Thursday, June 2, 2011

Sometimes i get curried away

Well hello there

I might have visited the cheese
section at the grocery store
today after all the cheese pictures
i posted yesterday!
First off i want to say how happy i am that all of you agree that Ploughmans lunch is just savoury heaven on a plate

If you had disagreed a donna visit might have been in order

I'm very persuasive

Especially when it comes to my  lover friend cheese

I would also like to thank my mum for asking in the comment section if it was a hint of what i wanted for my birthday dinner

You are quite perceptive mum!

Even if she used to be blonde like me ;o)

So guess what?

Yesterday was Lulu adoption/homecoming day!

She thanked me for visiting by climbing up my fancy work clothes and slobbering on my thigh

Her sister Alice likes to show her affection by putting her mouth around her new sisters entire head

My sister might pass out from panic attacks if Alice keeps being so "affectionate" 
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So i know its Thirsty Thursday...
(FYI: nothing good is going to happen if the start of a conversation is "So i know" dot dot dot)

BUT

I have a recipe for you instead

SO

I am going to discuss something liquid (i was going to say wet but it sounded too dirty) just to keep with the Thirsty Thursday theme 

Lets talk about fruit smoothies

{A healthy alternative to the soda/milkshake options available at fast food/food courts?}*

{OR}

{CALORIE KILLING SUGAR VEHICLES???}

dum dum dummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

{Lets find out}

* Please use announcer voice when you see sentences in { }'s

I'm going to use the Tim Hortons new Fruit Smoothies as my example
for all you american bloggers, tim hortons is canadas version of starbucks, only cheaper

Since March, Tim Hortons has adorned its coffee shops with gigantic pictures of bananas, strawberries and other berries for the launch of its “healthier” snack: Real Fruit Smoothies. Available as mixed berry or strawberry banana, they contain only 130 calories (for a small serving), and half a cup of fruit (equal to one of the seven to 10 servings doctors recommend adults consume every day). A closer look at nutritional values, though, reveals the drinks contain no fibre or protein, which means that there is no fresh fruit actually being thrown in the blender, says registered dietician Nicole Springle.
In fact, the “real” fruit comes from purees and juices, confirms a Tim Hortons spokeswoman. That doesn’t have the same health benefits of the fresh stuff, says Springle, because those purees and juices don’t come with the fibre and protein that help slow down the pace at which we assimilate the sugar that fruit naturally contains. Hortons’ Real Fruit Smoothies have 30 grams of sugar. That’s more than the sugar content of any Tim Hortons doughnut. SOURCE

Bah! Seriously? This blows my mind, 30 grams of sugar is crazy and no fibre = healthy fail in my humble opinion

My recommendation?

You know i'm going to give it!

Drink home made smoothies

They are cheaper, can be healthier (hello chia seeds) and you can control how many calories/sugar/fat are in them

Here are a few suggestions...


Chocolate covered strawberry smoothie

Minty monster

Her royal highness smoothie

When at a loss you could always check out Oh She Glows Green Monster Movement website which has lots of recipe ideas!
____________________________

Okay, so on to the recipe

I didn't forget my promise yesterday even if i got so hot and sweaty i ended up throwing myself against a rock in defeat...

Just kidding that was me after a sweaty hike with my rock climbing dog and fabulous friend Mandy today

Sydney asked to come along since she and Mandy are total buds

Our hike in Cambridge was SO much fun and we came across some fun wildlife and views!




_______________________


Okay okay i know, recipe time


I mentioned to my mum on a mad lunch dash to the house to decide on pot light positioning that i was going to cook and blog this recipe and she declared it best idea ever (she was the one who originally came up with the recipe about 10 years ago)

Cold Curry Chicken Salad
or
Curried Cold Chicken Salad
You decide
(i'm a little undecisive today, can you tell?)

Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts (i got a preroasted chicken at the grocery store)
1/4 cup of Mayonaise (i used soyanaise)
1/4 cup of Greek yogurt
2 tsps of Curry powder (i used curry paste, same thing)
Extras - I used chopped cucumbers, raisins, green onions, chopped grapes


Directions
1. Cut chicken into cubes
2. Mix mayonaise and greek yogurt with curry
3. Toss in extras
4. Stir in chicken
5. Season with pepper and sea salt if you wish
6. Enjoy on top of a cold salad with a hunk of fresh multigrain bread



Its not a ploughmans lunch but this dinner is DELICIOUS!
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Well i had a great UFC class yesterday, it was all about squat lifts and lunges, poor Monica and Nadeen, they cursed me through the whole class for dragging them there, i'm not being silly here Monica actually chanted "i hate donna" for every side plank she did, she was smiling the whole time though so i'm sure she was kidding ;o)

I'm noticing my rolls starting to loosen up a bit - this is a good thing, its what my body does when i start to lean up a bit so i'm happy to see change, makes saying no to naughty food that much easier

Well yay for Thursday meaning one more day till Friday!

I have zumba tonight and i'm crazy excited to shake my booty!!!!!!!!!!!