Life Changes + Frozen Fenway

Oh em gee!

It has been faaaar too long since my last post. I’ve missed my little blog! But I have a good reason, I swear. Ready for it? Ok! I started a new job today!!! Like, a real person job that requires my degree and everything  I had been interviewing for this position forever (seriously forever, I applied in September, had 3 interviews, and just found out last week) and it is so exciting to be starting this new chapter in my life. Check off my resolution to make some inroads in my professional life! Anyway, as exciting as this is, it’s messing up my routine in a huge way so it’s going to take a bit of getting used to. Before today, my weekday life consisted of me working from home, writing articles and doing ad work for an architecture and design magazine based in Boston (while fun, was extremely part-time, maybe only 5 hours of real work per week) and working a few shifts a week at a retail store. I am suddenly being thrust into 9-5 life and I have a whole lot less time for fun things like hours of browsing at Whole Foods!

Whew. So this week especially will be crazy with me trying to adjust and whatnot, but I am really going to try to get back to daily/every two days posting. Plus, to add to my wanting to post, I bought myself a new camera as a celebrate-my-new-job present It’s a Canon PowerShot  SD1200 IS and it takes fabulous pictures. Just look at how good my juice veggies look in this pic:

Like night and day from my old camera! I couldn’t be more thrilled with the purchase. It’s great for close-ups too:

So clear! Loves!

Anyway, besides getting hired and continuing to do some magazine ad work I also went skating at Fenway Park this weekend. The experience was unbelievable, and I didn’t even grow up with the Red Sox the way some kids did (Nova Scotian kids don’t have any home sports teams to cheer for, lol).

It was pretty fricking freezing at Frozen Fenway! I wore wool tights, under armour spandex and pants, then on top a long-sleeved shirt, turtleneck, hoodie, and coat. And hat and huge mittens. And I was still kinda cold!

I drink crappy hot chocolate maybe once a year. After times like this, it’s worth it.

I am so excited about my life right now! Thanks for being around to read about it

Monday + Raw Day

I’ve been playing with this fun new book I got for Christmas:

Obsessed!

Sarma is amazing, and I love how this book is laid out. Pages are filled with bright colours and there are glamorous food shots galore. It’s really just a beautiful book. Sarma’s outlook on food is one I can relate to- she doesn’t label herself as a vegan or raw foodist despite both being her usual diet, because sometimes she will try a bite of sushi or whatnot if she’s out at some other restaurant. She eats mostly raw for her health, but doesn’t put herself in a label box that might prevent her from trying something new. This definitely makes her more approachable- I just want to learn about raw foods and incorporate more of them into my diet. I do not have any plans of becoming all raw or even high raw, so the label thing kind of stresses me out. That being said, I am having so much fun reading her recipes and trying some of them myself. A lot of the entrees are kind of complicated and time-consuming, however I could definitely see myself trying out her raw sushi! I’m mostly drawn to the shakes and juices chapters. I will admit that I am trying to figure out a way to make her raw buckwheat crispies cereal without a dehydrator, so we’ll see how far I get with that one.

Anyway, let’s backtrack and start with Monday, which started out high raw and then ended in a super fabulous cooked meal

For breakfast:

Banana, Orange, Eggnogg'n Tea

I’m doing well with this cutting back on coffee thing! Only one headache last Saturday, and then I had to drink it Sunday or else I would not have functioned at work, but otherwise I am taking myself completely by surprise and doing ok. You may not grasp how huge this is for me- I started drinking coffee in high school (admittedly with huge scoops of sugar and cream back then) and have had a cup pretty much every morning since then. Cutting back is hard! My goal though is to have it as a treat, or when I really need it, and not every morning.

I had a snack later on of my favourite, Ezek.

Ezekiel English Muffin with Barney Butter and Four Fruits Preserves

For lunch I had leftovers which I dumped onto a bed of mixed greens, Whole Foods salad bar style.

Channa Masala with Basmati Rice, Mixed Greens

I was super hungry all day so I had a snack around 4, a whole wheat pancake with chocolate chips and maple syrup. Um, my kind of snack. And I wish that I had pictures of dinner, because it was beyond delicious! Steve’s dad is Italian and he makes some of the best Italian food I’ve ever tasted. Tonight he made this marinara sauce that was spicy and sweet and just all around perfect. I had a big bowlful of whole wheat spaghetti with that sauce and parmesan. It was worth every bite. And I would know, because I took a lot of bites.

I woke up Tuesday and wanted to try something new and fun so I made the Thai Green juice from Raw Food Real World.

Swiss Chard, Lime, Pineapple, Cilantro

This was so good. I loved the cilantro in there, though I was a little skeptical at first how it would turn out. Major yum.

For lunch I had a smoothie with raspberries, banana, water and raw Agave nectar, and a Larabar (which was only 90% raw but really who’s keeping track).

I worked last night so I packed half an avocado and some fruit (apple, blueberries, strawberries) for dinner. I also picked up a random (on sale!!) fun ingredient from Whole Foods that I dipped all my apples slices into:

Artisana raw cashew butter! This was way better than I thought it would be (haha). It is silky smooth and has caused me to desire all of the other Artisana nut butters, which will eventually leave me broke, but at least it’s for a delicious cause, right??

I had a lot of fun with my raw day. It was easier that I thought it might be, and I am definitely excited to experiment with more raw foods and play around with my diet. I don’t think I’m going to be making any drastic permanent changes (chicken is on the menu for tonight) but learning about raw foods has sparked a different kind of interest in health in me and I like the way eating raw makes me feel.

Thawing Out

Snoooowwww! Steve’s car was covered in snow on Saturday and the doors were frozen shut. It took a good 5 minutes to get them to open!

We just did errands Saturday morning, (after getting the car in road-ready condition), and I had a juice made with kale, celery, carrot, lemon, apple, and strawberries, plus an Ezekiel English Muffin with an egg and ketchup before heading out.

Mixed Greens with Avocado, Strawberries, and Meyer Lemon Dressing

Salad for lunch: mixed greens, half of an avocado, strawberries, and dressing made with Meyer lemon juice, maple syrup, and walnut oil (plus salt and pepper). This is my favourite salad right now, it is slightly sweet and sooo good.

Unfortunately Saturday was one of those days where I just felt “off”- I was tired despite getting enough sleep, didn’t know what I wanted to do or what I wanted to eat. Which means that “dinner” on Saturday was incredibly pathetic and a result of me not wanting to cook or even eat anything. I didn’t even grab a picture, I just kind of picked at a small plate of Trader Joe’s Flax Crackers with Four Fruits Preserves and Mighty Maple Peanut Butter, a Pineapple Chobani with Kashi Go-Lean Crunch, some Brown Rice Chips, and chocolate. Meh. The chocolate was the best part of this meal I do hate having off-days though. 

Sunday was better, I had to work in the morning so I packed some breakfast and lunch to take with me.

I also had a cup of coffee (my first one in a week! I am trying to lessen my caffeine dependence) with half a banana before leaving.

Raw Organic Food Bar in Chocolatey Chocolate Chip, Pineapple, Strawberries, and Kiwi

This bar was really delicious! And it held me really well until lunch, which was an Ezekiel English Muffin with an egg and organic ketchup, and some carrot sticks with spinach artichoke hummus. Yum.

Steve picked me up after work and we headed into Boston to go skating at the Boston Common. It was FREEZING cold but a lot of fun! I used to figure skate competitively (nowhere near GC styles but still a big time commitment) but I hadn’t been on the ice at all for a good three years before yesterday. It was a weird feeling but fun! Steve and I are going to try to go skating more often, I’d love to get some more of my skills back (though I don’t think I’ll be doing axels anytime soon lol).

Anyway it was an outdoor ice surface and it was cold!!! Steve gave me his coat but after an hour I could not feel my toes and needed to get warm, asap. So we drove back home and I made a dinner filled with warming spices to bring me back from frostbite

Fire-Roasted Channa Masala with Steamed Spinach and Basmati Rice

This was perfect! Brought my toes back to life. Steve and I spent the rest of the evening watching Lord of the Rings, which I used to be obsessed with. I could quote full passages from Fellowship. Jealous? Yeah, I thought so.

The Dawn of a New Decade

…Perhaps that’s a touch over-dramatic. Maybe just Happy New Year?

My NYE started with a little greenery:

Kale, Celery, Meyer Lemon, Apple, Cucumber

And then a snack before heading out in the snow to get ingredients for homemade sushi!

Banana, Cara Cara Orange

I spent the afternoon cooking sushi rice and making veggie maki. I was kinda starving so I gnawed on a mango pit (anyone else do this once you’ve cut away all the fruit?) and a Pure bar.

Chocolate Brownie Pure Bar

And then I packed! Steve and I rented a hotel room downtown so we could crash there instead of worrying about how to get home. We def rocked the travelling circus look, I had sushi in one huge bag and a suitcase in my other hand and Steve was loaded down with a backpack and two bags… We rode the T from end to end to get to our destination, but the night was so worth the voyage time!

I kind of looooove hotels.

All I need to have a good time is a sushi picnic, champagne, and a comfy bed

The only downer in my plans was that I had to be at work for 8 (!!) this morning. Ugh. I survived it though, but I’ve got a bit of a headache from lack of sleep. I had an apple and a Tropical Fruit Tart Larabar this morning, and went over to WF for lunch:

Tomato Basil Soup, Whole Wheat Roll

I came home so so starving and just wolfed down a cup of miso soup, a sweet potato with organic ketchup. a banana with Barney Butter, and a bowlful of steamed broccoli with homemade fresh salsa. Whew! I still feel a little hungry but it’s prob because my brain hasn’t caught up to my tummy yet

So now that I’ve raced through the food parts of the past two days… On to other things! I don’t think I’ve ever really made a “resolution” but setting goals is fun and it’s always nice to achieve something and look back on how you got there. So, goals for the coming months?

• Eat more raw. Fruits, veggies, salads. I truly love food but I also love feeling my best, which definitely occurs when I am eating well (specifically, lots of veggies). I need to better recognize what foods are truly worth the splurge (like a faboosh resto) and when I should choose the healthy option. I think I sometimes have a hard time with this because I hate feeling like I am “restricting” in any sense. So, I’ll get like a grilled cheese at some random place just because I don’t want to feel deprived, when really the grilled cheese isn’t all that delicious and I could be just as happy having a salad and saving my splurge for somewhere it is truly worth it.
• Tone up! I enjoy yoga but it’s hard to fit it into my schedule, soo maybe it’s time to start doing some strength work. It’s good for me and will make me look good(er). haha.
• Be more conscious of how my actions, moods, and words affect others. Be cranky less often
• Stress less and harbour a positive attitude.
• Make some serious inroads in my professional life.

There! A bit vague but good for now. And it’s in writing so I can’t say I forgot about it

And for the last order of the day, thank you to the lovely Kristen for giving me this Beautiful Blogger award.

It’s Mon Petit Peche Mignon’s first award Thanks again Kristen!

I know I’m supposed to pass it on and whatnot but that seems hard (too many decisions lol) soo I’m going to cheat and skip to the fun part of listing 7 things you don’t know about me.

1. Whenever I am sick I lay in bed with my computer and watch Ratatouille. I think it heals me, plus I loooove that movie.
2. In my third year of university I tried to make this roasted yellow pepper soup at my apartment and just everything went wrong. I totally underestimated how much the recipe would make, how long it would take, and what kitchen tools I needed. I got so frustrated that I just needed to get rid of the disaster, but there was nowhere for it to go, so I dumped the whole pot out the window of my fourth storey window. I’m laughing just thinking about it now
3. I used to hate squash, sweet potato, coconut, and cabbage. All loves now.
4. I’ve never been to Paris but I am obsessed with the city. And its bakeries.
5. I am very, very inflexible. I am also not graceful at all- my skating coach made me take ballet when I was 9 to try to improve on the gracefulness.. I’m not sure that it worked.
6. I’m terrified by horror movies. After watching the Exorcist I slept in my sister’s room for a week. It doesn’t take much to scare me.
7. My favourite dreams are the ones where I can fly

If you want the award let me know and then I can give it to you. I like the fun sharing part lol. Hope everyone has a Happy New Years Day!!!

Aliiiiiive!

The past few days have been a whirlwind!

On Sunday I flew from Halifax back to Boston, and security was waaaay amped up. I was treated to a physical pat-down and full search of my carry-on luggage. My flight did wind up delayed, but not due to security- a lightbulb on the wing of the plane had burnt out and it was noticed just as we were about to take off! Sooo a taxi back to the gate and an hour and a half sitting on the plane waiting for it to be fixed, and then we were off for real. Other than that, the flight went smoothly.

Monday was my Foodie BFF Alex’s birthday (Happy Birthday Love!!) So Steve and I met her at this wicked cool (New England’s colloquialisms are getting to me..) bar in Boston for a few drinks. We couldn’t stay long because Steve had to work in the am but it was so nice to see her

Then yesterday I came down with a flu-like bug or something… I was violently ill for a day then today I’m perfectly fine. All I could stomach yesterday was Gatorade and Saltine crackers, which aren’t exactly blog-worthy, so no photos I seriously pounded back the Gatorade yesterday though, I think I consumed more HFCS in 12 hours than I have in the past year.. Yuck. Oh electrolytes, what I will do to return you to balance in my system.

Ok so I guess less happened than I thought…lol. We should be back to regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow

Boxing Day!

It’s a holiday in Canada, so all of the stores (in Nova Scotia, at least) are closed.

Per family tradition, we had a beautiful Boxing Day brunch spread. I started with something not exactly on the family menu- a green smoothie

Green Smoothie

This one had a few massive handfuls of spinach, steamed, a banana, Barney Butter, and some skim milk. Later on in the morning I joined in the brunch activities and had a quarter of a bagel with mango chutney, baked brie and some smoked salmon, fruit salad on the side, and a vanilla cafe au lait in the Florida Starbucks mug my parents brought me back from a recent trip to the state.

Bagel with Mango Chutney, Baked Brie and Smoked Salmon, Fruit Salad

Vanilla Cafe au Lait

Oh, and a little sliver of Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake for dessert.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Then was a family outing to see Avatar in 3D, which was pretty amazing. The colors were just fabulous in this movie! It was super long though, we left the house at 1:30 to get there early and didn’t get home until after 5.

Dinner was composed of my favourite part of Holiday meals- leftovers!

Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce and Gravy, Red Vino

Two Chocolate Chip Cookies with Triple Chocolate Ice Cream

Christmas has just flown by this year! I fly back to Boston tomorrow, and with recent world events security is expected to be hightened. Hopefully everything goes smoothly.

Goodnight! xo

Merry Christmas

Plain Yogurt with Blackberries, Strawberries, Kiwi and Meringue

Laura Secord French Mint Chocolate

Potato Scallion Bread with Mango Chutney and Baked Brie

Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Turkey, Gravy and Champagne

Eggnog with Chocolate Chip Cookies