Keep Calm & Carry On

I can't even explain how much i love this (thanks for the idea Leah), it seriously sums up how I handle myself in times of stress (and limits the spaziness that is me)

Days like yesterday when...

1. I drove to work in a massive wind storm that tore traffic lights from there posts, broke transformers and knocked over fences and cement signs, it was nuts and a little scary!  BF doesn't help matters when he gets excited for these storms, he truly feels he missed his calling in life to be a storm chaser

Not very scary looking photo, looks a little pathetic, lol, was definitely a lot scarier then it looks, promise!

2. Found out I owe about $900 in taxes as my rrsp contribution was 3 days late (thanks HR department for taking 3 weeks to move $ to my brokerage account) - heartrate is increasing just thinking about this, grrrrrr

3. Our new benefits account at work turns out to be an amazing idea yet ridiculous in execution and I end up missing $400 from my paycheque, seriously?  Deep breath Donna

BUT i did KEEP CALM and then

I get an e-mail like this from my good friend Diane

I miss you too Diane!

And then I come home to a big one of these (that would be a hug, lol BF is quite the normal size!)

I was also lucky enough to watch the rehearsal for our friends Ryan & Amys wedding this Saturday

AND then i CARRIED ON

And got up at 5am for the Royal Wedding - SQUEAL!!!!!

And ate a new favourite breakfast

Breakfast made up of 

12 Grain Toast

Peanut Butter

Raisins

Organic Jam

Banana Slices

Sunflower Seeds

Chia Seeds

Excitement for wedding

And i Ohhhed and Ahhhed over the dress

And i might have cried a little, how could you not?  My favourite part was when they kept smiling at each other and having little laughs!

And then i juggled, writing this post, watching the wedding, talking to friends on FB, checking twitter and texting my sister - all this before 6am :o)

Okay, sorry for the quickie post friends but i better get my arse in gear and get ready for work, sorry for the lack of foodie post but try the toast, its seriously fantastic! 


What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans?

And on a final note, would it be wrong to request bells when BF and I get married?


Xox

Put a hat on it

Kind of like put a ring on it, only with hats? Still with me, this is one of those posts, buckle in :o)


So is anyone else gearing up for the Royal wedding EXTRAVAGANZA tomorrow?


Now i have to tell you, hats are very important part of weddings in the UK, isn't this one a doozy?

Hi, my name is crazy and i like yellow hats that look like curly horns, they unravel into a seriously badass weapon

And i LOVE hats, see the following examples...

I look like the undercover pink detective 

Could my kissing recipient look any less interested?  Maybe she isn't a fan of my hat choice either?

I love love love this roxy hat, its a little squished and crooked from being in my luggage though, i'm so happy here i'm doing the nose scrunch smile!

Yes we are wearing matching hats in Venice, he might grumble about it, but BF loves lululemon too!

Group hat shot, note to self don't wear an ear flap hat tubing again, its hard to hold on to a tube and ear flap hat at the same time!

This is one of my favourite "hat" photos, i really think i'm rocking the pigtail hat look, sexy no? 

And BF dares to make fun of my hat choices!  Here we are rocking the mummy/canadian winter look 

This hat is super cute imho, don't worry you don't have to agree, i like my delusions!

Hats however obviously don't love me as you can see from the above photos


I've mentionned my tiny head on multiple occasions on this blog


But it really is true, i don't usually look that great in hats, they are usually all too big for me and i honestly believe its a travesty of epic proportions


I have one that BF threatens to throw out everytime he sees it, i think its cute, he thinks its fugly

Its not going anywhere though, its seen some pretty great times on holiday plus I have this unfortunate habit of developing sunstroke on vacation due to my pale pale skin and light fair hair so hats are an absolute necessity for me, i will therefore always be a fashion disaster


So todays smoothie didn't want to feel left out of all the fun...

Her Royal Highness Smoothie

Ingredients
2 handfuls of spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1 vanilla soy milk drinking box
1 dollop of greek yoghurt
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
2 ice cubes


Directions
Blend and prepare yourself for the best smoothie ever (well so far) and get organized for the wedding

Not sure this is the kind of hat you wear to royal wedding but i didn't want to hurt smoothies feelings

Smoothie is checking on the kale to make sure we have healthy snacks for the wedding viewing 

Wants to make sure the satellite is working okay, nothing ruins a good wedding stalking watching more then satellite signal loss

Weather looks promising!

And then smoothie got comfy for the show but since its an entire day away i didn't want to hurt its feelings so i drank it instead, teeheheheeeeeee

So in summary of my totally silly random hat post, if you are having a bad day, the only solution is to put a hat on it, it will solve all issues and make for some interesting conversation starters, just don't go with the yellow one at the top of the blog, i might have to point and laugh at you and i would NEVER want to point and laugh at all my sweet, lovely blog readers (except for you BF, you make fun of that black hat one more time and i'm throwing out your new lululemon one in retaliation!)


xox

Adventures in Dehydrating

I must be getting nostalgic in my age because i'm regressing again back to 1987 when Adventures in Babysitting came out, anyone else remember that movie?

I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, my sister and i or my parents, these are the classics our kids will watch one day on their ipids (we have had ipad and ipod, ipid is the next logical step) and they will try to understand what we ever saw in scrunchies and who Thor was!  (I still don't really know who Thor was, we had just moved to Canada at that point but i'm pretty sure there is a new movie about him opening up also starting Natalie Portman? Random i know, i have soooo much movie trivia stored in my little head!

Anyway, back to my Title, i put the dehydrator to use yesterday and these are what i CREATED (created sounds way more excited then made)

Banana Chips - which totally rock my world!

Apple chips - that taste fantastic but don't live up to the insane awesomeness of the Banana Chips

Sweet Potato Chips - would have tasted better if i hadn't just bought a bag of professionaly made Sweet Potato Chips but they are edible in a pinch

And of course I made more Kale, the cheezy kind, this stuff is so awesome i want to bow down to it every time i eat one, hmmmm possible ab workout? Kind of like the horse having the carrot dangled in front of it only for me you would use Cheezy Kale Chips :o)

Some great sites to check out for Dehydrator Recipes are

HERE and HERE

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So I know I mentionned my ability to stress about anything and everything so just for lack of anything better to post about today here is my list of

What i'm currently stressing about Wednesday

Acne: WTF? I have a zit on my chin, after putting my dues in during my teenage years i hardly ever get "spots" as my mum likes to call them, i'm hoping this is a passing phase, 31 year olds should not have acne, its a total rule!

Packing: Have i mentionned we have hardly done any?  its just so overwhelming but our parents have helpfully been giving us empty boxes to help emphasize the point we need to get started asap, empty boxes make me excited to pack, then i look at what i have to pack and i crawl back under my duvet


No Dress: I will be going to a wedding this weekend and i really really want something cute to wear since it's kind of going to suck that i'll be sitting on my own since BF is the best man, but alas i'm WAY too picky and can't find anything i want to spend $150 on, oh woe is me - really want this dress but there is no store near me and did you see the price tag? Its only okay for me to spend that kind of $ on lululemon (insert BF rolling his eyes here)


William and Kate: I'm concerned, what if i don't like the dress? It will ruin the whole wedding for me and i really want these two to last, no toe sucking shenanigans you two, are you listening?

Cupcake Ideas: Its my sisters 30th birthday this weekend and I want to make her some special cupcakes but i'm seriously lacking in the idea department, suggestions?


I'm also wondering what i did in my life before Salt & Vinegar Fish came into it!

Salt & Vinegar Crisp Coated Fish

inspired by How Sweet it is

Ingredients
Package of Cod Fish
2 Egg Whites
Bag of Boulder Organic Malt & Salt Chips


Directions
Crushed chips in large ziploc bag
Dip Fish in egg whites
Coat in chips
Place on Baking sheet
I cooked my fish for 12 minutes at 350 degrees

Enjoy how you wish!  I put my fish into a wrap with mayonnaise and seafood sauce, it was truly one of the best things i've eaten!

Is it wrong to look forward to lunch so I can be alone with my wrap ;o)


Happy Hump Day!!!!!!!!!!

Chicken of the Sea

Do you remember that NewlyWeds episode of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lacheys reality show where she got confused about the can of food she was eating?

I don't feel like this Logo really reflects the brand name they are going for

Now this really utilizes the product name and makes you want to giggle at the same time!  I really might want to consider a career in graphic design, no?  Hahahaaaaa

I'll admit, I was confused as well because of Three reasons (feel free to count as you read along)

1. We don't have that brand in Canada
2. If its Tuna don't write Chicken on the can, kay? kay!
3. I'm blonde, nuff said!

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So this leads me to my Tuna Tuesday! post

Whats that?

Its supposed to be Travel Tuesday?

You are right, but you weren't supposed to notice *sigh*

If you insist, lets try this...

We will take a little trip to where Tuna first became popular shall we...



This is a beach in Spain, Tuna first become popular in Spain and the mediteranean, lucky Tuna!

(Humour me friends, i am leading somewhere with this, i promise!)

TUNA FACTS

Only about one percent of tuna comes to the market to be sold fresh. The rest goes to the cannery, because canned tuna is America's most popular fish. If you haven't yet tried fresh tuna, you're missing one of the best meals to come from the ocean. Nutrition and health

Tuna History

The word tuna dates back only to 1880 in print and is attributed as a Spanish American derivation of the English counterpart, tunny. It is derived from the Latin Thunnus, the name of its scientific genus. Tuna has been fished from the warm, temperate parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans since ancient times. As a member of the mackeral family, tuna naturally has a stronger, more robust flavor than whitefish.

Tuna Facts

Tuna can cruise up to 55 miles per hour, and they are constantly in motion. To keep this speed machine going, the tuna eats up to ten percent of its body weight daily. Depending on the variety, weights average from 10 pounds up to 600 pounds per fish. The majority of the commercial tuna harvest comes from California. The average consumption of tuna in America is 3.6 pounds per person, per year, most of which is canned. SOURCE

Tuna Nutrition
Canned tuna is a prominent component in many weight trainers' diets, as it is high in protein and easily prepared.
Tuna is an oily fish, and therefore contains a high amount of Vitamin D. A can of tuna in oil contains about the Adequate Intake (AI) of the US Dietary Reference Intake of vitamin D for infants, children, men, and women aged 19–50 - 200 IU.
Canned tuna can also be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. It sometimes contains over 300 milligrams (0.011 oz) per serving.^[41]

Tuna Concerns

Mercury content in tuna can vary widely. For instance, testing by Rutgers University found that a can of StarKist had 10 times more mercury than another can of exactly the same kind of tuna. This has prompted a Rutgers University scientist whose staff conducted the mercury analysis to say, "That's one of the reasons pregnant* women have to be really careful ... If you happen to get a couple or three cans in the high range at a critical period when you are pregnant, it would not be good." Among those calling for improved warnings about mercury in tuna is the American Medical Association, which adopted a policy that physicians should help make their patients more aware of the potential risks.^[42] SOURCE
* No DONNA is NOT pregnant!

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BIG REVEAL: Can you tell its FISH WEEK in the LRT Household?

Vegetarian week flew by and we had no problems other then my stomach was not a fan of introducing dairy back in and i had a lot of "uncomfortable issues" ...

I say this in quotes so you might get the gist of what i wrote...

No?

It means i was in the loo, A LOT!

Don't make me say poo on the blog, i'm morally against it

Oh crap i just did

Oh man crap is another word for poo

Moving on....

This photo is meant to distract you before i introduce a recipe, i need a buffer between the recipe and our last "talk"

Look its a picture from Aruba, i really need to get those uploaded!

No - didn't work? Not entirely distracted? How about this...

Nothing distracts a reader more then a photo of the blogger being harassed by a flamingo!

Yeah, i thought that would do the trick :o)
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So if a tuna melt sandwich and a healthy pizza had a baby, (don't think about the specifics, just go with it) this is what it would look like

Donnas Tuna Melt Pizza

Ingredients:

1 Whole Wheat wrap
1/2 Can of Tuna
2 Tbsp of Mayo of your choice
1 Tbsp of Chipolte Sauce
Dash of salt AND pepper
Shredded Spinach
Chopped Peppers
Chopped Sundried Tomatos
Grated Light Old Cheddar
Chopped Green Onions

Directions:
Spread Sauce on wrap
Layer in very specific order (if you are weird quirky like me that is!) and photograph

Finished pizza

Closer

Smile for your close up!

ENJOY!

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This post is really all over the place, just like i will be between now and the end of July (move in date), so bear with me, i can't stand the thought of abandoning you sweet blog and blog readers so you just might have to put up with Donna Rambles for a while yet, don't worry i'll make it worth your while in the end ;o)