Wednesday 5 November 2014

A Week of Lunches

Between working long hours, volleyball and other commitments the Hubs and myself have a very busy weekday life.  To help cut down on stress (and to keep us on budget) I try and make lunches for the week on the weekend.

This week I made creamy cheese polenta, veggies and baked ham.


Creamy cheese polenta is so easy to make and a great starch substitute when you are tired of potatoes or rice.  The recipe can be found here.  I baked up some ham which I coated in red pepper jelly (during the last 15 minutes of baking) and added some veggies.

In total it took me about 45 minutes to get everything done, and I had all the ingredients at home already so no extra cost.  Now we don't have any stress worrying about lunch for the next week.

PS. I never make 5 lunches for us as I found that we inevitably only eat 3-4 of them because we usually go out once, or the Hubs is so busy he doesn't get a chance to eat lunch one day. 

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Homemade Laundry Soap

 I am always looking for ways to save a little extra money, so when I kept seeing all these recipes on pinterest I decided that I just had to try it out.

I tweaked the recipe a little bit, but if you would like to see the original recipe just click here.
All of the ingredients that are needed for the laundry soap I was able to find at the local grocery store.  I picked up a container and a set of measuring spoons (so I had a scoop) at the dollar store.
To get the soap into small pieces I just used a cheese grater (which I picked up at the dollar store).  Some people use a food processor but I didn't want to get soap in it and then have a soap taste on my food later.

Grating the soap was really really easy and made my living room smell AMAZING.
 
 I added the powder ingredients first, then the soap and the sent add-ins.
After snapping the lid on and giving it a really good shake.  This is what my finished soap looked like.

I used 2 tbs per load for this.  But what I found was this is GREAT for things like linens, towels, jackets etc. it did not do a great job on clothing.  After washing I found that some of my shirts still had some deodorant smell (TMI??)

It does however smell GREAT and I love how my bedding and towel smell afterwards so I will be keeping some on hand to help stretch my  regular detergent.

My tweaked version of Homemade Laundry Soap:

2 cup of Borax
2 cup of washing soda
1 sunlight bar
1 cup sent add-ins

Grate the sunlight bar, I just used a cheese grater bought specifically for this. 
Once grated add the bar to a container and dump in all the other ingredients.
Snap a lid on and give a good shake.
Use 1 to 2 tbs per load the same as any other powder detergent.

Thursday 23 October 2014

It Was a Sad Day in Ottawa.

Picture belongs to CBC

October 22nd was a sad day here in Canada. It was the day that an unarmed solider was shot at point blank range just feet from our nations capital.
The gunman then calmly proceeded to parliament where he was shot and killed by the Sargent of Arms.
Federal buildings went on lock down and cell networks were jammed with people trying to contact friends and loved ones. 
Very fortunately there was only one fatality (a side from the shooter). While a very sad and stressful day we were lucky and myself am very grateful that it wasn't a lot worse.
The response of the Ottawa police, RCMP and Canadian Military was very impressive and the media coverage along with their (armed forces) response to the situation helped me feel calm in a situation where we knew little information. 
In the after math of this there has been a lot of media reports about the shooter being an Islamic convert. But PLEASE don't become so scared of another attack by some crazy separatist that you link all Muslims into the same category of extremists.
Being understanding and compassionate is what helps define Canada and Canadians. One mans senseless and selfish agenda should not alter that.
A BIG thank you to all of our men and women in the forces that work everyday to help keep us safe.  I am sorry you lost a comrade yesterday. To Cpl. Nathan Cirillo's family I'm sorry for your lost.  Thank you for your sacrifice. To the Ottawa police and RCMP thank you for all of your training and daily duties that help keep us safe and for your quick response to yesterday's events.

RIP Cpl. Cirillo - Picture is from CBC
It was a stressful/emotional day yesterday but let's remember what makes us Canadian and strive to keep those values. Let's not let one asshat change who we are.

Sunday 19 October 2014

Our First Thanksgiving (in our new home)


Last weekend was Thanksgiving.  Normally we go up north to some cabins and spend time with the Hub's family.  It is a weekend that the Hubs looks forward to every year.  We go on long walks surrounded by beautiful nature, spend time with family and eat A LOT of food.

However this year we unfortunately we couldn't make the annual trip.  The hubs was a bit disappointed but also understands that as we settle into our married life here in Ottawa, that sometimes we might have to miss some traditions (though we won't be making a habit of missing traditions).

By not going to the cottages this year that left me with the responsibility of doing Thanksgiving dinner.  Now I have never made a turkey before.  A few years ago (before we were married) the Hubs and I hosted a Christmas gathering for my family.  But he cooked the turkey, while I graciously entertained everyone (and taste tested the wine).  But the since the Hubs was already missing his annual Thanksgiving tradition I didn't want to have him miss out on a yummy Thanksgiving turkey.

We didn't know until the last minute that we wouldn't be able to attend the cottage Thanksgiving, and we did not have a turkey ready to go.  So 2 days before our dinner we went to the grocery store and were very lucky to find a small fresh turkey.  We decided to have our dinner on the Saturday so that we could just relax the other 2 days off. 

Friday night I made (again for the first time, I was feeling very brave this weekend) homemade pumpkin pie.  It was soooo easy and I can't believe that I have waited so long to try it out.  I used a super simple recipe found here. The other desert I made was caterpillar cake for the Hubs.  He looks forward to it every year so I knew he would be excited about it.


Saturday morning after drinking coffee and laying around for a little bit I put the turkey in the oven at 12pm (we were shooting for a 4pm dinner time).  I used a meat thermometer, and hoped my calculations were correct and I had timed my dinner correctly. 

Well it turns out all of my worrying was for nothing, because our dinner was a huge success.  We didn't have a lot of people over but our friend M ate about 3 plates (plus took some home which he also ate that night). 


It wasn't the usual Thanksgiving, but it felt really nice to still be able to celebrate with family and friends and to remember all of the good things we have in our life.

What I am thankful for:
My loving husband
Our beautiful new home
Both of our families
Our friends
My job
And being able to help other

It's definitely not perfect but I am very blessed with the life I have.

PS. my favourite part of Thanksgiving dinner was the boys cleaning up afterwards.

Tuesday 30 September 2014

Budgeting, my struggle

Budgeting is something that I struggle with constantly.  I love playing on Pinterest and whenever I see budgeting tips I usually give them a read (though I never save them to look at again later).  And I have found some pretty good tips.

Things like buying deli ends from the deli department instead of fresh cut.  You can usually get a large Styrofoam plate (our local metro cuts them up and puts them on a Styrofoam plate) of good meats (I always skip the ones with loaves or baloney on them) like the Cajan chicken, roasted turkey and salami.  I have gotten enough ham (the yummy black forest kind) for a week of sandwiches for 2 people and a quiche for about $3.00.

I also try to follow a cash budget.  By taking out cash for all of our needs each week I find that we are much more conscious of our spending.  I also find that this really helps up distinguish between "needs" and "wants", something both the Hubs and myself struggle with.

But even with all of my little tricks and knowing that I like having a buffer in our bank account I find that they are too many times where I just say "F** the budget" and I over spend.  My guilty pleasures are takeout food and shopping.  (Both of which I have a weekly budget for so as to not completely deprive myself).  But I find that after a couple of months I get annoyed with constantly having to be cautious about my spending and I like to go a little crazy.

This of course does not help the budget and it really doesn't help our bank account.  Plus then after the fun I have of shopping I end up feeling guilty and down for a couple of weeks for spending the money.

But even knowing this I struggle with breaking this cycle.  Which makes me feel like I am stuck to continue this annoying cycle for ever.

For now I guess I will just have to keep working at staying on budget maybe after some time it will feel more like second nature and not like a bit of a chore.  And truthfully I do get really excited when we have money leftover at the end of the week or I am able to get something I really want at a fabulous price. 

Does this happen to you?  What are some of the strategies that you have  to help yourself stay of budget.



Sunday 21 September 2014

Canada Supports and Remembers...

Today was an awesome (though extremely early starting at 530am) day.   Today was the first time that Hubs (and myself in spirit) participated in the Canada Army Run.

The boys all ready to go
This is an annual event with proceeds going back to the Armed Forces.  The event is a big deal here in the capital with over 25,000 people participating this year (largest turnout ever) including Vets, soldiers and civillians.  If you want to find out more about the event and keep tabs so you can sign up next year (I think this might be a yearly event for our family) then click here.


That's our Ottawa mayor beside the solider

The hubs and myself signed up to participate in the 5K run together with our goal to be completing the run in under 35mins.  However the Hubs hurt his one leg a few weeks ago in volleyball and then on his birthday he hurt his other foot.  Both of these injuries were still bothering him so he elected to walk.  And much to my sadness I was not able to participate but our good friend Mike volunteered to step in and do the walk for me.

Unfortunately for Mike it was too late to change my bib over so he was stuck participating under my name, but I think he represented me pretty well.
Look closely and you can see my name on Mike's bib

The boys did very well, they were able to complete the course in just under an hour, and I am am super proud of both of them for participating in this very worthy cause. 
I can't wait until next year when hopefully I can also participate and finish the course in under 35mins. 

Thursday 18 September 2014

The Hub's Birthday (a late post)

This summer has been such a great summer.  An old friend of mine got married, we bought our first home and have really been able to enjoy the summer (something I don't think I have really done in a while).  However with it being a great summer it has also been a really busy summer and that has meant that I haven't posted as much on the blog that I would've liked.  But with the September here and cooler weather approaching I think things will slow down a bit and I will be able to post more often again :)

This post is a few weeks late, but I really wanted to write something about the Hub's birthday that happened at the end of August. 

I have a great husband, he is pretty laid back and understanding, he accepts me fully (all my crazy faults and everything).  So when his birthday comes around I really like to do something special to show him just how much I appreciate him.  

This year the hubs wanted to do a paintball outing with some friends.  He looked around and found a great place.  They went to Commando Paintball just outside of Ottawa and they had a blast. 

 It was a complete outdoors course, with multiple fields to chose from.  They ended up playing 2 of the courses and that took up 5hours. 


Since I wasn't playing I sat around with a friend (who also wasn't playing) and we chatted and found some pretty awesome turtles to entertain us.
We didn't give them the pizza
 After paintball everyone came back to our house for some drinks and BBQ.  I hope that the Hubs had a great time and realizes just how awesome he is.


Thursday 7 August 2014

My fitness; a daily struggle

It seems like I have a daily battle between going to the gym and relaxing at home.  I know that I should go to the gym, that after my workout I will feel better, but I have the hardest time getting the workout started.

I love going out with the Hubs to a festival, or grabbing a pickup game of beach volleyball.  But putting on sweats after working all day to leave the house to go run is just very annoying to me. 

I seem to find any excuse to not go.  I just don't like the gym.  So I have decided to stop fighting it.  Now that doesn't mean that I am going to stop exercising.  I like the healthy shape that my body is taking on, and I love how my body feels after working out. 

With me sitting all day at the office, and with longer work days and not wanting to feel stressed or guilty about my healthy routine, switching to a more "enjoyable" workout routine seems like the smartest idea.  

I have decided to cancel my gym membership and use the savings to buy my own treadmill and free weights.  I am also going to try and get up a little earlier in the morning and do a super quick morning workout and then in the evening take full advantage of all the fitness pins that I have found on pineterest.

I am hoping this will help me to fill the fitness quota that my life needs without all the added gult or dislike of actually going to the gym.

But I'm always down for a pickup game of volleyball :)

Sunday 27 July 2014

An Almost Perfect Summer Weekend

This has been a pretty great week, ending with an almost perfect summer weekend. 

It feels like after all of my events I have finally gotten back into my regular work week routine.  I usually try to work 9 hour days Monday to Thursday so I can reach my regular hours by lunch time on Friday.  This allows me to have an afternoon all to myself. 

Which I usually shamelessly spend eating take-out sushi and watching reality TV that makes the Hubs cringe.  Unfortunately in the last couple of months I have had more important obligations that have prevented me from having selfish time. 

But that all changed this week when I was able to cap out my hours by 1:30pm.  So it was out of work and a quick stop at Naked Fish Sushi in Westboro before I settled in to a couple of hours of blissful relaxing watching Vanderpump Rules.
Reality TV and Pineterest = a Great afternoon

Hello Nippon Box it's been a LONG time.

Later that night the Hubs surprised me with a Chinese Food dinner and a quick game of Battleblock Theater on the Xbox.  It was possibly the BEST date night in a while.
Best husband Ever, fixed a 3 week craving and made a great date night
Saturday morning involved a lot of snuggle time and then when I finally dragged my lazy tushie out of bed it was off to the mall for a hair cut and some much over due clothing shopping. 

Katarina from Ravello Salon is great

After shopping I came home to the Hubs saying we needed to head out to Home Hardware so he can get some supplies.  I was a little tired but into the car I went.  We ended up using a couple of the gift cards that we got at the housewarming, and the Hubs built me a ramp so I can drive my scooter right onto the back deck.
My super awesome new ramp.  Plus now marsh can get up and down
On Sunday we finally made it to church after being gone for at least a month.  It was a good service and it felt nice to be back.  Afterwards we just laid around until Family Dinner.

We had our second Family Dinner, and since M is moving he offered us his dinning room table, which we grabbed up. 
The boys all ready to eat (the chairs are coming next week)
The Hubs makes possibly the BEST fish tacos

Fish tacos and a new table, I am going to say that our second Family Dinner was a success.  I am already planning what we will have next week.

The last couple of weeks things have been going great, I can't wait to see what next week brings.

How was your week? Are you having a great week also?

Weekly Thought:


Believe in yourself, dream, try.  Do Good – Mr. Feeny

Friday 25 July 2014

"Buttermilk" Biscuits

Things have calmed down a little bit for the Hubs and myself.  We have moved into our first house, gotten it more or less setup.  I stood up beside an old friend when she married her best friend and between all of that worked my tushie off.

But now all obligations are done with and last week was the first weekend where the Hubs and myself didn't have any real obligations to attend to.  So we had a few of our friends over for our first (of hopefully many) "Family Dinners"

We decided to take advantage of the nice summer weather and the Hubs BBQ'd some chicken which I brined in Sweet Tea for a day.  Now I know this sounds like a really weird thing but trust me it was AMAZEBALLS!!  I am not a very big fan of grilled chicken and I want to eat this again.   I really think you guys should check it out, I know it sounds really weird but just trust me.Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

To go with the chicken I decided to make some "buttermilk" biscuits 'cause let's be honest is there really anything better then biscuits with grilled chicken?
To see the original recipe click here.

These biscuits were a HUGE hit, they boys couldn't get enough of them.  They were simple and quick to whip up which is a big bonus when, in the summer I have much more fun things to do on a Sunday afternoon then baking in the kitchen.

All the ingredients and tools needed
My cheater method for how I make all dough
 In  the bowl of your food processor add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.  Pulse a couple of times to combine.
This is what the butter will look like when the butter is combined
 Add the butter  in a few batches pulsing to break up the butter.  When the mixture is combined and there are no more large pieces of butter dump contents into a bowl.


This makes a VERY sticky dough, don't say I didn't warn you
 Add "buttermilk" and egg stir a few times to get mixture mostly combined, add enough water to turn the mixture into a dough.

 Flour the top of the dough and roll to 1 inch thickness. 
Place biscuits onto a greased or lined tray, touching the edges to each other.


Bake until all golden and yummy.
 
So the next time you are having a BBQ I think you should throw these into the mix.  I'm sure your friends and family will love you for it.

"Buttermilk" Biscuits


3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. butter 
(Very cold and cut into chunks)
3/4 c. buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk so I used 'homemade' buttermilk = 3/4 c. milk + 2 T. lemon juice)
1 egg
1/4 c. water


Preheat oven to 450

In  the bowl of your food processor add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.  Pulse a couple of times to combine.

Add the butter  in a few batches pulsing to break up the butter.  When the mixture is combined and there are no more large pieces of butter dump contents into a bowl.

Add "buttermilk" and egg stir a few times to get mixture mostly combined, add enough water to turn the mixture into a dough.

Stir until just combined DO NOT OVER MIX

Dump mixture onto a floured board (it will be VERY sticky).  Flour the top of the dough and roll to 1 inch thickness.  

Cut with a biscuit cutter or a glass.

Place biscuits onto a greased or lined tray, touching the edges to each other.

Bake for 12-16mins or until golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly and then unleash the masses onto them.

Enjoy 
3 c. flour (I have used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 wheat and they turn our great!)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 stick butter
3/4 c. buttermilk (I have made these with buttermilk as well as the 'homemade' buttermilk version of 3/4 c. milk + 2 T. lemon juice and they work out amazing either way)
1 egg
1/4 c. water - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/02/ruths-diners-mile-high-biscuits.html#sthash.9DKpiBH9.dpuf
3 c. flour (I have used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 wheat and they turn our great!)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 stick butter
3/4 c. buttermilk (I have made these with buttermilk as well as the 'homemade' buttermilk version of 3/4 c. milk + 2 T. lemon juice and they work out amazing either way)
1 egg
1/4 c. water - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/02/ruths-diners-mile-high-biscuits.html#sthash.9DKpiBH9.dpuf
3 c. flour (I have used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 wheat and they turn our great!)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 stick butter
3/4 c. buttermilk (I have made these with buttermilk as well as the 'homemade' buttermilk version of 3/4 c. milk + 2 T. lemon juice and they work out amazing either way)
1 egg
1/4 c. water - See more at: http://www.dealstomealsblog.com/2012/02/ruths-diners-mile-high-biscuits.html#sthash.9DKpiBH9.dpuf