Why I Love Starbucks

Let's try this again, last night I had the whole post written and one slight touch of the keyboard and all was lost. So here we go again.

I love Starbucks, ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I will choose Starbuck over Second Cup, Good Earth and Tim Horton's. I don't drink coffee, I drink a Grande two-pump sugar free vanilla, non-fat, extra hot, Chai Latte. Yum.

While I was pregnant the unthinkable happened, for the first trimester I couldn't drink a Chai Latte. Gasp, I often thought, what is wrong with this child, but it changed. By the second trimester. I was back at Starbucks, with a baby who kicked and jumped every time I walked into a Starbucks. Now that she is out of the womb, her face lights up when we walk into a Starbucks, haha.

So why do I love Starbucks? Well let me count the ways:

1) Their Chai tastes the best.

2) Shaken Green Tea Lemonade.

3) Consistancy. No matter what Starbuck I go to, my drink ALWAYS tastes the same.

4) No matter where I am in the world, I can find a Starbucks. Whether I am in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Kauai, Rome or Corfu, I can find a Starbucks.

5) Samples. I love how they have samples of their products, but not only product samples. They will also provide you a sample of a drink that they have if you've never had it before. Especially at Christmas.

6) Variety. I love that I can go to Starbucks and have something different, alas, I still get the good ol' standby, but if I wanted I could get something different.

7) Customer Service. The Baristas at Starbucks are always so helpful and happy. They have fantastic memories of the frequent customers. I can't count how many times, I had my drink made before I even paid for it. They knew me and knew my drink.

8) Free stuff, because my co-workers and I were such regulars, they would often provide us a free drink for someone back at the office. Love them. So thoughtful.

9) Never a mistake. And if there is, they fix it for free, no questions asked. You can even drive away and call them and they will provide you a two, if you order two, free drinks at a later time. AWESOME customer service. And last, but not least,

10) Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake and Marshmellow Rice Crispie Squares. Yum

So those are only 10, I am sure I could think of more. But let's leave it at 10.

January is post-partum depression awareness month

Post-partum depression is a common occurance in 10 to 20 per cent of new moms. In recent years, post-partum depression as eased itself out of the shadows, some women are still embarrassed to admit they are dancing with the post-partum devil.

Edmonton declared January post-partum depression month in hopes of shedding light on the truth. For those who may be experiencing it, I urge you to read "It Sucked and then I Cried," by Heather Armstrong. It is a humourous look at a serious issue. It is a great read from a great writer. She is also the author of a great blog, www.dooce.com.

Steal of a deal #1

I heart Bath and Body Works hand soap pumps. Well do I have a deal for you. For a limited time only - Bath and Body Works has all hand soap pumps on for $3. $3 - that is a crazy deal.

So go now, because they have a shopping basket full of deals. Happy Shopping.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy 2011.

This past Christmas our little family was fortunate enough to spend it in Kauai. It was beautiful, if you ever have an opportunity to go the Hawaii I would highly recommend Kauai. The weather, while it could have been a little less rain-y, it was beautiful, warm and humid. Our little girl's hair was curly, curly, curly. So cute.

This year I have taken on a new challenge. To try and spend less. Use coupons and GC as much as possible. It is my way of living best while spending less.

***Edited for spelling errors. sorry, I was really excited.

First Milestone

Today was a busy day. Our little cupcake was baptised with her family and friends all in attendance to support her. It was so great. She was such a great little lady during the celebration.

Afterwards we had a reception at our house and all our friends came for a visit. It was wonderful, while my husband and I aren't overly religious, it was very important to me to have our cupcake baptized. I think my Granny would be proud. About 10 minutes before the ceremony I got all teary-eyed standing with my daughter, husband, and best friend and her husband, cupcakes god parents, because I was thinking about how much I wished my Granny was there. Our daughter was baptised with my Granny's rosary, I was also married with that rosary.

Well when it was all said and done, our little girl got her first pieces of jewellery, a gold cross necklace and gold bracelet, and most importantly, she got her own rosary.

Just wanted to share this with you as it was our first family milestone.

So what do we have on the calendar for this weeks meals:
Sunday: Fish and Chips
Monday: Chicken and Chorizo Pasta with spinach strawberry salad
Tuesday: Turkey meatloaf with potatoes and broccoli
Wednesday: Moussaka
Thursday: Eat, Shrink and Be Merry Timbucktuna Casserole
Friday: Eat, Shrink and Be Merry pork chops with rice and roasted cauliflower
Saturday: Eat, Shrink and Be Merry Crab cakes with red pepper alioli and green italian salad.

There you have it, maybe I'll post pictures of meals this week?

Yummy low-fat good for you dressing

I found this recipe about a two years ago, when I was getting fit and eating sensibly in preparation for my wedding. I started eating clean and it was awesome, the food was so yummy, I still eat clean, not 100 per cent of the time but at least 75 per cent to 80 per cent of the time. This recipe is my one stand-by. I make it and it stays in my fridge, yet NO ONE knows that I do it. Hahaha.

I guess they will today.

Time and time again, I serve this salad dressing and no one is the wiser...I may also mask it by putting in it a store bought Renee's glass ceaser dressing bottle. Haha.

So here is the recipe for my Vegan Clean Eating Ceaser Dressing.
Makes 1 cup
3/4 cup of silken tofu
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of water
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup parmesan
Place all ingredients in to food processer and mix till all incorporated.

It tastes so yummy, you won't be able to taste the difference.

Upcoming busy week

Since having our baby girl we've noticed some changes to our schedule, we are a lot busier, but a different busy. It seems like the hours just fly by, we don't even notice and it is bath time.

But I am happy to say that we finally feel like we can manage things. How do we do it, well we do a LOT of planning. Planning around cleaning, shopping, and meals. I thought I'd share our weekly meal plan, which includes some help from Simply Suppers.

Sunday: Fajita Lasagna with italian salad
Monday: Taco Stew with leftover italian salad
Tuesday: (Christmas Family Photos) Pepperoni Pizza with veggies and dip
Wednesday: Maui meatballs with rice and strawberry and spinach salad
Thursday: Chicken and Chorizo pasta with spinach salad
Friday: Crab stuffed salmon with asparagus and rice
Saturday: Turkey chili with whole wheat buns and veggies
Sunday: The Cupcake's baptism

So there you have it. Each Sunday I will share our weekly meal plan. We are trying to commit to eating healthy and at home more. With a meal plan like this, it is pretty easy. I am also preparing my snacks and lunches on Sunday. Making spinach dip, tzatzki dip and cutting up my veggies so that I can just grab and snack while me and cupcake play. I find that way I get to eat healthy and just plainly eat. Ha.

Also a tip for new moms: have a pitcher and a bottle, keep pitcher full of water in the fridge and keep your bottle filled. You'll drink a lot of water once you have that baby.