Oh What A Night

The dresses. The films. The awkward hosts. There is just something about the Oscars that I look forward to every year.

To get ready for the evening, the boyfriend and I printed off ballot sheets to vote for our choices. Whoever lost owed the other one a post-workout back massage this week, which I was very pleased about because I already knew I was going to win. The odds were kind of in my favour anyways considering that I went to film school, work in the industry and had seen many of the film nominated. But he was a good sport and filled out a ballot card. In the end he scored 8 and I scored 12 out of the 24 awards presented last night. Not too shabby!

We also made a delicious dinner of Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (recipe up tomorrow), with his favorite Roasted Broccoli. He seriously could eat a whole baking sheet of the stuff if I would make it for him.

I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about Anne Hathaway and James Franco as the Oscar hosts. She was good, but nothing spectacular and he just seemed to be bored/stoned. However, I did like the opening clip that they did using all the films nominated for Best Picture. Here's a clip:

While I thoroughly enjoyed watching the show in my sweats at home, I was envious of all the gorgeous dresses worn last night. The glitz and glamour gets me everytime. I never get tired of seeing the wonderful creations that Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank and Gwyneth Paltrow wear.

Natalie Portman looked absolutely radiant in her fuchsia gown when she went up to accept her award for Best Actress. I thought it was so sweet when she thanked her parents for showing her "every day how to be a good human being by example" and her fiance for giving her the "most important role of my life".

I think one of my favorite newcomers to the red carpet was the young Hailee Steinfeld, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in True Grit. She looked cute, sweet and dressed appropriately for such a young actress, while still looking very fashionable.
After a long award show (they really do seem to go on forever!), we were absolutely wiped and hit the hay. Now we have a new list of films that we want to see, including The King's Speech. I wasn't too keen on it before, but after all the hype last night I'd love to see what its like.

A (Somewhat) Lazy Weekend

Despite my New Year's Resolution to not overbook my calendar every week, 2011 has already started off with every week being full of commitments. They have all been fun things, like bachlorette parties, weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, visiting family and dinner parties with friends. But they still have taken a toll on how much rest and relaxation I have been getting. When I overbook things, I tend to stay up late at night trying to get cooking, cleaning and extra work done. Then I'm suddenly surprised when I wake up exhausted every morning.

Now its time for some tough love to get my act back in gear. During the week I want to try and be in bed by 10:30pm. This will give me time to read a little, maybe do some bedtime yoga and fit in a comfortable eight hours of sleep.

To start off this new plan, the boyfriend and I have just been enjoying a nice quiet and relaxing weekend. We hit up the gym, made dinner together, went out for a couple of drinks with friends and snuggled up with Whiskey to read Cesar's Way.

I didn't make any "lists" of things I need to do.
I didn't stress about not emailing back so-and-so right away
I didn't worry if I am offending people by saying "no" to every invitation we received.

I have just been relaxing, catching up on sleep and taking the time to enjoy the meals we made instead of rushing through them. It has been such a nice, calm break and now I want to make it a habit.

The only thing that I have planned for today is to make a delicious meal together and watch the Oscars. We printed out ballot sheets (he's rooting for True Grit, while I'm all about Black Swan) and we'll see who takes home the most awards.

Its almost two months into 2011 and I'd love to hear how you've been doing with your New Year's Resolutions so far!

Oh Deer!

Earlier this week, on the way home from visiting my Great Aunt Irene and grandparents, we came across an interesting discovery that warranted a quick U-Turn.

Do you see what it is?

A field FULL of deer. Right by a busy road. It was crazy.

Whiskey was quite interested in the deers. And by "interested" I mean he became a loud obnoxious barking fiend. How dare those deer frolic about on his watch.

I guess they caught on to us watching them and got spooked They started heading back towards the woods and we could see all their little white tails dashing away.

It was a lovely, unexpected surprise that was the perfect way to end the long weekend. Seeing all the animals slowly coming out in the winter reminds me that Spring should be on its way soon!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Yesterday I found this recipe for Carrot Cake Oatmeal by Angela on Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat and I just had to make it this morning. I love homemade oatmeal for breakfast and carrot cake for any occasion, so why not combine the two!

The recipe called for almond milk and walnuts, but I just substituted those out for skim milk and a little bit of All Bran Buds and brown sugar for some crunchy sweetness! I also cut the spices in half when I made a double batch.

What you'll need to make two servings:
2/3 cup Rolled Oats
2 cups Skim Milk (or Almond Milk)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 large Carrot, grated
1/2 tsp Lemon Zest, grated
1/8 tsp All Spice
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 packets Stevia (or 4 tsp packed Brown Sugar)
Cinnamon for garnish
Favorite Oatmeal toppings! (Nuts, Seeds, Cereal, etc)

In a small saucepan, combine oats, milk and vanilla on medium heat. Cook until bubbles begin to appear.

Stir in carrot, zest, spices and stevia. Cook for 2 minutes until carrots begin to soften. If mixture appears too dry, add a little more water.

Transfer to bowl and top with additional cinnamon and desired toppings.

Printable Version

Nutritional Information

243 Owls

I have never been the type to collect anything, but I understand the desire too. I think this is mainly because my fierce and fiesty 91 year old Great Aunt Irene has been spending most of her life collecting owls.

Yep, thats right, I said owls. Yesterday I counted 243 and I'm sure that I missed a few.

They are all over her house:

In the banister.

On the cupboards.

On the cookie jar (see the wee little one up top!)

As a lamp or in a tea set.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

Using a crockpot is a great way to make a healthy dinner thats ready when you get home at the end of the day. It only takes a little extra time in the morning, but its worth the effort to come home to a delicious meal that is ready to eat!

This is a different take on Chicken Cacciatore, which is usually a tomato sauce with stewed pieces of chicken. To keep it healthy, I used chicken breasts and loaded it up with veggies. I served it on Spaghetti Squash, but it would be great on pasta as well.

After cooking in the crockpot all day, the chicken was so tender that you could pull it apart with a fork.

What you'll need:
4 Chicken Breasts
1 large Onion, sliced (I used a Red Onion because that was what I had)
1 cup Red or Green Pepper, chopped
1 cup Mushrooms, chopped
1 cup Broccoli, chopped
2 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves, thinly sliced
3 cloves Garlic, mined
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

2 tsp Dried Oregano

1 Bay Leaf

1 can Tomato Paste (6 oz)
1 can Chopped Tomatoes (28 oz)
Cooked Spaghetti Squash or Pasta

In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped vegetables and herbs.

Add in tomato paste and canned tomatoes and mix well.

Lay the onion slices on the bottom and then add the chicken breasts on top. I forgot to take a picture of the chicken, but I figure that you know what it looks like! I used frozen ones that I had, but you can use fresh if you have that.

Pour sauce mixture over the top of the chicken and cover. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

Exercise Log

I'm hoping to get back into this in 2012! I find that keeping track of it motivated me more!

August 8-14, 2011
Mon August 8: Off

Tues August 9: Bike Intervals
Wed August 10: Elliptical + Yoga Class

Thurs August 11: [Bike]

Fri August 12: [Strength]
Sat August 13: [Class]

Sun August 14: [Run]

August 1-7, 2011
Mon August 1: Run + Swim + Kayak

Tues August 2: Muay Thai Class
Wed August 3: Long Walk

Thurs August 4: Off

Fri August 5: Off
Sat August 6: Strength + Run

Sun August 7: Off

June 6-12, 2011

Mon June 6: Bike + Strength

Tues June 7: [Run]

Wed June 8: Day Off

Thurs June 9: [Bike]

Fri June 10: [Strength]

Sat June 11: [Walk]

Sun June 12: [Run]

May 30-29, 2011 - Week Off!

May 23-29, 2011
Mon May 23: Day Off

Tues May 24: Bike
Wed May 25: Bike

Thurs May 26: Stretching/Bedtime Yoga

Fri May 27: Bike
Sat May 28: Very Long Walk

Sun May 29 Day Off

May 9-15, 2011

Mon May 16: Day Off

Tues May 17: Treadmill + Strength Training

Wed May 18: Day Off

Thurs May 19: Day Off

Fri May 20: Bike + Dancing!

Sat May 21: Day Off

Sun May 22: Day Off

May 9-15, 2011
Mon May 9: Walk with Whiskey

Tues May 10: Bike
Wed May 11: Home Workout

Thurs May 12: Walk

Fri May 13: Bike
Sat May 14: Long Walk

Sun May 15: Day Off

May 2-8, 2011
Mon May 2: Walk with Whiskey

Tues May 3: Treadmill Run + Strength Training
Wed May 4: Long Walk to/from TFC Game

Thurs May 5: Treadmill + Strength Training

Fri May 6: Day Off
Sat May 7: Day Off

Sun May 8: Gardening!

April 25-May 1, 2011
Mon April 25: Strength Training

Tues April 26: Day Off
Wed April 27: Strength Training

Thurs April 28: Day Off

Fri April 29: Strength Training
Sat April 30: Long Walk

Sun May 1: 100 Miles in May Challenge begins!

April 18-25, 2011

Mon April 18: Stretching

Tues April 19: Day Off

Wed April 20: Yoga

Thurs April 21: Strength Training

Fri April 22: Day Off 

Sat April 23: Day Off

Sun April 24: Day Off

April 11-17, 2011

Mon April 11: 45 min Walk + Strength Training

Tues April 12: 1.5 hour Walk + Spin Class

Wed April 13: Lots of Stretching!

Thurs April 14: Day Off

Fri April 15: Dancing all Night with Friends!

Sat April 16: Elliptical Warmup + Strength Training + Lots of Dancing!

Sun April 17: Treadmill Warmup + Strength Training

April 4-10, 2011

Mon April 4: Sick :(

Tues April 5: Sick :(

Wed April 6: Sick :(

Thurs April 7: Treadmill Warmup + Strength Training

Fri April 8: 25 min Bike with Intervals

Sat April 9: 45 min Walk + Strength Training

Sun April 10: Abs and Stretching while watching TV :)

March 28-April 3, 2011

Mon March 28: Sick :(

Tues March 29: Muay Thai Kickboxing

Wed March 30: Bedtime Yoga

Thurs March 31: Bedtime Yoga & lots of Stretching

Fri April 1: Sick :(

Sat April 2: Sick :(

Sun April 3: Long Walk

March 21-27, 2011

April 18-24, 2011

April 18-24, 2011

Mon March 21: Day Off

Tues March 22: Strength Training + Treadmill Warm Up

Wed March 23: Bedtime Yoga

Thurs March 24: Day Off

Fri March 25: Strength Training + Cardio Bursts

Sat March 26: Day Off

Sun March 27: Strength Training + Treadmill Warm Up

March 14 -20, 2011

Mon March 14: 30 min Bike + 90 min Yoga Class

Tues March 15: 30 min Run

Wed March 16: 45 min Walk

Thurs March 17: 30 min Bike

Fri March 18: Kayaking + Yoga + Biking

Sat March 19: Day Off

Sun March 20: Day Off

March 7 -13, 2011

Mon March 7: 30 min Walk

Tues March 8: 30 min Bike

Wed March 9: Strength Training at Gym, 10 minute Treadmill Warm Up

Thurs March 10: 30 min Bike

Fri March 11: Day Off

Sat March 12: Day Off

Sun March 13: Day Off

February 28 - March 6, 2011

Mon February 28: Strength Training at Gym + 10 min Treadmill Warm Up

Tues March 1: Day Off

Wed March 2: BodyPump + 1 hour Yoga

Thurs March 3: Day Off, Sick :(

Fri March 4: Day Off, Sick :(

Sat March 5: 30 min Bike

Sun March 6: Day Off

February 21 - 20, 2011

Mon February 21: 30 min Pilates Video at Home

Tues February 22: Day Off

Wed February 23: Bedtime Yoga

Thurs February 24: Strength Training at Gym + 10 min Treadmill Warm Up

Fri February 25: 30 min Bike Ride

Sat February 26: Strength Training at Gym + 10 min Treadmill Warm Up

Sun February 27: Stretching & Foam Rolling

Hibernating with a good book

This week was unseasonably warm in Toronto (which led to my bad fall on the ice), but now its starting to get cold and snowy again. When the weather gets like this, I love to curl up with a book and a nice cup of tea. I love to get lost in the pages and go to a different place.

I recently finished "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett and loved it. I've always loved anything set in the South, but I found it really interesting to see it from a different perspective than I've seen in other books.

I can't wait to see how they do the movie when it gets released this summer. From the few screenshots and industry reviews, it sounds like it will be an interesting adaptation.

Next up I'm reading "Water for Elephants" after receiving many recommendations from friends. I may end up going to see the movie as well, you never know!

Once this one is done, I'm going to need another book soon, so I'd love to hear some recommendations from all of you.

What books have you loved over the past year?

Baby Shower

This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the baby shower of my wonderfully adorable friend Ashley. She is such a fun, good hearted person and I know her little one will be super lucky to have such an awesome mom.

The great thing about going to baby showers is that I get to catch up with my friends from my hometown. Its incredible to see how far we have all come in the 10+ years we've known each other.

And of course there is also lots of great food to enjoy too.

I made my White Chocolate Coconut Cookies to add to the sweets tray. I tried making some with semi-sweet chocolate and they turned out great too!

Cute babies were present too. I finally get the whole cheek pinching thing.

There were lots of great presents for the mom-to-be as well. I can't believe how much "stuff" babies seem to need. Where do you even begin to put it all?

Ice Ice Baby

Every year I fall on the ice at least once twice. I don't know if its because I walk off balance, don't look where I am going, or just need better traction on my boots, but I always have a few good falls every year.

This year I must have subconsciously decided to beat my record, because I have fallen FOUR times already! Last month I was walking on a particularly icy stretch of Queen Street when I started to fall into a sort of lunge. My knee just touched the ground and I was able to push myself up, just in time to hear a guy behind me say that it was the most graceful fall he'd ever seen. I blushed at the compliment and kept walking, only to totally wipe out two minutes later, right in front of my office and a bunch of people waiting for the streetcar. It was so embarrassing, especially after I had just had the "graceful fall".

Less than a week later I had another slip in front of the bank, that looked a little something like this (but insert water bottle for coffee cup):

Man oh man, did it every hurt. The wind was knocked right out of me. I was so sure that I was going to have a bruise on my hip, but I seemed fine. I hope that this guy was alright too!

Then this morning I was walking to the gym, turned the corner on a little shaded lane way and instantly my legs went out from under me. I came down hard on my knee and hands and had to stay there for a second before I was sure I could move. I sucked it up and went to the gym (complete with a soaked pant leg) and did my workout, while trying not to use that knee. Easier said than done! After some TLC and a little ice pack when I got back from the gym, I was a-okay. Just some bruising and nice road burn, but thankfully nothing serious. I've concluded that next year I am getting new boots with more traction...and maybe incorporating more balance moves into my pilates routine!

Are any of you out there total ice klutzes like me?

Looking at this video below, it seems that I'm not alone :)

Spaghetti Squash Frittata

My dear friend Ash has just moved to Spain for the next 18 months for grad school and as sad as I was to see her go, I am so excited for the great adventure that she has just begun. We often cook together for our group dinners and I'm going to miss all of our fun cooking nights together, so in honour of that I made a simple recipe that we can both make, even if an ocean divides us. She recently sent me a message asking for a healthy and easy meal that she can make while going to school and I instantly thought of this frittata.

I used a cup of leftover Spaghetti Squash that I had roasted for another meal earlier in the week, but you could use a cup of any shredded veggie that you enjoy. I'm looking forward to trying zucchini when they come into season this year. The flavours in this dish are incredible. The fresh herbs, combined with cheese and spices make this incredibly flavorful, but keep it low in calories and carbs and high in protein. One half of this recipe is only 173 calories and keeps you feeling full!

I served it alongside roasted asparagus and a small bowl of fresh fruit for dessert. A healthy meal that is quick and easy to make! Perfect for the on-the-go grad student!

What you'll need:
1 cup cooked Spachetti Squash, seperated into strands
1 cup Egg Whites (or 4 fresh Eggs)
2 tbsp Italian Parsley, chopped
3 tbsp grated Parmesan
2 Shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
Handful of Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Cayenne
1 tbsp Butter or Margarine

Preheat oven to broil.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet.

Sugar Overload

For the past month or so, I've been trying to get back into eating healthier - focusing on lean meats, whole grains, lots of vegetables and fruit and less processed foods. Everything had been going great, until this weekend when I went into sugar overload.

It started with my mom's banana cake on Friday evening, rolled into Chocolate Covered Brownie Ball making on Saturday (you always have to test them, right?), which led into cookie making/testing for the baby shower on Sunday. Despite all that sugar and baked goods, I still had to try one two of all the awesome nut free treats at the shower. And then yesterday came along...Valentine's Day...Official Too Many Treats Day. By the end of the work day I'd already had a few too many small boxes of Smarties and a big brownie....so I was more than alittle worried when my lovely boyfriend showed up with these:

Awesome, amazingly delicious nut free cupcakes from the Cupcake Shoppe here in Toronto. We split two of them before dinner and I loved every bite.

Thankfully I had made dinner a little more nutritious for us. I made the boyfriend's favorite roasted cornish hens, along with Parsnip Fries and all the salad fixin's that he loves. Of course we shared a couple of glasses of white wine as well :)

Starting today, I'm going to get back on track and focus on healthy eating again. Sometimes you have to accept a sugar overload weekend as a little bump on the road to good health and just get back on track. After eating all this sugary junk over the weekend, I've actually found that I feel worse that I normally do. Almost like a sugar hangover. Which made me realize that all this healthy eating has been paying off and I actually feel better when I eat better.

I've hunted down some new recipe healthy recipe ideas to motivate me to keep going and I'll be sure to post the winners on here. But don't worry, I'm not going completely overboard...there will still be deliciously sinful recipes on here too. And you know that I'll be having another one of those cupcakes when I get home tonight. Everything in moderation!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's Day! Even when I haven't been in a relationship, I still love to celebrate it with family and friends. I woke up to a great breakfast with my family and tonight I'm having a nice night in with the boyfriend. We decided to avoid all the crowds at the restaurants and make a fun dinner at home.

We're also giving each other small little gifts, so I decided to make a homemade card to go with it using supplies that I had around the apartment. I used white and turquoise card stock along with a fuzzy felt heart and a cute little message. You don't have to spend $5 on an expensive store-bought card to get your message across!

I used another little pink fuzzy stickers to seal the envelope too :)

I'm also giving him his Chocolate Covered Brownies and Blondie Balls, using his favourite Protein Brownies. We kept a budget of $30 for gifts because it really feels like we just did Christmas gifts, so I picked up a few little odds and ends that made me think of him. I like keeping it simple and just spending  time with each other is more important than any gift.

While catching up on this week's TV shows (love Valentine episodes!), I decided to tidy up the apartment and add a few little sweet touches for our Valentine's Day dinner.

While digging through my gift wrapping supplies, I found these red heart doilies to tape over the frames. Simple art that can be taken down as soon as the holiday is over.

Another little touch I did, was rearranging the bookshelf to get all my red and pink toned books together. Usually I have it in a rainbow pattern, but it seemed fun to change things up for a bit!