Bad Luck

How was everyone’s weekend?  My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people in Japan who have been devastated by the Quake and Tsunami.  Such devastation   If you have family or friends living in Japan, I truly hope that everyone is safe.  In the wake of such disasters, it truly makes me feel grateful for what I have and makes me think again about having an emergency kit ready in case we are ever hit with a natural disaster.  Scientists have been predicting that we are going to be hit with the “Big One” here on the West Coast; but how “ready” are we if something does happen? 

As for my weekend adventures…lets just say it involved a big BANG!

I decided to get my bike all tuned up again so that I can start riding to and from work this week.  I’ve had a flat tire since the fall and it’s been stored in the shed all winter, so I figured I better repair it so that I can ride Monday.  We removed the tire, patched up the tube and put it back on the bike.  I pumped it up to my desired PSI of 50.  As I was checking my front tire…BANG!  It scared the bejeezers out of me.  Trevor thought it was the BBQ at first because he had turned on the propane to clean it. When I took the rear tire off and checked the tube again…it was split into two.  It seemed to have ruptured right near the valve.  Luckily I had a spare tube, so I replaced it and pumped it up again.  Now I was ready for some Saturday afternoon adventures with a 7 year-old boy.  We hit some trails and rode around the neighbourhood.  Low and behold…. ANOTHER FLAT TIRE… I couldn’t believe it.  Same tire…3 flat tires.  I’m thinking there is something in the actual tire, but couldn’t find it.  Going to take the bike into the shop this week for a tune up…hopefully they can figure it out and I can begin riding again.  Frustrating indeed, but beginning to think that I am cursed.

I also played my last hockey game of the regular season Saturday night.  Our game was scheduled for 10:45pm..so late, especially with the time change in effect last night as well.  It was a fun game and I got to play center again.  It was even funnier when I took a shot and tried to score on my own goalie…hehe… at least it’s the first time in 4 years that I tried to do that.  I have a feeling I won’t live that one down.  We have a big hockey tournament at the end of the month…so looking forward to it.

And for some exciting news..at least to me   I went shopping this afternoon and was on the market for some Peanut Butter.  Then I found this…and just about had to pick my jaw up from the floor.  I bought two right away because I’m not sure if the store will carry it again (since this is the first time I’ve seen it there).

On to good eats… Sunday night was another Thai night.

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Beef with Onions and Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp  olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 325g  sirloin steaks, sliced thinly
• 2 onions, sliced
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 225g  broccoli, cut into florets
• 225g  mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 400mL  light coconut milk
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, chopped coarsely
• 4 Tbsp  chopped fresh cilantro
• Thai Rice Stir-fry Noodles – prepared as per directions on package

 

Directions

Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the curry paste for 1 – 2 minutes.  Add the meat, in batches if necessary, and stir-fry until starting to brown.

Add the onions, scallions and garlic, and stir-fry for another 2 –3 minutes.  Add the broccoli and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 – 3 minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk, add the lime leaves and bring to a boil.  Let simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the meat is tender.  Stir in the chopped cilantro and prepared rice stir-fry noodles.  Toss until well combined and serve immediately. 

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I also decided to make a Dessert Hummus.  There are so many recipes out in the blogging land, so I just threw some ingredients together and voila!  Please put your hands together for…..

Double Chocolate Chip Hummus

I blended together the following ingredients in my food processor:  1 can of chickpeas, 1/4 cup Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter, 1/4 cup Maple Syrup and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract. 

Process until smooth, then fold in about a 1/4 cup chocolate chips.  The taste is incredible…I had a hard time not eating it by the spoonful.  But I did put some in my lunch bag for tomorrow… yipee

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Well time to go for tonight….. I`m still adjusting to the time change from last night.  We got off the ice at 12:15am and by the time I got home, showered and into bed, it was 1:30am (2:30am after the time change).  So an early bed time tonight, followed by a long day ahead of me tomorrow. 

Anybody have any interesting projects ahead of them this week?  It’s a short week of us.. Spring Break starts Friday and them I’m off to visit my parents. 

Have a great night.

Bea

xoxo

A little heat to kick this cold

I woke up this morning after a very restless night’s sleep.  I had a hard time falling asleep and woke up what seemed like every few hours unable to breathe through my nose.  I also had a couple of furry friends join me in bed last night.  Misty was curled up against my chest, furiously kneading me and Buster was curled up behind my legs.  I felt like the icing in between an Oreo cookie.  Pretty cozy though .

Trevor left me with a lovely Valentine’s Day gift.

 

Valentine’s Day was pretty exciting for the kids at school.  Many brought Valentines to exchange, but I told them they had to wait until after lunch as I didn’t want to have to deal with sugar highs all day long.  I also gave them their treat after they showed me that they wrote their homework in their agendas.  They were pretty stoked for these goodies I made on the weekend.  All got eaten up too   Always a good sign, right?

Today’s weather was a whole other story.  It poured all day and the rain was coming down sideways.  Unfortunately we had to have an indoor day for both recesses this afternoon, which didn’t help with the Vday excitement at school. 

I did manage to stop along the highway on the way home and snap a few shots of the crashing waves.  I do love watching the waves crash in, minus the rain. 

It was very chilly out…glad to get home shortly thereafter.  The cold and wind did clear up my sinuses for a little bit, so that was good, but when I got home I made myself a tall hot mug of Vanilla Rooibos Tea… my favourite.

As for my yummy food creation tonight, I thought a little bit of spice may help kick this head cold out of me…so let me introduce you to…..

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Spicy Beef and Noodle Soup

I haven’t made Thai food in a little while and had some leftover Beef Tenderloin from last night’s Bacon Wrapped Fillet Mignon.  My recipe calls for Beef Fillet, so what a perfect time to make this soup. 

  Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 oz Beef Tenderloin, sliced thinly
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 4 Tbsp crushed ginger
• 3 Tbsp  Green Curry Paste (or less if you can’t handle too much spice)
• 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Bragg Soy Sauce
• 4 oz Flat Rice noodles
• 4 cups low-sodium Beef Broth
• some cilantro for garnish

Here is my spread of ingredients used

How to make this goodness

You will need a large pot and a wok.  Prepare the broth first by heating to a simmer in the large pot.  Once the broth comes to a boil, add the rice noodles and reduce heat to a simmer and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In the wok heat oil over medium to high heat and add the sliced onions, garlic and crushed ginger.  Sauté for a few minutes until onions are translucent in color. 

Add the beef and green curry paste and stir-fry for another couple of minutes.

Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and add entire mixture to the noodles and beef broth.  

Cook for another few minutes and serve in a bowl.  Garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro. 

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After dinner settled, my friend Vicki and I had some of this….

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream goodness with fresh strawberries and Maple Balsamic Reduction. 

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That’s it for me tonight… going to head to bed to try and catch up on missed sleep from yesterday.  Hopefully I’ll be able to breathe somewhat.

Hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day.  Remember….it’s not about how much you or your sweetie did or did not spend today or this weekend… everyday should be like Valentine’s Day.

I think that Valentine’s is definitely a money maker for the stores and companies out there. It’s just another reason for people to go out and buy things to please someone. My opinion is that you shouldn’t have to go out and buy material things to show how much you care about that special someone in your life.  It’s the everyday actions that you do and show towards your significant other that speak louder than words. 

But if you got some chocolates or a card or some flowers today… enjoy them.  I did I will admit that I did enjoy getting chocolates, flowers and a card from my sweetie.

Have a great night

Bea

xoxo