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Fluffy Pancakes and Green Challenge

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Susan Posted in Breakfast, Brunch | 2 Comments

After hearing about using vinegar to fluff up pancakes (first from a friend and then finding a recipe on Pinterest), I decided to give them a try. The original recipe comes from Coleen’s Recipes and I followed it to a T.

The result:

Super fluffy pancakes!

I realized I had no syrup in the house, so I decided to eat mine with lemon-vanilla cottage cheese creme (about 1/4 cup whipped creme, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar all blended together until creamy) and fresh strawberries.

Yummy and toddler approved! :)

Also, can you believe it’s March!!!

When I found out about Katy’s Green Challenge, I decided to participate in the action. If you submit a photo on twitter or instagram every day of the challenge, you will be entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift card. And we all know how I feel about Starbucks, right? ;)

From her blog, Fit in Heels:

Here’s my submission for today:

Green smoothie with a handful spinach, 1/4 cucumber, 1 pear, lemon juice and fresh ginger (sorry for the phone pic taken in my dark, messy kitchen…).

I’ve come to the conclusion that I like my green smoothies not too sweet. I’m no longer adding frozen banana or sweet fruits to them. I still love all kinds of fruit but not in my green smoothie. This girl needs ginger + lemon!

Do you drink green smoothies? It’s an easy way to get some greens into your diet.

Ladies Holiday
Wishing you a fantastic weekend and make those fluffy pancakes you see above! You won’t regret it! Hope see you back here soon!

Random Act Of Kindness

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Susan Posted in Parenting, Random | 7 Comments

Hey Friends! How are you?

I have a really, really nice story to share with you.

Last Sunday something strange but wonderful happened to us. We went for brunch to Denny’s (yes, that Denny’s). While I usually try and eat healthy most of the time, there are days, when the least thing you want to do is cook and then clean the kitchen. Denny’s is just a few blocks walking distance away, so that’s what we decided on.

Easy. Yes. Greasy. Yes. But sometimes that’s just what I need. And a milkshake. :)

We were eating, while entertaining our son and then we eventually let him walk around the restaurant (which was half empty).

I have no problem going to restaurants with our little man and he’s been to countless places sine he was born, from cheap hole-in-the-walls, to fast food outlets, to overpriced fancy(-ish) restaurants. We go out to eat at least once a week. Our philosophy is that we are a family, and we don’t want to keep our son from sharing this experience with us, just because he is still small. But that requires us, mommy and daddy, to keep everyone in this little family of ours happy, including entertaining our son during dinners, lunches and brunches out. Entertaining = talking, playing, pointing to the lamps (a favourite!), and when patience is running out, we let him walk around for a little while.

I’m not a believer of the “children are to be seen, but not to be heard” philosophy. Children are human beings and are part of our society, just like adults and seniors, and people of any age in between. And, yes, sometimes they are louder than adults. Sometimes they aren’t. Should we keep them away from public spaces until they are able to be quiet? I don’t think so. But that’s our family’s philosophy. Yours might be different.

Anyway, as we were eating and playing, an elderly couple walked up to us and congratulated us on our little family, and told us that we are doing a great job. Oh, and then the man mentioned that they payed for our food! They gave us a hug and left.

What? I couldn’t believe what just happened! This lovely gesture definitely made our day! It really wasn’t about having our food paid or saving money, really. It was more of a gesture to share kindness and acknowledgement, as well as encouragement.

This couple reminded me to appreciate the moment, enjoy life, and most of all, to be kind to others and grateful for what I have.

Were you ever on the receiving end of a random act of kindness? Or have you done something similar yourself?

 

Fall Fun + What I Ate Wednesday

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Susan Posted in Eats | 9 Comments

Hi friends, Happy [What I Ate] Wednesday!

Hope you had a great long weekend. We enjoyed some fall activities, including a fun trip to the Southlands Heritage Farm and Pumpkin Patch!

Fall is definitely here!

I’m in the middle of studying for my midterm /entertaining a teething 13-month old (he’s getting his first molars!), who also has a stuffy nose. As you can imagine, I don’t get too many chances to cook these days and I definitely don’t have the time to snap a picture of every meal in a day, but here are some highlights of the past week.

Breakfast and snacks:

hummus and veggies, coffee (with whipped cream), oven omelette with apple-pear sauce and whipped cream

Lunch:

fish sticks and roasted veggies

Dinner:

"Mexitalian" or "Mexiterranean"?

Heirloom Tomatoes, Bocconcini and Italian Salami as starter, Beef Chili as main course and I also whipped up a batch of Fall Harvest Vinaigrette (1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. unsweetened apple juice, 2 Tbsp. Red Wine vinegar, 1 tsp maple syrup, 3 Tbsp. EVOO) to drizzle over greens.

A random confetti rice dish (risotto, maybe?) made of leftovers:

My son loved it!

Another Dinner/Leftover Lunch:

Roasted Veggie and Butternut Squash Lasagna

If you want to check out more Wednesday eats, head over to Peas and Crayons for the What I Ate Wednesday link-up!

Spooky Snacks and Healthy Halloween Treats

Did you eat any fall-inspired foods this past week? What’s your favourite fall flavour? Are you a pumpkin lover, like so many? Soup? Feel free to share in the comments, I love to get inspired by you!

 

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