dutch tupperware.

OH I WENT THERE. This is so embarrassing, it's hilarious. I totally thought I was taking a trip to the store this weekend to find containers for all my bulk barn goods, but apparently I had enough clean yogurt, cheese, and salsa containers in my cupboards to get the job done. I've been taught well..


Left to right, top to bottom: rolled oats (x2); ground flaxseed; cashew pieces; dried kiwi; dried cranberries; unsweetened coconut; poppyseeds; and granola. The only things that I couldn't find containers for were a handful of the granola, a big bag of flour, and some *ahem* chocolate. Nice Rachael, nice.

Note: When I poured the oats into the containers, the powder got everywhere.. that's why there's stuff sticking to the container. Amateur!

I took some of these ingredients and modified a recipe that I found on a blog, for Homemade (Re)Fuel Bars (I would like to take this time to mention that implies I need something to (Re)Fuel from... hello Gym, how have you been?). Here is my version:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  
• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (4 egg whites)
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup craisins
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• sprinkle of flaxseed (full seed) and coconut for top

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Spray a loaf pan (8 x 4?) with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• Spread batter into pan evenly (I used a spoon to flatten evenly).
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Allow to cool before cutting. I didn't, and started cutting them before they were cool - and they were sticky and didn't cut well. Wait at least 20 mins before cutting!
  

I cut these into 6 bars (1-1.5x4) and covered with tinfoil, blatantly copying Tina.. which got me to thinking.. what is more environmentally friendly? Disposable plastic wrap? Or disposable tin foil?


I only ended up wrapping five... because I had to taste one! They are dense, but really good - the craisins and coconut made them sweeter than the original recipe, I'm sure. Yum!

office etiquette.

In an open-concept office, is it polite to participate in a webinar (over an hour) with no headphones on? Allowing everyone around you to hear the content of the webinar, and forcing everyone around you to be quiet for the duration of the presentation?

I'm just asking.

whaaat?

So sue me, I was reading stories about child birth and THIS popped up:

"Time to End Pelvic Exams Done Without Consent"

Does this actually happen?!!!

More and more I am rejecting the idea of Western medicine, and articles like this sure don't help me...

Also, for the life of me, I can't figure out if the person in the picture is a man with an earring or a woman with a beard...

bab(ies).

I figured out how to embed Youtube videos into my blog! Google is a beautiful thing..

I'm soo excited for this film. It takes several of my favorite things (babies and different cultures) and makes a whole FILM about it!

From the Film In Focus website:
"A visually stunning and joyful new film that simultaneously chronicle the lives of four of the world's newest human inhabitants - in Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco, and Tokyo, respectively - from first breath to first steps, on a journey at once universal and amazingly original."

It comes out in 2010. Which means we'll get it in Halifax.. in about four years. On the back shelves of Blockbuster.

rich bride poor bride.

I love this show and yet I yell at the tv every time it is on. Those girls are bitches! I don't know how or why they ever got proposed to in the first place, and after planning a wedding, their husbands are completely going to regret it. Wild spending, unwillingness to compromise, yelling at their fiances, belittling them.. I don't know how they make it down the aisle, to be honest. Yet I can't look away!

heaven.

WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THIS WAS A GENIUS.

My obsession with coconut is fast eclipsing my love of chocolate.. which I never thought would be possible.

It's like a little slice of paradise .. when the reality is snotty, -20C weather.

miss america.

I watched part of the Miss America pageant on Saturday night (and then filled in the parts I missed.. on Sunday night).

I don't know what's happening as I get older, but I'm getting girlier. When I was in high school, I could have cared less about doing my nails, getting my hair done, and wearing heels - I wore some makeup, but was much more concerned about my grades and playing sports than dressing up. Now, I can't get enough of it! Housewives of the OC, watching pageants, getting my nails done on a regular basis, shopping... it's bad. I've started telling people to prepare themselves, because I'm going to be the grandmother with layers of gaudy jewelry and bright red lipstick.

I know that pageants are superficial. I know that. And I realize that Toddlers&Tiaras is made up of moms living vicariously through their daughters, but I still LOVE watching that show. I could not get over how quickly the Miss America pageant went - they decided who Miss America was from 53 contestants in 2 hours, based on four categories - swimsuit, evening wear, talent, and an "interview" (one question that took max 20 seconds to answer). Regardless, I was transfixed. These women were my age, and masters of their respective fields - in the top 12 there was a pianist, two opera singers, numerous pop singers, a ballerina, and a jazz dancer. [Sidenote: Could we pick some more stereotypically female talents please?] These women didn't just perform though.. they were outstanding at their talents, I thought the pianist was going to break the piano she was so insane (in a good way) and glamazon Miss District of Columbia could resurrect Pavarotti.

The winner, Miss Virginia, totally deserved it - she was beautiful, had an important (if not stereotypical) platform - AIDS awareness - and is studying broadcast journalism, with the hopes of someday becoming a news anchor.

The best part of this, and the most ridiculous part, is that instead of being bitter and cynical about this whole competition (see: me at 15 years old), I am actually inspired to go get involved in some more activities. I want to be interesting and inspirational! Oh, and I really should go get my hair done...

P.S. I LOVE CLINTON KELLY. My gaydar is all out of whack with him and I can't figure him out. But I would let him dress me any day.