Woman in Real Life

Fresh, homemade pesto is much easier to whip together than you might think. Mix it into cooked pasta and add a handful of sliced, juicy cherry or grape tomatoes and you have a delicious, natural pasta salad that's perfect for warm weather picnics, summer days at the beach and outdoor gatherings.

I maybe should have called this "Soccer Mom" Vegan Faux Chicken Penne With Tomatoes, Spinach and Avocado. Yep, I'm a soccer mom...and a basketball mom...and a dance mom (without the "crazy" connotations that come with that one I hope). I wasn't active in any kind of sport at all as a teenager (unless you count reading and hanging around downtown) so I'm just thrilled that my kids are more sporty.

Anyway, back to this delicious pasta. I was at my son's soccer game one day and one of the other moms (hey Nadia!) brought along some chicken penne that she was kind enough to share with anybody who was hungry. Seeing as I don't eat chicken, I asked her to list the ingredients for me so I could try the recipe with faux chicken at home. What appeals to me about this pasta is that it is easy to make and also healthy. It's a simple weeknight meal that you and your kids will enjoy. I served this to my two kids and their friends and they all cleared their plates.

In last week's What I Ate Wednesday post, there was soup and curried chickpeas as well as a barbecue meal and some asparagus/potato salad - the week's menu reflecting our changeable temperatures. As of this week, we are solidly into the warm weather (I hope!) so our menu has begun to change. Until that air conditioner goes on, I'll be saying "It's too hot to cook today!"

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.

I've said it before...this menu planning thing works. There are many times when I want to skip making dinner and buy some Taco Bell for the kiddies.  Then I think of my menu plan, posted on my blog for all the world to see. And I persevere.

Monday's Quick Asparagus Pasta was actually quicker than going for Taco Bell. Nothing fancy, but I enjoyed it. One snag in the plan, though. I needed asparagus. Turns out that's the one thing they didn't have at the grocery store. Does that happen to you too? The one thing you want isn't available that day?

I am trying my best to keep up my weekly meal planning. This is week four. Read on for this week's menu plan.

Last week started with Monday's Vegetable Soup with Lentils. This is a old favourite that my husband and I began making many years ago. The recipe follows. What I really like about this soup is that it's simple - you throw in the ingredients and let it cook for an hour. That gives you time to make a salad, slice up your bread, pour a glass of wine and relax.

Insta-Friday -- my look back at the week using family cell phone photos. This week, I am showing pictures from last Saturday when we went to a wedding celebration.

My husband's cousin in Italy got married and came to the US and Canada for her honeymoon. Ontario in January? Interesting choice.

Anyway, some relatives of the newlyweds had a party for them. Yes, there were showgirls, but I'll get to that later.

With all the effort that goes into holiday meals, sometimes we just feel like slacking off the rest of the days, don't we? Well, I do.

This What I Ate Wednesday, I have a few meals from the last week to share, but not many, because I just didn't make much or take many photos. I have spent a lot of time in pajamas.

Above, on Saturday I put together a lunch from whatever groceries were left in the fridge. I boiled a sweet potato and some regular potatoes and made a mash. I baked tofu in teriyaki sauce. I used leftover pesto on pasta. We had rapini and roasted veggies left from the day before. Finally, I boiled some carrot slices. I quite enjoyed the mishmash of tasty stuff.

I'm not going to lie to you. Halloween is here, and I'm going to be dipping into some treats.

Okay, truth be told, I have already had a few treats. I might have indulged in a couple of small packets of Swedish Berries...and a couple of chocolate bars.

I'm going to limit myself from eating too much candy though. How am I going to accomplish that? Why, by baking of course. If I have some homemade treats to consume, I won't be so tempted by the chemical-infused packaged goods.

Now for a What I Ate Wednesday look at what I ate on the weekend...besides candy of course.

This month, What I Ate Wednesday focuses on the theme "Spooky Snacks & Healthy Halloween Treats."

I certainly treated myself (oh yeah, and my family) to some fun snacks this week, including two of my favourite easy and delicious squares. Pictured above, berry oat bars. Yum.

It's Friday again, and that means Insta-Friday. It's all about linking up with others and sharing cell phone photos from your week.

This week, I noticed the limitations of my cell phone camera a couple of times. You'll see.

Before I get to all the fun photos of the Niagara Falls trip my mom and I took this week, I have a couple of other photos to share.

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.

I'm not sure what the weather's doing at the moment. One day warm sun, the next cold rain. That's September around here, I guess.

Anyway, for today's What I Ate Wednesday, I am looking back at a week of eating that included a lovely end-of-summer barbecue. Maybe we will get a few more barbecues in (with my husband wearing a coat out on the deck and me watching from inside).

It's What I Ate Wednesday! I am sharing a look at some foods that my family and I have enjoyed over the past week.

I am continuing to have fun trying new, simple recipes. I don't go for anything too complex. If I do, I get hot and irritated by the time I put the food on the table. And that's no fun for anyone.

One night, I paired an old favourite, Tina's delicious lentils and rice, with a new recipe for rapini with rotini. The lentils and rice recipe is great for parties because it makes a lot. When I am cooking it for my family of four, I often have trouble. You can cut the recipe in half, but NOT the water amount. So, this time I tried six cups of water, and it worked out great.

If you are like me, some days you enjoy cooking and/or baking, and some days you would rather clean the bathtub, organize your closet or do basically anything but cook.

Maybe it's the approaching fall weather grabbing hold of me, but, for whatever reason, I felt like trying some new recipes this past week.

It started with Laura's recipe for no-bake Toasted Coconut Brownie Bites (above). They are formed mainly from peanut butter and ground flax, with just a bit of agave for sweetening. They are healthy and yet strangely addictive. I used to love coconut-covered doughnuts. These aren't quite the same, but they are a fun treat nevertheless, and much healthier.

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

When I woke up this morning to the sounds of a Toronto radio station, the morning radio host was talking about his company’s campaign to feed needy children in Canada.

With 36% of food bank clients being children, I feel fortunate to be able to feed my children healthy, nourishing food every day.

This What I Ate Wednesday, I am looking back at some highlights of meals from the past week. This week, I am seeing them with a different set of eyes.

Wouldn’t it be great if all children (and adults for that matter) had access to healthy, fresh meals and snacks each and every day?

Top photo: my favourite kamut udon noodles with a simple homemade pasta sauce.








Fresh juice. My crappy little juicer comes out about every two years. I think I would juice more often if I had a good one. If anybody knows of a reasonably priced juicer that works effectively, let me know...please. Juice recipe below.

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