thai fried quinoa.

I adapted this recipe for thai fried quinoa from the blog peas and thank you...

since I wanted to just use what I had in the fridge I ended up omitting the cilantro and the peas but I used the rest of the ingredients as normal.  I also added some additional veggies including mushrooms and peppers.  this recipe was great- I love the addition of coconut milk and crisping up the quinoa at the end.  AND it is vegan.. and gluten-free! I topped mine with fresh lime and peanuts... enjoy!

an easy, protein-filled recipe for your weekend!!

weekend eats.

this weekend was BUSY. so busy. between homework, work, yoga, a beach clean-up, and visiting with friends I didn't have much free time.  but I did enjoy some good eats...

I made these blondies for a work get together saturday night.  I substituted the m&m's for reese's pieces for a little peanut butter flavour and they were delicious.  find the recipe here

sugar-y deliciousness!

on the slightly more healthy side of things I found this awesome recipe for roasted chickpeas.  this was SO simple and relatively cheap. double bonus.  I decided to make lettuce wraps instead of the tacos like the recipe suggested.  all the flavours went together so nicely.  you can definitely top the roasted chickpeas with any regular tacos fillings.  I put cucumber, red onion, a little cheddar, hot sauce, sour cream and fresh lime in the mix!  enjoy!

chili and lime are my best friends!

hope everyone had a restful weekend!

weekend love.

this weekend was filled with many wonderful things.  including lots of food-

cheesy quinoa bites

D wanted me to feature his dinner on the blog.. so here it is :) he only ate about half the steak, along with some wings, salad and quinoa bites.

we also picked up a nice loaf of cheese, herb and garlic bread from cobs bakery for a nice weekend treat.  this made some mouth watering grilled cheese sandwiches! so delicious

a dad's rootbeer- this made for a perfect saturday night homemade meal.

and sunday night- crispy shrimp tacos...

other weekend highlights included:

*a brunch date with the girls.  I especially loved when our server told us to "come up for air" because we were so chatty.  a massage, a sloppy, slippery 6k run, downtime with D and a coffee date with m & d. all in all a great weekend but I probably shouldn't have procrastinated on the homework.. going to be a busy week!   

an episode of things I'm grateful for..

*a ride to school when it's snowing.  although I have missed my bike this week.
*my wonderful yoga teachers.
*warm slippers on these chilly days
*my education.  some days I am SO grateful that I have been filled with such a plethora of knowledge that helps me make smart decisions about my actions.
*BLOGS. seriously... every morning I can drag myself out of bed knowing that I will have some inspiring posts to read while I eat my oatmeal.
*how my teachers at school really look out for their students and want the best for them.  recently, I have approached a few of my teachers about summer job opportunities and they have been more than helpful.
*a clean kitchen.
*the opportunity to voice my opinion.
*tortilla soup... and banana oat muffins.

love all the colourful veggies.

mmm delicious.  I love me some jalapenos, lime, and avocado.

mmm muffins.

banana oat muffins with streusel topping.

happy tuesday friends! hope everyone is having a great week.  mine has been off to a very busy start but monday and tuesday yoga have helped me through.

todays awesome thing: a cat nap in savasana.  after a 90 minute yoga class tonight I took full advantage of savasana and dozed off... I think.  either way I felt rested and ready to tackle the rest of my to-do list :)

thursday thought(s) + more.

a few thoughts this week from yogi tea bags..

*grace brings contentment*all knowledge is within you*you can run after satisfaction, but satisfaction must come from within*

here are some fish tacos I whipped up for dinner this week... so simple.  I made some guacamole on the side by combining an organic avocado, 1/4 diced red onion, juice of half a lime, one small chopped jalapeno and a pinch of salt.  oh my deliciousness.  I heart mexican food.  now only if I could learn to cook thai food... then I would be set!

and cupcakes!!! for moms birthday.. I used a simple chocolate cupcake recipe from annie's eats and then made a cream cheese icing by combining 1/4 cup each butter and cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla and 1.5 cups icing sugar.  blend together butter and cream cheese, then blend in vanilla, then add icing sugar in two additions and blend until smooth.  perfection!

I love celebrating birthdays.  happy birthday mom! (yesterday) :)

this week in the kitchen.

early this week, derek requested homemade chicken strips for dinner.  I loosely followed this recipe and they turned out perfectly.  I have now learned the trick to breading anything with panko bread crumbs is to coat it in FLOUR then egg and then finally panko.

since the chicken strips were such a success, I decided to use a similar technique on fish to make some fish tacos.  I still have some cod from my summer surveys and thawed a piece of that before getting to work.  I had three bowls- one with whole wheat flour, one egg, and one panko bread crumbs mixed with taco seasoning.  I dipped small pieces of fish in the flour, then egg, then panko and baked then at 400 for roughly 15 mins flipping halfway through.  cooking time varies depending on thickness of the fish.  I served these on hard corn taco shells with lettuce, green onion, chopped red pepper, sour cream and lots of fresh lime.  DELICIOUS.  so fantastic- unfortunately I didn't snap pictures of either of these meals.  sorry...

I have a few lovely recipes I am itching to try next week, hope they turn out!  I am kind of on more of a cooking kick rather than baking these days.. I think because I am still on sugar overload from christmas.  I'm sure baking will resume shortly!

I would really like to attempt to make this...

source

I think I would forever be in D's good books if I made him a loaf of this... :) happy weekend!

thursday thought + baking.

this quote is another one of my favourites.  obviously the scientist in me really loves it.  it really speaks to me because I often get people saying to me "wow, you are so smart" and "you are so lucky that you are so smart" when really I don't think it is luck at all.  of course, over my many years of education I have always gotten good grades but I have never been one that hasn't had to work for them.  and I haven't had as good of grades in subjects I haven't been interested in... I definitely don't think of myself as one of those students who just wings it and magically comes through the other side with an A.  over my past 4 years in university I have wanted to go in so many different directions and once I finally figured our where my passion was and what I was totally infatuated with and "curious" about my grades seemed to skyrocket.  I think being passionately curious leads you to great things.. and I am thankful at this point I have discovered how curious I am about this ocean of ours.

now, onto baking. I was supposed to do a lot more baking this week than I actually got around to because of this stupid cold. however here are a few things I have made over the past few days...

another batch of these chocolate chip cookies because they are just so simple yet completely delicious.
my girlfriends made a batch of this fudge while I crafted at the dining room table because I didn't want to get my germs all over the delicious baking.  it was so amazing- good job friends!
and I made these gluten free cookies for my cookie exchange last weekend...

recipe:

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
112 g dark chocolate; about 4 squares, chopped melted and cooled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar

whisk almonds with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. beat butter with brown sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy, about 3 mins. beat in egg and vanilla. stir in cooled chocolate. fold in almond mixture until combined. cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm enough to roll, about 10 min.

position oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. preheat oven to 350. line 2 baking sheets with parchment. place granulated and icing sugars in 2 separate small bowls. scoop dough and roll into tbsp-sized balls. coat with granulated sugar, then icing sugar. place on prepared sheets 1 inch apart. bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching and rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies crack, 12 to 14 mins. remove sheets to a rack and leave for 2 mins. cookies will look undercooked but will continue to bake as they sit. remove to a rack and cool completely. store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or freeze up to 1 month


this makes about 20-25 cookies and was a fairly time consuming recipe as far as cookies go but they turned out awesome! so soft, fluffy and moist especially for gluten free I thought.  flourless cookie success!


I leave you with this ridiculous picture of me when I was super stoked on life before this stupid cold.  I took it right before girls night and I was one happy camper...

sour cream and black bean enchiladas.

I adapted this recipe from keep it simple foods last night to make some very delicious enchiladas.  I changed the recipe up a bit to use what was in the house and not buy some of the more expensive ingredients at the store

it ended up looking a little like this:

Serves: 4

12 small flour tortillas
1 can black beans
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1.5 cups grated marble cheese (whatever cheese you have works fine)
1/2 any colour pepper, chopped
1/4 any colour onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic
2 fresh jalapenos, chopped (you could use jarred or skip this step if you don't like the spice because it definitely had a kick!)
1/2 lime juice and zest (don't skip this step- it added the perfect flavour)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1ish cup of taco sauce (I used this in lieu of enchilada sauce, which we didn't have, and it turned out perfectly. you just need enough to coat all the enchiladas)

*note: I omitted the cilantro from the original recipe because I didn't have any on hand

mix the beans, onion(not green onion), and garlic.  then add in lime zest and juice, all spices, sour cream and about 1/3 cup cheese. mix well.

add the filling to the tortillas and roll up tight.  then cover all tortillas in the enchilada/taco sauce and sprinkle remaining cheese, green onion, and jalapenos on top :)

bake at 350 for 20 minutes. enjoy!!

recent eats.

double banana chocolate chip breakfast bars, which abby and I whipped up together.  

apple pie oatmeal

the best thai coconut soup of all time. DELICIOUS.

the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. found the recipe here.  taking them to school to share tomorrow because they can't hang around my kitchen, they are WAY too good.

what have you been cooking lately?

another hit in the kitchen.

since I vowed to not eat meat unless it was local and non-medicated, I haven't really eaten much meat at all. we have to make an extra stop during the week to pick up chicken from a local deli that has non-medicated chicken products and sometimes we just don't get around to it.  when we do have it in the house, I try to limit meat to one dinner per week.  tonight was the night and another one of my experiments in the kitchen turned out deliciously. meatball subs...


I modified this recipe from eat, live, run, which I think I have blogged about previously.

I used:
.75 lbs local non-medicated ground chicken
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp. mrs dash extra spicy
1 tsp. oregano
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

combine the milk and breadcrumbs and let sit for 5 minutes. mix all remaining ingredients together including bread crumb mixture and form small meatballs and place on cookie sheet (I put tinfoil on my cookie sheet and lightly greased it) bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

for meatball subs:

 put meatballs in bun- we used portuguese rolls, which were perfect.   place any type of marinara or pizza sauce on top and then sprinkle with cheese and veggies (we used red onion and red pepper).  bake till melted and crispy.

sorry bad quality photo from my phone.

totally hit the spot.  I think I would make a big batch of these meatballs and freeze them separately to use in pastas or subs.  these came together in a flash after D and I got back from yoga because I made the meatballs in the afternoon and then just reheated them for the subs.  so simple and delicious.  I am on a roll this week :)

can't wait for 3 day weekend!

warning: these are addictive.

make them.eat them.share them.

mmm chocolate deliciousness.

get the recipe at smitten kitchen.  I think this was one of the first recipes I ever bookmarked and now a year later I finally made them.  well, they were worth the wait.  they were really easy to make, using simple ingredients and I really liked the aspect of refrigerating/freezing the dough so you can just make as many as you want to.  I baked half the dough the same day and then the next half a couple days later.  perfect cookies for sharing! after making these cookies once, I think I could make them again just by memory and that makes things so much easier- rather than looking at my laptop every 30 seconds to read the ingredients or what to do next.  I love baking without a recipe! these cookies might be delicious with a little peanut butter added into the mix :)  I'm a major sucker for peanut butter/chocolate combo.


other happenings in the kitchen this week:

buttermilk biscuits from and now for something completely delicious...

biscuit for you!

well these were simple and they turned out great! all flaky just like a biscuit should be.  

happy baking my friends.

it is just crazy what a little baking can do for my mood.  I will have a stressful/crappy/frustrating day and come home feeling a little down.  as soon as I put on some good tunes, get my baking supplies out and start prepping, I am one happy girl.  what would I ever do without baking and yoga.  I went to such a rockin' vinyasa flow class on tuesday night so after that and my morning run my legs were pooched.  tonight zumba and bookclub on the agenda!

weekend.

this was my first "real" weekend in quite a while.  I was working both saturday and sunday up until hawaii and now I'm only working saturdays so I actually have some time to myself.  this weekend I tried to make very minimal plans and I was SO looking forward to it.

friday, I had an amazing hot yoga class- it felt great to release all those toxins and sweat like a crazy person for an entire hour.  so wonderful. then derek and I relaxed on the couch with popcorn and a movie. perfect night in my books.

saturday, highlights included a nice run around the neighbourhood with D and this chicken enchilada spaghetti for dinner

sunday was just wonderful. I have missed sundays dearly. it started off great with homemade crepes!

this was the recipe I used from allrecipes:
*1 cup flour
*1/2 cup water
*1/2 cup milk
*2 eggs
*2 tablespoons melted butter
*1 teaspoon vanilla (don't add if you want to make savoury crepes)

mix the water, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla.  then gradually whisk in the flour.  I put a small amount of butter in the frying pan before each crepe to prevent sticking.  pour in about 1/4 cup batter and tilt the pan to spread the batter into a large circle. after ~2 minutes flip and cook for another 2.
makes 8 crepes.

toppings are endless:
-nutella and banana
-peanut butter and banana
-syrup
-berries

following breakfast and some relaxation around the house we were off to start our sunday errands.  we hunted down some great finds for our halloween costumes and then ventured out to the nanaimo river to get some sunshine.  I had to do some fieldwork for one of my assignments for school so D took me to a couple different spots to make some notes and get some photos.  it was such a gorgeous day to be outside.

now to enjoy the rest of my sunday evening before a busy week ahead.  hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

get your bake on. (because I can't)

I miss baking SO much.  can't wait to get creative in the kitchen when I get home in september.  I also desperately miss eating my baking.  SO currently, I am accepting care packages- anybody interested in sending me one?  you could include some of these delicious things...

strawberry cheesecake truffles by annie's eats

chocolate chunk peanut butter swirl fudgy cookies by picky palate

banana pudding by a cozy kitchen

chocolate caramel slice by m loves m

strawberry sour cream ice cream by my life as a mrs.

frozen reese's peanut butter pie by bakers royale

cake batter rice crispy treats by gimmie some oven

Okay, you don't actually have to send baking.  I don't think those treats package up and travel very well.  but a letter would be awesome! I love receiving mail and the address is on the bamfield marine sciences centre website if anyone is interested! it is nice to have something to look forward to :)

since I am not baking, in my very minimal free time I have been...

*catching up my blog reading

*yoga goodness

*learning the shuffle with my classmates. yes, yes I am serious.

*putting our mattresses on the floor of our dorm and watching the movie up while snacking on treats.  treats that we had to row across to the other side of the inlet to get. a row boat is now my most common mode of transportation. it is refreshing to go without driving for so long!
*lying in the grass under the beautiful sunshine and reading my book

*nature walks-

enjoying the view.

forest lovin'

our little adventure walk

massive tree trunk!

I am so happy to call this island home.  can't imagine living anywhere else.

--m

i heart sundays.

this sunday started just splendid.  we had D's fam over for morning coffee and muffins- I am scrambling to see everyone before I leave for 6 weeks.  we enjoyed a really nice visit with G & B, meg, tye and rhys. gotta love these cuties.. 

I baked dark chocolate blueberry muffins which turned out okay.. I think I over mixed the batter so they weren't as light and fluffy as they usually are.  still a highly recommended recipe- I snagged it from how sweet it is.  whenever I make muffins including some sort of fruit, I always add a little extra to the top of each muffin before baking.  gives it a nice touch! in this case, I placed an extra few blueberries on top of each muffin before I popped them in the oven(and maybe a little extra chocolate too..)

following our coffee company and a few sunday errands I headed downtown to hang out with ange, darc and abby.  the dragonboat festivities were going on and it was seriously hoppin' down at the waterfront.  I think I would love to join a dragonboat team some day.. it looks like fun!

after such a nice afternoon I was starting to stress about my crazy long to-do list I have to complete before I leave.. I really just want to spend my time with my friends and family before I go but there is so much to do! I am overwhelmed with everything I have to get done- between getting organized for my course in bamfield, getting organized for my fall semester at school and trying to find a job for the fall when I'm in school.  needless to say, I was a bit of a basket case(temporarily).  I was trying to be productive by filling out my passport forms(another thing on my list) which turned into more work because I filled something out wrong and had to print out another copy and start all over! sigh..
D knew I was stressing out so he brought home a delicious chocolate treat.. YUM!

yes.. that is chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and whip cream in layers with cream puffs and chocolate drizzle on top.  OH MY! this was delicious.. and thank goodness he was prepared with chocolate because my evening was a frustrating one!
I tried to let my worries go in regards to my long to do list and just enjoy my evening with D.  BUT we were sitting down to our sunday night dinner and I knocked over my glass which spilt over the entire table, on my laptop and my iPod that I was updating.  I almost lost it.  and then, oh it gets better, I leave my warm dinner to clean up the sticky mess and just as I finish cleaning table, chair and floor I put the cloth down.. and knock it over AGAIN! wow.. I guess I need to work on my motor skills or something. I cried a little.. obviously.  then got it together and ate my dinner only because I wanted some chocolate.  D offered to duck tape my hand to my glass after that second spill.  oh well, such is life!

all in all, a wonderful weekend and another busy week ahead!
--m

peanut butter lovin'

a few weeks back, I picked up a 2 kg container of peanut butter on sale for extremely cheap.  I knew exactly what I wanted it for- baking!! I absolutely love baking with peanut butter- no matter what you do with a recipe, if it has peanut butter, it will always taste delicious :)

first peanut butter snack was a version of homemade reese's easter eggs.. they aren't overly pretty but they were delicious.  I adapted a recipe from picky palate and it was totally simple. just icing sugar, peanut butter and melted chocolate! I only made a few of these because they have a few too many cal's to have a whole heap hanging around the house.

next, an old stand-by.. no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal goodness.  I got this recipe from brown eyed baker.  I wanted to whip something up to share with co-workers tomorrow so this was quick and I had all the ingredients at home.  and bonus! didn't have to turn on the oven on this gorgeously warm day.

overall- a successful couple evenings of baking! along with baking, other highlights of the week have included fabulously awesome yoga classes on monday, tuesday and this evening.  I even had a special guest with me tonight for "buddy week".. D attended his first class!!!! super props to him.  he did awesome, just as I expected and he really enjoyed it.  yoga.rocks. YOU should try it :)

its almost friday! I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend with D at the beach.
sweet dreams
--m