airy master bedroom

I just saw this master bedroom on my facebook feed from Dwell and instantly felt at ease. I'm constantly going back and forth between modern and traditional style - this seems like the best of both worlds to me. I would love a door like this that opens to the elements!

What do you think?

a little story about local food

This post is pretty local to Toronto so I apologize to anyone reading elsewhere, but I received an email last week telling me about FoodStory, a new food delivery service that allows people who want to eat locally in Toronto, but are too busy to make it to the farmers’ market each week, to purchase their fresh fruits and vegetables (meat and dairy are coming in the next few weeks) online. The fruits and vegetables are delivered straight from the farmers’ market to your front door. 

So far, FoodStory has been joined by the Leslieville Farmers’ Market, the SickKids Farmers’ Market and the Regent Park Farmers’ Market, but the company hopes to one day work with every farmers’ market in the city.

I think this is an excellent idea especially if you don't have time to get out to the various markets. Weekdays are usually out of the question for me to get out and weekends are typically packed with other activities to make it out to the local markets.

Even though I was sold on the idea, mainly because of this cute video, I still wanted to know how this was any different from getting a typically fruit and veggie box.

My contact Damian had the answer: "We source directly from the farmers' market. Along with the small profiles we will have on the ordering page, we are currently building more in depth profiles of each farmer/vendor/producer at the market (which you will soon be able to refer to on our site) so you know exactly who and where your food is coming from. 

"Also, because we source from the markets, we are not mostly local (typically veggie boxes turn to food from other countries in the off-seasons), but rather entirely local. The food is also as fresh as it possibly could be. We don't keep an inventory, so the food we deliver comes directly from the market. It literally couldn't be fresher.

"Lastly, and most importantly for our consumers is the level of customization you receive. Firstly, we will not charge you to customize your box. We will suggest a box for you at the beginning of the week with what is seasonal, but you then have the ability to pick and choose from the wide array of selection at a market. Assume only 10 vendors attend a market, and each brings only five products, you then have the option to choose from 50 different products. Because we don't keep inventory, we can advertise everything from the market for sale."

FoodStory started delivering this past weekend so they're up and ready to go. Check out the Website and let me know what you think of the idea. As an added bonus, the organization is offering a free delivery with your first order. Just plug in LEALOU to your order when you check out.

On the menu this week

I'm not sure about you, but my grocery bill is way out of control. I think groceries account for more than 50% of our expenses. It feels that way anyway. I've mentioned before that menu planning helps a lot with gaining more control over spending too much on food, but my planning went out the window last summer. It got hot. All I wanted to eat was BBQ meat and salad. Oh... and I had a baby.

So, I've decided to get back onto the meal planning bandwagon. Last week was great. I didn't have to leave the house once during the week to get something extra. This week I managed to get most items I needed over the weekend, but I still may need to get out for a couple things. The great thing about having a pretty well-stocked pantry is that sometimes you can just wing it with what you've got on hand if you don't feel like going out.

I decided to share what's on the menu for this week. I'm hoping it will keep me motivated to keep with the menu planning program.

Monday
Kale and mushroom pizza

via 

I made this pizza tonight (not my photo) and it was pretty good. I used this pizza dough recipe, but I didn't have enough spelt so I used a cup of all-purpose flour instead. Delish.

Tuesday
Veggie Fried Quinoa 

Via

Mark's out at a golf tournament so I think I'll make this Veggie Fried Quinoa from Damn Delicious and if I'm feeling spunky I might make some cucumber carrot fresh rolls.

Wednesday
Pasta with Lentils and Kale

via

I didn't really want to have pasta on Wednesday, but I had to shift a few menu items around since I'm hosting my book club last minute and need something easy to make. This pasta with lentils and kale honestly doesn't sound super yummy, but the reviews were good so we'll give it a whirl.

Thursday
Roasted zucchini, black bean and goat cheese enchiladas

via

Everything about these enchiladas from The Sprouted Kitchen is making my mouth water. Enchiladas can be a lot of work, but I'm hoping these won't be too bad. I'm opting to make the enchilada sauce she mentions in her post so we'll see how long that takes. My time management isn't always the best it seems.

Friday

Grilled shrimp and scallops with grilled peppers and quinoa

via

Friday seems like a good day for the BBQ. We're still not eating meat at home, but still tend to have fish at least once a week. I actually still need to get the shrimp and scallops this week so hopefully this pans out.

Well that's it! Saturday and Sunday are typically one day of leftovers and one day of eating out.

What are you eating this week?

kitchen dreams

I saw this kitchen on Pinterest this week and fell in love. Can someone come here to build this in my house for me please? Mmmkaythanks.

pinterest in the kitchen

I think I've mentioned before* that I love Pinterest for keeping track of my recipes. I love looking at pictures when I cook to see if my final dish looks anything remotely like the one in the photo (most times it does not).

I thought I'd share some of my latest food pins of recipes I've tried and/or want to try.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers Allrecipes.com: I made these last night and they were a nice alternative to a veggie burger and my hubby seemed to like them. I didn't have time to marinate them for as long as the recipe mentioned, so I think they would be a bit tastier if I had let them sit a bit longer.

Arugula and Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese - Martha Stewart Recipes: Everything about this looks scrumptious! I haven't tried it yet but it's definitely on the list to try soon. I like anything with tomatoes and goat cheese.

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula from Martha Stewart: Pasta with goat cheese? You've won me over. Again, haven't tried this but it looks too good to pass up.

Grilled Squash Ribbons from Whole Foods recipes: I thought this is one of the prettiest ways to grill summer veggies (to be honest, it kind of looks a little like cold cuts and bacon).

2 Ingredient Organic Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Energy Bites from Undressed Skeleton: This is likely one of those snacks you're supposed to eat one of as a serving but that I would eat 10 (or all of them in one sitting). These seem like the perfect mix of salty and sweet!

So that's the latest on my Pinterest food board.

What are you cooking these days?

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*I realize that all of my photos are gone from the post mentioned, but I'm too lazy to look for them now. Anyone else annoyed at the new way (or lackthereof) to embed photos from Pinterest? I supposed it's a way to disuade people from using them illegally.