Quitting…

Dec9

We all have a thousand things to do this time of year! Lets face it, we have a thousand things to do at all times during the year. Life can be overwhelming at times and for me yesterday was one of those times.

Yesterday I made the decision to quit Weight Watchers. I am both saddened and relieved by this. I am saddened for a few reasons, mainly because I will miss the weekly visits with my meeting friends. I’ve made some strong friendship connections since joining in June. I know I will still see those friends, just not as frequently. I am also saddened because by quiting im losing my built in accountability of a weekly weigh in. Back in 2011 (before my Lupus got bad) I had amazing success with Weight watchers. I lost over 50 pounds in a year with the program! Of course my life was very different then and I had amazing support from a friend, freedom/ability to workout when I wanted, much less responsibility, etc. This time around my success has been much slower. I’ve lost 15 pounds since June 1st. I realize my illness and my new Mom life are both factors in my slow loosing and I accept that. I make a point of eating healthy and doing what I can when I can, that to me in itself is a success! Not all victories are revealed by the number on the scale or the size of my pants!!

You might be wondering why I quit given I just told you all about my success! I quit because I can’t get behind the new program released this week. The changes are substantial and I can’t wrap my head around a program that says I can have a beer for less points than a glass of milk! I can eat heavily processed/ chemical laden brand name potato crisps for less points than a 1/4 avocado. In my opinion the points values of many foods no longer represents their nutrition! I can’t force myself to follow a program that doesn’t give me enough daily points to have oatmeal with milk, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter for breakfast. A green salad with 4 oz of grilled chicken, 1/4 of an avocado, & 1 tablespoon dressing for lunch, and a high fibre wrap with 4 oz lean protein, 1 oz of cheese, veggies and salsa for dinner. Plus one serving of Greek yogurt and berries for a snack! That’s three healthy meals and one snack and according to the new program I wouldn’t have enough points for that.

When a program starts to cause more stress than health benifits it’s time to throw in the towel. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not throwing in the towel on healthy eating! I’m just throwing in the towel on paying $60 a month to be stressed out when making healthy choices!!

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Nov29

I love this time of year! Christmas time is so magical! This year even more so for me thanks to Jacob! Im looking forward to all things Christmas. Next week one of my best friends is hosting a Christmas party and requested I bring gingerbread cupcakes. Not wanting to disappoint I did my research, combined and tweaked some recipes and came up with these moist, delicious cupcakes featuring Epicure’s gingerbread spice!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 molasses
1 egg
1 1/3 cups white flour
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons Epicure Gingerbread spice

*Allow milk, butter, and egg to come to room temperature before beginning

METHOD

Cream butter and sugar together in mixer. Add in egg, milk and vanilla.

Add in molasses. Mixture will look chunky.

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and Epicure gingerbread spice.

With mixer running at low speed add dry ingredient mixture to wet. Once added mix throughly on med/high speed for 30 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and mix for another 10 seconds.

Fill 12 paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven – 350 degrees.

Allow to cool on wire rack before frosting.

I frosted mine with cream cheese frosting and used a tiny fresh baked gingerbread man to decorate!

I hope you enjoy these as much as my friends do! ❤️🎄❤️

Maple Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Oct2

It’s officially October meaning we are fully submerged in Pumpkin everything!! I admit my pumpkin season started in August…don’t judge me!

I decided to bake some maple pumpkin spice muffins because warm fresh baked muffins are a crisp Fall morning necessity. These muffins don’t require a fancy mixer or a lot of time! They taste great with butter or better yet pumpkin butter. Feel free to get creative and toss in a few walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips etc! I left mine plain and served them with pumpkin butter.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup cooking oil

1 cup cooked pumpkin (without spice)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp maple extract (vanilla also works)

Method

Mix dry ingredients (except sugar) into a large bowl.

Crack egg into small bowl and beat until frothy.

Combine egg with remaining wet ingredients in bowl with sugar, stir to combine.

Once wet ingredients are well combined add them to dry ingredients, stiring to combine.

Once combined divide into 12 standard greased muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.

Once baked allow muffins to cool on wire rack.

These muffins are quick, easy and bake up light and fluffy. They are not overly sweet and are fantastic with pumpkin butter, peanut butter, jam, etc!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies With Maple Frosting

Sep13

It’s almost the middle of September! Pumpkin season is in full swing!!! I decided today was a good day for some Fall inspired baking! These cookies are pillowy soft and delicious but the maple frosting is the show stopper!

Ingredients 1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon instant coffee

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin spice liquid flavouring (optional)

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Method

Combine pumpkin, egg, oil, sugar, vanilla, and, instant coffee, liquid pumpkin flavouring in medium bowl.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin spice in another bowl.

Stir wet ingredients together and use a fork or whisk to combine dry ingredients.

Combine wet and dry ingredients, stiring just to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to fully cool before frosting.

To make the maple cream frosting simply combine the following ingredients.

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup light cream cheese

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla coffee creamer

1 teaspoon maple extract

I used my immersion hand blender outside on the patio but if you don’t have a sleeping baby just toss them in a mixer!

Frost cookies and enjoy!

Note: This is the liquid pumpkin spice flavouring I used. It’s available at baking stores, online and micheals crafts.

Argentinian Chimichurri Flank Steak

Aug27

Kevin and I have decided to seek out one new dinner recipe a week to cook together and share. This week we thought the recipe for Chimichurri flank steak in this weeks Weight watchers weekly looked good!

We made the marinade last night and let the steak marinade a full 24 hours prior to cooking. I really enjoyed the flavors of the marinade but Kevin found the red wine flavor a touch over powering. We both agreed we would double the garlic next time!

As stated above this is not my recipe. It is a Weight Watchers recipe.

Ingredients
1 Small bunch parsley
4 Cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
1 1/2 Teaspoon salt (I used 1 teaspoon)
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 Teaspoons olive oil (divided)

1 Pound lean flank steak
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper pinch

Method
24 hours in advance prep and marinade the steak.

Combine first 8 ingredients and purée in a food processor until relatively smooth.

Place 3 tablespoons of Chimichurri into a small bowl and add 1 tsp olive oil.

Rub mixture over steak and allow to marinade for 24 hours. Refrigerate remaining Chimichurri after adding remaing Olive oil.

When ready to cook preheat grill to high heat. Wipe off marinade, pat dry and season steak with salt and pepper. Spray grill with cooking spray. Grill steak for 5-7 minutes per side, flipping once. Cook to medium rare. Remove from heat and allow to rest. Drizzle remaining Chimichurri sauce over steak and serve!

I would recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a flavorful healthy steak recipe.

Blackberry Lime Tart

Jul31

So earlier today I posted my recipe for lime curd, well here’s what I did with it!!! I turned it into mini blackberry lime tarts and served them with a scoop of lime zested vanilla ice cream!!

These tarts are a perfect little treat after dinner! You could make one large 9 inch pie with this recipe or 6 four inch tarts.

Ingredients
1 1/4 Cups Graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/8 Teaspoon cinnamon
Cooking spray
1 recipe Lime curd
1/2 cup Blackberries

Method
Combine crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, melted butter and mix until crumbly.

Press mixture firmly into sprayed tart pan up the sides and on bottom forming a well. Bake in 325 degree oven for 9 minutes.

Once baked remove from oven and allow to cool. Fill with lime curd and top with as many blackberries as desired. Refrigerate for 3 hours until firm.

These tarts are just the right size for a shareable treat or indulge and polish it off on your own!

Homemade Lime Curd

Jul31

A friend came over yesterday and with him he brought a bunch of blackberries!! So those blackberries are destined for blackberry/lime tarts! This afternoon I whipped up a batch of homemade lime curd to be used in the tarts. I mean doesn’t everyone keep a dozen limes on hand all the time!

This lime curd is extremely easy to make and doesn’t require a double broiler or straining. It has a fantastic lime flavor with just the right amount of sweetness! Use it in tarts, a toast, scones, cookies, or mix it with yogurt! The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

3 large eggs
1/2 cup lime juice (5 large limes)
Zest from 2 limes
1/4 cup frozen salted butter
3/4 cup sugar

Method
Juice and zest limes

Cube frozen butter
Whisk eggs

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and gently whisk together.

Transfer to medium pan and continuously stir over low heat until mixture begins to thicken and butter starts to melt. 5 minutes in my experience.

Remove from heat and continue to stir for 2 minutes. Transfer to glass jars to cool. Makes 2 cups.

Note: you can make lemon curd by replacing the lime ingredients with lemons!

Basil…So Much Basil & Other Yummy Garden Things

Jul20

So despite the drought conditions her in BC this summer is proving to be spectacular for our garden! We’ve been enjoying carrots, spinach, lettuce, sage, thyme, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, beets, onions, radishes, peas, eggplant, zucchini, beans, mint, and basil so far!

I’m pretty excited our corn is well on it’s way to being ready and I’ve got some little pumpkins and a random giant squash looking good! I’m trying not to eat the green tomatoes but I make no promises!

While everything is doing well the basil is unstoppable! I’ve eaten my fair share raw, in salads, pasta, and bruschetta! Tonight I decided to process some into a paste with garlic and olive oil to freeze for use later when we don’t have all this fresh!

Basically it’s the same process as making pesto minus the nuts and cheese!

Wash and dry your fresh basil leaves and pulse through your food processor with olive oil and fresh garlic! I used one tablespoon of olive oil per packed cup of basil leaves, with two garlic cloves! It smells amazing!! After it was processed I scooped into individual portion cups to freeze! Easy and a great way to avoid wasting your beautiful fresh basil.

You wind up with considerably less then you started with but these little frozen herb pucks will pack big flavor when you decide to use them! They work great in pesto, pasta sauce, on buttered pasta, omelettes, bruschetta, in scrambled eggs and in homemade salad dressing!!

Low Fat Zucchini Muffins!!

Jul16

Good morning old friends! I know it’s been awhile again! I’m very busy being a Mom but I promise I havent forgotten about my blog!

Yesterday my tiny love decided to go back to sleep after breakfast and I took full advantage by getting in the kitchen to bake!! I’ve been baking lots, just not posting about it! Well I managed to snap some photos yesterday so I could share these lovely, healthy zucchini muffins with you!

I rejoined Weigh watchers to get back on track. These little muffins will set you back 150 calories or 3 Weight watchers points but are well worth it in my opinion! They bake up moist and are very low in fat.

Ingredients
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1-1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini not peeled, loosely packed

Method
Combine flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Gently fluff with a fork and add in chocolate chips

In another bowl combine butter, zucchini, vanilla, egg, and apple sauce.

Once mixed add to a well in the dry ingredients and fold to combine.

Divide between 18 standard muffin tins (12 if you aren’t concerned about slightly higher calories) sprayed with non stock spray and bake for 22 minutes at 325 degrees until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

These muffins are perfect for breakfast or as sweet treat with a cup of tea! It’s nice to know these are a sweet treat that won’t derail your healthy living efforts!

It’s Been Awhile…

May21

So my little man is 15 weeks old as of yesterday. I’m not sure where the last four months have gone, but wow. Being a Mom is the most amazing experience ever. Everyday this little boy makes me smile, makes me think, and teaches me something. Some moments are hard and frustrating, I won’t lie to you! But when Jacob looks at me and smiles all the hard goes away. Being a Mom has taught me so much already and has changed the very essence of who I am.

My life is currently nothing like I expected it to be at this point. When I was pregnant and thinking about life with a newborn I had all these ideas of how our days would go! I thought we’d have a schedule, you know… A bed time, bath time, nap time, play time, meal times! That Id have a set time to go to the gym for a little me time. I figured by mid May Id be well on my way with Seawheeze training! I was vastly unprepared for this new life!! I didn’t take my health issues into concern when I day dreamed about my new picture perfect Mommy adventure!! I don’t know why it never crossed my mind that throwing up for nine months straight due to Hypermesiss would leave my body with some fallout and battle wounds. It never hit me my recovery would be the same side effects as that of bulimics. I definitely didn’t think my husband would be in a horrible car accident a month prior to our sons birth leaving him with spine damage and unable to work and more importantly unable to hold his son without pain.

My health has been a constant issue since I gave birth. I was in labor for 36 hours, 16 of those being hard, active labor. I’m told I handled it like a rock star! It was a natural no pain killer sort of showdown. I had my family, Kevin’s parents and my best friend there for the big event. Yes in the room with us, because being pregnant gave me this big emotional feeling of how important family togetherness is!! Fyi that feeling is gone now! It wasn’t until the weeks following birth that I realized something wasn’t right. I quickly realized I needed to see a doctor. I learned I had partially retained the placenta. It was weeks of back and forth with the surgeon, ultrasounds, special medication. I see my doctor again today and I’m guessing another ultrasound. I also quickly realized after giving birth that I wasn’t producing Breastmilk. After two full exhausting months of pills, pumping, supplements, lactation consultants, Brewers yeast, massage, tea, lactation cookies, and tears I gave up. I couldn’t mentally or physically put myself through 7 pumps a day to collect a total of 1 oz of Breastmilk. In the end they chalked the poor production up to the fact I was in starvation mode for 9 months due to the hypermesis. I was extremely malnourished and my body was fighting to keep me alive rendering it unable to produce milk. It was disappointing to be unable to provide my child with nourishment. I cried a lot until I became vocal in the topic. All the sudden I had other women quietly coming to me and confiding they didn’t produce either! This isn’t an uncommon thing! It’s just not talked about and that is sad! No new Mom should be left thinking it’s her fault her body won’t produce milk!

My little formula fed baby is growing, developing, learning, and stealing hearts everyday! I no longer feel any shame about him being formula fed, or my choice to accept the fact my body wasn’t going to produce no matter how hard I tried.

As for the other health issues, well it’s a day to day battle. Between the lupus pain returning post pregnancy and the fact my body is still in starvation/survival mode. The stomach issues, weight gain, anemia, extreme body pain, etc are everyday battles and I try my best to stay positive and trudge through them. All of these things are exasperated for me by the stress of Kevin’s injury.

His car accident happened on New Year’s Eve. We spent New Years in the ER and he’s been in pain ever since. I don’t really want to go into detail at this point but watching him grimace in pain trying to hold his son breaks my heart.

I took this photo yesterday when we took Jacob to the river to enjoy the sunshine. I love this picture because it captures Kevin’s happiness being a Father, but it breaks my heart because I know how much pain he’s in and it’s not fair.

Life is constantly changing, thankfully I know to embrace the little moments.

One of my goals is to get back to blogging on a regular basis. I definitely let it fall off the map during my pregnancy. Writing is therapeutic for me. Plus reviewing local places was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed the perks that came with discovering these hidden gems! I’ve had many people tell me they miss my recipe posts as well. I’m going to do my best to get back to it. Yesterday we checked out opening day of The Langley farmers market and visited Derby Reach park! Last week Emma and I got to see the baby animals at the Cloverdale rodeo up close and personal. These things remind me how much I love BC and I hope to get back to sharing my life with you! Our adventures, local reviews, food and wine!!! Until I get knocked up again 😉

Life With The McGavins

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