You can't afford not to...

Now that Mike and I are at home more often, we thought we would try cooking more. We would go on our weekly trip to the Calgary Farmer's Market and pick up lots of fresh produce, delicious local cheeses, and everything we thought we needed to feast on for a week. It always seemed though that we were getting bored with the meals we were preparing. You can only eat so much homemade spaghetti or grilled chicken dishes.

Mike was looking online for a solution to our boring eating routine and came across something that has already changed our lives -in just a few days.

This past week Mike and I have eaten exciting dinners at home (almost) every night. We made one exception on tuesday when we ate at JLYS- like we always do :)

So far we've been delighted to try:

Chicken Burrito's with Mango Salsa served with Black Beans with Cumin and Cilantro -(my favorite so far!)

Bacon Mozzarella Burgers served with Romaine and Pine Nut Salad



Slow Cooker Asian Shredded Pork served with (delicious!) Honey glazed Snow Peas and Carrots


I didn't take photo's of all our meals, so I will just leave you with those tasty images for now...

The website that we signed up to is called Relish! You pay $7 a month to join, and we think that it's totally worth it because they make it so simple.

Once you've signed up to Relish! You can browse through a bunch of recipes and decide what all of your meals will be for the week. You can sort the recipes by Quick to make, Vegetarian, Low Calories, etc, etc and make your choices accordingly. Once your selections are made you can then choose how many people you will be preparing for and they will give you an accurate shopping list (that you can print easily) along with recipes that are really easy to follow.

The first few shopping trips might be a bit more expensive if you don't have the basic spices in your cupboard, but we found that our trip cost less than our usual weekly trip. We bought only what we needed, and it looks like we won't have any rotting veggies in our fridge at the end of the month like we usually do! Lol.

I'm really excited about this new program, because Mike and I have been really bad at making good-for-you meals. We will often eat snacks to fill the boring meal-void whereas these recipes were actually exciting and totally filled us up! Haha...Mike and I have been spending a lot of good quality time working on these "projects" together too.

I know... I sound like a commercial, but honestly! I am not getting paid for this ;)

Here are two of the dinners that Mike and I have tried and love...so you should try them too!

Chicken Burritos with Mango Salsa
Prep time: 10 minutes Marinade time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
per serving: 462 calories; 35 grams protein; 10 grams total fat; 5 grams fiber;
4 grams saturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 75 mgs cholesterol; 538 mgs
sodium

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 10-inch flour tortillas
1 mango , peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 jalapeño pepper , seeded and minced
1 green onion , including tops, thinly sliced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/8 head Romaine lettuce, torn
1/8 cup sour cream

Heat grill to medium high.
[1] In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, lime juice, orange
juice, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Add chicken and
refrigerate for 30 minutes.
[2] Remove chicken and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with
salt and pepper and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until cooked
through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
[3] Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven, or
spritz with water and heat in the microwave.
[4] To make the salsa: in a medium bowl, combine the mango,
jalapeno, green onions, cilantro and a dash of salt and pepper in
a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
[5] Cut each chicken breast into slices. Divide among tortillas, add
lettuce, a dollop of sour cream and the mango salsa.
HANDLING TIPS FOR HOT PEPPERS
Always wear thin rubber gloves for extra protection when cutting
peppers.

Black Beans with Cumin and Cilantro
Prep & cook time: 5 minutes
per serving: 157 calories; 6 grams protein; 8 grams total fat; 5 grams fiber; 1
gram saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 0 mgs cholesterol; 452 mgs
sodium

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/8 cup prepared chunky salsa
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

[1] Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook garlic
and cumin, stirring well, just until fragrant, about a minute. Turn
the heat to low and add black beans, salsa, and salt and pepper
to taste. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Slow Cooker Asian Shredded Pork
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 8 hours
per serving: 347 calories; 52 grams protein; 6 grams total fat; 0 grams fiber; 2
grams saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 123 mgs cholesterol; 1535 mgs
sodium

1/8 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
1/8 cup hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 pound pork ribeye roast
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup long grain rice
[1] Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a
whisk.
[2] Place pork in a slow cooker and pour sauce over top. Cover
and cook on low for 8 hours.
[3] 20 minutes before pork is finished, cook rice according to
package directions and set aside.
[4] Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place
on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep
warm.
[5] Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for
20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve
with sauce and rice.

Honey Glazed Snow Peas and Carrots
Prep and cook time: 25 minutes
per serving: 156 calories; 2 grams protein; 9 grams total fat; 3 grams fiber; 6
grams saturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 23 mgs cholesterol; 42 mgs
sodium

2 carrots , peeled and sliced
3 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon honey

[1] Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add carrots
and cook until tender crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Add snow peas and
cook until tender crisp; drain and remove to a small bowl.
[2] Melt butter in the same pan and stir in cornstarch. Return
carrots and peas to pan and stir in honey. Cook over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Happy Cooking!

Cheers to Jason and Shannon

Two years ago in May...

We celebrated with muchos tequila and muchos sunshine; the marriage of Jason and Shannon Wiens.  

It was one of the best experiences that Mike and I have shared, and we were lucky to share it with many of our closest friends and "family" too.  We spent an unforgettable 7 days at the Barcelo Maya Riviera Resort in Mexico and had the all inclusive treatment! I have been dreaming of those beaches ever since...

While Shan and Jay were in Mexico they picked themselves up a bottle of tequila so that they could toast to their marriage and remember the good times with every shot!

I decided to document their shooter experience this time around... I always enjoy a good excuse to reminisce about our Mexico experience.

Now if you look closely... Jason and Shannon didn't choose just any old tequila. They decided to go with the SCORPION tequila. Eeeeww. That's disgusting. As if tequila needs another reason to make your mouth pucker!



A nice closeup of our scorpion friend...



Congratulations on another great year together Jason and Shannon!

Shannon and Jay have said that once the bottle empties it will be time to go back for another dreamy Mexican Vacay. I'm hoping that they start celebrating half and quarter anniversaries too!!

California Dreamin'

Photo by Patrick on Flickr

I know I know... my blog has been fairly boooring lately! Mike and I have been really busy with Weddings, and I just haven't had the time to take photos outside of weddings, weddings, weddings! Soon though I'm sure I will have tons of photos that I'll want to share... Mike and I decided just a couple weeks ago that we are going to California! ON SUNDAY!! Totally quick last minute decision, but I think that makes it even more exciting.

Our tent and sleeping bags are all set up in our living room "airing out," although they really haven't been used a whole lot since we bought them last year!! Our intentions were to camp ALOT last summer, but it was just impossible with having to work friday/saturday evenings. If you don't show up to the first come first serve campgrounds in kananaskis/calgary area before thursday afternoon you are out of luck! Any campground in the area that takes reservations have already taken their reservations for the year. It's insane-at least in my own experience.

Mike and I wanted to camp so bad one weekend that we drove for 4 hours into kananaskis country stopping at campsite after campsite just to hear that they were full and so were all of the overflows. We finally found one overflow towards the end of our drive, but it was basically a gravel parking lot. At the time I was so desperate to pull out our tent and camp that I was trying to talk Mike into it! Minutes later we saw a caution bears in the area notice AND a fox cross the road. Pretty cool...but pretty scary too. We didn't end up camping once last year.

We are shooting a wedding on Saturday at "The Fort." Here in Calgary and then Sunday we are planning to drive south. We don't have our route planned out quite yet, but we did get ourselves tons of maps and a AMA membership! I still want to take the coastal route, but it will take us quite a bit of extra time. We are hoping that we have better luck with campsites in the states because we have all of our gear good and ready to go!

Not a ton is planned for us in Cali... we are trying to do things fairly inexpensively. The plan is to sit on multiple beautiful beaches and to edit photos and drink plenty of delicious Califonia wine. We have a few favorite vineyards mapped out that we are planning on visiting. SO exciting.

If anyone has any ideas/tips for our travels/camping/to do/see please let us know!!

Stop having a boring life...

I want it... and I want it.

Buuuuut I really just want to watch the infomercials.

It's good for your heart...

Mike and I love wine. We really really love wine.
It's a bit of a weakness really... trying a big, rich jammy wine that is good quality can get us both pretty excited! After putting our time in working in the restaurant industry, we would like to think that we've developed a bit of taste for the good stuff. The good stuff doesn't always have to be the bottles that break the bank... I think that the best wines are the ones that taste like a quality $100 wine but sells for under $30. Those are the wines that we look for.

Two of my favorites this year would have to be the Ceago Winemaker's blend, and the Four Vines Zinfandel.



Because it's only 10:30 in the morning, and I do *not* love wine enough to be having a glass this early... I'm just going to use the description that the winemaker's themselves have chosen for these beauties.

"2006 "The Maverick" Zinfandel, Amador County
Devious mischief abounds from these dry-farmed, head pruned, old vine vineyards in the Shenendoah Valley. This Sierra Foothill Valley is renowned for its old vine Zin vineyards which produce a wine that is chewy and spicy, rich with blackberry fruit and a hint of velvet vanilla oak. Blended with a touch of Syrah from the Bailey Vineyard. Maverick...The Jam Bomb...mischievous fun!"

This is one of the wines that Mike and I can always agree on. It is juicy, a "jam bomb" is very accurate. Not too sweet though... don't let the Zinfandel part fool you. For new years, we brought a week supply for everyone to enjoy up in Panorama Mountain resort! There about 12 of us, and we went through about 9 bottles in just the first night. I think everyone agreed that it was awesome. Our friends that "don't drink wine." drink wine because of this one! It's THAT good. You should try it. (the biker zinfandel is also lovely.)




"Our 2005 Winemakers Blend has intense color with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, black pepper, cocoa, and violet. On the palate, the aromas are accompanied by layered flavors of plum, black olive, mocha and hints of tobacco and licorice. This wine pair’s great with a rib roast, spaghetti bolognaise and aged Gouda."

Ceago Vinegarden's are something I've been privilaged enough to learn quite a bit about in the last two years. The Raw Bar was one of the only restaurant's in the city carrying their product, and I was totally convinced that it is possibly one of the best (affordable wines) on the market. Jim Fetzer (also the winemaker for the better known Fetzer vineyards...) took things to a new level when he created his new "vinegarden." All of his products are organic and biodynamic. Everything that grows on his property are very natural. No pesticides/chemicals... and he even uses the moon's cycles to decide when he will harvest and plant his crops. Jim came to speak with us a few times, and he is just such a fun loving, laid back guy. Spending a day with the Fetzer's at their gorgeous vineyard on the lake in Clear Lake, California is something I really REALLY want to do one day in the future. They are even building a mini resort on location for people that want to stay for awhile. Sigh... sounds like heaven to me.

These wines might be a bit hard to find... but check out the websites to find their suppliers. For those of you in Calgary that haven't checked out "100 wines by David Walker." You should! Both of these wines are usually in stock, and you will probably find many other great wines on the under $20 wall. Always such good finds.

Girls night

Last Sunday was Girl's night at our place! It had been forever since all the ladies got together for martini's, dinner and girl talk... and I'm not sure why we wait so long? We weren't completely boy-less... all the guys ended up coming over -(how did that happen again?) but contained themselves to the elevator shaft with the door shut! I suppose that's what you get when you crash ladies night?! I think that they enjoyed themselves actually. After tampering with a Raw Bar martini recipe and testing it out on all the gals we headed out to FARM restaurant for dinner. I absolutely love this restaurant, and highly suggest that everyone check it out! I just love their macaroni and cheese, and on Sunday's they do a cheese fondue as well! Cheese & Meat plates, sandwiches, and salad's are what they are all about. The restaurant is teeny tiny though, so it was awesome that we managed to get 6 in last minute!

Ashley Hill is back from England for a little while so we have to get in as many pictures and fun as we can until she goes back...

I'm not sure what was happening in this picture, but it makes me laugh...


Thanks again ladies for an awesome time! I'm thinking that we should do this every month? Why not?!

Calgary Farmer's Market

This last week has been pretty rough... just as the sun started to show itself and the temperatures get a lot more spring like, my body decided that it was time to suffer a terrible cold/flu. I have been SO eager to enjoy my new freedom working from home, but instead i've been lying in bed with a box of kleenex and advil close by. I'm starting to feel a bit more like a regular person again... so first thing this morning Mike and I headed out to the Calgary Farmer's Market! Last Spring/Summer this was one of our favorite things to do on a sunny day, and now that we have a car again it looks like it might become our Sunday morning routine!

Our goal this summer is to eat a lot more organic/preservative free food. It's great to know that everything that we bought today supports local farmers/businesses. We are also trying to take ourselves away from the dining out scene as well, as we used to go out to eat a ton. Not to say that we are going to cut it out completely :) We love good food and wine too much to cut it out of our lives.

This is what Mike and I made for lunch today with our market findings...


Mike's Turkey sandwich on sourdough with sylvan star cheddar



Delish! Pickled Beets with goat feta, Chickpea salad, and my favorite - jalapeno and cilantro hummus on naan bread. All of the salad's we bought prepared from "Irena's brand."

I would LOVE to know if anyone could share a good chickpea/bean/couscous salad recipe? I would love to make them on my own :)