Cuckoo for Coconut

Ahh, lazy Sundays are amazing, aren't they? The rest of my week us usually so busy that my only real "day off" (and I use that term lightly) is Sunday. I've deemed it a no-pressure day. There's no pressure to wake up early, no pressure to workout, no pressure to clean or burden myself with other adult tasks. If I want to, that's fine. If I don't, even better. It's a chance to catch my breath and gather my frazzled thoughts for the rest of the week.

One thing I have been trying to commit to on these rest days is a stretching routine. I am notoriously bad abut slacking off in regards to stretching. I almost never do it, not even before or after a workout. Terrible, I know. I pay the price too; my hamstrings and hips are always super tight and I'm constantly getting aches in my lower back because of it. Yoga has helped a lot but I'm really trying to get better about stretching.

So because of that and because it's almost impossible for me to really sleep in these days, this morning I woke at 5 and enjoyed a slow brain warmup, letting myself come-to for about ten minutes before I actually got up. I love it when the house is still dark and quiet and still. I splashed some cold water on my face, changed into sweats, and popped in the X-Stretch DVD from the P90X series. So good!

A long hot shower later and then I wrapped myself in my papa's massive green terrycloth robe (my grandma gave it to me after he passed away a few years ago - is that weird?) and took my tea outside to watch the world arise.

Today is traditionally Pancake Sunday but no one was really feeling it this morning. I had mad cravings for protein so we did a fry-up with onion, mushrooms, eggs, and salmon cakes (and some fresh fruit so that I could count this as 'healthy'.) Really hit the spot!





I've been reading rave reviews in the blogosphere about Garlic Gold oil but have never been able to find it until today, when I nipped into the market in town. Snatched it up excitedly and decided to use it right away for lunch:






Tomatoes, broccoli, scallions, basil and smoked salmon drizzled with Garlic Gold:





Ohhh my goodness. This stuff is a-maz-ing! It's got a deep, buttery flavor, almost like liquid garlic bread. Totally addicted now. Also hurrah for my favorite magazine! I perused it slowly while we ate outside in the sunshine.

After lunch we all went our separate ways and then when the mid-afternoon munchies hit, we decided that we were ready for some Pancake Sunday action.

... waffle-shaped pancakes, that is.

The last time I was at the health food store I picked up some coconut flour. I'd been meaning to get some anyway and after reading through a paleo blog and stumbling across a recipe for coconut pancakes the deal was sealed. Seriously, I'm such a sucker for coconut anything that I'll try anything with it no matter what.

Coconut Waffles
(makes about 4 waffles)



4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk or other milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond; less fat)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 tbsp honey (I omitted this and just added a little extra milk to the batter, but for a sweeter, denser waffle you're going to want it.)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon

In a bowl, beat your eggs until they're frothy. Add in your other wet ingredients and mix. Stir in coconut flour and beat until batter is smooth. Pour into a hot, pre-greased waffle iron for five minutes. Voila!

I had set out berries sprinkled with stevia the night before to mascerate and then I pureed them with some fresh mint and stirred in a little Greek yogurt. Whooo boy, was it ever good. I could have eaten a whole bowl of just the topping (I settled for a few spoonfuls.) Plopped some grated coconut meat over top and served it with apples and cinnamon. These are really, really good waffles. Lighter than your average Belgian but still really satisfying.





In keeping with the theme, I got to try out one of my other new products, this time from my favorite oil company, Spectrum. Coconut oil in a spray can!





Also picked up this:





Which I'm going to go and sip on with my dinner salad. Happy end of weekend, everyone! Here's to a great Monday!

Brought To You By Laura Ingalls Wilder

Whoo boy. I feel like I went out in the middle of the ridiculously humid morning and ran for two hours straight until my legs went rubbery and my brain melted. Oh, wait. That's exactly what I did do. >_<

The morning started off well enough. There were requests for 'apple pie' for breakfast from the boys, probably more facetious than I'm apt to acknowledge. Imagine their surprise when I readily agreed. Now, I'm not the sort of person who believes that real pie should be eaten for breakfast - sugar, saturated fats, and refined carbs aren't exactly a respectful way to set your body up for a day of activity. Of course, we've all stood in front of our fridges post-holiday, pie plate in hand, shoving forkfuls of cold pastry and fruit filling into our mouths in a sleepy sort of haze. That's a lovely sort of excess, a tradition of delicious debauchery. But on a regular basis? Not a great plan.

Apples, however, are a healthy way to start the morning. And when you bake them with a little cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, stevia, vanilla extract and Earth Balance and spoon them over Ezekiel cinnamon-raisin toast, it's almost like having pie for breakfast. I had mine sans toast, substituting an especially tasty Green Machine (fresh basil and ginger inside, so bright and flavourful!):





After breakfast, my brother started to limber up for a run and he asked me to go with him. I refused; I'd already worked out before breakfast and lately I've been feeling incredibly sluggish and stiff. It's hard work just to get in forty-minutes of aerobics. With Fitz, forty minutes is a bare minimum and there's so much sibling competitiveness between us that everything becomes an all-out, balls-to-the-wall, savagely fierce effort. So no, I did not want to go on a run. But you know what? I was dragged went on that run.

We left at 9:30. We got back at 11:45. I'm not even joking. It was ridiculous and we only stopped once to catch our breath and snag some water from a hose. And when we got back to the house, we did a ten minute ab circuit. I'm going to be so sore tomorrow!

After all that activity, we were voraciously hungry and so I got to chopping and topping for a nice, filling summer salad. Leaf lettuce, curly kale, red kale, cucumber, tomato, red onion, celery, scallions, peaches, grapefruit, and salmon. It was just begging for a nice creamy dressing, but the only one I had on hand was Amy's Tuscan Italian and tomato wasn't the right base for this. Out came the mini-blender. In went an ounce of almonds, a big handful of lemon basil leaves, a teaspoon of Maile Dijon mustard, some garlic-infused red wine vinegar, some white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Blended it all up and ohhhh - it was heavenly. Light and creamy, the fresh, clean line of the basil cutting right through the rich, earthy nuttiness of the almonds and ending with the zippy twang of vinegar, all underscored by a spicy pitch from the Dijon.





I tossed the salad with it and then stuck it in the fridge while we showered so that it would marinate a little. We ate heaping, massive platefuls of salad with mashed cauliflower on the side:





I love how salads fill you up but don't leave you with that heavy, sated feeling. What's your favourite summer salad?

After tidying up the mess in the kitchen, I did some cleaning around the house and finally, gratefully, flopped down for a rest with my library book.

Did any of you ever read any of the Little House on the Prairie books when you were growing up? I absolutely adored them and read each and every one, even the later series about Manly and Laura's daughter, Rose. It was in one of these latter ones where a memory is recalled of Laura cooking up a special dinner for Manly as they forge along on a trail in their own homesteading journey. It was apparently one of his favorites: apples and onions. That scene used to absolutely enrapture me with it's descriptions of the hot, cast-iron skillet braced over the fire, onions and apple slices sizzling away inside with butter. Even as a kid I was obsessed with cooking!

I remembered it while cooking up the apples for breakfast this morning, and decided that I wanted to make our own apples and onions for dinner tonight. It was pretty simple - sliced Vidalia onion, thinly slivered Red Delicious wedges, mushrooms, Hawaiian chili pepper, tomato, and kale, sauteed in the thick skillet I inherited from my grandmother.






So tasty! The combination of onion and apple, though it sounds a little strange, is just delightful. Crunchy and sweet and savoury all at the same time. There was plenty leftover so I know exactly what I'm having for lunch tomorrow!

Today I Am Grateful For: Nature. All too often we become so accustomed to our surroundings that we forget to stop and really look at them. When we do remember, it's always so breathtaking and humbling.







Well, that's it for me, kids. I'm going to go snag a nice, long bath with essential oils and then collapse into bed, where I will no doubt sleep like the dead. Have a wonderful evening, lovelies! I'll see you tomorrow. <3

Puppies & Chillun'

Hello my darlings! How are you all doing? I hope you had a good day today - we certainly had fun!

It seems there's a budding author in our family. Back in January this guy wrote a story for a contest at school: 

Well, he received a notice in the mail saying that he'd won first place and that he was to be presented with an award (a certificate and a gift card for the local organic ice cream shoppe) at the end-of-year summer ceremony. Good job, Andy!

We packed breakfast-to-go (egg white omelettes with mushroom, mozzarella, onion and scallions with a side of peaches, watermelon, and cantaloupe):

And then we picked up these guys:

And then we were off to the ceremony. It was held outside and was really adorable. Each of the prizewinners read their short story and then when everyone was done the awards were handed out. Even with the readings it didn't last long - which was nice because it was a scorcher today! Hello Mr. Sun!

Afterwards we stopped at the playground and snacked on some green beans and cherries: 

Caleb is a big fan of cherries, it seems. He couldn't get enough!

A quick stop at Foodland for celebratory Gatorade, Maui chips, and an alien ray-gun. I nipped into the health shop next door and grabbed some treats pour moi: 

HAZELNUTS. Oh my goodness, I am so excited about finding hazelnuts here. I've been keeping an eye out for them for ages, to no avail, and was getting to the point where I was ready to order a case online and just eat the shipping costs. Can't wait to use these bad boys - I foresee homemade Nutella in our future. Drooooool.

Lunch was leftover salad from the Fourth of July, celery sticks, and a big bowl of fruit. I love summer so much!

With all the rushing around this morning I hadn't had time to workout so I fit in a quick 30-minute Pilates session and then crashed for a nap. I've been so, so, so tired lately and nodding off in the afternoon for about twenty minutes seems to keep me going until bedtime - any longer than that, though, and I'm a complete foggy-headed zombie. Internal clocks are tricky things. 

Snacktime brought cottage cheese with kalamata olives and apple wedges with cinnamon:

And a cup of one of my favourite teas, Good Earth's Mate & Citrus:

There's nothing like a cuppa in the aftie, especially if you can enjoy it slowly with a good book. 

Dinner is sitting on the table waiting for me  as I type - a quick stir-fry with curly kale, collard greens, vidalia onion, tomatoes, herbs, and tempeh. It smells amazing. Funny how the simple things are the tastiest, hey? I don't want to keep everyone waiting (or my stomach, which is totally roaring for food despite the hefty menu today) but I just have to introduce the latest member of our family:

This is Phoebe. She is the size of my shoe. Someone threw her out a car window. Thankfully our neighbors rescued her and brought her over and she didn't suffer any major physical harm, though she's still really timid. She's being absolutely spoiled with toys (which she doesn't show much interest in yet) and treats (which she most definitely does.) I'm not even a fan of tiny dogs but she's so cute and sweet that you can't help but love her. So welcome home, Phoebe!

And now, we sup!

The Baking Blues

Le sigh. 

So here's the deal, guys. I had this entire post typed up and it was timely and filled with stories and photos and such and then... then I hit something. And everything disappeared. Today has been that sort of a day. Everything is going along as planned and then... BAM! (And not in the fun Emeril Lagasse way.)

So instead of that post, you get this one which is not nearly as interesting but still filled with tasty baking delights. 

The great thing about summer is all the fresh fruit that's suddenly teeming in bins at the supermarket. The bad thing about summer is that I always overestimate just how much fruit we can eat whenever I see those teeming bins, especially the darling little apple bananas that are so sweet this time of year. Inevitably a bunch of them end up limp and blackened on the counter, a bevy of fruit flies trying to woo them.

When life gives you overripe 'naners, there's only one solution: banana bread!

My father's sister makes an excellent loaf and this is her recipe; it should be noted that this is simply a base. Feel free to add whatever you like - coconut, fruit, nuts, etc. This time around I added the last scrapings from a jar of peanut butter and a ton of chocolate chips and cinnamon. Scrumdiddlyumptious.

Tannie Sheralee's Bangin' Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp real vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to that magical baking temperature, 350F.

In a mixing bowl, mash your bananas to a paste. Add in your melted butter and stir to combine. Add sugar and vanilla and stir some more. In a separate bowl, beat an egg until frothy and then add to the banana-sugar mix. Stir in baking soda, salt, and flour and mix until you have a nice batter. This is the point where you also add in whatever fixin's you want.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy. 

Goodbye, brave souls. You are going to a better place.

I discovered too late that both my loaf pans were being used and so I improvised and used these teeny bundt pans for the first time. It ended up actually being a better fit for our family - grab and go cake!

Not too long ago I posted a recipe for almond meal muffins. A friend of mine, Brian over at My Silver Lining, took that recipe and ran with it in a sweet direction by adding blueberries. It sounded like such a good combination (blueberries and almonds have always been clandestine lovers) that I had to give it a whirl and there's no time like the present! I doubled recipe, whipped out a batch of plain almond muffins, and then added vanilla extract, blueberries, and cinnamon to the remaining batter and baked them off. 

Of course, I had to sample one. With some 'butter' (aka Earth Balance). If you have a sweet tooth I would advise adding some sugar because the vanilla extract doesn't do much to counteract the default savory flavor, but I prefer these just like this. The mealie texture combined with the cool, creamy berries is awesome and you can't beat the nutty richness of almonds paired with the sweet burst of berries.

(Alright, alright, I might have had two.)

And because it was so delicious and I can't resist showing you my adorable new soup bowl, here's a dinner shot. Cantaloupe, broccoli, and one cup of vegetarian gumbo:

Whew. Didn't think I was gonna get this done tonight. Having done so and squeezed in a workout, I'm finally off to bed for a good, hard sleep.  Muchas smooches, darlings!

Equipoise

After a few days of indulging, I totally needed to take yesterday to get back to my routine and regain my footing. It was early to bed, early to rise and straight to some HIIT as the sun crept into the sky. Have I mentioned how much I hate high-intensity interval training? I really, really do. Doing a 3-2-1 cycle (3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs) and alternating between 8-lb and 5-lb weights, I worked all the major muscle groups for a grueling half hour before I stopped and switched to yoga. Did ten minutes of morning poses to wake up and then ten minutes of challenging strength and balance poses before hitting the shower. Even though I hated it while I was doing it, I was really proud that I made it through instead of just rolling over in bed when the alarm clock went off (and ohhh was it tempting.) There's nothing quite like starting off your day with some exercise. It makes such a difference in energy and outlook.

Today I was meant to be going for a nice long run but I woke up late and there was so much to do that I'm giving it a lick-and-promise. Hopefully I'll be able to fit some more working out in later - I've already decided to walk into town to do my errands so worst case scenario, at least I'll have that under my belt.

Lately I've really been digging on the eggs for breakfast. Yesterday I ate a simple spread of scrambled egg whites with guacamole, non-fat cottage cheese, a couple of cherries and tea:

Now, I'm not one of those people who actually like cottage cheese straight from the carton. Apparently I used to gobble it up as a youngster but once I hit the school years the texture totally turned me off. In the great trend of palate cycling though, I've slowly learned to appreciate it as I get older. Not enough so that I can just grab a spoon and tuck in, but I actually will eat it now with a few add ins. Yesterday was a sweet day.

Doctored Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese

1 tsp almond butter

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp stevia

pinch of salt (unless you get the kind of cottage cheese with salt in)

Mix all ingredients together. Eat and enjoy.

Today was a delicious omelette noir (which is to say, I burned my eggs. See, it really is true - everything sounds better in French.) It had egg whites, onion, tomato, broccoli, salmon, cottage cheese, and gorgonzola in it. With that I had a side of cantaloupe and watermelon. So colourful!





Yesterday there were also more Adventures in Baking, but I'll have to save that for tonight's post because I've got to skedaddle! Before I go though, I just have to show off my project. I've been trying to organize all the toys in the house (oy) so that they're accessible and tidy and I finally finished. Voila:





There's a viking on that biplane!

Baking and organizing? It was like Martha Stewart possessed me. It was so awesome.

And now it's time to go, armed with my lunch (Annie's dressings are so tasty - this Tuscan Italian has such a deep tomato-and-basil flavour), a salad of lettuce, broccoli, green beans, cucumber, tomato and crumbled tempeh:

See you later!

Today I am grateful for: Cats. They know how to live. It's amazing that these furry individuals trust us to take care of them and how they form such vibrant relationships with us.

Moo Town

Mmm, what a lovely relaxing day it has been. After sleeping in until nine, I got up and made tea (sampled a new raspberry flavour by Trader Joe's; pretty tasty though not entirely my cuppa!) and Fitz and I lazed about regally for a little bit, just soaking in the morning. Which reminds me...

Today I am grateful for: my tea kettle. It is an old and battered Paul Revere that has sat atop countless ranges and survived countless moves; it may have seen better days but it's an old, cherished friend that can always be depended on during tea-steeping missions.

Our excessive festivities last night were a thing of the past due to a weird family trait that, thus far, has rendered us immune to hangovers; the worst I've ever felt was after drinking fortuitous amounts of Patron and passing out on the bathroom floor - I woke up feeling refreshed and spry, except for an irritating pain in my lower back where I'd slept on top of a rubber duck. It's a good gift. Makes me wonder what god my ancestors pleased in order to obtain it.

The novelty of being lazy bums wore off after a little while and out came the yoga mats. Fitz isn't real big on yoga - he calls it hippie fitness - but he surprised me by joining in for an entire 90-minute vinyasa session. By the end we were both positively dripping sweat, something that I think caught him off guard because he made the remark that maybe there was something to all this Dalai Lama om-ing.

Yesterday we did a full sixty minutes of stretching, and I definitely noticed a difference today during yoga. I was able to really get a lot deeper in my poses, especially triangle, twisting triangle, and pyramid. There was the usual resistance but on my exhalations I could actually feel my muscles relaxing and giving in. So cool!

We rewarded ourselves with more tea and the latest episode of True Blood (soso good - but I can't help but giggle every time Bill says Sookie's name. SUCKEH, SUCKEH NOW.) Fitz took off for a run after that (he's crazy about exercise) and I tidied around the house. Neither of us were keen on breakfast, having stuffed ourselves silly last night and by then it was nearing noon anyway.

The need for apples meant that I was going to meet Fitz in town at the health food store (which is the only grocery in my little town - there's an actual Supermarket in Princeville but that's a twenty minute drive and not really worth it.) I don't know if it was just the fact that we hadn't really done anything really strenuous that was making me feel like a blob but I almost canceled on my poor brother. To get motivated I used a tried-and-true trick: I put on my favourite pair of worn shorts and a pretty, bright shirt that just begged to be outside, and a fun hat (because it was one of those hair days.) No matter how hermit-like I'm feeling, I find that if I put a little effort into getting ready - a fun bracelet, a new hairstyle, presentable clothes - it almost always gives me the extra push I need to shake the lead out.

Do you think that if they make a hippie version of Blues Brothers, I could get cast? =P

I really and truly considered walking to town. The idea flickered about (cardio! sunshine!) but I just couldn't bring myself to commit to an hour-long walk, especially knowing that the hour back would be accompanied with the weight of a bag of Granny Smith's, so I compromised. I drove to the gas station, parked my car, and then walked from there; I'm not sure how many blocks it is (and the town doesn't really have blocks haha) but by my watch it was a nice fifteen minute trek. Nothing really to notice, fitness-wise, but the point was just being out and about en pied.

Did any of you ever watch that film Milo & Otis, about the curious cat and the pug-nosed pup? I used to love it when I was younger and today's walk reminded me of the jaunty little tune at the beginning. We're gonna take a walk outside today, gonna see what can find today...

Made it to Healthy Hut and got our apples and, because they looked amazing and we go through them like candy, got some beautiful local to-mah-toes.

I also found a nifty little treat - teeny, tiny Luna bars! I love these things full-sized and these little 90-calorie options are going to be just perfect for mid-afternoon pick-me-ups. Plus, they're freaking adorable! I got one of each flavour; peanut butter cookie, white chocolate macadamia, and lemon zest. Can't wait to try one!

They fit in the palm of one hand! D'aww.

I walked across the street to Pau Hana bakery after that and met up with Fitz for coffee. He ordered some fancy schmancy special and I varied from my normal cup of black coffee and splurged on a double Americano. Mmm. It never fails to amaze me just how creamy Americano's are compared to regular coffee or even espresso. It tastes like there's milk in there but there isn't.

Fitz and I mostly ignored each other because we both had books we wanted to read. It was one of those non awkward not talking times. Wiling away the time in a coffee shop with a good book is so much fun and reminds me of France and how everyone there just takes things slow, really enjoys the little things. I suppose Etienne must have made us crave that lackadaisical efficiency that's so common in Les Midi because we lingered for over an hour (and I think annoyed the staff as they were super busy and we were taking up a table despite only ordering one drink each.)

When we got home it was a little after three and I was ready for a snack. A hardboiled farm egg with cracked black pepper, eaten with chopsticks because that's how I roll:

More tea, more tea, more tea. Some reading. Laundry. Cat nap. I nibbled on leftover fruit and salad for dinner (I seriously had no appetite today) but Fitz was in the mood for something a little heartier. After reading a post on steak Ducasse by Charley from Chuck's Kitchen, he decided that he wanted to give it a try. Fitz is a big meat eater but he doesn't often do red meat, sticking mostly to fish and chicken and turkey. Steak is a treat he indulges in but hasn't been to do so for months because his wife, K, is pregnant and the one smell that she absolutely cannot tolerate while she's pregnant is beef, raw, cooking, or cooked. Fitz was positively gleeful about getting his carnivore on. So much so that he only had eyes for his porterhouse.

"I think we have some brussels sprouts in the freezer that you can roast to go with that."

"No, thanks."

"Or there's broccoli. And I definitely have wild rice in the pantry. I can make some of that for you."

"Nope."

"Mushrooms? There's a potato, too, and I got tomatoes."

"Nie, it's okay."

"There's salad in the fri--"

"Really, it's fine."

"... so you're having what?"

"Steak."

"Just steak?"

"Not 'just steak'. Delicious steak."

And that was exactly what he did. I told him to take photos of the process but he didn't because a) doesn't have the patience and b) was too busy cooing at his slab of meat to remember. Luckily I was there snap a photo of his beloved finished product:

The noises he made while eating this were pretty embarrassing, lemme tell you.

Now it's off to enjoy the rest of the night with apple slices dusted in cinnamon and whatever backlogged shows Fitz has on his computer. See you on the 'morrow!

<3