Where Have I Been?!? (And a simple "noodle" recipe!)

    Well, here I am! I'm back!!! : ) 

    Ok, I've been back since the last week in August, but things have been moving at a mile a minute at the Van Londersele's! 

    However, I had been working on this post with the intention of having it up by the first Monday in October, but when I'd finished it all up, and I hit "publish".....it VANISHED!!!!! After I sat crying at the computer for about 15 minutes, I turned the computer off, walked away and thought "well, I'm not sure when I'll have time to re-do that!

    And here I am, a month later, finally (hopefully) publishing this (re-done) post! 

    So, I've been away, but I've been trying, trying really hard, to get my blog back up and running! 

      Ok, well, now that I've got that out of my way, let's re-cap the last 4 months, shall we?!

​(insert dream sequence music....) 

Camp Cook-July & August 

     I was a camp cook at Pleasant Bay Camp in Consecon! 

    This job left me sleepless and stressed for weeks leading up to the start date, and after the first week (where at one point I shut myself in the storage room to cry!), things seemed to click. I had some cooky and wonderful teens working with me, and they made everyday fun (and loud - we sang A LOT, and VERY loudly!). There were some failures, some successes, but mainly I grew a lot! I have serious F.O.F. (fear of failure!), and the pressure of this job felt crippling, then I got there, figured out all the quirks of how everything worked (ovens, stoves, steamers, etc.), figured out what worked and what didn't, and trusted myself, and things worked out!

     I needed to do a ton of planning, prepping, and figuring out exact times for (what felt like) 100 things at once so it all came out together at meal time! It was my kind of stress, it turns out! I do this at home basically everyday! When it comes to meals at home, my personality lends itself to exact planning, prepping and figuring out exact times. So, I had to tell myself to stay calm, and do what I knew how to do. 

     In the end, I walked away feeling so proud for not completely bombing, I felt fulfilled for working so hard at something worth working at, and I felt love from my new "kitch" family (as one of my staff called it). :)   

     And my kids had such a great time spending their days with other kids, going swimming, playing sports, making crafts (SO MANY CRAFTS!!!!), and getting a ton of sun! 

Family from Belgium-July

     Last summer Adam and I had the opportunity to go to Europe where we got the chance to visit with a lot of our family. 

     This summer, 2 family members who we stayed with for a whole week in Belgium came to Canada!

      We got together for lunch one day shortly after they arrive in the True North, but later in the month we met up in Toronto (with my in-laws too) and went to Caribana. So, it was super loud, there was a lot of near-nudity (seriously!) :) , but most of all we got to see our family again which filled my heart up!      

Horse Staff-August

     A week after we left Pleasant Bay Camp, we headed to Brantford so the kids could attend Day Camp at Circle Square Ranch, and so I could be a member of the horse staff! I spent years and years working at this camp, and I was so excited to be heading back to work for the week. 

      I was a little nervous about teaching horseback riding again because it's been a while, but it all came back to me and it went great! And my kids had so much fun in day camp! 

     I loved (x 10000000) being there for the week!

What's Left of Summer-August & September

    With the 2 weeks we had between leaving the Ranch and school starting, we crammed in as much "normal" summer fun as we could! 
    
    We got to the Peterborough Zoo, the Tweed splash pad, the Tweed park, went for walks, visited neighbours, spent time in our jammies, cuddled our cat who we missed a lot, and went to Adam's work Labour Day Family Picnic.

      It was a little hectic, but wonderful!

Back to School!-September

    Somehow my little babies were going into grades 6, 3 and 1! (*tear*)  The kids looked so good, so grown-up, so beautiful, and I felt so old! 

    So far, this school year is going so good. Caleb's class had a teacher switch 2 weeks into the year which left us feeling upset and worried, but his new teacher is amazing, and Caleb clearly loves him and his class. Caleb also has a rock-star for an E.A. this year, so she is really helping to keep Caleb moving forward and working hard. 

    The girls teachers are also really wonderful, and they seem to be working well together. 

Surprise Birthday-September

     So, the day before my birthday I was in Belleville for an Art Show & Sale, and when I came home, my sister and her family, and my brother and his family, and a bunch of my friends were at my house! Surprise! I really was surprised, and it was so great to have everyone celebrating the 13th anniversary of my 20th birthday :)   Hardy har har. I'm 33 and I'm ok with that! 

Halloween-October

    We carved pumpkins. We dressed up. We collected candy. It was awesome!

     This needs to further explanation! :)  

Simple Recipe!

   
      So, now that I've recapped the last few months of my absence, I would love to move onto a recipe that is so simple, and if you aren't into veggies as noodles, you can make this with your fav gluten-free or regular pasta. Just cook it up as usual, rinse well in cold water, and add to the pan! 

Bacon, Rosemary & Parmesan Sweet Potato Noodles
Serves 2 large portions, or 3 smaller portions

Ingredients:

• 6 Pieces bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 2 Medium sized sweet potatoes, Spiralized or julienned 
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, or 1 Tsp dried
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Parmesan-as much or little as you'd like! 

Method: 

1. Heat a large skillet or pot on medium heat, and once warmed, add the bacon pieces
2. Cook bacon for 5-8 minutes, until it starts to release some of it's fat, and then add in the onion
3. Cook the bacon and onion for another 5-8 minutes, or until it's as done as you like it (each person has an opinion about how crispy they like their bacon!)
4. Add the sweet potato "noodles", or noodles of choice and gently toss to coat
5. Add in the rosemary and gently toss again
6. If using sweet potato noodles, allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes MAXIMUM. You don't want them getting overcooked or else they'll start to break apart
7. If using gluten-free or regular pasta, allow them to warm back up for a few minutes in the pan, tossing often
8. Divide noodles into 2 bowls, and top with parmesan cheese

Enjoy! 
​

     That's all there is to it! 

    Truthfully, when I make this, because my kids aren't overly fond of sweet potato noodles, I'll cook up a pot of gluten-free pasta, then I'll rinse the pasta in cold water, and start this recipe in the pot I used to make the pasta, and add the cooled pasta to it at Step 4. In another large skillet I'll start a second "batch", and make it with sweet potato noodles. It's really not that much extra work, I'm literally doing the exact same recipe, just on 2 different burners, and with a different noodle. When all is said and done, it's still a simple meal, and has relatively few dishes! Seriously, making it 2 ways at once only yields 1 pot, 1 pan, 1 colander (for rinsing the cooked pasta), and one Spiralizer to wash! Well, and our bowls and forks, of course. Not bad for a freakin' delicious meal! :)

    Well, I'm happy to be "back". I'm not sure what my blogging schedule will be these days....sorry! I will work it out though! I used to like to work first things in the morning...but I've been having a heck of a time getting up early these days! So, instead I've taken to writing in the evenings, after the kids are in bed and Adam is on a night shift. It works, and hopefully I'll be able to get some lovely recipes out to ya'll, as well as some Health & Fitness posts and whatever other random things that pop into my head! 

     I will be taking you through my soon-to-be kitchen renovation, so stay tuned for that! 

     Until next time,
​
xoxoxoxox