How do you do V-Day?

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? 

• A day to show your favourite someone how special they are?
• A day to stuff yourself with heart shaped chocolates?
• A day to laugh at people that buy into romantic ‘crap’?

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Do you think about gifts?  Flowers for your sweetie?  Dinner by candlelight?  Something homemade and from the heart?

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Is it a time to celebrate only your significant other?  Or do you take the opportunity to tell all of your important someones…whether boyfriend, husband, mother, daughter, or lifelong best friend…how much they are loved?

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I don’t have any set in stone rules about Valentine’s Day, but I do know that I love the idea that there is one day to let loved ones know how special they are.  It would be nice if we were able to do that every day but it just doesn’t work that way, you know? 

Some years are more extravagant than others with beautiful wine and fancy gifts, and some years it’s subdued and sealed with a hug.  Celebrate in your own way…just celebrate!

Obviously from my kitchen will come Valentine’s Day treats (duh, right?!).  I have three days to decide what the bestest idea for this year is…

The cute route…

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Sweet and simple…

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Delightfully decadent…

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Oh, how will I decide?  The Valentine’s dilemma!!

Of course, I could always just go with a card.  Everyone loves a good card.

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Because really…what Valentine’s treat could ever top the love of bacon?

Happy Sexy Rumpus Day

I woke up on time this morning.  Grumble, it’s Monday.

I wandered out into the kitchen for my coffee.  Grumble, it’s Monday.

Sat down at my computer.  Oh crap, grumble, it’s Valentine’s Day.

Sulked.  Grumble, I’m single. 

At least my Mommy loves me. :)  She sent me this cute animated Jacquie Lawson Valentine last night so I’d have it this morning.

I decided to embrace the day cuz I love it regardless of if I have a current manfriend or not.  I mean it’s a day about love, hearts, pink stuff and chocolate.  What’s not to enjoy?!

Coffee in my smooshy wooshy heart mug.

Yogurt oats showing some love.

With organic vanilla yogurt, oats, flax, banana and Craisins.

Lunch wasn’t quite as romantic but it was a nice change.  Yet another Jump Start inspired meal. 

• 1 cup cooked pearl barley
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 1 navel orange, segmented
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt & pepper

Barley is often the forgotten grain around here. It was chewy and delicious!  The salad itself needed a little something more but it was still filling and hit the spot.

Late afternoon I hauled myself off to the gym.  Self magazine put out a new set of exercises to incorporate in the Jump Start program this month so I decided to give them a go.  Again with the yoga inspired moves, this set is described as tone-all-over and I could see why.  I really found a couple of the moves quite difficult and even with my modifications could feel the burn in my bum, arms and legs.  I must be careful with this set though because there seems to be a bit more twisting and bending which may set off my old lady bad back….

Finished off with a shorter version of cardio routine #1 using the elliptical and the stair stepper.  I’m starting to actually enjoy the elliptical…weird!

Post-gym snack was a Gala apple with dessert hummus dip.

I whirled a scoop of the kookie dough (chocolate chips and all) with some UVAB in the food processor to make it a drippy dippy…nom.

After work I was off to meet my own Valentines…Tiffaney and Tia for a little potluck dinner.  I’ll give you three guesses what I brought…

Bigass salad of course.  To go alongside a gorgeous roast chicken Tiff brought…

…and delicious homemade tuna tartare Tia put together.

I could have gone for a bit of a swim in this fabulous dish.  Tuna, avocado, Asian seasonings, fresh herbs.  Heaven.  I suspect the recipe was a little something like this… a la Jamie Oliver.

We served it on toasted baguette alongside the salad, chicken and hummus with tortilla chips.  NOM!

To finish our meal I brought over (most of) the slice of leftover Coconut Cream Pie Laura left me last night.  We shared it between the three of us and spent a few moments in heaven.  Thanks Laura!!

Possibly the best moment of today was when this perfect gem from The Oatmeal arrived on my Facebook feed.  For all of you Valentine’s Day haters out there… shush your faces.  Today’s post seriously sums up my exact feelings.

If you don’t do anything else today, read that.  And thank me for sharing the truth…and the giggles.  Sexy rumpus!!!  fapfap FAP!

hugs and smooooshes,

xox

Celebrating Love

Saturday was dedicated to my friend Melinda and her upcoming nuptials.  Bridal shower!

Before heading out for the party I started my day with a double tall, extra hot, 1/2 sweet vanilla latte (I forgot the non fat part!).

And a quick banana and sunflower butter sammich on Squirrelly bread.

Because I live my life perpetually 5-10 minutes behind I was a tad bit late leaving the city and ended up stuck on the Malahat (the highway to the rest of the island) because some poor girl had flipped her car and emergency services were blocking traffic.

Needless to say the girls were already wrapping Melinda in boas and filling her glass by the time I arrived.

Typical of a gaggle of girls, we had five times too much food.  I brought my yummy Smoked Salmon Dip with multigrain Wheat Thins and sesame rice crackers.

Evil Costco cream puffs.  For future reference, these are perfectly delicious!  I kept my snacking very under control until I realized I’d eaten about six of these. Ah well!

Don’t worry, we didn’t just eat!

We played games!

Including the traditional creation of toilet paper wedding dresses. :)  I am sure Mel will love that I’ve posted this picture of her. ha.

Don’t worry, I’m making it up to her with this gorgeous shot.  Look Mel, you make a good looking pseudo Mama! tee hee.

Here we are!

Before I headed out the door I couldn’t resist the chocolate cake.  De-freaking-licious Kristen.  I’m Googling Wacky Cake as soon as I finish this post!

Since Melinda lives in Chemainus…which is 3/4 of the way to my Mom’s place…I decided to venture up to Nanaimo and visit for the night.  I warned my Mom ahead of time that I’m diligently sticking to my Jump Start plan and told her no traditional Mother-Daughter Chinese take-out.

So she shopped and cooked for me!  Steamed broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts served with these stuffed chicken breasts we baked up.

One seafood, and one bacon & chive.  In reality, these were HUGE!  So we split them in half and I ate about half of a half (um, I guess that’s a quarter…ha).

Mom actually made a beautiful bigass salad but we had so much other stuff that we saved the salad. 

Later on we watched a movie while sipping hot tea and munching Lifestyles cookies.  I’d totally forgotten about those delicious Cranberry-Citrus biscuits! nom.

All in all a fun day full of friends and family!  And I’m quite pleased with how my eating went.  I was mindful of pretty much everything I ate and feel good about how it all went down.  Even those rogue cream puffs.  Totally worth every.bite.

Congratulations Melinda!!!

Lovely Sunday

New friends, girlie time, good food, and Olympic Gold.  Sounds like a good Sunday, no?  :)

I was up bright and early yesterday morning to get a few things done before heading out for the day.  Saturday night I baked up some sugar cookies so I packed a few up for the blog girls lunchtime get together.

Made a basic green smoothie to get the day going…

Headed out a bit early with the idea that I would pick up some Heart Day baked goodies for FH and I, but unfortunately I was too early for Susie’s.  I had to go back after lunch and just missed the last red velvet whoopie pie by like 12 minutes (why did he tell me that!? ha!).  I went home with a big ol’ Death by Chocolate for honey (inhaled before photographic evidence could be taken) and a Red Velvet cupcake for myself.

I know I say this every time, but this is my new favorite now.  :)  It really was a very moist and delicious cupcake, and the cream cheese icing was less sweet than some of the butter cream options.  Still a sugar overload no doubt, but in a good way.  Nom!

Anyway, I got ahead of myself.  Before returning to get the cupcakes I met up with some blog girlies for lunch at The Wooden Monkey.  Susan from The Great Balancing Act was in town from Fredericton and arranged for us all to meet up!

 

Susan, Angie, Katie, Renee, me, Lynn and Melanie.  It was nice to meet some new local ladies with similar interests!

Of course, as usual, the monkey lunch did not disappoint.  I had the Roast Chicken and Pesto Sandwich (which also has slices of apple in it!) with 1/2 roasties and 1/2 sweet apple salad.  I ate the whole thing.  I might have kept on going if there’d been more!

Sorry for the blah point & shoot photos.  Susan had her Rebel with her and it made me wish I’d brought along my James Dean!

Time flew by and then next thing we knew it was time for everyone to run off for their various errands, long drives, and afternoons with family.

I came home to find some Valentine’s Day loot from darling FH.

Yes, that is yet another Starbucks mug.  The man knows the way to my heart.  :)  With peanut butter cups.  *bliss*

Later in the afternoon we headed out for a quick coffee date.  I got a Non-Fat Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte (which I’ve now learned they sweeten so I’ll be ditching that part next time). 

  

Dinner was just leftover Chinese food…

Followed maybe by one more cupcake.  I know, you wonder when I’m going to turn into a cupcake!  But these ones were made by our neighbor’s daughter and when she brought them over we couldn’t resist diving right in.  :)

A little heavy on the indulgences for sure (story of my life!) but thankfully I had a fabulous workout on Saturday and an extra hard cardio session this morning so I think it all evens out.  Even if it doesn’t… it was a great day and I wouldn’t trade it at all.   :)