Monday Musings: December is upon us

It is hard to believe that December is finally upon us.  I guess I can no longer avoid Christmas music or decorations now that we are less than three weeks until the big day.  My husband and I checked out our first Christmas-related events this past weekend, first, I swung by the Halifax Crafters market on Saturday where I picked up a few items from Emma Fitzgerald and Jane Rovers, swoon!  I first saw Emma's work at the Timeraiser event in Halifax - I bid on one of her pieces but, unfortunately, did not win.

Last night my husband and I headed downtown to St. Paul's Anglican Church where we were treated to Wassail - hosted by the Halifax Music Co-op.  The venue was quite magical on a dark, cold December evening.  The music was beautiful and energetic and finally put me in the Christmas mood.

So, the links I have for you tonight are not at all related to Christmas and have no common theme, but I hope you still find something worth reading.

Popsugar Fitness - Stuffed from too much stuffing?  Yoga poses to ease digestion

As you are all aware I am a huge yoga fan and someone who suffers from digestive issues.  I can attest to the validity of these claims and hope that when your special Christmas pants can no longer contain your holiday indulgences that you strike a pose.

Cookin' Canuck - How to Freeze Quinoa

After accidentally making about eight cups of quinoa I had no choice but to find a way to freeze this stuff. Her methods truly work and reheat no problem, so waste not!

Momma's Gone City - Hello, World

A few weeks ago Theo and Beau captured our hearts as photos of this adorable duo spread quickly across social media.  If you have not met these two you are in for a cuteness overload!  In this post blogger, Jessica, comments on the overwhelming response to the friendship between her two babies.

Run Like a Grl - Tips for Running in the Winter

Ever since I ran the MEC 5k at Shubie Park a few months ago I have been trying to get back into running.  I have been keeping things around 3k roughly three times a week to slowly build back my leg strength.  I have also been dragging the fur baby with me on these runs.  It is clear to me that Bernese Mountain Dogs were not born to run.  Hugo's technique includes lying down in the middle of the road and refusing to move.  Or only running for treats.  And only until you give him the treat. As the weather gets colder I am adding more and more layers to my running attire and dreaming of warmer days.  Although most of these tips are pretty straight forward, I would also agree that they are pretty bang on.  Especially thumb holes - these are essential!

Spoon fork glow?!

I have never done any sort of recipe feature on the blog, but I have found two recipes that I adore so much I feel compelled to share.  Before I dive into them I would like to make a few things clear.  

1. I am not a great cook.
2. I am beyond a picky eater.
3. My husband refers to my kitchen stints as "tornadoes" - leaving a destructive path in my wake.
4. I am not good at meals - I am an appetizer, side dish, snack or dessert gal.  
5. I am not a true recipe follower - I invent, I cook/bake on a whim resulting in many, many substitutions. This can be problematic if the result is good, as I have a hard time recalling what it was that I added (case in point - Peanut Butter & Honey Chocolate Chip Cookie incident of 2009). 

Now that we have these important details out of the way, let's get started.  Recipe #1 comes from Angela of Oh She Glows and Green Monster Smoothie fame.  She is a vegan blogger who shares her moments of culinary brilliance with the online world.  I am in no way a vegan, but I can appreciate her healthy approach to eating and have turned to her for healthy snack ideas.  I have been known to make a Green Monster myself on occasion!  My current fave of hers are her No Bake Peppermint Patty Bars.  True to form, each time I make these I never have the exact ingredients on-hand, so I have been improvising.  The latest adaptation to this recipe is listed below, I will not go into detailed instructions as Angela does a fabulous job of outlining it for you:

Base

• 2 cups rolled oats, put through the food processor until it becomes a flour
• 1 cup mixed nuts (no oil, no salt)
• 5 tbsp cocoa 
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar (this is lower on the glycemic index, however, I recommend pulsing it through a coffee grinder so it blends better)
• 2 tbsp any milk you have on-hand
• 5 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Dump in some dark chocolate chips, however many you feel is appropriate

Chocolate Topping

• 2 Lindt Dark chocolate bars (I use 70%)
• 1 hunk of coconut oil
• 1-2 top-fulls of pure almond extract
• Dollop of cashew or peanut butter
• Flaked, unsweetened coconut

For Recipe #2 we will turn to the duo at spoon fork bacon. This blog features luscious recipes and beautiful photography.  Many of their recipes are an indulgence, for example, today's Chocolate Chip Bacon & Orange Kissed Pancakes - what is not to love about this combination?!  I have, however, convinced myself that their Cheesy Quinoa Cakes are a healthy choice - if you forget about the oil. 

 And, of course, given my statement above, I made some slight adjustments to these babies.  See below for the details and check out their website for the instructions.  

• 2 cups cooked quinoa 
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (sometimes 4 depending on how much quinoa I have)
• A bunch of parsley, chopped finely
• 2 chopped green onions
• ½ celery stalk, chopped finely
• A large amount of garlic (I use a large soup-spoon from our weekly jar of food processor garlic)
• 1 egg
• Sprinkle of sea salt

I hope you enjoy!  I would love to hear about your favourite food bloggers and the recipes.  Feel free to share in the comments section below.