Sunday night recipe round up

There's no feeling worse than Sunday night. Knowing the weekend's over and that it's back to the real world early the next morning. Not that work is bad or anything, but who doesn't love staying up too late, sleeping in, lazing around the house, and having the entire day to do whatever? So Sunday nights are cheer-up nights which really just means I lay in bed and Pinterest my night away until Revenge comes on. It also means that I come across some pretty great recipes that I can't wait to try. Here are a few:

1. Sweet potato coconut cashew rice bowl
2. AndStaySweet's Ground Turkey and Vegetable Soup
3. Pumpkin curry with chick peas
4. Baked pumpkin and sour cream puddings from Smitten Kitchen
5. Mini Nutella Hand Pies from EatMyShortbread

Couscous with merguez and tomato

There's something special about the smell of garlic and parsley being fried up in olive oil. To me, it's the smell of a true meal being cooked - only because it's the way my mom starts some of her best dishes. Taking a cue from my mom's cooking, I threw together this simple dish with some merguez I found in the freezer and some couscous I bought the other day. If you've never tried merguez, you're missing out, especially if you like spicy. This North African sausage is usually spiced with chili pepper or harissa, sumac, fennel and garlic and made with either lamb or beef.

Although this dish has some traditional North African ingredients, like merguez and couscous, it's definitely nothing like the traditional Algerian dish (which I still haven't figured out how to make). I guess I should figure it out eventually, considering my fiancé is Algerian, but then I wonder if there's even a point considering 1) he can't eat couscous because he's gluten intolerant, and 2) will I ever even be able to make it like his mom does? Probably not.

If you are gluten free and want to make this, you can easily replace the couscous with quinoa.

Ingredients:
Makes about 3 servings
Total time: 20 minutes

• 1/2 cup couscous (if you're gluten free, use quinoa instead)
• 2 large merguez or sausage
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed or diced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Happy Birthday!

Today my little sisters turn THREE! I can hardly believe how fast they've grown up. I remember so clearly when they were first born: none of us were allowed in the hospital room because there was a huge H1N1 scare so we waited four full days before my mom was discharged from the hospital and the girls were brought home. My dad brought in their car seats and they were the tiniest little things I've ever seen. For the first few months we bathed them in the sink because they were so tiny, they fit in little doll clothes.

They've completely shaken up my entire family but in the best way possible. I can't even imagine my life without them, I seriously love them more than anything. Even when they play with my make up (they're pretty skilled at putting it on actually), when they dress up in all my jewellery and then lose it, when they break all my lipsticks and spill my nail polishes, and when they wake me up extra early on Sunday mornings. I love reading stories with them, seeing how excited they get at the museum, playing dress up and singing songs. And in the end, I forgive them for ruining all my things. Only because I love them so much. (And how mad can you get at someone who is 22 years younger than you? My other siblings aren't as lucky!)

Love you little ones!

Lunch ideas

Since this blog is about packed lunches, I thought I'd share some of the ones I took to work over the last couple of weeks. Tips and tricks? Buy dry foods in bulk if you can, they don't go bad and they're excellent for lunches: filling & healthy.

One thing I include in almost all my lunches is goji berries. They have a sticky sweetness to them, almost like a mini cross between raisins and dates. According to the Internet, they're a superfood that can treat a whole slew of medical issues and they're packed with vitamin C. Unfortunately, they're a little bit expensive but I'm still running off a bag from when my mom became obsessed with every health fad that's ever existed. I'll probably buy another bag only because I think they're delicious.

• Ginger shrimp stirfry with radish, red pepper, broccoli, onion, and eggplant (leftovers!)
• Strawberry yogurt with hemp seeds
• Raw almonds and goji berries
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 chocolate banana cookie

• 1/2 a can of tuna with raw dandelion greens
• 1/2 of grapes
• 1 avocado
• Cucumber slices, goat cheese, and olives
• Greek yogurt with honey, walnuts, goji berries, and raisins

• Arugula, radish and ground beef with goat cheese and a roasted potato
• Walnuts and goji berries
• Olives, goat cheese and basil
• Rice crackers and grapes

Roasted cauliflower pie with spicy chicken

When are weekends not so busy that you need a weekend to recover from your weekend? And how many times can I say weekend in one sentence? Anyway, this was one of those and it involved a dozen or so toddlers on massive candy highs, Princess Belle, and way way way too much food.

My little sisters celebrating their 3rd birthday! (You can get banners like those made here)

Castle cake by mom

Thankfully Sunday night was a little bit less crazy and since we somehow ran out of party food, I decided to head into the kitchen and play around with what we had.

This dish turned out similar to a shepherd's pie, with a cauliflower mash on the bottom and top and a mix of vegetables in between. It was also a good excuse to use up a some of the vegetables that were left over from my little sisters' birthday party and to use my new mini loaf pans and the arrabiata spices I picked up from Winners. Best part? It took less than 45 minutes from start to finish.