Tongue tied

Today's post is brought to you by... weird sounding foods! Seriously, try saying "muesli, panzanella, and kombucha" 10 times fast. It gets me tongue tied!

"Muesli" has always been one of those words that I had no idea to pronounce. I say it like "mweeslee" in my head, but dictionary.com has just informed me that it's actually "myooslee". Whoops. Luckily it's one of those words I haven't had to say much because I'd never actually tried any until now.

I decided to adapt this pumpkin seed, walnut and blueberry muesli recipe from the August 2011 Fine Cooking to make a single serving version.



Almond, pumpkin seed, and raisin muesli

1/3 cup of large flake rolled oats
1 tbsp roughly chopped almonds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp raisins



Toast the first 3 ingredients in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes. Remove and mix with the raisins, then serve with milk or yogurt.



I had mine with vanilla Greek yogurt, banana, raspberries and blueberries.

The next day I tried another recipe from the same issue of Fine Cooking for sourdough panzanella with grilled chicken. This was another dish I'd never tried until now. But one bite and I was sold - it was like a deconstructed bruschetta!



One more weird sounding thing I've tried this week is kombucha. I was pretty scared before I took my first sip - the mass of bacteria and yeast in it kind of gives me the heebie jeebies! The taste itself was okay though. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it enough to buy it again.



My first kombucha experience took place simultaneously with my first Whole Foods salad bar visit! I could try to make it sound like I just casually grabbed a bite at WF while I was out this week, but that's a lie. Like the nerd that I am, I planned it. First I called the store to make sure the salad bar was safe for my allergies. Then I made the plans with my mom. And then I nearly dragged her out of the door by her hair so that we could go try it!

I think I may have been a little too eager because my salad came to 1.7 lbs. Don't be surprised when I tell you that I ate it all. Because I did!

Baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, shredded carrots, broccoli, feta cheese, teriyaki tofu, hummus, pita, quinoa salad

It wasn't until after I had eaten that I realized there was another cold food bar with tons more options like grain salads, bean salads, kale salads, etc. Darn, I can't believe I missed all that! I guess it means I'll have to go back again soon. ;)

What are some funny sounding foods that you eat?

What are you favourite things to get from the WF hot/cold food bar?

Food inspiration

I’m the type of person who can very easily get stuck in a rut of doing the same thing over and over again. Just ask my mom. When I was a kid, I made her rent me the movie “Little Giants” every weekend for a year. And in third grade, I had a tomato and mayo sandwich every single day for lunch (because that’s what Harriet the Spy ate!). And you don’t even want to know how many times I’ve rewatched my Gilmore Girls dvds.

But I try to combat food ruts by constantly finding meal inspiration around me. Some of my favourite sources:

1. Blogs (duh). I’ve found great ideas from every blog that I read, but some of the ones that stand out to me are Oh She Glows, Kath Eats Real Food, Two Peas and Their Pod and Edible Perspective.



Lately I’ve found myself in a breakfast rut, so I tried to switch things up by trying egg white in my oatmeal a la Ashley at Edible Perspective and Amanda at Running with Spoons. I could definitely notice the eggy taste, but I liked it!



2. Restaurants. I love stealing ideas off of restaurant menus. Sometimes it’s just a flavour combination, sometimes it’s an entire dish, or sometimes it’s just the idea behind a dish.

I’ve always wanted to eat at the Fresh restaurants in Toronto – but because of my allergies, eating there is pretty much impossible for me. At least I can try to recreate my own version of their rice bowls at home!

Brown rice, pan fried tofu, grilled red onion, grilled red pepper, shredded carrots, broccoli, kale, and sunflower seed butter sauce

3. Fitness/Health magazines. Honestly, I don’t really give these magazines much credit – I mean, do I really want to be following the advice of a magazine that promotes 1400 calorie/day diets and is constantly trying to tell me how to “Drop 2 dress sizes fast!”? But to be fair, these magazines generally have really easy, healthy recipes that I can whip up using ingredients I already have.

These sweet and sour tofu kebabs from the latest issue of Women’s Health were actually pretty good!



4. Cookbooks. I actually have a pretty small collection because I use the internet to find 95% of my recipes. But I love Clean Food and Fresh Food Fast for their healthy, seasonal recipes.

5. Food magazines. I dabble in reading Bon Appetit, Everyday by Rachael Ray, and Cooking Light, but my true love lies with Fine Cooking. I've tried countless recipes from it over the years and it has never once failed me.

For a fast dinner this week, I roughly followed one of its recipes for Niçoise Salad.



6. The Food Network. This channel is on all the time at my house, so I'm always getting ideas from it. The other day I was watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives where Guy visited a pizza joint, and I was hit with a big craving for it! So I made a pita pizza with some kale chips on the side.

Whole wheat pita, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, roasted zucchini, roasted onion, chicken, pesto.

7. Global cuisine. Sometimes I just make a meal based off the flavours of a particular cuisine. Greek is my absolute favourite!

Millet, pan fried tofu, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, green pepper, black olives, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano.

Where do you find your food inspiration?

Judging food choices

I’ve got a major backlog of photos and new recipes to post about, but I just haven’t had the time because I’ve been so busy with work and doing things with my friends, like going to the waterpark, going out to a club for my friend’s birthday, seeing the new Harry Potter movie, and going to a BBQ!

On Monday night I rushed home from work, threw on a new shirt, and was out the door in 2 minutes to go to my friend’s BBQ. While I was home I also grabbed a simple corn salad I made the day before to contribute to the dinner spread.



It was kind of a throw-together recipe that was inspired by the fresh local corn my parents bought at the farmer’s market.



Corn, cherry tomato and feta salad

4 ears of steamed corn
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup of diced red onion
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/3 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/4 – 1/3 cup of feta cheese
Juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper



Other people brought: a loaf of bread from the bakery with a jalapeno infused olive oil for dipping, grapes, a fruit tray, and lots and lots of chips. We pretty much spent the whole night snacking!

We also grilled up some burgers to have for dinner. I brought my own veggie burger:



Of course the question popped up: “Since when are you a vegetarian?”

And then I had to explain that I’m not, but I don’t really like the idea of packaged beef burgers. I don’t know what’s in them, I don’t know where the meat came from, and I don’t really even like the taste of them.

My friends understood and shrugged it off, which I was thankful for. I hate when people question my food choices. Like earlier that day at work I was having an apple as part of my afternoon snack when my boss came by and joked “Be careful, you’re going to get fat off that.”

I get that he was trying to crack a joke, but that comment really irked me. That apple was a small snapshot of my diet. Which is why we should never judge someone based off of one food choice - it doesn't tell the whole story! If you see an overweight person eating McDonalds, so what? Maybe they ate a salad earlier in the day. If you see a skinny person eating carrots, well, maybe they had an extra large DQ Blizzard before that. The point is: we don't know, so we shouldn't judge.

Not to mention, comments like that may have a deeper meaning for a person and could actually be really hurtful. In my case, at one point I DID think that eating certain foods would make me fat. And I'm really proud that I'm not at that point any more. So to have someone assume that I am eating an apple because I'm scared of getting fat really ticks me off!

Okay, rant over.

What dish do you like to bring to potluck BBQs?

What are your thoughts on judging other people's food choices?

Food from the Farm: Raspberries

This post is part of the Food from the Farm series I'm doing this summer featuring foods grown on the farm where I work. Previous posts include:

Rhubarb
Strawberries
Zucchini

I’ve been a bit of a slacker with these Food from the Farm posts! We’ve had raspberries, beets and cucumbers at the farm for weeks now, and I’m only finally getting up the raspberry post. I think it’s because I’ve been too busy stuffing my face with free raspberries!



Nutrition
- Good source of dietary fibre. You get about 8 g in every cup!
- Good source of vitamin C
- Contain ellagic acid, a phytonutrient with antioxidant activity
- The anthocyanins that give raspberries their red colour also have antioxidant properties
[Source]



Growing and picking raspberries
- Raspberries are a summer crop that become ready for picking around June in Southern climates and early July in the North
- Red raspberries are the most common, but there are also black, purple, and yellow raspberries
- Raspberries go bad more quickly after it rains
- If you have to tug at the berry to come off the bush, it's not ready to be picked. Ripe raspberries should practically fall off the bush into your hands.
- Japanese beetles and fruit worms love raspberries, so make sure to pick through your farm-picked berries before eating them (unless you don't mind the extra protein)
- They don't really last longer than 2-3 days, so eat them quickly or freeze them

Cooking

Honestly I haven’t done much cooking or baking with raspberries because I prefer to eat them straight up! I’ve been eating them on top my oatmeal, cereal and pancakes almost every morning.


But I did put aside a couple of pints to make homemade raspberry jam! It got a bit messy and resulted in a charred wooden spoon and a burn on my hip, but I was successful! And it was all thanks to this cookbook that has never failed me:



It had a jam making chart and instructions so that even an inexperienced jam-maker like me could do it! First I gathered ~1 kg of berries and picked through them to get rid of any mouldy berries, leaves, insects, etc.



Then I crushed them lightly and added ¼ cup of lemon juice and 2.5 cups of sugar. The recipe called for 3, but I decided to be daring and see if I could cut it back.



I brought it to a boil then let it boil for about 10 minutes, as the cookbook instructed. I did the jam stage test it described, then decided to let it boil for 2 more minutes to thicken up. After letting it sit for 5 minutes, it was ready to be canned.



After scooping it into sterilized jars, making sure to leave 0.5 cm between the surface of the jam and the top of the jar, I screwed on the lids and placed them all in boiling water for 5 minutes.



Then I removed them and voila, I had homemade jam in under an hour!




I tested it on oatmeal the next morning and gave it my two thumbs up! Smuckers has nothing on me. ;)



Other raspberry recipes to try:
Summer berry bread from Une Vie Saine
Raspberry mega scones from 101 Cookbooks
Mixed berry clafoutis from Love Veggies and Yoga
Raspberry and white chocolate peanut butter bread from Healthy Food for Living
Raspberry cobbler bars from Chocolate Covered Katie

What's your favourite way to eat raspberries?

Have you ever been raspberry picking?

A short run and a hard run

I am not a natural runner. While I really enjoy going on runs and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards, it doesn’t come easily to me. A few of you commented on how fast I was on my 3 mile run in this post, but I assure you that is not a normal run for me!

A more typical run for me:
- Is at a 9:45 min/mile pace
- Has at least one walking break
- Includes thoughts like "Just 10 more minutes. Tough it out, Chels. You can do it!"

And sometimes, they look something like this:



Yup, that’s my 1 minute and 34 second run from Saturday morning. I got up early hoping to go for 30 minutes before work, but when I opened my front door, I felt like I had walked into a sauna! I decided to try to brave the humidity, but when I got to the end of my street I turned right around and walked home.

I had slightly better luck this morning with a 3 mile run in 28:40. I followed it up with a fun mat workout. My abs are screaming at me after this!

Crunches (3 sets of 10)
Plank (30 seconds)
Side plank (30 seconds on each side)
Plank with arm and leg lift (15 seconds for each side)
Hands-to-feet ball pass (15 total)
Stability ball sit ups (3 sets of 10)
Medicine ball wood chop (10 on each side)
Medicine ball twist (3 sets of 10)
Bosu ball push ups (3 sets of 7)

Then I finished with 10 minutes on the stationary bike.

...Did I mention I did this all with a hangover and only 4.5 hours of sleep? Yeah, I was hurtin’ a little throughout this workout. But it was worth it for a night of fun!



When I crawled out of bed at 7 am this morning, I was starving, despite snacking on some of my date and almond balls at the bar last night. Please tell me I'm not the only crazy person who sneaks food in her purse for a night out!



So I made a bowl of Kashi cereal with Greek yogurt, banana and berries. I’m not one of those people who likes to lounge in bed all day after a night of drinking. Instead, I like to get up and at ‘em and return to my normal routine starting with breakfast:



Today I’ve got some blog stuff I need to do and then maybe I’ll relax with my latest book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Have any of you read it?

Do you run? Does it come easily to you or do you really have to push through your runs?

What do you do when you have a hangover?

The scorcher

Sorry for all these posts talking about the weather lately - I promise I have no intentions of becoming the One Healthy Meteorologist blog! But yesterday was, as the title says, an absolute scorcher. It hit a record high of 100 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, but it felt like 117 with humidity!

How to survive the world's hottest day ever?

1. Work out indoors. I did 45 minutes on the elliptical at my gym while browsing through the new issue of Fine Cooking. There are so many recipes I want to make in it!



2. Come home and take an icy cold shower.

3. Eat a cool, crunchy salad for lunch.



I loved the flavours in this:
- Mixed spring greens
- Cold boiled beets
- Royal gala apple
- Goat gouda
- Celery
- Leftover grilled chicken
- Homemade balsamic vinaigrette

4. Spend all afternoon in the air conditioning. I spent mine in the kitchen, baking up something special. You'll find out what it was soon!

5. Cool off with an icy green smoothie made with 3-4 kale leaves, 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/4 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, and 3/4 cup of almond milk.



4. Go to the Waterpark!



My friends and I went later around 5 pm because admission is half price in the evening. Plus we got to enjoy the water slides and wave pool without the crowds, without the hot afternoon sun, and without the sunburn. Score!



Green smoothies - yay or nay?

Do you like water parks?

I'm melting!

It has been scorching here this week! And there is no end in sight...


My parents even finally caved and turned on the AC, which we never do. Actually, my dad was waiting for my mom to cave – and he held out pretty well! It was me who forced them to turn it on.

All this hot weather means fro yo dates with friends are no longer a treat; they are necessary!



I got both vanilla and strawberry fro yo and topped it with blueberries and strawberries.



I’ve also been escaping to the gym to do my workouts. The AC there seems to have been broken for the past few weeks, but at least it’s marginally cooler than outside. When I went on Sunday, I did 30 minutes on elliptical at cross ramp 10 and resistance 7. I followed it with some weights (3 sets of 10 reps, unless otherwise noted):

Upper body:
Upright rows (7.5 lb in each hand)
Tricep dips on bench
Chest press (7.5 lb in each hand)
Shoulder press (5 lb in each hand)
Bicep curls (25 lb dumbbell)

Abs
Crunches
Medicine ball twists
Bicycle crunches
Plank (1 minute)

Then I wrapped it up with 10 minutes at level 4 on the bike.

I’ve also been relying on lots of dinners involving minimal cooking. Even the thought of hot food makes me break out into a sweat! Instead I’ve been loving salads. Lots and lots of salads, like my bulgar, lentil and feta salad that I made with chickpeas instead of lentils.



Tuesday I actually tried to get in an outdoor run, so I woke up at 6:30 am to try to beat the heat. No such luck. It was already hot at that hour! But I trudged through 3 miles anyways, even if I was beet red by the end of it.



Luckily I had some cold overnight oats to come home to. I layered the oatmeal in a glass with strawberries, raspberries, and banana:



And topped it off with granola and soy nut butter.



Today it's supposed to be a record high of 47 degrees celsius with the humidity. I'm seriously considering making an ice bath and sitting in it all day!

Is it super hot where you are too?

What are your favourite cold or no-cook foods?

Chelsea, lately

Lately I’m loving...

Mango in breakfast.


Banana oatmeal topped with:
Mango
Banana
Raspberries
Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal
Goji berries
Shredded coconut
Sunflower seed butter


Eating raspberries off the bushes at work.

Anything made with feta cheese and olives.


Pita stuffed with:
Grilled zucchini, green pepper, and red onion
Tomatoes
Kalamata olives
Feta cheese
Alfalfa sprouts
Hummus

Light summer reading.

Finally finding the motivation to go for early morning runs before work.

Eating Jenna’s spicy black bean burgers for dinner three days in a row.


Cool summer nights spent with friends, a few drinks, and some mosquitoes (okay, so I don’t love that last part!).

What are you loving lately?

My week in doodles

Lately I’ve realized that I can be really neurotic. And not in a quirky, adorable way, but in an annoying, this-is-taking-over-my life kind of way. I live a very routine life, and I always schedule my plans so that they fit into my routine. But I’m starting to realize that life doesn’t always work that way. If I want to have fun and life my life, I need to let go and stop being so rigid with my schedule.


[Source]

This applies to all areas of my life, but food is definitely one of them. I guess it comes with being a foodie that I tend to spend a lot of time planning out meals and looking for new recipes to try - I love doing this, but lately I've just needed a break. So in an attempt to let go a bit this week, I’ve stepped away from my cookbooks and abandoned the kitchen. Instead I've been eating out a lot and leaving the camera at home.

Tuesday night my mom and I went out for Greek food at Sotiris. We got a an appetizer of tzatziki, hummus and melitzanosalata to start along with some warm pita bread. We totally dominated the hummus and pita!



And for my entree I got the dinner sized village salad topped with grilled chicken. It had tomatoes, cucumber, onions, green peppers, feta cheese, kalamata olives and oregano with a Greek dressing. I loved that it was actually a meal sized portion and not some tiny little salad.



On Wednesday I met my friends Chris and Rachel for Subway. It’s our tradition to meet for a Subway lunch once a week – we’ve been doing it for 3 years now! I got my usual: turkey sub on whole wheat bread with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and mustard. I brought an apple to have on the side.



On Friday I met my best friend Lauren for a sushi dinner. I got a combo dinner with a salmon roll and 8 pieces of nigiri sushi: 2 salmon, 2 tuna, 2 white fish (white tuna or tilapia??), and 2 shrimp.



All in all it was a nice week off from cooking. But don't worry, I'm still the same old foodie and I'll never abandon my kitchen entirely! ;)

Do you usually spend a lot of time planning your meals? Do you ever get sick of it?