a peek inside the fishbowl

Yesterday, I mentioned that a good breakfast was one of the essential things I need if I’m going to have a good day and function well within it. Here’s what I eat, almost every day:

What you see:

– blueberries (although I usually eat frozen berries that I zap in the microwave)
– All-Bran Buds (don’t laugh, they have changed my life)
– homemade granola
– plain yogurt

For awhile we were buying a sweetened plain yogurt by Activia, but since I’ve been reducing on my sugar intake I thought that cutting out sweet yogurt would be a good place to start. Over the past year or so I’ve tried all kinds of unsweetened yogurt but never really found one I liked. Most were too tart or sour, or had gelatin and corn starch and other thickeners in it. And so, with that, I decided to see if I could make my own.

Making your own yogurt is a lot easier than you’d think. I’ve tried this recipe-slash-cooking lesson at thekitchn.com twice now, and although I’m still tweaking the resting time I consider it a keeper.

All you do is warm some milk on the stove, let it cool, stir in a bit of plain yogurt, let the mixture rest, and voila, it’s done.

It is light tasting and has the right texture. It is not as thick as store bought yogurt, but given the way I eat it every day it almost doesn’t matter. If this was an issue I could strain it through cheese cloth, but I don’t bother. If I wanted a fruity yogurt I’d just add a spoonful of jam or cut up some fresh fruit in it.

The whole process makes me happy. I can’t say why exactly, but it is remarkably satisfying. Much like baking bread, the process is kind of magical. You mix some inconspicuous ingredients together and get something different in the end. It’s alchemy!

Let me know if you try making your own. I’d love to hear about it!

Yesterday was a lost day for me.

I should actually write that as Lost Day, because that’s the way I see it in my mind. Capital L. Capital D.

It was a Lost Day. Or, at least, it started out that way.

It’s very hard to do anything when it’s a Lost Day. It’s hard to get out of bed. Get out of the shower. Get dressed. It’s hard to be productive, hard to be chipper, hard to motivate myself to go to the gym. It’s even hard to write in my wonderful new agenda.

The easiest thing to do is stay in my fuzzy bathrobe, pull my hair back into a ponytail, and do little outside of watching Netflix and reading. It’s also very easy to wallow in that murky pool of self-pity. On Lost Days, worries and anxieties I had banished tend to sneak in and regain a foothold.

I eventually forced myself to get dressed. I made yogurt (!). I did some work. I ate too much. I put a few pieces in a big puzzle that has been underway since Christmas. But it was like I was moving in molasses.

I was in the shower today and realized that my morning routine is My Daily Pillar. If my pillar is in place, everything somehow comes together ok. I remembered that, for the past few days, I had temporarily abandoned my morning routine for reasons I won’t go into here. Usually, I wake up, put on my gym clothes, make coffee, bask in the glow of my Litebook for 30 minutes while I write, do 30 on the treadmill, eat my yogurt & granola, have a shower, pop my vitamins, then start my day for realz. But since I hadn’t been doing those things I had no pillar to build upon. As a result, the foundation started to crumble.

As for now, I am going back to my routine and am trying to soak up some sunshine while it lasts. Maybe I’ll make a cup of tea… and start building again.

Step one
Order a pint of Beau’s and a plate of perogies at House of Targ:

You can get six, or 12. I waffled a bit but ordered six ‘traditional’ perogies (bacon and onion extra) at the last minute. It was a good call. It was HEAVENLY, and the perfect amount of food for me. That’s a beet salad and a sauerkraut there, along with some dilled sour cream for dipping. Did I mention how delicious it was?

Step two
I hope you left some time before your movie begins. Otherwise, you won’t get to play any of the cool arcade games here. Price per play is between 25 cents and $2.

Sidebar: as I played the KISS machine I was reminded of something funny. It might have been on a radio program, but I recalled someone telling me about a misheard lyric in a Kiss song. Instead of “I’m gonna rock and roll all night, and party every day” the person thought it was “I’m gonna rock and roll all night, and part of every day.” It kills me every time I think about it and I can’t NOT hear it now. (If you need to familiarize yourself with this rock anthem of the 1970s you can watch it on YouTube.)

Ottawa families should note that House of Targ is hosting a Family Day event on Feb. 20. Grab your change jar and go!

Step three
Head over to the Mayfair to catch a movie. For the record, Lion was playing last night. It’s a great film. Fun fact: we had no idea it was an Oscar contender until we looked it up when we got home. Watch the trailer right here.

I like MANY things about the Mayfair, but I think it’s really cool that they show retro photos before the show and the ads aren’t nearly as annoying as they are in mainstream movie theatres:

Step four
A bunch of moviegoers were heading out for a skate after the movie, which I thought was cool AND would make this the Ultimate Ottawa Date Night. Throw in a Beaver Tail and it’ll be off the charts. :)

Sadly, we were unprepared for the skating option. Besides, I was too full of popcorn and perogies to entertain the thought. That being said, it WAS a pretty sweet date night with my honey. Maybe we can do it again next week.