Ch Ch Ch Changes! And Some Street-Eats Too!

Hola Peeps!!!

I have to start off by letting each and every one of you know how grateful I am for all of your comments on the wedding dress of choice!!!! Let's face it - as much as the dress is all about what I want it's also about looking ridonculously good! It's pretty safe to say that every bride wants her groom to be speechless (not to mention moved to man tears) and every guest at the wedding to think she's the epitomy of the picture perfect bride. You guys made me feel like I might have a chance at achieving both those things. And for that:

A MILLION THANK-YOUs!!!

Ch Ch Ch Changes

Since I was travelling in and around New Year's I didn't get a chance to write a proper resolutions post. Although I'm pretty happy with my life, there's always room for improvement.

Cue the resolutions:

1) Get back into tip-top shape - in time for my November wedding!

2) Take better care of my skin - I'm turning 30 this year and I know the face I inherit in my 40s and 50s will be the one I take care of now!

3) Make new friends - I'll admit I don't really have friends in the small city where I live. It's led to some lonely time especially pre-Daisy. I'd very much like a Rocky Mountain posse!

4) Pray more - I talk to God but I think He'd like to hear from me more. And heaven nows I need His help! :o)

5) Eat a more balanced diet - I eat pretty healthfully but I've yet to figure out the optimum diet for me. Last year I went pescatarian for half the year. I quite enjoyed the change but a visit to the Doctor revealed my body wasn't quite as gung-ho. There's still some tweaking I need to do!

6) Work less but Relax and Play more - this is an order from my Doctor. And he's right. My career as a criminal lawyer is more often than not seriously stressful. During crazy times (like this week for instance) I'll eat in a hurry, work long hours, and only want to hit the sack by the time I get home. Somehow I have to figure out a work-life balance that leaves me energized and renewed each morning.


Whew! That's a lot stuff but I think I can do it!

So far I've made a lot of changes this first week of January on every front:

1) I hit up the gym several times and got some interval runs in (great for when you want a high calorie burn and you only have a short amount of time). I've also practiced yoga several times. After scoping out the local gyms I've finally chosen one and today I will go sign up for my membership.

2) I've started drinking copious amounts of water from the pink Nalgene bottle the Fiance got me for Christmas. I've also begun a daily skin care regimen. I'll have to feature that on the blog soon!

3) I invited someone over for a very successful girl's night featuring healthy eats and SATC the movie. I'm hopeful I'll also meet new people at the gym and at Daisy's puppy kindergarten classes.

4) I've been spending a lot of time praying this week. And not only when I want something. :o)

5) I've begun taking vitamins like it's my full time job. Also, I've reverted back to eating non-pescatarian options as well. On the whole however I have been sticking to mostly a pescatarian diet with well-balanced choices at every meal.

6) This one is all about balance! Exercising has helped a great deal towards feeling de-stressed. Those lunch time runs help a bundle! I've also been careful to leave work at work and not bring those frustrations/stresses/anxieties home with me. As an added bonus I've started hitting the sack way early (old lady style). Getting eight hours of sleep a night has been nothing short of fantastic!!!! :o)

How about you bloggies - what changes have you made in 2010? Do you make resolutions?



The Yummy Factor - Handheld Market Eats

Whew! That was a lot of talking and no pictures! I say we finish off this post with yummy food pics! :o)

While in Toronto over Christmas, I made a point of introducing the Fiance to Kensington Market. Adjacent to one of Toronto's China Towns it's a market area featuring mostly Latin American/Caribbean and Portuguese eats. If you're looking for fancy pants high-end eats in Kensington, you're in the wrong place. However, if you're open to wonderful humble market eats well then Kensington is just perfect!!! :o)

During our visit we went with the intention of sharing a variety of small dishes. In the end, it was a visit featuring handheld market eats:

Eat #1: Jamaican Patty! These are street food at its very best. They're not healthy at all but they are pretty yummy! Essentially they consist of a beef paste inside a yellow flaky pastry. You can also get variations such as chicken, goat, or vegetarian eats.

Eat #2: The Noble Pupusa! lol :oP This is the National dish of El Salvador ( the country of my birth). Essentially it's a pan-grilled stuffed corn tortilla served with curtido (a sauerkraut type dish) and salsa. The fillings include cheese, a bean paste, or a refried pork base. If you mix more than one of the fillings it's called a "pupusa revuelta!" Yum!

Eat #3: Chilean Empanada! These are delicious. The pastry on a Chilean empanada is made of a slightly chewy bread-like dough. The filling is most often beef but can also include chicken. These empanadas have a hint of Moroccan type flavour in that they mix their savoury with the sweet, by way of raisins.

The Fiance comes from a city without an abundance of ethnic eats so he was suitably impressed! Full belly = Happy boy! :o)

Have you eaten any of these street eats? What do you think of them? What's your favourite street eat?