My Favourite Pancake Recipe

In our household, we celebrate Sunday mornings with pancakes! My daughter who is now two (egad!), loves to eat pancakes. Most times she eats more than I do, which is kind of embarrassing for me which is a sign of a hungry little lady! They may not be the most healthy food as is - but it can be! We have tried many recipes over the years, including boxed versions, in search of the fluffiest pancake and I think I found one. I give full credit to Martha Stewart for this one even though I didn't do exactly as she instructed. I simplified her recipe and made it my own. 

Sometimes from scratch is best - who am I kidding? It's always best!! 

My husband makes a wicked blueberry sauce to pour over top. Seriously, its pure yummy! Personally, I skip the maple syrup and butter when he makes it. No need for those less-healthy alternatives when you can have a fruit topping. 

Here is the best pancake recipe - you're welcome ;) 


My version of Martha's Easy Basic Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Take out 2 large bowls. In one bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. In the other mix well the wet ingredients (include the melted butter here). Then pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together. Make sure not to beat too much, just enough to get rid of any lumps. 

*Tip from me: For healthier pancakes, mix 2 teaspoons of ground flax. 

Cook pancakes on a griddle (my choice). If you need to keep your pancakes warm, place them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees until you are ready to serve them. 

Pancakes are a terrific blank canvas for so many great toppings. Jam, chopped fruits and berries, different flavoured syrups, walnuts, nutella, almond butter or peanut butter. 

Feel free to visit marthstewart.com for her full recipe. I did not get paid to say that, its just my suggestion!  

Oh and one last thing - who says you have to wait until Sunday to make these? Celebrate the weekday with this treat! Why not? 

Simple ways to be happy in life

I personally believe that we are always looking for ways to bring a smile to our face. Maintaining our personal happiness is extremely important. If you aren't happy with your life, then you need to step back and re-evaluate your situation. You need to take action and work towards self improvement. I believe that the initial steps can be easy and don't require a large bank account to do them. I have come up with the first and most important steps I believe one should take on this journey. 

First, figure out what little things make you smile. A visit with a friend, hugs from your spouse or significant other, sunsets, jokes etc. Whatever little things make you smirk, go get them! Call your friend, hug your loved one, find that sunset. 

For me one little activity makes me smile is going out with my husband & toddler for breakfast at Timmy's followed by a walk. 

Secondly, realize that you are in control of your physical well-being and need to look after it. If you haven't been to your doctor recently, make an appointment for a checkup. Don't have a doctor? Get one. Report any physical aches and pains you may have experienced lately. Get a plan going with your doctor to ensure you are healthy and stay that way. Ask about possible multivitamins or supplements you can take. Talk about your diet. I personally take B12 as I don't eat meat. Ask questions:  Can you exercise and how much? If you are not healthy, you need to get healthy as best you can. Talk to your doctor about quitting smoking, starting exercise & reducing your alcohol intake. 

Thirdly, start exercising. This for me is a hard one. I don't like it, but I know it is necessary. Look for ways to make exercise fun. Swim once a week, play a game of tennis or badminton with a friend, play on the Wii, go for a walk. The point is to get active. Burn some calories and build muscle! You can do this. 

Lastly, eat healthier. Simple. Cut fast food from your diet. Eat a balance meal three times per day. Drink more water. If you can, eat more natural, non-processed foods. Keep a diary of your daily meals and show your doctor at your next visit. I bet you will see an improvement. 

Keep in mind that these are MY suggestions and are ways I encourage you to work on making yourself smile more and feel better overall. These are only the initial ideas. Know that this journey is not going to be easy but it will be worth it! 

Smile on 😊 

4 Great Ways For Parents to Kick Start The Day

Parenthood is exhausting….am I right? There are days when you don't even have the energy to get out of bed and be the adult that you need to be. We have all been there. Even you dads out there know that looking after a small child requires energy. You can't ague with that. So how can you get that energy you require? Here are a few suggestions that work for me.

1. Coffee.
If you are a coffee lover then I'm sure you know what I mean when I say that a hot cup of Joe can give you that kick in the butt you need to start any day. As we all know, coffee has caffeine which means it gives you energy. In moderation, coffee is actually good for you! In a later post, I will get in the details of that science, but for now, just know coffee is good. The added cream and sugar not so much. I myself take 2 creams and 2 sugars; otherwise known as a 'Double- Double" here in Canada for all you Tim Hortons lovers (can I get a woot woot!). A cup of coffee can give you the needed boost to start your day. That brings me to my next suggestion.

2. Get up before your child.
This is the hardest one for me because I love my sleep. I have loved sleeping in since I was a small child (my parents were lucky!) and now as an adult I find that its a hot commodity. Since having my daughter Abigail (now 20 months old), I get up at 7am when she does. She has become my alarm thanks to the baby monitor. I have been successful in waking up before her only once. But let me tell you, that one time was amazing. I woke up at 6:30am, made myself a coffee and I sat out on the deck with my feet up for a little "me" time. I sat outside for 30 mins and let me tell you, it was heaven! It motivated me to get tasks done around the house. This trick doesn't always work as I work 3 nights a week outside the home and I don't get home until 1:30am. Just do yourself a favour and try it. Let me know how it works for you.

3. Exercise.
Ugh. This one is a proven science. Exercise gives you energy. But get this, it doesn't have to be boring. All you need is motivation. And by you, I mean me. I have tried going for a run. Hated it. But it DID wake me up and I was no longer sleepy. If you have a gaming system you can find an assortment of exercise games or dance routines that you can try out. I suggest getting up in the morning before your little one, put on your work out clothes and hit the living room for a work out dance session. Heck, even try one WITH your child. Start small and work your way up to a more intense workout. (make sure your Dr. says its ok). Plus, exercise is good for you. Win win.

4. Incentive
Another great way to encourage yourself to get going is to create an incentive. For example, when you get up at 6:30am for 1 week straight, treat yourself to an ice cream sundae. Keep track of your accomplishments and know when the week is up, you are getting something sweet! Don't cheat, because if you do, you are only hurting yourself and your progress. When you are lying in bed, completely tired and struggling to get motivated, think about that ice-cream. If you aren't an ice-cream person, then make it a donut or a fancy coffee from Starbucks. Whatever it is, make it your reward for a week well done.

These are the methods I do and they work for me. Everyone is different, so what works for me, may not work for you. What are your methods for getting into gear?

Finish this….

Finish this……


When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming an archeologist. Yes, I was one of thousands of kids who watched 'Jurassic Park' and suddenly wanted to dig up old artifacts, including dinosaur bones. I also wanted to be a storm chaser after watching 'Twister'. Great movie, not such a great career choice. Lawyer was another dream of mine. As I grew up my dream careers became more serious…CSI, Police officer, parole officer, CSIS agent… I think I spent way too much time dreaming and not enough time doing. Am I any of those titles? No. Not even close. But I do have two fancy diplomas on the wall. Sigh. 

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in a made-up town where the weather was always nice; not too hot, but not too cold. Where it would snow only when I wanted it to. A town where everyone knew my name, but not my private business. Where I could leave my front door unlocked and not worry about being broken into. A town that embraced all religions, cultures and beliefs. Essentially, I would live in a John Lennon song. 

If I had to choose one meal to eat forever I would choose pizza, of course! As many of you know, pizza is a balanced meal. Loaded with carbs, dairy, vegetables, vitamin G (grease), and sodium in the green olives. It may be unhealthy, but at least I would be able to change it up daily. Thin crust, thick crust, cheese-filled crust, garlic crust, pan pizza….So many options {and in this made up reality} so much time! 

I have a soft-spot in my heart for elephants. Besides the obvious answer being my husband and daughter, I have to say I have a little place in my heart for elephants. Especially, baby elephants. I melt. They are such large animals with matching hearts. They have the ability to be destructive if needed but their kindness is immeasurable.  Wild elephants spend most of their lives migrating in order to survive. Their life story is just amazing.

 

Who said life was easy?

No one.
I am pretty sure no human on the planet has ever said life was easy - especially new parents. This life of mine has been challenging me lately. I say that in the most positive way possible. Being a new mom is challening but mostly it is rewarding. Just when I think to myself I am just too tired! my baby girl smiles at me and I am quickly filled with a burst of energy. I find it ironic that while she can exhaust me most times, it is she that gives me boosts of energy.
I am sure my husband is reading this and smiling in agreement. Parenthood has its ups & downs, but mostly its ups. Our little girl who is now 6 months old is the light of our life. She is the best thing we ever did & we look forward to what she brings to our life on a daily basis. Having said that, we are also exhausted. It was just last night in fact that we we were faced with a parenthood challenge. We of course had no choice but to accept the challenge and do what was needed to look after our baby. It was 3:00am and our precious Abbie was awake... again. My darling husband {and hero} got up, swaddled our precious little devil and rocked her back to sleep....or atleast that time he tried to. Was this going to be easy? Apparently not. She wouldn't sleep. So plan B it was - taking her downstairs to the couch & turning on the tv. For some strange reason, being swaddled in daddy's arms while the tv is on makes her fall asleep. Who am I to question it? If it works, it works....just smile and nod.
She did wake up another time after that, but fell back to sleep her self after 10 mins. Score! This pattern of her waking up multiple times in the night is fairly new. Her first 2 months of life she woke up 3 times in the night. Then months 3-6 she slept from 9pm to 7am...heaven. Perhaps she is teething. She is always growing and changing in wonderful ways. What am I, sleep deprived? Yes. Loosing sleep is not easy. In fact, it downright sucks. But alas, as new parents we roll with the punches. Why? Because we love our daughter and we have no other choice but to look after her. It is what we signed up for when we made her.
Funny enough, I wouldn't have it any other way. As I type this, I can hear her stirring from her nap. Sigh.
Allie

It has been too long

It has been way too long since I last wrote a post. Lets just say that life has become hectic since I became a mom November 2nd, 2013.
I will have to write up a special post soon about my little baby girl. She is my world, how could I not write pages upon pages about her?
Life has been hectic. New house to fix up? YEP. New baby to look after? YEP. Tossing in some R&R time? YEP.

I have been thinking about the many blog posts I will write. Now that my little one is becoming more independent - I can put her in a jolly jumper and she is as happy as a pig in poop! This will give me a chance to write a blog post while she jumps. It will be our thing.

Until then.

Music Makes The World Go 'Round....

....Or is that money makes the world go round? Either way, both are really important. I was thinking this morning as I was driving into work about how my music selection can affect my mood. If I hear an amazing song, one of my favorites, I will become upbeat. If I hear a song that drives me crazy, I rapidly change the station in search for a new song. There are always artists & songs that I dislike - same for you guaranteed.

So there I am, driving along the highway and Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" came on. She is one of my guilty pleasures. I love the attitude and free-spiritness found in her lyrics. I'll admit, I don't like ALL of her songs. This one just happens to be my favorite. It is tied to the memory of my husband and I painting our first apartment together. That song came on. While my husband doesn't share in my Katy Perry love, I know he lovingly tolerates my music preferences. Anyone else have a significant other wonderful like that?  ;)

I then thought back to artists that are station-changers for me. Ones that I can not tolerate listening to because either their song has been played too much, or I dislike their music in general. I came up with a list. Warning: Some of these most people may disgree with. I'm weird like that. 

1. Jann Arden. 
2. The Tragically Hip
3. Maroon 5
4. The Police
5. AC/DC
6. Avril Lavigne

I think that is my list....so far. See? I told you I was weird. What artists are on your dislike list?