Weekend, Coffee, Wine and Friends

How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty good.  It started off extra good because it was extra long.  I was able to take Friday off last week since I ended having to work on Christmas Eve to finalize some important stuff for a project at work.  I decided I wasn't ready to commit to a full week at work in 2011 just yet so Friday I decided was the perfect day to take off.

Friday was pretty good.  I spent the afternoon at a local coffee shop with a new friend.  We talked nerdiness and other such things.  New friends are awesome.  I had myself a chai latte and we chatted the afternoon away. 

Friday evening I had dinner with my mom and step dad.  Chinese take-out.  Certainly not the healthiest but it was yummy nonetheless. 

Saturday was pretty exciting too.  My personal trainer has recently purchased a local cardio bootcamp and wanted to make a video of a class to add to their website to give potential clients a better idea of the program.  I had not attended any of her classes but since she worked with me as my trainer last year she thought I might be interested.  I will have some more info for you about this cool bootcamp program in case you are interested in attending but let me just say the class in INTENSE!  And also a lot of fun.

After the hard core workout I deserved a reward.  So, I got cleaned up and met some friends at the local Wine and Food Show. 


I have never been to the show before and it was a blast.  We participated in a wine tasting and learned how different glasses actually make a difference in how the wine tastes.  We also participated in a cheese tasting which was also good but most of the cheeses were fairly common.  I was hoping to get something different to try.  Oh well, it was still cheese and it was still good.
 

Adam and Lulu



Joel and Caroline

I spent the day on Sunday just chillin and getting groceries.  I was supposed to do some laundry but could just not get myself motivated to do it.   I am heading to bed early tonight.  Another late game of Ultimate Frisbee tomorrow night so I need my rest.

PBG Good News: Curious Crows

Do you watch or read the news?  Are you as fed up with all the bad news as I am?  It seems like every time I watch a news broadcast it is all doom and gloom and destruction.  And, to be honest, I rarely watch the news for this reason.  I know this is not great because it means I am not nearly as educated in world politics and world events as I should be.  But it is just too hard to hear about all of these terrible news stories everyday and not have it affect my mental well being. 

So, I decided to take on the mission of finding one Good News story each week to share with you, my dedicated readers.  At first glance this does not seems like it would be that hard to do but, quite frankly, it was way harder than I expected.  Do you know how hard it is to find some good news?  And once a good news story is found it is usually too sappy or cheesy to be of any value. 

But, after some investigative digging last night and this morning I finally found an interesting story. 

Source:  BBC
Curious crows use tools to explore dangerous objects

Source

You can click the BB link about to get the full story but here is my take on it. 

Researchers have discovered that New Caledonian crows use tools to investigate unfamiliar and potentially dangerous objects.  The same way that you or I might use a stick rather than our hands to poke a dead animal or an unfamiliar substance, these birds are using "tools" to investigate objects the researchers place in their environment.  These particular birds had already been known for using tools like sticks to gather food from hard to reach places.  Studies have also revealed that the crows will craft tools into more suitable shapes and use more than one in order to reach food.

The fact that these birds have been seen using tools to investigate non-food related items in interesting indeed.  Only a few other species have been reported to use objects and tools in this fashion.  Animals are so much more intelligent than most of us give them credit for.  But these birds are proving that the animal kingdom is still full of surprises.  I wonder if Bella will ever make her own tools?  Probably not.

And that, is your PBG Good News story.

Do you have a good news story you would like to share?  Please leave a comment ans let's spread some good news.



PBG Recipe: Peanut Butter Chews

These treats are a healthier alternative to a cookie if you are looking for something sweet to eat or a yummy pre-workout snack.  They are also super simple and come together in 5 minutes flat.  I borrowed this recipe heavily from Angela over at Oh She Glows.  She really does have some of the best recipes on the 'net these days.  I added some dried fruit and chia seeds (I add chia seeds to everything) but you could add nuts or other seeds to boost the protein. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup puffed rice cereal
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp organic brown rice syrup
• 3 tbsp chopped dark chocolate

 Directions

• In a medium sized bowl, stir together the peanut butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla.
• Microwave on high for 45 seconds.
• Stir well and immediately add in the rice cereal, chocolate, cranberries and chia seeds.  
• Stir very well until cereal and add-ins are fully coated with the peanut butter syrup mixture.
• Roll the mixture into seven good sized balls. 
• Place the balls onto parchment paper and freeze for 5 minutes and they are ready to eat. You can keep these chews in the freezer in a sealed container.

Nutrition
Calories 113
Total Fat 6.0g
Total Carbohydrates 13.4g
Dietary Fiber 1gSugars 8.8g
Protein 3.0g

Nothing More Than Feelings

*disclaimer:  things are going to get a little touchy-feeling.  Consider yourself warned.

Why do I find it so hard to talk about my feelings?  For as long as I can remember I have been terrified to show my emotions.  It doesn't matter if these feelings are happy or sad or angry.  I seem to want to present myself as being on a even keel most of the time.  The reality, is that, like everyone else, I have my ups and downs. 

When it comes to sharing negative emotions or negative things in my life I feel like admitting I am scared (or sad, or angry) is the equivalent of saying I am failing at something.  While I am by no means a perfectionist in all areas of my life I have certainly spent a lot of energy working hard to be the best sister, daughter, girlfriend, manager I can be.   

I find it excruciatingly painful and awkward to bare my soul to anyone. In my mind, any admittance of emotion is an admittance of some sort of failure - feeling like a loser (because you are) for not being able to resolve my issues on my own goes against all my perceptions of self preservation.   There are very few people I am able or willing to open up to.   If you don't already know this about me my mother is my best friend.  I love her dearly and the thought of living without her seems impossible.  But, even with the woman who birthed me and raised me I find it hard to share because of this embarrassment.  Luckily for me, after getting to know me for 33 years she is able to read me like a book so I don't always have to say anything to her for her understand what I am feeling.

My mom and step-dad

Another reason I find these types of conversations to be so hard is that I avoid conflict like the plague.  Ever since I was very little, I have done everything I can to avoid confrontation.  When others are angry, even if that anger is not directed at me, I am extremely uncomfortable.  I actually have a really hard time watching reality programs like American Idol because it makes me physically ill to watch some poor person bare his/her musical soul just to be ridiculed by the sometimes cruel judges.  So, when a conflict arises in my personal life I am very quick to shut down.  I will leave the room or avoid the conversation altogether. 

Needless to say, this is not a healthy way to deal with conflict but it's what I have been doing for 33 years.  It's a hard habit to break.  But, now that I am acutely aware of my issue I can take some steps to deal with it.  But, I will admit, it is hard.  It is hard for me to understand how sharing my pain with others will actually make me feel better.  It's hard for me to put myself into a situation that will make me feel so uncomfortable.   It's hard for me to deal with such a grey subject matter as feelings - I like my life to be very black and white and emotions just do not let me do that. 

So,  I am doing what I can, in baby steps, to improve in this area of my life.  I am talking to friends and family about issues I have been having.  Writing in this blog has also been helpful to some degree.  For some reason, writing about how I feel is so much easier, since I am able to edit myself and make sure my message is always clear before pushing that publish button.  But, at least it is a start.

Thanks for listening.

PBG Recipe: Marshmallows (and PBG Redesign)

You may have noticed that I have been making some design changes to the site.  I wanted to "perk" it up a little.  What do you think?

 

This weekend has been pretty good.  I went on a road trip/shopping trip to Ikea with my friend Claudia.  She lives 3 hours away so we don't get to see each other very often.  Although, she is moving an hour and a half closer very soon.  That makes me very happy.  We did lots of chatting and a little bit of shopping.  I purchased a bunch of kitchen gadgets including some loaf pans, cupcake cups, a zester, melon baller, corer, some cookie cutters and a some very tiny bowls I thought I plan to use for recipe prep.  All in all it was a good day.

 
Today I did some major cleaning on the upper level and main floor of the house.  Sweep, mop, wipe.  I also ventured to make home made marshmallows.  It was a success.  Candy can be tricky so I am just glad this wasn't a gooey disaster.  The resulting treats were soft and sweet with just a hint of vanilla.  They would be perfect for s'mores or hot chocolate.

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup water

3 packages unflavoured gelatin

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 egg whites, room temperature

1 vanilla bean

Directions

• Spray the bottom and interior sides of a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray. (my 9x13 pan was dirty so I just used two circular cake pans)
• Sift together the cornstarch and confectioner's sugar in a small bowl, then dust an even layer of the mixture over the prepared pans, making sure to coat thoroughly. Set aside. Reserve the rest of the cornstarch and confectioner's sugar.
• In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the water and allow to sit until softened and all the water is absorbed.
• In a medium sized sauce pan combine the 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt.
• Stir using a wooden spoon, over medium low heat, until the sugar has dissolved, around 3-4 minutes. Bring the mixture to the boil over medium heat and cook for around 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and add the gelatin. Stir until dissolved.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• On medium speed, pour a thin, steady stream of the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites.
• Slowly increase the speed to high and beat until the batter has nearly tripled in volume and has cooled to room temperature, around 12-15 minutes.
• Split vanilla beans down the middle and scrape out the flavourful seeds.  Add the vanilla to the mixer and beat for about a minute more.
• Pour the marshmallow into the prepared pans, using an oiled spatula to smush into corners and smooth the top.
• Sift over another generous layer of the reserved cornstarch and confectioner's sugar mixture.
• Let stand until set, at room temperature and uncovered, around 3 hours.
• Onto a large board, sift some more of the cornstarch and confectioner's sugar. Run a thin knife around the edge of the marshmallows to release from the pan then invert onto the dusted work surface.
• Use an oiled knife or cutter to divide into your desired shapes. Coat these with a sifting of the last of the cornstarch and confectioner's sugar to keep them separate.
• Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers, for up to one week.

Winter by the Water

Happy Friday, everyone!  This week went by so quickly.  I love a 4 day work week.  The weather here in my neck of the woods has been a typical Canadian winter.  Over New Year's the weather warmed up to almost 10C and melted most of the 3 feet of snow that we had and then a few days later the temperature dropped down below freezing again and everything was back to a rock solid block of ice.  Ah...Canadian winters. 

Over the Holidays I took a drive to the small lakeside town of Port Stanley.  It is a beach town about 30 minutes south of London.  While this place is all hustle and bustle in the summer in the winter it is almost deserted. 

Despite the desolate surroundings I think it is just as beautiful in the winter as it is in the summer.  I walked along the beach to check out the huge ice waves.  It's hard to tell in the pictures but these waves of frozen water were at least 10 feet tall. 

Mother Nature is amazing.  It was awe inspiring. 

What are you up to this weekend?  My Friday night was low key.  A visit to the parents for dinner then home to chill.  Tomorrow I am meeting a friend I haven't seen in ages for chatting and shopping at Ikea.  I don't plan to buy anything but who knows what will fall into my cart :)

PBG Photpgraphy: Series 1

One of the items on my vision board and one of my quasi New Year's resolutions was to spend more time on one of my creative hobbies...photography.  Below is a sample of some of my recent attempts at artistic photography. 

Most of the photos below were taken last year in Austin, Texas or Halls Lake, Ontario, Canada.  Let me know what you think?