Woman in Real Life

Do you like pancakes? Dumb question, right? There's just something about pancakes - they always feel like a special treat no matter how often you have them. And we have been having them a lot lately. The pancake griddle we got as an engagement present over 16 years ago recently broke - one plastic leg completely gone.

We couldn't have a three-legged pancake griddle and I briefly debated buying an expensive new one. But then my little girl and I spotted this Rival "Short Order Chef" at the thrift store for $3. We plugged it into an outlet and it heated up - that's pretty much all it has to do, so home it came. My girl had a desire to make pancakes on her own and she has been doing so even before I get out of bed in the morning, with the help of this griddle and some purchased pancake mix. It also makes waffles but she's not quite ready for that yet - she attempted it one morning and pretty much all the batter stuck to the griddle.

Happy Wednesday! Today's edition of WIAW is all about what I ate on Tuesday. I have no additional food photos this week because we were travelling on the weekend for my son's basketball tournament in Niagara Falls.

There was some fast food involved in our travels (hello Harvey's veggie burgers!), as well as a stop at the grocery store for prepared salads, sushi and cut up cantaloupe. There may have been an evening of rum, cola and chips with the other basketball parents too. There has to be a bit of fun for us parents too, right?

Anyway, I started off my Tuesday by making pancakes from a mix. I topped them with Earth Balance margarine and maple syrup and served Yves veggie sausage and orange slices on the side.

It's What I Ate Wednesday once again, and boy what a busy week. With Shrove Tuesday yesterday and Valentine's Day tomorrow, there's lots of food to be made (and eaten) this week.

Yesterday's dinner was...well, pancakes of course. But let's get back to that later.

On Sunday, I shared my vegetarian menu plan for this week. (Well, it's vegan for me and vegetarian for the other three family members.) Today, on What I Ate Wednesday, I'm looking at a few meals I consumed in the past week, before my menu plan kicked in. Visit me Sunday to hear whether my plan was a success. I'll share any of the recipes that work out.

I am a carb lover. The thought of a low-carbohydrate diet is simply ridiculous to me. Carbs make me full, comfortable and happy.

Sometimes, though, it would be nice if more of my carbs came in the form of vegetables. I used to visit a naturopathic doctor who told me she ate protein and a sweet potato for breakfast...every day. No bread, no cereal...no fun.

On Monday, I ate a quick breakfast of spelt bread with peanut butter and jam. I decided to jazz it up a bit by washing it down with a homemade soy milk latte.

After a very busy week of dance recitals, a family birthday and a school family fun night, the kids certainly welcomed the PA Day today.  Actually, my son always welcomes a break from school, whatever the reason.

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

I am happy to be participating in another What I Ate Wednesday with the party gang at Peas & Crayons.

Rather than looking at one day of eating, I am sharing some highlights from the week. Highlights here basically means those times I thought to grab the camera.


In keeping with the April Veg Pledge Challenge, I ate a big salad for lunch one day, and topped it with strawberries, grated beets, pears, craisins and walnuts. Kind of sweet (and red) but that’s how I like it!

I am not normally a salad for lunch kind of gal. I like lots of warm food.


Another day’s lunch was some leftover pasta with homemade marinara sauce. I cooked some carrots in the sauce like my Italian mother-in-law does. Yummy!


My husband made some vegan blueberry pancakes for Easter Sunday breakfast.


We followed the pancakes up with some fruit salad.


Easter Monday dinner was baked tofu, steamed broccoli, roasted beets and quinoa with peas and mushrooms. I liked the beets best of all.


Yesterday, I was in the mood to bake once again, so I veganized a cake recipe from Edna Staebler.

She was a bold woman, not afraid of sugar and oil!

I chose an apple cake recipe, because I keep getting apples in my organic produce deliveries.

The family is getting tired of eating them, but I figured they wouldn’t mind eating some more apples via a nice cake.

This cake reminds me of an apple fritter donut. It is a little crispy on the outside and softer in the middle.

It is on the sweeter side so you will probably want to serve smaller pieces. Or maybe not! Maybe, like my husband, you will want to add some ice cream too!


Linking to Two Yellow Birds Decor's Thursday's Temptation and Under the Table and Dreaming and I heart Nap Time and Lil' Luna

As you know, yesterday was Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday as it is generally known in our house.

As kids, my siblings and I were always excited about Pancake Tuesday, not just because of the pancakes we had for dinner, but because those pancakes had money in them!

I’m not sure where this tradition came from to be honest, and I can’t find a whole lot about it on the Internet.

But, I did find this interesting account from a woman in Newfoundland. And, seeing as my parents are from nearby Nova Scotia, I imagine the tradition is much the same.

Maybe my mom and some of my Newfoundland and Nova Scotia friends can weigh in on this one.

It seems that there is a whole list of items you can put in the pancakes in Newfoundland. I’m not big on the nail, which apparently indicates impending death. Yikes!

Anyway, my kids are just as excited about Pancake Tuesday nowadays. Only difference is, we now have one and two dollar coins in Canada, so the pancake cash can add up. I had to gently remind them yesterday that it is more about fun than about accumulating lots of money.



As I am preparing the pancakes, I only put money in the first four to six. And, I keep track of where the money is so that both kids end up with the same amount ($3.20 this year).

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I scrub the coins thoroughly first. I remember when I got old enough to ask my mom that question!

Okay, I admit it. Christmas is over.

I am not totally giving up sugar—don’t get crazy now. And, I am not doing any fasting—what joy is there in a life without food? I am simply staying away from wheat and dairy. I am not going totally gluten-free—I am still enjoying spelt and kamut flours and pastas. I, like many people, find they are easier to tolerate than regular wheat products.

Here’s a look at the menu I enjoyed on the first day of my cleanse. It was really easy and didn’t require more work than usual.

My breakfast is basically the same every day, either oats or quick quinoa flakes (pictured).

1 tsp Natural Calm magnesium supplement dissolved in warm water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to calm my stomach)

Buckwheat sweet potato noodles with gluten-free teriyaki sauce
Sol Original veggie burger with organic ketchup (no bun)
Corn

Dinner

Spelt flour banana blueberry flax pancakes with Earth Balance margarine and maple syrup
Scrambled eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Lundberg Farms Sante Fe Barbecue rice chips
Traditional Medicinals Eater’s Digest tea (the best tea ever for digestive issues)

Anybody else cleansing? I’d love to hear your plan.