Are you through your chocolate hangover from yesterday? I resisted the chocolates even though I gave Ray an enormous bag of them as his V-Day gift. I did happen to just HAVE to kiss him every time he ate one though….the smell of the chocolate was just too good to waste!
When I got home after work Ray had a beautiful potted rose bush on the table with an adorable card “Huggy Valentine’s Day” for me. Very sweet and the rose bush was quite thoughtful considering my love of gardening; I’ll put it in a large pot at the front door so that it’s protected and can come in the house to over-winter. After our little gift exchange we put on toques and mitts and headed for the park that is two blocks from our house. It’s the same park I normally jog in however I normally stick to the one main trail that runs along the perimeter of the park; Ray took us on a trail adventure and I saw parts of the park that I have never seen before. There’s a beautiful lake and various bridges and old wooden stairs that I never knew were there. I think next time I go jogging I may do so with my park map so I can see new things! Because of our walk, I didn’t get to go for a run like I’d planned….but this was better! 😉 While exercise is good for my butt, time spent together outside is good for our relationship! It’s a trade off. 😉
Dinner was rib eye steaks that we barbequed and then I made mashed cauliflower………my new FAVOURITE warm vegetable! I just steamed half a head of cauliflower (which only makes about a cup of mash so steam the whole thing for more) smashed it up with a potato masher and then put it in my Magic Bullet with some coconut oil (good fat, unnecessary if you don’t have any) some dried thyme, garlic powder and a splash of chicken broth (use water if you want). Blended it up and then rewarmed it in the microwave so it was piping hot. It was, in my opinion, exactly the same as mashed potatoes, just a much lower carb count! Taste was similar, texture was similar, looked exactly the same. Ray didn’t think so…..but as I explained to him. It’s NOT potatoes, it’s a satisfactory substitution for potatoes. Just like the banana bread I made the other day…Ray didn’t think it was as good as regular…..well of course not. It’s not the same thing, it’s a satisfactory substitution for high sugar, grain laden banana bread. Anyway, make mashed cauliflower post haste, you will love it….if you keep an open mind. As I mentioned to my fussy hubby at dinner last night…..open your mind to new options because if we keep eating like we always have we’ll end up with the results we’ve always had! Surprisingly that quieted him down quite a bit.
After dinner we escaped the house for a trip to Chapters (like Barnes & Noble for the US readers) where I picked up The Night Circus, and Julie & Julia. Both books plus two magazines for Ray came to $45 so it was a bit of a pricey date but I’m super excited to start my new books! After the book store we went for an ice cream at Coldstone. The clerk agreed to sell me the kid’s size even though I was clearly over the age of 6. It was about a quarter cup of ice cream and for me, having had no sugar in quite awhile, it was more than enough. I had the Apple Fritter flavour and it was delicious!
Tonight we’re off to a concert in the city….the concert doors open at 7:30 so we’re going to go for a nice dinner and maybe a walk beforehand. Unfortunately the ‘city’ is about an hour’s transit travel from our house….and if the concert doesn’t start until 8, runs a couple of hours or more and then we have to transit travel home, I’m going to be one tired puppy tomorrow when 5am rolls around. Ah well, I suppose it’ll be a test of this eat-style, whether I have boundless energy even on 4 hours of sleep! 🙂
Fitty vs Fatty 
Can’t wait to try the cauli mash, it just sounds soooo good! Have a great time at the concert!!
Yeah I’ve always wondered about the mashed cauli. I’m glad you tested it out, now I’m less afraid.
Have a wonderful time tonight!