Hello!

   How was the weekend? I had such a fabulous birthday party on Friday evening! I felt so blessed by my friends, and it was good to have them all (mostly) here. Our house looked like some wild high-school rager had swept through it though! When I finally went to bed at 3am (eek!), I saw there were plates and cups strewn about the yard, fruit flies on every bit of sticky dessert stuck here and there, and a mountain of plastic cutlery to wash! I blame the first 2 on all the (wonderful) little children who were here, and the utensils on my extreme need to recycle (I can use plastic utensils over and over people!). The best part though? I had an art sale & show on Saturday that I needed to leave the house early for, so I didn't have to do any of the next day cleaning!!! Woo hoo!!! My amazing husband and kids had this house shining like the top of the Chrysler building by the time I got home!!! That's pretty much the best birthday gift ever! 

   Anyway, let's move on to food!

   I saw a great recipe for Jerk Chicken with Mango Pineapple Salsa over at Paleo Newbie and it looked so good! I rarely (rarely rarely!) buy chicken breasts, and was going to try this with bone-in chicken, but had another thought. Shrimp. Yes, spicy shrimp, a cool refreshing mango & pineapple salad over a big bed of salad and veggies. It sounded so good and wanted to give it a try! 

Jerk Shrimp & Mango Pineapple Salad
Makes 2 huge servings. Also, it seems like there a a million steps, but really, it's not so bad! 
Adapted from Paleo Newbie


Ingredients for everything!:

For the shrimp:

• 2 Tsp dried onion
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp all spice
• 1/2 Tsp chilli seasoning
• 1 Tbs honey
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (you could omit this if you don't have any)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 3 Cups shrimp (any size you like), the peeled & cooked kind, thawed

Mango Pineapple Salsa & Salad:

• 1 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut up. You can dice it small, or cut bigger pieces (that's what I do)
• 1 Cup cut up pineapple (I like 1 inch pieces)
• 1 Ripe avocado, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 Jalapeño peppers, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if that's your thing)-you can use more of less depending on your taste
• 1 red pepper (or any bell pepper), diced
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad dressing & salad:

• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 Cups washed and cut salad. We generally use 70% romaine and 30% "tender leaves" like baby spinach, arugula, baby green romaine, etc. (usually from a Dole clamshell mix). You can also just use all romaine, or ice burg if you prefer. But don't use all tender leaves as they aren't a strong enough bed for the salsa and shrimp, if that makes any sense! :)  

Methods:


First prep the shrimp:

1. Mix all ingredients for the shrimp marinade together in a large bowl or large Ziploc bag. Add shrimp and mix then let sit and marinate while making the mango pineapple salsa

Now the mango pineapple salsa: 

1. Combine all the ingredients for the salsa together in a bowl and toss to coat, then cover and set aside 

Now prep your salad

1. In a large bowl add all the ingredients for the salad dressing and whisk to combine
2. Add into the bowl any veggies you want for your salad. I generally use (all diced), half a cucumber, half a sweet bell pepper, a whole tomato, and a handful of shredded cabbage. You can also just use lettuce and skip the extra veg! 
3. Add the salad to the bowl (adding the stronger leafed lettuce first), but DO NOT toss yet!

Meanwhile...back to the shrimp (p.s. you can always skip this step if you'd rather have the shrimp cold!):

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat, or use a grilling basket on your bbq and heat to medium (ish. I know heating things on the bbq can be finicky)
2. Once the pan or grilling basket is hot, add a touch of oil, or spray with oil, then add the shrimp and quickly heat and get some colour on them. This should take less than 5 minutes if your pan or grilling basket was nice and hot

Put it all together!:

1. Now go ahead and toss your readied salad!
2. Divide the salad between 2 bowls
3. Top each salad with half the mango pineapple salsa 
4. Divide the shrimp over the 2 salads

Dinner time!!!  :)  

   So, yes, it may seem like the longest list of ingredients and steps ever, but it is honestly a pretty simple recipe. It's really forgiving too; if you don't have all of the ingredients for each part, as long as you have most of them, it'll still be super tasty. Don't want to cook the shrimp? Then don't (remember it's the pre-cooked kind)! Want to use your own salad dressing? Then go for it! Just look at this all as a starting point, and you can get creative. As long as you have a nice, spicy shrimp, and the cool (with a bite) mango pineapple salsa, you'll be good to go. You could even just mix those 2 together as a salad on their own if you wanted! 

   Alright, well, I need to get moving! It was a long weekend of late nights, and the kids were up each a few times last night for some ridiculous reason or another ("I lost my bracelet!", "where's my water bottle?", "where's Diana?"(a doll), "I need you to tuck me back in!"). Good grief Charlie Brown.....So, I'm feeling tired, got a bit of a headache, and I know if I don't stand up soon and move, I'll just melt into a tired puddle! Oh, and it's raining, so even the weather is trying to trick me into doing nothing today! 

   Have a wonderful day! See you next time!

   Oh, and super randomly, last night while on Pinterest I noticed I mis-spelled the word "chocolate" on one of my images with a title....but I was too tired to deal with it...now I can't remember which recipe it was! Help me find it! I'm so embarrassed that it's out there in the WWW (and on this blog) with "chocolate" spelled incorrectly! Aaahhhhhh! Home-schoolers nightmare!!! Hahaha....I am a little dramatic, but I am seriously embarrassed!  

   I've come to the ripe old age of 32 today! I'm not feeling sad or anything, getting older can be exciting (just spend time with a a child from the age of 3-7 and you'll learn that getting older is extremely exciting!)  :)
   
   We're having a birthday party tonight too, which is something to look forward to! It's a semi-surprise party....I said something like this to my husband, "Adam, I want to throw myself a birthday party this year". Him, "why?". Me, "well, I'm always throwing parties for the kids, and I want to throw one for myself. Plus it's a good excuse to get all our friends together". Him, "Oh....ok". 
 
   Then, because I hadn't said much about it (I was planning it in my mind, and had invited a few people), he started to try to secretly plan it for me. So sweet. Anyway, having me only partly know what is going on is just making me feel a little antsy. I like to plan, I like to prepare, but I'm learning to let go....sort of. My husband came home from work yesterday to my three tiered cookie stand loaded with desserts. "Uh, did you make these today?", he asked.....

    Yes, the answer was yes. I had baked for a good part of the day for my party, just in case. I figure whatever is leftover can be sent home with guests as party favours! 

   Anywho, let's get to today's treat! It's soooooooo simple to make! It's sooooooo tasty. It's soooooooo some other third thing. 

   If you don't already know this, (one of ) my favourite things is s'mores. Real, campfire s'mores are my most fav, but any combo of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers just floats my boat.

    So for my birthday, I'm sharing a s'more recipe that is among my favourites!   

   So, today in a spirit of deep gratitude, I want to share some things from this past year of my life that have made me realize a little more about myself, about what I am capable of, and about how blessed I am. I think it's good to re-cap and see how things have changed, to see what you've accomplished, and to feel fulfilled, but also to see where you want to push harder and grow more.

    First, I was in a show this past year with the Belleville Theatre Guild. I didn't intend to be in the show, I was just going to help with choreography, but (long story short) I ended up in the cast and am really proud of the work we did. Of course I am biased about it because I was in it, but we really worked so hard, and it was a beautiful show. Being in the show helped me semi-conquer a deep fear of failure. I (for as long as I can remember) have avoided doing many things because I was afraid I would be terrible at it. But I was suddenly in this show, singing in a role just outside of my vocal range (I am usually an alto), and felt so worried that I couldn't do it. Or if I managed I would crap out half-way through the run of the show. But I decided to "Rachel Berry" it. Rachel Berry is from the show "Glee" and as I watched this show and how confident Rachel was, I somehow built up a mental confidence and talked myself into being fully able to do this role I had been given. And I did it! I got the vocals, my voice didn't crap out during the run, I wasn't so nervous during performances that my voice was a wreck, and I did it! I honestly feel like that gave me a new confidence, a belief in myself that maybe some things are not out of my reach, and that I don't always need to be afraid of failing! I know I will still fail any many things in my life, but I feel more willing to try now that I've done this show. 

   Also, speaking of the show, it pushed me to accomplish a goal I have had for years, and years, and years!!! Doing the splits!!! I have honestly been trying for so long and have wanted to be able to do the splits since I was a kid, but couldn't quite get there. Then, I'm in this show and the director (who I was sharing choreography with because there was 10 dance numbers in this show!) says, "and then you'll do the splits". I was like, "what? Huh?....I can't really do the splits....", and she said, "well, then do the jazz splits" (a cheater split, really), and I thought, "this is it". This is a chance to really try to get my splits! And I was crazy determined to do it! I did stretches for my splits every day, for at least 15-20 minutes. I even bought a video from some physiotherapist (with a crazy annoying voice!) with new stretches to help me...and that's what did it. The stretches with the annoying voice guy pushed me (and my muscles) just that little bit further, and I got it! I got my splits!!! It took years, then literally 5 months of really focused stretching, but I got them! Woo hoo!  :)      

   This year I also (through my new confidence) managed to fly to Europe and back without having a panic attack or barfing, or crying, or any of my usual flying reactions! I honestly got on the plane, talking to myself "you can do this. You can fight nerves, you did it for the run of the show, you can fly in a plane"....and I did! I actually (gasp) kind of enjoyed it! And, while we're on Europe, I got to go to Europe! I've actually been before, but this was really different. I got to go as an adult & with my husband. We visited family (I love knowing more about heritage and history), visited some beautiful places, ate some amazing food, and really enjoyed the trip! I feel so blessed to have been able to go!       

 
   Lastly, I feel like this year has helped me grow as a visual artist. I feel like I've put more time in practicing my painting, and I am feeling more confident about it. It probably looks the same as ever, but I sense a change in what I can do, in how I do it. Painting (although I always enjoyed it) was also often a struggle. I felt like I couldn't put down what I was imagining. But this past few months I've been feeling more calm in it, if that makes sense. I think being in Europe helped somehow. I got to see close up some of my favourite artists work, I got to see how from close up, a lot of their paintings were just colours, but not a whole picture. You step back and suddenly there is an amazing impressionist painting. I can get stuck looking too closely at my paintings, and have learned to step back and see the whole picture.  

   
   That's it! (haha, that's it!) That was a short story for goodness sake! At least it was a short story with pictures! :)  If you read along, thank-you! If not, no worries! This blog is a place where I share recipes, DIY ideas, thoughts on raising kids and thoughts on autism. But, it's also a place where I share my heart. It doesn't matter so much to me if people read it, it matters to me that I just got it out. I want to be able to look back at this post and remember this year (I've got a pretty rotten memory!), and to remember on low days how blessed I am! 

   To anyone else who shares this birthday (Will Smith, Barbara Walters, Tyler Mills {this last guy isn't famous, he's a friend from my childhood}), happy birthday to you too!!! 


xoxoxo

   Apparently today is the last day of summer....geepers. I 100% thought it was on Monday, so when all is said and done, I feel as though I've gained a few extra days of summer!

    The last few weeks we've been eating (and enjoying) a lot of peaches! Ontario leads Canada in both peach and nectarine production with 82% of the national production (found this factoid here), so I mean, we're serious about peaches here in Ontario! 

   I knew I would be eating them as-is, but also that I would be making some cobblers/crumbles too. I made a paleo peach crumble (or crisp, whatever you chose to call it!)) last peach season, and it's good. But one vegging out night watching episodes of "House", I wanted a warm peach creation, but not a crumble. I wanted a "cobbler", which is a batter or biscuit topping baked on the fruit. 

   I have a thing for mug cakes (here's a few!), so I knew it could be done! I wanted this thing more peachy than cake-y though, so you can feel free to use less peach if you want. But peach amount aside, I think we can all agree that a mug cake is a perfect Wednesday treat. It's quick, it's simple, there's only enough for one which means 2 good things: you can't share it, and you can't overindulge either! 

Paleo Peach Mug Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 Tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 Tsp baking soda
  
• 3 Tbsp almond meal/flour

• 1 Peach, washed, and sliced into 8 sections, then halved (you can peel your peach too if you want. I am too lazy to peel anything, so I always leave the skins!)
• Drizzle of maple syrup (or honey), if desired 

Method:

1. In a mug (doesn't have to be a huge one, but don't pick a teeny one either), melt your oil
2. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, egg white, and lemon juice and whisk together well, using a fork or a tiny whisk
3. Add the baking soda and almond meal, and mix up really well
4. Now, put your prepared peach into the mug, don't worry that they aren't all in the batter
5. Drizzle a little maple syrup (or honey) onto the peaches now if you wanna
6. Microwave for 90 seconds, keeping an eye on it. If it gets too puffy and looks like it'll overflow, stop the micro, let the cobbler settle, then start it up again. I have to do this for the last 30 seconds or so of 'baking', doing 10 second intervals with a settling in between each
7. Once done, that mug'll be hot, so be sure to have an oven mitt (or use your sleeve!) to get the mug-cobbler out of the microwave
8. Now get a spoon....I think you know what comes next....  :)

   
   Wednesday....oh Wednesday....I start loosing steam by Wednesday....

   We were visiting some friends last night, and we got home late-ish, and I hadn't had a chance to prepare lunches in the evening like I usually would. So I got up at a ridiculous hour (before the sun!) to get a good lunch packed for my hubby then for the kids. I know 9pm will roll around tonight and I'll fall asleep on the couch (watching "House"), but, I do quite end up enjoying my quiet mornings. I prefer the usual ones that begin at 6:00-6:30, not 5am like today, but still, it's nice. I'll probably need me some mug cake tonight though, that's for sure! 

   You can do it! Get through Wednesday!
    

     Hello! How are we today? 

     Monday can either intimidate me with thoughts of what needs to get done in the coming week, and I feel it's too daunting and get unmotivated. Or it can give me a fire to start checking things off the list and see what I can do! This morning I'm feeling the latter; motivated, excited, ready. 

    The start of a new week also finds me eating better (because usually I have a treat night during the weekend and I need some recovery!), and that's why I want to share these delightful little bites of goodness with you today!

    If you're not familiar, a caprese salad is an Italian salad (meaning "Salad of Capri") and is traditionally made of sliced, fresh, sliced mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, and seasoned with salt and olive oil. I've made a version of this salad before; I just tossed everything into a bowl and mixed it up! It was a good salad, but you didn't always get enough of each flavour in every bite. Thumbs down.    

   Anyway, while in Belgium this summer, we visited some family who served us bbq Bugles with a herbed cheese balls (surprisingly good!), aged cheese (obviously good!), prosciutto wrapped melon (super-surprisingly amazing!!!), and mini caprese kabobs. :) 

   It was another food idea I knew I wanted to try when I got home. I had a little basil plant that was doing well, so I decided that instead of sprinkling dried basil on the kabobs (as we had on the ones we ate in Belgium), I would put an entire basil leaf onto each toothpick, ensuring a fantastic, unmistakable basil flavour. It was scrumptious!   

Mini Caprese Kabobs
For 15 Kabobs 


Ingredients:

• 15 Toothpicks
• 15 Cherry tomatoes, cut in half width-wise (that'll give you 15 mini kabobs, so make more or less depending on how many you'll need)
• 8 Cocktail bocconcini balls, cut in half (as I did), or 15 mini bocconcini balls (I can't find this size at my grocery store)
• 15  Fresh basil leaves, washed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Push one half of a tomato onto a toothpick, cut side inward
2. Fold a basil leaf in half (or in quarters, if it's a really big leaf), and slide it down onto the toothpick
3. Slide the cheese on
4. Finish with another tomato half, cut side inward
5. Place kabobs into an airtight container if you're making them well ahead of time, or onto a serving platter if you're making them for that day
6. Once all the kabobs are made, whisk together the oil and vinegar, and drizzle over the kabobs
7. Sprinkle some salt & pepper on if desired

   You can basically eat these right away, but I prefer to make them ahead and let them sit in the oil and vinegar and get all the nice flavours together! 

 
   And that's that! Pretty simple "recipe". It's really hardly a recipe at all, just a basic outline to get you going! Use more or less oil & vinegar if you want. Skip the vinegar all together and make it more traditional and Italian by using only olive oil, or slice larger bocconcini and tomatoes, and serve with fresh basil, as pictured below. You can use multi-coloured cherry tomatoes as I did here (so pretty). 

 
   One last note about these lovely kabobs: they keep well! They can get a little uglier as times goes by because of the balsamic vinegar, but, kept in an airtight container in the fridge, and they'll be good for up to 5 days. My husband really enjoys taking these to work, and they are great to add as a side to a dinner that needs more colour. For dinner one night I had a big plate with coleslaw, a broccoli salad, and about 6 of these. It was perfect.

   Well, have a great Monday! Oh, it's the first official day of fall too, so after you're done making this hilariously summer salad, make something more fall-ish with apples or pumpkins too! :)  

   Good golly, this week flew by!
  
   Anyway, time flying aside, this recipe was inspired from our time in Paris this summer. We only spent a few days there between being in Belgium and The Netherlands, but the food there was inspiring! Shops filled with beautiful chocolates, macarons, meringues, cheese, breads, pastries.....oh goodness.... 

   Before leaving this past summer, I came across a recipe for S'mores Macarons on a blog called Liv For Cake. Somehow her down-to-earth-ness made the idea of making macrons a little easier! I was always pretty intimidated by macarons! They seemed so fussy and delicate and I'm like a big ogre sometimes when it comes to working in my kitchen (I broke a dish while drying it with a towel the other day!), and I felt like I just couldn't do macarons! 

   Well, having this tiny possibility in my mind of being able to make them was a great way to enter Paris, France. I got to see macarons being made in a few shops, and actually seeing the process added to the smidge of confidence I had gained from Olivia (at Liv For Cake). I now felt that, ogre or not, I was going to try my hand at macarons!

   So, a macaron is not a macaroon. A macaron is a meringue (egg-white) based treat. It's actually (in it's truest form) gluten-free because it's made with almond meal. Then colour and flavour is added and ganache, buttercream or jam is sandwiched between 2 cookies. 

   A macaroon is something else....I think. Ok, truth is, it's hard to find out the exact origins or reasons behind the 2 words and what they mean. Though, to keep it simple, 'round here, a macaroon is still an egg-white based dessert (just not meringue-d), it's just mixed with shredded coconut then baked. Cassey at Blogilates (get it? It's like Pilates and blog...? Anywho) has this little photo comparison for you to go "ohhhh, yes, I see now....."

    She's also got a healthy alternative to the snack, if ya wanna see it, look here. It's like a mash-up up a macaron and a macaroon, and it looks puuurdy tasty.  :) 
       
    Also, I have a (not healthy) no-bake macaroon here....it's chocolate and peanut butter too, actually.....

    So, when I got down to it; to actually making macarons, I turned to Google! I didn't need to re-invent the wheel, and I knew someone else would have thought of what I was thinking: peanut butter and chocolate! For realz though......I never saw a single peanut butter and chocolate macaron in France....I think this flavour combo used in such a lovely French dessert is possibly an insult to the dessert....but only in France! On this side of the pond we like to mix it up! 

   I found at Sally's Baking Addiction a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons, and got to work! 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Macarons
Adapted recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. Go to her recipe for the weight measurements for the cookies.


Ingredients:

Macaron Cookies

• 2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
• 2 Cups icing (confectioners') sugar 
• 1 Cup almond flour
• 3 Egg whites, room temperature (it's easier to split the white from the yolk when the egg is cold, then let it sit to come to room temperature) 
• 1/8 Tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp (granulated or caster) sugar 

Peanut Butter Filling

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1/2 Cup icing (confectioners') sugar
• 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 Tsp salt
• optional: 1-2 Tablespoons milk, as needed to thin

Directions:

Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 325 (see step #7 & 8-if you decide to let the unbaked macarons sit, you'll want to turn the oven on then) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. Sift or whisk the cocoa powder, icing sugar, and almond flour together. Set aside
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, and granulated sugar together on medium speed for up to 2 minutes. Switch to a higher speed and beat well--but not too well (if you over beat the egg-whites you'll end up with really hollow cookies). The whipped egg whites should stay put if you hold the bowl upside-down.
4. Add the dry mixture into the whipped egg whites and begin to fold them together. Be fairly gentle while doing this. You want a "lava" consistency once it's fully incorporated
5. Fit your piping bag with a circle tip and fill the piping bag with the batter. Pipe evenly sized rounds onto the baking sheets (if you want them perfect, just trace 2 inch circles onto the baking sheet, then flip the sheet over so that you can still see the circle, but the pen/pencil/whatever you used isn't actually touching the cookie) **A piping tip from Sally: "make sure you are holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet. While piping, the batter will slightly spread out, so keep that in mind"
6. Hold onto the baking sheet, and tap it on your counter to get rid of any large air bubbles. This will keep the cookies from cracking while baking!
7. This next step is a step I don't do. Some people swear by it, other say it doesn't matter, but you can do it or not and decide for yourself! This is what Sally says:
8. "Let the piped rounds sit for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour. This is crucial to making macarons! The air will will help the rounds set and form a dry shell. They should not be sticky going into the oven"  Turn your oven on at this point if you decide to let the unbaked macarons dry out before baking. 
9. Bake the macarons for 10 minutes, one baking sheet at a time. It's important (unless you have a convection oven) to rotate the pan at the 5 minute mark so that they bake evenly. The macarons are done when the tops look lightly crisped, and they have the classic macaron "feet" 
10. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before filling.

Filling:

1. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth. Turn the mixer to low and mix in the icing sugar, vanilla, and salt. Once all the sugar is added in, turn the speed back up, and beat until light and creamy. If the filling seems too thick, add 1-2 Tablespoons of milk while beating to thin out
   
2. Pipe or spoon the peanut butter mixture onto one cookie, take another cookie, and gently sandwich them together to make the macaron!

    
   Voilà!!!  That's French for "look at what I did!" (a very loose translation, to be sure)  :)  

   There are so many tips and tricks that people have for making the most amazing macaron! Me? My only real tip is to not be discouraged if they don't turn out perfect the first time you make them!!! 

   There can be many things that effect your results. Baking sheet type, oven temperature, humidity on the day you make them, almond flour being not fine enough, yadda yadda, yadda there is a list a mile long with why a macaron might work or not-but just do your best! Follow directions, look at a bunch of different recipes, see what other are saying, and go for it!

   You can see in my photos that mine are not perfect looking, but they tasted amazing (x1000), had a nice crisp outside, a soft chocolatey inside, and I wasn't trying to win any macaron contest, so who cares if they would be approved by the French themselves!?! Not me! :)   Just enjoy the process, and see what you can do! Oh, and if you have kids, they'll eat them (pretty much) no matter what!

   
   Let's take a break to talk about some of the photos my husband took of me while we were in France.....the "nicest" one above (bottom left) is so cheesy, and was preceded by the photo on the bottom right where Adam was saying something like, "can't you just make a normal face and smile?", and that's what he got. I am a child.Oh, and the top 2 photos need no explanation. 

   The photos above (which I feel I am probably not allowed to post?) are from the Museum d'Orsay. It was strange experience because you were allowed to take photos (that is not normal in a museum), but it also made people a little rude. Someone we talked to described it as a "blockbuster" museum because people were more concerned about being able to say they were there (so many people doing selfies in front of Van Gogh paintings!), and didn't really seem to want to stop and look, and appreciate the amazing art. Anyway, we still enjoyed it, and I got to see work from some of my favourite artists and influencers Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. 

   Then we left the museum and I got more macarons.  :) 

   I hope everyone has a good weekend! We've got no big plans...the hubby is working a weekend of night shifts which means we awake people need to stay outside, or stay inside quietly! I am planning on baking this weekend (big surprise here, yes?), and just having some quality time with my kids! 

Happy weekend time!
   

   

   Yes....National. Guacamole. Day. There is honestly a national day for everything!  In September alone there is over 100 "national days" including national blueberry popsicle day, talk like a pirate day, and the one I'm most sad to have missed....national lazy Mom's day (p.s, it's the first Friday in September. Mark it in your calendar for next year) :)  

   Anywho, to celebrate this ridiculous national day, I wanted to share some wonderful recipe for guacamole! All listed are paleo, but that doesn't mean they aren't suited for any/everyone! They are all made with simple ingredients, and don't contain any sour cream, mayo, or anything else that has no place in guacamole!!!  

   Let's start with a classic, basic guacamole. Michelle over at Nom Nom Paleo has this super simple, but not lacking in yumminess version. Simple. Yummy. The End. Find the recipe right here. 

   Mango Guacamole? Yup! George at The Civilized Caveman has created such an amazing guacamole, it'll make your taste buds sing a hallelujah chorus! :)  Visit George and find the recipe here. 

   If you're into the fantastic, smoky flavour of chipotle peppers, then you'll love this guacamole recipe from Kristen over at The Endless Meal! Find her recipe here.

   Well now, what kind of whacko would I be if I didn't include my own version of this amazing food! I like mine loaded with veggies to have lots of texture. You can find my loaded guacamole recipe here. 

    Now, this guacamole is even more loaded than mine! This really is more of a salad (um...as the name of it clearly points out), and I think if you're determined to eat your guacamole with chips (instead of with veggies or on meats or a salad), you should make this kind! You'll feel a smidge better about the chips you devoured knowing they were paired with this veggie loaded guacamole salad! :)  Steph at Stupid Easy Paleo tweaked the recipe from an episode of The Barefoot Contessa, and I think you'll love it. Find it here. 

   Speaking of chips.......what if I told you that you could make some paleo chips for your dipping pleasure? Well, I'm telling you, you can! :)  Rebecca at Paleo Grubs has created a delightful chip to accompany any guacamole you fancy. Find the recipe for the chips here.

   And that, my friends, is some of the many ways to make guacamole! Now, how you decide to eat it is up to you! With chips, veggies, as a topping for meats, as a mayo of sorts for building a (egg, potato, chicken, tuna, etc.) salad. Avocados are a true example of how one should not judge a book by it's cover....or a fruit by it's skin. My kids remind me all the time how ugly avocados are, and I remind them how gosh-darned tasty and healthy they are! 

   So, enjoy National Guacamole Day and embrace this wonderful health food! 

   In August we visited Belgium, France, and The Netherlands (it was awesome!!!).
   
   When we first got to Belgium we visited with family who were so kind and gracious, and welcoming and wonderful! We were fed a beautiful meal, had coffee and cakes...yes, cakeS, 2 cakes to be exact!  Kindred spirits!  :)

   Anywho, one thing we were fed for dinner was shrimp stuffed tomatoes. We were all  "oooh", and "awwwww!", but apparently it's a common dish in Belgium, "tomate aux crevettes" !  It is a very simple dish of hollowed out tomatoes, stuffed with shrimp that has been mixed with mayonnaise and parsley, salt & pepper. So, it's a simple, and great (perfect, really) make-ahead meal! 

   Honestly, they were so darned tasty, I couldn't believe how simple they were to make! I knew when I got home, I was going to make this! And this is coming from someone who didn't really like shrimp until a few years ago, and still rarely eats them! I am also someone who never eats tomato unless it's with a million other yummy veggies in a salad, or on a sandwich.....as a BLT!  

   A few things though......they use "grey shrimp", or "grijze garnalen" in Flemish (otherwise known as Dutch....it's the same language, we found out!), and finding grey shrimp here in Canada (well, at the grocery stores I shop at!) is impossible! So, I settled for the smallest shrimp I could get. If you can find grey shrimp, use them, if not, just find a nice, small, cooked shrimp. 

   The other problem was that I wanted these to be paleo friendly....so I needed to tackle the mayo! If you Google "paleo mayonnaise" you'll get a pile of results. I decided on a mayo from Paleoleap.com. You can find it by clicking here.  You can also just use regular mayonnaise if you're not paleo/primal! 

Tomate Aux Crevettes (Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes)


Ingredients:

• 4-6 Tomatoes, large ripe
  
• 2 Cups tiny shrimp (they need to be the cooked kind)-I used peeled & deveined pacific white shrimp, thawed and drained
• Paleo mayo (recipe here), You can also buy paleo mayo, btw. I haven't ever, but I guess you can!
• 3 Tbs of fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 Tsp dried
  
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut a tiny portion of the BOTTOM of the tomatoes off if they are too round to sit up. If they can't sit up on their own they will fall over later when they are filled with shrimpy goodness, and that would suck!  :)  If they are sitting up independently, just leave their bottoms alone   
2. Cut the top off each tomato, and use a spoon to scoop out the tomato insides
3. In a large bowl, mix the mayo, parsley salt & pepper
4. Add in the shrimps and toss to coat
5. Now, fill each tomato with the shrimp mixture! Top with extra parsley to make it look nice if you wish, but definitely put the tomato lids back on, it makes it look finished and fancy
6. Serve it up right away, or place them into an airtight container or serving platter covered well with plastic wrap, and place into the fridge until ready to serve

   My European family soon realized how much I love food, but more than that, they realized how much I love to photograph food!! Seriously, I was so exhausted, but as soon as our hostess started bringing out food, I had to grab my camera! Her presentation of the tomate aux crevettes, was on a big platter that was covered in washed, cut & ready to eat romaine, sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, peas, and more chopped parsley.  Beautiful.

   I forgot to mention about these European kindred spirits and their 2 cakes they served us...they also served them before dinner! My kind of meal! :)  I will hopefully be sharing the cake recipes soon....or at least one of the recipes...we'll see. 

    So, Monday folk, have a great Monday! I hope (if you didn't have to work during the weekend!) that you are rested and ready for this week! Any special plans? I'll still be chugging away at projects for the upcoming Culture Days event. I'll be part of the Theatre Artists event and (if you live close) you could come downtown Belleville and find me (and other artists from the Theatre Guild) set up next to the library on Saturday, September 26th from 10-3. There will be paintings, pottery, knitting, felting, rug-hooking, jewelry, crafts and baking and you can take a tour of the theatre too! I'm pretty excited about it! 

   Farewell!        

   First day of school, first day of school!!!!!  I am excited for the kids because they are so excited, but truthfully, I will miss having them around. I really saw them grow up this summer, and so it feels sad watching them drive away on their bus and knowing that the things they are going to learn now will be mostly without me. My kids are gone for 7 hours total, and are only home (and awake) for 4 1/2 hours. That's a small window to feel like I can be a strong influence in their lives. Anyway, I'm just lamenting and sharing my heart a little.

   Anyway, what I'm sharing today is nothing new, but I still wanted to put it out there. The "salad in a jar" phenomenon is pretty awesome (I think). 

   Basically, it's a way to pre-make great, healthy salads that you can just grab and take with you to your job or school. I've made these for camping trips, for day trips we've taken, and smaller versions for Caleb when we're going somewhere and I need to pack him some gluten-free & Caleb approved meals. I'll often only eat a big salad for dinner, so I've made these when I'm prepping veggies for a meal, and can think to the next day or so and know that I would rather have my salad ready ahead of time in order to save time the day-of. 

   So, there is no "recipe" per-se for this! But the secret to this actually working is all in the layering. So, here are the basic rules when assembling a salad in a jar.

1. Put the dressing in first, right down in the bottom
2. Next put in any veggies that won't soak up all your dressing: think carrots, peppers, peas, celery, & onions. It's ok if some of the dressing gets soaked up because it'll make those particular items taste extra-yummy, but you don't want to go dump your salad into a bowl and discover you really have no dressing to speak of :( 
3. Now add meat, hardboiled eggs, or cheese if you want to! 
4. Next put your more sensitive toppings, nuts or seeds, beans or grains, and soaker-upper things like cucumber, shredded cabbage or fruits.
5. Now get your leafy greens in there!
6. To eat, just dump the jar out into a bowl! The leafy stuff will be at the bottom, the toppings, well, on top, and the dressing covering it all! Voila!  

  
So, a few points to remember:

• Dressing in the bottom, leafy greens at the top.
  
• Pack the veggies in to keep them from getting bumped around and smooshed, and also to keep as much air as possible outta there to keep the veggies fresh.
• A half leafy lettuce/half toppings is a good rule of thumb.
• Um....nothing else really....

   Sometimes I make my salad in a jar, but have the meat or hardboiled eggs in a separate container because I want as many veggies as possible in the jar. Then when I'm going to eat the salad, I dump it out of the jar, then put the meat or eggs on top (as you see in the photo above)

   Really, it's up to you! My salads are often just anything I have in the fridge, and other times I make specific recipes, like the ones at Lexi's Clean Kitchen. Some of her ideas include pesto chicken anti-pasto jar, and a cajun shrimp jar. Yumm-o! Go check those and her other ideas out!

   Well, I hope everyone had a great long weekend. We did here! Saturday we had a friend over for dinner and a bon-fire, Sunday we went to a pig roast at the home of an amazing family here in Tweed, and yesterday we went to a carnival Adam's work (Goodyear in Napanee) put on. Honestly, I'm not just saying this because my husband works there, but they put on a great family event. There was a ton of stuff to do! There were rides, a climbing wall, face painting, sparkly tattoos, balloon animals, bouncy castles, tie-dye a t-shirt, pony rides, and wonderful food! Lots of it! And they had porta-potties in different locations so that you were never too far from a toilet. They also had big troughs filled with ice and water bottles and juice boxes. It was a crazy hot day, but we all stayed well hydrated! Seriously, it is really well done, and a lot of fun. It was literally the perfect end to the summer! 

   Well, I know it's still summer and the fall hasn't officially begun, but the start of the school year really begins a new season. The new season for Bushel & A Peck will hopefully include a health & fitness element (as I said it would....way back in June!). I want to include weekly meal ideas, workouts, and my views on different health and fitness trends. 

   So cheers to seasons past and to seasons to come!

   Well, it's felt like a long week, and a long week calls for a sweet treat! I should really post something fresh, seasonal, Ontarian (something with peaces, of course!)....but I won't. There are no rules here, I have no blog boss! :)   

    In April 2014 I posted a recipe for Mini Meringue Nests; they are tasty, have simple ingredients, and make an impressive and light dessert 'bowl' for fruit, pudding, whipped cream, yadda yadda. 

   Fast forward to now, and I'm eating mostly paleo (about 80-90% of the time), and I only give myself 1 (or 2) treat days a week. So, when we had friends coming over on a non-treat day, I wasn't about to not make a super-fantastic, summer dessert! Gosh no! Luckily the friends we had over love sweets, so they are good guinea pigs (thanks Val!) :) 

   I made my crazy delicious Honey Mustard & Rosemary Chicken (in a pan on the bbq), roasted potatoes, obviously also on the bbq, and a green, leafy salad...maybe a coleslaw too...? Can't remember, doesn't matter! What does matter is dessert (really, the most important part of any meal!). I took my regular, non-paleo mini meringue nests, and gave them a simple switch over to create such a treat; such a lovely, delicate, slightly sticky, oh-so-good treat. Yummy! :)  

Paleo Mini Meringue Nests

Ingredients: 

• 3 egg whites
  
• 3/4 cup plus 2 maple sugar (or coconut sugar is good too)-both give the nests the brown-ish/tan colour as opposed to a usual white meringue made with white sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon tapioca or arrowroot starch

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you want your circles to be the exact same size, you can use a bowl or cup that is 3 inches around, and trace 5 on each baking sheet. Then, flip the sheet over so the marks are on the bottom. 
   
2. In a large metal bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Gradually whisk in sugar, then starch. 
3. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Continue whisking for about 5-7 minutes, until the mixture is warm/hot, and the sugar is dissolved (stick your pointer finger in, and rub it together with your thumb to feel if the sugar is dissolved).
4. Remove bowl from heat and, using electric mixer, beat at moderately high speed until mixture cools and holds stiff peaks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip.
5. Starting at the centre and working in spiral outward, pipe meringue into a circle, (or trace onto pre-drawn circles, if you did that in step 1). Pipe second layer in ring around edge to form outer wall. Continue doing this until you have 5 nests per sheet. 
6. Bake meringues until dry on outside but still soft inside, about 3 hours. 
7. Transfer pan to rack and cool 5 minutes. Peel meringues from parchment and cool completely on rack. 

   So, full disclaimer....if you use maple sugar, your tastes buds will be singing a hallelujah chorus!!! :)  It is such a maple-y marvel! The coconut sugar lends a darker, more 
molasses-y taste; just as yummy, just a different kind of yummy. 
 
   I also found that (no matter how many batches I tried), these didn't stay as dry as regular meringue. I think it's the sugar difference. I tried switching between the two sugars and the starches, but after about 5 minutes out of the oven the meringues nests got a little sticky. lets be honest, that is not a big deal at all, but I wanted to put that out there so if anyone else had this problem you would know I had it too! My solution was to keep the meringue nests in the oven until it was nearly serving time, then I turned the oven back on to it's lowest temperature, and let the nests re-dry slightly. I turned the oven back-off after it had reached temperature, and left them in the oven for dessert, and we just grabbed the nests out of the oven as we wanted them. 

   We filled the nests with this paleo chocolate pudding, fruit, and whipped cream. It. Was. Good. x 1000.    

   I cannot believe that school starts next Tuesday.....I feel (honestly) sad about it; the kids and I have had a great summer (.....maybe because 15 days of the summer I was away from them in Europe, giving me ample time to miss all the sweet things they do, and forget all the irritating things they do! Therefore resetting my child-patience gauge!) :) Haha, whomp, whomp!
   
   The kids are really excited about school starting, and I am looking forward to some time alone in the house getting paintings and different projects ready for an Art Show I am doing at the end of September for Belleville's Culture Days (I'll be downtown on Saturday, September the 26th next to the Library!). 

   I'm signing off now. I meant to post this in the morning, and it's now 7:54 p.m....so, I missed the mark by a smidge.....still, it's summer yet, and I am enjoying the lazy version of life!  I was literally sitting on the couch with the kids, watching a pre-bedtime movie, and one of them said, "is today the weekend?", and I said, "nope, not yet, it's only Friday", and that reminded me that it was Friday, and that I had this post (mostly) ready to go!  Golly.
   
   Well, hopefully next week I'll share some recipes with peaches in them!  Have a good Labour Day weekend fellow Canadians!

xoxo

   Last year, I shared the story of my miscarriage of what would have been my fourth child, Abraham. You can read about that experience here.

   We lost our little boy on August 30th, 2012. I wanted to write about this and post it on the anniversary (this past Sunday), but opted out. Why? I'm not exactly sure.....

   I feel such a mix of hurt from remembering the loss, and an urge to forget so that I won't feel any hurt. It made me reluctant to write about it again, to bring up any feelings I had. Any feelings at all. Happy or sad, sometimes just feeling about the miscarriage is too much. 

   Here's the thing...I haven't slept a solid night since Sunday. I've had 3 nights of terrible sleeps; waking often, being restless, and thinking about Abraham.   

   One of my favourite musicals "Into The Woods" has a song called "No More" and it makes me cry to listen to it. It's a sad song within the context of the show, but I can't help but hear it with my life written into it. Here are some of the lyrics from that song:

   The part that hits me the most from this song is: 

     If I run away, where am I going? Part of me wanted to (and still wants to) run away from this experience; to pretend it never happened. To not feel any sadness from it, to not let my mind remember it. But where does that leave me? 

  My feelings about the death of my son Abraham (and my daughter, Ezra) get so tangled up with real life that keeps moving on, regardless of what I'm going through.
  
   But, if I move on.....have I left my mis-carried children behind? Is living a happy life without them a betrayal of them? Which is worse: moving on, getting stuck, running away...? I'm not sure....there are no answers. No black and white ones, at least.

   I go in and out of each day, having times when I remember, and times when I forget, and maybe that is normal, and probably the most healthy option? A little of each thing, melded into one. 

   There is a little boy in my church who was born on Abrahams actual due date, and when I see him my heart aches. I said something to 'him' (really his Mom) in passing before his birthday, "someone is having a birthday soon...?", and his Mom said something like, "wow, you have a good memory!". That couldn't be farther from the truth (...I don't even know all my siblings birthdays!), but I do know when my fourth child should have had his birthday. It's the first time I've even really acknowledged this little boy. I've mostly just avoided really looking at him and openly noticing him. So, talking to him about his birthday is a really big step. Maybe not an obvious step to anyone, but for me, it was a leap.

    I am choosing to not run away, I also choose to not dwell and be stuck. God willing, I will get a good nights sleep tonight; hopefully remembering Abraham openly will put my mind at rest. 

     Love you Abraham xo