I figured this long weekend was the perfect time to share my Strawberry “Daiquiri” Smoothie!  This non-alcoholic smoothie will send your taste-buds soaring right into summer!

Strawberry “Daiquiri” Smoothie:

• 4 ice cubes
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 cup strawberries (~8 strawberries, diced)
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. apple juice
• 1/2 cup almond milk

Blend all ingredients together in your blender and serve in a tall glass, garnished with a strawberry! Makes 1 large smoothie or 2 smaller smoothies.

One of those people is Caitlyn who came to visit us on our day off this past Monday.  There was incredible weather, and so we had a fabulous time wandering to Fisherman’s Wharf, eating seafood, gorging on frozen yogurt, drinking tea and treats and just hanging out.  Oh, and she helped pack a good chunk of our stuff.

Here are some scenes from her visit (or, an “Ode to Caitlyn” if you will):

{See that seal in the water there?}

{This peanut butter square is easily the BEST treat ever at Spiral}

If you take a realllllly close look you might be able to see little Kaiya sitting in the grass.

We might need to mow our lawn before we move…

Do you keep your lawn super well cared for, or are you a little more “free spirited” (a.k.a. lazy) like us?

I started out making this recipe to be a frosting, but as you can see, it kind of looks like…well…yah.

BUT, the taste is fabulous!  I’m really loving it in oatmeal, but it’s great with a muffin or on toast as well.  So I thought I’d pass along the recipe so you can enjoy this delightful looking spread as well.  :)

Almond Date Nut Butter:

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1.5 cups water
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Soak the dates in the water for at least 30 minutes.  In a blender combine the almond butter, vanilla and the drained dates.  Save the date water though as you can add some to the blender a tbsp. at a time to thin the butter a little bit.  Store in a jar in your fridge and enjoy!

It was a zero waste event this year, which was awesome!

Peter and I, along with these three recycling super heros were assigned to make sure people properly recycled/composted:

There was also live music by various bands, including this impressive kids band – who gets better each time we hear them!

Our crew of volunteers also helped out with kids games/toys:

You could also buy plants grown by urban farmers:

And we enjoyed AMAZING sandwiches.  There were 4 options:

I chose the spiced chicken topped with lettuce, tomato and pickle.  Oh, and there were about half a dozen made-from-scratch sauces to go on top as well.  I chose the curry one which was delicious.

All in all it was some fabulous real food at a fantastic local event!

Then we went to a good-bye party for us on behalf of our Church.

They had a delicious cake as well.

Then, we also had the opportunity to hang out with our Saudi friends.  Mashael and I made dinner (well, she made it and told me how to help!).  It was an amazingly flavourful chicken curry:

Served up with yummy rice and a refreshing side salad:

And followed up by the most beautiful cup of fresh mint green tea I’ve ever tasted:

It was a very full and satisfying weekend!  And now I don’t think I need to eat for the next 3 days.  :)

It’s one of those words that we probably use countless times in a day.

How are you doing?  Okay.

Can you bring me that bottle of water?  Okay.

Let’s meet at 5:00 p.m. at the restaurant.  Okay.

Do you spell it “O.K.” or “okay”?  I spell it “okay.”  I don’t remember when I first started doing that, but I do recall there some time during high school – maybe grade 9 or 10 – when I decided to be all proper and start spelling out the whole word.

Even now, when I’m typing in gmail chat or on twitter, I’ll write “okay” unless I’m desperate for extra characters, and it really bugs me to change it up to “O.K.”  Why?  I have no clue.

Do you know where the origin of the word “okay” comes from?  Well, here are the details as told by my computer’s dictionary: “ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: probably an abbreviation of orl korrect, humorous form of all correct, popularized as a slogan during President Van Buren’s reelection campaign of 1840; his nickname Old Kinderhook (derived from his birthplace) provided the initials.”

You know what’s more than okay?  These chocolate brownies smothered in cream cheese frosting…yah, they’re more than okay – they’re amazingly delicious.

All you have to do is follow this recipe for brownies (bake them for 15-20 minutes instead in an 8×8 pan)…

…and this recipe for cream cheese frosting (you can totally omit the butter if you want)…

…and layer the two…

They might only look okay, but they certainly taste delicious.

Serve them to your mom for Mother’s Day today.  She’ll be reminded of just how sweet and loving you are when you present her with these unattractive yet delicious brownies; just like when you brought home ridiculous looking crafts and gifts for her for Mother’s Day each year as a kid.

Just go and make them, okay?

{there were 2 toddlers hangin’ around too, but they’re not as willing to pose for photos!}

It was awesome – just the way every Friday should be!

Happy weekend to you!

I find I’m constantly pinning dessert recipes themed around it, so I thought I’d share some of the delicious ones I’ve seen.

Peanut Butter and Fleur de Sel Brownies:

Peanut Butter Cup S’Mores Bars:

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake:

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie:

So, what do you think about peanut butter?

They’re amazing.  Seriously.  Simple, delicious, fast.  We eat them constantly.

The other day I was tasked at making a side dish to take to a friend’s house for dinner, and I knew that I wanted to roast some veggies, but what I added to the mix made them even more delicious!!  Give it a try and add some dates…YUM!

Roasted Veggies with Dates:

• ~3-4 cups of fresh green beans, snapped in half
• 1 cup of mushrooms cut into large pieces
• 2 cups of dates, not pitted
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. yellow curry powder
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 tsp. ground cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 14 tsp. garlic powder

In a large bowl, mix together the vegetables, dates and olive oil.  In a separate small bowl mix together your spices. Sprinkle the spices over the veggie/date mix and spread out onto a baking sheet.  Bake at 425F for 25 minutes.  The dates will still be soft but will have a totally different vibe to them.  Make sure to warn others to spit the pits out!  Serves 4-5 people.

Items that I’ve accomplished recently:

#5: Take a Cooking Class: I accomplished this one back in February when I took a baking class from a local baking school.  It was such a fun experience!  This also checks off #72: Successfully bake a loaf of bread from scratch.

#29: Go out for karaoke, and sing a song.  Our dear friends Amanda and Nathan arranged for this one, so it’s all checked off as of last week!

#62: Climb a mountain.  I did that just a few weeks ago when we climbed Mt. Finlayson!  There were no restrictions on how high, etc. so I think it counts.  Besides, although it wasn’t the hardest climb, it certainly wasn’t just a simple hike up.  There were some definite rock climbing moments!

Items I’m working on:

#13: Learn to play two songs on the guitar.  With the impending switch to be a music teacher, I’m taking this more seriously.  I can play the piano and trumpet no problemo (and a variety of other instruments nominally), but I think having the guitar on lock for teaching kiddos would be sweet.  So Peter’s teaching me all I need to know.  :)

#45: Learn how to knit and make a blanket.  I had one lesson a year ago to learn how to knit (though I think I’ve forgotten it all!), and I have another friend who is planning to send me yarn, so we’ll see how this one goes this summer!

Items that I’ll be able to do soon:

#10: Experience a Christmas market in Europe – we’re hoping to go to Belgium for Christmas (depending on vacay times) to see Peter’s parents as well as experience a Christmas market!

#12: Live in a foreign country for at least 6 months.  Well, this one will be able to be checked off by next March once we’ve been in Kuwait for 6 months, so stay tuned for that.  :)

#14: Hum the “Indiana Jones” theme at Petra, Jordan.  Well, with moving to the middle east and having friends who are moving to Jordan, I think it’s only a matter of time before this one gets checked off!

#51: Go whale watching on the Pacific coast of Canada.  Peter’s sister Rachel is coming to visit in the next couple of weeks and we intend to go whale watching with her.

So there you go!  Do you have a bucket list?  Or any items that you’ve done lately that you felt were “once in a lifetime”?