Sonya+Mel

It's been awhile since my last post!  Life - personal, work, and school - has been busy & hectic.  All good things, but keeping me occupied for sure! 

Last weekend, my Dad's side of the family had a get-together - a chance to catch up & visit with cousins, aunts & uncles.  It's always a good opportunity to reflect on the importance of family and the special memories that we make with them.  Many of my cousins have now become parents, and it's amazing to watch our family grow.  

In fact, our family is about to grow by 1 more this year - my sister and her husband are due with their first child this fall!  I'm so excited to be able to watch her become a mother & to share in the joy of this special time with her.  I'm also excited for my parents to experience being grand-parents for the first time.

Last weekend's reunion also coincided with Father's Day - a day to honour our wonderful, kind & loving Dad.  When I think about the importance of family, I know it was my Dad who taught me a lot of these values.  Ever since I was little, he's loved sharing stories about family & looking through old photo albums.  I am so lucky to have a Dad who is sentimental and who puts family first.  He also has a terrific sense of humour - something I like to think I might have inherited from him :)

So, that's what's been going on with me.  I've also been enjoying beautiful June weather and all of the beauty that comes along with it.  Just like these beautiful peonies (my absolute favourite flower) from my Mom's garden:

Anyhow, I hope to keep more up-to-date on my blogging.  I've got a lot of recipes and other things to share!

Talk soon!

How do you stay refreshed on a hot day like today?  

I've been adding fruit to my water to help ensure I stay hydrated.  Not only does this encourage me to drink more water, but I benefit from the water soluble vitamins and minerals of the fruit.  Consider it a homemade vitamin water!

Flavours I've tried so far:  Lemon; Lime; Strawberry Lemon, Strawberry Lime (see above), Blueberry

Up next: Orange? Mint Lime?

Do you have any fruit combination recommendations?

I thought it would be fun to post about some of the things I like to snack on in the evening - you know, a few hours after dinner when you start to feel hungry again?

I try really hard not to give into these cravings - in fact, back when I was in University and I would get a late night craving, I would push myself to fight out the craving.  I remember my husband (then boyfriend) telling me, "if you just go to bed, the craving will go away."  He was right! I still try really hard to do that. 

But sometimes it's impossible not to give in & so I've looked for ways to curb my cravings with some healthier options that I want to share here.

My first go-to is a cup of tea with a couple of fresh dates.  I buy my dates from an Iranian grocery store nearby my workplace.  They are soft and delicious!  While I enjoy these little suckers because of their sweet, caramel-like flesh, it is a bonus that they're also high in dietary fibre, contain antioxidants and are an excellent source of iron! 

Anyone who knows me, knows that salt + vinegar chips are my vice.  In fact, I don't even buy them because if they're in my house, the temptation is just too high!  The good news is that I found a healthy substitute for this favourite snack on an amazing vegan food blog that I follow (ohsheglows.com) - roasted salt + vinegar chickpeas!  Here is the recipe.

A recent batch of mine:

Another go-to snack is trail mix, especially because I've tried to increase my consumption of nuts as a meat alternative since going vegetarian.  Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fatty acids.  The fat makes them high in calories, but to me it doesn't matter if the benefit is good fats in your diet.  For example, walnuts are a great source of Omega-3 

The trail mix below (being enjoyed by my hubby) is a mixture of raw almonds, walnuts, goji berries, organic thompson raisins and dark chocolate chips:

Finally, my newest obsession - Kale Chips!  We all know how good Kale is for us (being a leafy green and all…), but I seriously cannot believe how delicious these babies are!  Warning:  While the chips are fantastic, your kitchen won't smell fantastic when you're baking them

Also, I had read that kale chips can be dipped in ketchup.  My first thought was "gross!" but trust me, it is seriously good!

So, how do you take your late night snack?  Do you have any vices and if so, have you found healthy alternatives?

So the verdict is in: Freezer shoes were an epic fail.

On Saturday, I chose to test the freezer theory with a particular pair of shoes that, although beautiful, are a little on the uncomfortable side. I wore them last year when I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding and suffice to say, I had flip flops on by dinner time.

I was sure that freezer shoes would be an improvement from the last time I wore this pair of heels, but sadly I was wrong. This time, I even walked a shorter distance throughout the day & still the pain of the shoes was unbearable by dinner. 

They did look good though & we had a really great time at the wedding.  Here is me & my hubby standing next to the golf course where the wedding was held (fun fact: my husband actually works at this course & maintains the greens, so he was showing them off to me here in this picture). 

On Sunday, the weather was fantastic and so we decided to drive out to a garden centre.  We ended up finding a new garden centre that was so much better than the crowded, busy "chain" store in our town. At the other store, everyone has huge buggies and trying to manoeuvre around is almost impossible at times. This new garden centre was not nearly as busy and the staff were available and helpful.  We picked out some flowers for our ceramic pots (we don't have a garden, but we're big fans of flower pots on our porch and balcony ledges), and then also decided on some long, wispy grass to put on our balcony.

The tree in the large blue pot is a dwarf lilac bush we purchased last year, that somehow survived a very cold winter & terrible ice storm. Very resilient!  

Here is the grass. We split the plants into 3 of these rectangle planters to put on our balcony (update on balcony summer makeover to come soon!)

Loving the summer sun! 

Do you have any decorating or gardening ideas?

Seems a little strange, I know!  I've heard several times now that keeping your shoes in the freezer for 24 hours prior to an event, and then putting them on straight out of the freezer, will prevent blistering and sore feet - basically, you can dance the night away pain-free!

Well, we're off to a wedding today for a friend of my husband's.  I'm ready to test this theory!  Will get back to you tomorrow with the results.

Hope your weekend is glorious so far!

On Saturday my mom came by to visit & help me out around the house. Once we were finished, we rewarded ourselves by having a couple of shooters!

Ok, so we didn't actually do a shot of alcohol…it was wheat grass!  My parents recently gave me my very own wheat grass plant. We just had to try juicing it in my new juicer!

I've read the following about the benefits of wheat grass:

- Increases red blood cell count and lowers blood pressure (wheat grass juice is made up of up to 70% living chlorophyll, which is an important blood builder)

- Assists with digestion

- Neutralizes and digests toxins in our cells

- Improves blood sugar

- Contains important healing enzymes 

- Sweetens breath

- Works as a sleep aide (Dad, are you paying attention?)

- Lessens the effects of radiation

- Keeps hair from greying 

- Slows the aging process

Those are some pretty big claims (and these are just a few, I've read many more!).  My perspective is that if there's a chance wheat grass can do any one of these things, I say BOTTOMS UP!  

I'm going to start something called the Wheat Grass Challenge.  Starting tomorrow, I'm going to have at least 4 shots of wheat grass per week, either on its own or in my smoothies.  If I get creative with recipes, I will share! 

Does anyone else drink wheat grass juice on a regular basis? What are your thoughts about the health claims associated with it? How do you like the taste? Are there unique ways you drink your juice?

Good Monday morning!  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and enjoyed celebrating Mothers Day with the Moms & Mom-to-be's in their lives. I know I did!  

On Saturday, we celebrated with my in-laws. My husband Jeff, my brother-in-law, and my 2 year old nephew joined my in-laws for dinner and we presented my Mother-in-law with her gift, which was from all three of her sons & daughter-in-laws - a Keurig coffee maker!  She loved it!  The next morning she sent us a picture of her enjoying a freshly brewed cup :)

On Sunday, we met with my sister and her husband and my parents at this awesome Chinese restaurant where the servers dress in traditional Chinese clothes & where it is all about the service!  I ALWAYS have a good experience at this place, and the food is better than other Chinese restaurants. To me, it is less greasy and more freshly prepared. While there was no singing last night, this restaurant is also known for serenading its guests on special occasions. I've been the recipient of both "Happy Birthday" and Celine Dion's "My Heart will Go On" more than once! We always have a good time when the 6 of us hang out together and last night was no exception.  We had fun trying some of the different food and drinks and, as always, there was plenty of laughter and joking around :)

We gave my Mom some parrot tulips and special "Mother's Day" jam from a local farm.  We're also planning to get her the new Michael Jackson album (I don't believe it is released until tomorrow though!).

I love getting the chance to celebrate my Mom because she is truly awesome and I can't even begin to keep track of all of the things that she has done to help me out/support me throughout the years.  My Mom is my best friend and I know I can always count on her for anything.  She is also extremely hard-working and a role model for me of someone who has her priorities straight - always putting family first and not caught up with needing material things to make herself happy.  Every day, I realize even more how VERY lucky I am to be her daughter.

Here is a picture of me & my Mom last summer. My Mom is beautiful inside and out:

How did you celebrate Mother's Day?

Now, on to muffins...

This morning, to get me energized for a day of hard work & writing, I made my favourite muffins - Pumpkin chocolate chip.  My house seriously smells amazing right now…more on these babies to come!

Wishing everyone a great start to their week!

For my birthday, my parents gave me an awesome gift - a juicer!

My juicer brand is Big Boss. I'm pretty happy with it. It spurts out a little bit of juice/fibre at the back while I'm juicing but I think that's normal (these machines are powerful!).

I've experimented with a few recipes, but so far my favourite combination is: 1 granny smith apple, 1 celery stalk, 2-3 bunches of kale, large handful of spinach, & 1/2 a lemon. I add a bit of cold water at the end (run it through my machine)

The result is quite tart, which I love. I guess if you wanted to sweeten it, you could add a little bit of maple syrup?

I know juice diets are a fad right now. For me, though, I couldn't imagine relying on juice alone for several days. Also, while the juice itself is definitely good for you, the healthy fibres of the fruits and veggies are removed in the juicing process. Some people save these to add to cooking/baking (carrot juice = carrot cake anyone?)

Do you juice? What's your favourite recipe? How do you feel about juice diets/cleanses?

What's my vice? That's easy. Salt + Vinegar potato chips. Hands down the best junk food ever!  

That's why I was PUMPED to discover that my new cookbook, The Oh She Glows Cookbook, by Angela Liddon of ohsheglows.com, includes a recipe for Roasted Salt + Vinegar Chickpeas.  

I'm officially obsessed! These turned out so well. I've made them twice now and the first time I didn't quite roast them long enough - some of the chickpeas failed to obtain enough crispiness or crunch.  On the second attempt I monitored very carefully & let them bake for a few minutes past the recommended time (I figure everyone's ovens are different, so you might have to find the ideal time based on your own appliance).  Result? Salt and vinegar, crunchy goodness!

What is your vice?  How do you cope with junk food cravings?

Angela's blog also houses a recipe for this snack.  You can find it here.  I used only 1 can of chickpeas and reduced the vinegar to 2.5 cups.

ENJOY!

In my last post, I shared about my transition to a vegetarian diet.  While mock meat products are widely available in grocery stores in my area, I'm cautious about adding too many of these products to my diet.  I'm also cautious about GMO soy used to make many of these foods.

So I've been trying to get creative with what I can make for weeknight dinners that can help to provide some substance to meals, but without having to rely on processed foods.

Lately, I've discovered how easy it is to cook with red lentils - you don't have to soak them ahead of time (I simply run the dry lentils under water in a colander to wash them first) & they cook really quickly.

 My husband maintains turf at a golf course, so as you can probably imagine, he works long hours in the spring and summer.  This week was especially busy for him.  So lately I've found myself being the first one to return from work & responsible for making dinner.  

On Thursday, I did a quick scan of what was available in our fridge.  We had some whole wheat tortilla wraps, some veggies, hummus, and some tomato sauce from a recipe made earlier in the week.  I decided to cook some red lentils in a pot until they could be mashed to a paste.  After they were done cooking, I added some ClubHouse Cajun spice to the paste to give it some added flavour. Then I topped the tortilla wraps with layers of hummus, tomato sauce, and the lentil paste. I finished the wrap with baby spinach and diced cucumber and tomato pieces.  I also made a butternut squash soup to serve with our wraps.  

Result? delicious! When my husband got home, he quickly ate two of them!  

 Does anyone have any creative ideas for cooking with red lentils?

A couple of years ago, I was watching a TV show that goes "behind the scenes" of different industries - the episode I was watching was about the beef industry. I was so grossed out that, right then and there, I wanted to be done with meat. But it was harder than I thought.  Not because I craved meat, but because I didn't feel confident in myself to be healthy on a non-meat diet. I did, however, make the decision to stop eating red meat that day (and never looked back).

Then, a couple of months ago, my husband and I selected the documentary "Vegucated" on Netflix as our Friday night movie to watch together. This was a turning point for me. 

Vegucated is a documentary that follows 3 New York City-dwelling meat eaters on a 6-week journey to stick to a vegan diet.  At the same time, these participants become educated about the economic and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, as well as the realities of the meat and dairy industry and factory farming.  I was shocked to learn how much I could improve my carbon footprint by adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet. But I was more shocked about the farming realities (like, mouth agape, screaming into a pillow shocked!).  

After the movie, my husband and I discussed how it had impacted us.  More than ever, I was ready to eliminate meat from my diet.  He also agreed that limiting meat consumption would be a good idea (he's a meat lover, so that's a big deal coming from him!).

Although I'm considering a vegan diet in the future, right now I'm very committed to being strictly vegetarian.  And I feel great about it.  I'm really enjoying experimenting in the kitchen and feel inspired by a lot of recipes that I'm able to find online.

Have any of you switched to a vegetarian or vegan diet? How did you find the transition? Do you take any supplements?

Also, did you know that the UN recommends a meat and dairy free diet for saving the world from hunger, fuel poverty, and impacts of climate change?  Read more here.

And to leave you with a picture. Here's to dreaming of summer sunsets...

Introducing…

Macy!!!

Isn't she beautiful?  Ok, maybe I'm a bit biased.  

So a little secret about me: I used to think I never wanted a pet.  The thought of having a pet in my house even grossed me out a little bit.  This probably came from my parents (who are a bit OCD about home cleanliness!) - they never let us have a pet and therefore I never knew what I was missing. 

I probably could have gone my whole life missing out on this opportunity, but the universe worked it's magic to make sure that I didn't!

In 2010, just after getting married, my husband and I moved in with his parents.  Sounds like a weird move after just getting married huh? Well, we were both in school at the time and it was a great opportunity for us to be able to save and feel supported by our family during a busy, stressful time.  Enter McKenzie - a family dog on my in-law's side.  

This dog made my day!  She was always so happy to see me.  When I was having a crummy day at school, my mood would suddenly be lifted when I would get home and see her!  She actually got me through a lot of tough times.  Not to mention the joy that you share with other human beings in watching the silly things pets do.  I also enjoyed walking her & truly believe this is a great way for people to stay active.  

Now, back to Macy…Macy used to belong to my brother- and sister-in-law (BC: before child!).  After my nephew was born, Macy came to live at my in-law's, where Jeff and I were also living at the time.  Now, Macy lives with us and I couldn't be happier.  She has such a great personality (especially for a cat so I've heard - I have no other pet cats to compare her to!).  She is about 7 or 8 years old and still plays like a kitten.  She loves her owners (a little shy around strangers at first), loves cuddling, and is intrigued by dairy foods, ribbon, and sunbeams. She is also an excellent gymnast. Her somersault is out of this world :)

Every day, I'm amazed by how smart she is & how in tune with our emotions she can be.  

Do you have a pet? What kind of pet person are you - cats? dogs? something more exotic? 

Do you believe pets are good for people's mental & physical health and well-being?

p.s. - Update: my parents are coming around…they have done some dog-sitting and really loved it.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed they consider getting a dog in the next few years.  It would be so good for them! 

On weekdays, I'm always rushing around in the morning.  Usually I take something with me to toast at work & end up eating at my desk.  Or if hunger strikes earlier than that, I snack in the car on stuff like almonds or apple slices.  But on weekends, I like to have a little more fun in the kitchen and make something that really energizes me.  

Today, I made a green smoothie. Boy, do I love these!  I remember the first time I made one - I thought it would be disgusting.  But with the right combination of sweetness, you don't even taste the bitter greens!  And the best part is, sweetness can be established simply by adding a banana!  No sugar or syrups...

Here's what I put in my green smoothie today:

- large handful of spinach and kale (stems removed)

- 1 banana

- approx. 1 cup almond milk

- big spoonful of chia seeds (these are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids & fibre)

- dash of cinnamon & a couple drops of vanilla extract

- ice cubes 

Here it is…and so much better in a wine glass!

What do you eat for breakfast?  How do you stay healthy when you have a busy lifestyle?

So, my quiche turned out after all!  

I'm a fan of crustless quiche - I find the pastry and dough-based versions to be a bit too rich for me.  In this recipe I used between 1-2 cups of frozen, chopped kale.  I've been buying kale for awhile now, and usually, as soon as I bring it home, I chop up some of the leaves and store them in my freezer.  This makes for quicker meal prep, and prevents food waste (I find that the grocery store sells kale in BIG bunches - although now that I'm juicing, there is less waste.  More on that later!).

Here is the recipe I used last night:

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp garlic (I used minced garlic I buy in a jar at the grocery store)

- 1 small yellow onion

- 1-2 cups kale

- 1/2 to 1 cup fresh tomato, diced

- 1/2 cup milk

-  1/2 cup old white cheddar, shredded

Over medium-low heat in a frying pan, I sautéed the onion and garlic in the olive oil.  When the onions had softened a bit (2-3 min), I added the kale, followed by the tomatoes, and cooked for about 4-5 min more (I also added a pinch of salt & some pepper at this point).  In a separate bowl, I whisked together the eggs and milk, and then added the cheese to this mixture.  Finally, I combined the egg mix with the kale & tomato mix & poured into a lightly greased pyrex pie plate.  I cooked it for about 35-40 min at 350 degrees (until I noticed the bottom/sides were a nice golden brown).

What are your thoughts on crustless quiche?  Do you enjoy it better?

What else would you have added to this recipe?

I recently became a vegetarian (more on that later as well!), so experimenting with recipes is something I'm really enjoying right now.

Well, off to get ready for work!