May 23, 2013

Recipe Curious

When I first started learning how to cook in my early twenties, I followed every recipe to the letter. When I got married, my husband thought it was so cute (and so accountant-like) that I would be so precise with my measurements. I soon started to be loose with my measurements and improvised with ingredients and all of a sudden this accountant had learned how to cook.

Back in the stone ages when I started blogging, I started a separate recipe site to store the favorite recipes of mine and of my friend Karen’s (She’s a great cook). We thought that having them online would help us for when we were out of town and needed to access them. Karen stopped blogging, but I kept updating it when I could and then the call came from Mom Central because General Mills Canada were looking for food bloggers for their lifemadedelicious.ca site. I’m about to start in my third year with them and I couldn’t be happier about it. Well, except for my head shot, but that’s to be remedied soon.

Here’s what you need to know about me and cooking:

I plan meals every Sunday, I do a “big shop” every Tuesday or Wednesday, and stop in the grocery store mid-week for some fresh veggies, sandwich meats, and the thing on my list that I somehow missed despite crossing everything else off.

I love to try new recipes, but even more so, I love to try to replicate recipes for food that we love when we eat out. My Thai lettuce wraps recipe is one example.

You also need to know that I fall into a menu planning rut. Our lives are busy and I have some great recipes in my arsenal, but there are only so many times that you can serve them before they are moved onto the Hate List, you know? I have found that having a commitment to write (for pay!) elsewhere has been a great incentive to break out of the every day. It also spurs me on to make new things for our family because they need to try new things too.

Last week, Matthew asked me to write a post asking my readers to share their favorite dinnertime recipes so that we could infuse some life into our stale routine. I took that as a cue to (ask you for your recipes, and) create a new recipe. He loves to eat a “Beach House Pasta” recipe at one of our favorite restaurants, and I thought I’d try to replicate it. As it was simmering on the stove, he was working in the yard. When I stepped outside to check on him, he said “Every time the deck door opens, it smells like Heaven.”

Here’s a recipe that you need to make RIGHT NOW.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallot onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tsp pepper flakes or Cajun seasoning
6 large fresh tomatoes, chopped (or one 28ml can of chopped tomatoes)
8 large frozen prawns, thawed
1 package of frozen scallops, thawed
1 package of frozen mussels, steamed and put aside
1 package of fresh linguini (I bought fresh pasta, but you can use the usual)
2 tsp basil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp cream cheese
2 Tbsp sour cream
Sea Salt and Fresh pepper to taste

(If you’re not one to eat pasta (Me too!), spaghetti squash is a great replacement. Grease a baking dish. Cut one squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down in the baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, then scrape out the “noodles.”)

Place a pot of water on the stove for the pasta and bring it to a boil. Follow the package directions.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Cook the shallots and garlic over a medium heat until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, pepper flakes and lemon juice, then bring to a boil. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and basil. Stir it into the sauce.

Turn down the heat to a simmer. Stir in the seafood, cook for 3 minutes more until it’s heated through. Season to taste.

Drain noodles and dish them onto plates (Or scrape out “noodles” and do the same) and scoop sauce on top.

I want to eat that at least once a week. You know, until we tire of it and it moves to the Hate List.

Do you guys have any recipes to add to our arsenal, and that we could share with each other? Matthew (and the rest of us) would be eternally grateful.

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fitness&health recipes

May 21, 2013

Run Like The Wind

I think you all know that I fitness and health are pretty important to me — heck, I get paid to write about it elsewhere, in multiple places — and it stems from my personal history. I have a large frame, a muscular build, and the metabolism of a snail. I spent many years feeling uncomfortable in my skin because I didn’t move my body and I didn’t eat (for days on end, sometimes, and) healthy food. I am so glad that I took the time to meet that dietician way back when who steered me onto the right course. The desire to eat treats once in awhile without weighing in at 200 lbs is motivation, sure, but I also love seeing the definition in my shoulders, arms, and legs.

Running through this past winter with Jennifer (She’s back in action TOMORROW)(*Lights fireworks*) saw my body getting tighter. Last month, I pulled out a pair of capris that haven’t fit me in three years and they fit. They FIT. I have no idea what I weigh (The scale makes me crazy), but I do know that I let my eating get a little (or a lot) out of control for a couple of years. I am one of those weirdos who finds that their appetites is suppressed after exercising. So! Longer running mileage + Suppressed appetite + Not eating bags of Doritos = a smaller pant/dress size.

It’s not that I don’t eat, I just no longer justify snacking because I’ve exercised. Matthew makes me farm fresh eggs, sunny side up, every morning. They’re sprinkled with cheddar cheese and placed on buttered toast and it’s not Paleo or Gluten-free but it’s DELICIOUS. I am the Head Chef and I make us healthy lunches and dinners, except for Fridays. Friday nights are all about homemade pizza and honey garlic wings and nachos and any other appetizers we are craving.

I burn those “cheat nights” off because exercise is a large part of my every day. While at Mom 2.0, Ali joked that that it seemed like I was always running. It’s funny because it’s true.

My only concern is that I don’t want to seem like a weenis who talks about their fitness regime in the attempt to sound like they are so amazing. It’s just a huge part of my life, about an hour a day, and in the scheme of the sixteen or so hours when I’m awake, that’s a large percentage (says the accountant).

As for running, I’m still hoping to do my first half in September, if Jennifer isn’t injured again. My first 10K race of the year is coming up on June 1st. I’ve been running 10K once a week since January, and have spent the last three Fridays running the race route. The last two Fridays, Matthew joined me, because he plans to run the race for the first time. He could have run it without training for it BECAUSE HE’S A GUY, but he thought he should check it out. He lets me set the pace, and it’s been great having company again. He told me that he plans to run with me on race day instead of running at his long-legged pace because he doesn’t want to hurt himself, but I think he’s just going to run with me to encourage me. Because he’s awesome.

All of this to say that I feel fit, I feel strong, and race anxiety aside, I love that I can run the distances that I do. I’m sorry if my fitness statuses come across as annoying, but the big girl inside of me is still in awe that my body is able to do what it does without seeing me in a wilted heap on the side of the road.

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fitness&health

May 21, 2013

Google Nexus 7 Tablet {Review}

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a PR person who not only took the time to read my site, he paid me a great compliment (Hi, Luke!):

I came across Dutch Blitz as I was looking for family-friendly bloggers who have some experience reviewing family-focused items. I love your Safeway Open Nature review, because you do such a thorough job reviewing the product while still keeping everything relevant to your readers.

That made my day. I think that you guys all know I only take on reviews or giveaways if it’s something that I would personally use and/or if it’s something that I think you guys would be interested in. It makes me happy that my standards shine through.

The reason that I was contacted was because Staples wanted me to (receive, and) review the new Nexus 7 tablet by Google. I’ve never used an android product (My iPhone is always in my sight. Always), but I am a Google girl, through and through. Both of my email addresses are GMail accounts (Who uses anything else?), I use Google calendar for all of my appointments, meetings, deadlines, etc. I use Chrome on my Windows PC that I do my accounting work on and my kids love Google Earth to no end. I am mourning the (upcoming) loss of Google Reader, but at least there’s Feedly.

The tablet came last week. I charged it, set it up, and let the kids have the first crack at it. I’m nice like that. I also knew that I’d have a better chance of having some alone time to get to know it better if they got their “NEW TOY” fix dealt with. They immediately went to Google Earth and found our house (Weird!) and then started looking up things like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Cannon Beach and anywhere else they could think of. Getting them to take turns was a little difficult — per usual — but we made it work without anyone throwing the tablet in a fit of rage. Win!

(Our property! From outer space!)

After the initial excitement wore off, I was able to pry it from their fingers with minimal damage and sat on the deck in my Mother’s Day chair and start exploring the tablet. Usually, the left side of my brain would take over and I’d read the manual, but on the home screen were free copies of two of my favorite magazines: Canadian Living and Chatelaine. It being “my day”, I sat in the sun and spent some time reading just for fun. It was perfect.

I did spend some time reading the user manual but the tablet is pretty intuitive. It’s Google, after all. I’ve kept the tablet in my handbag all week so that I could play with it when I found pockets of free time. Here are some thoughts I have about my shiny new toy:

It feels good in my hands. It’s thin, but not too thin. It feels solid and sturdy, and not like I could snap it in two with my man hands. The rubberized back also makes it feel more secure.
It’s the perfect size. It’s a bigger than my phone, which makes it much easier to read on. It’s about the size of a large Kindle and not too heavy.
It has great screen resolution. I’m no tech expert, but everything is crisp and clear and shiny.
It’s easy to navigate. I opened the Play Store, found my daily (Hourly?) apps (Instagram/Twitter/Facebook) and downloaded them in a few seconds. Scrolling through the home screens (There are more than one!) is a breeze as well.
The notification bar you get when you swipe down the screen is handy and makes it easy to get to where you need to be.
I just like it. I really, really like it.

Matthew’s been using my iPad a lot since his computer is dying a slow death, and I haven’t missed it. I use my big camera or phone for photos, but for everything else, the Nexus 7 tablet has been all that I need to use. Back to the size point, it’s nice that it fits into my handbag without feeling awkward. Would I buy one? Yes. For $239, there’s a lot of awesome in an affordable bundle.

If you guys have any questions about it, fire away!

Full disclosure: Staples.ca provided me with the Google Nexus 7 for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own and no other compensation was received.

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May 20, 2013

Lucky Number Thirteen

Thirteen years ago today, I walked down the aisle towards Matthew and never looked back.

It all started with family and friends around as I got my hair did and my makeup done. Soon it was time to head to the church.

Me and my Daddy.

I think I know which parent I look like.

Off we went.

I got into the white SUV we had rented.

This is one of my most favorite photos of myself. Ever.

While I was busy being a Princess, a certain young lad named Matthew was getting ready. If you look at the photos alone, it would appear that I married a twelve-year-old. (Though we both remain twelve at heart.)

That would be the artist currently known as Honey.

In the meantime, I arrived at the church. Thanks to my Dad/Chauffeur/Bodyguard/Secret Service Agent.

I made it to the church in time.

I walked up the aisle to a teary Matthew. I whispered that he was not allowed to cry or I would be a weepy mess. We both sucked it up, sniffling and red-eyed.

Next thing I knew, we got to make out in front of everyone.

We were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Dykstra.

We had a bunch of photos taken by the “Professional Photographer”, most of which I dislike. This one is not so bad.

We then went to the reception and had a lovely dinner.

We cut cake. I thought that the crowd might like a sneak peek.

Cake!

Keeping it classy, per usual.

Then the dip happened.

Thirteen years later and we’re still going strong. We’ve weathered storms and celebrated victories and cemented the commitment that we made on that cloudy Saturday. If you’d told me that we’d be sitting here with three kids, two dogs, two cats, and one hundred chickens, I’d have raised an eyebrow. If you’d told me that I’d be a pastor’s wife, I would have laughed until I wept. Yet here we are, and it’s one thousand times better than anything I could have dreamed up on my own.

Happy anniversary, Honey. Here’s to forever.

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Honey me

May 16, 2013

All Of The Feelings

I don’t know if it’s post-conference hangover, or the five jobs that I have, or being a pastor’s wife, or a billion other reasons, but all I want to do is get into my truck and drive. Far, far away. During my mini meltdown yesterday, I summed it up for my husband:

It’s not PMS, so I can’t blame it on that. It’s nothing and it’s everything and I don’t even know where to begin.

I came away from Mom 2.0 so incredibly inspired, but I can barely keep up with my day-to-day commitments. There is so much that is expected of me in so many different areas of my life that my “me time” consists of a few minutes sitting here in front of a blank page.

*The cursor has been blinking for five minutes now*

Once upon a time, this is the place where I would vent. That has blown up in my face multiple times and I miss the freedom to speak freely. I also miss my running partner, who has been out with a hip injury. She is one of my best friends and those three hours a week to talk about everything helped keep the balance. She is feeling better and was supposed to run with me today, but has come down with the flu. First World problems, yes, but I need that time to talk with someone other than my husband or my children.

I don’t know, you guys. Everything is bouncing around in my head. I’m discombobulated and angsty and a little bit ridiculous. I’m also getting wrinkles that I’m passing off as dimples and I’m making NO SENSE WHATSOEVER.

This too shall pass and soon I’ll be back to post about my beautiful (albeit LOUD) kids and a cute kitten.