And the WINNER of my First Giveaway Is . . . .

I know interrupt my dinner-making preparations to bring you a VERY important announcement . . .

I am thrilled to announce the winner of my first ever blog giveaway! To choose this person I numbered the entries (there were 59 of them in total - more than I ever dreamed!) and let the random number generator at http://www.random.org choose the winner.

And the winner is . . .

Coco of Balance, Joy, and Delicias!!! :o) Congratulations!!!

I want to thank everyone for entering. It warmed my blogger heart to see all the interest the giveaway generated. It's no exaggeration to say that I wish I had Honest Foods bars to give away to each and every one of you.

I promise this won't be the last giveaway! In fact stay tuned for in the near future there will be other opportunities for you lovelies to win more prizes! Woohooo!!!

Easter Highlights

Hola bloggies!

Like most Canadians, I returned to work today after a four day weekend. It was glorious to have so many days off but boy was it hard to get back into the roll of things! I felt kind of slow and sluggish. Plus it seems someone neglected to tell all my files to take a vacation too. No worries though - this is a short week! :o) Then I have just one more week of regular work before I'm off to Whistler and Vancouver Island for over a week! Yaaayyy!!!

Anywho - I do believe I owe your an Easter weekend recap. A couple of times I made loads of something and ate it more than once. So as to avoid boring you I think I'll hit up some of my highlights!


I obviously indulged in several Green Monsters this weekend. Here I am on Saturday morning indulging in my favourite green friend while checking out the comments on my giveaway post!

PS: You have until 12noon EST tomorrow to enter my giveaway! I promise to announce the winner tomorrow night!


This Easter Monday also saw the return of my breakfast cookies. I haven't eaten these in a while and I didn't realize how much I missed them. They're basically what I used to eat in my oatmeal but baked up. Really low in sugar but totally portable. That's why I love them - I just grab them and go!


As a special treat I cooked up the last of the lovely plantains my mom sent to me in my Easter package. With this last batch I boiled them up in a little bit of water with a cinnamon stick. As a result of being boiled (until very soft) they got all puffy. They were quite good but I think I prefer them being lightly pan fried.

These plantains will be sorely missed but good news (!), I just discovered that one of my local groceries store just started selling them. So I never have to be plantain-less again! :o)

Easter weekend turned out to be a weekend full of new discoveries for me - like this beauty pictured above - tempeh!! Never in a million years did I think I would be the kind of girl to enjoy tempeh. A soy based product packed full of grains? Eaten instead of meat in a stir fry? lol The me of a couple of years ago would have thought that very suggestion crazy! Boy am I glad I'm open minded because it was delicious. In fact I was sorry when it was all gone. So sorry I bought two more packages during my weekly grocery haul! :o)


At one point this weekend, the fiance got stuck at work for a really long time. As in he didn't come home in well over 24 hours! :o( The fiance's job is such that when emergencies come up he really can't leave. He also works in the middle of nowhere so if he doesn't pack something to eat he really has no access to food.

Needless to say he hadn't anticipated such a long work day. So I had to wake up early on Easter Sunday morning, cook up a bunch of food (some of it pictured above), and drive more than 2 hours round trip to feed the fiance. He was thrilled to see me and I felt so bad for him that I didn't mind the drive.

I don't know what he thinks but I say I should win fiancee of the week! :oP


Don't worry though bloggies - I still found time to sneak in a few Easter chocolates here and there! On the whole, however, my Easter was pretty low key. The fiance and I don't have any relatives or friends in this city so our Easter celebrations were snuck in here and there when we were together. But we did manage to squeeze in the important stuff, mainly some quality church time and a lovely Easter meal:


The star of the show was a roasted leg of lamb. This particular leg came already butterflied and pre-seasoned with rosemary. I made sure to add some things to up the yummy factor! :o) For starters I studded the lamb with slivers garlic. I then rubbed the entire lamb with good quality dijon mustard. To that I added a good rub of salt and a solid coating of coarsely ground black pepper. I then seared my lamb to seal in the flavours and create a crust. To finish the lamb off I put it in the oven at a very high heat until the desired doneness. When it was done I pulled it out and allowed it to rest (so the juices would settle back into the meat). While the lamb was resting I de-glazed the pan using red wine. To that I added some mushrooms and seasoning to taste.

Voila! My lovely Easter lamb dinner! :o)

There you have it bloggies - the highlights of my weekend. That's it for tonight bloggies but don't forget to enter my giveaway! I've been thrilled by how many entries I have gotten and I can't wait to announce the winner!

Hasta pronto amigos y amigas!

Twenty Random Things About Me

Hello bloggies:

I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend! I did - I got to spend two whole days with the fiance. I know that doesn't sound like much but with our schedules it's a real treat that we have two whole days off together! :o) As a result I was a happy camper.

Stay tuned for a recap of weekend eats tomorrow. Also, don't forget to enter my First Ever Giveaway!!! The deadline for entries is fast approaching so hurry up and make sure you enter for your chance to win some seriously yummy eats.

Now for the title of my entry - Jocelyn over at Running with High Heels On tagged me to list twenty random things about me. I was enjoying reading her list so much I was just thrilled when I realized I was one of three bloggers she tagged (thanks Jocelyn!)

And so I bring you more than you probably ever wanted to know about me (lol) . . .

The rules are:

1. Fill it out

2. Change one question with one of your own

3. Add an additional question

4. Tag 3 other people to do the same

1. What are your current obsessions?

Running with the boy . . . and planning my wedding :o)

2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?

Probably my new black suit pants. I love the cut (super flattering)! Plus I wear a suit every day so they enter the rotation kind of often.

3. Last thing you bought for myself?

I'm assuming food purchases for the home don't count. The last thing would be a pair of Lululemon pants. Soooo comfortable - I'm wearing them right now!

4. What’s for dinner?

I made myself a veggie wrap and ate it with a POM spritzer and three strawberries.

5. Say something to the person who tagged you:

I LOVE that your travel ambitions are so broad! Most people wouldn't even think to put all those things in there. I love traveling more than almost everything and a girl who likes to explore new cultures and places is my kind of girl! :o)

6. What is one item you could not live without?

Exercise in one form or another. Now that I know how much better my life is with exercise, there is no going back!

7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die?

I have a bunch . . . but I really want to visit Everest Base Camp. I figure I'll never climb the mountain but I'm going to get as close to it as I possibly can. It's a dream of mine.

8. Three things to do before you die:

Live abroad again, own a coffee plantation in El Salvador (the country of my birth), visit Spain with my mom

9. What are you reading right now?

I'm waiting for my blogger book club book to arrive so I haven't really started anything new - the last thing I read was "Remember Me?" Totally cheese-bally and fluffy. Just what I was looking for at that point!

10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed?

LOL This is going to seem so unlike me but I went to go see the latest Fast and the Furious in the theater. I hadn't seen any of the previous ones and I was only going because I promised the boy I would. And I loved it! lol Totally enjoyable and now I want to see all the previous ones. :oP

11. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Bread. Preferably of the refined carb, white, fluffy in the middle variety. lol

12. What’s your favorite smell?

The way it smells just after a rain fall is pretty good.

13. Best thing you ate or drank lately?

7 Grain Tempeh. Go figure!!

14. Favorite Quote?
I don't have a favourite quote but I've always been partial to one in particular from Sex and the City: "I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't live without each other love"

15. Describe one of your happiest moments.
Graduating from law school. Such a proud moment.

16. Whats one thing you can't go a day with out doing?

Talking to my mom - we live nowhere near each other but we talk on the phone everyday.

17. What do you have an addiction to?

Lately? Reading blogs.

18. Whats your favorite holiday?

Christmas. It's all about Christmas!

19. How many pairs of shoes (not just running) do you have??

Oh man - probably too many. I have some in Toronto too. Here I probably have a couple of dozen pairs. If it helps any all of my heels are currently in need of repairs. Why? Well because I haven't been able to find a cobbler in this city!! I'm told there is some old dude who does repairs out of his home. No one has given me his deets yet. I strongly suspect that if I were a horse I wouldn't find myself in this predicament! lol

20. What is the biggest obstacle you have had to over come?
I was really sick in undergrad and gained a massive amount of weight. Just over three years ago I began my journey to get my life back and lose the weight. Hardest thing I've ever done. Hardest thing I continue to do.


And whom do I tag:

1. Erin at I Walk in this World
2. Julie of Julie Golean - who is holding a giveaway this week!
3. That Pink Girl


PS: Monday was part of the long-weekend for me. Hence why I'm still in vacation mode and a little scant on postings this weekend. Look for the return to normal tomorrow! :o)

Award Time (!) and a Hoodoos Hike!

Hello everyone:

First things first - I received my first blogging awards!!! :o) Given that they were the first ever I wax particularly thrilled!

The lovely Marianne of From French Fries to Flax Seeds has gifted me with both the Sisterhood Award AND the Friends Award. Wohoo!!

Behold my beauties:




The Friends award carries the following description:

FRIENDS… comes with the following description to be added & passed along: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.” It also says : "Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Both of these awards are supposed to be awarded to 10 bloggies but I've chosen 6 bloggies to give to receive both awards. There are tons of you that have awesome blogs that I love (!) to read; having said that I've chosen the following bloggies to receive these awards:

1. Abbie from Foods that Fit - she's challenged herself to eating tons of Raw meals in April. In large part due to her inspiration I'm going to pick up an Excalibur dehydrator!

2. Aron over at Runners Rambles - This girl is super hard-core and a fantastic cheerleader for all the runners out there in the blogging world! Plus she takes ice baths (!) after long runs! lol I still can't get over that one!

3. Leah at Simply Fabulous - she lives in Europe, she teaches, she works out, eats healthy, and she's planning a long distance wedding. So much on the go! And she does it all in simply fabulous style!

4. Sarah at Run Sarah: a blog - she's another bride-to-be who works out, eats well, and is a student too! Did I mention she's hired an awesome photographer for her wedding and I'm hoping she'll post pictures after the fact? :oP

5. Danica at Chic Runner - Always a fun read I love heading over to her blog! More often than not I end up laughing. Plus in April she's doing Adoption April - where she'll share her own experience being adopted and answer reader's questions. But right now she's in Hawaii and I'm kale green with envy! lol

6. Angela at Oh She Glows! - She's a Southern Ontario girl who has given up her job and launched head-first into what is sure to be a fantastic career as a whole foods baker and wellness expert. She has guts and for that she deserves these awards!

Now on to the eats . . . .


Friday

Friday morning I woke up early to post my giveaway post (keep the entries coming!!!) and then headed off to court. It has been warm enough here that I decided to have my summer tires with their shiny big rims put back on so the fiance drove me to court.

As he drove I reviewed some files and nibbled on a banana and an apple. No pictures due to privacy reasons - sorry!

After my morning in court we had planned to head to one of my favourite restaurants in the Rockies. Turns out it's closed!! And possibly for good! :o( Oh they had such awesome food bloggies. They would make these salads and top them with smoked Gouda . . . they were drool-worthy! But it seems the economic downturn (the restaurant is located in a ski resort town) was too much for them to bare.

Saddened we headed to find another place to eat and ended up in an unassuming looking diner. Imagine my surprise when I found the diner was owned by Chinese people and they had an ethnic menu too. Score!


For starters I ordered a won-ton soup. I was expecting it to be rather small but it was huge, freshly made, and full of veggies. It was yummers! To be perfectly honest I was pretty full by the time I finished my appetizer.

As a result I only had a tiny bit of the main dish we (the fiance and I) ordered to share:


The main dish was stir-fried chicken and veggies in a Thai red curry. Really delicious but I was just way too full to make any significant inroads into this dish. As a result the fiance had to eat most of it himself.

We drove back home through the Rocky Mountains. The weather here has been simply spectacular! In fact it has quickly gone from blizzards to what nearly feels like summer. It's like there is no springtime here. Mind you I've been told it gets crazy hot in the summer so this is what the mild weather is like. Either way, we've been loving the sunshine and clear mountain views!!

For dinner we decided to make steak on the stove top. Since we don't have charcoal yet this method stood in for the real thing:

We paired the steak with sauteed asparagus and tomatoes. The asparagus was a gift courtesy of one of my co-workers who was heading down to do some mountain biking in Utah during the long weekend. She unexpectedly burst into my office with a bag of organic greens and asparagus as a present. What made me laugh the most was she prefaced the gift with "You eat green stuff right!?" lol She's seen my funky Green Monsters in the morning!


Saturday

Yesterday we got to do something we'd been wanting to do for a very long time - go for a hike up the hoodoos!

According to Wikipedia a hoodoo is a tall long thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. According to me they're these crazy looking stone formations that appear out of nowhere in this one particular location of the Rockies. In fact the first time I saw them I blurted out "WOW!! Crazy!! They look like they should be in the middle of Australia!" Because of their location (parallel to the Rockies and adjacent to the headwaters of the Columbia River) they were bound to have awesome views from the top.

And yesterday we finally got to climb them!! :o)

But first things first - a Green Monster to start the day. No bananas again (and no time to go shopping for them before Good Friday service) so my Green Monster had to do without:


Want to see a blender shot? I love these because you can really appreciate all the lovely ingredients that go into my concoctions:


After a soul-strengthening morning service we changed an headed off to the Hoodoos! :o) I was SUPER excited!!!

On the way up to the Hoodoos we stopped at a scenic view point and goofed around taking pictures:


BTW this area of the Rockies is where the mighty Columbia River is born. True to form, the river in these parts is a sight to behold:


And what does a Hoodoo look like? Well something like this (the Hoodoos are hiding behind the bridge - I liked the contrast in the shot):


Before starting our hike we headed to a nearby grocery store and picked up some goods to call lunch. I ate a capicollo sandwich (I took off the tops of the sandwich which cut the carbs in half and got rid of the mayo) and shared a salad and soup with the fiance. Don't worry I left the croutons off of my salad serving.


After a filling and surprisingly yummy lunch we headed up towards the Hoodoos! The views on the way up were postcard perfect. I was a delighted hiker indeed!


Now I'm not going to pretend. Although I love beautiful and natural sights I'm a city-slicker at heart. I'm not really hard-core - not like pretty much everyone out here! The fiance says that's why I love the U.S. National Park system. You drive to a location, the trails are ridiculously well groomed, you enjoy nature, and then you get to stay in a rustically luxurious lodge! HA! He's right! :oP

The trails in this are aren't quite like that. In fact to reach most of them you have to go off-road (4x4 vehicles with high clearance are a must) through treacherous terrain and for many many miles. That's before you even begin your hike!

The hoodoos hike was thankfully much more accessible; which is why it was perfect for a Good Friday activity. Mind you I did have one moment of fear and realization that my surroundings were very much wild:


Do you see what I see!?!?! A skeleton of a dead animal!!!!!!!! Okay dead animals I can handle. But really people? Why do those bones look like they were licked clean!?!? And what licked them clean!??!

I did my best to push the thoughts of wild crazed hungry animals away (I live in cougar, bobcat, lynx, black bear, and grizzly territory) and continued on with our hike. I'm absolutely thrilled I kept going because at the top I found a crazy arid landscape. The soil beneath our feet had turned completely to sand. And the views made it all worthwhile!!!

The fiance and I explored the top for a good long while, took in the sun, and of course took some more pictures.


I rather like this shot! :o) I know we're both serious but I think it came out quite well. Because of our height differences it's often hard to get good shots with each other.

After a good long time we headed back down the Hoodoos. For the sake of disclosure I will confess that we had originally planned on also heading to some natural hot springs. We found the entrance to the area and started our journey (in my non 4x4 Mazda3 with all sorts of panels to give it a lowered look - yikes). After about 17 miles I called it quits for the both of us!!

The road had gotten increasingly treacherous. We were basically on the side of a mountain a thin little road with no barrier and lots of lose gravel. It was starting to get late and we didn't really know how much longer we had to go to reach the springs. When we encountered six big horned mountain goats on the tiny freaky road I took it as my cue to bail. They didn't look like they were going to move and I didn't want to tempt them to use their big horns.

I promised the boy we could go back next weekend but with a much earlier start, armed with bear spray (lol), a packed lunch, and his truck. Look for those adventures next weekend! :o)

After a long day exploring the Rockies we arrived home to eat our Easter dinner. But that bloggies is another story for another day . . . .

I Heart Short Weeks

Hola bloggies:

I'm going to have to cheap out on you on today's morning post. I have to run away to court somewhat far away and up into the Rocky Mountains. But it's a short week which is brilliant!!!! Never mind that I've been awake for hours going through questions in my mind! :oP

By the way - I have to say that I'm thrilled to see all the entries for my giveaway thus far. Most of them have really made me chuckle and I'm learning all sorts of things about you bloggies. Keep them coming!

To make up for my lack of Thursday morning blogging I thought I would leave you with one of my favourite pictures (that I have taken) from these here Rocky Mountains. This one in particular was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana. I have a yearly membership there (geek I know - lol :o)) and I can't wait to go back this year!

I Honestly Love Them - And Honest Foods Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

We've all seen them right? Those lovely little bars and squares that have been featured in foodie blogs. I for one always thought they looked cute and country-ish.

Well Honest Foods has had a makeover! Recently all of the company's products have been re-launched. They now feature different packaging with much more slick and also see-through so you can better appreciate the whole grain, nuts, and fruits that go into the product. But that's not the only change!! Honest Foods planks and bars now feature lower calorie, sugar, and fat counts than before.

Given all the new and lovely changes to the products I was especially thrilled when Natalie at Honest Foods sent me some of their products to sample for the blog.



Inside that lovely box I found six Honest Foods planks. First thing that struck me? These babies are huge! So much bigger than your average granola bar. In fact gargantuan in proportions. I was so impressed with the size I took a picture with one next to a knife to show you it's proportions.

Once I was done gawking at the size I decided to get to the fun stuff - eating one! :oP lol I chose the Maple Almond Crunch and quickly opened one up. First reaction? The smell was fabulous!! As soon as I opened the bag I was hit with the delicate scent of maple syrup.

I won't lie to you bloggies - being a Canadian the smell of maple syrup took me back. You see like most good Canadian kids I would visit the sugar bush every spring. When the days are above 0 (Celsius) but the nights below 0, then it's maple syrup time. For me that smell will forever remind me of visiting the sugar bush with my dad and sister on March break. I love the delicate smell of the first maple syrup boil so I knew I was going to love this bar!


And the taste? Also amazing! The maple syrup taste wasn't overwhelming but the almonds really got into the mix. I also found the bar to be just sweet enough. As you can see from the picture the plank was completely chock full of good chunks of fruit, nuts, and whole grains.

This is probably a good time to warn you that all of the planks (unlike all of the bars) contain peanuts. I'm allergic to peanuts and of course didn't bother to read the ingredients. Thankfully I didn't have an allergic reaction as it seems my peanut allergy has become tame over time. But if you are allergic to peanuts (but can tolerate traces) I recommend you buy the bars instead.

I was pretty greedy with this first plank but decided to get the fiance involved in the sampling of the other two flavours. Next up? The Pomegranate Walnut Crunch. We sampled this one on the way to court through winding mountain roads.


I opened this little baby up. Now it didn't have the same lovely wafting smell as the first sample but I still had high hopes. And boy was I right to! :o) I would say this one reminds me a bit of dried cranberries with its slightly tart flavour. Really really good and I could totally see myself purchasing this plank. Especially because when I looked down I saw not a chunk of an almond, not a half almond, but a whole almond staring back at me!


To get the fiance involved I gave him half the plank but told him in exchange I would need feedback. It went something like this:

Me: So what do you think?
Fiance: *chomp chomp chomp* This is good! (said with a full mouth)

Me: How would you describe it?
Fiance: Chewy! *moment of thought* Like a cookie! (fiance loves cookie)

Me: Would you describe it as the best of all worlds? (I'm laughing by this point)
Fiance: *chomp chomp chomp* Yeah! Do we have more at home?

lol I think you could say the boy gave the Pomegranate Walnut Crunch a resounding endorsement! lol

Last up was the Blueberry Vanilla Crackle. I sampled my half of this baby in my office:


What I saw staring back at me was the same lovely wholesome ingredients that I'd come to expect from Honest Foods. I could also see some white bits staring back at me, which I assumed were the vanilla crackle.

I opened the package, cut my half, and dug right in. This is the part where I have to be completely honest bloggies. I didn't love this one. Something about the flavour didn't do it for me. In an attempt to give it another chance I microwaved the rest of my piece. I still didn't like it. The mix of the blueberries and vanilla was not doing it for me.

Determined to see if I was the only one who felt this way I headed home and had the fiance sample his half:

Me: I didn't like it, what do you think?
Fiance: *chomp chomp chomp* Why? It's good! *chomp chomp chomp*

Me: Really? You like the blueberry and the vanilla together?
Fiance: Yeah! It's good too! *chomp chomp chomp*

*A couple of chomps later*

Fiance: This is the last one!?!?!?

lol So I guess it's a good thing I had two people doing the taste test. This last flavour didn't float my boat but the boy still thought it completely delicious. Clearly, it all came down to a matter of taste. I still suggest you give this last plank a chance and decide for yourself! :o)

Overall Review of Honest Foods Planks: Super good job Honest Foods! The new packaging is super slick and I think being able to see the ingredients will really sell the product. I love that the planks are so huge too - lots of bang for my buck. And the reduced calories, fat, and sugar is fantastic for health-conscious bloggies like me. Overall I honestly loved these goodies! :oP

Would I buy them again: Absolutely!!! In fact I think I may have to stock up on the Maple Almond Crunch (my absolute favourite).

And you can too! In fact Honest Foods has a new online store with reasonable prices that include shipping (U.S. only)!!!

For the month of April ONLY if you add "12for12k" in the comments section of your order, Honest Foods will donate all profits towards an organization working to provide micro financing programs in rural Kenya (more information here). That alone makes me love Honest Foods all the more!

And now for the part that you've been waiting for:

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!

You could win a lovely prize pack inspired by my favourite Honest Foods Plank - the Maple Almond Crunch:

Three Honest Foods Plank (one of each of the flavours reviewed here today), a box of Celestial Seasonings Decaf Canadian Vanilla Maple Dessert Tea (I love this stuf), and a jar of Maple Butter (product of Canada made with 100% pure maple syrup)

How do you qualify?

1. Comment at the bottom of this post and tell me why you want the prize pack AND

2. Link back to this post from your own blog (email me to tell me you did so - tobethewholepackageATgmail.com)

3. If you don't have a blog just email me and I'll enter you into the draw as well

You have until noon (EST) on April 15th, 2009.

Get to it bloggies! :o)

On Pins and Needles

Hello peeps!

Just a quick late night note to let you know I've been trying to post my Honest Foods review and GIVEAWAY but my camera is not co-operating.

We (the camera and I) will duke it out tonight and I'm pretty sure I'll emerge victorious! :o) Look for the promised post early in the morning before I head to work.

I can't wait!! :o)

Now if you excuse me I need to go talk some sense into my camera . . . lol