A Day without Milk

You might think I'm referring to my little guy, however, I am in fact referring to myself. This morning we woke after an extremely busy weekend, with no milk in the fridge. Now for most people this is not a big deal, but for me, this is a problem! I have cereal every morning and I drink copious amounts of tea throughout the day - always with milk. But this morning there was none. And we don't live especially close to a store, nor did I have the enthusiasm before breakfast. I usually have evaporated or dry milk powder in the cupboard for baking, and have been known to dip into these in the case of a dire emergency. But we were all out of these too! Not even a little yogurt that I could have with my cereal. What is a girl to do? Well I survived. And I thought you might be interested in what I came up with.

For breakfast I had some toast: homemade oatmeal bread, with grape jelly on one slice and peach jam on the other. And I did have tea, spiced chai rooibos, without milk, but it was still delicious!

For lunch Pip and I had left over moose steak, rice and asparagus. And for dessert I thawed some frozen strawberries and blueberries, mixed them with canned peaches from the summer and some homemade granola... and delicious!

For supper we are planning to have some bear soup from the freezer (yes I said bear) and homemade oatmeal bread. And perhaps some more frozen berries for dessert :)

Now I have to admit I just sent an e-mail to Reggie, asking for him to pick up a few things on his way home, milk being one of them. And I can't promise I'm not going to have some cereal when he gets here. It seems I just can't make it through a day without milk.

Is there anything you can't bear to go without?
xox

Eating Locally & a Winner!

I have always been interested in the idea of eating locally grown and sourced foods. It can be difficult at times to find everything you need locally, especially when your local growing season is only 6 months long. When I lived in Newfoundland, I found that the people were very good at harvesting locally available fruits, vegetables and meat and preserving them for the winter. Two years ago I was finally able to grow my own vegetables in a small garden in our yard, as well as pick local berries and freeze/jam them for winter use. I am happy with the idea of these fruits and veggies grown close to home, but I was interested to learn more about local growers and producers. 

I am lucky to live in an area that is surrounded by farmland. I knew there had to be an easier way to find out which farms grow which products. After doing a little bit of searching, I found the Farm Fresh Website which lists most of the farms in this area along with what they produce. If you read my blog regularly you know that Reggie is an avid hunter and fisherman; therefore most of the meat we eat he harvests himself. But occasionally we like to eat chicken or beef and felt that the meat available in the grocery store wasn’t the healthiest or most ethical option; so one of my goals when searching through the local farms was to find one that had some good, free-range options for meat. And… success! I’ve talked to one of the farmers and I just have to arrange when to pick up our meat. The nice thing is we can order any quantity so there is no committing to a large amount. We can try it out first, and then order more later on!

I think that knowing and understanding where your food comes from is an important part of eating, especially eating sustainably. This doesn’t mean that I will refuse to eat something that isn’t grown locally, but that I am making more informed choices about the food I purchase and consume. I am going to be talking a little more about our search for local food options, along with local recipes, here on Newfoundlander at Heart. Something that is important to note is the seasonal availability of fruits and vegetables. In my area this chart is very helpful for figuring out which fruits and veggies are available when. It might be different depending on where you are located, but it is a good general guide to determine seasonal availability.

Also, the winner of the Big Giveaway is Ada! Congratulations, please e-mail me to claim your prizes :)

xox

Celebrating!

This weekend I went down to Toronto with some friends to celebrate my birthday/bachelorette. I wasn't isn't interested in common traditions that involve too much alcohol, attention grabbing clothing/accessories, and often some sort of nudity! So I asked if we could go to the spa. On Saturday afternoon we went to enjoy the warm and relaxing waters at Body Blitz, with some individual treatments (I had a face and scalp renewal and a 45 min massage - thanks Cait). In the evening we went out for dinner to the Queens Pasta Cafe - delicious! If you are ever in Bloor West Village in Toronto I would highly recommend it. Great food, good service, and all in a intimate setting! Following dinner, our hostess for the weekend had rented a cinema room she has in her building, and we watched Father of the Bride I &II! With popcorn and $40 worth of candy, it was quite the night!

And that wasn't the end of it. On Sunday night we had a delicious dinner of Vegetable Wellington, courtesy of our hostess once again, followed by a trip downtown for some dancing. We all got dolled up, and we had a great night! It was one I am sure to remember for a long time! Thanks so much girls!

xox

In the Garden: Harvest Season

So I realized I haven't posted about the garden much recently. It had a difficult July as we had very little rain, but things seem to be growing well! I had my first harvest a little while back, and then we've been enjoying some radishes, green beans and sweet peas since then.

Largest radish I have ever seen!

The lettuce never did very well, and we are waiting on the tomatoes, peppers, squash and zucchinis. This is the beginning of my favourite time of year! The days get cooler, the colours change, there is fruit and veggies galore, it is my birthday (in early September), and soon will be my wedding anniversary also! So many wonderful things. Including...

 

 

Corn! mmm.. The corn has been delicious this year! Reggie and I usually cook it on the BBQ when it is too hot to boil water inside, and the flavour is great! Super easy too, all you do is soak the corn for 20-30 mins in cold water, and then cook it over medium heat for about 10 minutes. We usually combine it with some sort of chop or burger, and top with loads of butter, and salt and pepper, and of course we include a some carb in the meal - delish!

What is your favourite treat this time of year?
xox

Sliders and Sponsor Call out! :)

Remember I mentioned that we were headed to Orillia to get our new patio furniture (here). Well since we brought it home, and it stopped raining, we have been thoroughly enjoying it!

Last night we enjoyed some sliders! I never really realized why people got so excited about them... Until I ate them. You can dress them so many different ways, and eat them all without getting totally stuffed. And how cute are they!? (In my humble opinion, anything miniature is cute!)

And on a totally separate note. I am still looking for sponsors for July. Sponsor spots are still free. If you are interested in sponsoring Newfoundlander at Heart, please see here or e-mail me for more info!

Thanks lovelies!

Popcorn!

Who doesn't love a good snack? A few years ago, a good friend of mine was concerned about my (heavy) consumption of microwave popcorn. She was kind enough to purchase an air-popper from a local second hand store, and some kernels. And I have to admit, I haven't used it as often as I would have liked. But recently Reggie and I were craving some popcorn, and I pulled it out to make a snack.

The very first time I used this machine I put waaay too many kernels in, and had a bit of a popcorn mess! This time I put less than 1/4 cup of kernels, and I think it was perfect. The popper pushes hot air out of a vent in the bottom of the appliance, and heats and spins the kernels. When they start to pop they come flying out the front. Look out! You put the butter in the top, and it heats up and melts - making a perfect topping for your freshly popped corn!

And because I didn't think the photo was a good enough example, I took a short video for you:

I wish you could hear the audio, it was hilarious! I was laughing so hard at the popcorn flying everywhere, and Reggie's comments in the background about me video-taping the popcorn maker - As only a blogger would!

What do you like for a snack? I think I might have to make this again soon!

From the Box: Burritos

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you about the Good Food Box? (see post here) And I promised to share recipes of all the wonderful things I made? Well life has been so busy I have forgotten to do just that. Luckily last week when I made these quick and delicious burritos, I had a chance to snap a quick photo before they disappeared!

Look good? Find the ingredients and directions below!

This is kind of a clean-out-the-cupboard/fridge recipe
Burritos
6             soft tortillas
3 cups     rice, cooked
1 can       black beans (I added a can of baked beans because Reggie really likes them)
1/2 cup    tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes)
1 tsp        garlic powder
1/2 tsp     chipotle chili powder (or any chili powder)
                salt and pepper to taste
Toppings (totally up to you, but here are some suggestions)
grated cheese
sour cream
salsa
hot peppers
diced tomato
romaine lettuce*
sliced cabbage*
chopped green onions*

*the last three toppings are all things I got in the Good Food Box!

Directions
Heat the beans in a pot with the tomato sauce, garlic, chili spice, salt and pepper. When the rice is cooked and beans are heated layer on top of a soft tortilla with any toppings that you find delicious! Then attempt to roll your burrito, keeping all the filling inside (ha!). And finally enjoy!

Have you devoured something delicious recently? Tell me about it!

6 more days to enter the 1st May Giveaway!

From The Box: Easy Coleslaw

The Good Food Box is available in cities throughout Ontario. They purchase fruit and veggies from local (or as close to as possible) farms and suppliers and distribute all around Ontario. I purchased my Good Food Box from the local health unit for $15, and look at all that I found inside:

• potatoes
• apples
• oranges
• onions
• rutabaga
• cabbage
• green onions
• lemon
• garlic
• strawberries
• not in photo: lettuce, cucumber

I was super impressed! Look at all the great food I got for only $15! I want to check the actual prices of the fruit and veggies and compare to what I paid, but I guarantee it would have cost a lot more. So with all these tasty treats I am going to try some new and interesting recipes, and I will of course share with you! First up:


Easy Coleslaw
2 cups    cabbage, sliced
3            baby carrots, thinly sliced
1            green onion
2 tsp      fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp    mayonnaise
2 tbsp    plain yougurt
2 tbsp    salad dressing (your favourite)
dash      salt and pepper
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/3 cup dried cranberries


Thinly slice the cabbage, baby carrots, and the green onion, combine with the cilantro, mayo, yougurt, dressing, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the tomatoes and cranberries on top, and enjoy thoroughly!

It was so good, and super quick! I love meals (or sides) that come together in minutes. :)

Have you tried anything new recently?