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!