Women's Camp 2011

This weekend was amazing, despite my allergies being super flared up... Headaches, plugged ears, stuffed sinuses, stuffed/runny nose, coughing/sore throat... And my left hip and knee were acting up too... But I made it through, and I was feeling better on Saturday actually...

Anyways, Friday evening and Saturday morning, I missed the sessions because of not feeling well enough to be around the loud music and singing, and sitting in a chair for so long. But we had gotten there on the Friday right when dinner was starting, so we just went straight in. After dinner, instead of going to the session, I unpacked, got my bed ready, then chilled for a bit cuz I got hit with a massive headache. I couldn't even stay up and play cards, I just went to bed.

Saturday morning I set my alarm for as late as I could to still be up for brunch, and I figured if I was awake earlier and in time to go to the session then I'd go, otherwise I figured my body needed some extra sleep. Which it apparently did, cuz I was feeling a bit better. After brunch I went back to my room to rest some more. And stitch haha I did quite a bit of stitching done this weekend, which is awesome cuz I'm almost done this project I've been working on as of late! =)

Then at 2 was the auction, which is always fun lol! I ended up winning a beach set for $24, woohoo!!! =D It includes a towel bag (a towel that folds inside out into a bag), a bamboo mat, a competition size frisbee, and a pair of size 8 sandals.

Side note, does anyone need a pair of size 8 sandals? My feet are size 9.5...

After that was dinner, then a small group of us from Weston went to the prayer room that was set up. I really enjoyed the prayer room, but I didn't have time to visit all the stations. There were four, but we were only there for 45 minutes before the next scheduled thing (which was the Crosseyed Rascals), and I spent most of that time at "God's Garden," which focuses on Genesis 1. I had quite a bit to write in my journal while reflecting on it, which I will post in a different post, cuz this one is already getting long lol...

But yes, the Crosseyed Rascals came out to do a show for us! They were soooooo funny LOL! The best part was when they reenacted Major Winnie's day on Friday. Beautiful nachos anyone??? =D

After that we had some snack (home-made coconut cookies, they were AMAZING!!!!!), then campfire, hurray!!! =D Captain Tiffany and I led the songs, and oh boy was it ever fun! =D

Then of course, once all the scheduled activities were done for the day, we went and played cards. Game of the night: Apples to Apples! =D Geez I love that game!!! First round, I ended up being adorable and cuddly haha then the next round I ended up being a cheesy ancient American... Except I only actually won ancient, the cheesy American was given to me lol!

For those of you who have never played Apples to Apples, that last paragraph probably made no sense... All you need to know is that I won the cards with those words, so "adorable," "cuddly," and "ancient," but I was given "cheesy" and "American."

Anyways, got to bed sometime after 1 am, but had a great time! =D

Sunday morning (today), I got up at 7:30am in order to make it to the cadets' devotions, which was really cool! =) Then we had breakfast, then praise and worship, then the last session, then lunch, then we left!

One of the highlights for me, as always, is having a secret sister. This is a tradition in our WWW group (Wild Wild Weston, haha!), secret sisters are planned out, put together by Trish and Bernie. I was given Liz, and it was great to be given that chance to pray for her all weekend and to make her a card, even though I'm really not that creative in that way... But it was fun =) My secret sister ended up being Sylvia, which is really funny because I was going on and on about how excited I was over my gifts from my secret sister, and I really should have been able to figure it out that it was her by the looks and smirks she was giving me, but I do like to be surprised, and so I try not to guess and figure it out.

Anyways, I had received three things from my secret sister. Friday I got a bookmark and an Aero bar tied on with ribbon:

Saturday I got a card with a Peppermint Aero bar:

Then this morning I got a card and a stone:

My secret sister knows me so well =) Aero is my favourite chocolate bar, and the peppermint only makes it that much better! And I have a rock collection! =)

So that was pretty much my weekend. I took quite a few nature pictures too, I'll share a few here to finish the post. Enjoy! =)

Here's a video we watched at our last session, take a few minutes to watch it.

Menu This Week

So I finished "Love Wins" by Rob Bell this week. There's lots of pages that are dog-eared, so I'll have lots to blog about I'm sure. It was an interesting read, though I'm not sure I agree with everything Bell had to say...

Last week my menu didn't go as planned once again because I ended up having dinner at Ruth and Peter's (home group night, had some plums, apples, and avocado on toast, yum!), and Wednesday I ate at Mom's because I ended up needing to go to the hospital. Don't worry, I'm fine. I had an infected cyst on my back, I had an appointment with my doctor that day, and he sent me to the hospital to have it removed. No complications, it's all gone, and I'm just on antibiotics until Tuesday to ward off any more infection from the surgery. But it's all gone, they got the capsule out and all, so it shouldn't come back, thank goodness!

Next weekend I'm off to Camp Arnes for Women's Camp, so as of Friday evening, I'm not sure what my meals will be...

But I am in a bit of a rush right now, so here's my menu for this week:

*EDIT* I changed it around because my mom ended up sending me a ton of leftovers home with me after dinner tonight =)

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Dinner: Dinner @ Mom's

Monday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover zesty spinach soup
Dinner: Dinner at Ruth's

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover zesty spinach soup
Dinner: Leftover meat and potatoes

Wednesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover meat and potatoes
Dinner: Zucchini-Potato Pancakes

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover pancakes
Dinner: Spaghetti with butter and herbs

Friday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover spaghetti

Food Plan

So I ended up going grocery shopping today instead of tomorrow, because tomorrow is Booth grad, and a couple of my friends are graduating! =) So I didn't get a chance to really make a menu before shopping, so I will do my best to make one now with what I've got... I'm also going to add in my weekday lunches to planning, since I tend to portion out my leftovers, so it will help me keep track of which leftovers will be eaten when.

Here's some of my pics from last week! =)

Salmon, steamed veggies marinated in Italian dressing, and cajun couscous: I baked the salmon with mirin, which is like a clear sweet version of teriyaki, but with 9.5% alcohol. But the alcohol gets cooked out as it cooks, so relax... =P

Honey lentils: these actually reminded me a lot of chili, but they were definitely really good! =)

Sweet and Sour Chicken: one word: delicious!

Greek Quinoa Salad: I found this recipe in the Metro newspaper, and since I had all the ingredients except for the cucumber, I decided to give it a try. It was pretty good, I'll definitely make this again! =) Recipe posted below.

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Dinner: Zesty Spinach Soup (that didn't end up getting made last week)

Monday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover salmon, veggies, and couscous
Dinner: Leftover sweet and sour chicken

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover sweet and sour chicken
Dinner: Leftover Greek quinoa salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Leftover Greek quinoa salad
Dinner: Leftover honey lentils

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Soup
Dinner: Apple Puff Pancake

Friday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Lunch: Soup
Dinner: Zucchini-Potato Pancakes (didn't get made last week)

Saturday
Breakfast: French Toast
Dinner: Leftover pancakes

Greek Quinoa Salad
1.5 cups quinoa
3 cups veggie broth
1 container grape tomatoes, halved
1 sweet yellow pepper, chopped (I only had green, so that's what I used)
1/2 cup English cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
Crumbled feta cheese

Place quinoa in mesh sieve and rinse well under running water; drain and set aside.

In pot, bring broth to a boil and add quinoa. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Fluff with fork into bowl. Add tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and parsley.

In bowl, whisk oil, vinegar and garlic. Drizzle over quinoa and vegetables. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Easter Weekend

'Twas a busy weekend! Or so it seemed... Friday I slept in, then Alisha came over for a bit before we headed to Weetamah for the Good Friday service.

Saturday we went to Brandy's and helped prep her living room to paint her wall, then went with her to go pick up the paint. We went to the Forks to get me some Triops (yippee!!! =D) and spaghetti, then we went back to my place and had spaghetti and sauce for dinner.

Sunday Alisha and I went to Weston for the Sonrise service at 8:30, and (of course) the 11:00 service, where Alisha joined the worship team with Curtis' guitar (yay Leesha!). Afterwards, Alisha and I each went home.

Today I went to my mom's for lunch, then we did our grocery shopping at Bulk Barn and Superstore. Then she came over for dinner. I was going to have honey lentils with her, but I had forgotten that she's on a 17-day diet where she needs to eat only certain foods each day. Today was fish, and so I opted for salmon. It turned out really well actually! =D I just put some of my mirin sauce on it, wrapped it in foil and popped it in the oven to bake, and ohhhhhh man was it ever delicious!!! =D Mom also brought some steamed veggies that she had marinating in Italian dressing, they were pretty good actually! =)

Doesn't sound like a busy weekend eh? Lol well it wasn't really... But it my spare time at home, I stitched. A lot. I have 5 weeks to finish up this project I'm currently working on, which shouldn't be a problem now since I got a lot of work done on it this weekend... Then I have one more project I need to get done for someone else, then that's it for projects to make for others! So I think I'll take a break from it for a while lol...

So seeing as how I had to change up today's menu, I kinda had to do a bit of rearranging for the rest of the week:

Monday
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat
Dinner: Baked salmon with mirin, marinated steamed veggies (Mom brought them), and cajun whole wheat couscous
I also made Honey Lentils for lunches, though I'm not sure I'll need it...

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and sauce

Wednesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Zucchini-Potato Pancakes

Friday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Leftovers

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with any berries left from the week
Dinner: Leftovers

Start Again

I've really been slipping in my eating habits again. Skipping meals, junk food, all that jazz... So I'm gonna start making weekly meal plans again to get myself on track, as well to help with weekly grocery shopping. I've been going every Sunday afternoon with my mom, so hopefully by planning my meals, I can make a list based on that, and therefore won't buy so much stuff that I have to figure out what to do with it by the end of the week/before it goes bad. And because I've been going through some recipe books tonight, I'm going to start with tomorrow, and through til next Saturday.

Also, I've started using my Crockpot, yay! Oh man, what a great device! I haven't yet cooked anything during a work day, because I'm gone for at least 10 hours because I commute by bus rather than car, and I don't trust my food not to burn. But, I did make oatmeal once (didn't care for it, I'd rather just cook it in a pot...), Quebecois Chicken, and something else that I'm completely blanking on at the moment... But I do intend to use it some more this week! =)

A note: when I say cereal and berries, it's more like a bowl of berries with a bit of cereal and milk. Usually it's a banana, 4-5 strawberries, a few blueberries, a few raspberries, and a few blackberries, but it really depends on which berries are available at the grocery store each week.

Friday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Leftover chicken and rice

Saturday
Breakfast: French toast
Dinner: Spaghetti and home-made sauce

Sunday
Breakfast: Apple cinnamon oatmeal
Dinner: Stir-fry (recipe below)

Monday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Honey Lentils
Will also make Zesty Spinach Soup for lunches throughout the week (recipe below)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Sweet and Sour Chicken (recipe below)

Wednesday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Steak, seasoned potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday
Breakfast: Cereal and berries
Dinner: Zucchini-Potato Pancakes (recipe below)

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with any berries left from the week
Dinner: Leftovers


Stir-Fry
7 oz Chow Mein noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
4 cups bean sprouts, washed and drained
1 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1/2 cup cooked chicken (optional)

Put noodles in 8 cups of lightly salted boiling water. Boil and 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not over cook. Drain and set aside.

Heat the wok or skillet over high heat. When smoke arises add vegetable oil. Cook onion until transparent. Add bean sprouts, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil; stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add noodles and meat to the mix in the wok. Continue to stir fry and mix thoroughly over medium high heat for 3 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.


Zesty Spinach Soup
This is from my "Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast: Weeknight Meals" book.
2 tsp olive oil
1.5 cups chopped onion (1 small)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup (1/2") diced potato
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (6oz) pkg fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup sour cream, divided
1 tsp grated lemon rind

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and next 3 ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potato is very tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts.

Place half of soup and 1/4 cup sour cream in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup and 1/4 sup sour cream.

Serve with a dollop of additional sour cream, if desired, and 1/4 tsp lemon rind.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)


Sweet and Sour Chicken
This is from my "Company's Coming: Practical Gourmet: Inviting Asian Flavours" book.
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, patted dry, cut into 1" pieces
3 cups cooking oil
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1/3 cup chopped green onion (1" pieces)
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Add chicken and toss until coated.

Heat cooking oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shallow-fry for 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Combine next 5 ingredients and set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add cooking oil. Add remaining 4 ingredients and stir fry for 2 minutes until red pepper is tender-crisp. Stir in vinegar mixture until thickened. Add chicken and stir until coated.

Serve with rice.
Yield: about 4 cups


Zucchini-Potato Pancakes
This is from my "Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast: Weeknight Meals" book.
2 cups shredded potatoes
1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small)
1/4 cup panko crumbs
4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
Cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; heavily coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/5 cup potato mixture into 2 (5") circles in pan. Cook 5 minutes; turn and cook 4 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove pancakes from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture.

Serve with sunny-side up egg, and salsa and sour cream, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pancake and 1 egg)