Mmmmmmm!

Check out this vegan Blueberry/Lemon Cream Tart I made!  Pretty eh?

Michy

Great Michy Slim-Down Update

Um. So, 182.5 is higher than 180, isn't it?  Well shit.  It would appear that the great Michy Slim-Down has gone way the Ef off  course.  I'm not sure what it was exactly.  It could have been the Father's Day ice cream cake (of which I ate 3/4), or the multiple all you can eat sushi lunches, or maybe it was the Taco Bell, A&W and Arby's I scarfed back this week.  I don't know.  I guess it will remain a mystery.

Gad, what a tool!  On a positive note, I did bike a lot this week.  I think, however, if I'm being realistic, I would have to bike from here to Toronto to work off just one Taco Bell Burrito Extreme.  It doesn't help that my husband considers KFC a food group.  When I left yesterday to do the grocery shopping he hollered up the stairs to please get some "healthy" snacks.  By this he meant, Veggie Sticks, Rice Cakes and 100 Calorie Packs of treats.
    
 NEWS ALERT!!!  These are not healthy snacks!!  They are garbage!  I did get him healthy snacks though.  They're called fruits and vegetables.  Fancy that!

So.  Today is a new day.  Starting fresh with a clean slate.  This mornings menu included homemade Oatmeal with just a hint of cinnamon, maple syrup and brown sugar and a half a grapefruit.  My kids gobbled it up which is awesome.  I would love to keep sugary cereal out of our house and reduce the amount of milk we use, so oatmeal solves both these problems.

For lunch I'm planning on a toasted tomato sandwich with vegan mayo and maybe some homemade corn and jalapeno chowder.  Yum!  Fat pants be gone!

Michy

Meet Your Meat

Check out this video.  It makes me wanna cry.  I find, that once people start gaining knowledge about the industry, they're not all that sad about giving up meat.

Surprise!  Celebs You May Not Know Are Vegetarians


A lot of people say to me that they could NEVER be a vegetarian.  Well, sure you can!  Lots of people do it.  Here are just a few I was surprised to learn about.   There is an extra emphasis on the dudes here because guys I talk to always seem the most horrified when I suggest they could stop eating meat.



Alanis Morissette              Albert Einstein (pretty smart guy)  Andre 3000

Anna Paquin               Anthony Kedis                  Billy Joe Armstrong 

 Bryan Adams                      Aristotle                          Buddah
  
Carrie Underwood          Dustin Hoffman                  Ellen DeGeneres

    Forrest Whitaker        Gavin Rossdale


Ghandi                         John Cleese                      Kevin Nealon                  

Mike Tyson (really!)                     Michael Jackson                        Ozzy Osbourne

Pink                                            Robert Redford            Russell Brand

Sir Issac Newton           Steve-O                                Tommy Lee

Travis Barker                      Vanna White            and best for last, Weird Al.

Check out the whole list (it's fascinating) at HappyCow.net and remember, the Happy Cow is the one you aren't chewing on!

Michy

Breakfast Time!

Rise and shine people!  I'm going to loose my electricity for 8 hours today, so I thought share my favorite breakfast smoothie recipe before I'm shut down for the day.  For ages I wasn't able to stomach the thought of drinking my breakfast.  Something about smoothies and milkshakes just grossed me out.  Eventually though I discovered that lots of fruit, blended up with juice is quite a tasty way to start the day.

So here is my recipe.  Its full of fiber, vitamins, protein and healthy fat and leaves me supercharged all morning.

1/2 cup real fruit juice  (any kind.  You can switch it up each day)
1/2 vanilla soy milk
1 cup frozen fruit (whatever ya got, but it has to be frozen)
1 Tbsp flax seed oil (for your brain!)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Vegan)

Dump all ingredients in blender and blend.  Yum!  Enjoy!

Michy

Market Day


Awesome day!  Today was one of those rare combinations of beautiful weather, wonderful company and a much anticipated activity.  I am, of course, referring to my first trip of the season to the Farmer's Market.  It's asparagus season people, and there is no better place to find the yummiest asparagus than the Farmer's Market.    I grabbed my reusable shopping bags, my sun hat and my wonderful shopping companion, (my 5 year old son William), and headed to the Ottawa Farmer's Market in search of the perfect spear.


There was a lot to look at today.  Will got his face painted, which he was just thrilled with.  I have to say, he looked pretty darn cute.  There were cute dogs running around everywhere and people talking and laughing and lounging in the shade.  The atmosphere was so relaxed and pleasant.  Everyone just seemed to be in a great mood.

William with his face painted

There isn't a lot of veggies in season yet, but herbs and salad greens were plentiful. Beautiful flowers were everywhere.  Honey was available too, however at fifteen bucks a jar, it was a little out of my league today.  That's some expensive bee spit!  That's my biggest gripe about the market.  I read a lot of books, most written by people who live in California, who all swear that shopping at the farmer's market is the cheapest way to go.  However one must keep in mind that in California, where so much produce is grown all year round for the global marketplace, they have a constant overabundance and variety of produce. They're practically giving it away at farmer's markets, but things are quite different north of the border.  We have a very short growing season and no farming subsidies.  Fresh, local produce grown here costs a fortune.  The goods do out way the bads though.  When you buy local food it's usually organic, pesticide, hormone and GMO free and you're supporting a local farmer.  Plus it's extra yummy!  It just is, trust me!

After face painting Will and I grabbed some fresh rolled oats from a local vendor, some apples, eggs, (because I wanted to make fresh pasta), and green onions (they smelled heavenly).  By then it was lunch time. I ordered us potato wedges with salsa and cheese and a fresh squeezed lemonade and we sat in the shade under a tree, people watching while we ate.

Mmmm.  Fresh apples.

When were done we found a vendor with some nice looking asparagus.  Two pounds cost me twelve bucks.  Sheesh!  After that we were tuckered out (and broke), so we made our way home.  I had big plans for dinner and was going to need some time in the kitchen.

Ever made homemade pasta?  It's very easy, messy but easy.  I made a quick dough out of flour and my farmer's market eggs and rolled it out in my pasta roller.  The problem I have when I do this is finding a place to hang the pasta until I'm ready to cook it.  This time I used the handle of the oven.  Once I was done I chopped a bunch of veggies, including my new asparagus and roasted them in the oven, cooked the pasta and topped it all with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Mmmmmmmmm.  There are leftovers in the fridge calling my name right now!  Fresh, light, healthy, meat free.  All my faves.  All in all a terrific market day!  Check it out yourself next weekend.

Making pasta

Drying pasta

Tada!  Pasta Primavera!

Michy