Asian Flavoured Veggie Stirfry

This was a tasty little lunch number I threw together because I knew I was going to be having a late dinner that night. And because Mike was away for the weekend I didn't have to include any meat in my meals if I didn't want to. This is my own recipe, and here is what's in the bowl:

Veggies

-cherry tomatoes halved

-spinach

-orange and yellow peppers

Sauce

-2 tbsp E.V.O.O.

-1 tsp toasted sesame seed oil

-1 tbsp low sodium tamari

-1 clove fresh garlic minced

-1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

-pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl.

2. Stir fry veggies for about 4 mins (I used some olive oil cooking spray in the pan)

3. Add sauce and cook for another minute or two until sauce is heated

4. Serve over your choice of side-I ate it with quinoa

Enjoy!



LYM Challenge: Week 6

Wow it's hard to believe there are only 2 weeks left of this 7 week challenge. Where does the time go?

Before I get into week 6's challenge, I'll give you a quick recap of how week 5 went.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find somewhere to volunteer for an hour. As I had mentioned before, most organizations require a volunteer screening process, and most take more than a few weeks to arrange. I was also busy in the previous weeks trying to complete the challenges that I just didn't have time to look for places.
I still did my volunteer trade shift yesterday, which is 4 hours.
I also practiced at the studio for the first time since the 30 day challenge which ended in April! It felt good to be in there again, and not just having to rely on myself to practice at home. I will try to get there a few times a week for the rest of the challenge.

Onto Week 6's challenges!

Read 30 minutes every week day and 2 hours a day on the weekend.

This is the perfect challenge for me right now because I have been wanting to get back into books for a few months now. Ever since we got the pup, and I've been doing challenges, I've had a hard time finding a spare minute to grab a book and read. This will force me to find the time. I've also wanted to read The Hunger Games series, so this gives me an excuse to go out and get them. I am going to try to read anytime I'm at the table eating alone (breakfast and lunch), and before bed. It will probably end up being more than 30 mins a day but where's the harm in that?
Check out this article from O Magazine on How Reading Can Improve Your Memory.
And here's an article about what reading has to do with yoga.
Ok so after reading this article, my choice of The Hunger Games doesn't seem to fit the description of "jnana yoga". I am still going to read it, however I have also decided to read some more intellectual things as well. I will keep a list of my readings and those will be included in my post at the end of this week.

Go for a walk every day this week with an undetermined destination.  Super, super-size... observe nature wherever you find it.

I will try my best to do this portion of the challenge, but I already walk the pup everyday for a minimum of 45 mins. Usually he gets two 45 min walks and a 15 min walk when I go home for lunch. It's hard not to have a pre-determined destination with the dog because we take routes that we know don't have any obstacles for him. We are always observing nature on our walks/hikes with him, and so is he (especially when we run into a flock of geese and their babies like we did this morning, and Mowgli's hunting instincts are awakened).

The reading challenge is a pretty simple one for anyone that wants to try to complete it as well!

Mike will be out of town for a bachelor party cottage weekend for 4 days so hopefully I will get lots of hiking and reading done during that time, as well as trying out some new recipes.
I'll keep you posted!

Home Made S'mores Gift Box

Lately I've started crafting a lot more, especially with all of the showers I've been going to. I've been making my own cards, wrapping and decorating gifts myself, and now I've stumbled upon a great mini gift idea.
It all started because I wanted to give friends of ours a little date night type gift so they could spend some quality time together before their baby arrives. When I thought about a perfect cute and cozy date night, I thought of hanging by a fire with your hunny eating s'mores. Now because most of us don't have fires readily available to us, I made it home friendly. Pair that with cute packaging and voila!

The finished product

Here's what you'll need:
1. Treat box-I got mine at Michaels in a pack of 3 (40% off with coupon)
2. Small food safe clear plastic/cellophane bags (Michaels in the gift packaging isle-make sure they say "acid free")
3. Chocolate-I used Hershey Milk Chocolate and Hershey Cookies and Cream (it is easier to assemble the s'mores with flat chocolate bars)
4. Graham crackers
5. Marshmallows
6. Tissue paper in colour of your choice
7. Ribbon in colour of your choice
8. Cardstock in colours of your choice

How to:
1. Assemble your favour box
2. Place 1 package of graham crackers in centre of box
3. Scrunch up 2 pieces of tissue paper and place one on each side of the graham crackers
4. Place your chocolate bars on top of tissue paper on one side
5. Fill a clear food bag with marshmallows and tie ribbon to close it up, curl the ends of the ribbon using scissors. Place on tissue paper on other side of graham crackers.
6. Write a personalized note with directions for baking s'mores in the oven on cardstock and layer with a contrast colour
S'mores directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Assemble s'mores on baking sheet
3. Bake for 1-3 mins until marshmallow starts melting

My note said "Enjoy S'more love before 2 becomes 3" and then directions

I made this in about 15 minutes, and I've since made another for part of a friend's bridal shower gift. They are a nice little addition to another gift or just something quick you can make if you are visiting someone or just want to brighten someones day. I can't wait to make other versions of these for other occasions. Here are some ideas I have in mind:
-Christmas hot chocolate kits
-Easter egg/chocolate kits
-Personalized birthday kits (mini alcohol bottles, candies, small gifts, etc.)
-Coffee/Tea kits (with different flavours and biscuits/cookies)

 I think for every birthday now I will buy small gifts that are personalized to that person and make up a little kit of them. Adding that personal touch, and hand making things really means something to people I believe. I would much rather get a gift where the person had to think about what I would like and take the time to pick things out, than just a gift card (although I love those too!).

This is going to be fun!

Clean Eating Banana Muffins

These muffins are by far my favourite clean variety to date. They are delish! If you enjoy banana bread, you will love these. Plus just like the other muffins I've tried, they are super easy and quick.

Here is the recipe from The Gracious Pantry.

The only thing I did different was not adding the nuts, maybe I will try to add some walnuts next time.

Clean Eating Creamy Potato Onion Soup

This was one of the recipes I wanted to try from The Naked Kitchen blog. It turned out great. I've always loved cream of potato and bacon soup so this was a clean version for me.

Here is the recipe. I pretty much followed it exactly, the only changes I made were as follows:

-I had to add more milk and broth at the end of the 20 mins cooking time because it got pretty thick and probably 1/4 of the liquid had evaporated.

-I used approximately 1 tsp of salt. You still couldn't taste the salt much but I didn't want to keep adding more.

I don't even think Mike got a bowl of this, he only got a spoonful of mine! I had it for lunch the next two days:)

Photo Journal: May

My good friend Shauna and I at a Bridal shower

The beef stewing in yummy juices getting ready for the stew



My Mother's Day flowers and card from Mowgli:)

Card I made for a friend's Surprise Baby Shower



Shorts from last summer are way too big now!



Sunnies are out, yay summer!



Cheesecake tartlets I made for Mother's Day




Mowgli and Opa having a nap at the cottage




Life couldn't be better, my two boys napping on my lap:)




First family track day of the season



Beautiful mother to be and I at her surprise baby shower



Handmade S'mores kit I made for some friends (these are my go to mini gift from now on!)




Bride-to-be and I at her shower



My new rain boots! Needed these on a few hikes this past weekend.




Fresh batch of clean banana muffins, sooo yummy!




My two fave boys napping together (we were dog sitting for some friends)

   

Upcoming Recipes From My New Favourite Blog

I found another clean eating food blog that I love!
It's called the Naked Kitchen, and it is a great source for recipes. I have already selected and printed off a few that I will be trying in the next few weeks (I may even tackle some this weekend as it looks like it's going to be cold and rainy), including:
-Creamy Potato and Onion Soup-->I love creamy soups so I'm really looking forward to this one
-Parsleyed New Potatoes-->These look like they may be the perfect side dish.
-Peanut Butter Cookies-->For Mike of course.
-One Pot Stew-->Another one for the slow cooker.
-Slow Cooker Lasagna-->Mike is always asking me to make him lasagna.
-Asian Slow Cooker Chicken-->Because I love me some Asian flavours!
-Sweet Potato Beer Fries with Roasted Tomato Ketchup-->I haven't eaten ketchup in probably about 6 months, so I'm excited to try this natural form  of it.
-Lemon Poppyseed Muffins-->I started loving lemon poppyseed muffins after having those gigantic ones from Costco, so I'm SO excited to find a clean recipe.
-Crispy Garlic Chicken Tenders-->I love anything that is chicken and breaded.
-Spicy Crispy Chicken Wings-->Mike gets wing cravings from time to time so this one should be great.
-Toasted Cashew Chicken-->Absolutely love cashews and chicken together!

Like my fave clean eating blog The Gracious Pantry, there are tons of recipes, meal plans, and tips on clean eating.

A lot of the recipes call for "raw coconut crystals" so I'm going to try to find these somewhere. I also still haven't located whole wheat pastry flour and have just been using regular whole wheat flour. This may be a perfect time to finally visit the Whole Foods that opened near Square One!

Stay tuned for my reviews on these recipes, I can't wait to try them all!