Starting September 1, I will not be eating any desserts or junk food. My motivation is looking good for the trip to Mexico in October. I do tend to eat mostly healthy foods at home but I also have weaknesses. Mine is chips, and having a small sweet thing after lunch. I have noticed lately that although i haven't gained any weight in the past year, i am looking more fat than fit. Those once toned areas from my strict diet and exercise regimen last year have now reverted to a softer state. And so on with the challenge!! Of course, there will be some rules and exceptions. Better to lay them out now before the challenge begins!
RULES:
no obvious desserts (ice cream, chocolate, cookies, pie, etc.) allowed
no chips of any kind, even veggie chips
no candy
no chocolate
no fast food (burgers, fries)
no pop
EXCEPTIONS:
raw fruit desserts are allowed, also cooked fruit if no sugar was added
healthy fast food is allowed (ie. sandwiches, salads)
healthy dips are allowed ie. hummus, baba ganoush
sweetened tea, coffee, and hot chocolate are allowed but limited to 2 servings per day
I have already removed most of the "temptations" from the cupboards and will be sending them off to the basement when i get home. On the next grocery store trip i make, i will be sure to stock up on healthy snacks just in case. I always keep track of my food intake on Sparkpeople and i am VERY honest. We'll see how I do on this challenge!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
foraging from the wild
we had another great weekend at the cottage. and we were able to expand on my goal to make use of nature and of all the fruits that she offers when we are at the cottage in the summer. so far i have been able to harvest a number of things including raspberries, blackberries and the occasional blueberry. it took a visitor to the cottage to introduce something a bit more daring...
for the first time in a long time, we ate mushrooms from the wild. i am no stranger to eating mushrooms from the wild, i have eaten morels and puffballs before, but this was a new one for me. a family friend went out for a walk and came back with a huge basket of chanterelles. now normally i am all about eating things from the wild, but as is common with mushrooms, you want to be 100% positive that you are not eating anything poisonous. luckily we now have smartphone technology and we were able to check the id on the internet before we fried up this delicious treat.
to top it off, we were also able to eat some delicious fresh fish caught at the dock of our cottage with the mushrooms. we have fishing rods at the cottage but don't often make use of them. let me tell you, we will be doing so in the future. it was some delicious bass....
for the first time in a long time, we ate mushrooms from the wild. i am no stranger to eating mushrooms from the wild, i have eaten morels and puffballs before, but this was a new one for me. a family friend went out for a walk and came back with a huge basket of chanterelles. now normally i am all about eating things from the wild, but as is common with mushrooms, you want to be 100% positive that you are not eating anything poisonous. luckily we now have smartphone technology and we were able to check the id on the internet before we fried up this delicious treat.
to top it off, we were also able to eat some delicious fresh fish caught at the dock of our cottage with the mushrooms. we have fishing rods at the cottage but don't often make use of them. let me tell you, we will be doing so in the future. it was some delicious bass....
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
snapsort - buying cameras made easy
ok i've had it. the Nikon D70 served its time but that time is over. there is too much dirt in the camera, so my pics look like crap. i am constantly jealous of the pictures that people are taking with the Canon EOS Rebel. i keep comparing their pictures to mine and i know it must be the camera, not the photographer. :) so i feel like i am finally ready for a new camera.
i am stuck with Nikon since i already have a number of good lenses, but according to snapsort, the Nikon D90 just barely beats out the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. i love the new features on the newer DSLRs, like the way you can shoot more realistic looking movies. it does away with the need to buy a video camera.
anyone want to buy a used D70???
i am stuck with Nikon since i already have a number of good lenses, but according to snapsort, the Nikon D90 just barely beats out the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. i love the new features on the newer DSLRs, like the way you can shoot more realistic looking movies. it does away with the need to buy a video camera.
anyone want to buy a used D70???
the care and feeding of baby birds
last weekend at the cottage my nature knowledge was put to the test, once again proving how useful the internet would be in some situations. it's funny, everyone thinks that they know what they should do if they come across a baby bird that has fallen from its nest, though as i discovered, most of that information is totally incorrect. so in this post i set out to remove those misconceptions and to inform myself of what to do if this situation arises again in the future.
if you find a baby bird, you will need to determine whether or not it is really an orphaned bird. the best way is to determine if it is a nestling or a fledgling. most young birds that are found are really just young fledglings that can't fly well. in order to determine whether the bird is a nestling or a fledgling allow the baby bird to perch on your finger. if it is able to grip your finger firmly than it is a fledgling. the best thing to do in this case is to place it in a nearby tree or shrub and leave it alone. the parents will continue to care and feed it on their own.
if the bird is not able to cling to your finger, than it most likely a nestling. if this is the case try to locate the nest. most of the time it will be close by and well hidden. place the bird back in the nest. contrary to popular belief, the parent birds will not "smell" a human and reject the nestling if you replace it in the proper nest.
if the nest cannot be found, try lining a small container with tissue and tying the basket to a tree. place the young bird in the basket and leave it alone. the parents will take care of it once you leave. of course we did not know this, nor could we find the nest to place the baby back in. we made the mistake of bringing the baby inside and trying to feed it ourselves. this is a lot of work and should only be the last resort.
many bird deaths are caused by well-meaning people. improper feeding and stress can cause a baby birds death. forcing birds to drink water can also cause drowning and death. like human babies, birds need protein and lots of it to help them grow at such an incredibly fast rate. mushed up meat is the basic diet for baby birds. you can vary this diet with the white of hard-boiled egg cut into strips; and mash the yolk with milk to a thin paste. raisins soaked in water and drained when plump or dog biscuits soaked in milk may also be given to young birds.
we fed our bird crackers soaked in milk. not the greatest choice as there is little to no protein in that. i later added some finely crushed up peanuts to the mix for a bit of added protein. it is likely the bird would have slowly died from lack of protein if we continued to feed it that diet.
unfortunately this young bird did not survive as the caretaker let it fall to the ground, breaking some of its tiny bones which eventually led to its death. it is a sad tale, as it likely would have survived if we had just left it where we found it. or if i had been informed of the proper way to care for fallen nestlings. it was a learning experience and i feel better prepared to deal with this situation in the future. i will share the things i have learned with the others involved and next time we will watch nature thrive from a distance.
if you find a baby bird, you will need to determine whether or not it is really an orphaned bird. the best way is to determine if it is a nestling or a fledgling. most young birds that are found are really just young fledglings that can't fly well. in order to determine whether the bird is a nestling or a fledgling allow the baby bird to perch on your finger. if it is able to grip your finger firmly than it is a fledgling. the best thing to do in this case is to place it in a nearby tree or shrub and leave it alone. the parents will continue to care and feed it on their own.
if the bird is not able to cling to your finger, than it most likely a nestling. if this is the case try to locate the nest. most of the time it will be close by and well hidden. place the bird back in the nest. contrary to popular belief, the parent birds will not "smell" a human and reject the nestling if you replace it in the proper nest.
if the nest cannot be found, try lining a small container with tissue and tying the basket to a tree. place the young bird in the basket and leave it alone. the parents will take care of it once you leave. of course we did not know this, nor could we find the nest to place the baby back in. we made the mistake of bringing the baby inside and trying to feed it ourselves. this is a lot of work and should only be the last resort.
many bird deaths are caused by well-meaning people. improper feeding and stress can cause a baby birds death. forcing birds to drink water can also cause drowning and death. like human babies, birds need protein and lots of it to help them grow at such an incredibly fast rate. mushed up meat is the basic diet for baby birds. you can vary this diet with the white of hard-boiled egg cut into strips; and mash the yolk with milk to a thin paste. raisins soaked in water and drained when plump or dog biscuits soaked in milk may also be given to young birds.
we fed our bird crackers soaked in milk. not the greatest choice as there is little to no protein in that. i later added some finely crushed up peanuts to the mix for a bit of added protein. it is likely the bird would have slowly died from lack of protein if we continued to feed it that diet.
unfortunately this young bird did not survive as the caretaker let it fall to the ground, breaking some of its tiny bones which eventually led to its death. it is a sad tale, as it likely would have survived if we had just left it where we found it. or if i had been informed of the proper way to care for fallen nestlings. it was a learning experience and i feel better prepared to deal with this situation in the future. i will share the things i have learned with the others involved and next time we will watch nature thrive from a distance.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
what do i do with that?
kohlrabi = yummy?
we are now 3 weeks into our first CSA. so far its been very good. i am finding it a bit challenging to eat all of the food before the next round gets picked up. we do eat a lot of vegetables in our house but even with a half share i am finding it difficult to use everything up. in addition, there have been some interesting inclusions in our pickup which i am preparing and/or eating for the first time ever! i am no stranger to vegetables but this is the first time that i have eaten celeriac or kohlrabi. i have now sampled hakurei turnips and rapini! i've added at least 2 new recipes to my repertoire and am sure to be seeking more. i have been checking out a few CSA websites that have recipes, such as A Bushel of What? our CSA does provide us with a weekly newsletter that includes recipes as well. last night i made kohlrabi potato pancakes. we will be making those again. it was amusing last night when i had to go to the computer to figure out if i had to peel the kohlrabi first! for the most part i have been able to modify existing recipes to incorporate the enormous pile of greens that we are now eating, like making giant stirfries with rapini instead of spinach, using fresh garlic instead of bulbs. this weekend i think i will make a kale tofu curry (instead of palak paneer). i can't wait to see whats in the bin next week!
Monday, June 14, 2010
see you at the cottage
we recently hosted what we hope will be an annual tradition of a wonderful summer weekend at the cottage. we invited JC, Anne Marie, Claire, Curtis, Jan, Caroline and Julia. and of course, Alex, Grace and I were there as well. the weather forecast was calling for thundershowers but we decided to chance it anyways as staying in playing boardgames at the cottage is not a bad way to spend a weekend.
Alex and i arrived Friday night and decided to make the most of what might be the only nice weather we were going to have all weekend. we lit the bonfire and grabbed some caesars and decided to wait for the arrival of Anne Marie and JC. after sitting outside for about an hour, enjoying the calls of the loons, the stars and the crackling fire, the rain began. we raced in and waited another 2 hours before JC and Anne Marie arrived to regale us with their tales of getting lost on the way to the cottage, a common occurrence for people arriving late at night.
saturday morning was overcast after a night of pouring rain. and although it remained overcast for the rest of the day, we were lucky enough that the rain did not make its forecasted appearance. the weather encouraged us to make the most of the day, in case it did turn to rain. we spent time fishing with the kids, making a bonfire, toasting marshmallows and relaxing on the docks. the day was capped off by a delicous adults only dinner of shish kebab and taboulleh.
sunday broke with a more promising outlook as the sun shone down on the early morning water. again, we felt like rushing out to enjoy the day and Anne Marie and i spent some time fishing before breakfast. we were lucky enough to catch a big one (which we threw back of course). we bundled the kids into their bathing suits and headed out to the beach to swim and catch some rays. all in all it was a great weekend at the cottage, and we all stayed later than originally planned just to squeeze the most out of the nice weather. everyone left with full bellies, the glow of the sun on their faces (some a little TOO much sun), and good memories. we're really looking forward to next year. see you then!
pics are posted on flickr, or see the sidebar!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Summer CSA
since i am finally living at home full time(after 2 years), we have been able to sign up for a CSA this summer. when we were living in our house i faithfully tended our vegetable garden and was able to raise a number of delicious things to supplement our storebought food, including strawberries, raspberries, peas, beans, zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and of course hot chilies (i still have a lot of dried ones left). the last year at the house, the garden lay neglected as i was never home long enough to keep up with the weeding and tending needed for it to be a success. now that we are living in the condo, gardening is no longer possible so the CSA seemed like a great idea.
finding a CSA in Guelph took a bit of work, but i was lucky enough to find one that has a pickup 1 block from our house which is great, as it will still be a struggle for me to get home in time to pick up the box. we have signed up at Whole Circle Farm. tonight i will be picking up my first batch of veggies and i could not be more excited. i have a fresh spinach salad in mind that will go well with the quiche i am making for dinner.
finding a CSA in Guelph took a bit of work, but i was lucky enough to find one that has a pickup 1 block from our house which is great, as it will still be a struggle for me to get home in time to pick up the box. we have signed up at Whole Circle Farm. tonight i will be picking up my first batch of veggies and i could not be more excited. i have a fresh spinach salad in mind that will go well with the quiche i am making for dinner.
Monday, June 7, 2010
save 1 turtle, save a species
it's turtle nesting season again and i am more aware than ever of the number of turtles dead on the road at this time of year. last week on a short drive to Peterborough i saw at least 4 dead adults. i also stopped on the 401 near Guelph to remove an adult snapping turtle from the road and out of danger.
moving turtles off the road is contentious and SAFETY should always be considered first. here's some advice i found online at Turtle S.H.E.L.L, a company that make turtle crossing signs.
"If you believe the animal to be in immediate danger and you wish to help, make a safe stop. Help it across the road in the direction in which it was heading or if it appears to be advancing toward more danger, take it to a nearby suitable environment. A swampy area with a sandy bank behind it would be ideal. If the turtle is obviously headed away from the water body in which it lives, do not take it back to the water. It will only retrace its steps to get to the nesting area.
Smaller species such as Painted Turtles or Blanding’s Turtles can simply be lifted and carried by hand or in a bucket or box. Be aware that they have claws and do not put your fingers near their beaks -- they are frightened and might bite. Large Snapping Turtles are likely to bite and scratch so they should be handled carefully and by adults or older children only."
injured turtles can be taken to wildlife rehabilitation centres, but you must make note of EXACTLY where the turtle was found so that it can be returned to its home once healed. if the turtle can't be healed, a vet will be able to put it to sleep. sightings of rare species should be reported to NHIC so that they can be protected in future.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
mmm rhubarb
rhubarb is one of those things that not everyone likes, but i have great memories of eating rhubarb from my childhood. i'll always remember my sister and i sitting in my oma and opa's garden chewing on fresh stalks of rhubarb with a small bowl of sugar between us on a hot spring day.
since i no longer have a garden, i made a trip to my mother in laws place and gathered some fresh rhubarb. though i no longer sit and eat it raw, i do still enjoy the tartness of this giant leafy vegetable. in searching out recipes, i came across this one for rhubarb upside down cakes on the LCBO website. they are absolutely delicious! i froze half of the rhubarb and will probably make these again later when i need to be reminded of spring and family.
since i no longer have a garden, i made a trip to my mother in laws place and gathered some fresh rhubarb. though i no longer sit and eat it raw, i do still enjoy the tartness of this giant leafy vegetable. in searching out recipes, i came across this one for rhubarb upside down cakes on the LCBO website. they are absolutely delicious! i froze half of the rhubarb and will probably make these again later when i need to be reminded of spring and family.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Hatteras 2010
with spring arriving slowly in Canada, we once again headed south for a little Hatteras action. with my new bike all ready to go, we once again packed up and made the 16 hour drive south for a great vacation with friends. the key thing about driving to Hatteras is finding an appropriate route, and stopping at the best gas stations. after visiting a number, we have decided that Sheetz is the ultimate gas station chain and surpasses all others. as we like to say, Sheetz is the Shit. Fo' shizzle.
the weather was a bit colder than last year, and the wind wasn't as great as the kiteboarders had hoped, but all in all we got er done. we had a number of epic road rides, starting off with a 60km warm up on the first day. we had more people surfing than ever before. and we ate a LOT of delicious food. the bbq is now a must. the bar just keeps getting raised. the most epic was the tuna steak dinner. freakin amazing. and the key lime pie...oh yeah.
i made a geocache but the geocaching website would not accept it because i can't do cache maintenance. so i will thumb my nose to them and collect it when we get back there next year. only 11 months to wait!
the weather was a bit colder than last year, and the wind wasn't as great as the kiteboarders had hoped, but all in all we got er done. we had a number of epic road rides, starting off with a 60km warm up on the first day. we had more people surfing than ever before. and we ate a LOT of delicious food. the bbq is now a must. the bar just keeps getting raised. the most epic was the tuna steak dinner. freakin amazing. and the key lime pie...oh yeah.
i made a geocache but the geocaching website would not accept it because i can't do cache maintenance. so i will thumb my nose to them and collect it when we get back there next year. only 11 months to wait!
Monday, March 29, 2010
tuna vanishing bite by bite
anyone who knows me is familiar with my love of sushi. there is nothing i enjoy more than sitting down with a huge plate of sashimi, nigiri, and maki, and a bunch of friends. but recently i have been hearing some disturbing facts about sushi that have made me question my decision to gorge on this possibly non-ethical meal.
i spend my days working hard to protect endangered species in Ontario. imagine my surprise to learn that when i go out to celebrate, i might have an endangered species on my plate. little did i know that if you order tuna in your neighborhood sushi restaurant, you too could be chewing the wrong thing — specifically, southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii), a species classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
there is no question bluefin tuna is in serious trouble. scientists found that the population of Atlantic bluefin tuna is below 15 percent of what it was before commercial fishing began. the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the management body responsible for Atlantic bluefin, has repeatedly ignored the advice of its own scientists and failed to tackle overfishing and pirate fishing of the species. ICCAT cut the bluefin quota by one-third to 13,500tonnes in 2010, but this might not be enough, considering there is big money in illegal tuna fishery.
With a vote of 72 to 43, and 14 abstentions, the 129 member governments of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) rejected a proposed bluefin tuna trade ban at their meeting in Qatar this week. Canada voted against the ban. apparently Canadian fisheries are actually noted as managing the fishery for this species with conservation in mind. in Atlantic Canada, bluefin is caught using hook-and-line fishing; the tuna are caught individually and tracked to market individually. this is one of the better ways to catch the species, with very little bycatch.
at a more local level, sushi eaters can help the bluefin by not ordering any tuna sushi except when you have confidence that the restaurant can confirm that bluefin tuna is not being served. in canada, we can choose species such as yellowfin or albacore tuna (maguro or shiro maguro) if we ask where it came from and how it was caught. if a restaurant doesn't know, it should not be on your plate.
there's a few pocket sized cards that can help you make this distinction, links below are for Canada's Sustainable Sushi Guide and Pocket Sushi Selector from Environmental Defense Fund, which you can put on your phone.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
algonquin winter weekend
we went on our second Algonquin winter weekend, for the win! i was much more excited this year, knowing far better what to expect, and also knowing far better what not to do (drink too much wine and pass out at 9pm). instead i focused on staying up as late as possible! i believe i was the third last to bed this time! did i mention that i am a person of extremes??
the first full day consisted of a snowshoe hike (much shorter than last year) at Booth's Rock Trail in Algonquin. someone had the most awesome snowshoes that left tracks that looked like bobcats! i need to get me a pair of those for next year... we tried to make a huge pattern in the snow that looked like a fish, so that people doing helicopter surveys would wonder what the heck was going on..
after the hike we headed back to the WRS for a lasagna dinner and some games. we played a few rounds of "the game" run by emma, which eventually led to some funny moments. once everyone got really drunk, john started getting into the highly personal questions, which quickly degenerated into TMI. you really don't need to know those types of things about people you work with. trust me.
next day, alex and i went XC skiing on our own before heading home. another great winter weekend in algonquin, can't wait till next year!
ps. still didn't hear any wolves, and DAMN it is cold there at night!
the first full day consisted of a snowshoe hike (much shorter than last year) at Booth's Rock Trail in Algonquin. someone had the most awesome snowshoes that left tracks that looked like bobcats! i need to get me a pair of those for next year... we tried to make a huge pattern in the snow that looked like a fish, so that people doing helicopter surveys would wonder what the heck was going on..
after the hike we headed back to the WRS for a lasagna dinner and some games. we played a few rounds of "the game" run by emma, which eventually led to some funny moments. once everyone got really drunk, john started getting into the highly personal questions, which quickly degenerated into TMI. you really don't need to know those types of things about people you work with. trust me.
next day, alex and i went XC skiing on our own before heading home. another great winter weekend in algonquin, can't wait till next year!
ps. still didn't hear any wolves, and DAMN it is cold there at night!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Williams-Sonoma Moroccan Grilling Paste
Sometime in the summer I used a jar of Williams-Sonoma Moroccan Grilling Paste that we received along with a tagine as a gift for our wedding. It was absolutely delicious. Of course, they don't make it anymore and so i am desperately searching for a recipe that i can use to recreate this delicious spice paste. There is a recipe for Moroccan Chicken on the Williams Sonoma website, but one of the main ingredients is Moroccan Slow Cooking sauce, which they no longer seem to carry.
I'm so obsessed with this that i kept the empty jar so that i can try some recipes and then smell the jar to see if i am getting it right. strange i know. I have a list of the ingredients that go into the paste:
honey
preserved lemons
grapeseed oil (for high heat cooking)
lemon juice
garlic
paprika
coriander
cardamom
cinnamon
turmeric
sea salt
cumin
cayenne
black pepper
This recipe and Butter Chicken have defeated me for a while now but I will prevail! (mm just thinking about it makes me hungry).
I'm so obsessed with this that i kept the empty jar so that i can try some recipes and then smell the jar to see if i am getting it right. strange i know. I have a list of the ingredients that go into the paste:
honey
preserved lemons
grapeseed oil (for high heat cooking)
lemon juice
garlic
paprika
coriander
cardamom
cinnamon
turmeric
sea salt
cumin
cayenne
black pepper
This recipe and Butter Chicken have defeated me for a while now but I will prevail! (mm just thinking about it makes me hungry).
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
best books of 2009
some of the best books i read in 2009 (in no particular order) were:
Twilight Series (see earlier blog post)- so good i read them all twice this year
World Without End - Ken Follett
The Tenth Gift - Jane Johnson
Lord of Emperors - Guy Gavriel Kay
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
Twilight Series (see earlier blog post)- so good i read them all twice this year
World Without End - Ken Follett
The Tenth Gift - Jane Johnson
Lord of Emperors - Guy Gavriel Kay
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
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