A long jaunt

Decided to hike over the bridge on the weekend, across the harbour. Brought the whole family. The boys rode in the stroller for most of it, but were very excited to run across the bridge. Loved looking at the ships and ferries in the water.

We were all exhausted and cranky by time we came home. And no wonder - when we mapped out our route, it was 5.1 kilometers in each direction!


In other news, as I got out of the shower this morning, I caught sight of my shadow on the bathroom wall. It was lumpy in all the right places. And a few wrong ones. I actually had to stop and grab at rolls of flesh to identify them in the shadow-me. Do you know I'm developing saddle-bags? Those oh-so-delightful rolls of flesh between your butt and hips. I'm not sure if I'm feeling disgusted or defeated.

I really must make an effort to go back to the gym. Thinking about it and eating chocolate just isn't cutting it.

Laziness and cereal

Psssssst.....Wanna know what I did instead of going to the gym today? It's a fun list!

Saw hubby and the boys out the door a little after 8am then went back to bed. Read and snoozed (crazy, twisty dreams, too!) until 10:30.
Did 2 loads of laundry. (Well, 3, really, since cloth diapers go through twice.)
Cleaned a very full and nasty litter box. Threw up a bit in my mouth.
Hid from a delivery since I didn't feel like answering the door.
Finished my book - "The Morning After" by Lisa Jackson.
Made granola from scratch. (Thanks, Be!)
Watched 2 episodes of Castle.
Ate half a bag of microwave popcorn - the other half was burnt and gross.
Had too much coffee. (Hopped on the bandwagon and got a fab new Keurig machine. AWEsome!!)
Ate a pear, lots of pilfered M&Ms (sorry Jay), a large bowl of berries, a large bowl of granola with plain yogurt, along with a bagel & cream cheese (at breakfast).

Granola
(Modified from Be's Scrumptious Recipe)

9 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups wheat bran
1.5 cups oat bran
3 cups coconut, shredded, unsweetened
1 cup almonds, sliced or slivered
1/3 cup whole flaxseed
1/2 cup salted sunflower kernels
1.5 cups chopped fruit of choice
(I used an organic apple cranberry mix in this batch)
2/3 cup oil of choice
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 230F.

Add all dry ingredients to large roasting pan. Add oil and stir to combine. In large measuring cup, combine hot water and sweeteners. Stir to mostly dissolve. Pour slowly and evenly over granola; stir. Bake in oven for 2-3 hours, stirring every 45 minutes.

Enjoy with plain yogurt and fresh berries! Store in airtight container.

Now I need to get out of my PJs and go get the boys from daycare. By special request, making Mac & Cheese for supper tonight, using the new sauce mix by Epicure Selections. Looking forward to trying it out - my order just came in the other night. Yum!

Don't eat me!

This is sitting on my counter. It's not healthy in the least. Ok, maybe in the least. It's something similar to what my mom made when we were kids. We hate them, because she never used enough butter or marshmallows to make them good. They were crunchy and often stale since we wouldn't eat them. She would also leave out ingredients in cookies or burn them just a touch when baking. Stopped us from devouring them all at once, I guess. Smart lady, my mama!

I didn't actually measure, so these might be too sticky, too messy. Oh dear! Whatever will I do??! *drool*

Chocolate Puffed Wheat Squares

1/4 cup butter
2/3 bag of mini marshmallows
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Approx 4 cups dry puffed wheat cereal

Melt butter in heavy pot on stove. Add marshmallows and chocolate. Stir until all melted and combined. Remove from heat, stir in cereal. Press into greased pan to cool, or, like I tried today, just pat flat into the same pot. (You'll want to sit the pot in cold water to cool it down faster.) Cut into squares. Or scoop out and eat with your fingers if too soft!

Yep, pretty much the rice crispies recipe, but you can delude yourself into thinking it's healthier this way - use organic puffed wheat with no added sugar or anything. Tasty!

I should probably also confess I haven't been to the gym in nearly 2 weeks. I miss it, but I don't have the time. *cough cough*

Mmmmmm granola bars!

Finally got around to making these awesome things tonight, while simultaneously making Mac & Cheese from scratch. (The TV is a fab babysitter!) Loosely followed the recipe from Mon Petit Amour, who in turn had modified from a recipe posted on Smitten Kitchen (check her out - awesome stuff. I look and drool. Lots.)

They smelled amazing and I had a hard time waiting for them to cool completely before I cut into them - actually stuck them in the freezer for the last few minutes!

Granola Bars

2-3 cups of stuff: I used raisins, flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds and chocolate chunks
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup almond (or other) nut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups slow cook oats
1/3 cup oat bran
dash of salt
large dash pumpkin spice mix

Melt butter, whisk in nut butter, honey and vanilla. In another bowl, add oats, oat bran, salt and spice mix; stir to combine. Add in 'stuff' and nut butter mixture. Stir to mix completely.

Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes in a parchment lined square pan. (I used 9x9). Let cool completely before slicing. Watch them disappear!

They taste phenomenal, but are highly crumbly. Guess I'll ease up on dry ingredients next time.

French Toast Topped Mac & Cheese

1/2 lb elbow or other pasta (I usually just eyeball it as I pour into the water)
2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (I use the shaky stuff, that's what's typically on hand)
2 3/4 cups milk, divided
2 large eggs
3 thick slices bread, torn into chunks
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare pasta as per package directions.
Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Whisk in flour. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups milk. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Stir in 1.5 cups mozza and 1/2 cup Parm. Microwave 1 more minute. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce, stir to combine.

Topping: Whisk 1/4 cup milk and 2 eggs together in a small bowl. Add remaining cheeses. Stir to combine. Add bread, stir to coat. Spoon over noodle mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, wait a few minutes to serve.

For something different, this time I sprinkled in some Cheese & Jalapeno dip mix as well as some Herb & Garlic mix. Tasty!

Ok, so maybe TV isn't the greatest babysitter. Just had to take a break from typing to call poison control when Felix came around the corner with a bottle of household cleaner in his mouth. The lid was still on, but his breath smelled like it, and when I tipped the bottle upside down and squeezed it, liquid came out. Bad mommy!!! He's fine, thankfully.