Instagram Tuesday

Instagram is all the rage and I have been caught up in the storm! When I am out and about, I love snapping pictures of all of my surroundings. (I have been very snap-happy!) So I thought I would upload the pics that I have.

 Mom's garden and the beautiful lilies.

 Mojito's at Earls

 Trial version of DIY canvas painting.

 Summer weddings!

Banana S'mores

Get Your Paint On!

I have seen so many inspirational DIY projects on Pinterest, including some very cool canvas paintings! I've been meaning to try some of these projects for a while. So I seized the day and took a trip to Dollarama to get my supplies.

Dollarama carries canvas' (on the smaller side), acrylic paint, and different size paint brushes.

I started out by taping the canvas - masking tape would probably have worked better but this is what I had.

I mixed my colours and started painting. Then, you wait!

Take the tape off and...

Voila, you have your very own canvas painting!

Ballet in the Park

So where else would I be other than the park on a beautiful night in the city, especially when there is such an awesome event going on! Ballet in the Park! 

It was the kick off event for Ballet in the Park that will be going on until Friday, July 27 at the Lyric Theater in Assiniboine Park.

 The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba started the show with a brief message and then the dancing took over. And what amazing talent!

Look at the crowds of people!

Gorgeous night!

Guilt-free Guacamole

I had a few too many ripening avocados yesterday and decided to make me some guacamole!

Guilt-free Guacamole

4 ripe avocados

2 tbsps lemon juice

1 tsp. chili & garlic paste

garlic powder and pepper to taste

I halved the avocados and scooped them into a bowl.

I added lemon, chili & garlic paste, garlic powder and pepper.

Mix it all together. 

It is great for dipping veggies! 

If you are wanting a not-so-guilt-free way of enjoying your guacamole, it is great with chips or nachos!

In a Hurry Red Curry

I have always loved Red Curry but have never attempted to make it myself. I've recently seen quite a few different recipes for Red Curry with Chicken and it didn't seem too difficult and not to mention quite quick. I meshed together a couple of recipes to make my own and here it is! 

P.S. It is a great dish to make if you're in a hurry!

 

In a Hurry Red Curry

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts thinly sliced

zucchini sliced

red pepper thinly sliced

(You can add your favourite vegetables, these are the ones I chose)

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp red curry paste

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp. corn starch

chopped cilantro

Heat 1 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken slices and cook for about 5 minutes. Mix in the curry paste with the vegetables with you choose. Cook and stir for a few minutes.

Dissolve the corn starch in the coconut milk and pour into the skillet. Let simmer on medium heat for a few minutes.  

 

Serve over rice and sprinkle chopped cilantro before serving!

Corrientes - Argentine Pizzeria

Today I had a lovely lunch with my fabulous friend at a new restaurant in the Exchange District called Corrientes - Argentine Pizzeria. This restaurant is named after a famous street in Buenos Aires known as "la calle que nunca duerme" - the street that never sleeps.

 The restaurant is decorated with pictures from Argentina.

 They even have their own little reading nook- super cute!

The restaurant specializes in empanadas -  a dough stuffed with different toppings that looks like a fancy pizza pop. Each kind of empanada also has its own design.

 My friend had the Salmon Empanada, which looked fabulous!

I went with the Mixed Salad and the Corn Soup.

Just like the street in Buenos Aires, I have a feeling that the restaurant is bound to be the core of the Exchange Disctrict!

Healthy Burger? Yes please!

I have been meaning to check out the restaurant known for their healthy burgers - Unburger. And today was the day! I was doing a little shopping in the area and popped into Unburger located on Obsorne and Stradbrook. 

The place has a diner-like feel and is very modern and clean decor.

They are known for their healthy - real chicken, "free" beef" and veggie - burgers. And boy, was it hard to pick just one to try! I ended up going with "Caesar's Offerings", which is a chicken burger with bacon, tomato and Caesar salad in the burger. 

YUM!

I can't wait to go back to try another one of these fabulous, healthy burgers!

Asoyama Sushi

By now you may have figured that I have a love affair with sushi. Here in Winnipeg there is an abundance of sushi restaurants. The other day I went to a place on Kenaston Boulevard called Asoyama Sushi. The restaurant is decorated in oriental designs and accessories. It is quite a big building so you feel like you have the restaurant to yourself. The food is served very quickly.

Onto the most important part - the sushi! I ordered a few rolls to try and ended up not finishing all of them. But that wasn't because they weren't tasty, they were delicious!

Spicy Salmon Roll

Baku dan Roll

T.N.T. (Deep fried California Roll)

Tempura Roll

Tunes in the Park

Last night, before the unbearable heat today, I enjoyed some music in Assiniboine Park. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday for the months of July and August the park is alive with the sounds of music. (That was my "Sound of Music" reference for the day!) Different bands and singers are scheduled to play on each of these days at 7:00 PM. Last night we listened to the soothing voice of Don Amero who is a singer/songwriter from Winnipeg.

 

I was not as prepared as most other people who brought lawn chairs and even tents!

 

 But sitting on a towel was good enough for us to enjoy such a beautiful evening, listening to some tunes in the park!

Cottage Getaway

My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to be invited out to our friends cottage in the Lake of the Woods this past weekend. After a two hour drive of pumping music, we arrived at this peaceful lake. We boated over to the cabin, unloaded all of our bags (mostly containing food) and settled in for the night listening to the cooing of the loons.

I awoke in the morning with the sun peeking through the blinds. After letting ourselves slowly wake up, our gang wiped together a glorious cottage-style breakfast with fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, toast and bacon.

The guys are all ready to dig in (and undoubtedly trying to sneak a bite)!

We cleaned up the breakfast mess and slowly worked our way over to the water. After jumping off the dock into the lake a few times, we thought we were ready to jump off some higher ledges.

We boated over to the cliffs where the daredevil types like to jump.

While there was no way of convincing me to jump, the guys had no trouble starting at the first ledge.

After a couple of jumps and back-flips off this one, my boyfriend felt crazy enough to go to the next ledge. 

Luckily, I persuaded him not to back flip off this one.

We capped the night off with a delicious meal of steaks, sweet potato fries and a summer salad. 

I must have been so excited for the meal that I forgot to take pictures!

The following morning the guys set off to golf in Falcon Lake. Us girls were happy to hang out at the dock. We read our books and magazines while catching a few rays.

Unfortunately we could only stay for the weekend! But it was an amazing cottage getaway with great friends, mouth-watering food and beautiful weather!

Coconut Smoothie

In my dairy-free journey I came across the most delicious substitute for milk - Coconut Milk! After my discovery, I have added coconut milk to everything including my smoothies. I love having a smoothie mid-day. And I have been experimenting with my Coconut Milk to make flavorful smoothie concoctions. Here is a simple but refreshing mix:

I blended together a banana, vanilla almond yogurt and Coconut Dream.

It makes a light, refreshing mid-day snack!

Do you have any other Coconut Dream recipes that I should try?
I'd love to try more recipes with this!