Walk Widely. Eat Wisely. Live Gratefully.
Yesterday’s meetings finished late enough that we didn’t get home until the slush in the driveway had frozen into a rutted, slippery mess. So on today’s agenda, scraping and hacking. Lots of it. Clearly, fuel is needed, so this paradise rye French toast fit the bill. Paired up with a Full Steam coffee and some Acadian Maple syrup, and we’re ready to face what nature has doled out.
Thanks also to Krista Oland at Morning Sun Pottery for making these beautiful mugs!
OK, so technically a tomato is a fruit. Nonetheless, a tried and true weight management strategy is to make sure you get some fruit or veg in every meal. We like to add tomato, diced cucumber, or grated carrot to our tuna sandwiches (on whole grain homemade rye bread). Replace half the mayo with Dijon will also give your tuna salad a flavour kick!
Delicious! We are always inspired to find new ways to use things like a basic roasted turkey. Soups, salads, stews, chilis…it’s all good. Today’s lunch finished off the last of the bird.
For two:
1 package of romaine hearts – chop or leave whole and arrange on plates
Top with:
110g diced roast turkey
1 medium apple
For the dressing, mix:
10ml/2t anchovy paste
15ml/1T each Dijon and lemon juice
30ml/2T fat free plain yogurt
Drizzle over your salad and grate on a light serving of Parmesan cheese.
Glorious oatmeal! Somehow this delicious breakfast treat gained the nickname “Goatmeal” in our house…but whatever you call it, it is a warm, wonderful way to start the day. We’ve been to the gym and are safe inside observing the trees dance to another “weather event”. Hopefully Kid Two and his gal are safely ensconced in their home after a trip to Brazil.
Here’s how you make it:
In a micro-safe casserole (for two): 3/4c large flake rolled oats, 1T each raisins and walnuts, a good sprinkling of cinnamon, and a large Apple, diced. (Wash well and leave the skin on; we all need the fibre!). Microwave on your machine’s oatmeal cycle or 3 mins on high, 5 on medium. Stir and serve with milk and a little brown sugar (you won’t need much, and if you don’t want any, it is still delicious). Have a great day!
A couple of nights ago we made our homemade pizza (check out the artichoke pizza recipe in the Recipes tab). This time it was 100% whole grain flour – a mix of spelt and wheat. For the toppings, olive pesto, red pepper, mushroom, anchovies, feta and mozzarella – a light touch on the cheese so the crust doesn’t steam. It has a delicious crispy, nutty flavour.
This morning, with a nod to the French, the Italians, and anyone else who thinks egg on pizza is inspired, we topped the leftovers with a perfectly poached egg.
Our return to post-holiday fitness is on track and things are (ahem) firming up nicely. On today’s agenda, a good long walk. This should give us enough energy to get that done.
Another year, friend. It seems like only yesterday we were eating like it was 2014. We hope you’ll join us on our journey as we fuel ourselves mindfully and with gratitude.
Of course there are an abundance of diet books that would refute our choice of breakfast to start the year, but common sense dictates that we don’t throw away food. So instead we continue to use up leftovers in a thoughtful way. No toast today…except to our healthier selves…our repast begins with buttery steamed cabbage, roasted baby potatoes from our garden, applewood smoked bacon, and fresh eggs. The coffee isn’t local but is from a local roastery, served in a beautiful mug from my sister’s local potter, Krista Oland.
Later today we will join with friends at St. Anthony’s to give thanks for the day, and then perhaps a hike or a stroll on the wintry beach to start the year off right. We wish health and happiness to you and yours.
We are so fortunate to have a French charcuterie in downtown Halifax. Thanks to Frederic and his team at Ratinaud, we are able to get many of our favourite cheeses and tasty treats. Today’s lunch is a traditional tuna melt with a twist – homemade rye bread on the bottom, and Tomme on top. We’ll take that over a plastic cheese slice any day!
We spent a chilly morning remembering the Halifax Explosion and firefighters at the Line of Duty ceremony this morning. Traditions help us remember where we’ve come from and appreciate where we are going.
Food is another way we connect to our world – today we are having a smorgasbord of flavours – some old, some new. Delicious French cheeses – Tomme and Reblechon – from our friends at Ratinaud, along with a rabbit rilette. They’re an example of the wonderful community that has grown up in Halifax’s North End since the disaster, showing the resilience of community.
Olives, and some homemade Lebanese pickled turnip added tang and zip. We added apples and grapes for freshness. Homemade rye bread, creamy mashed turnip, and leftover beet risotto for warmth (and because we are above all, frugal).
So beyond being grateful for delicious food, we are grateful to be sitting in our warm house, and not shivering in the cold like our predecessors 97 years ago, when the world’s largest pre-nuclear explosion had rocked Halifax. Thousands were killed and rendered homeless. We are truly grateful, and we will always remember.
We were craving something delicious for lunch and there was an avocado that had just reached that moment of perfect ripeness. We diced it into some salmon and mayo, and served it on homemade whole wheat sourdough bread. Delicious with a cold glass of milk!
Today we’re headed out to the plot to do some compost maintenance and give the gardens a general walk-around before some visitors arrive this afternoon. Our fuel for the endeavour consists of local harvest foods, some of our own, and some from others nearby.
We cooked a melange of veggies – potato, onion, celery, peppers, mushrooms in a tiny spoonful of bacon fat (vegetarians, canola oil is fine, or a nice herbed olive oil if you have one). When they were nearly tender enough for our taste, we broke in some fresh eggs, lidded the lot and let them poach until just softly done. This is our tasty result:
