1. I suck at blogging – Yeah really.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be back to regular blogging soon!”
“Oh yeah, I’ll write this, that, and the other thing about my new work scenario.”
Oh yeah… didn’t happen. I also apparently make false promises. MY BAD.

2. I suck at taking pictures of my food. – Yup, I essentially quit doing it. Once upon a time it was a fun hobby. And then everyone and their mother got a food blog, and a fancy schmancy camera with 10 different lenses, and fancy schmancy light box setups for optimal food photo lighting, and customized layouts to make their blogs sparkle and shine…etc etc etc.

And I did none of that. Hello simplicity. Hello tumbling downward into food blog oblivion. Hello not being excitable enough about the whole trend to do much else about it.

(Not knocking all of the stellar fancy schmancy food blogs out there. It’s pure admiration only, dears. I just don’t quite care enough to go that far myself… at least not right now!)

3. I CAN, in fact, become an early morning exercise superstar. – Before, I never quite understood how people could drag their buns out of bed and find the energy enough to get a workout in before the sun rose. But it’s all mental, people. Mental and restful. Get a good night’s sleep (aka reduce your bedtime by an hour or two) and convince yourself that you want to work out in the morning (it’s ridiculously nice to have the workout DONE and the evenings completely FREE) and you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Early morning pre-workout coffee helps too.

(A beach to run on would also be nice)

4. How to make the easiest, fastest poached egg EVER. – I don’t remember where I learned the technique (I’ve read at least 12 internet tutorials for poached eggs over the last year) but here it is:

Take a small ramekin or glass bowl. Fill it halfway with water and add a splash of vinegar. Crack an egg in it and poke the yolk with a fork. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put in the microwave for 45 seconds. Check it, then put it in for another 10-15 seconds. (If I put it in for a minute straight it gets too hard.). Remove from the water with a spoon. Break that egg seal and let the yolky goodness run free.

Voila Breakfast!

A good, ol’ flash in the pan runny egg does the trick too.

5. No amount of green smoothies or citrus fruits can cure my invincible cold. – I’m probably the most hated person at work. I’ve had an undying cough for over two weeks now. I don’t think that’s normal. If I laugh… it immediately turns into a coughing fit. Running… I stop every two minutes to clear out my lungs.

Why so many false promises, green drink of not-so-glory?

Why are you not working your magic, Mr. Orange?! Such a jip. Vitamin C my tushy.

I’m going to try to squeeze myself into the doctor’s tomorrow… by this point I think meds are my only option.

6. Baking is one of my favourite pastimes. – Okay fine, so I had this realization a long time ago. But it has only been solidified by the fact that now, even though my free time has been reduced, a good chunk of it still goes towards whipping up some of the many (many) recipes bookmarked on my computer.

Muffins!

Chocococonut Style

Guess who got my brother to eat BEANS in his dessert…and LIKE it…Katie did! With her Deep-Dish Cookie Pie – a MUST make (I halved it and used a normal cake pan and it turned out perfectly…and was gone in a day).

Well folks, the fact that I actually updated this thing is PROGRESS. And in my opinion, any progress is a good thing. So here’s to progress… and hopes upon hopes for more even better progress to come.
(I do miss this but I also hate my suffering-from-senioritis laptop that I still have yet to upgrade. Goal for the next week or so – Buy a MAC!).

Oh oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(source)

My name is Kristie.

Once Upon a Time I would write here in this very space about the things I ate. Usually I’d post pictures. Sometimes they looked appetizing, other times they did not. But more often than not they satisfied my undying cravings for good eats.

This Once Upon a Time time was characterized by one main premise: Idle Time. Much Idle Time.

But then all of a sudden, from nowhere apparent, this little thing called Life appeared in a cloud of dust, filling the room. It grew and it grew until it consumed Idle Time as I knew it.

With Idle Time’s rapid disappearance I was suddenly transported into a new world, one enveloped by this thing called Work. Time was there too, but not Time as I knew it, not Idle Time. Idle Time was gone. In its place – Filled Time.

This new world with Filled Time was confusing at first. It took some getting used to. It is still taking some getting used to. It is quite a bit different than Idle Time. At first it may seem a little stressful or draining, especially after spending so much time with Idle Time. But you soon come to realize that Filled Time has many benefits.

Filled Time brings productivity. It brings responsibility. It brings social acts. It brings pocket change. It brings a sense of self. And it brings a much greater appreciation of that lost Idle Time that pops its head in every now and again when you seek it out. Idle Time is easily taken for granted when you have too much of it. Lessen the doses and its impact is much more effective.

In going from hardly employed to 3x employed in the past couple months, I’ve come to understand Time a bit better. To understand the great benefits of Filled Time. To budget, savour and appreciate the smaller splashes of Idle Time.

Time is inherently good. Time is your ally, not your enemy. Understand it, treat it well, and use it wisely and it will work in your favour no matter what ratio of Filled to Idle Time you might be experiencing, no matter how much or little of it you might feel that you have.

“Time is on your side.”       ;)

Now for Old Time’s sake, let’s bring in some FOOD.

Starting off with a little Pita Pit Paradise – One fine day a while back I mentioned the beauty of Pita Pita. A fellow blogging companion, Marianne, mentioned a winning combo that I needed to try: The FALAFEL (falafel, feta, tzaziki, hot sauce, pickles and plenty o’ veg). I jotted it down and vowed to try it during my next pita run. Well guess what I ordered the other day when the local Pita Pit had a Customer Appreciation Day (ALL pitas, ANY size for $3.99. OH yeah.)

Check out the goods.

FEAST.

I’ve also been doing the egg thing on these chillier fall mornings.

Egg white omelette with spinach, salsa and swiss on a toasted english muffin? Don’t mind if I do.

Or how about hardboiled style with Frank’s and ketchup?

Along with a glass of sludge here and there (a spinach and blueberry smoothie makes one mean mouth-staining drink).

And of course we wouldn’t truly have fall without some form of fruit crisp, now would we. That would be peach crisp. (We can ignore the fact that this was made when it was actually technically still summer. I couldn’t wait for the official fall season to eat official fall desserts.)

The next Time I’m here I’ll tell you all about Tea, Texans and sore Tushies (all attributable to this new world in the land of Filled Time).

For now, enjoy your Time in the best way you can think up.

Until next Time.

(chez…)

(chez…)

(chez…)

And sleep time owns my Brain-a.

So that’s all my thoughts for Today-a.

(Any award-winning recipes for the sharing?)

Now?
Well, if anyone cares enough to take look at this poor blog’s history from the last few months, there isn’t much to see…

(It’s looking a little empty around here…)

Once upon a time I updated this (somewhat) regularly from my laptop.
(Now that I’m done school I avoid opening my laptop as if it were Pandora’s box. I regret it nearly every single time I do. I spend 90% of the time that I am using it cursing at it and threatening its last traces of life. I’m still in need of a new one. I’m still very much going to buy a new one –> transitioning to MAC baby! I’m just great at putting off spending large lump sums of $$. It’s a scary thought. But it IS happening. Most likely within the month.)

Now?
Right now I’m on my big box screen PC, rockin’ it old school.

Once upon a time I had too much free time.
(This summer equaled WAY too much free time. You think you want more free time…but too much of anything can be a bad thing. Free time definitely included.)

Now?
My free time is about to virtually disappear. I mentioned starting a new job a month ago (… but failed to ever elaborate on that. Surprise surprise.) and just started another one, this one full time, at the beginning of the week. Bring on the busy (but don’t make me eat those words by the end of the month, please).

(I swear I’ll actually elaborate on the job dealios this time…just next round. But it’ll be there.)

Once upon a time I had a Lava Lamp.
(I dunno I just really wanted to put up a picture of a Lava Lamp. I used to actually sleep with mine turned on every single night.)

Now?
Even the faintest trace of light keeps me up. The alarm clock glow is blocked with a book tower or a shirt. I do miss that lava glow though.

Once upon a time it was summer.
(Technically it still is. But I snub technicalities.)

Now?
Since tomorrow is SEPTEMBER 1st, it is now (temperatures aside) basically FALL –> the best season ever. This is also the first one ever that I will not be going back to school. Such a bittersweet realization. I always secretly looked forward to going back to school, even when I sometimes dreaded it at the same time. By the end of summer I was ultimately always ready to go back to school. And this year I can’t. That being said, I’m excited for THIS fall for a multitude of other reasons.  

Welcome September!

Once upon a time I wasn’t quite so conceited…and I talked about food…
(Still doing plenty o’ blog reading, much more often than I’m doing my own writing. I’m looking for a voice of some kind. Mine writing ‘voice’ is a little hoarse right now. The downtime I’ve been giving it has been helping. Maybe it will come around soon. I’m feeling more like writing again… I’m just not quite sure what yet. Time shall tell.)

[all pics found from searches via weheartit and pinterest]

What are YOU looking forward to for this lovely FALL month?

I AM well.

I just spent a week out here:

Doing things like this:

(intense game of Scattergories on the dock)

And watching people like this:

(my uncle)

Do things like this:

(pretty self explanatory but… getting married!)

At places like this:

(gorgeous outdoor ceremony and stunningly decorated reception in a lovely hotel in Northern Ontario)

With people like this:

(my brother (top), cousins (bottom) and entire family (unpictured but very present and very awesome)

We posed:

We laughed:

We drank:

We danced:

And we had one incredible, memorable, heck of a great time.

Congrats to my uncle and my now “official” aunt, and shout outs to the whole entire fam jam for contributing to and taking part in the best moments of the summer.  Love ‘em all.

Back soon!

Therefore, I think it’s only fitting to announce…

THE UGLY FOOD AWARDS!

Starring…

My Ugly Food!

So, without further ado, let’s jump right in and announce the winners, shall we?

Drumroll please…

(source)

In 3rd place, with a bad hair do and an awkward orange hue…

Not-so-Hunky Chunky Pumpkin Overnight Oats! (with canned pumpkin, cottage cheese and a dollop of mango greek yogurt)

In 2nd Place, a slimy character with a ‘what the funk’ odour…

Last Leg Yellow Squash and Green Peppers sauteed in balsamic vinegar and last leg goat cheese!

And finally, last AND (visually) least, we have the winner of the UGLY FOOD AWARDS.

My #1 Ugliest Food is…

Green with UN-envy Chicken Enchilada!

I swear it’s edible…

Honourable Mentions go out to:

Where’s my middle Fudgy Mess Platter

Pond Scum Smoothie with a side bite of dryer lint oats

Leftover-splattered greens topped with under the stove dirt (couscous) and a side appearance of our #1 winner – un-envy enchiladas! [at least this meal has a touch of colour…]

Thanks to everyone who came out. I hope you still have your appetites :)

Ehem…

Hello!

It’s Friday. It’s a Long Weekend. It’s the end of the month. It’s Been TEN Days since I was here last.

So let’s keep it sweet and simple with a Random Friday Fiver.

1. The Dress

Thanks knowledgeable Fashionistas for the wedding guest dress ideas and examples. I ended up finding a fairly simple yet fancy enough dress  (Thanks Winners) that I’m likely going to doll up in. It’s not quite as summery, flowy or colourful as might be ideal for a summer wedding but I like it.

2. Quiznos Honey Bourbon Chicken on Whole Wheat

Is delicious. Even moreso when you get it basically free because you had a WagJag coupon hanging out in your wallet. You bought it forever ago and it was expiring this week. Lunchtime! And even moreso when you haven’t had Quiznos in what is likely years now. I missed this sandwich.

3. The Diamond’s Demise

Sayonara Sucker. Apologies to Blue Diamond lovers but I did not like this almond butter. Obviously I tolerated it since I made it through the jar (a large chunk of that went into mediocre baking attempts that ended up getting the ol’ heave ho, though) but I won’t be buying it again. I need some good old fashioned peanut butter back in my life.

The end bits tasted pretty good in overnight oats mixed with Liberte Mango Orange Greek yogurt and strawberries though.

4. Job

And the fact that I finally got one!
Well, another one since I DO spend a wee bit of my time every week pretending I’m a badass biker chick while actually just sitting in an office entering information très important at zee motorcycle shop.

But I needed something else to supplement and fill my time until I figure out what this “real life” thing is all about and how to do it.
[Can I just say I kind of miss school already? All of the school supplies are popping up in stores already. It’s sad to think I’ll never really have to buy those (for myself at least) again. At least not for their intended (pencil case) purpose. But you can never have enough pens, highlighters and notebooks on hand. I love school writing creativity(!) supplies.]

Anyway, tangent over. Back to the job – This one is pretty neat. I’m sure some of you would agree. Cryptic Hint:

(weheartit)

I haven’t officially started yet (tomorrow morning) but I’ve gone through most of the beginning training over the past several days. More on this later!

5. Crafty Cravings

I used to be obsessed with crafting when I was younger. I’d spend hours pouring over craft sites, t-shirt reconstruction journals, CRAFTSTER (<3!). Yet though I was obsessed with crafts in theory, I never carried through with many of them. Any I did try to do were always a little less than perfect… I guess I hadn’t quite taken into account the whole “practice makes perfect” concept.

[I was always a big fan of collages, though. You should SEE the stack of magazine pages I have hoarded in boxes under my bed. Madness, I tell you. I make quite a few reconstructed/homemade cards too. Any birthdays coming up? ;)]

Lately the crafting bug has been biting again. Pinterest has been helping that along a bit. I’m not quite sure where to start or what I want to make but I just want to MAKE. DO. Create. Rerrange. Paint. Decorate. Get crafty.

Cute AND thrifty (source)

Any Creative Craftsters in the house?

Horribly indecisive.

It goes hand in hand with being The Overthinker.

As such, it takes me about 12 days to make a choice about nearly anything.

What do you want to wear today?
Please grant me an additional 20 minutes to pull 10 different shirts from my closets and drawers before I get frustrated and end up settling on whatever I happened to throw on during the first round of outfit do-si-do.

Only in my dreams is my closet this organized and lovely.

(weheartit)

What do you want to eat for dinner?
Are you kidding me? Might as well pull everything out of the fridge and shove it all on a plate. Anything that wouldn’t work well on the plate can be consumed during the process of arranging the plate so as to ensure it’s not missed out on.

Veggies = spinach, slaw, orange pepper, yellow squash, steamed yellow beans
Additions = chicken, pasta noodles, hummus, artichoke dip, greek dressing
Sides that didn’t work on the plate = bread chunks, pasta salad…who knows.

What should you make with that large package of phyllo dough that’s been chilling in the freezer for 6 months?
Fortunately phyllo recipes aren’t AS abundant as some others, but narrowing it down to a savoury or sweet recipe? It just can’t be done.

Both it is.

Spinach Phyllo Pie aka easy experimental spanakopita:
1. Lay a few phyllo sheets into a pan (I used a cake pan) 
2. Meanwhile, cook 1 package frozen spinach with 1 cup steamed mashed cauliflower, 1/2 cup light feta, garlic, and a generous sprinkling of parmesan.
3. Once heated through, spoon the spinach mixture onto the phyllo sheets and add more phyllo on top.
4. Bake at 350 for ~30 minutes.

And for dessert – Choco Banana Phyllo Delight
1. Lay out 3 phyllo sheets
2. Mix together 1 container (~1/2 cup) flavoured yogurt with ~1T cocoa powder. Spread it onto the phyllo sheets
3. Slice up 1/2 a banana and lay the slices on top of the yogurt mixture
4. Wrap the phyllo sheets up into a roll and bake at 350 for ~20 minutes.

You need nut butter. Which one to buy?
I could have been simple and gone with the cheap, grocery brand peanut butter that’s nothing but peanuts and nothing but delicious. But I wanted to be different. I wanted to switch it up. In summary, I apparently wanted to torture myself with more decisions.

I stood in front of at least 3 peanut butter displays in at least 3 different stores over the course of at least a few days before I finally restocked with this new-to-me… not-so gem. Blue Diamond Crunchy Almond Butter? So far I do not love.

You need a wedding dress. Which one to buy?
No no, not MY wedding. I’d need a fiancé for that. But I do have to be at my uncle’s wedding in slightly less than a month and thus far I have nothing to wear. To spare the guests my nude bottom, I tried to dress shop yesterday.

(weheartit)

With my pro decision skills, I’m sure you can guess how well that went.

After a couple hours and a stack of dresses, I did leave with one…but it’s not for the wedding. I just could NOT decide. I had two I was ready to buy. Two I was ready to work with. And then I got so stressed about making the decision that I scrapped all plans and decided to start back at square one of the dress search on a new day with fresh eyes.

What I really need is advice: What do you wear as a wedding guest?! I know it’s hardly the most complicated wardrobe addition but I want it to be a good one.

A little much.

A lot much…

Way too much?

(All found by searching ‘prom dresses’ on weheartit. Enlightening.)

One thing I was able to decide on fairly quickly?
This bowl of pumpkin overnight oats with yogurt, wheat bran and strawberry rhubarb jam for breakfast yesterday. But only because it was already prepared the night before, leaving me almost obligated to eat it. And even with this obligation, I still hummed and hawed for a few minutes, deciding if I truly did feel like eating this bran-y bowl or wanted to perhaps go with my tried and true summer staple smoothie instead.

I went with the oat bowl.
And went back to the smoothie today.

Calling all Fashionistas…or just females who have recently attended weddings:
What have you worn as a wedding guest?
I’m thinking slightly more sophistiqué than a summer dress but definitely more casual than a prom dress… All styling tips, accessory ideas etc. welcome!

Here’s some more. No sentiments, just pics.

Breakfast Time

Fibre One cereal with frozen banana, cocoa powder and almond milk

Strawberry smoothie

Strawberry cocoa smoothie with Chocolate Cheerios and red toes

Strawberry spinach smoothie

Coffee cocoa spinach strawberry smoothie in a peanut butter jar

And since this peanut butter jar is clearly now empty, I am out of peanut butter. How to solve such a dilemma? Take the easy route and buy another jar? Or…

Make a fresh batch of almond butter –>Better plan.

This smoothie got coned. And then the cone got…smoothied? Smoothies are about 1.3x more fun when eaten out of a cone.

Greens and Misc Garb

Raw veg and cold potato morning snack with salsa ranch dressing and the end of Eat, Pray, Love

Greens salad topped with potoato bites, salsa, crumbled turkey burger and hummus

Spinach and slaw salad topped with sundried tomato tuna

Another random pile of vegetable junk.

Kale Salad Oh She Glows style

Turkcauli burgers with mustard, baked potatoes, greek salad

Baked potato stuffed with hummus, spinach, melty cheddar, and topped with sour cream

Sweet and white potatoes and broccoli roasted in sundried tomato vinaigrette

Couscous and mixed bean salad with red onion, red pepper, cucumber and the same sundried tomato vinaigrette as I roasted the above potatoes in. (I was using up the bottle since it was a little gag-worthy on top of salads but worked significantly better when tossed among other more substantial foods.)

Some of those earlier roasted potatoes on top of some kale dressed in balsamic vinegar.

Grilled chicken Petita from Pita Pit stuffed with a garden of veggies and honey mustard (I usually get baba ghanoush but I find it doesn’t hold me over very long so I thought chicken might do a better job. It didn’t really, and I missed my baba.)

Veggie burger salad: cabbage slaw, tomatoes and pickles topped with a grilled veggie burger and grilled potatoes, all of which were topped with ketchup and mustard latticework.

Raspberry almond butter cookies based off of Lauren’s cashew blueberry recipe. (like my appealing bitten and battered display?)

Aforementioned cookies with apple slices and black coffee

And to end it all on a simple summer note: a popsicle

Good times.

Back to slightly more regular/less giant food recap style posting…soon? As long as this food relationship of mine starts becoming a little less abusive. Food and I are really going through a rough patch right now. I’m very resentful of him and his taunting ways. Time to start laying down the law!

Or…something. I think a baking hiatus is in order. All of my half assed, half delicious attempts that no one else cares to touch are doing nothing more than finding their way into the garbage disposal that is my stomach, their then crushed and condensed remains housing themselves snuggly onto my thighs. And along a similar note, a sugar hiatus would also be very helpful, though likely less plausible. A sugar decrease, however, is not an entirely crazy idea.

(weheartit)

**Recommendations for a desperate food addict needing to tone the insatiable sugar cravings down? Aside from a kick in the bum and a hefty dose of willpower, those are (sad) works in progress.

I can’t stop complaining about this relationship until Food and I are finally on the same page again, what can I say. It’s an arranged marriage with divorce as a non-option so somehow we’re gonna have to make it work.

The PLATES – a random selection from the last 10+ days. In multiple parts. Here is the first smattering.

And GO!

Plates

Vegetable-based Platters

Salad with taco topper

Spinach with honey mustard and roasted squash

Greek salad with leftover roasted squash and cottage cheese

Raw veggie and turkey dipping platter

Another raw veggie dipping platter with corn and bean salad

Spinach and cucumber salad with tuna topper (mixed with light sour cream, dijon, wasabi) and a side of pasta salad

More of the spinach and tuna combo

Vermicelli noodles topped with chicken and vegetables stir fried in a teriyaki sauce (made from a powdered mix I randomly found in the cupboard. Would not buy again)

Veggie burger on multigrain with spinach, dijon, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese

Sweeter Side

Fruit plate with strained yogurt

Banana topped with yogurt mixed with peanut butter and a side of dates

A blend of frozen banana, cocoa powder, coconut flour, almonds, sweetener

The morning green smoothie with a side of green tea and Peanut Butter Puffins

Shreddies and apple chunks topped with a splash of almond milk, cinnamon and strained yogurt

Apple chunks heated and topped with a mix of light sour cream, cinnamon and vanilla stevia drops

Cocoa smoothie frozen and stirred every 5-10 minutes about 3x until reaching icy ice cream-like consistency for maximal snacking satisfaction

Sweet tortilla chips – tortillas dipped in cinnamon butter mixed with almond milk, baked at 400 for 8-10 minutes, flipping half way

The rest coming soon…

Happy Monday!