Healthy Lunch Ideas

I was just making my lunch and decided it was time I write my healthy lunch ideas. This is definitely a super toughie for me. I have a hard time deciding what to eat for lunch. I hate just eating sandwiches all the time or salads. Then I get crazy cravings for the easy "fast" stuff, french fries & pizza because I can't be bothered to cook. I think on occasion it is okay to go get subway or a hamburger, don't get me wrong. But I think it is more important for us to teach ourselves how to cook quick and easy lunches.

Let's begin with the basics - we usually want something quick & easy but healthy and these are things we should all have in the house.

For sandwiches get whole wheat or whole grain bread. Yes, the bread could have more calories BUT it is so much better for you and is usually is richer so you could make open-faced sandwiches instead. Tortillas & pitas are great too!

Lean meats, like leftover chicken breasts, tuna  or reduced-salt deli meats are  great for making sandwiches or wraps. Sometimes I make ``bagel`` salad sandwiches, with goat cheese as a spread, lots of tomatoes and spinach or baby romaine and it is my favorite ever! Or bruschetta! Don't forget about bruschetta!

yumm!

Always keep a carton of eggs in your fridge. Eggs are so delicious and quick - you can make omelettes, boil a few eggs for a salad, poach two eggs on toast or scramble some eggs with some salsa & cheese. So simple & cheap!!!

frittata!

Making pizzas from pitas are great for lunch too. Use leftover pasta sauce or pesto if you don't have pizza sauce, throw on some veggies and lean meat and a little cheese. Pop it in the oven for 5 minutes. How simple is that!

If you are craving asian cuisine, simple stir-fries are great if you have time to prep the veggies. I also make the spicy peanut noodle recipe I posted on here, when I feel the need for  spicy quick comfort (less than 15 minutes to prep & cook!). And sometimes, when I feel the need, I get sushi! I`m lucky I can just pick it up at the grocery store or down the street. Sushi is low calorie if you don`t get the deep-fried rolls and is super filling! 

sushii!

 Soup is an awesome thing to add to your meals at lunch time. I love making veggie soups - potato leek soup, tomato-veg soup, etc. It helps add water to your diet, vitamins, fiber and helps fill you up. Adding a bowl of soup to your sandwich or salad helps make it a more complete meal too.


Don`t forget your veggies! Big salads for lunch are great you can add anything! Baby carrots, celery sticks, chunks of peppers, broccoli and dip on the side are great too. Fruit is also super filling and great for lunches. I love apples, oranges, cherries, blueberries and raspberries! Just remember though, everything in moderation. Don`t eat your veggies with a 1/2 cup of dressing or your fruit with a tub of caramel! That would be super counter-productive!

I hope you guys got some ideas from this post. My next post is going to be on dinner ideas or snacks! If you have any suggestions for more lunch ideas leave them in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Until next time,
 

Jacqueline

Acton's in Wolfville, NS Review + My Cupcake Kitchen Haul

Last friday, Mark and I embarked on an adventure to Wolfville to look for some wedding things and get some great food. Even though we weren't very successful in finding any wedding things I was looking for, we did find a few cute kitchen accessories and had a fabulous meal.

Every single time we were in Wolfville, we always walked by a restaurant called Acton's and I was always super intrigued by their specials displayed outside and the classy decor you could see from the windows. Honestly, I figured the food would just be okay and I would be super starving an hour later. Let's just say I really was wrong, it was one of the best meals I've ever had at a restaurant.

The restaurant has so many windows bringing in the light! They also have a balcony too!

The inside! So Classy.

The lunch specials they had that day.

 We walked in, and who must be the owner invited us to the restaurant and seated us. The waiter was super nice, explained the specials and gave us our water and menus. The menu seemed pretty posh for the prices and I was still skeptical of how much food we would really end up getting.

Mark ordered a gorgeous dish of mushroom risotto with beef tenderloin. He LOVED it. He also says it was one of the best restaurant meals he's every had and I tasted it, and must say I've never tasted meat so tender. Super yum!

Check out this gorgeous dish!

I wasn't too sure what to order but ended up getting oven broiled haddock with caesar salad. Totally to die for I must say; cooked perfectly and melt in your mouth. The salad was so tasty, well presented and definitely didn't taste like it came from a package like some other restaurants.

Yum yum yum!

Check out this fish! So delish!

Then came dessert. We ordered french chocolate cake with mocha icing. The icing didn't taste very mocha-like, but it was still super rich chocolate goodness. If you know me at all, you know I would pretty much die for chocolate and this was just what I needed.

It tasted even better than it looks..seriously!

If you ever, ever happen to make your way to Wolfville, please just go to Acton's. You will NOT be disappointed.

As for my kitchen accessories, we had to kill some time before the restaurant opened, so we headed to Pharmasave to look around. Of course the first thing I see in there is a huge section of cupcake kitchen stuff. They had aprons, tablecloths, dish towels, etc. Mark bought me the oven mitts and a dish towel that I love so much! His mom bought me a gorgeous cupcake apron from Stokes when she was visiting, so I`m all cup caked out in my kitchen for now!

 I hope you guys enjoy this post! I'll post my healthy lunch ideas next time I write!

Until next time,

Jacqueline

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

I want to start this post by saying : Let's be real. We all want to be healthier, thinner, fitter and definitely feel good about ourselves. I honestly think that starting a healthy lifestyle starts with us and the decisions we make as human beings. We can decide to eat a whole cheesecake and not do our work-out because we can't be bothered to get off our asses. It is truly up to us, but we can do something about it.

Over the last year or so, I have lost around 50 pounds. Over that period of time I have gave my all to my nutrition, fitness and my well-being. And then I wouldn't. I would give up and get up and start all over again. I just got over my giving up, and I know that I truly need to get back up and NEVER give up this time. So today, I want to share with you meals to help you get healthier and start your way towards a healthier life too.

Starting out with a good breakfast can help us out to a great start and help our bodies get stronger and ready for a fabulous day. Some people say they hate breakfast and can't eat in the morning and I was once one of those people. I think it is definitely important to eat at least one thing. You'll regret it later, when you want to eat the house down at 11PM! After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Eating oatmeal for breakfast is a fabulous way to jump-start your morning. What I love is oatmeal with raisins, pumpkin seeds, flax, cinnamon, almond milk and honey. You can also add brown sugar instead of honey, or add any fruit you like. Sometimes I add blueberries and blackberries. Be versatile with your food, mix it up. Just please promise me you wont add a cup of sugar to it!

Fresh fruit and toast are another great breakfast, and you can never get bored with it, because there are so many fruits to chose from. I love to eat granny smith apples with a little vanilla yogurt (greek yogurt is great!) and toast or maybe some granola instead.

 If you really, really can't be bothered to do much in the morning, smoothies are great for you. You can use fresh or frozen fruit, add some orange juice or milk, some yogurt, some people add ice and blend it up and drink it down. I love smoothies so much! Mango, orange & bananas are great or a mix berry smoothie! Don't forget to change it up too!

Other things I recommend for breakfast are; turkey bacon, Kashi cereals (but check the sugar), homemade granolas, eggs! and rice cereals.

 
Remember when you cook for yourself you control what goes into your food. Try not to make bad food decisions, especially in the morning because you will regret it! Start your day off strong!

Until next time,

Jacqueline

Cherry Clafoutis and Jack Astor's Review!

It finally feels like summer again. After three days of cold-ish weather I have to pick a day that is 30 degrees to bake..that's just me. I was super intrigued by the thought of a clafoutis while I had borrowed "Mastering The Art of French Cooking" from the library. Cherries are finally on sale again, so I took a half hour of my afternoon pitting cherries with a bobby pin (I found the tip online!!!) and now my fingers are totally purple. I guess thats the price to pay for yummy food.

I honestly couldn't believe how simple this recipe was, and you could totally use every kind of berry there is. I also found a recipe using rhubarb, which sounded delicious! If you dont like cherries I would suggest using strawberries since their in season and super sweet.

 For Cherry Clafoutis, you will need -

4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 cups pitted cherries

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a bowl, whisk eggs and flour together until relatively smooth.
Slowly add in milk, sugar and vanilla, whisking away.
Flour a round cake pan, or deep casserole dish.
Dry off cherries and spread them on the bottom of the dish.
Pour batter over cherries.
Bake for 1 hour, until top is golden brown and middle is set.
Serve warm, sprinkled with icing sugar.
Enjoy this yummy, custard like cake!

Last week, Mark's mom came for a visit and we decided to bring her somewhere yummy on Mark & I's day off. We ended up going to Jack Astor's and just wanted to share what we all had!

 This was Dianne's open faced steak sandwich! She said she would rate it an 8/10.

 Mark's caesar salad.

 Mark's breaded chicken strips with buffalo sauce. He rated this 10/10. He also said it was the best restaurant chicken strips he ever had.

 This was my chicken fajitas with BBQ sauce. I would rate this 8/10. I also got this for free because they ran out of veggies, so they were late making this meal for me. I didn't mind one bit though, free is fabulous!

The cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream accompaniments, and the tortillas were at the bottom of the dish.

We also got fabulous dessert, but all I could think about was eating the yummy red velvet cake with chocolate and baileys sauce so I forgot to take a picture. We all shared the dessert, and I highly recommend it. I think it was called Jack Louis. Anyways, if you ever head over to Jack Astor's, get dessert, thats all I can say!

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Yummy Rhubarb Custard Pie...FAIL!

Okay, so I wanted to make this pie for my blog today. Rhubarb season only lasts so long right? And of course my pie crust failed because its so warm this morning it was sticking to my counter top. I promise this is my favorite pie of life and will still taste like heaven on earth, so please do not mind this mangled mess of a pie!

For your pie crust, you will need - (And hopefully it will work for you today! I know why people bake on cold, rainy days now..)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cups + 2 tbsp shortening
6-7 tbsp cold water

Mix together the flour & salt in a large bowl.
Cut shortening into small pieces and add to flour mixture.
Using your hands, a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter or whatever you prefer; mix in the shortening until it forms a flaky mixture, the shortening mostly incorporated into the flour without any big chunks.
Add water a tablespoon at a time, and mix in until it until dough sticks together enough to form a ball. Don't over mix.
Wrap up dough & chill for a half hour up to an hour, unless you want to make your pie later.
If you have a holy grail pie crust recipe, feel free to use it, this is the one that works for me (usually.)

Now for the pie filling, you will need -

1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
nutmeg (I taste and add more until I find the perfect amount. I grate mine in, so I'm not quite sure the amount but it's probably around 1/2 tsp)
4 cups rhubarb
Boiling water

Beat sugar & eggs together until creamy.
Add vanilla, flour, salt and nutmeg.
Put rhubarb in a bowl or tall measuring cup.
Pour over hot water and let stand for 3-4 minutes until a little softened.
Drain rhubarb.

To assemble the pie is pretty simple.
Roll out bottom crust and put in the rhubarb.
Evenly pour over the custard mixture.
Roll out top crust and place on top. 
Do your thing to the pie, fork the edges or roll them up.
Cut small slits into the top.

Bake at 425F for 40-45 minutes.
Let cool and enjoy my favorite pie!

don't mind the doughy dishes in the sink!

Happy Canada Day to all the Canadians! I hope you all do something fun on this gorgeous day!

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

A Life Post - Wedding Stuff!

So..Mark & I finally decided to plan our wedding. After setting a few dates, and then changing our minds over and over, I decided we should just do it! So after talking about it, our wedding date is August 25th, 2012.

I am literally filled with wedding thoughts and ideas all the time. My foodie inspiration has now come second in my life so I figured I would let everyone in on my super life consuming wedding planning.

I know it's so early to think of much at all, being over a year away and all, but we have a little problem. I am going to school in September until the end of June. I know I wont have much time in between writing papers and doing placements to think about wedding colors and what kind of flowers I want, so I am eagerly planning most of this out before I go to school.

Mark and I are pretty mellow and decided on a very small wedding. Less than 25 guests and no wedding party. I know so many people that think I'm absolutely crazy for not having an extravagant party of a wedding, but I think it's up to us to decide how to spend our money and our time with people who love us.

We are having a beach wedding and hopefully an outdoor reception! (Fingers crossed!) So far I know I want a casual but elegant style. Not too much fussy detailing but pretty and simple. Our wedding will hopefully be in the evening, so we can have pictures taken during sunset.

I love Grecian style gowns or tea-length, simple flow-y dresses. I will probably chose elegant flats or flowery sandals as shoes as of now, but the style could change over the next year depending on trends & such.

As for food, (the most important part, after saying the vows, that is!) will be a BBQ style or pot luck with family bringing in favorite dishes. I will also be contributing of course! And red velvet cupcakes as our wedding cake!

I hope everyone enjoys this wedding post, and let me know if you`d like more life posts!

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Extra Delicious Upside-Down Rhubarb Cake

How I love rhubarb season! It brings back so many memories from my childhood when I cook anything with rhubarb. I must say that rhubarb custard pie is my hands down favorite thing of all, but today I wanted to try something a little different.

My nice slice of cake while doing my foodie research!

 A while back I had bought his magazine by Taste of Home and it had a whole rhubarb section and one of the recipes had this delicious upside-down rhubarb cake and I knew I had to try it, but like anything else I tweeked the ingredients to fit more my personal taste. I hope you all enjoy this recipe and feel free to tweek the recipe to your tastes like I've done!

You will need -

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp butter melted
2 1/4 cups rhubarb (*frozen is fine)
4 1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg 
Batter - 
6 tbsps butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a nine-inch cake pan.
Mix together the brown sugar & butter. Add rhubarb and mix well until rhubarb is coated. 
Put rhubarb mixture on bottom of pan and sprinkle sugar and nutmeg over that and set aside. 
Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat well.
Mix all dry ingredients into a separate bowl.
Mix in the milk and flour mixture, alternating each one.
Beat egg whites until it forms stiff peaks and fold into cake mixture.
Pour batter over rhubarb.
Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Let cool 10 minutes and then flip over onto a plate.
*If you are using frozen rhubarb, you could either defrost and toss the liquid or just run over hot water and drain out most liquid and you should be fine. 

So yum!

I'm also going to share my biscuit pictures on this blog & if you are interested in the recipe I'll post it on my next entry!

with homemade strawberry jam

Strawberry shortcake

I apologize for not blogging much lately! My mind has been wedding planning instead of finding food inspiration! I hope you enjoy this delish recipe and I'll try to post more frequently!

Until next time,

Jacqueline