Woman in Real Life

We have had some crazy weather here these past couple of days. We got our new patio conversation set out on the deck just in time for rain! Oh well, better days ahead. Here's a Wednesday look at some of the foods we've been eating this week, starting with these "Omaha Yakisoba" noodles, made from a recipe in Isa Does It. I rarely make recipes with cabbage (too lazy to shred it) so this took me nicely out of my comfort zone. It features red cabbage, broccoli and corn.

Today promises to be another scorcher. There won't be a whole lot of cooking going on around here. This week's menu plan calls for falafel sandwiches with vegan raw tzatziki sauce today. Cooking will be minimal.

Monday on the menu plan called for rapini pizza and that is indeed what I ate. We also served pasta left over from Sunday. I made a tomato sauce with peas and navy beans. My husband and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but the kids prefer their sauce plain.

By now, we all know how important it is to eat breakfast. I don't know about you, but sometimes I just don't feel like eating first thing in the morning. So, I picked up a box of these healthy organic food bars from Taste of Nature (at Costco). They make for a simple, portable breakfast snack with protein, fibre and all natural ingredients including nuts, raisins, sesame seeds and agave nectar. And, they taste good too!


For my birthday, my parents generously gave me the money to buy this Keurig platinum edition coffee brewer (also from Costco). I don't really drink coffee, but I will have the occasional decaf, and this machine can be used with many kinds of tea as well. So, I can now pair my quick food bar with a very quick tea! Today I enjoyed a Chinese green tea.

The kids and I enjoyed a quick lunch at my parents this weekend. I made a simple vegan pizza using spelt dough and pizza sauce I got at the health food store, topped with Daiya vegan cheese. The kids had tortilla chips baked with real cheese and dipped in salsa. I added leftover tofu that I had baked in teriyaki sauce and olive oil the night before, along with some baby carrots (which my daughter will only eat dipped in honey).

I had lunch with friends on Monday. I went for a vegetable soup with pesto, which came with potato chips (which I haven't eaten yet). My friend bought me the root beer for my birthday.

My husband made me a vegan chocolate cake using light spelt flour and topped it with some vegan buttercream icing. It's hard to tell in this photo, but the icing is pink. It clearly came out a little thin, but I never think that's much of a problem. We just put extra icing in a little jug and poured it on our individual slices.

Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins cereal is obviously meant to be eaten at breakfast, and that is how my daughter eats it. I, on the other hand, eat it throughout the day for snacks (sans milk). These little nuggets are tasty! They are made from natural ingredients and low in sugar and fat.




If you are trying to reduce your intake of regular wheat products like I am, I highly recommend these Sobaya Kamut Udon noodles. They cook up just like pasta—no rinsing needed! They are great for Italian or Asian dishes.


In terms of spelt pasta, one of my favourites is Pantanella Spelt Pasta, which I buy at a local bakery. This pasta doesn’t create a nasty film in the water like some spelt pastas do. Not sure how easy it is to find in general.


MI-DEL Gluten-Free Ginger Snaps are a great little treat with tea. And they are gluten-free. What more can I say?


Taste of Nature’s Organic Food Bars are delicious, high in fibre and contain no additives, artificial flavours or sodium. Just yummy vegan, kosher, non-GMO ingredients like nuts, fruit, seeds and agave nectar. My current favourite flavour is Quebec Cranberry Carnival.



While it isn’t a food, Emergen-C is a staple in our kitchen. It is a powdered mix that fizzes up in water. Each packet contains 1,000 mg of vitamin C as well as antioxidants, electrolytes and B vitamins. It works wonders if you feel a cold coming on and is also, I’m ashamed to say, a great hangover remedy.

I gave a packet to my sister to test out. She was astounded to find that her hangover was gone soon after drinking this mix. Next time, I told her, she can even drink one the night before, prior to consuming alcohol and then more the next day. Of course, even drinking water will help alleviate some symptoms. I give this to my kids when they aren’t feeling well too, just in smaller doses. A note to my fellow Canadians: if you are visiting the U.S. anytime soon, buy your Emergen-C there. It costs about half the price.


Except for one time when my daughter was really ill, I have never given regular cough syrup to my children. (By the way, the one time I did, she got worse and we had to go to the hospital.) For a mild cough, we have found that Boiron’s Stodal homeopathic cough syrup helps to reduce symptoms and help them sleep.



I can’t forget the humble apple as both a nutritious natural food and a remedy for what ails us.