Categories

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Sweet Like Honey..

Just LOVING these little things!
They are SOO tiny but SOO sweet!
Somebody gave me one to try a few days ago & I just had to buy a box!
I have had good mandarin oranges before,
but these baby mandarin oranges are amazing!
& they already come portion controlled!! =P 


I got Chad to model them for me haha
Just to show how tiny they are!

Chicken Alfredo & Garlic Bread..

Yesterday Marj, Angus, Chad & I
spent the evening putting up some fun winter decorations at the shop!
Afterwards we went to Moxies & Chad ordered Chicken Alfredo.
It just looked SO delicious & Chad loved it SO much that...
I decided thats what I would make for dinner tonight!

So Tonight was..
 Chicken Alfredo & Garlic Bread

Decided to make it a candlelight dinner for a change :)


Such a scrumptious meal :P

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Quinoa Salad..

Last night was one of those nights where there wasn't much food left in the house
I just had to throw something together with what I had!

So I made something very simple..
but very healthy & yummy!

Quinoa Salad!
What I threw into the quinoa was..
salmon
chick peas
feta cheese
apple
honey roasted pecans
&
cashews


I dad no idea how these different flavours would taste together with the quinoa,
but have to say it turned out quite tasty! 

Now Chad on the other hand, does NOT like quinoa.
SO..
I did what had to be done...
I made him the same meal but just added in noodles!
& little dressing.


Might just have to throw that together again one day!
=D

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Three Sweet Thangz..

The other 3 members of my family :D
So hard to get a good picture of black puppies!
BUT
not hard to get a picture of my hubby - in his bright colored shirt!
...minus being able to get him to look at the camera.
What can I say...
When he is in the zone, he is IN THE ZONE !
:P


Had to do a close up of the pups so you can actually see their sweet little faces!



Love Them... xo

Monday, November 28, 2011

Cozy Monday Evening..

When winter weather starts to come, it always make me want to curl up & get cozy!
And as i'm sure most people would agree, mondays are kind of the worst day of the week :P
SOOO..
I decided to make a cozy evening for Chad & I,
but also make this monday a little more fun! 
_____

I had this little evening all planned & set up for when Chad got home from work.

A Table For Two..or rather.. A Floor For Two


Basically, I had a few blankets piled on the floor in front of the fire place,
surrounded by pillows!
I had a couple dim lights on & a few candles to make it a little more cozy and relaxing.
Put a few of our favourite games out..
Blokus 
Sequence
&
Crib
And some Friends, for a bit of laughter! =D
______________

Then i simply made some warm mushroom soup with some wild & brown rice.
....and a side of pepsi...

It was the perfect evening!
Cozy & Fun
Just as planned! 
...Chad had a lucky night & beat me at EVERY game...
But thats ok I gotta let him win a few, right!!
;D

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Husband Surprised Me With Dinner!..

Tonight my amaaazing hubby surprised me with dinner!
Was the sweetest surprise ever.
The table was set all cute, colorful & unique!
He made a meal we both LOVE & its one out of the 'Prices Pantry' Cookbook.

 It's the Honey-Orange Sauce With Chicken.


For those who would like to try out this amazing meal, I am going to write the recipe below!

Honey-Orange Sauce With Chicken

4 lbs chicken wings, chicken breasts, or chicken thighs.

Sauce:
1 cup honey OR 1/2 cup agave.
2 tbsp. soy sauce.
2 cloves garlic, crushed.
1 inch cube of fresh crushed ginger.
3 tbsp ketchup.
1/4 cup orange marmalade.
1-2 dashes Tabasco sauce.
2 medium oranges with peel on, sliced into thin slices.
(We also add 1 cup of chicken broth)
Combine & Simmer for 20-30 min.

Bake chicken 20-30 minutes @ 400 degrees.
Spoon hot sauce over & bake 15-20 minutes longer, till orange rind is candied & chicken is cooked.

Along with the chicken, he made sautéed carrots & onion
with
cashews & walnuts.
Then he cooked that all in some syrup!
Tasted GREAT! 
:)



Love These Surprises! 
xoxo

Juicing Time..

Juicing is SUCH a great thing to do for your health!
I know for myself, I don't get near enough fruits & veggies in a day as I should.
Scientists recommend 8 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables to be consumed per day. A large portion of the population don't even reach 20% of this. Juicing is the easiest way to bring you closer to this goal.
I just started reading the importance of juicing a few months ago
& so once in a while I try to make a drink.
I should be doing it a lot more often though! :P
The reason I started reading about juicing, was for my hypoglycemia.
It is suppose to really help with that, plus sooo many other things!
__________

Today I decided to use the juicer & make a drink using:
2 different apples
1 orange
6 celery sticks
&
8 carrots 
So crazy to think in that juice, are all those fruits & veggies! 
&
Its so much easier to drink all those fruits & veggies in a day then
trying to remember to eat them all!

Here are a few facts about juicing I found...

If you are juicing for health, it is useful to remember that fresh juice starts to lose nutrients as soon as it is made. If you want to retain the full benefit of your effort, drink the juice immediately or as soon as possible.

Don't peel carrots, but do remove their greens. Rhubarb greens also need to be removed. There may be a problem with toxicity if you juice these.

Do peel citrus, mango and papaya. These peels are not usable and may even be harmful to you. The skins of oranges and grapefruits contain toxic substances. However, the white, pithy part just below the skin, contains valuable bioflavonoids. Aim to retain as much of this as possible.

Soft fruits such as peaches, melons and strawberries will produce a much thicker juice than harder textured fruit such as apples. Combine the two to improve the results.


Drink freshly made juice daily and concentrate on using as wide a variety of produce as possible, to ensure that your body receives a bit of all the most beneficial micronutrients.


Many ailments will improve if juice forms a regular part of your diet.A general rule is that a pound of produce will give you about a cup of juice.

One cup of carrot juice is equal to about four cups diced, raw carrots. Carrots are much easier to consume in liquid form. Your body is also able to assimilate them better.

Vegetable juice is a low-calorie snack and contains no fat. Use it as part of a sensible eating plan, and experience the wonderful results.

Juicing for health is more beneficial if you consume juice that is at room temperature.

Ginger gives a bit of a bite to juice. Try it! It has anti-inflammatory properties. Stomach irritations, nausea and motion sickness can be relieved by taking ginger.

The nutrients in the juice you drink, is taken up immediately by all the cells in your body. Your juicer magically transfers the produce into pre-digested food. This means that your body is able to make maximum use of all the enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Juices help you to maintain the proper PH in your body, which is important in preventing diseases like cancer.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Stuffed Chicken & Watermelon Water...

Last night I decided to make a meal I have made before, that was a BIG hit!
One day I randomly thought of the idea of smashing chicken breasts thin
stuffing them with anything and everything!
(Im sure there is an easier way of doing it then what I do! :P) 
So last nights chicken was simply stuffed with carrots and onion!
So I start by taking 6 chicken breasts..
Putting each one in an individual large ziplock bag..
and smashing them between two cutting boards haha..
Like I said...probably an easier way of doing this than what I do!
 ____________
I then saute onions and carrots in a little butter.
Then I take each smashed chicken breast,
and put a LITTLE layer of mayo,
a little later of bread crumbs,
around 1 tbsp of crumbled feta cheese,
and then a GOOD tbsp of the sautéed carrots and onions.
Then I roOoOoll each one up!!

I then put each stuffed chicken breast into one large baking dish.
Pour over 1 cup of chicken broth. 
Put all the extra sautéed carrots and onions over top.
Put about 3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese over top of that. 
Then the rest of the bread crumbs - approx. 1 cup.
Then sprinked the final product with 3/4 cup of honey roasted pecans!
Mmm Mmm!
Then bake it at 375 for 45-60 min!
(Below: When the dish is done baking, its nice & golden brown on top!)

There is a delicious place called Chopped Leaf, where I got the fabulous idea of putting any kind of fruit in water, to make drinking water a little more FUN! 
 I have done fruit like:
Pineapple - Apple - Oranges - Pear - Plum - Kiwi - Lemon - Lime - Grapes 
and last night was...
WATERMELON! 
So delicious..

Definitely recommend this meal! 
:) 

Saturday, November 19, 2011

My Little Buddy

Ended my week with a fun outing with my little buddy!
She was so much fun.
I have been meaning to have her over to play with the puppies
(like she has been wanting to for a while!)
& to take her out for a little fun & finally got around to it!


We started by playing with the puppies & taking them for a nice walk.
Then we played a couple games.
Went to town for supper,
& then went to the mall for some shoppin time!
(love her chocolate teeth haha so adorable!)
What a fun way to end my week! ;D

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Pad Thai Tuesday..

Chad & I really love thai food!
I have been wanting to make pad thai for so long 
&
tonight i decided to try and make it!
It was harder then it looked!
As i cook, I tend to learn a few things here & there that I need to do differently next time!
And the part that turned out the worst this time was that I cooked the
rice noodles a little too long, so they were a little softer then they should have been.
But oh well!
Still was fun making it & turned out tasty! 
This is what the kitchen looks like as I get cooking!
Stuff everywhere! 
Yikes, what a mess :P
The end result!
Pad Thai:
-rice noodles
-peanuts
-soy sauce
-fish sauce
-carrots 
-ginger
-garlic
-tofu
-shrimp
-little brown sugar
-lime
-2 eggs
-shallot
-green onion
-cooking wine
-sesame oil

Sunday, November 13, 2011

My Best Friend - My Hubby

I just HAD to do a husband post..
On Ma Pooky Bear...He loves that name.. haha
He is only THEE sweetest man ever
&
Always there for me.
Even when I have my annoying moments, which my brothers know MUCH about ...& it's quite often i think 
:D
It's always a tad hard for a guy to please the daughters father.
But Chad had ZERO problem there!
THAT is how great of a guy he is!
Above: Top right-One of the first cute gifts Chad got me.
Bottom right-A thing he made over time and gave to me shortly after our engagement with a few of our main memories together!
I love this ugly doll. 
Chad got it for me when i was in the hospital after my surgery a FEW months back now!
He had to work, so he told me whenever he wasn't there for me to SqUeEze during all the needles, that I was to  squeeze this ugly doll.
Such a thoughtfull guy!
<3
Love You




Thursday, November 10, 2011

Our Story..

I think most people know our story..
The story of Chad & I
But for those who don't know, or those who just want to look back on it (like me), I thought I would share our story in a blog! :)


Can listen to this awesome song if you would like, while you read the blog :)

The Beginning..
It all started September long weekend of 2009.
My beautiful most amazing cousin, Amy, told me of a guy she thought I really needed to meet.
Meanwhile, Kyle (Amy's husband/Chad's cousin), told Chad of a girl he really needed to meet.
So Sept. long weekend, I decided to head out to Kelowna.
Amy, Kyle, Chad & I double dated & spent that long weekend all together!
September 18th, 2009, Chad "properly" asked me out!
CLEARLY, I said yes!!!..Chad & I were official.
How exciting!
:)
Just a FEW ;) .. flights, greyhound trips, dates & so on later..
Chad & I decided to take a trip to the coast to visit his family there and just spend some quality time together walking around Granville Island Market & Stanley Park!
Saturday night, we decided to go for a little walk under the stars by Bruce's Market.
We walked down to the docks where all the fishing boats were and we sat on the Silver Totem boat for a little while just talking. Then Chad decided to POP the question!!
He pulled the ring out of his pocket & asked "Serena, will you marry me?"
It was the sweetest moment EVER!
Engaged May 8, 2010 at Ten Thirty pm. 
<3
My amazing mom & amazing Aunty Lori planned a fun bridal shower for me!
Everyone brought me one of their top recipes! I have tested a few out that have turned out SO yummy! I still have tons more to go through!

_____________________________________

Everyone also wrote out their marital advice for Chad & I :)
Here is some of the advice we got:
Don't go to bed upset. Work things out and make up before bed-Kristen
Never go to bed angry-Jacyntha
Never go to sleep mad at each other-Maralee
Make things in life IDEAL not an IDOL-Joan Cronin
Learn how to cook...No im just kidding! Learn how to talk things through & to appreciate each other even when things are bumpy. Never stop doing the little things-Christine Leonhardt
Never get too busy or too old to go on a date! At the end of the day tell your spouse one thing that you appreciate about them that day-Linette
Keep trust & honesty KEY for lasting true love!-Madison
Give lots of hugs-Tara
Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Always kiss & make up-Shirley
Tell your husband everyday how much you love him :)-Grama Donna
Be loving, always make up before going to bed, if you had a disagreement, be happy, and have a good sense of humor-Michelle
Something Uncle Jack Price told us 40 years ago: Always say "good night", never go to sleep angry at each other. Remember to be thankful for each effort the other is doing-Dona D
Say I love you at least once a day. Use your recipe cards & make a delicious dinner or whatever. Clean the house and do whatever your husband wants & surprise him-michelle manary
Never go to bed angry with each other :)-Lindsey Dreger
Always treat your husband like a King & he will treat you like a Queen<3-Aunty Kerri
Love like there is no tomorrow-Joni Goodkey
Let it be known Serena-Men are different than women. In every man is a 5 year old boy that wants to be appreciated. So keep him happy by saying I so appreciate that Chad & he will go do something else for you. Then happy you-Marj
Be nice to each other- Mikiyo Goto
When your husband say "Lets talk about this tomorrow" Don't push it, otherwise you'll end up in a fight. Its the good advise I got from my mother in law. I have been trying to do this for 4 years , sometimes I fail(When i forget to follow the advise)-Lidia Cronin
Its like a triangle with God at the top, Chad & you at the two bottom corners, and the closer to God you are, the closer you are to eachother-Amy 
_________________________________
Then came the wedding dress shopping with my mom, aunty kerri & amy. 
The wedding dress I chose, was pretty much the first one I saw. But i didn't want to choose the first dress in case there was something better out there. So I tried a few other dresses on!
I remember when I tried on the dress I chose for the first time, Amy said "oh Rena! You literally just took my breath away! Thats the dress!"
Amy saying that, definitely 'sealed the deal'.
I knew that was THEE dress.
Getting the little top jacket for the dress was a WHOLE other story, and THANKfully I had the help of my AMAZING aunty kerri & AMAZING mom.
I wouldn't have been able to get the dress situation all figured out if it wasn't for the help of them!
My Aunty Kerri was SUCH a great help throughout the entire wedding!
When I got ready for the wedding & was in my wedding dress and ready to go, my aunty kerri started to tear up & it struck something in me and then before I knew it I was crying! ha-Great memories <3

Here are just a few 'behind the scene' pictures we quickly took while wedding dress shopping.
They were taken on a cell phone so not the best quality.
The first 2 pictures on the left are of the dress I chose. The one on the right was my second choice.
These next few dresses I tried on were horrible looking! We tried to keep our laughter down in the bridal boutique :P
These last few pictures are also of the dress I chose! 
This was the dress strapless & without a little jacket.

We got married January 21, 2011 at Sparkling Hills Resort.
It was the most beautiful day with crystal white snow, amazing views, a gorgeous resort, & all our close friends and family! 
The day could not have been better!


Here are a few of our wedding pictures!   01.21.11 <3
Again, be sure to click on each picture for a larger view!
These are pictures of the resort &  just a FEW of the crystals all over the resort!
Chad & I getting ready!
Our YUMMY snack table! We painted all those little white candy boxes!
Our flower arrangements!
Saying 'I Do'!
I just love that picture of Chads Grandma & Me. The picture cut off but we are holding hands :P
So precious :)
As for the bottom left hand picture-LOVE those 2 girls!!
I can't get enough of the pictures of our little flower girls!
Most darling little things. They really felt like princess's that day! :)

The left is all the crystals hanging from each levels walkway, as soon as you walk into the resort!
The right is me & the most AMAZING mother-in-law EVER! :) Love the picture! 

I can't end this blog post without saying a few thanks!
THANKS to Aunty Kerri & Uncle Darwin for ALL the wedding prints & for all the extra help!
AND
THANKS TO THE MOST AMAZING PARENTS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD FOR THE MOST SPECIAL DAY OF MY LIFE!
WE GOT SPOILED! :)
xoxo
<3