Goodbye 2012 - Hello 2013

Another year is done and I'm maybe a bit wiser.  I think I'm beginning to understand myself a bit more, accept myself the way that I am and be alright with that.

I am excited for 2013 to start because I feel luck has begun to change. I'm making 2013 a traveling year and so far I'm pretty sure I will go to New York City and spend a night in Montreal in a five start hotel which I'm stoked about. 

For this blog I am hoping to post more. I have a few blog ideas kicking around this old brain of mine. The first one will be about a 3 week meal plan that I'm starting Jan 2nd. I have enjoyed this holiday season with all the wonderful meals (check out my instagram for proof), but it's time to get back to basics.

I'm going to be eating low carbs and increase my vegetable intake. My freezer has already been prepped with 3 different kinds of soup and enough cauliflower rice to last for the month. I'm going to try to incorporate a bit of a Freezer, Fridge & Pantry challenge into this. I literally have 8 cans of chickpeas in my pantry.

see you in 2013

-mjb

30 Things before I turn 30 - recap

So it's official as of 10:05 I am now thirty years old here is my recap of my 30 day challenge to myself.

30 Flirty and Thriving

1. Build a snowman - We only got one snowfall and I attempted to make one, it fell apart, so it wasn't for lack of trying
2. Order a drink I've never tried - perhaps an old fashioned - I have yet to do this
3. Complete another Freezer, Fridge & Pantry Challenge - I failed on this one
4. Blog a recipe completely from scratch (I have two in my head I've been wanting to test out for awhile) - why hello there!
5. Complete a project off of my craft diy pinterest board I did this one!
6. Order a croque monsieur (I've always wanted to try this sandwich and have never ordered it) To be honest it was a 'faux croque monsieur' but it was the same ingredients
7. Have my second standard driving lesson from my dad - He was away up until the last few days so I consider this not my fault
8. Record a song; Sabotage by the Beastie Boys - totally my fault!
9. Take a full roll of film whether it be with  my 35mm or my 2 1/4 - fail
10. Clean up my balcony
11. Wear something from my closet that has not been worn before
12. Bring a bag to the Salvation Army
13. Watch a classic movie that you have never seen before
14. Do something out of your comfort zone
15. Go watch the sunset down by the river
16. Go to a Target (in full disclosure I'm going to the States next weekend on a shopping trip so this one is pretty much going to happen, but I have always wanted to go)
17. Go somewhere you never have been (not counting the States trip)
18. Get some of the clutter out of my apartment (kind of the same as 12, but I already do have a bag ready to go)
19.  Have pancakes for dinner - Did this on monday!
20. Go back to Sidedoor for fish tacos (I have literally been craving them since August) BAM did this yesterday for a friends birthday
21. Have a super nintendo afternoon
22. Finish all the Breaking Bad on Netflix - OMG the end of season 4
23. Brown Bag it to work for at least two weeks if not the full 4 weeks
24. Watch one of my dvds I've never watched (I have at least 5 I've never seen if not more) - I've had the classic Rudolph on dvd for years and I finally cracked it open
25. Sign up for a Starbucks card and start working my way to a gold card - I've made it to my green card
26. Make a recipe out of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook that I haven't made yet (it's one of my favourite cookbooks) - total fail
27. Eat more quinoa, hemp seeds and chia seeds
28. Finish all the frozen fish in your freezer - fail
29. Eat vegetarian 2 nights a week
30. Cut down on soda

I think I did a pretty good job at accomplishing most of my personal challenge.

-mjb
 

recipe #21 - Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

I'm a little over half way through my 30 things before I turn 30 challenge and while I've completed 10 off my list. I now bring you number 4; a recipe from scratch.  This recipe has been in my head for a few months and I finally decided to make it.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quesadillas witih Lime Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

Quesadilla:
 -1 cooked sweet potato; mashed
-1 can of black beans; drained
-1 package of goat cheese; mine was PC's and 140g
-1 package of tortillas; I used whole wheat because I couldn't find authentic corn ones
-1 tbsp cumin
-1 tsp olive oil

Yogurt Sauce:
-1/4 cup yogurt
-1 to 2 tsp of fresh lime juice
-a few drops of hot sauce *optional, mine was a peach vidalia*

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Poke holes in sweet potato, cook in microwave for 5 minutes; flip over midway through. Scrape out sweet potato once cooked and mash it up.
3. Meanwhile while the potato is cooking, drain beans, mix in a medium size bowl with cumin. Add olive oil to a pan, add bean mixture and cook for 5 minutes. You could at this point mash a few of the beans together, I prefer mine whole.
4. Once both the potato and beans are cooked, line a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Add tortillas (I made 4 at once), add beans, potato and sprinkle with goat cheese, fold over to make quesadilla shape. Bake until the top of the tortillas are browned. 
5. While quesadillas are in the oven baking, you can mix the yogurt sauce ingredients together and whisk until combined. 
6. I ended up using the rest of the mixture throughout the week, but if you were having a large party you could make them in shifts for a delicious appetizer.

-mjb

30 things before I turn 30 - 30 day challenge

In lieu of my upcoming 30th birthday on December 6th. I have decided to give myself a 30 day challenge to complete before I turn 30.  Here's a list below that I intend to complete with photographic evidence starting on November 6th.  I haven't been decided how I will update this on my blog; either posting as I go, a weekly round-up or in a big wrap up.

1. Build a snowman
2. Order a drink I've never tried - perhaps an old fashioned
3. Complete another Freezer, Fridge & Pantry Challenge
4. Blog a recipe completely from scratch (I have two in my head I've been wanting to test out for awhile)
5. Complete a project off of my craft diy pinterest board
6. Order a croque monsieur (I've always wanted to try this sandwich and have never ordered it)
7. Have my second standard driving lesson from my dad
8. Record a song; Sabotage by the Beastie Boys
9. Take a full roll of film whether it be with  my 35mm or my 2 1/4
10. Clean up my balcony
11. Wear something from my closet that has not been worn before
12. Bring a bag to the Salvation Army
13. Watch a classic movie that you have never seen before
14. Do something out of your comfort zone
15. Go watch the sunset down by the river
16. Go to a Target (in full disclosure I'm going to the States next weekend on a shopping trip so this one is pretty much going to happen, but I have always wanted to go)
17. Go somewhere you never have been (not counting the States trip)
18. Get some of the clutter out of my apartment (kind of the same as 12, but I already do have a bag ready to go)
19.  Have pancakes for dinner
20. Go back to Sidedoor for fish tacos (I have literally been craving them since August)
21. Have a super nintendo afternoon
22. Finish all the Breaking Bad on Netflix
23. Brown Bag it to work for at least two weeks if not the full 4 weeks
24. Watch one of my dvds I've never watched (I have at least 5 I've never seen if not more)
25. Sign up for a Starbucks card and start working my way to a gold card
26. Make a recipe out of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook that I haven't made yet (it's one of my favourite cookbooks)
27. Eat more quinoa, hemp seeds and chia seeds
28. Finish all the frozen fish in your freezer
29. Eat vegetarian 2 nights a week
30. Cut down on soda

So there it is. I know near the end it's not as exciting, but it's hard to think of 30 things to finish. Wish me luck!

-mjb

recipe #20 - baby spinach pesto

I don't know about you, but I hate throwing food out. I'm always drawn to the pre-packaged baby spinach containers at the grocery store but as a house of one, i find it hard to finish them without throwing half of it out. Cut to the following week and I buy another one, and throw half away once again; it's a vicious cycle. When I noticed mine starting to go bad this morning I realized I had to do something, thus baby spinach pesto was born.

Baby Spinach Pesto *my apologies for the instagram photo - my camera is charging*

Ingredients:

-2 cups of baby spinach *easily adaptable to how much baby spinach you have*
-2 cloves of garlic; sliced
-1/4 tsp of basil
-1 1/2 tbsp pine nuts *easily adaptable to whatever nut you may have on hand since pine nuts are crazy expensive i just happened to have a few lying around*
-1/8 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup parmesan
-a pinch of herbamare *or salt, i just prefer to use herbamare*

1. Put everything in food processor and pulse until blended. I added a bit extra olive oil until it was a sauce-type consistency.

Voila! Congratulations you didn't end up having to throw out half a container of baby spinach. I plan on using mine as a pizza sauce later on tonight. How about you?

-mjb

recipe #19 - Chia Seed Preserves

To say I've become a bit obsessed with chia seeds would be an understatement. Not only have I been making my own chocolate chia seed pudding for breakfast at work for a few weeks now (recipe to come, once I take a proper photograph of it and not a silly instagram), but I have also been adding them into everything under the sun; sauces, salads, etc. They are chock full of health benefits including fiber and omega 3 to name a few.  When I saw that Oh She Glows had made a jam recipe, I knew I had to make my own or three, peach, peach-raspberry and blueberry.

1. Peach 2. Peach-Raspberry 3. Blueberry

Here's my adaptation for peach preserve:

Ingredients:

-3 cups pealed and cut up peach pieces
-2 tbsp honey
-2 tbsp chia seeds

1. In a medium pot, add peaches and honey, bring to a boil at a low heat level.
2. Once boiling, turn down the heat and mash up the fruit for around five minutes.
3. Stir in chia seeds and let it thicken for twenty minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Remove from heat and let cool; add to jar/container. It lasts in the fridge for around a week.

*For peach-raspberry/blueberry preserve:

I used the same recipe as above, however I used maple syrup instead of honey.

I've been enjoying mine with oatmeal in the morning. It makes it taste like pie filling. Other uses on waffles/pancakes/chia seed pudding/toast/etc.

-mjb

recipe #18 - Cauliflower Pizza Crust

To say I'm slightly obsessed with cauliflower would be an understatement. My love of cauliflower has already been blogged about here and here. I even have a pinterest board started dedicated solely to cauliflower. Last week I finally made cauliflower pizza crust. It's been on my cauliflower bucket list since I first learned about cauliflower rice. I know I will be making this in the future instead of giving in to ordering pizza.

Ingredients:

-1 cup cooked, cauliflower rice**
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 egg, beaten
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
-olive oil (optional, i did not do this, but it was in the original recipe)

Other - pizza sauce (I used a thin layer of olive oil and franks hot sauce) and pre-cooked pizza toppings.

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. In a medium bowl mix cauliflower rice, cheese and egg together. Add in spices, transfer to a cookie sheet (pre-spray cooking sheet with non-sticking cooking spray) and pat out your pizza crust. You want it to be thin, but not too thin or it won't cook properly. If you are using olive oil this is where you would brush a thin layer over to help browning, mine worked fine without this.
3. Bake between 15-30 minutes until crust is browned. My oven took around 30 minutes.
4. Take out pizza crust, add pre-cooked pizza topping and broil for 5 minutes.

**How to Cook cauliflower rice:

1. Clean and cut cauliflower into florets.
2. Use a food processor to pulse until the cauliflower looks like grains.
3. Place the cauliflower into a microwavable bowl and microwave for 8 minutes.
4. My cauliflower made around 2 1/2 cups.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

-mjb

birthday party 2012

I have been putting joining Pinterest off for months now but I finally bit the bullet.  I have started a board for my 30th birthday party which I have decided upon the theme of '30 things I love'.  If you are so inclined please check out my board for the upcoming months as I plan my fabulous birthday party.

-mjb

Freezer, Fridge and Pantry Challenge: Day 3, 4 & 5

So here we are a few weeks later with the rest of my Freezer, Fridge and Pantry Challenge. The first image is of Black Bean Tacos that I made at a friends house. I think I may have pursued her to do her very own challenge.

Black Bean Tacos with Lettuce Wrap

Next up, is a simple pasta recipe that I just added a bit of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan to one of those Ziggy fettucini fresh pastas - full disclosure: I had to make this that night because the pasta was one day from expiring.

Parmesan Pasta with Sauteed Vegetables

The Friday I did my original challenge I went out to dinner with some girlfriend's so last week I challenged myself again to another challenge as I was going out of town for the weekend. Here is the only photo I took of my food. I will definitely make this meal again.

Poached Chicken, Asian Broccoli Slaw, Roasted Veggies and Spinach Salad

cheers

-mjb

Freezer, Fridge & Pantry Challenge: Days 1 and 2

A few weeks ago I brought one of those flavoured tunas to work to go with a salad. When I opened it up and noticed the expiry date from over a year ago, I realized a) I am kind of over flavoured tuna, b) I really need to go through my pantry more and c) I keep my pantry fully stocked to the point that I am not eating what I am buying.  Therefore my 'Freezer, Fridge & Pantry' challenge idea was born; I may coin the term after this.

Day 1 - Cheeseburger on roasted red pepper bun with homemade 3 bean soup and peas & carrots

Day One:

It may not look like much, but it was sure tasty. When I was younger, my dad was diagnosed with diabetes and this is a take on the meal he would make himself.  I make this when I'm feeling a little nostalgic. The soup was from my freezer, as was the peas and corn. Everything else came from the fridge.

Day 2: Poached chicken with spicy sauce, shaved asparagus salad and asian broccoli coleslaw

Day 2:

I decided I would poach some of my frozen chicken breasts I had after a friend had successfully done it last week and raved her outcomes. It is beginning to feel like summer and I do not want to use my oven more than I need to so poached chicken will soon be a staple. The sauce I made for it consisted of sesame oil, soya sauce and some pimento paste, I would say maybe 1 tsp of each. The broccoli coleslaw came from my fridge. The shaved asparagus salad is my new favourite! Crunchy and satisfying similar to cold noodles with this meal. Here is the dressing I mixed for both

Asian Dressing:

1 tbsp rice vinegar
1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili paste
a few drops lime juice
a few drops honey/agave
sesame seeds

I cannot wait to eat this again for lunch

-mjb

Challenges

Dear Blog

I am a horrible blogger, I keep saying I will blog more and I do not follow through. Therefore I have come up with a solution, I will set myself some challenges.

Challenge 1: Next week I am attempting to not go grocery shopping at all, therefore all meals will be prepared with my pantry and refrigerator.
Challenge 2: I want to maybe do a week of bento boxes for lunch.
Challenge 3: I want to start a new feature on my blog, 'What's for Dinner'. In actuality I have started taking photos of meals, but have not posted them and then too much time has passed.  This will change!

Here are my 'failed' attempts and if anyone wants I will post the recipes

Grainy Mustard Chicken on a bed of baby spinach with roasted beans, cauliflower and cauliflower rice

Panko Crusted Chicken Breast with baby bok choy salad and tahini quinoa lentil salad

Spicy Beef Broccoli on a bed of rice

-mjb

recipe #17 - Burger Cake

I really enjoy baking cakes for my friends on their birthday.  In the past I have made a timbit cake filled with smaller timbit bits inside, a cake with pudding inside, a cake covered in reese peanut butter cups and cupcakes galore.  My good friend Laura requested a cake that looked like a burger to fit in with her burger, beers and bowling theme. I am all too happy to oblige.

I cheated with using box cakes and icing, but I figured if I was going to decorate this then I was going to 'cheat' somewhere in the process. Therefore I will not write out an ingredients list, but I did end up going to Michaels to find the 'cheese'. I was told to say it was magic that I used for it, but really it's a sheet of edible sugar.

In all its glory

yum!

Aftermath - It was really hard to cut

I normally hate decorating cakes but I found this one let me be very creative. I did google images of burger cakes for inspiration but when it came down to it I just let my creativity flow. I've already been asked to make a barbie cake next year. I'm already figuring out how I will decorate her dress. I'm thinking Banksy mixed with Marie Antoinette.

-mjb

Craft #1 - DIY Kate Spade Earrings

I have challenged myself to two things this year so far. The first is to not buy any new clothes or accessories until the spring, as a way to save money and have experiences rather than objects.  I won't lie, it has been a hard winter. I did end up buying a new pair of rain boots because mine broke and a new pair winter boots for next year because they too will not survive this year. The other challenge that I have been attempting to do for the last few years has been to completely make all of my Christmas gifts.  Dear friends and family you may end up seeing something you may receive this year!

I have also been meaning to showcase diy crafts on here for a long time, and now I have given myself that Christmas challenge I have no more excuses.  I look forward to post as I go.

My challenge hasn't stopped me from window shopping online and I came across this adorable pair of earrings on Kate Spade that I loved and thought I could make:

Kate Spade Earrings!

Would you believe that I had all of the materials already? I had previously bought the bows off a seller on Etsy for the purpose of making earrings and never got around to it. The pearls I had bought for another project and have so many leftovers in various colours and sizes. I have been making a lot of pearl earrings lately.

Material

Materials needed:
-2 earring hooks
-2 earring head pins
-2 pearls
-2 bow charm connectors
-2 pliers (round nose & wire cutter)

Directions:

1. String pearl through head pin and cut off excess of the head pin by using the wire cutter.  Using the round nose plier bend head pin half way and add bow connector then finish bending the wire.
2. Use the round nose to bend the earring hook a bit to then add the bow with pearl and reclose the hook.

Finished!

I now have a new pair of earrings and I didn't spend any $$!

recipe #16 - Banana Skor Bit Muffins

Hello Blog,

I have missed you.  However here is a great banana muffin recipe I adapted from the Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cup flour
-1/4 cup wheat germ
-1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant!)
-2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup skor bits (the recipe called for walnuts, but I thought skor bits would be better and I had them in my pantry)
-1 large egg
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-2 mashed bananas
-1/3 cup coconut oil (I've been reading alot of other blogs that have been using coconut oil and I've been dying to try it, so I did instead of vegetable oil)
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tbsp greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Put 12 liners into a pan.
2. Whisk together, flour, wheat germ, rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. Stir in skor bits.
4. Whisk together egg, brown sugar, bananas, oil, vanilla and yogurt in a large bowl.
5. Fold in flour mixture into wet mixture. Divide the batter and add a spoonful of skor bits on top.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Muffin

Happy Sunday!

recipe #15 - Black Bean Stir Fry & Cauliflower Rice

I have a problem, I am obsessed with cauliflower.   I've used it as a replacement for spaghetti noodles and cannot get enough of it mashed, I swear you will not notice a difference between that and potatoes as long as you puree it to death.

I read about cauliflower 'rice' a few months ago and have been making it pretty religiously since. I live in Chinatown and wanted to have a 'healthier' version of the cheap take out I crave as soon as I step outside.

Cauliflower Rice Ingredients:

-1 head cauliflower
-1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Wash Cauliflower.
2. Using kitchen scissors cut into small florets, add into a food processor and pulse into fine grains.
3. Heat oil in pan, add cauliflower and sautee until softened.
4. Serve as you would rice.

*While this was sauteing, I made the rest of the stir fry.

Black Bean Stir Fry:

Ingredients:

-1 red pepper, finely chopped
-1 onion, finely chopped
-3 stems of celery, finely chopped
-2 green onions, finely chopped
-1/4 cup cucumber, finely chopped
-1 pkg of ground turkey
-3 tbsp of black bean sauce (I cheated here by using Lee Kum Kee's Black Bean Garlic Sauce)

1. Add ground turkey in a pan, once cooked remove and leave in a bowl.
2. Add vegetables to the pan and once cooked add ground turkey back in.
3. Add sauce and simmer until cauliflower rice is cooked.
4. Once plated, add cucumbers and green onions.

Dinner is served

Party Post - Britney Bros Big Top

Almost every year for my birthday I come up with a crazy theme that my friends indulge me in by participating. Past themes have included; Andy Warhol's Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Night of the Living Dead Party. This year was no different. My theme for my 29th birthday was the Circus. How did I get to that theme you ask? I blame it all on the store Michaels and their circus themed masks they had for sale.

A few of the masks

Michaels sold a few more circus themed items including invites and popcorn bags. Thus my theme was born and I spent the next few months planning and gathering for the event. I decided I would be the ringmaster and my friends came up with some great costumes which included; the bearded lady, a snake charmer, tattooed lady, tightrope walker, gypsy, knife thrower, circus goers, etc.

With every party I throw I do it on the cheap, so I hunted for items at dollar stores, value villages (I got my ringmasters red jacket there dirt cheap) and in clearance bins in various big box stores.  One of my favourite pieces I made were gold spray painted circus animals. I bought the animals from the dollar store and gold spray paint from Walmart.  In fact I'm a little obsessed with spray painting everything gold at the moment.

The Elephant - My Favourite

When it came to food, I wanted to keep it basic and fun. I wanted snacks you would find at the circus and/or carnival.  I had peanuts in shells, mini donuts, cotton candy, popcorn in bags, chips, caramel apple lollypops, big whirly lollypops, chubby sodas (which included the flavour cotton candy), mini pogos with an assortment of condiments, veggies and dip and cotton candy flavoured cupcakes as my birthday cake.

Somehow all of this became

This!

More Details

I even included face paint!

TIP #1: Look through what you already own, I re-used the green plastic bowls from a bridal shower I threw earlier in the summer and the elephant tray is from my bar.

The hardest detail to achieve this party, I would say was the Big Top. I knew I wanted to create one and with a bunch of ideas on how to do that, we settled on sheets and crepe paper.

Big Top and yes that is a Keith Haring sheet

Another look at the Big Top and me looking silly

Another great dollar store find!

All the animals in their glory and a felted circus scene

The party would not be complete without a circus-themed playlist.  The songs below were mostly inspired by the circus but a few were songs I was in love with.

There's a glimpse into my crazy brain. Cheers!