Food for thought : Kale Smoothies

I've always been a big fan of adding spinach to Indio's smoothies in order to get a little bit of green into his life, but I was slow to the whole kale smoothie phenomenon until recently.

Being home with a newborn leaves little time for preparing meals, but yesterday morning, during a brief 10-minute nap when Phoenix let me put him in his swing, I quickly threw some kale, peanut butter, milk, and a banana into the blender with some ice and made myself a delicious *green monster shake.*

I have to say, it was delicious and it staved off the hunger pains until dinner time. [Of course, Phoenix woke up the minute I sat down with my drink!]

Tomorrow, if I get the chance, I'm going to try it with avocado and honey instead of peanut butter.

Are you a fan of these nutritious green drinks? What's in your smoothie?

Read more...

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Ok, maybe not the most, but still pretty darn good! Sbux have their holiday cups and drinks out! I'm enjoying an extra-hot salted caramel mocha as I sort through last night's Halloween pics for my next post! YUM!

Read more...

A new fave

I'm not a big fan of *drugstore chocolate* and prefer really good, really dark chocolate instead. I do, however, make exceptions for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. How excited was I when I saw these at CVS? They are the perfect pick-me-up treat!

Read more...

And . . . I'm back!

For real this time! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted and more importantly, since I've caught up on all the blogs I normally read!

School is in full swing and I've already survived the first field trip of the year. After a week of rain, the sun finally joined us for a wonderful [and tiring] excursion to Brooklyn Botanic Garden last Friday. I was shocked at how tired I was by the time we returned to school!

japanese garden at bbg

One thing we missed on Friday was our usual mid-morning snack. [Though our snacks are nutritious and delicious, I've been warned of the perils of eating *student-handled* snack. Needless to say, I've already had my first cold of the season.] Each student brings in snack on an assigned day, sets it up and figures out how much each person in the class is allowed to eat. The ensuing snack signs are hilarious and adorable.

absolutely no sneaking!

And in personal school news, Indy no longer cries at drop off and eagerly goes to his teachers in the morning. Monday, he starts attending 5 days a week! Yay, Indy!

my big boy on his way to school

Hope you're all enjoying your weekends. Can't wait to catch up on my blog reading!

Read more...

Budding Chef

In an effort to keep Indio busy this summer we signed up for *Little Chefs*, a free cooking class organized by Ontario Early Years Centres. I was hesitant at first because the class is timed perfectly with Indio's nap and I didn't want to risk a cranky toddler every week, but he's been a trooper and has sacrificed his midday snooze for a little culinary education.

We have only attended 2 classes so far, but both have been loads of fun! We start the class with a circle of songs and stories and then get right into cooking. The instructors are great about teaching routines such washing your hands before cooking, waiting your turn [some seem to struggle with this one!], learning about the different food groups and actually measuring and mixing the ingredients. It's quite amazing to watch a room full of toddlers so engaged in creating their own snack!

During our first class we baked blueberry muffins and made watermelon juice. Indio loved pouring ingredients into bowls to prepare the muffin batter. However, he had a hard time grasping the fact that he couldn't just eat the watermelon off the plate instead of actually cutting it to put it in the blender.

pouring flour

mmmmuffin!

The end result was delicious, and I'm not just saying that as a proud mama. I think even pastry-chef-in-the-making, Summer, would be impressed! We ate the muffin hot out of the oven and Indio drank his juice so quickly that I'm not sure he even tasted it!

"mom, may i have a real knife?"

so refreshing!

Read more...

Sneaky sneaky . . .

Woah, it's been awhile! How are you all doing? I've been swimming in blog post ideas but have had a difficult time trying to sit down and write!

Since the school year ended and E made an early return to NYC, Indio and I have been busy, busy, busy! You'd think with all this activity, my boy would be eating up a storm, but as many 2-year olds do, he seems to have lost his appetite, some days living on fruits and waffles.

In an effort to ensure he's getting as many nutrients as possible, my dad and I concocted a delicious smoothie that's perfect for these hot summer days. Indy calls it "Popeye" because I told him Popeye eats spinach. He doesn't even know who/what Popeye is! And yes, I said spinach. Don't worry, you can't even taste it!

I didn't calculate the nutritional info yet, but I can definitely say it's really good for you and I'm ok if that's all that Indio wants for dinner.

Popeye Smoothie

1 large banana
1 mango
1/2 cup raspberries
2 handfuls or more of baby spinach leaves
1.5 cups milk [whatever kind you like . . . I used 2% cow's milk because that's what we give Indio.]
ice

Put everything in a blender and hit "on". Voila!
Yields about 2.5-3 cups, depending on how much ice you use.

lending a hand

Read more...

Weekend Update: Brooklyn

Another food-filled weekend in our soon-to-be-home again. I love watching Indio enjoy all the things I love about NYC.

melty mishap at the brooklyn ice cream factory

a *strawberry bagel* . . . aka indy's first taste of fried doughy goodness

burning all those empty calories with a scoot around crown heights

Read more...

Well Fed Cinco de Mayo: Rebozos

My love of Mexican food has not been fulfilled since we moved to Toronto.

In NYC, I was spoiled with the plenitude of restaurants serving delicious, authentic, affordable Mexican cuisine, but up north, my luck hasn't been as great. Sure, there are Mexican restaurants here, but definitely not as many as in NY. And authenticity is hard to come by because apparently just adding avocado to a dish seems to make it "Latin American."

E grew up eating authentic Mexican food made by his Mexican-American mother, so he is an even bigger critic than I am!

In honour of Cinco de Mayo, we set out to finally try Rebozos, a local restaurant that began in the owners' living room. Apparently not much has changed as the owners still live in the house the eatery is in, except that now Rebozos has expanded further into their living space.
We ordered chicken enchiladas verde [E], a chicken quesadilla [Indio], and a chorizo burrito [me]. The chef made a mistake and made a chicken burrito, so he threw in a chorizo taco alongside it.
Everything was delicious! Indy ate the insides of his quesadilla with gusto and asked for more. E said this was the closest we've come to finding food like we had in Mexico on our 2004 trip. And I was very happy and very full after my hearty burrito! The only thing missing was a margarita!

Rebozos is a must try for anyone looking for authentic Mexican cuisine in Toronto. We'll definitely be going back!

Read more...

Rituals: AM vs. PM

creating a math test for my class while drinking a grande extra-hot low-foam lactaid bold misto with two pumps vanilla . . . kept warm by alicia's cozy.

winding down at the end of the day with tetley tea and a piece of birthday chocolate . . . thanks, p!

Read more...

Well [Over!] Fed: Birthday

Five straight days of indulging in delectably rich food and I've finally thrown in the towel!

My birthday *weekend* began last Wednesday with a scrumptious meal of braised short ribs followed by a dessert plate piled high with banana bread pudding, chocolate molten lava cake, gelato and fruit at Ferrovia.

a rare moment when Indy was actually sitting still at Ferrovia

Thursday, was a wonderful evening with fellow bibliophile, Faiza. We filled ourselves up with General Tao's chicken and Malaysian noodles at the cute and quaint, Indochine, and still had enough for leftovers!

Friday was filled with more noodles and chicken at Satay on the Road with Lis and P.

mmm . . . vino

E and I enjoyed a much-needed date night Saturday. After hours of deliberating on which restaurant to choose and finding out that most of our choices were already booked up, we finally ended up at The Keg, a faithful fallback. With perfectly seared steak and delicious twice-baked potatoes paired with a *Keg-size* glass of wine what more could a girl ask for? A Dairy Queen Blizzard, that's what! Of course, I stuck to my usual: Cappuccino Skor. More than the food though, I relished the time we had to just *catch up* after what felt like weeks of crazy-ness.

delish!

The weekend ended with a great brunch at Hothouse Cafe with Jen and Bill and homemade cupcakes from Jen.

I've probably gained 5 lbs since I began celebrating my birthday, but I have the rest of the year to work it off, right? For a birthday that was seeming a little anticlimactic, it ended up being just perfect. Spending time with my family and friends and filling my face with all my favourite foods was more than I could ask for.

I think I'm over dessert for awhile though. Did I just say that?

Read more...

Bad Mommy Moment

Both E and I have been pretty adamant about restricting Indio's sugar-intake since he started eating solid foods, but lately that area seems to be a big-fat FAIL.

Indio had his first bite of cake when he turned a year old. His next bite was somewhere around his 2nd birthday.

But with all the recent birthdays and celebrations, he's had more than his fair share of tooth-decaying goodness. Now he seems to think everyday is a birthday.

Luckily, we are still able to distract him with bribes of mango or berries. Yes, I've progressed from feeding my kid cupcakes for dinner to bribing him.

devouring papa's bday cupcake [made with love by patricia]

mini ice cream cones to celebrate papa's bday [again] with nani and nana.

mickey mouse never tasted so good! indy is hoping angelina has another party soon!

Read more...

Well Fed: Kraft Sizzling Salad

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to review Kraft's Chicken Caesar Sizzling Salad kit, but haven't had a chance to post my thoughts until now.

Some of you may already have guessed that I'm not that adept in the kitchen, so anything that makes preparing dinner easier is always welcome! The kits each come with a cooking sauce to use with your protein and salad dressing for your greens. All you have to do is add the meat and salad fixings.

E sautéed some boneless, skinless chicken breasts while I prepared the salad. In just a few minutes, we had dinner on the table!

The simplicity of the meal was appreciated on a busy weeknight and it tasted pretty good too! The cracked black peppercorn cooking sauce smelled great, but I found it a bit too *peppery* for me. I loved the flavour of the salad dressing [who doesn't love a rich Caesar dressing?], I only wish it came in a low-fat version.

Overall, we were definitely satiated. Paired with a glass of vino, I'd definitely make another Sizzling Salad soon, maybe this time with beef instead of chicken.

caesar salad is never complete without croutons and parmesan!

If you have any foolproof, quick and easy dinners for me to try, please pass the recipes my way!

Read more...

He likes it!

In honour of St. Valentine E and I picked up some sushi on our drive home. E is still under the weather, so I was surprised he opted for MY favourite cuisine instead of something more *comfort food* like, but I didn't argue! We chose an assortment of maki [rolls], including California rolls for Indy, though I was prepared to make him a separate dinner in case he didn't like them.

thomas chopsticks make mealtime fun!

Lucky for me, the apple doesn't fall from the tree, and my boy gobbled up his rolls and drank his miso soup with gusto!

Read more...

Festival of Lights

Last week, my family and I celebrated Diwali, the *Festival of Lights*. Diwali marks the new year for Hindus around the world. This year Indio was super excited to light the diyas, calling out "Candles! Candles!" all night long, and eat all the delicious food my parents prepared. It was a really special moment for me to share something that I loved so much growing up with Indio and E.

homemade Indian sweets with real silver foil


colourful diyas

lighting sparklers and fireworks outside

Indy's favourite part of the evening...I have to admit, it took a lot for me to let him hold his own sparkler, and luckily there were no injuries!

Read more...

Help me make a bike or two

[how many is too many?]

I finally have a good reason to buy lots of Swedish Berries and Mini Eggs! [you really can't understand my joy the day I found out I didn't have to wait until Easter anymore for those scrumptious chocolate eggs!]

Cadbury Canada has started a fantastic project, the Bicycle Factory, as a way to build bikes for children in Ghana, Africa to help them get to and from school. Last year, they built 5,000, which they are hoping to do this year as well.

How does eating Swedish Berries and Mini Eggs fit into this? Well, each Cadbury product has a UPC that can be entered on the Bicycle Factory site. Each UPC equals one virtual bike part and it takes 100 parts to make each virtual bike. [Trident and Stride gum as well as all Cadbury chocolates also qualify for bike parts.] So, if I was the type of person who already ate her entire candy stash from Halloween, I might have just built an entire bike. [Good thing I'm going to the gym these days.]

Unfortunately, this project ends on Sunday, so go eat some chocolate and start building some bikes!

Read more...

What I loved in October

The past month was chock-full of product suggestions from friends. Here are a few that have become staples in my life already:

I was lucky enough to lots of face time with Paula over the last two weeks, and of course, that meant sharing our fave items that get us through the day [besides wine!].

1. While at the Dollarama checkout counter, my eyes caught sight of a Reese Bar. Now, being a huge fan of chocolate and peanut butter, it was hard to look away, but I did...until a voice behind me said, "Have you tried these? Mmmm, they're so good!" [I never said she was a good influence!] And yes, it was! I ate the bar over the course of almost a week, savouring each little piece while reading in bed. I'm glad this is a limited edition, though I may just have to make a Dollarama run soon, before they run out!


2. Being moms, Paula and I are always looking for new and exciting snacks for our kids, who seem to get bored of anything we buy in bulk. [You liked it last week, which is why I stocked up this week!] On a short grocery store trip [read: Indio was with us, thus the shortness of the trip], Paula pointed out Voortman's Ginger Kids packed with *whole wheat goodness*. I just had to pick up a pack for Indio. Funny thing is, I think he's had one cookie so far while they've become a complement to my evening cup of tea. Hey, they're good for me! It says so right on the package!


3. Since having Indio, my hair has become more curly/wavy. No really, I'm serious! Of course, the wonderful combo of only knowing how to style my hair straight and not having enough time to do such styling, I've been looking like a hot, frizzy mess most days. Nooreen, my go-to makeup and hair gf [she did my wedding makeup!] continues to put up my with constant badgering of how to get my hair to look like hers. Her new fave curly products have become my new faves too! Pantene's Curly Hair Series are a product-phobe's dream! The Curl Enhancing Spray Gel and Satin Hold Hairspray don't make my hair crunchy and I can apply them over and over again for a few days without my hair looking greasy. If I was organized enough I would even show you a pic of what my hair looks like today, day #3 since washing it.
   

^via
^via

Read more...

It's the Great Pumpkin

Imagine carving this gargantuan squash? Just think of how many seeds you'd get to roast!

[709 lbs of Halloween goodness.]

Read more...

Well Fed: Mi Casa

It's a well known fact that I don't love cooking because I can't just *whip* stuff up like most of the *chefs* in my family, and am a bit self-conscious of this. I'm becoming more comfortable in the kitchen and have recently broadened my scope beyond eggs and pancakes. E is my usual guinea pig, but Saturday night we had my parents and brother over to test out my emerging skills.

A lot easier to make than it looks or tastes!

I love me some potatoes, in almost any form!

I have to say, I was really proud of how everything turned out. I made soy sauce-molasses glazed pork tenderloin encrusted with pecans, Caesar mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies. For dessert, I made a scrumptious banana cake with cream cheese frosting. Everyone said they enjoyed dinner and Indy ate a whole lot, which always makes me happy. It definitely makes me want to cook more often!

Indy's piece was the one at the back, sans frosting, but he still enjoyed every crumb!

Read more...

Snapshot Sunday: week 41

Eleven weeks of 2010 left? Is that possible? 80% of the year has gone by already? January seems so far away, yet it's just around the corner. Woah.

[day 285: I always crave a fish sandwich when I'm antiquing. Good thing I found this place!]

[day 286: Tasty Portuguese donut...my only complaint: the sugar gets stuck to your face!]

[day 287: Indy knows the words *ice cream*...from where, I don't know, but we gave in and let him have some, sugar cone and all...we're doomed now, aren't we?]

[day 288: Can't get enough of the foliage!]

[day 289: Baking a banana cake in my pajamas.]

Read more...

Well Fed: Steel Cut Oatmeal

For someone who doesn't always eat breakfast, I'm a huge fan of oatmeal, usually the instant variety, because of its ease, taste and that it's good for me! I still miss the daily breakfast ritual of preparing 1-minute oats with raisins and bananas for myself and my old co-teacher.

Lately, I've grown to appreciate slow-cooked, steel cut oats. Their nutty, creamy flavour surpasses instant oatmeal every time. If you're in a hurry, make them ahead of time and refrigerate individual portions in airtight containers until you're ready to heat and eat. [I add a bit of milk before reheating in the microwave.]

Tonight, E and I weren't that hungry so we had *breakfast for dinner.* I found this recipe from Alton Brown via the Food Network and decided to give it a try since I just happened to have buttermilk in the fridge. I added raisins, though you could add almost any fruit.

It was a deliciously satisfying meal and I can't wait to eat the leftovers in the morning!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups boiling water

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon brown sugar [I used honey because I didn't have brown sugar.]

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

rains [as many as you'd like...or none at all...totally optional!]

Directions
In a large saucepot, melt the butter and add the oats. Stir for 2 minutes to toast. Add the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer for 25 minutes, without stirring.

Combine the milk and half of the buttermilk with the oatmeal. Stir gently to combine and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon, sugar and raisins. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with remaining buttermilk. Enjoy!

Read more...