Mishmash of my last days in Calgary

My time in Calgary is quickly coming to an end and I've truly had a great experience here. Aside from missing my boyfriend, friends and family a TON, I have had an amazing time. The family I'm staying with here is awesome; I couldn't have asked for better people to stay with and the baby is just so darn cute.

Ayva, Robsen and I.

I took a trip to Canmore yesterday because I thought it would be sinful to come this close to the mountains and not actually visit them. I had lunch at a place called Communitea Cafe. I had a goat cheese, pesto, portobello panini with a mixed green salad. It was fantastic.

A few things I've learned and will miss about Calgary:

1. You have to go really, really far from Saskatchewan in order to get away from Rider fans (there are tons here, too).

2. You never, ever jay walk in front of the train. Not if there isn't one coming, not if they're at a dead stop. People just don't do it.

3. Freeways/highways/interstates are fantastic. Even when you're in rush hour traffic. Everything's better without lights.

4. Victoria's Secret, Express, H & M, Ikea :( :(

5. When you're in suburbia, you're insanely far from downtown. (I will not miss this)

6. Another thing I won't miss - taking three means of transportation to get to work in the morning: car, train, bus.

7. The Goodlife Zumba class. Omg, it's fantastic. But that's another story for another blog.

8. View of the mountains on a clear day.

9. Country music. All the time.

10. And last but not least, I will miss seeing people wearing cowboy hats at the grocery store, mall, walking down the street, etc. In Winnipeg, people would think it's obnoxious. Here, it's regular.

Anyway, I never got a chance to cook a meal for Courtenay and Kyle but Kyle wanted banana chocolate bread so that's what I made. I used a recipe from one of my favourite blogs, skinnytaste.com. Click here for the recipe.

Pasta la Vista Baby

I'm all settled in in Calgary now and I'm having a great time. I thought since I didn't know anyone here that I'd have a ton of spare time on my hands but between work, the commute to and from work and the gym, I haven't had a lot of spare time. Hence, the lack of blogging recently. So, I apologize for that.

I finished at the gym one day last week (it was right after work so I was starving) and I decided I was going to have pasta. I know, working out and then eating a big dish of pasta - kind of counterproductive right? Well, maybe but I try to eat healthy most of the time so sometimes, indulging in pasta is okay. Especially if it's made with turkey Italian sausage and without a thick, creamy sauce.

I knew I had cherry tomatoes and sausages at home so I stopped at the grocery store for some good extra virgin olive oil, some linguine and some fresh basil (my favourite herb) and I thought I'd throw something together. Here's what I used:

For the portion I made (which lasted me about 3 meals) I used

2 Sweet Italian turkey sausage links
One pint of cherry tomatoes
about a tbsp or so of extra virgin olive oil
about a quarter of the package of the linguine
2 cloves of garlic (not shown)
A package of fresh basil (I really like the stuff)
A diet Coke (for me to drink, not for in the recipe)

The first thing I did was get the water on to boil for the pasta. Remember to salt the water really well and don't be afraid. The pasta won't soak up all the salt. I literally fill up my hand and use about a half a cup of salt in the water.

First, brown the meat in some olive oil until it's just about cooked through in a large pan.

Next, I chopped the tomatoes in half and threw them in the pan to start softening. I also added the chopped garlic to this mix.

Then, all you do is let the mixture cook down until it's pretty soft (make sure to season it as well). Then, add the fresh chopped basil right at the end and the cooked pasta. Serve on a plate with some fresh parmesan cheese shaved over the top.

So yummy.

This was delicious and as long as you keep your portion size under control (which believe me, with pasta, is insanely hard for me) then it's really not that bad for you!

Calgary groceries

It's my third day in Calgary now and I have to admit, boredom is setting in a little. I went to the gym today and I sent my boyfriend's keys overnight shipping via UPS (he left yesterday and forgot his keys in my car). I just watched We Bought a Zoo though and loved it. I also start work tomorrow so by the time the work day is finished and I've gone to the gym, there won't be many hours to fill before bedtime! Oh, and my mom's coming for the weekend because my sister's doing a basketball camp in Lethbridge so I'm really excited for that!

I already know what I'm cooking tonight - just a chicken breast with some brown rice and maybe a spinach salad with blueberries on the side. I think I also have some leftover asparagus from Saturday night.

Jean and I cooked a nice meal on Saturday night for the two of us. We had steak, sweet potato fries (made from scratch, of course), asparagus, roasted garlic clove bread (from Sobeys), and spinach salad.

I'm not planning on cooking this fancy for just myself, we just wanted to cook something nice for the two of us. We also went out to this place called Haru last night and had sushi for our Easter dinner. The sushi was delicious, the service was great and we really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant.

I was hoping my Sobeys gift card my parents so generously gave me before I left would go a little further than it did. I am extremely grateful they donated to my cause but boy did $100 ever go fast (I know, reality check, right?).

Anyway, here's a sampling of what I bought:

• chicken breasts
• proscuitto (because I'm addicted to the stuff. Don't judge)
• baby spinach (for salads)
• a few frozen, microwavable dishes for lunches/dinners when I don't feel like cooking
• Tuscan herb tilapia (so good but kind of pricey - I maybe should have just gone with regular tilapia filets and seasoned them myself)
• yogurt
• blueberries
• blackberries
• raspberries (I'm pretty into berries)
• red grapefruit
• apples
• frozen yogurt (caramel pecan flavour, yum yum)
• red onion (for salads and also for on grilled cheese sandwiches)
• popcorn
• brown minute rice
• cherry tomatoes
• frozen stir-fry vegetables
• pecans (for salads)
• natural peanut butter
• honey
• garlic
• Renee's balsamic dressing
• eggs
• feta cheese
• cheddar cheese slices
• green tea
• pop (Fresca and Diet Coke with Lime)

I also brought some english muffins, processed cheese slices and turkey bacon with me so I can make breakfast sandwiches.

It seems like a lot when I write it all down but I'm hoping I won't have to do much more grocery shopping than this. 

College Foodie goes to Calgary!

It won't be for very much longer that I can actually call myself a College Foodie. I had my last day of classes today and managed to finish and hand in all my assignments. It was tough but I did it! I wonder if I should change the name of my blog or if I should always bee the College Foodie. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I'm headed to Calgary tomorrow for the final three weeks of my school requirements. I'm doing a work placement with a PR firm called Brookline PR. I'm very excited for the experience. I don't know how hot I'm feeling about being away from home for three weeks and missing the various events that are taking place as our final days of CreComm wrap up.

I have a few blogs I need to do (images still on my camera) so I will catch up now that this school craziness is wrapped but I think I'm going to try and use my blog to keep friends and family updated with what I'm up to out there. My parents gave me a $100 gift card to Sobey's that I'm going to try to stretch as far as possible so I'll let you know what I buy and what I make for myself when I'm there. I can take suggestions too if anyone has any thoughts on cooking for one on a budget!

Love you all and see you again real soon!

I'm all set!

Phyllo-topped Chicken Pot Pie (thank-you Sobeys)

I get very excited when the Sobeys Inspired magazine comes out. Not only do I love the recipes but I love to see the new products and as a PR person, I love the thinking behind putting out this magazine as a communication tactic (can you say identification principle?). 

I adapted this recipe from a chicken pot pie recipe found in the Inspire magazine. 

What you will need:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 leeks (white part only), split lengthwise, thinly sliced (or one large onion, thinly sliced)

2 carrots diced

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tbsp flour

1 cup green beans

1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme

4 phyllo pastry sheets, thawed

S & P

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a medium ovensafe saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until water evaporates and mushrooms start to brown, about 7 min. 

2. Add leeks and cook until softened, 5 to 7 min.    

3. Stir in carrots and cook, 2 min.    

4. Season chicken with salt and add to pan, stirring until chicken is lightly cooked on all sides, about 7 to 10 min. *Don't worry too much about the chicken cooking - this will go in the oven for 20 min later so it will definitely cook there.

5. Add flour and stir until flour turns beige. Stir in green beans, broth and thyme and cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 10 min. 

6. Remove from heat.

7. Place 1 phyllo sheet on countertop and brush with a bit of remaining olive oil. Fit sheet loosely over chicken mixture inside pot, covering right to edges. Tuck excess phyllo under itself. Repeat with remaining 3 sheets. 

8. Bake for 20 min. or until phyllo is brown and juices are bubbling.

Nom nom

And I also served it with this salad:

In the salad:

mixed greens

baby spinach

Renee's raspberry vinaigrette

blackberries

red onions

feta cheese

candied pecans

Craisins

Spring has sprung and I want salad

This kind of weather always gets me in the mood for a delicious "summer" salad. Although, I like this kind of salad at any time of the year.

I have to credit my mom's friend Rose for this (adapted) recipe.

Usually I'm not into making my own dressings. They don't always turn out and I absolutely love Renee's dressings anyway. Why bother to make a dressing when the ones you can buy are so delicious? But, this one was an absolute hit. It's easy to make and you can keep the leftovers in the fridge for salads in the future (and you will have leftovers because this makes a lot of dressing).

For the dressing:
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar (you could probably use any light vinegar like apple cider or white wine)
1/3 cup of grapeseed oil (vegetable or olive would work too)
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
s & p

Tip: Using the same measuring cup, measure the ingredients in this order: First, vinegar; second, oil; third, syrup. This way, the oil will kind of lubricate the cup and the maple syrup won't stick!

Mix all ingredients in a sealable container and then give it a good shake!

For the salad:

Mixed greens (or baby spinach)

1/4 cup red onions, sliced thin

1/4 cup (or as much as you want) of a mixture of blackberries and raspberries (this is what I used because it's what I had and what I like but you can use mandarin orange segments or blueberries)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup honey roasted peanuts

Now, just toss the mixed greens in a bowl with the dressing (I used about 1/3 of the container) and then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on the top. You can toss it all together if you'd like but sometimes the toppings end up all at the bottom. I think it makes for a prettier salad if they're all sprinkled at the top.

My sister LOVED this salad and she's not typically into salads (unless they're Caesar). She also doesn't usually like onions and she actually really liked them in this!

So pretty :)

Homemade Energy Bars

I've been serious about healthy eating since January now and I've lost 8 lbs (yay me!). So as you can imagine, I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting healthy, low cal recipes I can make. I always feel so proud of myself when I'm able to make a healthy meal taste really good!

As you may know (if you read my blog), I was in Regina recently and my friend and road-trip buddy, had what looked like a delicious, homemade chocolate bar with her for a snack on the way. I asked for a bite and couldn't believe it was a healthy energy bar! I had to have the recipe so she shared it with me and I made my own version today. They are really yummy and they're going to be perfect as an afternoon snack.

Part of my motivation for this as well is the fact that I'm good on breakfast, good on lunch and then right around 2:30 I start to get hungry. I've been partially successful in refraining from horrible snacks but I would like another option that I don't have to exercise for an hour for to work off.

What you'll need:


1 cup brown rice syrup (you can also use honey)
1 cup all natural peanut butter - this is the kind that's just strictly ground up peanuts with nothing else added (if you keep your PB in the fridge then bring it to room temp)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (I used quick rolled oats)
1/2 cup chocolate flavoured protein powder
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

I got a lot of this stuff at Bulk Barn because I hate buying way to much of something when you need it just for one recipe.


Place the sunflower seeds in a shallow pan and toast on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes stirring often, set aside.

Pour the syrup in a 2 quart pan and bring to a boil on medium-high. Reduce the heat to low and boil stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the peanut butter.
Stir well.

Next add the oats, protein powder, sunflower seeds and currants.

Press the mixture in a 8 x 8 non stick pan (I line the bottom with parchment paper for easier removal).

After cooled, cut into bars (I cut them into 20) and wrap individually for an easy portable snack.

I put these in the freezer to make sure they stay fresh and delicious.