Back From Vacation on West Coast!

Hello everyone! I just got back from a lovely vacation with Doug and the kids. We went to British Columbia, which, for the non-Canadians out there, is the western – most province in Canada. It’s also the warmest province, at least during the winter months, where they tend to get lots of rain but little if any snow. It’s also an absolutely gorgeous province filled with mountains ocean views and plenty of nature!

I have been to Vancouver before but never with Doug and the kids, and I must say we had an amazing time! We have a few friends in Vancouver, they were more than happy to show us around and take us to some of their favourite places.

The highlight was definitely spending time on the Grouse Mountain, which is this lovely mountain with the gondola something like 30 minutes by car from downtown Vancouver. In the winter it’s a great local ski hill, and during the summer it’s a great place to catch amazing views Vancouver. They even have some amazing attractions at the top, like a miniature zoo with a couple grizzly bears! The kids were so thrilled to see Winnie the Pooh! They also have a couple very nice restaurants at the top of the mountain, so you can enjoy a lovely meal with the family while catching amazing views.

Vancouver is also really well-known some of it’s amazing beaches. There’s this amazing park right next to downtown Vancouver called Stanley Park, which is sort of like Central Park in New York City. There are three or four excellent beaches in the vicinity of Stanley Park, clued in one: third beach which is somewhat isolated. That makes it perfect beach to relax and get away from the throngs of crowds you typically see at other beaches.

We also spent part of our trip in Victoria, which is the capital city of British Columbia, and located on Vancouver Island, a short ferry ride from vancouver. The ferry ride actually turned out to be an amazing experience, since halfway through the ride the captain announced that a group of whales were swimming some distance away from the boat. After the announcement, most of the passengers rush to the window and we caught some amazing views of how lovely pod of whales. The kids loved it!

Victoria is a very cool city with lots of fascinating architecture, so Doug and I really ate it up. There are also lots of really nice gift shops, so, being the shopping adict where I am, I enjoyed touring the shops and picking out gifts for my friends back home. The food in Victoria is also amazing, with plenty of healthy options.

All in all, it was an amazing trip. I truly envy people that make their home in British Columbia. How about you, have you been on any exciting trips this summer, or do you have any in-store? Let me know!

Until next time – yours truly,

Cindy

Best Chicken Soup Ever!

Hello, welcome to my second blog post! On today’s episode, I’m going to tell you about this amazing recipe that my family absolutely loves, and which has been handed down to me from my mom and her mom before that! This recipe is sure to please everyone!

This is a recipe for a really, really, really good chicken soup! Its very simple, cleansing and great for a cold day when you’re craving something warm and liquid!

The first step is to prepare the broth. Start with a big pot and place a whole chicken inside. I tend to prefer organically raised chicken, but if your budget requires it non-organic will be fine as well. Then, fill the pot with water leaving about an inch or two clearance from the brim. This is key to make sure that the soup doesn’t boil over the rim!

Once you’ve got your chicken bathing in it’s bath, bring the pot to boil. I don’t bother putting any salt or spices in the soup at this point, as there is a risk that you’ll put too much in. In addition, it’s also good at this point to not salt or spice the water so that it’s free to pick up as much flavour as possible from the chicken.

Once you have brought it to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and start putting vegetables into the pot. I tend to begin preparing vegetables while the water is heating up. You can be creative here and put in pretty much anything, although you certainly can’t go wrong with some carrots, onions, celery, and other such vegetables. If you’d like the soup to be a little bit heavier, it’s a great option to put in some chopped potatoes. This will add a delicious flavour and make the soup a bit more starchy, which I love.

Once all of that stuff is in you can increase the temperature a bit and bring it back to a low boil. After 10 or 15 minutes of this, I tend to like to dip a spoon into the pot and check the flavour. In most cases a few tablespoons of salt and a dash of pepper will be enough, and that’s typically how I like it since I enjoy the flavour of the chicken vegetables and don’t want to drown those out with spices. This is your chance to be creative!

If you haven’t added any potatoes and you’d like to add some carbs to the soup, I recommend adding whole wheat noodles to the mix. In the past I would typically cook the pasta in a separate pot, strain it, and then add it to the soup, but in recent years I have found it just as easy, and just as delicious, to put the noodles directly in the pot for the last 15 minutes of the cooking cycle. That keeps things simple and I also find that the noodles are more flavourful that way as well!

The result is a simple, super cleansing and delicious soup that didn’t cost very much and which will feed and please the entire family! You can take the chicken out, slice off the meat, and use that for packing lunches for the rest of the week. It’s pretty handy! And, while chicken soup can’t cure a cold, it will definitely make you feel a lot better if that’s the case!

That’s all for me for now! Hope you enjoy the recipe, and don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions!

Yours truly,

Cindy

Introductions!

Hi! My name is Cindy, and I’m the one behind this blog! Thanks very much for stopping by and reading my very first blog post. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’m 36 years old and live in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. I’m a lucky mother of two (Alicia, 3, and Jamie, 5) and have a hard-working husband named Doug. Doug has done pretty well in his business (real estate), so I’ve had the flexibility to stay home, take care of the house, and raise our kids.

Before I had my second son, I worked as a paralegal in a small law firm in Toronto. I practiced mostly family law, which was frankly very trying emotionally. However, it was very intellectually stimulating, and sometimes I find myself missing that aspect when my days are filled with keeping the house in order!

One of my favourite things to do is find healthy meals to make for my family. I come from a family background which includes a bit of Italian, so I have plenty of interesting recipes handed down from my mother and grandmother.

Another thing I absolutely love to do is exercise and enjoy nature. We live very close to a great gym, so after my morning tasks are done I often try to sneak out for an hour to enjoy yoga class or some time on a stationary bike. Winters in Canada can be pretty harsh, so I tend to spend more time in the gym during the winter months. During the spring and summer, and even during the fall, I love to spend time running on forest trails.

Like many other people, I’m also quite addicted to certain TV shows! Perhaps it’s my legal background, but I found myself particularly addicted to Suits and breaking bad (Saul Goodman is such a funny character), which makes it a challenge because it’s not exactly something I’d like my boys to watch on the television, not the best influences! I call it my little sin, and Doug agrees!

That’s a little bit about me! I plan to write on this blog about family life, interesting meals I make at home, and fun things I do with my family. Stay tuned for many more posts!

Yours truly,

Cindy