Efficiency Is Doing Things Right....

"Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things "- Peter Drucker

Many of my friends can attest to the fact that I am a mild environmental crusader... right Michala? I try to keep my carbon footprint to a minimum. I recycle and compost everything, oil and electricity are on a tight leash at my house and my water bill is kept as low as possible. I drive a fuel efficient car and bring reusable cups and bottles with me everywhere I go. Did I mention my dishwasher is NEVER used ?!

Needless to say, I was mega pumped to have Energy Nova Scotia come by to assess my home and give it a much needed energy-boost . They replaced all my bulbs with new compact fluorescent ones (soft white), they replaced the filter screen on all of my taps to reduce water use . I was provided with a new low flow shower head and a detailed plan on how I can take certain steps to make my home even more energy efficient. They also informed me of province wide rebates and tax breaks for making these changes and how to apply for them. Guess how much all of that cost ?? FREE!! Free, can you believe it ? Nova Scotia is being proactive to reduce the strain on our natural resources and the strain on the power grid. Amazing ! Most provinces have a similar program, so give them a call and donate an hour of your day to saving yourself money (ya-hoo) and the environment. Double- whammy great ! Keep it green all !

-m

Cilantro...

"Cilantro, I would pick it out and throw it on the floor!"- Julia Child referring to a eating dish with cilantro...

What is it about cilantro anyway? People LOVE it or people HATE it. I have yet to meet someone with zero opinion or neutrality towards the bright, leafy green. I have mentioned it before, cilantro is the devil to my taste buds. Think I am being dramatic? I shit you not, even a little hint of that evil herb and I am so turned off that I can no longer eat the dish. I am trying to like it...I try hard too but my research tells me that we are genetically predisposed to like or hate cilantro, quite like broccoli. Some people taste it as bitter and some find it sweet. To me it tastes like dandy-lion greens rubbed in dirt. Even my dear Julia Child hates it, that says a lot!

I trusted the cute barista at Local Joe's cafe the other day, I asked him which salad was his favourite and he suggested a black bean and mango one (exclaiming that is was healthy to boot!). Sounded great until he brought it over...it was positively teeming with cilantro, full to the brim! Luckily it wasn't overly chopped, I picked it out and otherwise the salad was delicious! It reminded me of the mango salsa I posted last summer, but a little more substantial! My take on it can be found below (cilantro free if you so wish).
-m

Black Bean and Mango Salad

You will need...
- 1 can of  drained (no salt added) black beans, rinse 'em well in cold water!
- 1 mango peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 1 can of drained whole kernel corn
- Juice of one lime
- 1tbs of olive oil
- 1/4 tsp of cumin
- 1/4 tsp of chili powder

Optional:
-1/2 tsp sugar (if you like things sweet!)
- 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes OR 1 cup of diced orange pepper
- 2 tbs of chopped cilantro (gag!) or 2 tbs parsley chopped

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, refrigerate and serve cold as a fun and colourful alternative to pasta salads for pot lucks and summer barbeque's.

You Can Be The Ripest, Juiciest Peach In The World...

"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches.."-Dita Von Teese

I spent the last day trying my hand at promoting Shabby yet Chic via social media. I am utterly incompetent when it comes to computers, so much so that it must almost be endearing (I  hope and wish) to see someone struggle with something other people find as easy is walking (just one foot in front of the other). I was however, borderline successful (!!!). I managed to add a few tricks....

Shabby on social media!

- If you look in the left side bar you will now notice an aggressive "follow on pinterest" button. Click this and you can follow all of Shabby's boards on pinterest!

- If you hover your mouse on the top left hand corner of ANY picture on this page, a magical little "pin-it" button will appear. Click this to add any images you like to your own personal pinterest account!

- At the end of each post you will see five small icons that will light up when a mouse hovers over them. These allow you to share a post on facebook, email it to someone or share it on twitter (look at me go, I am on a roll!).

- Finally, you can follow Shabby on facebook for blogger updates, pictures and inspirations! Search "Shabby yet Chic" and "like" the page to follow/subscribe! Feel free to share this page with anyone who may like it!

Thank you all for checking me out! Happy weekend!
-m

A Woman's Mind Is Clearer Than A Man's....

"A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's: She changes it more often."-Oliver Herford

I do change my mind...a lot. Yet I can be very decisive when I need to be. No fuss and no muss.

I like to thrift and breathe new life into things that are old and discarded. I hunt at flea markets, yard sales and thrift stores. I like changing my surroundings and I enjoy looking for ways to improve the things I already have. Pinterest, damn pinterest is also constantly tweaking me in all kinds of new directions, and inspiring me (while wasting blank number of hours...).

Two years ago I bought a sturdy vintage table from Value Village. It cost me a whopping twelve bucks. It was a non-descript brown and I quickly slapped on a coat of cream paint. It lived as my television stand for about a year and continued to do so until I found an awesome turquoise one that hid a multitude of sins (wires, digital cable boxes etc.). At that point my little cream table moved to the entry way to act as a catch all, housing a basket for mittens and a bowl for change and keys.

Last week it poured, I was bored and looking for a project (I am ALWAYS looking for a project!) and I spied my thrifted table. The paint was peeling off the top, it still looked fine but was a cluttered mess. I popped to the basement and found my light aqua paint from my kitchen and put a quick coat on my mirror and then a coat on the top of the table. A little varnish later and I couldn't be happier with the result! Happy thrifting and happy rainy-day-creativity everyone!
-m

What Garlic Is To Salad.....

"What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art."- A. Saint- Gaudens

I eat salad a lot, almost daily. Spinach, mixed greens etc, etc. I have been meaning to mix it up. As good as it is for me, I get a little tired of leafy greens. One of the ladies at work had a quinoa salad and it looked delicious so I decided to try my hand at it using her advice.

Here is what I came up with! It was delicious, filled me up (quinoa packs a major protein punch) and made the best lunches for those long twelve hour shifts we nurses subject ourselves to routinely. It was lemony fresh, tasted like summer and would be delicious with barbecued anything and corn on the cob (why is corn on the cob so great?!). Happy Canada day !
-m

Mediterranean "Summer" Salad

You will need:

-1 cup quinoa ( most boxes are about a cup..but bulk barn sells it for cheap!)
- ~2 cup chicken broth
-1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
-1/2 cup of green pepper (or your fav pepper!) chopped
-1/4 cup of red onion
-1/2 cup feta cheese (cubed or crumbled...cubed gives a little more ka-pow!)
-1 can of chick peas drained and rinsed
- 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar (I used white, but what you got will work..red wine vinegar would be ok too)
-1 large lemon
-1-2 tbs of olive oil
-pepper and salt to taste

In a sauce pan bring chicken broth to a boil, add quinoa and reduce heat to low simmer. Cook for 12 minutes then remove from heat and let sit for ten minutes (or you can follow the instructions on the box, just use broth instead of water...more flavour!). Fluff with fork and allow to cool fully before mixing salad together (or it will be slimy....yuck!). When cool add veggies, feta and chick peas. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over your salad and squeeze the juice of entire lemon (watch out for seeds!) on top as well (you can add more if you love lemons!). Sprinkle with pepper and with a little salt and toss until contents and liquids full mixed. Cover and return to fridge until you are ready to serve! This may also be good with cucumbers! Enjoy the simple ingredients and fresh flavours!