Good afternoon! Sorry for my late posting today! Today I am going to share another soup recipe (I know, I know, enough with the soup recipes). I got this recipe from my girlfriend who is vegan and gluten free and it's great!
Lentil Soup
2 Leeks, sliced, white part only
3 - 4 carrots, sliced
3 - 4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
3-4 cartons vegetable stock (12 - 16 cups)
1 - 2 tbsp. basil
Seasoning salt & pepper, to taste
Bob's Red Mill Veggie Soup Mix (1/4 - 1/2 cup)
Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer to add basil, salt & pepper. Rinse veggie soup mix in a strainer with cool water and add to pot. Let simmer until lentils are soft (approximately 20 - 30 minutes).
NOTES: I didn't use the Bob's Red Mill soup mix because I couldn't find it where I live. I did use a mix of lentils and pot barley, but I think next time I would add more like 1 cup of lentils instead of a half a cup. I also added a cup of mushrooms and a cup of Kale. The mushrooms and Kale were a great addition. I ripped the tough stems off the baby kale, and next time I would use more.
You can mess around with the amounts, but this is a great, hearty soup that offers lots of nutritious foods!
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's reading this! I hope you get a day full of whatever you were hoping! Last night, my five year old daughter brought out some nail polish and lotion because she wanted to give me a foot rub and paint my nails. No spa could compete with that service!!
M's favorite movie is Brave, so I found the YouTube video of Merida being inducted as a princess at the Magic Kingdom yesterday. We watched it as our nails dried and snuggled on the couch.
When I woke up this morning, I got a beautiful card from hubby and snuggles from my boys. M surprised me with her card and present she made in Kindergarten. So cute!!
In non-Mother's Day related news, runDisney released pictures of the medals for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend and Dumbo Double Dare races.
The Disneyland Half Marathon probably won't ever work for me to make, the timing is just all wrong. That doesn't stop me from being mega-jealous of everyone who will be earning these medals. Good luck and have a blast everyone!!
You can read how this started (along with my first reported Random Act of Kindness) here or the second one here.
Random Act of Kindness #3: Maybe this doesn't count as an "act of kindness", maybe it's more of a favor?? I'm not sure, but it put a smile on someone's face and it was in the right spirit, so I'm putting it down. This week, I heard through the small town grapevine (yes they exist) that a friend of mine was taking her two small son's to the Mother's Day event at the school (the Grade 1 - 4 class invite their mother's in for pampering). The day was supposed to be for her, but she didn't know what to do with the other kids so she was bringing them along. I called her up and offered to watch the smaller children so she could enjoy her time with the older ones. She was happy and it was no problem for me. My kid's got to play with some friends and she got to enjoy her mother's day experience. Everyone wins! :)
Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's, mother-in-laws, step-mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures (aunts, cousins, babysitters, etc). The world is a better place because of your love for children!! Hope you have a great day!!
This past week has been a lot of things...overwhelming, frustrating, heartbreaking and ultimately enlightening. My father-in-law, who suffered from a farming accident (read more here) isn't healing properly and had to go back into surgery. A project I have been working on for over four years came to completion and we have been swamped by it. But most of all, my heart is hurting for my daughter.
My daughter, M, is five years old. She is one of the sweetest, kindest souls I have ever met. She is empathetic and wise far beyond her five short years. She is beautiful in every way possible. And at age five, she came home from school crying because one little girl in her class told her "you aren't pretty", "you aren't my friend", "you aren't good enough". Big, sloppy tears fall down my cheeks now even as I write this. You aren't good enough!! At age five! It breaks my heart that any child can say this and that any child has to hear this. Truthfully, I think I am taking this harder than her. After talking to her for a few minutes, she felt better. She knows that she is beautiful, on the inside and out and she knows that she has friends who love her for who she is. I know this won't be the last time she encounters these sorts of comments, but I wish I could bubble wrap her little heart and protect her forever.
Then it gets me thinking even further, isn't this what many women feel; we aren't pretty enough, we aren't good enough. How do I raise a daughter who knows her worth; who knows how important she is, how special she is, how beautiful she is on the inside and the outside? First things first...show her. Show her that I think I am pretty, important, special and loved. And hopefully, she will follow suit and learn the same. When she looks in the mirror, I want her to see what I see in her.
A few weeks ago, a friend shared the Dove Real Beauty video on Facebook. The first time I watched this video, I cried big, ugly tears and immediately shared it with my friends.
I love this video but it also makes me sad. As women, why do so many not see our real beauty? When we look in the mirror, why is the image so different than what others see.
This week, I pulled out my wedding pictures. My brother-in-law told me my wedding pictures looked like I could be a model, so this week I looked at them with his eyes. Seven years ago, I didn't see it, I almost thought he was being sarcastic. This week, I looked with gentler eyes, and there was a beautiful, happy young lady looking back at me.
My pledge is to look at myself with kinder and gentler eyes. Not only for me, but for my daughter. I want her to love herself and there is no better way to teach than by example.
Question of the Day: Do you see yourself how others do?
Sorry for dropping off the earth! The past week has been...well, it's been...more on that later. For now, here's another yummy recipe.
Beef Shishkabobs
Cut beef into cubes - sirloin steak or sirloin tip roast work well. (I use 3-4 steaks to feed my family, but you can do use as much or as little as you'd like.)
Marinate for 3 to 5 days in the following (some people use this recipe and marinade longer) I use the Tupperware Jr. Season-Serve container to marinade and flip a couple times a day. You can use anything, just make sure you stir regularly so all meats gets thoroughly marinated on all sides:
2 tbsp. soya sauce
1 tsp. ginger
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 clove garlic or a little garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. honey
1/4 - 1/2 c. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Double the marinate for a large amount of meat. Here's a picture while it's marinating (just mixed it up this morning).
This is a local favorite recipe. I don't know where it originated, but it's been passed through our community over and over again. It is DELICIOUS! Pair your kabobs with baked potatoes on the BBQ, garlic bread, and grilled veggies for a delicious summer meal.
Are you following me on Twitter? Check me out @EveryDayGirl5. I'll tweet a picture later this week when these shishkabobs are cooked.
This weekend, we had beautiful, sunny spring weather and began to think that spring was really here. This morning, we woke up to this.
That means there has been snow on the ground EVERY day since October 22nd. For those of you thinking that might be normal for Canada...no, not at all! It was almost completely gone after this weekend, but we still did have one big pile left.
Since winter decided to rear her head again this morning, I decided to make some hearty, warm soup for lunch. (Sorry, no pictures because I am just starting to chop the vegetables and haven't assembled it yet.) This recipe was my Great Gramma's and has been passed down for years. I love the few differences from an "average" hamburger soup; like shredded carrots. Enjoy!
Hamburger Soup
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef - browned
1 medium onion, chopped
1 - 28g can tomatoes
3 cans consumme
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans of water (use one of the empty soup cans)
4 carrots, grated
1 - 3 bay leaves
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 tsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
8 tbsp. barley
1/2 tsp. dill seed
salt & pepper, to taste
Brown meat, drain fat. Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on medium in large soup pot for 3 - 4 hours.
I like to serve with buns or biscuits, and a nice, light tossed salad. This soup is very filling and I always get compliments on it. It can also be made in the slow cooker, and it freezes great! I will often make a batch in the slow cooker and one at the stove, at the same time. Then I freeze half for another day.
Question of the Day: Will spring every come to stay? :)
Last week, I wrote that each week I would be performing one random act of kindness in honor of the kids from Sandy Hook, victims at Boston Marathon, and all the other victims from senseless acts of violence. You can read that post here.
This week, I bought a $5 Tim Horton's (a popular Canadian coffee joint) gift card and placed it under the windshield wiper of a stranger's vehicle. I wrote on package, "To: You From: Me "Hope you get a smile, pass it on." I don't know who got that card, but I hope it brought a smile to their face. I'm disappointed in myself because it didn't occur to me at the time to take a picture. :( Oh, well, next time!
In other news, on Friday the blogosphere was a-buzz with new runDisney news. You can read the full press-release here. If you haven't heard, to sum it up: runDisney has announced they will have a new challenge at the 2014 Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World. Similar to the newly announced Dumbo Double Dare and Dopey challenges, there will be an all-new 10k race offered Princess weekend. If you complete both the 10k race and the half marathon, you will complete the Glass Slipper Challenge and receive an additional medal.
As new in 2014, there will be a special edition Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge Medal for those who complete the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland in January and the Princess Half Marathon in February.
What do these new announcements mean to me? I'm not sure. All along, I have been planning on running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January. Being from the Canadian Prairies, Disneyland is a lot quicker and easier to get to. At Disneyland, we can stay across the street and walk to the parks. BUT, the Glass Slipper Challenge is throwing a wrench into my plans. And the special edition Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge Medal is really messing with me. I have myself questioning whether there's anyway I could fit a solo trip to the Princess Half Marathon to get them all!
Question of the Day: What would you do if you were in my shoes? Tinkerbell Half Marathon or Princess Half Marathon?
Last year my hubby and I, along with our 3 children and my parents visited the Disneyland Resort. You can read more about our Disneyland adventures here. Since it's Friday, it's sunny, and it seems like spring has arrived, I wanted to share something fun. Here are a few pictures from DCA.
Paradise Pier lit up at night.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - one of my favorite rides!
Hollywood Boulevard (yes, we went during the slow season)
Ariel's Grotto
We had lunch one day at Ariel's Grotto. It was the only character meal that we did, and chose it because my daughter loves the princesses and the food had good reviews. We loved it! Yes, it was costly, but felt it was well-worth the meals we got and the character interaction. I have never done a character meal and can guarantee I will be doing more on every trip now.
We were very fortunate that our two year old twins easily fell asleep and had great naps in their stroller. The stroller reclined completely and had big sun canopies that kept them covered. Grampa had to resort to benches to have his afternoon nap.
Wow, I realized I really didn't take very many pictures in DCA. I will have to get my Mom's disc again and see if she has more because I'm sure there is. Bottom line: This vacation was a blast! We heard a lot of "negative" comments about taking three little children to Disney. I am so glad that we ignored them and went ahead because it was one of the best vacations I have ever been on. The joy as they experienced Disney was incredible and a year later, my daughter still talks about it on a regular basis. I'm VERY excited to go back and experience Carsland. I have to HUGE Cars fans in my house and they will be over-the-moon happy to see it!
If you have any questions about travelling with young children, please feel free to ask me! Also, are you following me on Twitter yet? Check me out @EveryDayGirl5. Drop me a line that you came from my blog and I will be sure to follow you as well. I'm enjoying making friends in the Blog/twitterverse and looking forward to hearing from you!!
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