So Long April

April was more like winter than spring this year; I can't say I'm sad to see it go!

May is my favourite month and not just because my birthday is in May. No.....I love May because the weather is usually crisp and clear, not too hot and not too cold.  The bugs (mosquitos) aren't out in full force yet and the wild flowers are coming into bloom. There is usually more sunshine than rain. I can get out on my bicycle everyday to see what's new...trout lilies, bloodroot, coltsfoot, marsh marigolds, lily of the valley, lilacs etc....

This year we had more rain than usual sometimes getting 2 weeks worth in 2 days. And the river showed it by overflowing its banks not once but twice so far this spring. It made cycling a bit tricky and I often had to turn around and paddle peddle back to shore!

Remember these photos?

The river is now back where it belongs..... (two days later).

 The photo below I took while I was cycling - I'm a bit of a risk taker........CRASH!

One more photo for today - This was on the wall of a vegan restaurant I went to last Sunday for a fundraiser dinner (very yum!!) and the picture gave me a little giggle as it's based on a hip-hop song with the line "everyday I'm hustlin'". Kinda cute.

We had - roasted tomato soup with quinoa croutins and vegan parmesan cheese - excellent!! Then the entree was eggplant with roasted veggies and fresh sprouts and some sort of sauce reduction followed by New York Cheesecake (the crust made of crushed nuts....(not sure what the cheesecake is made out of for it to be vegan).

All washed down with a new local craft beer - Andersons.

There was a raffle and I bought several tickets but didn't win anything but my friend Julie won a bag of coffee beans! Hopefully she'll share :)

Still to come - April's finances.....

Financial Crunchies

Sounds like a new breakfast cereal!

So I was just crunching some numbers - it seems I do that a lot lately. My latest financial challenge was to find out if I could manage just on my pension while carrying two homes as there will probably be some overlap between selling the condo and moving into our PEI farmhouse. The good news is that I could but I wouldn't have much leeway and while that makes me a little nervous it's better than being in the hole every month.

Not having a lot of wiggle room means I need to set aside some $$ for renos and redecorating when it comes time to sell the condo - I'll be honest - the house is looking a bit tired. I'm hoping with a lot of decluttering, new flooring throughout, a fresh coat of paint in every room and careful staging that once again its great qualities will shine forth and someone will nab it quickly! I don't want to have to pay for two homes for very long!

Did I tell you about a great book I read lately? No? Well I am now - it's called "Forks over Knives" and actually it was a documentary I watched but I purchased and read the accompanying "Forks over Knives" cookbook. It's a bout living on a totally plant-based diet which I've been trying to do. (Chocolate comes from a plant....right?")

So since January I've only eaten meat once or twice and can say I don't miss it one little bit. This is not to say I'm a total vegetarian - I'm not. If I get a craving for chicken wings I won't deny myself - it just hasn't happened yet. And give up lobster when in PEI? Not a chance! But again it will be when my body tells me -  I WANT LOBSTER! 

I also continue to avoid wheat products having read "Wheat Belly" over Christmas. So I am looking for some good gluten-free recipes for my breadmaker so if you have any let me know! I've printed a few off the internet but haven't tried any yet. And again, it's not like I'm never going to eat wheat again - but I WON'T eat any GMO wheat - EVER! Or any other GMO food if I can help it. I did buy some Red Fife wheat flour at the Bulk Barn but haven't baked with it yet. I don't think I could ever be 100% vegan, vegetarian or anything else as I do like a lot of variety and am a natural born rule breaker so why bother setting myself up for failure. I am only human after all. Shocking, I know!

Here's what we made last weekend:

I made Lentil Tomato Spinach soup and it was soooooooooooooo good. And no oil used either! I sauteed my onions and SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC!! just adding a bit of water to keep stuff from sticking...

added can of tomatoes.....

Oops...had the name of the soup a little wrong... it's Lentil Soup with Cauliflower, Potatoes and Spinach!!

 I've been using a lot of the spice turmeric lately as it is a natural anti-inflammatory and I'm still recovering from the pinched nerve in my neck. This recipe has a bit of curry too.

 Yes, I put the recipe book on my Kindle - it was about half the price of the actual BOOK. And takes up a lot less space on my small kitchen counter.

Have now added the potatoes and spinach and cauliflower - yum yum!

Pretty complementary colours - bright green lentils!

Meanwhile Michael was cooking up some porkchops to add to something else  he was cooking and while normally that smell would make me drool I found it made me kind of nauseous!

This is Aloo Gobi that Michael made - delicious! However it wasn't very moist so I've found another similar recipe except with more liquid in it. Can you tell I got a  good deal on cauliflower this week?? Good thing I like it!
Now I must go get ready - I'm going to go see "Life of Pi" with a girlfriend!
Have a great weekend everyone!