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x-mas shopping

This year my family like many other families is doing a secret Santa gift exchange so each adult in my family gets one gift but the children receive gifts from everyone.

It's a good way to save money and still keep everyone happy.

I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to find the gifts that I have to buy. So I'm not to going to crazy. It's shoppers like this that cause all sorts of shopping panic.

But to put things in perspective. If they're that worried about finding the perfect xmas gift what will happen when the food on our store shelves starts to raise in price and disappear?

How much panic will spread when the food price rises high enough to cause export bans?

Well that could be a reality soon. If you have any doubts have a look at this article, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aC.nz4FiZpkg&refer=home, in my opinion Bloomberg is a creditable source.

Maybe it's time to buy some food.

Gourment Food & Wine Expo

The Gourment Food & Wine Expo starts tomorrow, Friday November 16, and goes till Sunday, November 18.


Since I work the media I get to check it out a day early. Which I am really happy about. Just one of the many perks you get when you working for the media.

Anyway,

For $10 I'll be able to go around and sample all sorts of food and wine. I'm looking forward to see what different kinds of food are available. There is a long list of Exhibitors which tells here there is going to tons to choose from.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of the event tonight.

SparkPeople again

Over the past couple of months I've been slacking in the health and fitness area of my life. Now I can see and feel the effects on my body. So last week I decided to get back on track. I started using SparkPeople again and I've already lost 5 pounds. It feels amazing when that happens.

Hopefully next week I'll have finished planning my fitness routine and I'll be back on track and in decent shape.

Right now I'm just trying to stay within the food boundaries I've set for myself. The hardest thing I've had to deal with so far is not drinking any beer and not eating as much bread. I'm finding that vegetables are a great way of filling me up as a snack versus having a couple slices of bread with butter.

Anyway,

SparkPeople is a free tool that helps you do things like track the food you eat, calculate the total number of calories you've consumed, track the amount of fitness you've done, and track your weight. It will also chart your progress so you'll have a visual representation of how well you're doing.

The best things about the site is it's free to use. It's definitely worth checking out.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

I found this video on how to cook Grilled Bruschetta Chicken.
It looks very tasty to me and I'll definitely have to try it out.
Here is the ingredients list:

• 1/4 cup of KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing (divided)


• 4 small boneless chicken breasts halves


• medium tomato (finely chopped)


• 1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese


• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil

Lemon Marinated Chicken

Lemon Marinated Chicken sounds amazing. Chicken is mixed with one of my favorite flavors, lemon. My mouth is already starting to water.

It's starting to get pretty easy to dress-up chicken for dinner.

This recipe is pretty easy. It just takes a little time for the marinate to full soak in.

Here is the recipe for Lemon Marinated Chicken.

INGREDIENTS

* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 medium onion, chopped
* 1/4 cup long strip of lemon zest
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, paprika, pepper, onion, and lemon zest. Place chicken in a medium baking dish. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover dish with aluminum foil, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

3. Place covered baking dish in the preheated oven. Do not drain marinade. Bake chicken 30 minutes. Uncover dish, and continue baking 15 minutes, until marinade is boiling and chicken juices run clear. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

This will serve two people.
This recipe is from allrecipes.com. You can get the original recipe here.

Garlic Chicken

Here's a new way to add some flavor to your chicken. Lightly breaded Garlic Chicken. The Parmesan cheese, garlic and olive oil are a great way to lots of tasty to your chicken.

By baking the chicken you cut down on the calories that you would normally have if you fried the chicken and then baked it.

Now all you have to do is add in a light Caesar salad or a Tossed Garden salad and some rice and you have a well great meal.


Here is the recipe for Garlic Chicken.

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2. Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

This will serve one person. Just double the ingredients if you're serving two people.

This recipe was provided by Allrecipes.com.
You can find the original recipe here.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Chicken is a big part of my weekly meal plans. It's high in protein, low in fat and gives you lots of energy. Normally I'll grill chicken breast for dinner and then brush it with a Sweet-Spicy Chili BBQ sauces. Then serve it with rice and vegetables to balance the meal. It is quite tasty but I've been looking for new chicken dish for dinner that has more range in flavor.

Allrecipes.com seems to have a recipe or two I want to try. I did a search on light feta cheese, spinach and chicken. Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts comes up in the results and it looks tasty.

Here is the recipe for Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts:

INGREDIENTS

* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1 clove garlic, chopped
* 1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
* 2 slices bacon

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, spinach, feta cheese, and garlic until well blended. Set aside.

2. Carefully butterfly chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through. Spoon spinach mixture into chicken breasts. Wrap each with a piece of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place in shallow baking dish. Cover.

3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until chicken is no longer pink.


This will serve two people. Double the ingredients if you want to serve four.

This weekend I will attempt to make this dish. I'll be sure to share the outcome.

Toronto Ribfest

Looking for something to do this weekend? Feeling hungry? Be sure to check the 8th Annual Toronto Ribfest. The Ribfest will take place at Centennial Park for the entire Canada Day long weekend. Be sure to get there early so you can take advantage of all the tasty ribs.