Reading and Riding

Hope everyone is having a G-R-E-A-T day!

It was a busy one for me today.  I started off the day with a trip to our local library.  They are running kids summer programs and myself and another lady brought in our dogs for an event called “Paws for Literacy”.  This is not the first time for this event, but the first one in a while.  A few years ago, Buster went through some stringent training and screening to become a P.A.T.S dog.  P.A.T.S. stands for Pacific Animal Therapy Society.  We visit seniors homes from time to time and Buster is considered a Therapy Dog.  He loves visiting with people and they seniors always enjoy seeing a friendly furry friend. 

So this morning, we visited the library for about an hour.  About a dozen kids read to Buster.  Here we are all set up and waiting.  Of course I couldn’t take any pictures of Buster with the kids because of privacy issues. 

We will be going back next Wednesday for another session of reading to the dogs.  I’ve found that kids just fall in love with reading to the dogs because for one, dogs make great listeners and secondly, the kids don’t seem shy reading to them because they can just read and not worry that the dog will correct them or interrupt them.  Plus, reading out loud definitely helps anyone who struggles with reading. 

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So after our library visit, I rushed home to eat lunch.  A friend was supposed to meet up with me to hit our local trails for a ride through the bush.  It wasn’t raining, so the conditions were perfect.  I was hoping the trails were not too wet from all the recent rain because I really wanted to stay on my bike this time   It was such a beautiful and somewhat challenging ride. 

The scenery can change so quickly.  It can go from old growth forest to new growth within a matter of a few hundred meters.  The trails are for all levels, but I like to stick to the beginner trails, since some of these are even technical enough for me.  

We were out in the trails for a couple of hours, which was perfect since I still have my boot camp class tonight. 

So now I am off to make a pre-workout smoothie, then off to class I go. 

Dinner tonight will be leftover trout and risotto.  I did take a picture yesterday, but it was very blurry.  I can’t wait to get my new-to-me camera by the end of the week.  Taking pictures with my BB is starting to get somewhat annoying (although very convenient, I do admit). 

Bea

xoxo

I love fishing

Happy Tuesday everyone!

So I must say that I am really proud of myself.  So far this summer, I’ve taught myself to fillet salmon, smoke salmon on the BBQ and now I can add preparing my own fishing rod to the list. 

You see, growing up and in more recent days, I’d rely on friends and family to attach my hooks, spool my fishing rod, attach a worm (yuck) or other bait or lures to my line and even kill and gut the fish.  I’ve never had to tie a fishing knot because it was always done for me. 

So Sunday night, I took the initiative to teach myself something new once again.  I like learning new things and if it brings me pleasure, even better.  I had to change my line on my rod to a much lighter and kink-free fishing line.  So once again Google and YouTube were my friends.  And I did it.  I bought a 12lb line and spooled it all by my lonesome, without any kinks or knots or tangles.  Then came time to attaching the weight and the fishing hook.  I practiced a couple of knots on the old line that I removed and it worked after a few tries.  Yeah me !  The whole process took me about an hour, but I can finally announce that I successfully prepared my OWN fishing rod.  I was just praying that the knots were tight enough so that I don’t lose any fish.

Monday morning, the girls and I headed to our local lake for an afternoon of fishing.  We packed some snacks, our gear, chairs and off we went.  After a brief pit stop at the gas station and the local tackle store to buy extra hooks and a fish bonker (just in case), off we went.  The sun was shining and we were ready for some relaxation and hopefully fish action.  The only thing we forgot was the sunscreen…. my right arm is slightly lobster-coloured.

Not sure why this picture is so blurry, but here is another view of the lake on the way back to the car.  The clouds started coming in and the wind picked up, but we were happy, because we didn’t leave empty handed.  That bonker definitely came in handy this afternoon.

I ended up catching and landing 3 cut throat trout, but only kept this one because the other 2 were too small.  I had to throw one back with the hook as it completely swallowed it.  I guess it was off to find the fishy dentist.

I even overcame my fear of worms.  I hate worms, how they wiggle, get smaller and larger when trying to put them on the hook.  It grosses me out, but I did it.  After a couple, it wasn’t so bad anymore. Yeah me!

When I got home, I had to gut the fish, something else I’ve never had to do either.  It was pretty gross, but I got over it. 

Mr. Trout is now prepped and wrapped in tin foil in the fridge.  I’m going to BBQ it tonight in the same way I did the last one.  And I think I”m going to eat with with a nice vegetable risotto this time.  What do you think?

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week.  Can you believe it’s already July 19th?  Crazy how time flies when you’re having fun.

Bea

xoxo

Spicy Prawns, Mushrooms and Orzo

Here’s a wonderfully easy and healthy dinner option for you.  It was so quick and easy to make, and tasty.  I’ve only recently started cooking with orzo again, mainly because I try to limit my intake of gluten whenever I can.  Orzo is a light, rice-shaped pasta and it cooks just like pasta.  Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did.

I must give a shout out to my wonderful friend Brenda and her husband Al.  They gave me these scrumptious BC spotted prawns that came from the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  They don’t get much better than this.  Juicy and tender.  Thanks guys!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried orzo
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes (I used a spicier version)
• 1 can mushrooms (use fresh if you can..much better, but I ran out)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shelled and deveined prawns

1. Cook the orzo in boiling water according to the package directions. 
2. While the orzo is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions and mushrooms are somewhat translucent.  Don’t forget to stir frequently.
3. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and the spices.  Simmer for about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the prawns and cook until they become opaque.  Add the cooked orzo to the pan. 
6. When the orzo is thoroughly heated, you can chow down. 

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Bon appetit!

Have  wonderful day!

Bea

xoxo

Makeover time

So Beaglebea got a makeover.  What do you think?  I wanted to leave the header picture, but it just didn’t match the background anymore.  I really do love sunrises and sunsets and this sunrise was taken last summer while I was walking Buster one early morning. 

Finding this picture also made me a little happier today, since this horrible weather is just depressing.  Oh Mr. Sunshine, won ‘t you please come out and play again?

I haven’t been up to too much lately, so I will leave you with a couple of foodie pics.

Cinnamon French toast made with 1 free-range organic egg, So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk and Agave nectar…. served with Liberté Natural Non-fat Greek Yogurt, 1 apple and 1 tsp. maple syrup. 

(Not in the picture)….I had a coffee with my breakfast as well.

Spicy Prawns and Mushrooms with Organic Whole Wheat Orzo…recipe to be posted soon.

Have a great day everyone

Bea

xoxo

Brought to you by the letter “A”

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Do anything interesting?

Well since it’s been raining all day again, I had to come up with a creative way to spend my day.  I took a peek through my fridge to find ways to use up the rest of my produce before my grocery shop tomorrow and came across a very lonely avocado.  Lately I’ve been eating a lot of avocados in my smoothies, but wanted to use it up differently. 

A little while back I tried out one of Angela’s recipes that looked oh so temping…her Chocolate Torte.  She uses avocados as her base for the filling and like I said before, you’d never taste it.  So I thought why not recreate something of that sort.  So instead of making an entire torte, I decided to make a simple Silken Chocolate Pudding.  (pictures taken on my Blackberry until I get a new camera – sorry for the low quality)

Ingredients and directions for 4 large servings

Place the following ingredients into you Vitamix or Food processor….

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup organic raw cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Teaspoons of Navita’s Naturals Protein Twister Blend
• 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil (or coconut oil)

Turn on the mixer and gradually add ….. 1/4 cup So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Beverage (or almond milk if you so desire) until you get the consistency that you desire. 

For all those sceptics, believe you me when I say that the avocados cannot be tasted at all.  The cocoa masks their taste.  I’m not a big fan of guacamole because I’m not a huge fan of avocados.  Just make sure you buy ripe avocados.

But if you really want to taste some decadent, rich, chocolaty goodness that’s good for you, you must try this.  Yes, it does have 250 calories per serving (an the servings are fairly large, so feel free to have less), but it’s a healthy fat and definitely satisfies anybody’s chocolate craving.

Even better…it’s raw, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free!

Back again soon.

Bea

xoxo

Winter or summer?

It’s been a horrible week with regards to the weather.  We are all beginning to wonder if summer will ever make an appearance.  This has been my view all week.

On my way to bootcamp, I actually had to turn on the heat in my car this morning and I’ve been wearing sweaters and flannel pants all week at home.  Argh…..

But regardless of this weather, I still managed to have some fun this week. 

On Wednesday, I took my friend’s 8 year old daughter down island to a place called Wild Play Element Parks.  It’s an adventure park that offers bungee jumping, zip lining, King Swings and Monkido (tree climbing).  We went down to play in the trees. 

Monkido is an aerial adventure course with tightropes, missing plank bridges, swinging logs, ziplines, cargo nets, tree ladders and lots more.  They had 5 different courses, each progressing in difficulty.  At the beginning, you are only 6 feet from the ground, but you end up as high as 60 feet above the ground. 

Ashlee and I had a blast.  The rain really started to come down hard and it got quite slippery, but at least we knew that we were attached by a harness at all times if we did slip and fall. 

My favourite part of the course was the rope swing into the Spiderman cargo net and of course the ziplines from one tree to another.  It was fairly challenging climbing up the cargo net to get to the next platform.  I am so happy that I’ve been working my core in Bootcamp every week…otherwise I would have had a lot of trouble. 

Unfortunately my camera died half way through our adventure, so I can only show you a few of the pictures.  Looks like I’m in the market for a new camera as the lens will no longer open.

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On another note, I finally found out that my tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy will be taking place July 29th.  They are keeping me in the hospital overnight as I am an adult undergoing the surgery.  I’ve never had to spend a night in the hospital, and I’m starting to get nervous about the surgery.  Everything I read online does not sound very pleasant.  And I’m not looking forward to eating a liquid diet for a while.  Perhaps it will help with my weight loss goals.  Wish me luck.  I’m sure it will all be fine. 

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Has anybody ever had their tonsils taken out as an adult or teenager?  Got any advise for me? 

Back soon.  Have a nice weekend everyone.

Bea

xoxo

Another Gluten-Free Pizza

It’s been a long time since I’ve had pizza, let alone made it myself again.  Since having started bootcamp in April, I tried to stay away from that type of food, but hey, there is no reason why I can’t make a healthier version myself, right? 

I bought some gluten-free frozen pizza shells, which are individual sized and perfect for a meal.  Once again, I had some chicken thighs in the fridge, so on to the pizza it went. 

For the sauce I used pesto, since I have an open jar in the fridge that also needs to be consumed before it goes bad.  Then I layered the pizza with some baby spinach, chicken and 2 slices of dill Havarti (hmm..my favourite cheese at the moment).

Into the oven it went for 10 minutes on 400F. 

It was pretty good.  I find that the trick with gluten-free crusts is that they get crispy.  By doing so, it’s still chewy on the inside.  I tried making these pizzas on the BBQ the other night, but the crust was crispy at first and then started tasting like stale bread, especially when it got a little cold. 

Hope everyone is having a good start to their week. 

What do you like to put on your pizza?

Bye for now.

Bea

xoxo

Low-fat Chocolicious Brownie muffins

VEGAN + DAIRY-FREE

What can I say about this post other than …. hmm hmm chocolaty good.  I haven’t consumed any treats in such a long time and then I came across a recipe (I can’t remember where though) that featured So Delicious Coconut milk as one of ingredients.  And guess who happened to have an open carton in the fridge… I just had to use it up before it went bad…how could I not? 

Take a look at these bad boys…and they are relatively healthy too. I customized the recipe to my own preference to make them a little more healthy than the original version. Next time I am also going to attempt a gluten-free version of these muffins, but for now, they will have to do with being vegan + dairy-free. I wish I could remember where the original version came from…doh!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Spelt Flour
• 3/4 cup pure cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder (gluten-free and aluminum free)
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup raw agave syrup
• 1/2 cup strong brewed espresso
• 1/2 cup So Delicious Vanilla Cocunut milk
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract ( I put in a tad more since I love the flavour)
• 2 Tbsp.  olive oil
• 1 handful of organic semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Yield:  12 muffins
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
• In a medium bowl, whisk maple syrup, pumpkin purée, agave syrup, coffee, coconut milk and vanilla.
• Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Add the chocolate chips. 
• Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins about 3/4 full. 
• Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.

You will notice the batter is quite stiff and the muffins are very dense, just like a brownie. 

 

They definitely have the consistency of a brownie.

Careful to not over bake them as I think they may get too dry.  They taste great and have a slight coffee aroma.  What I loved about these is that they do not contain one ounce of refined sugar or flour and only 2 Tbsp. of olive oil for the entire recipe.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. But remember, eat in moderation!

Bea

xoxo

Egg Frittata

Whenever I have the urge to make eggs, it’s the basic eggs with toast, especially for breakfast.  My favourite is either easy-over or soft boiled eggs.  But sometimes I get the urge to make something more. 

I had already eaten breakfast before bootcamp this morning, but when I got back home, I was definitely hungry for more. By the time I had showered and refreshed myself, it was time for lunch anyway.

I had some leftover sautéed onions and red peppers in the fridge, along with some fresh spinach that was starting to go limp.  I had some cooked chicken thighs in the fridge as well. 

I threw everything into the frying pan along with 1 Tbsp. of pesto sauce, then added a couple raw eggs and stirred it all together.  Right before serving, I added a small amount of grated dill Havarti cheese.

Another great lunch idea….it’s quick, simple and has lean protein and healthy fats. 

BON APPETIT !

Trout and a movie

I promised you my trout recipe, and promises I keep.  I decided to relive my childhood and cook the trout the way my dad used to make it for me when I was younger and we caught trout while camping.  I think it’s been about 7 years since I caught myself a trout that size, so it was going to be another cooking adventure.

But first, my lunch… I still have a bunch of smoked salmon in the fridge and will for another couple of days, so I thought I’d make myself a very simple lunch.

A couple of Rye Wasa crackers, baby carrots, a blob of herbed goat’s cheese and lots of salmon.

A bowl of cantaloupe…probably one of my favourite fruits if it’s ripe.

A small bowl of the Liberté Non-fat plain Greek yogurt with a teaspoon of pure maple syrup. 

And a cup of coffee sweetened with a tad of Agave Syrup and a splash of non-fat milk…in one of my favourite mugs too.  One of my students gave me this for Christmas last year.

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As for the trout…. I stuffed it with some herbed butter, onions, garlic and salt and pepper.  Then I packed him up in the tin foil and placed it on the BBQ over Indirect Heat.  My BBQ has 4 burners, and so I turned two of the burners on medium low heat.  I’d say it took about 20 minutes before the meat was falling off the bones and I could peal away the skin.

For some reason, this reminds me of a cartoon cat that feasted on a fish.  I just pulled the backbone right off the trout and it came off this clean… a great sign that it was done.

While the trout was cooking away, I prepared a quick stir-fry of onions, garlic, red pepper and baby carrots.  Shortly before serving, I added a sprinkle of Cane sugar to caramelize it slightly.  I also made some mashed baby potatoes. 

And voila..my dinner.  I wasn’t able to finish it all, so it was perfect for my lunch the next day.

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Horrible Bosses

We went to go see Horrible Bosses last night.  And I have to say it was pretty good.  It’s basically about 3 friends who have horrible bosses and they conspire to kill them so that their lives are much better.  And yes, their bosses truly are horrible.  The actors were funny:  Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, Donald Sutherland, to name a few.   We laughed for almost the entire movie.   The movie is about 100minutes long.  A good length for a movie. 

 

That’s it for me. I’m off to buy my groceries for the week and pick up cat and dog food.  Back again soon I hope.

Bea

xoxo