and it is one of the very best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had.... and I'd consider myself a cookie connoisseur of sorts. It's also gluten free and can be made vegan if you omit or switch out the chocolate chips out. 


Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 and 1/4 cup of almond flour
1/4 cup of maple syrup (the real stuff)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
pinch of salt
pinch of baking soda (like 1/8 teaspoon)
5 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 cup of chocolate chip cookies. 

Method:
1- Combine dry ingredients together 
2- Combine wet ingredients
3- Mix it all up! (told you it was simple)
4- Using a tablespoon,  drop the mixture about two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
5- Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes.



Super simple and incredibly delicious! Try it-- you'll thank me later.

Thanks Div for sharing this awesome recipe. 





Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...