Columbia Lake |
Nashville North |
Wedding Shower |
Wakeboarding |
We kicked off our hiking season by conquering Ha Ling Peak a couple weeks ago. The rain finally let up for a day so we took advantage of the sun and pilled into my car to head out to Canmore for a day in the mountains.
Ha Ling is a great beginning of season hike. It’s not too long and even with snow, it’s hike-able. They used to list it as a beginner scramble, but the word beginner throws people off. It can be daunting for an actual beginner, so they’ve since changed it to a moderate hike.
We started out in the late morning and took our time, pausing for lunch before the summit and taking water breaks whenever we wanted. It probably took us about 3 hours round trip. It was a great first hike of the season. Since it’s still quite early in the year, there’s lots of snow once you get past the treeline, but we managed to find a way up relatively unscathed.
The next day I wasn’t too sore but I could feel my muscles. For me, this is always a sign of a hike that I was well prepared for. It was definitely nothing like our beginning of season attempt at Middle Sister several years ago She left me waddling for days afterwards. (And yet, I still want to hike her again sometime soon. Masochist?)
I’d definitely recommend Ha Ling, even if you are a bit of beginner. Take your time and enjoy the awesome view at the top. It’s well worth the burning calf muscles!
The first summer we were dating. Bowview Pool Kegger. |
Today marks four years of dating for N and I. It is also the first time we’ll be in the same province on June 14th since our first date. Somehow we’ve always managed to be apart for our anniversary.
After dating all summer and before I moved to Montreal |
Visiting me in Montreal |
The first year, I was living in Montreal and N in Calgary. He had just left for a Euro Trip with a bunch of his friends. I think we celebrated during one of his trips to Montreal earlier in the spring.
My second year in Montreal |
Quebec City for Carnaval |
The second year we were dating I was still in Montreal. Since we weren’t together, we both didn’t even think of it until the following day when I was sitting on the patio at the Starbucks where I worked and one of the girls asked me how long we’d been dating. Suddenly, I realized it had been two years and a day. Whoops! I texted him to make fun of him even though I was equally guilty of forgetting.
Supporting me at my first half marathon in Montreal |
Skiing |
Nashville North. Aka our favourite. |
Stampede Week. Double fisting like champs. |
Hiking on my Birthday |
H & Z’s Wedding |
Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon |
Christmas Ski Trip |
Hockey |
Our house |
N loves pizza so it was an obvious choice for his birthday meal. It doesn’t hurt that my parents have an incredible pizza recipe that they love to use. When I suggested we make it for N’s birthday, my dad was more than happy to oblige.
Like most recipes I love, this one just takes patience, practice, and some delicious ingredients. The sauce is Jamie Oliver’s quickest tomato sauce. It’s simple and full of flavour. You can’t go wrong with this one. We usually substitute Roma tomatoes for San Marzano type and I would highly recommend doing this if you can get your hands on them. They have a really distinct flavour and it’s become what I look for in an authentic pizza sauce.
The dough is a bit of a hybrid. My dad is always the one to make it, but I’ve borrowed his recipe and was gifted some semolina flour so I plan to try it out. You’ll have to wait for that to happen for me to post my take on the recipe, but there are hundreds of great recipes out there. I really think a lot of baking is getting to know your oven and your region anyway, so be adventurous. Experiment. I mean, the worst thing that’s ever happened to me was that I ate the ingredients off my pizza. They were still delicious even if my crust was a bit of a fail.
As we waited for the dough to finish proofing, we made up a tray of appetizers, grabbed some beers, and headed out to the deck to relax. This is something my family does often, especially out at the lake, and I love it. Olives and cheese are two of my favourite things. I’m not one to get overly excited about sweets, so to me these little appies are way better than desert. Unless it’s crème brûlée. I can’t say no to that deliciousness.
We made two large pizzas that night. The first was very traditional: tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, caramelized onions, and basil. It’s probably my favourite pizza. The flavours seem to come together perfectly without competing with each other.
My dad named our second pizza The Kitchen Sink. Basically it had “everything but the kitchen sink”. We took a bunch of stuff we had in the fridge and piled it onto the pizza. There was asparagus, spicy capicola, prosciutto, artichoke hearts, and a couple different cheeses. I’m sure I’m forgetting some things too. It turned out delicious! I still love our simple pizza, but this one gave it a run for its money.
We chatted well into the night, enjoying our pizza and wine. That’s another thing I love about making pizza with my family: with one oven the meal lasts for a few hours, so we sit around chatting and enjoying each other’s company as we wait for the next pizza.
Follow me on Instagram @wholansi |
1. We started the month with a pizza date at Una before heading to Cirque du Soleil with my parents. Totally delicious and totally not following our supposed paleo plan. Oh well!
2. Lobsters with N’s family while his brother was in town. I’d never put one into the pot so we had to capture the moment.
3. I spent three days down at the geoConvention for work. This bird was blind in one eye, but he made for a lovely hat.
4. Treating ourselves to Peters’ milkshakes after hunting for my unjustly towed car.
5. It was N’s birthday this month and I made him this paleo smoked salmon eggs benedict (as mentioned). I’m pretty proud of it.
6. We went out to the lake for N’s birthday and even though the weather wasn’t spectacular, it’s one of my favourite places to be.
7. We had a party at our place for N’s birthday. It was a gong show.
8. Cheering at the Calgary Marathon and Half Marathon. It was a lovely day with lovely people!
9. I’ve been doing CrossFit in the park for the last few weeks. It’s been really fun and one of the coaches sometimes takes pictures. These were burpee broad jumps.
Wheelchair Marathoner coming through first thing |
My alarm went off at 6 am last Sunday and one of my first thoughts was “Why am I not running this morning?”.
I’m not some crazy morning person (quite the opposite actually), but I couldn’t help wishing I was running the Calgary Half Marathon that morning. I really enjoyed running it last year and was suddenly questioning my decision to sit it out.
The lady in green had so much energy |
I knew a couple people running the half and a few running the full so I decided it would be fun to go cheer them on. As a runner, I know how much it’s meant to me to see all the people cheering on the sidelines so I decided to be one of those people this year. The energy of the spectators is just awesome.
So off I went to Bridgeland for the start of the race. I knew a few people who had volunteered to marshall so I thought I’d hang out with them for a bit. I ended up hanging out until the last runners came through. It was really great! Bridgeland was one of my favourite parts of the course last year. The spectators have to get their early, but they’re some of the most energetic and motivating people of the whole race. Not to mention, it’s a trendy neighbourhood so it’s got lots of good distractions. We were about 5 km in to the race, so people are still really excited and having a good time. There were tons of smiles and lots of thanks. It was great to see.
As much as I really loved that spot for cheering, I don’t know that I’d choose it again since I didn’t manage to spot any of the friends I knew were running. Everyone is still clumped together pretty tightly so it’s hard to pick out people you know through the crowds.
After the last runners passed, I headed towards the finish to meet N and my friend’s wife. I wandered through the East Village on my way to the finish line and spotted two of my friends running the half. It was so exciting to see them and cheer them on in the last kilometres of their race, especially since I hadn’t spotted them earlier on.
The three of us found a spot near the finish where we thought we’d be visible. It’s fun to see people cross the finish line, but it gets so crowded in the Grandstand that the runners usually don’t see you. I think it’s kind of fun to choose a spot where they’ll see you and you can cheer them towards the finish line.
There were a couple Guiness World Record attempts during the race. One guy was running in full lacrosse gear. We saw him near the finish and he looked to be on the verge of collapsing. The other attempt is pictured below. Can you imagine running a marathon attached to seven other guys?
When T came by, we cheered as loud as we could and tried to snap some photos of him. Unfortunately, there were some obstacles so they’re not the best shots. Sorry, T. I tried!
It was a really long day of walking, standing, and cheering, but I’m so glad I went. Races have such a great energy. Next year is Calgary’s 50th anniversary so I will most definitely be running it. It’s funny how I always think I’m going to take a break from running and then get pulled back in to another race. I was going to take 2013 off and focus on strength training instead of running, but I’m now running the Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon in September with N and a couple friends. So much for a year off. I guess I just can’t stay away.
I’ve talked a bit about the CrossFit-style workouts I organize every week at work in the past. It’s grown quite a bit since I first started it, which makes me so excited. I love that my work lets me run these Fitness Friday workouts every week. They’re really no longer than a smoke break and are significantly more healthy. It’s also expanded to include a Yoga practice what happens a few times a week already. I haven’t checked that out yet since it happens at the same time as Fitness Friday, but I definitely would like to in the future.
For June, I’ve also decided to put a Burpee Challenge out there. I sent this out not only to those on the Fitness Friday distribution, but also to our All Staff distribution list. Fitness Friday is still a relatively small group of us and I wanted to remind everyone that they are all welcome to join us anytime and also challenge them to a month of burpees. Anyone can do burpees! They’re tough, but easily modifiable to suit any level of fitness.
The challenge started today. Yes, I realize that it’s technically still May, but since this challenge is happening with coworkers, I thought it made more sense to start it on a workday. So May 31 it is. We’re starting at 5 burpees today. From there, we’ll be adding one burpee a day until June 30. That means on June 30 we’ll be doing 35 burpees. It’s pretty simple.
I’ve also added that you can break them up into sets. So when they numbers get higher, everyone can still get them done. Obviously, your fitness will improve more from doing them all in one go, but that can be a bit intimidating. I figure doing them at all is a step in the right direction, so I wanted to make it attainable.
Anyone reading this blog is also more than welcome to join us in this Burpee Challenge as well! I’ve already challenged N to it.
If you’re not sure what a burpee is, you can check out the video below. Emad’s burpees could use some work, especially towards the end, but mine are mostly ok.
The main rules are that your chest needs to touch the floor and you need to jump up at the end. In the video, I’m always jumping my feet forwards and back, but you don’t have to. You can step forwards and backwards and it still counts. You also don’t have to do a push up. You can get down the floor and then worm your way back up. Check You Tube for more variations. There are plenty out there.
I made a little calendar that makes it a bit easier to understand how the challenge works. Check it out if you’re interested and leave a comment if you’d like to participate!
Have a great weekend and Happy Burpee Month!
If you’ve ever been for brunch with N, you probably know what he orders. He’s a creature of habit and never strays far from his beloved Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. I don’t really blame him. How can you really go wrong with a delicious biscuit, smoked salmon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce?
You can’t. Don’t try and argue with him.
This year for his birthday, we were heading out to the lake with my dad. I decided it’d be fun to make them Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict the morning of his birthday. I’d never attempted Hollandaise sauce and was honestly a bit intimidated, but I decided to go for it anyway.
I watched a lot of Alton Brown’s Good Eats episodes on how to make Hollandaise as well as how to poach eggs and time everything so it all comes together. By Saturday, I was still pretty intimidated. Alton had some great tips though so if you’re attempting eggs benny for a group of people, I would definitely recommend his instructions and videos. I also really loved his addition of a bit of cayenne to the Hollandaise. The little bit of added spice was a nice surprise.
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I’m obsessed with Kerry Gold Grass Fed butter. Well, this was the last of it. It all went into this Hollandaise. (Yes, we really enjoy our fat.)
I mean, look at the gorgeous butter. I really need to go the States so I can pick some more up!
I made the birthday boy take some photos for me so I could blog this recipe. I’m such a nice girlfriend. Please excuse my ratty lake hair though. I’m trying to train my hair to go unwashed for longer periods of time. Who likes washing their hair anyway? Don’t be grossed out. You know you don’t like washing your hair all the time either.
With Hollandaise, you have to add the butter so slowly and be really careful with the heat. This was a pretty big test of my whisking strength and my patience. It turns out, I need to work on that (the whisking, not the patience). My arm got tired pretty quickly and I ended up with a blister on my finger. It was truly worth it for the delicious brunch we ended up with though.
I was quite proud and obviously had to show off my sauce. Doesn’t it look delicious? I wish I could have some now, in fact.
This recipe taught me that I need to work on perfecting my biscuit shaping and egg poaching. Neither turned out quite as nicely as I’d have liked. The biscuits tasted delicious and, more importantly, the eggs were runny, so I’m pretty sure that’s all that really matters.
Below, I’ve typed out the Alton Brown recipe I used with my slight tweaks. (Instead of sugar, I used a bit of honey and I didn’t have an infrared thermometer so I couldn’t measure the temperature as accurately as he did. It’s very much the same as his, but fits into our “Paleo” lifestyle a little bit better since it doesn’t have sugar.)
Hollandaise Sauce
– 1 quart saucier
– 3 egg yolks
– 1 tbl water
– 1/2 tsp cayenne, divided
– kosher salt
– 2 – 3 tbl lemon juice
– 1/4 tsp honey
– 12 tbl unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
Combine egg yolks, water, 1/4 tsp of cayenne powder, and kosher salt in the saucier and beat until light and frothy. This should take about one minute.
Put the saucier over low heat and whisk vigorously, moving the pan on and off the heat ever 10 to 15 seconds. Once it reaches a custard-like consistency, start adding the butter, one pad at a time. Continue whisking.
Once half the butter has been added, add one tablespoon of lemon juice. Continue adding the butter until it is all whisked in. Add the second tablespoon of lemon juice, the remaining cayenne powder, and the honey. Whisk for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Taste and add more lemon juice, as desired. Transfer to a thermos until ready to serve.
I highly recommend trying this recipe out. It’s delicious and looks pretty impressive when your brunch guests sit down to eat.
Bon Appetit!
This is one of those recipes we turn to pretty often because of its simplicity. It is incredibly delicious for how easy it is to make. I’m not much of a believer that a recipe has to be complicated in order to be great, but sometimes I’m still surprised by how easy it can be to make great food. Some of my favourite recipes are actually very basic and this one is no exception.
I took these pictures a long time ago, but we just made this recipe again this week and it reminded me of how great it is. You can find the recipe on Juli’s blog, paleomg.
She might just be a genius. I know these photos make it look a bit on the complicated side, but it’s really not. It’s just some spices, coconut milk, chicken, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. Simmer and enjoy. Your whole house will smell incredible too! (That is, if you enjoy curry and garlic I guess.)
We’re out at the lake this weekend for N’s birthday and May long so this is a pretty short post. I took some great pictures for the recipes I made over the weekend so I hope to find the time to share them this week. They were well worth the time spent over the stove.
The only thing missing from this final shot here is the cilantro. I don’t know how I dropped the ball on that one, but of course it happened when I decided to pull out my DSLR and actually take photos. How come it always happens that way?
Hope everyone is having a great long weekend! Try this recipe. I swear it’s well worth it!
I literally brushed dust off my laptop when I grabbed it tonight. Lately I’ve been doing lots of things that don’t really involve being on my computer.
Two weeks ago, my CrossFit boxed suddenly closed. I had some free passes I was using so I’ve spent the last couple weeks trying to decide what to do with myself. I’m seriously addicted to CrossFit. I’m also playing soccer and will be training for a half marathon though so I definitely can’t justify the cost of joining a new box on top of both of these commitments. I finally made the decision today to sign up for a weekly outdoor CrossFit class. It’s run by CrossFit Calgary and is in the park a few minutes walk from my house. It starts tonight and I’m pretty excited about it.
The weather in Calgary has been fantastic, so I’ve been spending a lot less time inside on my computer and a lot more enjoying the outdoors. We’ve been getting back into running more and bought a Frisbee this weekend for sunny days in the park. I even got a mild sunburn on Saturday, which is pretty rare for me!
Work has been busy too. I spent most of last week down at geoConvention talking to clients about our software. It was lots of long days in heels, but I actually really enjoyed it. It’s nice to get out and talk to clients, put names to faces, and not be glued to my computer for a few days.
On to the point of this post, I guess! Greek Salad is one of my very favourite salads. Unfortunately, one of the best parts of it is the feta cheese. This month we were making a solid effort to eat Paleo at home so feta was out. I don’t even have any in the fridge right now, which is pretty shocking. Olives are the other delicious piece of the puzzle though, if you ask me. I took a really simple idea from Balanced Bites and edited my Greek Salad recipe a bit. I don’t even know if this counts as a recipe.
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