Bucket List

Through pinterest I discovered this awesome BucketList site Before I Die. The amount of time I could waste on this site is endless. I thought I would share some of my Bucket List choices..

I could go on and on...check out my pinterest board for more.

What are some of your bucket list items??

B

Honey and Walnut Salmon

I managed to find another piece of salmon hanging out in our freezer so I got to test out a new recipe.

Honey and Walnut Salmon

(adapated from The Girl Who Eats Everything)

4 tsp walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp soy sauce

4 salmon fillets

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Sprinke fish with salt and pepper (I omitted this step...I forgot and didn't think it needed it). Place fish in a baking dish then spread marinade onto fish. *I would recommend covering the dish with tin foil before placing the fish and marinade in.

Cover and marinate in fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish is flakey. *When the fish was almost done baking I lowered the temperature a bit as the honey was really starting to burn.

I served this with salad and rice. Allen and I both really liked the fish. I think next time I may chop the nuts finer so they stay on the fish better.

I would definately recommend trying this recipe though!

B

Best Workout Songs

After reading my friend Morgan's blog about crossfit and good music...I thought I would give you some more recommendationsas well.

First thing, this is just a little something to make you wanna dance!

Now onto the music..

"Levels" by Avicii

"Jeopardy" by Sultan and Ned Shepard

"Feel It" by Ferry Corsten

"Call My Name" by Sultan and Ned Shepard

"Save the World" by Swedish House Mafia

"Champagne Showers" by LMFAO

"T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)" by Wil.I.Am, JLo and Mick Jagger

Hope this gives you a little something to get you moving at the gym...on the run...or at home.

B

Great weekend

All and all this weekend was great. Friday night, Allen and I had a xmas party to go to. It was a blast dancing the night away!

Saturday evening I got together with some of my besties in Nanaimo for a gift/cookie swap. We had to make our presents this year. It was awesome! I have incredibly crafty and creative friends!

Today was filled with grocery shopping, xmas shopping and cleaning. Allen and I did find time to take Emma for a walk on the beach. It was a gorgeous day for that!

Emma had a blast!

I can't believe Christmas is coming up so fast! Tomorrow I am doing some more Christmas baking for my students...then gym time! After work tomorrow I will be getting together with our neighbors to do somemore baking!!! Cannot wait!! I will pass on some of the recipes tomorrow.

I'm off now to go watch the Survivor finale. GO OZZY!

B



Best Molasses Cookies EVER

I am going to pass on an amazing cookie recipe in todays post.

Before I get to that I wanted to show you something awesome...

Surprise Christmas presents from tutoring students and my bosses! I got some delicious chocolates, hot chocolate and lots of starbucks cards. I totally wasn't expecting anything so it was super cool to get these nice gifts!!

The other night I decided to use a packaged curry mix that I got for Christmas last year. You can buy these packages at alot of craft fairs...

All I had to do was add crushed tomatoes and chicken then bake.

The verdict?

It was okay....

The rice didn't cook through enough..there were some interesting tastes...all in all it was kinda a bust! I think I will stick to making my own curry next time.

Finally,here it is...the best molasses spice cookies ever!!!

Source

Since finding this recipe I have made 3 batches of them. Allen said these may be the best cookies I have ever made! I am making these for a cookie swap with some lovely friends...as well as sending these cookies home with some of my students for xmas!!

YOU MUST TRY THESE COOKIES!!!!

Happy Baking!

B

Crossfit

I have been trying very hard to find a fitness plan that works for my lifestyle. Since September I have been working hard on a running program so that I could run a 5k last week with some lovely ladies. 



We missed you Courtney!!



Along with running, Allen and I have been doing crossfit routines at the firehall gym. One of the other firefighters is in charge of fitness so he has put up a couple crossfit routines.

Here's one that we tried:

Warm Up:

10 push ups x3

10 sit ups x3

10 pullups x3*

*I cant do pullups yet so I just skip this step. 

10 squads x3

The workout:

7 kettleball swings

7 burpees

7 step ups*

*I can't remember exactly what this was called but basically I step up and off a weight bench.

You have 10 minutes to see how many times you can do this circuit. I recommen blasting some loud, pump up music and just giver on this!!

Source

After trying that crossfit routine, I was itching to find some additional ideas. Through the wonders of pinterest I found this crossfit routine. This link is great for giving a break down week by week to get into shape. I adapted it for me.

Here's what it looked like:

12 forward lunges

10 pushups

10 lunge jumps

10 squats

10 tricep dips

10 burpees

You have 8 minutes to complete this workout.

I think I got through it 2 1/2 times before time was up. Even Allen said his legs were feeling it. I totally recommend trying these workouts or find your own.

*If you aren't sure what all the exercises look like just youtube it :)

Source

Have you tried crossfit before? Any good workouts?

B

Some catching up

So now that I am back to the blogging I feel like I have a million things to catch you up on. I figured today I would let you know some things that I am loving.

First thing I am loving...winter!

Allen, Emma and I have been spending alot of time in the snow lately! We have been going up to the nearby mountain to play in the snow.

Secondly, I have to go off about some great books that I have read lately.

HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins.

I cannot express how amazing this book was. I couldn't put it down and now I cannot wait to read the next two books in the series.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I read this book after finding it at a second hand store. I randomly came across it on tv after I read it. The book was great...movie was okay. Definately suggest this for a quick and easy read.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J.Watson

My dear friend Amanda bought me this book for my birthday. I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! Such a good book!

So thats my book catch up.

Thanks to the power of pinterest I have found some amazing recipes.

Here are two that I have tried recently.

Source

Butternut Squash Pasta Salad

*Delicious. Allen even enjoyed this one.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

 *not remotely good for you so only make them if you are planning on giving them away.

Thats all for now...more to come don't worry!

B

Simple Black Bean Enchiladas

Allen and I didn't know what to have for dinner tonight...and I started to get grumpy as I was starving and didn't know what I wanted to eat. I decided to turn to the internet to inspire me for dinner. I found these black bean enchiladas and adapted them a tad.

Source

You will have to excuse the lack of photos... I took a photo on instagram, but it didn't seem to go through so now I am sans a photo!

So here is the recipe (adapted from While He Was Napping)

Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 skinless, chicken breasts, thinly sliced and cooked

*I seasoned the chicken with a texmex seasoning

1 1/2 cups of cheese (we used mozzarella)

1 can of black beans

1 can of refried beans

1 can of enchilada

Salsa

6 Whole wheat tortillas

Lay out a tortilla and spread some refried beans onto half of the tortilla. Then lay chicken, black beans, cheese and salsa on. Roll 'her up and place (seam side down) into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Repeat until all 6 tortillas are nicely placed into the dish. Pour a jar of enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese and black beans on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with some veggies and sour cream.

Some suggestions:

Veggies...veggies!! I am trying to increase the amount of veggies in each meal. I think Allen and I both agreed that this dish needed more veggies. I think some cooked red peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, or corn may be good. We served our enchiladas with a side caesar salad.

I would definately suggest trying this dish. It was so simple and delicious!

B

PS. I promise I will increase the amount of photos!!!!

Lets try this again...

I'm sorry...its been awhile...its been forever since my last post. I have been inspired by a few fellow bloggers to get back into it. This is going to be a short post. I will post again soon with a much better catch up post. I just really wanted to get this out...

Source Peanut Butter Fingers

If you have time...please give this blog a read. A young boy with cancer wants Christmas cards and if you have time, please send one his way! I'm definately going to get mine into the mail as soon as possible!

I promise I will be back soon!

B

Last weekend of summer holidays!!!

Yes its that time again...back to school! Where on earth has this summer gone?!?!

Allen and I went to camping this past weekend with his family. He did some fishing while I did some reading and relaxing.

Emma and I spent a fair amount of time on the beach. She has been getting more and more brave with the whole water thing. Emma also got to play with another ridgeback! She met a 3 year old boy named Malec. We set up a date and supervised while the two love birds played.

Can you tell which one is Emma?

Anyways it was a great weekend to cap off the summer.

Now its back to the grind...back to waiting for the TOC call outs each week..

I don't know if its because of back to school or whether its because I am turning 26 soon, but

I decided to set some goals or resolutions. I know everyone sets New Years resolutions, but I thought maybe a birthday would be a good time to set some resolutions and stick to them.
An astrologer on the news also said this would be a good time for virgoes to set some goals..

So here are some of my goals for my 2-6 year:

• Exercise at least 2-3 times a week. This better be the breaking sweat kind of exercise.
• Cut down on the amount of suqar in my diet. (I was watching the news and they were discussing the amount of sugar people actually drink. They mentioned that suqar consumed in liquid form is actually stored as fat quicker than raw solid sugar!)
• Accept more and more TOC call outs. This means I need to be ready in the mornings to accept all calls.
• Network more. Meet more teachers and get myself into new schools.
• Increase the amount of veggies in my diet...and Allens.
• Spend less, save more.
• Learn to stress less. I am a very high stress...over thinker..and I always wonder what good it does me besides make my skin break out and for more grey hairs to pop up.

So those are my goals for the year.

Check out Amanda's back to school goals!

B

New Music Tuesday

Anyone watch the VMA's this past weekend?

I feel like I was a little out of the loop with some of the artists... I have never heard of some of them and I consider myself familiar with alot of genres of music.

My highlights from the award show was Adele's performance and Beyonce showing off her baby bump!! :) Both Beyonce and Jay-Z looked so happy to be expecting! So cute!

 

Anyways I spent some time this morning downloading some new music and updating my ipod.

Here are some new tunes I recommend you check out!

Dev feat. Flo Rida- In the Dark (remix)

Florence and the Machine- What the Water Gave Me

Florence and the Machine- You've Got the Love (REVOLVR remix)
Keri Hilson- Lose Control

Jay-Z and Kanye West- Otis

 

Bombay Bicycle Club- Shuffle

Young the Giant- My Body

Adele- Someone Like You

Hope you can check out some of these awesome tunes!

B

Duncan Farmers Market

This past weekend I visited a Farmers Market in Duncan with my mom and a couple of her friends. It was a great local market with lots of fresh produce.

My mom and I picked up some amazing sourdough bread..

Some succulents.. this one is called a chick and hen?!?! I am pretty excited because the lady that sold them to us recommened planting them outside as they are pretty hardy.

I was expecting to have to keep it inside, but nope this plant finds a home outside!

We also bought some blackberries, but I ate my share on my car ride home. Such a good snack!

And last but not least, we bought some rhubarb! I was so excited for this purchase as I love making rhubard sauce!

If you haven't made rhubarb sauce before you must try it! I just chop up the rhubarb...pop it into a pot and let it boil down. Halfway through I add some sugar to taste. I added approximately 1/3 cup for a good size amount of rhubarb.

Once I have let it cook down.. I pop it in a tupperware for storage in the fridge!
Then....when I am ready for dessert..

Pop it on some ice cream... 

I must say...pretty good dessert!

I am pretty excited for today. Courtney is coming up for a visit. I believe we are going to venure out for lunch at a restaurant that offers a gluten-free menu. Perfect for my gluten-free friend Courtney.

And then....Allen is home Wednesday!

AND THEN SCHOOL GOES BACK IN THE FOLLOWING WEEK! ECK!

I am excited to start TOCing again, but honestly where did the summer go???

I always get excited for the start of a school year. I get back to routine...

Before school starts I always like to do a big spring..er fall clean and organization of my closet...office...entire house.

What are some of your back to school or welcome to fall routines?

B

Basil pesto pasta

You will have to excuse my lack of posts lately.

I am feeling unmotivated...uninspired with my blog right now.

I have been running out of ideas.

I am hoping that I will get motivated soon..

I did promise you a new recipe or two. I finally tried a new recipe today.

Basil Pesto with Tomatoes and Feta

I didn't have any bowtie pasta so I just used macaroni.

I really enjoyed this recipe. The best part was probably the cherry tomatoes. They provided a great contrast in flavor against the pesto.

My mom and I made pesto this past week and I just popped it into the freezer until I needed it.

We just used this simple pesto recipe.

Super easy, super delicious.

I would definately give both recipes a try.

Super easy and delicious...couldn't ask for more in the summer!

B

Some sad news for BC

I don't consider myself a very political person. I don't follow politics (that much).

I always try really hard to vote or at least understand what each political party stands for.

Well I have got to say that I am very sad today.

Jack Layton from the NDP party has passed away at 61.

I have always liked him. For the amount of politics that I have followed, I have always felt connected to him. I have always like the way he speaks and relates to a crowd.

He recently took a break from politics to battle cancer for the second time.

Sadly the cancer won.

Sad to see this Canadian icon pass away.

Rest in Peace Jack Layton.

B

Amazing Fishing

Hello! So Allen and I had a great time fishing this past weekend!

I got to battle some big fish, and now are freezer is stocked full with fish. I am so thankful to have all this fish! Hopefully our grocery bill will be cheaper especially with Allen going back to school in October!

Here are some of the photos from the weekend:

Don't you just love the outfit?!?! Fashionable, hey?!?!



All in all it was a pretty cool weekend. Memorable weekend!

So on a different note...I have a few recipes that I am hoping to try out this coming week to post for you.

Here are some I am hoping to try:

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Harvest Bread

Quick Mexican Rice with Beans

Pesto Bowties with Feta and Basil

I am thinking I will be trying to pesto dish tomorrow night for dinner :)

B

Butternut Squash Fries

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I don't know where the time has been going.

This past weekend Allen and I went fishing again.

The fishing was awesome...

Not sleeping because I thought every sound I heard was a bear....not so awesome.

Yes, I am a bit of a stress case when it comes to bears...or cougars...apparently rain drops on the tent...you name it.

Oh well...

Anyways photos to come!
Just wanted to quickly let you know I was still alive and to give you this awesome recipe.



Butternut Squash Fries

Recipe adapted from a number of website recipes

1 butternut squash

Veggie oil

Garlic Powder

Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Clean squash of inner stuff (seeds, etc.)

Cut squash into "fries" and arrange on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt.

*I just eye-balled how much of the seasoning I wanted to use.*

Bake for 35 minutes flipping halfway.

If you like yam fries,  I think you will dig squash fries. Super easy and delicious!

Anyways I will be back soon with some fishing photos and hopefully some more recipes.

B

Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins

Sorry that I am a little late with my Coombs photos.. things have been busy around here.

Amanda and I's Sunday trip to Coombs was a success!

We bought some good second hand books...

We found some lovely finds at the market...

We had a delicious lunch...

We bought awesome scarves...

and we shared some laughs...including discussions about carved wood penis chairs...and "moose" versus "meese"

Here are some the beautiful fruits I saw...

I love the Coombs Market. So amazing!!

Now onto other housekeeping..
I have a couple recipes that I want to pass on...

Todays recipe is Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins.

Recipe adapted from: Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup Bran Buds

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten with a fork

1/4 cup oil or melted butter

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1. Combine oats, bran buds and buttermilk in a small bowl. Add beaten egg and oil. Set aside.

2. Combine dry ingredients, stirring to blend well.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring until just moistened, then fold in blueberries.

4. Fill greased or paper lined muffins tins.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 large muffins

*Note: to sub in milk for buttermilk mix 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice to milk. Set aside till it curdles.

I just tasted one of these bad boys and they were delicious!

Hope you enjoy them!

Next post...Grilled Cauliflower!

B

Simple bruschetta and blueberry crumble...

This past week I went to visit a friend that I haven't seen in two years. We went to university together and kind of lost contact over the past couple of years.
Randomly we started chatting and I ended up going over to her place for a night.

I got to see her new condo and met her boyfriend.

We had alot of catching up to do.

For dinner she made me really delicious bruschetta.

I decided to try and recreate it for dinner tonight...

I cut up tomatoes and onions...

I tossed the veggies with olive oil, dried basil and garlic...

Then I topped some toasted bread slices with the mixture..

I added some parm. cheese on top as well.

I baked 'em for 10 minutes in a 375 degrees oven...

They turned out okay. My friend Jenni's were much better...

I would have used real parm. cheese and different bread. Oh-well!

For dessert I got creative again...

Blueberry Apple Crumble..

This was super easy. I cut up an apple, mixed in some blueberries then topped the dish off with a combination of whole wheat flour, margarine, brown sugar, rolled oats and cinnamon. These ingredients need to be combined and "crumbly" before putting it on the fruit.

 I pretty much eye-balled the measurements till I got a consistency I liked.

I baked these guys at 370 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.
I could have baked them a little longer so that the apples were a little more tender. Overall this was pretty tasty and super easy!

Allen's gone fishing for the weekend so I am taking it easy tonight. I am having a "Brooke" night.

On the agenda:

• Mop the floors
• Clean our bedroom
• Color my hair
• Paint my nails
• Take Emma for a walk
• Watch a movie or finish my book

I will be back tomorrow. Amanda and I are going to Coombs tomorrow so I will have some photos to show you!!!

B

Beautiful Pachena Bay

So this past weekend I headed out to Pachena Bay to relax and soak up some sun!

Allen, The Sanhs, Shawn and I all headed up there Friday afternoon. It was late when we got there, so we were setting up our tents in the dark!

Once we got settled, we headed down to the beach. It was amazing. The sky was clear so we could see stars for miles. The beach was covered with people having fires and partying!

Saturday we woke up to clouds, and misty rain. Such a bummer. After sitting around the fire, cursing the rain, we headed into town to go pick up Morgz!

She has been working her butt off with school work, so we came and rescued her for a break.

By dinner time the sky had opened up and it rained and rained....

We set up a tarp...while it was raining...duck taping the holes as we were getting dripped on...

Sunday we woke up to this...

It ended up being absolutely gorgeous on Sunday.

Here are some snap shots from Sunday Funday!

I have never seen a dog dig as much as Emma did this past weekend. She dug a 4 foot hole that we had to warn people about at night...

More on the food front...

Allen and I had Greek Chicken Kabobs, salad and garlic bread for dinner on Sunday.

The kabobs were super easy! I bought metal ones that I can reuse. This week I am going to try grilled cauliflower.

I better get going, but I will post more photos from Pachena soon!

B