Healthy Life Lessons

  I have been dying to dry jackfruit since I learned you could simulate pulled meat with it.  A fruit that simulates pulled meat?  Um yes please! Unfortunately, most of the time when I was able to find it in cans, it was either in syrup or ridiculously expensive.  Then I finally found it for a really good price at...Shoppers Drug Mart of all places!  So I snatched up 2 cans to try. Jackfruit is cultivated in parts of Asia and Africa.  The flesh is a good source of vitamin C, and the seeds are a good source of protein.  When you get it in cans, there are only a few seeds, so I decided to add beans to this dish to bump up the protein content.  I was a little nervous about how it would taste...it does have a weird texture for a fruit, after all, but I was pleasantly surprised: I really like it!  It doesn't have a strong taste, so you could really flavour it anyway you want. I served this in whole grain wraps with melted cheese (you c...

Good Monday morning!  How was your weekend?  Ours was fun.  Costco.  Loblaws.  Swim lessons.  Baking.  Hebrew School.  A birthday party.  Playdates.  And now we're back to Monday again. Because I love my work, I don't dread Mondays, but boy do I dislike certain things about weekdays.  I hate making the girls' lunches.  It's just another thing to get done every day.  What's even more annoying is how much food comes back uneaten, even if it's food they requested.  This is particularly true of Big A.  I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised by Little A, I thought the whole lunch thing would be even tougher with her, but actually, it's Big A who is more of a challenge.  Little A generally eats most of her food, and if she doesn't finish, she eats the healthy stuff first and leaves her treat over (often eating it when I come to pick her up at the end of the day or even saving it for the next day).  She...

So how was your Halloween? Mine was much less scary than expected, thank goodness. I am really proud of myself though, because I really pushed the limits of my comfort zone.  You may recall that a few months ago I drove to New York State on my own, and this was a huge accomplishment for me, having only become a driver in my 30s, and having never done a highway trip solo before.  Well, yesterday, I went to visit my parents in Kingston (my dad just got out of the hospital after having a hip replacement surgery), and, yup, drove there all by myself!  This trip, although familiar, is almost twice the distance of the New York trip.  In addition, it was horrible weather yesterday.  So much so, that my mom called in the morning to tell me she was worried about me making the drive.  But I had made the decision to do it.  My parents needed me, and I was tired of letting this fear limit me.  I'd done most of the drive before (Adam and I usually sha...

Because the girls can't agree on anything, they insisted they each get their own Jack-o-lantern for Halloween this year.  Then they each chose the biggest one they could find. While I'm grateful we didn't have to pay by the pound for these massive things, it still meant a huge amount of work for me, because each of them also wanted an intricate (based on my abilities) design and for me to scoop, clean and roast the seeds for them. I got smart this year and bought a carving set with proper tools and stencils.  I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself (again, based on my complete lack of talent in this department).  The cat is Little A's and the witch is Big A's. When I asked them whether they wanted sweet or spicy roasted seeds, Little A said both.  I asked if she meant half sweet and half salty and she clarified that, no, she actually wanted them both sweet and salty.  And Big A actually agreed with her! So, their wish is my command!...

After having unseasonably warm weather all fall it very suddenly turned cold.  All of a sudden we've had to dig out the winter jackets and the mittens. It seems like I've gone from slathering on sunscreen to prevent burns, to skin cream to prevent dryness overnight.   But I don't mind. It means gorgeous fall foliage, cosy afternoons with steaming cups of tea, deep sleeps cuddled up under the comforter, and hot, hearty meals...including lots of stews, pastas and curries. This kind of came together just by throwing together what I had in the house but it turned out so amazingly delicious, I had to share it.  You can sub different veggies based on whatever you have lying around and I am sure it will still me fabulous.  Adam really loved this one too, which given his carnivorous preferences, means it's got to be pretty awesome. My curry turned out pretty green and white because I used a purple sweet potato that was white fleshed....

  I love my girls and would give my life for them in a heart beat.  But man can they drive me nuts!  Of course, I am sure most parents feel this way.  Last week was particularly hard because I was on my own with them, but some of their behaviour that was most difficult for me to take involved doing and saying things they often do, even when Adam is home.  What really disgusts me is when they complain about their life being so hard.  Like this really makes me mad. A few months back I went on my big Random Act of Kindness kick to try and get them to understand just how fortunate they are and to practice a little gratitude.  Unfortunately, this hasn't done much in terms of getting them to: (1) realize how good they have it, or (2) understand that they will not and should not get everything they ask for. Several times last week, Big A lay on her floor right after waking and moaned that she was too weak and hungry because I had not yet made her breakf...

I don't have the time or brain power for a real post today.  Adam has been in Ottawa since last Sunday for his annual work trip and while there have been the expected challenges of single parenting, this morning I had to endure over an hour of the girls having screaming fights (I think in part they are also done with not having daddy around) and acting like spoiled brats.  Needless to say, I have probably never been so grateful for the weekend to arrive.  Adam gets back tonight, thank goodness, so at least I have that to look forward to. Have a safe, healthy weekend!