Tibb’s Eve Brunch

Yesterday was definitely a character building kind of day. With a stiff lip, I let myself mull over the situation for an hour or two, then go about my evening. The Guy came home early, and decided to take me out to get some Subway and check out the festive Christmas lights around Santana Row. He sure knows how to cheer me up! With that being said, thanks for all your comments regarding yesterday evening’s post. I do need to thank WestJet for their impeccable customer service.

This morning I got up and made us a brunch, and shortly after I finish proof-reading through my post, I’m heading over to Jessica’s house to make some cookies with her!

Brunch-headerI can hear you asking yourself what the heck does Tibb’s Eve mean. It’s a celebration to kick off the Christmas Season as you do in Newfoundland (where we’re from). Tibb’s Eve is the Eve before Christmas Eve and can often be referred as Tipsy Eve if ya catch my drift.

To start our mid-morning Tibb’s Eve, I made us a huge breakfast as we can finally sit back and relax with the two of us and Alfie. We had three sets of visitors throughout December, my parents in law, my sister in law and my husbands best bud all came down for a visit. It was great! I love entertaining, and showing people all the sights and sounds that California has. I will never tire of the Golden Gate Bridge, let me tell you that much!

I’ve been lucky that Walmart Delivery is taking a liking to my food posts, this is the third instalment of me working with them. Once again, all the food shown in the post (ok minus the grapes, they were gross anyway) were from Walmart and delivered right to my doorstep. The delivery guys and I are getting to know each other pretty well. Alfie still doesn’t like them — wouldn’t blame him really, they’re strangers.

I do have to say, I’m getting bolder in the kitchen and expanding my cooking skills to making a ton of things at once, instead of baking muffins and some scrambled eggs. I’m doing it all. Fryin up the bacon, making blueberry muffins, egg bagels with tomato and cheese, fresh fruit with whip cream, and having a side of apple juice, hot chocolate and then peppermint tea! Whoowee.big-brunch

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peppermint-tea-santa-mugI stocked up on the Celestial peppermint tea and now have a couple of boxes, there’s nothin’ better than peppermint flavoured treats at Christmas. After breakfast or even before bed, I like to sit in my chair and have a little chit chat with The Guy about our day ahead, or unwinding after a long day. My Santa mug has a few cracks in it, I think it can’t handle the heat of my extra hot drinks. Hopefully it’ll last a few more seasons!

So, it’s two days until Santa Claus arrives on his sleigh, and for those that celebrate the Misters visit, I sure hope you’re all ready. Are you? I have to admit, I need to wrap a couple of more gifts and I am set. We have a modest amount of presents under the miniature Ikea tree this year, but I’m really excited to celebrate our first Christmas as a married couple. This year has been so different for us, and believe it or not (I probably keep repeating myself) I’m the happiest I have been in my life. I’m content with where I am in my/our life right now. With that being said, I will be taking the next week or two off blogging to spend time with my new little family. See you in 2015, stay safe and Happy Holidays!

But before I head off until the New Year, here’s $15 toward your first order with #WalmartToGo, an online grocery pickup and delivery service and if you spend over $50 delivery is free.

Disclaimer: Walmart-to-go provided me with a gift card to use their delivery service.

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A day on the trails

Day-on-the-trails-headerHow has your week been? I always like to say it’s Friday Junior on a Thursday because — isn’t it?  Does anyone have exciting plans this weekend? I’m bringing you a post today about our weekend that just passed.

The Guy is training for a marathon in December, so while he went on his weekly 30km run I ended up going to yoga and then bouldered for about an hour after the class. Once we got our exercise out of the way we made up a delicious lunch for ourselves. This was a toasted tuna bagel sandwich with the freshest strawberries I have ever eaten. I posted about on Instagram a while ago, but we pretty much mimicked the same deal for a quick bite before heading out for the day. bagel-sandwich-with-tuna

The Guy and I spent our weekend on the trails, and scoped out the Stevens Creek Dam and Reservoir which is looking pretty dry, unfortunately due to the drought. We packed some snacks (vitamin waters and clif bars) because I cannot stand being away from home without being able to eat for a few hours.Tony-Look-Trail

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When we got home, I made us some cod flounder-au-gratin (it tastes pretty good with any white fish, really) which is always a hearty meal to come home to after a long day. You can easily whip this up before/after your big ol’ day: pop it in the oven for thirty minutes and you got yourself one awesome meal. A tip for when you’re strapped for time is to have your veggies or produce cut up and sealed in tupperware containers right when you buy them. I know when I’m tired I don’t feel like cutting up a pepper or a few mushrooms for a healthy salad. This was super quick to put together!Cod-au-gratin-and-salad

30 minute Cod au gratin recipe:

  • White fish, ½ can of mushroom or cream of celery soup, 1 tsp dry mustard (or mustard/dijon), salt + pepper and 1½-2 cups mild cheddar cheese.
  • Mix all together and pour over fish. Top with bread crumbs if you want (I like to use panko crumbs). Then dress it up with whatever herbs (Italian seasoning is my go-to).
  • Bake 350° for 30 minutes.

Grocery shopping on the weekends isn’t the top of my priority list — I usually reserve that for the weekdays when The guy is at work. Weekends are the only time I get to really spend with my husband as he works long hours. The Guy and I are known for going long stretches without eating a proper meal so to combat that issue (because: hangry) I like to plan ahead and if I know we’re going to be out all day long I can either bring along snacks, prep our meals ahead of time or take food out of the freezer and have leftovers.

Walmart asked me if I wanted to try out their Walmart Grocery delivery service and supplied me with a gift card to make the initial purchase. Of course I’m going to say yes. The Guy loves Walton’s Mart (his nick name for it) so I stocked up on a ton of pantry items, meat, cheese, the regular things one would usually get when they buy groceries. But I also threw in a few goodies and healthy snacks for taking along when we go on hikes or day excursions while we discover all that California has to offer us. All the photos with delicious food in them were from the Walmart haul. The great thing about the delivery service is that if we ever needed to buy groceries on the weekend, they can be delivered straight to our house before we even get ready for the day so I can spend quality time with my husband, instead of waiting on him while he picks out a cereal in the crowded aisles. There’s only so much patience a woman has in the run of a day ;)

How often do you explore your city?

Have you ever tried a grocery delivery service?

What’s your favourite go-to quick meal to make for supper?

Disclaimer: Walmart-to-go provided me with a gift card to try out their delivery service.

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