July 01, 2011

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day everyone! Hope everyone's day is off to a fantastic start! I woke up this morning to the sunshine beaming in through my bedroom window, birds chirping and the overwhelming sound of traffic.  How lovely.  Despite the sound of traffic, I love having the sunrise at 5:30 am.  It makes it so much easier to wake up, hop out of bed, strap on my runners and go out for a run! Oh how I love running outdoors in the cool, crisp morning air! It is such a fantastic way to start the day on the right foot (pun intended!).  However, this morning was a little different.  My mom drove to Victoria with me last weekend (I went home for my days off) to keep me company and our mornings have been a lot more relaxed.  I feel like I'm on vacation when she comes to visit.  It has been so nice to have relaxing mornings full of breakfast, coffee and chitchats.  Not my typical morning that's for sure.  It has been so nice having her here! I haven't had to cook all week.  Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cook, but I  can't tell you how long it has been since I have come home to a spotless house with a beautiful dinner already prepared for me! What a treat! I am definitely spoiled and loving every minute of it :)

Yesterday was probably one of the most fun and rewarding days I have had in a long time, which I was lucky enough to share with my mom, Carla and boyfriend, Francis.  We drove out to Dan's Farm, about 15 minutes outside of the city, where they have a U-Pick farm for strawberries, and boy were there a lot of them.

    Hi Francis!






It took us only 20 minutes to pick nearly 20 lbs of delicious, ripe berries!  We do NOT mess around when it comes to berry picking...  It was so much fun and surprisingly addicting.  We couldn't stop. I think we have a problem...  We decided we should stop before we had $100 worth of berries that we had to carry back with us.



When we got back to our apartment we immediately began washing berries and freezing them.



We now have 3 HUGE bags of strawberries in our freezer, and 3 large bowls in the fridge.  I know what I'll be eating for the next couple of weeks.  I guess I'm okay with that... ;)

Okay, so back to my Canada Day morning and exercise or lack there of.  I woke up feeling quite sore after my workout yesterday (7 km run and Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred) and decided to take it easy.  Perhaps a run in the afternoon or early evening will have to do.  I love running in the evening just as much as the early morning.  Afternoons? well...not so much.

I walked into the kitchen and started to brainstorm.  What did I feel like having for breakfast today?  I was contemplating a smoothie or oatmeal...like any other day.  You will soon realize that I have a slight obsession with oatmeal.  Oatmeal was the winner this morning.  I had leftover canned pumpkin in the fridge that I decided to use up and the oatmeal turned out pretty yummy.  Not my favourite concoction but I somehow managed to choke it down...maybe it was the strawberries I put on top!

Breakfast - 8:30 am

Canadian Pride Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oats
1/2 medium banana sliced thin
1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
a dash or 2 of ground nutmeg
a dash of ground ginger (I couldn't find mine this morning)

1. Put everything in the pot over med high heat until it comes to a boil.  Turn down to med low, stirring constantly until it reaches desired texture and consistency.
2. ENJOY!


  Today, I topped mine with the other half of my banana, cacao nibs (chocolate in its natural form) for   crunch, extra virgin coconut oil for my healthy fats and a cute little strawberry!



I don't think you can see it, but there is a little spider that decided to visit my photo shoot this morning.  Francis had to put him outside for me.  I HATE spiders...but that doesn't mean I want to kill them...I always feel so bad.  I don't even like stepping on barnacles at the beach or ants on the road...but that's another story.

Well...I'm off to get ready for a fun filled day of Canada Day festivities with my mom and Francis! WOO HOO!

Have a great Canada Day everyone.  Be proud of this wonderful country we live in and show that spirit I know all of you have!


    "Oh Canada, our home and native land..."



Amy

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