The Thoughts: Remembering

It has been such a long time since I have posted. Lets just say that life is passing me by so quickly. That inspired me to stop and take a minute to share something. Today is Remembrance Day, and as decades go by I'm saddened to think that new generations of people may not know what that is about. It is so easy to get busy doing things that are not really important that we easily forget why we get to live in abundance. Today my Grandmother pulled out my Grandfather's medals of honour that he received from his service in the Canadian Army and Air force. She read the poem "In Flanders Fields" to our family. It was a very special moment for me as I thought of what he did so that we can live as we do now in freedom. He served in World War II on the front lines. My Grandfather was actually the soldier that ran to the front lines with a stretcher and carried the wounded amidst flying bullets to safety. If only we really knew what true servant hood and sacrifice was like, perhaps our priorities would be much different in our lives. I hope and pray that I can teach my children about his legacy and how important what men and woman like him went through for our future.

Lest we forget! 

In honour of my Grandfather, one of my heroes.

Missing you always.

Stella and I holding Grandpa's medals.

The Eats: Pulled Pork & Kale Slaw Sandwich

This is a healthier version of the family classic; pulled pork sandwiches. Even tho it is healthier it is as tasty as can be. I used whole wheat buns toasted with a slice of melted marble cheddar. I made the pulled pork in the slow cooker, which is so easy. Just slow cook pork tenderloin in chicken broth and sea salt and pepper. When finished, pull apart then toss in BBQ sauce. For the slaw I chopped up Kale and shaved carrot with a potato peeler. Then tossed in olive oil, plain greek yogurt, and lemon juice with a touch of sugar. This mixture takes some trial and error depending on how tart you wish it to taste. Start with the olive oil as your base, then add the lemon juice and greek yogurt a bit at a time. You don't need that much to toss the Kale and Carrot in. It should be very lightly coated. You can also serve with sliced Dill Pickles. So, so yummy. Enjoy!

The Eats: Fresh Corn Salad

Sadly, Summer had officially come to a close as far as the calendar says. Luckily we have been enjoying some summer weather still. This allows me to feel like its okay to make some of my favourite summer recipes still. We had a fun Mexican food night at one of our friends houses the other day. I brought along some Fresh Corn Salad. I absolutely love this salad. It is everything summer to me. It goes great as a side with so many different meals. Fresh Corn Salad is always a hit at a BBQ as well.

There are many variations you can do with this salad. Your base is always fresh corn. When I say fresh corn, I actually mean it. I buy corn on the cob (husk on). Peel it, boil it (sometimes I even grill it), cool it, then cut it off the cob. It is definitely more work, but so worth it. Be sure not to over cook it so that it still has some crunch to it. I usually put the corn in a pot of water, bring to a boil, and let it boil for a few minutes. You can tell as the colour turns more yellow that its ready. When I cut if off the cob I usually leave some of the chunks of kernels in tact. I love the way it looks in the salad. To make the corn easier to handle I break the cobs in half before I cook it. In this variation I added black beans, diced red onion, sliced grape tomatoes, chopped cucumber, diced red pepper, diced avocado, and fresh chopped cilantro. For the dressing, I used a little under a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1 squeezed lime, a couple dashes of chipotle chili pepper, sea salt & pepper. This salad is really made with simple ingredients. The best way to describe the way it tastes is: Fresh! Until next summer, when we will enjoy more fresh salads just like this one. Enjoy!

The Fun: River Valley Golf

Oh Boy! All of the sudden I feel like I am sharing a lot of golfing pictures. My husband is really into golf, so I have gone a couple of times with him now. Yesterday we went with our good friends to a course in the River Valley. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was fantastic and the fall leaves are really coming into colour. What I like about golf is the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Especially if you are at a beautiful course like this. I can't even imagine how beautiful some of the courses are around the world. I am really just starting to get into this lifestyle, but so far I am really enjoying it. I don't even keep score yet because I have to hit the ball so many times! Hopefully I can share more beautiful golf course pictures as time goes on.

The Eats: Loaded Pulled Chicken Nachos

Tonight is movie and nacho night. These nachos are loaded with pulled rotisserie chicken, black beans, black olives, diced bell pepper, marble cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Then after being taken out of the oven I topped them with fresh chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, and diced avocado. We of course sided our nachos with salsa and plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream). To keep the baking sheet free from hard stuck on cheese, I sprayed it with olive oil spray. 

It makes it so much easier to clean.

Do you ever notice when ordering nachos at a restaurant that they are usually pricey. Then when they arrive at the table they totally skimp out on the toppings. Well you can make better then restaurant quality nachos at home. Plus you can use organic ingredients which makes it even better.

This is definitely a get your hands messy kind of meal that tastes fresh and delicious. Enjoy!