My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Where to?

Air France. The plane I wish I was on...
The boyfriend is getting surgery on his shoulder on May 1 (surgery that he's been putting off for 5+ years, due to the fact that he didn't want to give up rugby. Dedication much?) He's going to be pretty much immobile for 8 weeks or so...and let me tell ya, he's pretty grumpy about it already. This cuts into his precious summer time right after he graduates (again! With another honours degree! Excuse my bragging). We decided a while ago that we'd go away for a couple of days in between the end of exams and his surgery. The problem? We found out his last exam is on April 25th. Meaning we'd only be able to go away somewhere from the 26-29. So our dreams of somewhere hot and tropical to cram his fun summer into got slightly diminished. But that's okay! Because now we get to be creative and go somewhere less hot but more local!
Here are our ideas so far:

  • Ottawa, Ontario
  • Quebec City or Old Montreal, Quebec
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Washington, DC
  • Niagara Falls, Ontario (despite the fact that we've both been there about 100 times..still always good for a weekend away!)
  • Toronto, Ontario (see note above)
  • Orlando, Florida (I already have passes to Disney World, so that would be good price-wise! Although I've been to Florida a number of times and would like to explore somewhere new. Plus not so sure how enthusiastic my 23-year-old-macho-man boyfriend would be about Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse rides)
  • Jasper, Alberta
  • Banff, Alberta
There are pros and cons to each one... cons for all of the American cities are that I'm not turning 21 until June 3, so if we wanted to go out to a bar or whatnot my lack-of-age would be ruining those plans. Also the price of some of these places are significantly higher than others (we're looking to spend less than $500 each). Anyone have any cheap-ish, random long weekend getaway ideas?

Monday, March 12, 2012

Il Pleut

It's a rainy day here in Southern Ontario, and looks like it's going to be like that all week. Which got me thinking... I need rain gear. I have one umbrella (that I loooovelovelove...has the Union Jack on it!) but I got it for about $5 at a festival, and tends to go inside out on a windy day. Which leaves me slightly wetter than I intend to be. And don't get me started on walking through puddles in my converse sneakers or flats. So, once I save up some extra cash, pay off my car/school and/or win the lottery, I'm going to invest in some of these:
I couldn't resist




I've always wanted a big clear bubble umbrella... it'd be so cool to watch the rain come pouring down right above your head! And since when did rain boots become so adorable?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Canadian Girls


Dean Brody's "Canadian Girls" is my and my girlfriends' anthem right now. And we're going to see him LIVE when he comes to our school in two weeks!
This song makes me even more proud to be CANADIAN.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

My friend recently introduced me to the glorious superfood that is quinoa. I've been (trying to go) on a health kick lately, eating right and exercising as often as I can. Quinoa is a huge source of protein, fibre, not to mention it's gluten-free and contains lots of vitamins and minerals (check out some info here!) So I decided to start trying to add quinoa to my diet. I found this recipe on pinterest, of course :)
excuse the iPhone-ness of this picture

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa (adapted from epicurious)

  • 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used a 19 ounce can...I love me some black beans)
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water, draining in a sieve each time. 
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch the sieve!) Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (the lid won't fit tightly, but no worries!) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry...about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with a towerl, for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl (I used a 8-cup mixing bowl, and it went right to the top... the quinoa expands when it's cooked, like pasta, so you'll get a lot out of one cup!)
When quinoa is finished cooking, add to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed. Then, add remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
Bon Appetite!

Note: I was unsure whether this recipe was to be served warm or cold...so I tried it both ways. And it's great either warm or cold! So suit yourself! :)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Thankful Thursday!

I've decided that I can definitely start being a little more thankful for everything in my life, so why not start documenting it all as a reminder when times are tough?
So, without further adieu,
My Brewster at the cottage, August 2011
I am thankful for Brewster! Brewster is my 13-year-old West Highland White Terrier, and my constant companion. Wherever I go, he goes... sleeps on my bed, sits beside (on) me on the couch, waits outside the door for me when I'm in the washroom, under my chair at the breakfast table, and is always at the door for me when I come home. He's even the background on my phone, so I always have him with me! I absolutely love him beyond anything, and apologise to everyone I know for constantly being "that" dog person who shoves new pictures of him in their face and dramatically gasp and calls everyone over to see him whenever he's being cute (i.e., usually just lying there).