Another Year of Ghoulish Fun

My most favourite time of year has finally come upon us again!  Halloween is just a few days away and it is always prefaced by the Zombie Walk.  Saturday brought all the bloody undead to the streets of Toronto in all their ghoulish glory.  

As always, the enthusiasm people bring to the day brings a smile to my face.  I like to go all out for the zombie walk and appreciate others who do as well.  I usually pick an outfit that is unique enough that others won't be dressed the same but recognizable as well.  I also like to take into account that it is late October and likely to be cold and rainy.  This year I didn't have the funds to buy a whole bunch of new costume stuff so I had to make due with whatever I could find in my costume trunk.  As luck would have it an unopened fox costume happened to be there.  With the popularity of the song "What Does The Fox Say" I had the perfect idea.   

A simple sign made of felt was the only thing I had to add to the costume.  Throw on some tights and bloody up a matching turtleneck from Value Village and I was set! The hat and jacket (which I already owned in a complementary colour) kept me warm and dry.  I shambled, stumbled, groaned and shouted "BRAAAAAAAINS" with the masses.  All in all another successful zombie walk.


G.

Gastropost Missions

Food missions for food lovers.  That is the tagline below the heading of the two-page section of the National Post known as Gastropost.  Every Saturday finds food pictures from all over social media as mission participants visit restaurants, or cook up a storm at home, to complete the current theme.  Wednesdays bring the mission and everyone has 1 week to take pictures and post them with the hashtag Gastropost.  The best pictures are featured in the paper.  

Past missions have included such things as Slammin' Sammiches, The Value of Pie and Beer vs Wine. Some are more difficult then others, but all encourage food creativity.  The whole idea to utilize the social media frenzy of food pictures as a section of the newspaper is really inventive.  Print media is always battling with the ease of the online world.  With blogs so plentiful and most people disinclined to read anything in paper format, I imagine it can be difficult to keep people interested in buying a paper.  Put a picture they took in there and I bet they will change their mind real quick.   

I found out about all this after Gastropost left a comment on one of my Instagram pictures to contact them if I was interested in taking part.  Curious, I emailed them to see what it was.  I have now signed on for the missions. Should be fun.  Please watch out for my pictures. Hopefully they make the cut!

G.

Good Food Box

Today I received my very first good food box.  I am proud to be supporting my local farmers.  The program, run by Foodshare Toronto, allows me to buy fresh, good quality produce, at a fraction of the cost. As someone who is watching both her wallet and what she eats, this couldn't be a more perfect fit for me.  

As I arrived at the pick up site,  I felt as if it was Christmas morning.  There sat a little green box, contents unknown, with my name on the lid.  It was just waiting to be opened. Each piece of produce pulled out of the box brought a smile to my face.  I wish everyone could be that happy when buying their fruit and veggies.  

My first box, priced at $24.00, was a small organic good food box. It included:

4 Apples

1 Avocado

1 Bunch Bananas {Fair Trade}

1 Large Cabbage

1 Bunch Kale

1 Bunch Red Leaf Lettuce

1 Red Onion

1 Green Pepper

1 lb Potatoes

.5 Basket Field Tomatoes

2 Heirloom Tomatoes

All of these items are organic and only two (the avocado & bananas) are not local produce. 

As of right now I am excited to eat all of this food and to try out the other boxes that are offered.  I'm sure next weeks present will be just as wonderful!

G.

Current Obsessions {GGO}

Summer continues! I never really get tired of the warm weather and all that comes with it.  Particularly the August events that happen every year.  They play a starring role in my current obsessions.

1) Shark Week (it's a constant obsession). I will admit here that I've developed a wee love for sharks.   This year was one of the best shark weeks programming wise. Not only did Canada actually get the full week, but they added in some shows on more than just great whites and attacks.  Hopefully they will continue to bring a new variety of shark shows next year.

{Help! I have shark week on the brain}

2) BBQs.  What is summer without food grilled over a flame and friends to share it with?  Whether you have burgers or spider dogs, grilled pineapples or peaches the bbq adds a little extra magic to whatever you're cooking.

{Paleo burger & faux-tato salad}

3) Family Gatherings.  Every year we do a big weekend get-together with my Mums side of the family.  We compete in games, catch up and eat turkey cooked in a garbage can.  It's one of summers greatest highlights. 

{My team for the family games competition}

4) The Canadian National Exhibition. The food building alone is enough of a reason to go.  Add in the games, rides, shows and various other activities and it's a solid day of good times with friends.

{The view from above}

August has been kind to me, if only summer could last forever!

G.

G Eats: Honey Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Stir fry has to be the one of the easiest ways to use up a lot of veggies and stretch out a smaller amount of meat.  It comes together quickly for a delicious meal full of good for you stuff. This recipe came together as one of those toss-what-you-got-into-a-pan-and-make-it-delicious kinda meals.  Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand for this one.

Honey Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

4-6 Boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
Marinade:
3 TBSP Coconut Aminos
1/2 tsp each Onion Powder, Garlic Powder & Ground Ginger

Place chicken in non reactive bowl. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over chicken.  Toss well to coat.  Set aside in fridge for at least 1 hour.

1/2-1 Cup Tapioca Starch {enough for just a light coating on the chicken} seasoned to taste with salt & pepper
Coconut Oil for the pan
Assorted Mixed Vegetable {onions, carrots, celery, mushroom, broccoli or whatever you have on hand}
2 Cloves garlic; minced
Sauce:
1/4 Cup Coconut Aminos
Ground Ginger
Chilli Flakes
Lime Juice 
Honey
{add the seasonings to your own taste, depending on how hot or sweet you like your sauce}
Arrowroot Powder {for thickening if needed} 

Heat enough oil in a frying pan or wok for a shallow pan fry.  Dredge marinated chicken pieces in the tapioca starch, shaking off any excess.  Pan fry in batches until cooked, flipping part way through.  Roughly 5-7 minutes.  Set aside on paper towel lined plate.

Remove extra oil and toss in your mixed vegetables {except for the broccoli which can be added later so it won't over cook}.  Fry until they begin to get tender {you can add a bit of water to steam them slightly if you want to speed up the cooking process} when they are at the halfway done mark, stir in the broccoli and garlic.  Cook for a couple more minutes, then pour in the sauce.  Continue cooking until the vegetables are at their desired doneness and the sauce has thickened.  Add the chicken back to the pan and mix.

Serve on a bed of riced cauliflower.

Enjoy!



G.

Current Obsessions {GGO} Birthday Edition!

Yesterday was my birthday! I got to spend the day outside with my friends having tons of fun. I thought an obsessions post would be appropriate for today.

1) Birthday Cakes! Are we surprised this is number one? What is a birthday but an excuse to eat as much {paleo} cake as possible?

2) Paleo Desserts Cookbook.  It goes hand in hand with number one. You can't have cake without cake recipes. This book rocks!

3) Long Sunny Walks in the Summertime.  Walking is free AND good for you.  I love spending solo time appreciating the beautiful things around me.

4) Batting cages.  Even if your terrible this is a lot of fun with a group of friends and it's relatively inexpensive.  I personally swing until I can't lift my arms anymore.  Batter up!!

 

Not a very in depth post, but here it is, short and sweet {just like me}. Now I'm off to find more cake.



G.

Vacation Grub and Universal Updates

We're back from our trip and it was so lovely! The weather held up quite well for us and we only went maybe $150 over our budget.  All in all the trip was a success!! I though I would give a quick overview of our adventures and some of our challenges too.

Our hotel was very nice and a 10 minute walk from the main parks.  This really allowed us to come and go as we pleased without having to take a taxi or wait for the free shuttle, which had to be booked in advance and only ran at certain times. The only downside was I had picked the hotel for it's three restaurants inside hoping we could utilize them more.  Needless to say after spending $40 on a subpar breakfast the first day we realized we would need to dine elsewhere for the remainder of our stay if we wanted to stay on our budget. Our breakfast fund was greatly saved by the discovery of a Golden Corral in a 3 minute walk from the hotel.

Our first stop was Island of Adventures, I would rank it as my 2nd favourite park of the trip (Seaworld stole my heart). I loved how immersed in each area you felt as you walked through. Naturally Harry Potter World was one of our biggest highlights and we made sure to visit multiple times.  I was a big fan of the big-as-your-head turkey legs at the Three Broomsticks. The Boy was a big fan of butterbeer.

 

To avoid buying too many overpriced snacks we loaded up on fruit, veggies, beef jerky and grain free granola to keep our energy up during the day.  We learned quickly that a lot of the in-park places to eat, that weren't full restaurants, would not offer substitutes. I found myself having to pay extra for little more that a few pieces of iceburg lettuce, a cucumber hunk and a wedge of tomato.  Since we had the all access passes it allowed us to enter and leave the parks as often as we wanted, so we made a habit of leaving to hit up the food court in the city walk where I could get a super large salad with all the fixins' AND grass feed beef on top.

Universal Studios was neat but not nearly as much fun as the other parks.  I liked all the movie stuff, but found as far as rides and activities went there wasn't as much to do if you didn't want to shop. Still a good time though.

We took big time advantage of the all you can eat buffet at Aquatica that allowed us to go back as many times as we wanted through the whole day.  It didn't have the most food choices but it definitely kept us fed and went easy on our wallets. 

Now let's talk Seaworld.

Seaworld was by far my favourite park on our trip. Filled with rides and all sorts of aquatic life there was so much to do that we didn't even get through it all in one day. Naturally the shark encounter area was the best where we got to go through a tunnel with sharks swimming all around us.  Right outside it there was a restaurant where there was a big aquarium full of sharks to look at while you ate.  It was one of our splurges but allowed us to eat a really hearty meal in the middle of the day, got us out of the heat for a while and allowed me to stare in childlike wonder at the sharks. I think the one "complaint" of the day was that I would run off the minute I saw something interesting, leaving The Boy to try to grab my backpack to keep track of me.  I had warned him I was going to be a 6 year old all day.

Overall the trip was just fantastic and, despite our financial constraints, we managed to optimize our time and funds to ensure the maximum amount of fun was had by all.



G.