Food for Thought

Do have this same problem?

Introducing Meatless Mondays

This was something I saw on Oprah years ago and have actually been sticking to it! I know what some of you may be thinking – No way! I’m not giving up meat!! Hear me out for a moment. I’m not suggesting you become a full fledge vegetarian; I could never do that myself! Think about the meals you eat in one week, how many of them are meat? What about the quality of meat? I.e. boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs, prime rib or striploin.

Going meatless one day each week is a way for each of us to reduce our ecological footprint and reconnect with foods that are nutritious, delicious and cruelty-free. It’s actually becoming a more mainstream choice to be meatless even just for one day. It allows you to open your eyes (and taste buds) to new recipes and a healthier choice. Many celebrities are choosing to go Meatless on Mondays too.

I really started to do Meatless Mondays when I was pregnant. Before that it was more Meatless Lunches instead. Eventually, I even convinced my boyfriend to join me and some people at work! It was fairly easy for me to start since I love chicken over beef any day! The meals I would make using chicken breast, I started to make without any meat! Stir fry, pastas, lasagna, etc. It was actually easy and I still had great tasting food. Every Monday, I would bring my grilled vegetable pasta for lunch and my co-workers would ask what smells so good! I explained what it was and why – which seems to be the most important thing. Why do you eat no meat on Mondays? I explain that its healthy, tastes good still and I actually feel better.

As a petite woman, I get asked what my secret is to being so slim. Ha! There’s no secret – I have a fast metabolism but I also eat fairly healthy and I enjoy walking and the occasional yoga class. I trim the fat off my steaks and always use boneless, skinless chicken breast when I cook.  What’s a meal without vegetables anyways? I make sure to include at least ONE veggie in my dinner, whether its broccoli, peppers, asparagus, carrots, etc.

Some great websites to help you get started with your (and maybe your family) Meatless Mondays are:

Meatless Monday Canada

Healthy Meatless Monday Recipes

Paul McCartney's Meat Free Monday

Would you believe that some of the worlds best known celebrities do Meatless Mondays too? Yup! One of my favourites is Chef Michael Symon (read his story here) To view which celebs have joined the world movement - Click Here.

Share your story of how you started your Meatless Mondays! Better yet - share your recipes :D

Happy Father's Day

To all the amazing dads and dad's to be - Happy Father's Day! It is the best feeling in the world to be a dad and although its hard at times...it can be the most rewarding title!

Get Baby Samples for FREE

I came across this website today and wanted to share it with all you mommies (or soon to be mommies!)
Newborn Baby Items is a website to meet new mommies and share your pictures and stories. Signing up will allow them to send you samples of all kinds of baby stuff. Some of the reputable suppliers are Baby Einstein, Pampers, Danone, Barbie, NUK, and Huggies

Directly from their website:

"Newbornbabyitems.com! So we have built this site to help parents like us – parents who would like to try a wide variety of baby items from various suppliers for free so that we can offer the best for our babies! Whether informations, free samples, discount coupons, or promotional offers, newbornbabyitems.com has it all! Only one form to fill out and our software will do the rest, signing you up automatically with each supplier offering newborn baby items. . . and it’s FREE!

Our goal is to let the greatest number of parents try the maximum number of products. No hidden cost, no catch asking for your credit card number, no input on your part, nothing. . . it’s all free. One single form to fill out to subscribe automatically to dozens of companies offering newborn baby items. From the store to your mailbox, free samples for you to try. This way, you can make an informed choice later when buying newborn baby items."

Random Pictures of Adriana

Adriana all bundled up for a car ride. Sweater is from The GAP - Absolutely love the bear ears on all their sweaters!!

Taking a nap with Daddy - we make the same sleepy face :)

In her favourite spot - on Daddy's chest. Adriana would fall asleep here every single night. Definitely Daddy's girl!

 Some photos from her photoshoot we did when she was just over a month old. She was wide eyed and grumpy the whole time!

 Cuddling into Daddy's chest...with a spit bubble hanging on her lip <3

Bath Time!!!! Gran's towel and cuddles for Adriana after a bath. She looks so much like me, when I was a baby.

Giveaway over at `A Happy Wife with A Happy Life`

Please visit A Happy Wife with A Happy Life for a chance to win some great things!

Amber is a wife and mother of newborn twin boys! She`s got spunk....and I like it! To read more about her, her blog, and her adorable boys - Click Here.

My Sister is Leaving for Australia Today

I have had quite the week. I have been preparing myself for the biggest change of my life. Nope, not the baby, or moving, or anything like that. I needed to prepare myself for my big sister leaving for Australia! This is not a vacation or a visit - she's moving there for a year or more. It has been something I have pushed away so I could enjoy our time together but now that day has come and I'm a mess!!
She leaves in less than 30mins for the airport and all I've been doing is breaking out in tears thinking about how long she'll be gone for. What if she leaves and decides to stay forever....Aussie is verrrryyyyyy far! I could understand a vacation, just to see how she likes it. Her and her new fiancee are picking up their things and moving there! That's just crazy if you ask me!
On the otherhand, this will be a great experience for them! They will learn new things, taste new food, drink fabulous wine...oopsie! I wish them all the best in their travels and I hope they come back soon. Skype will be the best of friends for us. It will be the only way she can see Adriana - see her grow, learn new skills, TALK! I can`t wait :)
I think that is the hardest part of her leaving. Knowing how much she will miss in a year with her Goddaughter. Adriana will be walking, talking, running, potty trained, solid food, etc all by the time she gets back. She is young enough that it won`t be that hard for her, but its been very hard on her mommy!

Have you ever moved across the world or country? Have you ever had to say good bye to someone? How did you handle the situation? Did you go to the airport to see them off?

Going Home

The next morning, bright and early, my boyfriend came back to the hospital. He had spent the night with our dog so he wouldn’t be hyper when we finally got home with the baby. For those of you who have big dogs and are afraid of them being around babies, have no fear! Tyson is a Rottweiler and weights 110lbs – has never been around kids before. Months before we brought Adriana home, I would wash her clothes in baby detergent and then let Tyson smell it. This got him used to the smell of a baby being around. We almost made sure to give a little tug on his tail, paws, whiskers, ears, etc., just to be sure he was baby-proofed! He gets very excited when new people come around him so we had to make sure he was introduced properly. Rule #1: never push or pull your dog away from the baby. We always made sure to include him as much as we could from the beginning so he wasn’t out of his routine. This has worked wonders for us! He loves her, he doesn’t show any signs of resentment when we have her – he does get jealous but will come up to you for a good pet or rub down.

We slowly made our way home in the car. I have never seen my boyfriend drive so cautiously before. I sat in the backseat (still do!) with her just in case she needed something and it was easier to get in and out of the car from the back. We pulled up to our apartment, got out and walked inside. I was greeted by Tyson who clearly missed me! I had been gone for a few days and that seems like a lifetime to him! Quickly his attention went to the car seat, where the baby was of course. Repeating the words “gentle” and “nice” for him to listen, we put the car seat on the kitchen floor so he could get a good whiff of her. His attention was all over the place! He was back and forth to me then the baby. It was all too exciting for him!

We were only through the door for 20mins before we heard a knock. It was our landlord who tried to get us on Christmas Day to give us a basket of goodies! Perfect timing. She came in but not for long and got to see Adriana. My landlord was only a few months pregnant at this point, with her first child and was very excited! She loves babies and was just waiting for the right time when her and her husband could manage everything. This wouldn’t be her last visit either!

The first thing we did when we got home – took a nap! I would have leapt into the bed if I could at that point. I absolutely LOVE our bed. I spent many MANY hours in our bedroom watching TV, movies, napping, feeding the baby, snuggling, etc. It was easier because at the time her crib was set up in our bedroom just ten feet away from me.  This was only our temporary set up because we planned on moving back to Mississauga to be closer to our families – and find a 2 bedroom! When we woke up, we got ready – bundled Adriana up as best we could – and went to my mom’s house.