The Book Was So Much Better Night #1: Eat Pray Love
So the Book Club I tried starting this past year didn't really work out. We were all too busy. LINDSAY was too busy (me, not the other Lindsay - hehe). It made me sad, but I was just too darn tired to do anything about it. And so it just kind of faded off and died.
The whole experience got me thinking... We're obviously all too busy for regular commitments at this point in our lives. But why not plan an occasional one-off Girls Night Out that involves going to see a movie based on a book we've all read, and then grabbing coffee and talking about it after? No commitment other than reading a book and showing up for a fun night out. If you can make it to this one, great. If you can't make it, then we'll catch you next time. But no pressure to ever show up again unless you want to and it fits into your life whenever it happens. Awesomeness.
I'm planning the first one for Tuesday, August 17. We'll go see
Eat Pray Love and then grab some coffee and talk about it. You've got a month to read the book, and I'll bring the nerdy discussion questions :)
Interested? Send me a message and I'll hook you up with all the details.
(Enough people have asked now that I'm adding this note: I do have a copy, but I'm re-reading the book now so I can't loan it out... Sorry! But I just checked and you can buy it online from Chapters for around $10. Happy reading!)
Labels: Book Club, Bookworm, Movies, The Book Was So Much Better
The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook
So just in case you've ever paused and wondered, 'Just how nerdy is Lindsay REALLY?...' - I totally have an answer for you. I'm nerdy enough that I had a copy of the new Jillian Michaels 'Master Your Metabolism Cookbook' in my grubby little hands by 10 am on the day it was released. Yup. And so far, I'm really impressed with it.
Our family has enjoyed two dinners from the cookbook so far, and they turned out so fabulously that you know I'm gonna share at least one of them with you :)
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Grilled Lemon Chicken
1 tsp lemon zest
juice from one lemon
1/4 c chopped fresh basil or oregano
*I used basil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 to 5 ounces each)
1/4 pitted kalamata olives, halved
*I skipped the olives to make my family happy
Prepare dressing by whisking together the lemon juice and zest, then stirring in the basil, honey, mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a slow stream. Set aside.
Marinate the chicken in half the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 8 hours), turning at least once.
Stir the olives into the remaining dressing and set aside until ready to serve.
Grill the marinated chicken breasts (5 to 6 minutes per side). Place the chicken on a platter and drizzle with the dressing.
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I was particularly happy with this recipe because it worked so well to make it ahead. I ended up just making half the dressing and throwing the chicken + marinade in a freezer bag together when I got home from the grocery store. When I took the bag out of the freezer to thaw a few days later, it marinated in the fridge and was ready to go in the evening for dinner. It was super yummy without the extra dressing (though I'd imagine it would make it even better)... I'm just a huge fan of doing as much prep work as I can ahead of time.
There's nothing super-special about it... It's just good. And it's clean. And the leftovers were ridiculously good in a salad. It's one of those perfect solid recipes that I know I'll be using for a long time.
Enjoy!
Labels: Bookworm, Clean Eating, Lindsay v Jillian, Recipe
Still Thinking
I read a book this week that's been on my nightstand for months and months while I've been busy with life and work and everything else. And that's a shame because it was the best book I've read in a long, long time.
Yeah, that's right. I said it. It was THAT GOOD.
If you haven't already, go pick up a copy of
Still Alice. It's stunning and beautiful and you're going to think about it for the rest of your life in a way that makes you a better person.
Still Alice is the story of a fifty-year-old Harvard professor who finds herself dealing with a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. What makes the book very special is that it's written from the Alzheimer victim's perspective, and it's written by a first-time author whose day job as a neuroscientist allows her to tell Alice's story with a depth of understanding and compassion that kind of blew my mind. It made me cry so many times... For Alice and her family. For people like Alice and their families. For the parallels I saw between Alice and my father-in-law. For the parallels I saw between Alice and my mom. And just because I'm a giant suck.
You can read more about the book
here.
Labels: Book Review, Bookworm, Family, The C Word
Friday Smile
WARNING: This is totally a book nerd Friday Smile.
One of my most favouritest books ever is being turned into a movie next year. Casting details started to leak over the last month - and while I don't think they're all *perfect* I am very happy. Now to wait an entire year to watch it (all the while holding my breath that nothing gets wrecked).
Labels: Bookworm, Friday Smile, Movies
Book Recommendations
It's clear that we're embarking on a new adventure here... I'm curious to know - from parents who've been here before - which books you found especially useful at this stage.
Note: We already have The Bible (aka What To Expect The Toddler Years).
And I'm looking at The Happiest Toddler On The Block, just because I really liked the baby version of that one. Has anyone had any experience - good or bad - with the toddler one?
Labels: Bookworm, Mommy Stuff
Snapshot
Okay, so I've been slacking on my blog since we got home a week ago. I have a couple of good excuses if you're interested...
We got home and immediately (less than 24 hours from landing in Winnipeg) left Briony with my parents and had a date night: Pizzeria Gusto - of course - and the Keane concert. Awesomeness. It was such a good show, and it's ALWAYS good food. We tried a new appetizer this time, a grilled octopus, and Geoff convinced me to get out of my rut and try a new pizza. I switched from the Waterloo to the Miki, and now I just might need to alternate. Turns out that CHANGE might not be a total disaster every single time :)
And in the spirit of CHANGE, I tried changing up my coffee at Starbucks last week. It caused all kinds of drama and nervousness here... And Geoff mocked me mercilessly. But guess what? I found something I like *more* than my usual. I am now a Double Tall Nonfat Caramel Macchiato, and I'm pretty okay with that.
My mom turned 50 on Tuesday. We celebrated with a surprise party on Sunday that totally and completely caught her off guard (yay!). It was so much fun to have friends and family celebrate with us. It's hard to describe, but this felt like a 'bonus birthday' that we got to spend with her. I'm still a little bit emotional about it. We are so blessed.
We're gearing up for Run for the Cure in a little over a week and a half. Our team has seventeen members, and we've raised over $1,000 so far. Getting to participate in the run at the MTS Centre on October 4 with thousands of other people who care about finding a cure for breast cancer - and seeing the sea of pink t-shirts representing breast cancer survivors - will be icing on the cake. Can't wait to see my mama walking in her pink t-shirt :)
Briony is *so* mobile now. My baby girl isn't feeling very much like a baby anymore. She's a speedy little crawler, and easily pulling herself up on furniture and starting to creep around. Gaaaaaah. We've been busy reorganizing, installing gates, and just generally trying to stay one step ahead of her since we got back.
I've been flared up since we got home. Nothing very serious, just not feeling 100%. My energy level is in the toilet and I've been fighting off pain and stiffness (and a cold) for 2+ weeks now. Blech. I'm waiting for that morning where I wake up and feel a little bit better than the previous day. No luck so far.
I started a new book club on Monday. We're meeting monthly at Starbucks and reading books that are being turned into movies. The very best part? It's a completely random group of women, and most of them didn't know each other before. Out of the eight of us, I met three brand new people on Monday. I don't know if I'm more excited to get to know a couple of new people or to be reading and discussing books with fellow book nerds. Both are pretty fun.
Em and I are apparently going to Keith Urban this weekend. It was kind of a last-minute decision, but I'm starting to get excited about it. I'm not usually a big country music girl (in fact, I mock people who listen to country music) but he's cute and has a bunch of good songs - and can play guitar like nobody's business. Should be a good show. And a fun Girls Night Out, of course.
We had a big day here on Friday. This is going to sound stupid to almost everyone who doesn't live with chronic illness, but I gave my ten month old a bath totally by myself for the first time ever. Geoff was there just in case, but Briony and I did it by ourselves. On a regular basis, it still needs to be Geoff's job - but I can't explain what it means just to know that I can if I need to. It was like this piece of quintessential mommyness that I just needed to feel. It was awesome. Geoff was getting her into her pyjamas after and I was just sitting there beside them and bawling... It was a Moment, one that I will treasure for a very long time.
I'm working! Still a little bit less than my goal, but I have another month or so to get there - and I'm working every day now. I love it. It's incredibly difficult sometimes with a super-active giggly little monkey child on the go around me, but it's a challenge I'm *so* happy to take on.
School started again this past week. I'm taking a Case Studies course - my second last before I graduate from UVic's public relations program next summer. YAY ME.
That's not everything, but it's a pretty decent snapshot.
Now I really need to get some studying done and get dinner started before the lovely B wakes up from her nap. We're a little bit behind on things because I totally blew off EVERYTHING yesterday in order to play with my tiny gigglepuss, and then we met a bunch of other moms and babies for a walk this morning in the gorgeous September sunshine (and met my mom for lunch). Ah well. Such is life. My life, at least :)
Labels: Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Back to School, Back to Work, Bookworm, Briony, Emily, Family, Going Rogue, Mommy Stuff, My Friends, Run for the Cure, The Boy, The C Word
