A Night in Toronto

We got to Canada in RECORD time yesterday afternoon- 7 and a half hours! Woo hoo! We had a great afternoon with our friends, Kristen and Peter checking out the local fruit and vegetable stands, and cool stories including Max's Market.

One of the fruit and veggies stand



Our appetizer's pre-Mitzi's: fig/pistachio bar, cilantro dip, and carrots and tortilla chips.



We went to Mitzi's Sister for dinner, and they made be their haddock blackened tacos sans flour tortillas for me. It was a pretty good meal, but I was nervous about the blackened fish.

My haddock tacos with corn tortilla chips



Note: I got really sick this morning, but it could have been from something I had on the road... I don't know for sure.

Sweet Flour is a cookie made-to-order place we went to after dinner.

They had gluten free cookies and fro-yo! So I got a vacation duo! :)




Kristen and Peter's new pup- Rosey.

...what a face...



We got to Georgian Bay mid-morning, and I've been in heaven...friends, family, and the most picture perfect sunsets.

Packing Day

After training and teaching a spin class, I took Luna down to RI for 'puppy camp' at the Lo's house. Jane had a 'full spead' for lunch for us.

Menu:
salad with chickpeas, mushrooms, and fresh from the garden tomatoes
potato salad
tuna salad
beets
green beans

The spread...


My plate...


It was lonely trip back to Boston, but I know Luna is in good hands in RI.


We had 'clean out the fridge' night tonight and 93% lean burgers, and a baby spinach salad.



Back to packing...

Note: I hope to blog a couple of times on vacation, but think the service is going to be spotty on Georgian Bay, so we'll see...

Dinner in the Backyard

We are on the home stretch to Canada...
I've been in the hospital for two days and the gym in the morning. One more morning at the gym, a trip to RI to drop Luna off, pack up the car, and we are on our way...


Yesterday, I got to stop by to see my friend Carrie, who got engaged over the weekend. Yeah! I paid it forward by dropping off some Bride magazines and a book...




For dinner tonight we had Will and Nissa over for gluten free pizza and arugula salad.

Will eating his two bites of arugula. House Rule: you have to try everything once. :)



Our backyard bbq ;)



Night night everyone!

Happy Early Birthday Isaac!
Last night we headed over to Isaac and Meghan's for a bbq. There were four dogs in the backyard running around playing all night long, it was fantastic!

The menu:
Grilled veggies, chicken, and shrimp
Broccoli slaw salad( not gf)
Summer Red Quinoa Salad
Gluten free pasta salad(Thanks Meghan!)
Peanut butter cookies
Cristina's ice cream cake( carrot cake ice cream and raspberry ice cream) **worried that had gluten in it**


My plate(gluten free pasta salad, quinoa salad, three shrimps, and a piece of chicken)


How cute is this cake?!?!



Countdown for Canada...we start packing tonight!

Summer Red Quinoa Salad

After having a wonderful red quinoa salad last night, I was hooked. I had only had regular quinoa and black. Red quinoa is nutty and perfect for summer salads. Let the red quinoa flow...

Summer Red Quinoa Salad

1 cup of red quinoa
2 cups of water
1 cup of grape tomatoes
16 oz of organic frozen or fresh sweet corn
1/2 cup of diced red onion
1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ripe avocado, diced
zest and juice of one lime
1/4 cup of Trader Joe's(gf) raspberry vinaigrette
1/4 cup of cilantro(if desired)
salt and pepper

Bring one cup of quinoa and two cups of water to a boil, then simmer covered for 12-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. While the quinoa is cooking, cook the corn in a skillet on medium to high heat until cooked through. Cut the tomatoes in half, dice the onion and avocado, and drain the beans, while the quinoa cooks. Place the corn, tomatoes, onions, black beans, olive oil, and avocado into a bowl and mix. When the quinoa is fully cooked, place it into the bowl with the other ingredients. Add the vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy, warm or cold.






Note: The first picture is my dinner plate tonight. Deliciously succulent grilled chicken(marinated in garlic, parsley, olive oil and salt/pepper), zucchini and summer squash salad, and summer quinoa salad.

A great meal on a Friday night...

Major celebrations all around last night. Dave had some BIG news at work yesterday, and 'shadow beast,' my car, is not broken! Woo hoo!

We started the weekend celebrations at Beccah and Bryan's house.

On the menu:
grilled boneless skinless chicken( buffalo and mystery gf marinade)
red quinoa salad(corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, lime, and raspberry vinaigrette)
baby spinach salad with fresh from the farm beets and lemon cukes
grilled polenta cakes with farm fresh pesto, mozz, tomatoes and basil
Gluten Free S'more cake

My plate



A display of polenta cakes, chicken, and red quinoa deliciousness ;)


S'more cake


Luna met a new friend last night, Charlotte. They played for HOURS, and at the end of the night were lovin' on each other...


I'm off to Friendly Toast to meet up with a friend from high school for breakfast!

Check Engine Light Woes

After a killer Interval Challenge class this morning, I headed to Raining Cat & Dogs for Luna's special food. Right after I got back in the car, my CHECK ENGINE went on. Argh! It's such a pain when something like a check engine light goes on in the car- your heart rate increases and all you think about is 'what is this going to cost me?' Well, hopefully nothing because I have a warranty on my car. But, we'll see tomorrow...

Food wise today...

Breakfast: Abigail's cinnamon raisin toast with almond butter and a banana



Lunch: white bean dip with cukes, red pepper and carrots slices.


I had a Think thin bite on my car ride home.

Then had some mock guac with corn tortilla chips after taking Luna to the park for puppy play.

Dinner tonight: turkey burgers & broccoli slaw...



...and low fat fro-yo with raspberries and chocolate chips for a little delicious treat to end my day :)

I finished Sarah Dunant's Sacred Hearts this week, and had another one of her books on my book shelf, In the Company of the Courtesan , to start tonight. I do love summer reads!

Fish Tacos

I took a killer spinning class this morning, and left feeling ready to meet the day! Thank you Wendy!

BUT, the best part of my day was deciding on my dress, wedding dress that is! It has a sweetheart neckline, and is flowy and delicious looking ;) Woo hoo!!!

After completing this fantastic task I came home and made some kidney bean dip to get ready for dinner.

Kidney bean dip:
1 can of kidney beans drained and rinsed
1/2 can of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes
1 tsp. of cumin
1 tsp. of chili powder
2 cloves of minced garlic

Puree in a food processor or with a blender. Finishing product: a delicious dip with veggies OR a bean spread on fish tacos ;)


Tilapia tacos tonight

Included:
kidney bean spread
Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar
tilapia(with 1/2 can of pureed diced tomatoes, chili powder, and cumin)
coleslaw( cabbage dressed with a small amount of mayo and white vinegar)
red pepper slices
corn tortillas

My fish tacos minus coleslaw



My tacos WITH coleslaw ;)



...back to finishing my spin mix for tomorrow morning and reading Women, Food and God. It's really interesting!

Leftovers & Nicoise Salad

It was a leftover day for lunch: 1/2 an small eggplant, 3 slices of polenta(from Trader Joe's), 3 small balls of mozz, 1 tbsp. of pesto, 2 ounces of leftover chicken, and baby spinach. A perfect Monday lunch.... :)




I made a modified version of Organic Valley's gluten free carrot muffin recipe this afternoon. Dave has already had three ;)



I then made a Nicoise salad for dinner.

It's so easy!

Nicoise Salad(Makes 2 servings)

Boil 6 red skinned potatoes for 8-10 minutes and let cool.
Cook 12-14 green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then let cool.
Hard boil two eggs and peel(slice in three to four pieces)
Clean 4 cups of baby spinach
1 can of solid white tuna(drained)


The dressing:
1 1/2 tbsp. of honey mustard(Whole Foods brand)
1 tsp. of good honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. of red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Grab two plates: put the baby spinach on the bottom, then potatoes and green beans, egg slices and tuna then drizzle the dressing on top.


Magnificent!

Lineage Brunch

Dave and I went to Lineage for brunch today. I got up early this morning and had had some tuna on toast so wasn't very hungry. Bummer! BUT- I LOVE this restaurant. I have never had a bad bite of food there...


Today I had their beet salad with watercress and goat cheese with an iced tea





Dave had the cornmeal battered cod cheeks(yep, he ate fish cheeks)with couscous! They actually looked delicious!






It was a perfect 'date' in the middle of the day!

A Perfect Saturday

A perfect Saturday starting with a trip to the Union Square Farmer's Market for some veggies. I am trying to buy as many of our week's fruits and veggies at the market.

For $15 dollars we got:

4 ears of corn
2 eggplants
2 cucumbers
1 summer squash
1 zucchini
bunch of basil
1 1/2 lbs. of carrots
bundle of beets

...pretty amazing right?? Who says you can't buy veggies on a budget, and local at that! :)


We'll need some greens, and fruit for the week. But, should be able to make dinner almost all week with these veggies ;)

We then headed out to Concord to our friend Jen's family house for lunch. Jen made a green salad, and this week's New York Times gazpacho.

The green salad & the bread plate(not gluten free - for the boys!)


Dave does not like gazpacho, so we brought tuna to make a sandwich ;)

My plate: the perfect 'on a hot day' gazpacho & greens with tuna.


Luna had a great time in Concord playing in the pond with Satchel, who is a 6 month old yellow lab, and Lenny. She was plum tuckered out!


We then had Jen & Carlo plus the dogs all over for dinner in the backyard.

The menu:
grilled polenta sandwiches filled with homemade pesto, roasted eggplant, fresh mozz, basil leaves, and tomatoes from Jen's family garden.
lentil salad
arugula salad

A FULL veggies dinner without any revolt from Dave. Woo hoo!!


Our tablescape :)


The polenta fix-ins- pesto, basil, mozz, and tomatoes



The lentil salad and roasted eggplant


Arugula salad...and my empty wine glass ;)



My delicious plate... I wasn't in the mood for lentil salad...



I made gingerbread s'more cake for dessert. I changed the recipe as per usual. I cooked the cake inside and not on the grill, made it gluten free( a mixture of chickpea, brown rice and potato flour), used extra pumpkin pie spice instead of ginger, and used semi-sweet chocolate instead of Hershey bars. It was ooey gooey and reminded me of a night by the fire.

Steamy Friday(Zocalo review)

Yesterday, was hot and steamy.

To cool off I went to Whole Foods for a late lunch to get some veggie sushi( I was craving it) after wedding dress shopping with my ladies. I have it down to two dresses but can't decide.


My lunch( veggie sushi, gf sauce for dipping, and homemade iced green tea)


I also picked up Mesa Sunrisecereal at Whole Foods. I wanted to make some trail mix this week. My recipe: 1/2 cup of Mesa, 2 tbsp of dried fruit, and 2 tbsp of nuts(one each of walnuts and almonds). A quick and easy snack on the go!



Last night we met our friends downtown at Zocalo in Back Bay. It took us about an hour to get there from our house- walking to Harvard Square and then taking the T. I kept reminding myself it was good exercise :)

This place has a good vibe, and I am happy to announce has GF written on many of their menu items. It's so nice to not have to ask and have a back and forth with the waiter and the kitchen staff.

We got the guacamole to start- great lime flavor and really fresh taste.


I got the enchiladas. They were delicious, and I ate most of the beans and the enchiladas but not the rice. I am not a huge fan of rice.




Zocalo
35 Stanhope
Boston, MA 02116

Tired Thursday

I am wiped tonight. I trained this morning, and rushed home to make lentil salad, and to take Luna for a walk.




I promise to post the recipe tomorrow. I'm still getting use to using this new computer.

I then headed into the hospital. I brought some new gluten free crackers today-Multi-Seed Crackers from Crunchmaster. They are pretty good and taste like rice crackers.



For dinner tonight, we made chicken with a cold buckwheat veggie salad and an arugula salad. I am stuffed!



Tomorrow, I'm trying on a wedding dress for a second time... this could be it!

New computer

Ugh, last night my labtop screen CRACKED and could not close. Not having a functioning computer is awful and we are so dependent on them you to survive especially when finishing the last year of graduate school.

My stuck open and cracked computer...


Dave went on a 'super secret' trip tonight and purchased a new labtop and printer(which we desperately needed and didn't have). He is so wonderful and helpful in times of need. Thank you sweetie!

Our new labtop- a toshiba. He's been playing with it all night, while I've been talking to my cousin on the phone because I found my wedding dress! Woo hoo! :)




Tonight I whipped up turkey meatballs(made with gluten free oats soaked in milk, parsley and one egg) with primavera sauce and gf pasta.

I used De Boles pasta tonight. I can't use kamut pasta anymore, because I have a strong reaction to it. I think the severity of my intolerance is getting stronger, so I'm being very strict right now.

The pasta


I used a jar of sauce, and didn't make my own. I didn't have tomatoes in the house, and truthfully I haven't seen good tomatoes yet in the farmer's market but I'll be on the look out this weekend.


I had a pleura of veggies in the fridge so I cut up a summer squash, zucchini(thanks Jen), red pepper, corn, fresh peas, and carrots into the sauce and threw in the baked turkey meatballs. It made HUGE amount of food, so Dave will be taking it all to lunch tomorrow. Now, that he has started his marathon training he is always hungry.

My plate


I'm going to make lentil salad to bring to the hospital tomorrow for lunch. I will blog the recipe tomorrow night from our new computer.