CIBC's Run for the Cure, Sudbury, Ontario

As far as "races" go this is about as non competitive as you can get. It is all about the fund raising, and the PINK. In Sudbury, we had a gorgeous, sunny day for this run. It was a little chilly this morning, frost on the windshield, but perfect running weather.

I was surprised there were not more people dressed up. There was a face painting booth, but makeup does not look that great when it is streaming down your face. I saw some people dressed up like Marie Antionette, and company. Otherwise, it was a group of people looking for a short 5km run/walk to help raise funds for breast cancer research.

This was my first "race". I have been running for years, but the past two summers, it has become a daily activity. I upped my distance this year to around 6km, which I finish anywhere between 38 to 35 minutes. I have been told you run faster in races. Probably trying to keep pace with other runners, or overtake some, or catch up to those who pass you. I ended up with an annoying cramp about halfway through; my right rib was killing me. I managed to breathe through it, but I do not normally get cramps while running.

I also do not normally run at the pace I ran. The route had some tiny hills, but enough to slow me down a bit. My regular running route is flat. No extra stress at all. I was passed by a few people, and I also passed some runners. The fastest runners were already at the front of the pack when the race started. The fastest male did it in 16 minutes. The fastest female in 21 minutes. The fastest three under 12 kids all came in before me. I came in just over 25 minutes. I probably could have pushed a bit harder. It kind of makes me want to try some other races. No wonder people keep doing this. It's addicting.

My biggest issue was probably not having my iPod with me. I was also running faster than usual, and I did not feel as though I could stop, even though I desperately wanted to when my cramp was at its worst. It was only 5km, and I run more than that daily. I would have felt like a failure had I stopped for a break.

I was running with my friend Theresa's team (Women In Science and Engineering, WISE). Everyone did awesome, and I think everyone ran faster than they expected to run. We also raised a fair bit of money, considering we didn't do hardcore active canvasing for money.

Best part? Finishing. Oh, and the chocolate covered strawberries.

I think I might need new runners though. Just bought these ones last August. Dangnabbit!

Posted with Blogsy

Two Good Cauliflower Recipes

I bought a head of cauliflower the other day when we had cheese fondue. It was good dipped in cheese, however, my husband is not a huge fan of cauliflower. I had almost a head left over, and I needed to find some way to use it up. I found a couple of recipes that generated compliments.

The first is a modified version of Whole Wheat Couscous with Cauliflower and Almonds, from Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I didn't have any couscous, so I substituted quinoa. I also used a regular onion (instead of a shallot, or red onion) without issue. I used a combination of wine and stock to give 1 1/2 cups.

Quinoa with Cauliflower and Almonds

Ingredients:1/2 cup almonds, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 large shallot or small red onion, chopped, 1 small cauliflower, chopped (about 3 cups), Salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup quinoa, 1 teaspoon smoked or hot paprika, 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, white or rosé wine, water, or a combination, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, Freshly grated manchego or other semihard sheep’s milk cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Put the almonds in a deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and fragrant, just a couple of minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside to cool.

2. Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it is coated with the oil and starts to soften and turn golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and keep stirring until it too is coated with oil and begins to toast, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the mixture with paprika and stir to combine. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Let rest, undisturbed, until the liquid is all absorbed. Chop the almonds as finely as you can. Add them along with the parsley and fluff gently with a fork. Serve immediately, garnished with grated cheese if you like, or let cool and serve at room temperature, up to an hour or so later.

Cauliflower with Coconut Milk

Ingredients: Cauliflower, 3 cups, Thick Coconut Milk – 400 mL, Tomatoes – 2 large ripe, Green Chilli – 6 (optional), Onion – 1 large, Garlic – 3 cloves, Water – 150ml, Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp, Turmeric – ½ tsp, Salt – to taste

1. Cut the caulifower from stalk and break them with your fingers into small florets. Wash and drain. Slice the green chilies and tomatoes lengthwise. Roughly chop garlic and onion.

2. While you are heating a non-stick pan, make a paste of garlic, onion, cumin seeds and tumeric.

3. Heat Oil. Add the ground paste, stir for 1 minute. Do not allow to brown. As soon you smell the spices, lower heat.

4. Add tomatoes, chilies, cauliflower, water, and salt. Cover and bring to boil on high heat. Cook for 12 minutes.

5. Lower heat, add the coconut milk, and simmer for 2 minutes. Only simmer on low heat.

Serve with rice, or naan.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

For my husband's birthday today I made him cupcakes. I was going to make him a version of the peanut butter monkey cake he had at The Fish Bowl restaurant, but he was convinced I would modify the ingredients so much it would not taste the same. Plus, I always find having a cake in our home very intimidating, and we get tired of it quickly.

Cake is meant to be eaten by a lot of people in one sitting, not by two people over the span of a couple weeks. Cupcakes, somehow, feel more inviting. Of course, you are likely to eat more than one during the day, so they might worse for your health. My kids find cupcakes easier to eat than a piece of cake, and they usually help us finish this dessert faster.

What I decided to do was take the idea of a triple layer cake, with frosting, and do it as a cupcake. I put banana cake batter on the bottom, sprinkled a few Reeses Pieces on top, and poured the chocolate cake batter over the candies. I baked these, and when the cupcakes cooled, I frosted them with peanut butter icing.

Here's the recipe. I modified it from the one at the Betty Crocker website. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chocolate-banana-peanut-butter-delight/61b6f853-56de-403e-adc0-9d8a77957217

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line two 12 cup cupcake trays with paper liners.

Banana Cake

Ingredients: 1/2 cup (125mL) sugar. 1/2 cup (125mL) butter, softened. 1 egg. 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla. 2 bananas, mashed. 1/4 cup (60mL) greek yoghurt. 1 cup (250mL) flour. 1/2 tsp (2mL) baking soda. 1/2 tsp (2mL) baking powder. 1/4 tsp (1mL) salt.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, banana, and yoghurt, and beat until fully incorporated. Beat in the remaining ingredients.

Chocolate Cake ( I cheated, and used a cake mix, but here's a decent from scratch recipe)

Ingredients: 1/4 cup (60mL) butter, softened. 1/2 cup (125mL) sugar. 1 egg. 1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted. 2/3 cup (80mL) buttermilk. 1/2 tsp (5mL) vanilla. 1 cup (250mL) flour. 1/2 tsp (2mL) baking soda. 1/4 tsp (1mL) salt. 1/4 cup (60mL) greek yoghurt

Cream together butter and sugar . Beat in the egg. Beat in chocolate, milk and vanilla. Beat in remaining cake ingredients.

Fill the cupcakes 1/3 full with banana cake batter. Sprinkle a few chocolate covered peanut butter candies on top. Fill to about 2/3 full with chocolate cake batter. Bake cupcakes in oven at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a rack for an hour. Ice the cakes with Peanut Butter Frosting, and top with a candy.

I used leftover buttercream icing (standard recipe with butter, icing sugar, and milk), and added peanut butter to taste, but you can follow the recipe from the Betty Crocker website.

In medium bowl, beat 1 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in 1cup creamy (or crunchy) peanut butter, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in remaining 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, beating after each addition until smooth.

Posted with Blogsy

Cooking with Kids

Today was all about exposing my son to cooking, and baking with Mom. We started off the day with a trip to our local grocery store where our wonderful playgroup (Our Children Our Future) was hosting a program called Kids in the Kitchen. They had launched this program in the summer, with great success, so I thought I would try it out. There is a class size limit, and unfortunately, three kids (and presumedly their parents) did not show up. Other people could have taken advantage of this program, had they known there was space.

Kim did a fantastic job of introducing our simple recipe. Fruit salad with yoghurt. She had laminated photos of each fruit going into the salad, as well as its name in French, and English. Each child was given a page with the food item they were going to pick up in the grocery store. We went around the store, and selected the best fruit for our salad, and some Minigos (in place of yoghurt). Then, we went to the cashier, and bought our groceries before heading back to the kitchen.

It was interesting because we had to modify our list to compensate for ripeness, quantity, and possibly price. I am not sure how much the kids noticed this, but I think it is important to take our children grocery shopping in order for them to understand a little about finances, and wholesome eating. It is also a starting point to talk about where our food comes from.

Of late, my five year-old daughter has been asking me who kills the meat we eat. This question is usually followed by the statement that whichever animal it was does not like to be dead. Right you are. Here's a transcript of our most recent meat discussion, translated from French.

"What kind of meat is this?"

"Chicken."

"Who killed the chicken?"

"The farmer."

"Why did the farmer kill the chicken?"

"For us to eat. You know, it's like how the lion eats a gazelle, except we get the farmer to chase the chicken, and kill it for us."

Pause from my daughter. "No, lions eat zebras, Mom. Cheetahs eats gazelles."

Anyway, my son is now starting to ask these questions, but not really understand what he is asking. He's three, and mimicking his older sister. My daughter is sort of comprehending the idea that some animals eat other animals. Although, both of them think those animals (carnivores) are mean. They often use the term mean to describe dinosaurs with sharp teeth. Or, sharks. It is hard to explain to three and five year-olds that most animals are not mean or nice per se.

Back to the cooking session. The kids each made an individual fruit salad. They cut their fruit, with plastic knives, on flexible cutting boards. They helped Kim pour some of the fruit juice from the canned fruit over their own cut up fruit. Finally, they scooped out the Minigo on top of their salad. Of course, cleanliness is important, so they had washed their hands before starting, and were wearing aprons. At the end of the session, they were allowed to eat their creations. I think an hour might be too short for all the steps of this program, but otherwise, it was a great success. Then, I was able to pick up a few groceries for ourselves when it was finished.

We arrived home before 11am, which meant I had a lot of time before lunch, and nap. so, I decided to make another school-friendly baked good for my daughter's lunch. I measured out all the ingredients, and had my son help out with smashing the banana, adding ingredients, and mixing the batter. The only problem was he kept eating my banana, and I was in short supply. Otherwise, he did a bang up job of mixing the wet ingredients, and mixing the dry ingredients. To incorporate everything together, I helped him out.

This was another recipe from Boîte à Lunch Santé, by Geneviève O'Gleman. The yellow zucchini loaves were well received, so I am hoping these Cranberry Fairy Fingers will be eaten as well. The recipe, and pictures follow.

All of this cooking, and baking inspired me, so I signed my kids up for a session at the Real Canadian Superstore, on Lasalle. They have a program for kids aged 3 to 5. Perfect for our family this year. I did it once when my daughter was three, and she always remembers when we go to the RCSS. I was describing the cooking classes, and birthday parties to my friends in Winnipeg, and the Loblaws stores in Manitoba do not have these programs. If you live in Alberta, on the East Coast, Ontario, and Québec, you are in luck. Also, they have a cooking session on Wednesdays, at noon, and the last Monday of the month at 6:30pm, for adults. It costs $10, but you get a $10 card for the grocery store, so it's essentially free. Gotta love it!

www.pccookingschool.ca


 

Cranberry Fairy Fingers (makes about 25)

2 ripe bananas, mashed. 1 egg. 1/4c. (60mL) margarine. 1/2c. (125mL) brown sugar. 1/2c. (125mL) milk. 2tsp (10mL) vanilla. 1c. (250mL) whole wheat flour. 3c. (750mL) oats. 2tsp (10mL) cinnamon. 1tsp (5mL) baking soda. 1c. (250mL) cranberries.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180°C). In a lage bowl, mix bananas, egg, margarine, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients except the cranberries. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Incorporate with a fork. Add the cranberries, and mix until they are well distributed. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drop two tablespoons of the dough, and use your fingers to shape into long, finger-like cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. They can be frozen.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Mundane dreams

My dreams of late have been about everyday life. Kind of boring, but confusing too. I do not know if certain things I am remembering actually happened, or if I dreamed they happened. My husband says I am going crazy.

For instance, I do not remember if my daughter told me about some fake fish, and a fake aquarium in her class, or if I dreamed she told me. Her teacher has been using various reward, and discipline techniques with the students, often using symbols. If the children are doing well, they are on the green traffic light, for example. They also have a bee hive which fills with checkmarks when they are caught doing something good. The class theme is Bees. I do not know if these fake fish are another form of reward.

The reason I am concerned about this is because we just had a meet and greet with the teacher a few days ago, and I forgot to ask about the fish. I do not recall seeing fish images in the class, but I was not thinking about them at the time, so I was not keyed into seeing them. My conversation with my daughter came back to me the next day, but now I am questioning whether she told me about these fish, or did I dream she told me?

Maybe I am going crazy? I suppose I could just ask her if they were learning about fish. I need to get some more exciting dreams! Although, I have been dreaming about wrestlers lately. Not sure if that is more exciting, or, if I should stop watching wrestling with my husband. Unfortunately, this is all he likes to watch on tv, and if I want to spend time with him, after the kids have gone to sleep, we end up watching wrestling together.

I really need better dreams!

 

Posted with Blogsy

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What were your hopes, and dreams as a child or teenager? What did you think your life would look like? Did it turn out the way you expected? Did you find something else along the way that excited you, and became your new passion? Does it did matter if you followed your dream?

I do not remember what I wanted to be when I was little. I probably said I wanted to be a nurse because my mom was a nurse. This quickly changed when I would be apprehensive, in swimming lessons, about learning artificial respiration. I nixed the medical profession, as a career, early on. I enjoyed playing my clarinet, and being part of Concert Band, and Community Band in high school, but my father discouraged a musical career/education, and I did not push it. For a while, I fantasized about being a professional photographer, but that was more of a dream of glamour.

A few years back, I thought if I could do it all over again, I would have trained to be a jazz singer. I was taking a singing course at the time, and felt inspired. Also, there were several women with science or engineering degrees who were making livings as singers. Every now and again I think, maybe I could write some quirky children's songs, like They Might Be Giants, but in French. I have no song writing experience though.

I enjoyed university, eventually. I started off in engineering, but realized it was not for me. I liked my biology courses, but only found my stride after I graduated with my science degree, and came back for an unclassified semester. I did well in Forestry, but there were few job opportunities when I completed that degree. I enjoy being a teacher too, but cannot seem to find permanent work. If I could teach a group of highly motivated, hard-working students, I think it would be my dream job, but a class like that is hard to find nowadays.

So, I struggle to find something satisfying to do with my life. I enjoy cooking, and nutrition, but would these be a career path? Would working with food destroy my love of it? I suposse the same could be said about many passions. I love being a mother to my children, despite how infuriating it can be at times, but my son will be starting school soon. Then, what do I do? My current irrational work fantasy is being a chocolatière, with quirky combinations in my truffles, and locally sourced ingredients. I need to come up with something I can actually do.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Brrrr, It's Cold

September 18, and I finally turned the heat back on. We had a few warm days so far this month, but Fall is really digging in its heels. I don't think we broke 6°C today. I sent my daughter to school inadequately dressed for the weather. We didn't realize how cold it was until we were running to catch her bus. I probably wasn't the only parent guilty of this. The weather report said it was going to be warmer, but it was downright miserable out there.

Tonight it is supposed drop down to around 0°C. We've already had frost (Sept. 10), but with all the rain, I am worried we might get ice. Seriously, snow could have been a possibility, if it weren't supposed to clear up. A month ago we were still in the sweltering heat of summer. September comes around, and it's all over so suddenly.

We rarely get to experience the gradual cooling off period of a temperate autumn. I loved Septembers in Vancouver. It was usually one of the best months of the year. The rainy weather had not yet socked in. We still had sunny, somewhat warm days. I used to go camping, or on kayak trips in September in B.C. We were spoiled last year in Sudbury, with an unusually warm ninth month. Not so much this year. Fall is here, and Winter is just around the corner.

Any bets on whether this is going to be a mild winter, or a cold one? You'd think having grown up in Manitoba, I'd be used to bitter, cold winters. My biggest problem is that I have Reynaud's. My hands go bone white, and lose circulation when I get cold. It takes a lot of movement to get blood flow back into my digits. Winter is not my favourite season. I am going to have to start wearing mitts soon.

Oh well, only six more months until Spring. Three more months until the days start getting longer, and then we start all over again.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy