Foodie Love ~ Quinoa Salad

Is there anything better than a great quinoa salad on a early fall day?

We love quinoa in this house. We use it in casseroles  we use it in place of rice, we add it to stuffed peppers and obviously we make salads with it. We recently had a dinner at the Unheardof restaurant here in the city. They gave us the most incredible quinoa salad that I knew I had to try to recreate when we got home. Here is the recipe I have come up with. Simple and delicious!

The Necessities:

~ 1/2 Cup of Tomato chopped into small pieces

~ 3/4 Cup of Cucumber chopped into small pieces

~ 1 Clove of Garlic copped

~ 2 Cups of cooked Quinoa (about 1/2 Cup uncooked)

~ 1 Tbs of Fresh Dill

~ 1 Tbs Olive Oil

~ 1 1/2 Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar

The Process:
~ Start with cooled quinoa

~ Mix in tomato, cucumber, dill, and garlic

~ In a small container place the olive oil and balsamic vinegar

~ Shake until well mixed

~ Pour oil mixture into salad and mix until everything is well coated

~ Cover and place in fridge until ready to serve

~ Enjoy!

Mrs. E

Little Oilers Fans

Yay! Our little people are little Oilers fans!

We live in a major Hockey city. I honestly don't think I have ever met an Edmontonian who was not into Hockey. Sydney has already been to multiple games and has grown into her second jersey. Henry's little jersey just got personalized this week. The rule in our house is that the kids will be given jerseys that have the names of the player who was the number one draft pick for our team and was in their rookie season the year the kids were born. This means that Sydney has a Hall jersey and Henry is the proud owner of a Yakupov jersey. 

Henry's first game will be as Sydney's was... Oilers vs. Coyotes in Phoenix. Can't wait!

Mrs. E

Henry ~ 5 Months

Man oh man... time sure is flying by. 

Big H is 5 months old! I knew it would feel like time was flying with our second baby. You get so caught up with the insanity of multiple children that it is easy to forget to take the time to really enjoy these early months. I have been making an effort to take in as much of Henry as possible. We have so much fun together when we find time to hang out alone and I am trying to store away sweet memories of him at this young age. I want to remember the way he smells and the squeals of happiness he makes. I want to remember how cute and awkward his hands were when he first started reaching out for his toys. I want to remember the way he looks at his Dad.... like he is the most incredible human being in the world. 

Big H had a bit of a growth hiccup this last month. He only gained 2 ounces in three weeks and the nurses began to get a little bit concerned. We upped his solids and made and effort to ensure that he is still breastfeeding like a champ and he has gained weight! He now weighs in at a lean 14lbs 9oz and is 64.5cm tall. He is really into his toys, has a permanent stream of drool and loves his sister to bits. 

This little man is simply the bees knees. Love him to death. 

Mrs. E

Baby Foodie Love ~ Rice Cereal

Henry has reached the point in his life where he gets to start enjoying solids.

While I am excited that he gets to experience new things, it also makes me sad that the time is flying by so quickly. The first food that any baby starts with is rice cereal. It's simple and fairly tasteless and is likely not an allergen. David and I have always been pretty interested in making our own baby food. We like knowing what has been added to the food and I love putting meals together for our little ones. Sydney only ever ate homemade food. 

Rice Cereal is pretty easy to put together but it is time consuming. Give yourself about an hour to put it all together. 

The Necessities:
~ Brown Rice

~ Water

~ Food Processor with Milling Blade
~ 1/2 Cup of Brown Rice
~ 4 Cups of Water

The Process:

~ Mill the rice in a food processor (or baby bullet)

~ Add ground rice and water to a large pot

~ Bring to a boil and then drop to simmer on low

~ Simmer with the lid off until the rice cereal thickens

~ Stir often

~ It could take a couple of hours depending on your stove

~ Freeze in ice cube trays for up to one month

Mrs. E

Somersaults

There is something amazing about being 2. 

Life is simple and things like learning to somersault are a huge deal. Sydney is quite proud of herself for learning this new skill. She has been doing downward dog forever and we have been encouraging her to kick herself over. We really had no idea that she had even learned how to do it until we were putting her to bed one night. We were sitting in her bed when she climbed up and casually somersaulted into her place in bed. Needless to say we were both shocked. I laughed so hard that I started crying. It is now the way that she gets into bed every night and she shows off for everyone! Total entertainment. 

Mrs. E

Tour of Alberta

Hey, remember that time when a bunch of super incredible Tour de France cyclists came to town? It was awesome.

A couple of weeks ago the Tour of Alberta came through Edmonton. In it's inaugural year it was one of the most exciting sporting events to ever come through our province. The organizers created a week long cycling race that showcased some of the most beautiful parts of our province and we wanted to see as much of it as we could. Some of the world's best cyclists were asked to participate and they were made very available to the public. Wee were able to meet Cadel Evans, Ryder Hesjedal, Peter Sagan, Robert Gesink, Christian Vende Velde and a few others. 

The prologue kicked off in downtown Edmonton and they had all of the teams warming up on either side of one of the streets. We were able to walk around casually and check out all of the team buses. It was incredible to be feet away from these world class athletes!

On day 2 we drove out past New Sarepta to catch the peloton going by. It was great to be out in the middle of the country on a beautiful sunny day waiting for a massive group of cyclists to ride by. Sydney brought out her cowbell and we all cheered loudly. The parade of cars before the cyclists and the convoy that followed them was so impressive. We finished up the second day in Camrose at the finish line where we had dinner with some work friends after the stage finish. 

Sydney and David made it out to day 3. They drove the see the cyclists in Leduc and Wetaskiwin. The whole event was so cool! We had a great time following along and enjoyed seeing some of our favourite athletes. We can't wait to do it all again next year!

Mrs. E

Learning to Use Chopsticks

I don't know how old you were when you used chopsticks for the first time.... but I was definitely older than 2!

Every once and a while we have a night where it is decided that cooking is way too difficult. We try not to do it too often because restaurant food is super unhealthy for the most part.... but when we do, we embrace the greasy, unhealthy food and go for it. One of our favourite places to order from is this little Chinese place in Mill Woods. We first discovered it when I was induced with Sydney and have been going there ever since. 

Syd loves almost anything we give her and is always willing to try something new. One this particular night, she decided she wanted to use chopsticks. Without any help from us she managed to figure out how to get the food to her mouth. I was so proud of her! It seems like something so small, but it tells me that she is willing to take risks and try new things without fear. I really hope that she always tackles new things this way. 

Mrs. E

Afternoons with Uncle Matt

These two boys were seriously trying to soak up the last warm days of summer. 

My brother Matt came by to visit with the kids. He has moved into a cute little house about five minutes away from us, so we are hoping to see him more often. All of my siblings have been amazing with the kids. They love them so much and try to visit in between busy schedules. Matt and Henry have the same laid back attitude. They could both laze outside all day and are very go with the flow. 

These two men are two peas in a pod. 

Mrs. E

A Country Wedding

This is my friend Ash and her new husband Brian.

Ash and I have been friends since junior high. There have been years where we lost contact (probably because I was having babies), but we always end up coming back together. Even if we haven't spent time together in a while it always seems like we settle right back in where we left off.

These two lovebirds were married in one of the cutest wedding ceremonies earlier this month. Ash is a country loving girl through and through and Brian is a local police officer. Together, they put together an incredible day willed with sentimental touches and incredible food. It was so casual, warm and relaxed with BBQ, home baked goods, and homemade jam favours. I had such an incredible time. 

Congrats guys!

Mrs. E