Here's to the weekend

Last weekend was the perfect summer weekend. I went home for the weekend (I'm still away at school working for the summer). It was great to go home to my family, friends and the pool! I spent a lot of time outside soaking up the summer sun and giggling with my friends. I was out with them till almost 2am each night just catching up! Here's to this weekend being just as great (it probably won't be since I will be studying for my midterm for my summer course.)

I got off the train and met my friends downtown for the Jays game. While I'm not a huge baseball fan, the crowd was great and the sun was out so I wasn't complaining.  And of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a hot dog. 

The CN Tower. The little dots in red are people up at the top doing the "Edge Walk". It always fascinates me that people would be willing to walk around the edge of the CN Tower. I don't hate heights but I don't think I could handle that. lol. 

Saturday was spent by the pool with my friends. I am currently reading Never Have I Ever. Katie is so funny. I feel like she is describing my life half the time. Too good. If you haven't you should check it out, its the perfect weekend read. 

Improvising to make s'mores. We couldn't build a fire outside so we had to resort to using the stove. Tasted great all the same. 

Delicious shrimp tacos I made for dinner. Loved the sweetness from the mango.  

What are your weekend plans? 

Mini S'more Doughnuts

I wanted to make a take on the classic S'mores for a get together with friends this past weekend. I decided it has been too long since I brought out my mini doughnut maker.  A classic mini doughnut recipe topped with a chocolate cream cheese glaze, mini marshmallows, crumbled graham crackers and a chocolate drizzle. 

I used this recipe for the doughnuts. 

Chocolate Cream Cheese Glaze 

Ingredients 

4oz cream cheese, room temperature

4 tbs icing sugar, sifted

1/4 cup milk 

1 tbs vanilla extract. 

1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted 

Directions: 

In a medium sized bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Sift in icing sugar (very important for no icing sugar clumps in your glaze). Beat until incorporated. Beat in milk and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate. 

Assemble Doughnuts: 

I dipped the doughnuts in the chocolate glaze and crumbled the graham crackers on top then added a few mini marshmallows to each. I wanted some graham cracker crumbs as well as larger cracker pieces on each to add a bit of extra crunch.  Drizzle with melted chocolate. 

If you have a kitchen torch it might be fun to brown the marshmallows a little bit before you drizzle chocolate on top, I however do not have one, and learned that a lighter isn't strong enough to roast marshmallows. 

Joyous Health: Book Review

This book has been living on my counter. I am constantly grabbing it to reference things - from how to cook quinoa to the dirty dozen list. This book is a valuable resource of healthy, whole and clean eating. Joy is great at providing information in an interesting and knowledgeable way. She recommends taking 6 weeks to work through her book - I read it in one night and then started adapting different aspects into my life. I have since gone back and started to work through it. Since reading Joyous Health I have been more conscious about what I am eating and have been working at creating healthier meals. Rather then being restrictive I have found the book to really open my eyes to new and different ways to cook a foods that I already love and how to start incorporating other fresh foods. I also really like how uplifting Joy is in her book. This is NOT a diet book. It is much more about lifestyle then it is about being restrictive. She gives stress management tips and information on how to live a fuller healthier life. Following the first part of the book, full of Joy's information and knowledge, the second part is a traditional cookbook, fully of healthy easy to make dishes. All of Joy's recipes are delicious and easy to follow.  What I personally really liked about the book is that Joy is Canadian.  It was great for me for because the information in the book was relevant and I could find all the ingredients listed (there is also a US version!).