Tastes like chicken!

So far this year, my goal for healthy eating is going well. But I continue to search for interesting meal options. While it would be easy to stick with poached chicken and steamed vegetables, life would then not be worth living! Now I should mention that I'm a big meat eater. I love meat! Steak and chicken and lamb - oh my! I love it all. I am the last person who would become a vegetarian. Or even (gasp!) vegan! Tofu is not a friend of mine. But, I do understand that sometimes going meatless is a good idea. So one afternoon not long ago I was watching Oprah. She had on a well known vegan chef. He had Oprah raving about this product that looks and tastes like chicken, but is made up of soy protein, wheat gluten, and ancient grains like quinoa. It's called Gardein. I was intrigued. Luckily, the Loblaws near my house sells it. I picked up the Tuscan Chicken Breasts. They take only 2 minutes in the microwave, so they're perfect if you're looking for a fast and easy dinner. And surprisingly, they do taste pretty close to chicken. Similar look and texture also. Not a perfect match, but close enough. The best part - they're low in fat and calories, and are an excellent source of protein and iron. They come in a variety of flavours - Dijon, Tuscan, and Santa Fe. This healthy eating thing just got a whole lot more interesting!

What have I gotten myself into...

Well. It's official. I've registered for a full marathon training program. I won't be running a full marathon until the fall. But I've got my game plan. I thought I'd start out "slowly" with a 30km race. Then "drop down" to a half marathon in the spring. Then ramp back up to the full 42.2km in the fall. Yes. You read that right. I'm now at the point in my running career where 30km is slow, and a half marathon is taking a break. What the what?!

Am I nervous? You bet. Scared? Oh Yeah. Shaking in my trainers? Oh hell yes! But I gotta stay positive. Need to channel my inner Little Engine That Could - I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!!

So ask of you a small favour. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. And heres hoping that I kick some asphalt!

(Oh, and don't be surprised if we now experience bad weather on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays. Those are the days we run. If history is any indication Mother Nature is not always kind to us!)

By request

This post is for my friend Katie. The other week Katie sent me a Facebook message that cracked me up:

Hey!
Driving home I thought of something you could write about for your blog (aka, I need help). How to keep your hair from being static-y!! I know that it's a real problem out there and I'm sure you have some kind of secret solution! Also, maybe you could blog about a hairspray you know of that doesn't make your hair stiff.

Great! Can't wait to read all about it!
K.

I loved that this read like something to an advice column. Dear Honey Bee... Signed Static Head. So I decided to help Katie out. (I'm such a good friend!) I had to research this problem. Try out some possible solutions. And I had to do it quick - Katie was hounding me! (She's actually messaging me as I'm writing this!) So after a week of trial and error, I came up with what I think is a good fix. First, volumizing shampoo. This is key. I like Herbal Essences Body Envy. I had been using moisturizing shampoo and it was making my hair too soft. I've realized that too soft equals static. Second, after drying my hair I apply a small drop of Loreal's Tec Hot Style Iron Finish cream. I find that just the small amount of product helps add the right amount of weight to my hair. Keeps it frizz free. Finally, a little spray of L'oreal Texture Expert - Infinium 4 Extreme Hold Finishing Spray. You really don't need much of this. And it can also serve Katie's second problem able wanting to find a hairspray that doesn't make your hair stiff.

So there you have it K. Advice on static free hair, and non-stiff hairspray. I hope it works for you! Now get off my back!

(Katie's already made a request for another post. This time she'd like help with how to use chop sticks. I'll see what I can do...)

How illuminating!

Lighting. Oh my goodness. I had no idea how difficult it was to find good lighting. Who figures finding a nice lamp is going to be hard?! I certainly didn't. BOY was I wrong! Of course, it doesn't help that I'm picky. Or that I read a lot of design magazines and blogs. I couldn't decide what I wanted. But it had to be cool. I searched high and low. And I did find many lamps that I liked. The one problem? I did not want to pay $895. How the heck does a little table lamp cost $895?! Craziness. So I continued searching. In stores. Online. Back to stores. Back online. Then finally I found it. My perfect little bedside lamp. The Pablo Tube Top lamp. Molded acrylic base and mesh shade. It was perfect! Just what I wanted. And it was completely affordable! Now the problem. Deciding what colour to get. I was torn between the yellow and pink. So I did what all indecisive gals do, text messaged my design savvy best friend. Sibylle liked the hot pink for a bedroom lamp. As always, she was right on the money. When turned on it casts a fabulous pink light. Very flattering. (The yellow would have made me look jaundice.)

Where did I find this little baby? Morba. It's a fantastic home store on Queen Street West. Loads of mid century and contemporary stuff. Both reproduction and vintage. They also have a great website. That's where I ordered my lamp. If you don't want to pay a ridiculous shipping fee, and happen to live in Toronto, they have the option of ordering from the site and picking up in store. That's what I did. I had my lamp the next day. What a bright idea ;)

Four thumbs up

So this weekend I saw two films that are sure to be nominated for Oscars - Up In The Air and Avatar. Both very different, both fantastic!

Saturday night was Up In The Air. It could not have come out at a better time. The story of a man whose job is to fire people, realizing that he may becoming obsolete. Perfect. The performances? Brilliant. George Clooney as always is perfection. But the real star is Anna Kendrick. She goes toe to toe with Clooney and steals every scene. As for the writing and story, anyone who has ever had to travel for work a lot will find it totally rings true. It's funny. It's touching. It makes you think. GREAT!

Sunday afternoon was devoted to Avatar. I say devoted because it is a full afternoon event. It's a long movie. Over 3 hours. But it was great! While the story is not the most original, it's visually AMAZING! Stunning. It took some time to get used to the 3D glasses. (Although they are rather cool looking. Not the old school red and blue variety. These ones looked like modified Rayban sunglasses.) Definitely a movie you need to see in the theatre. And Sam Worthington in 3D? Yes please!!

I give each movie two big thumbs up!

My kind of animal print

I like animal prints. But they can be tricky to wear. Leopard print looks great on a pair of ballet flats. But on a jacket or blouse? It can go terribly terribly wrong. But the print on this shirt from Anthropologie? Well it's just so right! SUPER cute! This is MY kind of animal print. Can't wait for spring when I can wear it with my boyfriend jeans. And maybe my leopard print ballet flats... Roar!

Enjoying the simple (and pretty) pleasures

For Christmas my parents got me a gorgeous Le Creuset kettle. I was with them when I first saw it in a shop on the Danforth. They knew I loved it (I may have said so about 30 or 40 times). They bought one for themselves and we continued shopping. When we ended up in front of the kitchen store, on the other side of the street my parents stopped about 5 feet behind me. Started whispering. I see my Mom hand my Dad a credit card. Then he says "well sweety, I'm tired and going to sit in the car while you and Mom finish up shopping." My Mom says she and I should continue walking along the Danforth a little longer. Subtle. They are lovely people, but not very stealth. So I was VERY happy (if not very surprised) to get the kettle on Christmas morning! Thanks Mom and Dad!

My favourite thing to do now on Saturday and Sunday is make coffee using my new kettle. I used to have a french press. I love it, but always ended up making way to much coffee (there's only so much a girl can drink!). So now I use the Starbuck Via single serving instance coffees. I don't normally like instant coffee, but these are actually really good! Sure, using a stove top whistle kettle may not be super fast, but it's so nice to putter around the apartment Saturday and Sunday morning and relax. It's the simple pleasures that I love the most!

Forget Summer. I'll take (500) Days of Joseph Gordon-Levitt...

The other week I rented (500) Days of Summer. I had been wanting to see it forever. It's a great movie. I guess you would classify it as a romantic comedy. It's not a chick flick. Or a love story. But it is funny. Cute. Charming. And very relatable. Real. Not at all cheesy. And the actors are delightful. I want to be styled like Zooey Deschanel. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the BEST. Loved his character. Want to find a guy like his character. The scene where is dances in the park? Please. Amazingness! Definitely worth renting. The Little Honey Bee gives it 2 thumbs up!

(Not worth renting - The Ugly Truth. I wanted to stab myself in the face after the first 10 minutes)

Some like it hot...

I love my Mom. And I love her cooking. But she and my sister can not eat spicy food. At all. The only problem is that my Dad and I LOVE spicy food. The hotter the better! Growing up, we had really tasty meals, just not spicy meals. So if we want anything with heat, we have to add it ourselves. In university I discovered Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. My friends and I used to go to a Thai restaurant that had it on the tables. I loved it! But the stuff was super hot! I could only use a couple of drops without tearing up. Well that was six years ago. NOW I can drizzle it like ketchup! (It's amazing in scramble eggs) I have developed a mouth of steel!

Or so I thought...

Friends Steve and Sibylle recently turned me on to Terroni's hot peppers. You can request them when at the restaurant. AND you can buy them by the jar. They are REALLY hot. More then a couple sprinkled on a plate of pasta and my mouth is on fire! Just like I like it!

Oh Canada!

Blame it on the Olympics. I've been feeling every patriotic. I can't wait to watch snowboarding and figure skating and hockey (yes, hockey!). Cheering on our athletes! Going for gold! I'm loving all things Canadiana. Having said that, I'm not the biggest fan of the official Olympic clothing line. That's why I was so happy to see Lululemon came out with a line of their own. Now, they can't call it Olympic clothing. Legally, they can't reference the Olympics, the Games, Vancouver etc. So they decided to create "Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 and 2011 Edition". The line features hoodies, hats, scarves and mittens for the four countries that Lululemon thinks will do best: Germany, Sweden, U.S.A and OF COURSE Canada! I bought the mittens. LOVE them. They have a sort of 70's/80's vibe. And they are super warm.

And while I'm at home watching the Games, I can keep warm, bundled up under my Hudson's Bay blanket. I sadly couldn't afford the wool version. Fortunately The Bay also offers a fleece version. Oh Canada!!

By the way, have you seen this commercial? LOVE it. Chills chills chills. I've loved this song forever!

Nutritious and delicious!

In typical New Year's resolution style, I've decided to try and start eating healthier. Less junk. More home cooking. But I enjoy snacking. So I've been looking for healthy snack options. Something more exciting then baby carrots. So I was very excited to once again stumble upon a recipe for roasted seasoned chick peas. I've made spicy cajun ones in the past and loved them. This new recipe comes from the cookbook Two Dishes. Their recipe uses sage, rosemary, thyme and lemon. Super tasty. They are the perfect guilt free snack. Good for you, filling and delicious.

Basic recipe: Mix a can of drained rinsed chickpeas with 2 tbsp. of olive oil and whatever seasonings you want. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400°F for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an air tight container for up to a week. But trust me. They won't last that long...

Are you ready to ROCK?!

As far as my musical tastes go, heavy is not a word I would use. I'm a pop music sort of gal. Heavy metal never really did it for me. I never would have imagined going to a heavy metal concert. I certainly never would have imagined enjoying a heavy metal concert! Well that all changed last night. Allow me to provide some background...

Back in November my friend Lindsay and her husband David had been raving about a movie called Anvil! The Story of Anvil. It's about a Canadian heavy metal group from the 80's. They influenced groups like Metallica, but themselves faded into obscurity. I loved the last music related documentary Lindsay had recommended (Young @ Heart*) so I decided to rent Anvil. The film was awesome. Funny and surprisingly touching. Despite their hardships, the band stayed together the past two decades. Recorded MANY albums and continued to tour. They are men in their 50's who talk like they're teenagers. You meet their families. See them at work. Watch them struggle. And finally succeed. GREAT movie! So when Lindsay told me that my birthday present was to see them in concert with her and David I was thrilled!

This brings us back to last night. We decided that if we were going to the show of an 80's metal band, we should look the part. I borrowed my cousin Jen's awesome leather jacket, we teased our hair, applied insane amounts of black eyeliner and were ready to ROCK! The show was awesome! High energy. Fun. Crazy! So if you're lookin' to ROCK OUT, go rent Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

* Young @ Heart is a movie about a senior citizens choir. Sooo cute. So fun. And so sad. I was crying so hard by the end I almost threw up. BEST movie ever!

What a difference a year makes...

This time last year I was a little worried. Actually, more then a little. After returning to work after the holidays I and all my coworkers had been informed that we were being laid off. YIKES! I had two choices: freak out and fall apart, or (and not to be cliche) take this as a sign that all things happen for a reason, and that things will work out in the end. I opted for the latter. Decided to stay positive. Optimistic. Hopeful. Thankfully, the "universe" took notice. I found a new job. A great job in fact! As I had hoped, positive thinking always pays off in the end.

So I like to keep myself surrounded my positive people and positive things. That's why I love the Keep Calm Carry On posters. Although they were originally designed as a motivational poster by the British government during WWII, I think the message can still hold true today. (Plus I think they look really cool).

New Year, new apartment!

Happy 2010! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! I've certainly been a busy little bee...

In November my work contract was extended for another year (!). This sent me on an immediate search for a new apartment. Happily I found one right away. A great one too! I decided a January move in would be perfect - new year, new home, new start. This sounded like a great idea at the time. I would soon realize that trying to prepare for a move over the holidays was a rather stressful undertaking! I was going to need help. Moving is the WORST. So I decided to get professionals. I did some internet research and got recommendations from friends who had recently moved. I settled on El Cheapo Movers. They had come highly recommended by my friend Laura at work. But still, with a name like "El Cheapo", I was a little worried. As it turns out, I had nothing to be worried about. The two man crew arrived early on moving day. They were super friendly, polite, careful and QUICK! They had everything loaded into the truck in less then 45 minutes. The entire move took just over 2 hours cost only $275 and everything arrived in one piece. I would recommend these movers to anyone! Totally made the day much less stressful.

Now I'm in my new place, completely unpacked and organized! So far, 2010 is starting off great!