Creamy Red Lentil Soup (Easy One-Pot, High-Protein)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion

1 carrot

1 rib celery

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 medium potatoes

8 cups vegetable broth

2 cups red lentils

1 teaspoon salt

1 lemon

1 tablespoon parsley

Directions:

1. Sauté Veggies: Pulse 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 rib celery, and 3 cloves garlic in a food processor. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large pot, cook veggies 4 minutes, then stir in 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 2 tablespoons tomato paste for 1 minute.

2. Simmer: Add 2 medium potatoes (peeled and diced), 8 cups vegetable broth (4 at a time), and 2 cups red lentils (rinsed, no soaking needed).Season with 1 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are creamy and potatoes fork-tender.

3. Blend: Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or in batches once slightly cooled.

4. Adjust and Serve: Adjust seasoning, thin with broth if needed, and serve hot with a squeeze of lemon, chili oil, and chopped parsley.

Original Source

Morning Carrot Cake Oats 

Baked Oats:

2 medium Ripe Bananas Mashed with a fork
2 1/2 cups Oats Rolled or quick
1 scoop Protein Powder Vanilla
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 medium Carrot, grated
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped
2 tbs Maple Syrup or Honey
2 cups Milk

The Frosting:

1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
1/2 block Light Cream Cheese
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tbs Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

Bariatric adaptations:

I did not do this during the puree stage - but you could have done this towards the end of puree moving towards the soft minced - but I would run the oats through a blender first to make an oat flower to make it easier on the stomach. I would also skip the pecans. Given that it is being baked I would not substitute the maple syrup in the baked oats. 

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F.

2. With a fork, mash up 2 ripe bananas. Once nice and mashed up, add in 2 ½ cups of rolled oats, 1 scoop of protein powder, 2 tsp of cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 medium grated carrot, ¼ cup of pecans, 2 tbsp of maple syrup, and 2 cups of milk.

3. With a wooden spoon or spatula, give it all a good mix so all ingredients are evenly distributed. Place in a 9×9 baking pan and bake for 40 min.

4. While your oats are baking, place 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt, ½ a block of light cream cheese, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tbsp of syrup into a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat your ingredients together until fully mixed, airy, and light.

5. Remove your oats from the oven and allow them to fully cool. Once cooled, evenly spread your whipped topping and sprinkle ¼ cup of chopped pecans and enjoy!

Original Recipe

 

High-Protein Marry Me Butter Beans

Note: For my Canadian friends - Butter Beans seems to be a US based term - here look for Large White Lima Beans OR Cannellini Beans aka White Kidney Beans. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup vegetable broth
1 15 oz block silken tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast can also swap for parmesan cheese if not vegan
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cans butter beans or other white beans drained and, rinsed 
1 tablespoon fresh herbs for serving, chopped

Note: I found that the original recipe needed something with more umami so I added tomato powder, you could add tomato paste. I also found that mine was way more liquid based than the original recipe pictures - I think I could have either cooked it down longer or used less tofu. 

Note: I ate this during the Soft Minced Phase - but this could have been easily pureed once all cooked for the puree stage.  Also my sundried tomatoes had been packed in Oil so I took them out and squeezed them in paper towel about3 or 4 times to get the oil off - you can buy the ones that are not in oil but they aren't as soft so right now I went with the ones in Oil and I skipped the butter. 

Directions 

1. In a blender, combine HALF a can of the beans (about ⅔ cup), the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, and the broth. Blend until creamy and no chunks remain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in the garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until it’s fragrant. Add the tofu mixture and stir to combine.

3. Adjust the heat to medium-low, and add the butter beans to the skillet. Allow the sauce to come to a low simmer for about 3 minutes, then add in the butter, chili flakes, thyme, and oregano.

4. Add the butter and sun-dried tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper and let the sauce simmer and thicken for a few more minutes. Serve as is or with crusty bread. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs such as basil or parsley. ENJOY!

Original Recipe Source

Berry Baked Oatmeal

 Berry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup almonds, sliced

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

** I add 4 scoops of my protein powder to this recipe - I use unflavoured but there is not limits.  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, ½ cup of almonds, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, eggs, butter, and vanilla.

4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, add the frozen berries, stir it all together, and then transfer the mixture to the baking dish. If you'd like, top it with a few extra frozen berries. Then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of almonds on top.

5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set. Serve immediately plain, or top with a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of maple syrup.

Original Recipe Source

 Bucket List No. 14 - Hike - McGillivray Falls Trail

At the Hut and Fire Pit

The Start of the trail...it's a lie

McGillivray Falls

AllTrail McGillivray Falls Self-Guiding Trail

Why it is on my list:

This is a medium length trail that has a 4.6 km (2.7 miles) and a 2.8 km loop option that I found through the Province of Manitoba Website. I found this hilarious as AllTrails has the hike listed as taking 58 minutes while the information from the province says to allow 3 hours for the long loop and 2 hours for the short loop. The elevation gain was listed as moderate with only 193 ft of gain but a lot of the reviews said that the terrain can be challenging so I was intrigued but scared. Mostly it was on my bucket list as it would be my first solo hike in my renewed passion for hiking and even better it is an area that was known to have active bears (so active they had closed down some local waste collection sites), this was in the fall which is when bears can become more active preparing for winter. I thought I was fairly prepared for the hike but very nervous. 

I did it! 

On October 1, 2024 at McGillivary Falls Trail, Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba - and it was a solo hike. 

How I felt: absolutely amazing. I have let fear rule so many parts of my life and it almost prevented me

Me at the end... 
yes you climb down that

from accomplishing this hike. Being alone, doing a trail that had some climbs to it, in bear country - well I had family that thought I was slightly insane but I was prepare. Literally the only thing I didn't have was a bear bell for my backpack. I did end up buying one before hitting the trail and I was happy about that but mostly I actually just had my phone on the mount on my poles and listened to music (low volume) to make sure I didn't have any big surprises. There were so many points on the trail that I doubted my ability to do the hike, that I was certain I was going to have to be called to be rescued off the hike and I did it and I felt so amazing until I got to the last few meters of the hike and realized there was a massive steep climb down to my car. When I got to the bottom of that climb - let me tell you I sat and I cried. So many feelings and just so proud of myself. 

General Hike information:

Getting to the Trail:

The trail is very easy to get to - there is a parking lot just on the west side of Highway 44 north of the Caddy Lake Campground. I will say this driving to the area from west the sign for the turn off for the falls is very easy to miss but if you make it to the caddy turn off which is just a few moments down the road you can easily turn around. 

Navigation on the trail:

Long Loop Sign

I did have my AllTrails Map up for this hike, but for a large part of the trail it was very well marked with metal signs on which way to go. Actually, I should specify for the short loop it is very well marked. So the trail is designed with a "large" loop and a "short" loop. The large part is actually an out and back section which departs from the short loop. It leads you to a trail along the edge of the lake for a bit and then over to a small shelter and fire pit. The signs showing this part of the trail were old and in very poor condition but if you had looked at the map before hand it was easy to tell what the signs had meant. 

Honestly the long loop was the best part of the trail for me - but I think that has less to do with the trail than what happened at the shelter. Once you come back you continue on the short loop back towards the car - you do not go back over the falls or the first part of the trail. However, this is where navigation can get a little tricky as the hiking trail does overlap with a biking trail. As long as you carefully look at the sign markings you will have no problem making it back to the parking lot. I did encounter a group that had an issue and ended up following the bike path instead and they ended back at the falls and had to walk back the first portion of the trail - maybe 50 meters. 

Starting the trail:

First Section of trail

There is a large parking lot with an outhouse and the trail head. Now, if you're not into a big hike and want
to see the falls you are in luck. Just past the parking lot there is a little picnic area and then the bridge over the falls. The Falls.... were not falling when I was there in the fall, in fact there was very little water and I could walk on the falls but I hear they are amazing in the spring and look forward to seeing that. I will say this when I saw this section of the trail I thought I was in for a super easy hike and put my poles away on my bag and then quickly learned that if your there just to see the falls it is very easy but anything past that is more work. 

Final thoughts: 

Honestly for me there were so many things about this hike that made it a big moment for me. The first major category was going on a hike by myself. Forget the fact that I am a female for a moment, and that I am overweight - I was alone on a hike for the first time ever and I had a lot of fear of falling and something happening to me where I would get injured. Add to this the fact that I was hiking in bear country alone in a season where the bears have been very active and some of the local waste disposal sites were closed because of bear activity. I was scared - and a large part of this was not around the getting hurt and what I would do - but rather what would people think. I knew I was prepared for the hike: I had the following with me:

• small first aid kit for hiking issues like blisters (items I put into a large pill bottle);
• a large first aid kit for more pressing concerns like deep cuts, breaks, springs etc; 
• extra tensor bandages;
• a water filtration straw (life straw);
• a small hunting knife;
• fire stick;
• Bear spray;
• Bear bell;
• whistle;
• emergency blanket;
• extra food and water;
• Apple watch with fall detection enabled;
• Apple phone with emergency satellite messages (even though I was in a good cell service area);
• Medications in case of anything (tummy, pain, allergy, etc). 

One of the 'bad' signs

I was prepared. I have been trained as a medical assistant as a cadet in my youth and a first aid instructor so if something happened I knew I was prepared. What I was really scared of was two things: 

1. getting on the trail and finding myself in a situation I couldn't get out of because I physically couldn't because I wasn't strong enough; 
2. getting hurt on trail in a manner anyone could get hurt doing, just twisting and ankle or slipping.

The fear didn't certain on those things themselves but the judgement and comments I might get from people who would have to come and rescue me, knowing if I break a leg or get injured in some other fashion they were going to have to carry my 300 lbs body out of the woods and the thoughts I would face from people thinking I shouldn't have been there in the first place.  

 

Looking towards the lake

I had so much fear and doubt but when I got to the top of the falls which ironically is probably the easier part of the trail - I was so proud and there was such an amazing view I was so happy but then I got to the decision point. The point where you have to decide to do the out and back section to finish the "long loop" or just head back and I had a moment of hesitation where I almost decided not to but I so wanted to see the fire pit on the side of the lake so off I went on what is the easiest part of the hike. When I got to the shelter and the fire pit I wanted to take on my second challenge - making fire with a fire stick and knife. Honestly, I've always wanted to be on survivor but how do I do that if I don't learn how to make fire right?! So I tried for a while and then couldn't get it right, so I stopped filming and watched some youtube videos and learned the difference between a flint and fire stick and then off I went and guess what I made a fire. So I sat on the ledge of a rock, beside a fire pit with a fire I had just started with nothing but a knife and fire stick, and ate my snacks over looking the lake. Truly I did not want to leave it was pure happiness just being in nature. It was in that moment that I knew I wanted to do more of this, that I wanted to hike and spend nights in spots like this, overlooking lakes and just being - something I'm horrible at. 

I eventually had to pack up and head back on the trail and it was amazing, and again I had doubts about if I could do it but then I remembered when I looked at the path in front of me that I had just done things as hard or hard and I could do it - that was until the final decent back to the car which honestly I laugh watching my GoPro footage back because I literally stopped and swore at what was in front of me. The final part you start at the top of what is actually a high cliff that you don't realize your on until you see that your standing basically at the tops of full size trees and the car down in the parking lot that seems tiny is your car and then you see you have to go down a rock scramble to get to the car. but... I did it and then sat and cried because I was so proud of myself - I had done it - I had done the hike, I had made fire, I had done it alone, I had done it scared, I had done it at peace, I had done parts of it dancing, but I did it. 

  Bucket List No. 12 - Paddle - Caddy Lake Tunnel #1

All Trails - Caddy Lake Canoe Trip

Why it is on my list:

My parents have a place close to Caddy Lake and I have heard about the tunnels for a number of years and with the rise of things I have seen about traveling in Manitoba on Social media lately I became far more interested in the tunnels. I never did much research as they seemed a lot out of reach but lately since our purchase of our Body Glove from Costco (similar to this one) for about $400 I have been taking every opportunity I can to explore. I want to be clear while it is a stand up paddle board and I have since learned how to stand on them and can do fairly well I still haven't manage to get myself back on the board so usually I will sit or kneel on the board. I like them more than Kayaks because I can lay down on it or drag my feet through water - but alas that is a different post. The point is I have had a lot of excuses why I should NOT do the paddle - including the fact that it's a decent paddle, about 2 miles in one direction; that the wind can suddenly kick up on the lake and give big waves. Honestly though I am tired of living but not actually living because of fear and excuses. 

I did it! 

On August 19, 2024 at Caddy Lake, Manitoba with Wynn. 

How I felt: Amazing - I learned many lessons on this trip including learning that really - when people say you shouldn't look back it's not true. Sometimes you need to take a minute, look back on where you came from and the progress you made and just marvel and what you accomplished. 

General Hike information:

Getting to the "Trail":

There is no "official" start to the this trip but there are generally two options: launch from Green Bay Resort OR park and launch from the Caddy Lake Camp ground parking lot. I parked at the campground and would recommend that for a number of reasons. 

Taking a break on the Island

1. Green Bay Resort is a private resort so you either have to pay $20 to park in the parking lot and launch your own equipment. If you have a cabin in the area and just need to use their launch it is still $10. Aside from this factor the biggest one for me is that it adds to the distance you have to paddle by about 1 or 2 miles in one direction. 

2. Caddy Lake Campground hosts Caddy Lake Resort. You can park in the parking lot for "free" I say that because you do have to have a park pass but there is no specific fee for parking in the lot. The staff in the Caddy Lake Resort were amazing answering questions for us when we first arrived (they have new owners). 

If you do not own your own paddle boards, kayaks or canoes you can rent them from either place. Caddy Lake also has cabins you can rent or you can find a spot in the campground if you would like to overnight. 

There is an outhouse near the parking lot - it's up and over the little hill that's there and not completely obvious but fairly easy to find. 

Navigation on the trail:

We had our phones with us and we had them in the protective Body Glove sleeves that came without our

phones. I will note that we have iPhones that are water proof and can be submerged and honestly I keep them in the case mostly because it has a long string on it so I don't loose or drop it in the water. I keep the string lashed to my life jacket. You can download an All Trails map - but honestly you head out and paddle North and keep going until you see tunnels so there is not a huge concern for navigation.

Starting the trail:

On the Island

Once you start the paddle it is a little deceiving how far you have to go because you can't see around the bend in the lake to where the tunnels are. We paddle out to the little island in the middle of the lake and explored that first before heading towards the tunnel. We also stopped because we felt like we were having issues with our inflatable Kayak that Wynn had chosen to take and I honestly just thought it was an "us" issue not inflating it fully. Unlike the paddle boards the Kayak is only blow up to 1 PSI - which means you can open it up and inflate it by mouth (the paddle boards are 15 PSI/1Bar - which is a lot of pressure).

As we got to the second bend in the lake it became obvious that there were issues with the Kayak so Wynn  pulled up and was going to wait at one of the docks a long the lake while I continued to the tunnel. As I approached the tunnel another gentleman was coming through and I asked if he was heading back towards the beach and he was so he agreed to paddle with Wynn back to the beach and keep an eye on them given we had concerns about the kayak. 

I managed to make it through the tunnels - I did use my whistle to give one loud blast going through as it is not a straight tunnel and you cannot see what's coming from the other end. It was amazing the current was strong enough to push me gently through so I could take some video and pictures.

Final thoughts: 

I think we left the beach around 1:20 pm and we didn't arrive back at the beach until I would say almost 4:00 pm and there were people just heading out to paddle. I will say this if your going to do the paddle I would leave earlier in the morning and give yourself a fair amount of time. There were a number of people doing the paddle so we weren't alone but it wasn't over crowded. There were a couple of boats on the lake but all were respectful and kept their distance. 

It was honestly on the way back that I learned something. The entire paddle to the tunnel I was working towards a goal I knew I wanted to reach and had dreamed of seeing but most of the paddle was on faith that I could do it that I could make the trip and that I hadn't gotten in over my head. Given that I didn't have a map or a trail guide to follow it was hard to know how far I had to go to reach the tunnel and how far I had to travel back to the beach. It wasn't until I reached the last bend and was looking at where Wynn and the other kayaker were that I realized just how far left I had to go and then in some ways worse I saw them keep going past where I thought the beach was so it was actually further. 

I took a moment to stop and reflect in the middle of the lake—thinking about how far I still had to travel and how distant the little island seemed, even though it hadn’t felt that far when we started. I  took a drink of water and looked back to see how far I had traveled to get to the tunnel and back to where I was. It was up to this moment that I still had doubts that I could do it, doubts that I would be able to paddle to the tunnel and back.
There I was, in the middle of it, almost done, yet I still didn’t believe in myself, even though all my progress was right in front of me. I was literally staring at the distance I had already traveled, proof that I was capable but still full of doubts
I sat there on my board and cried. It was such a metaphor for the last few years of my life. I’ve gone from being at my worst, seeing nothing but the end, to actually being out here and doing the things I’ve wanted to do—yet still struggling with doubt and lacking belief in myself.
In that moment, I realized that the old adage “don’t look back” was wrong. Looking back showed me just how strong I really am.

   

 Bucket List No. 8 - Hike - Top of the World Trail

Top of the World Trail - AllTrails Link

Why it is on my list:

View from the Top

I choose this trail as one of my first trails to actually hike because it seemed to have the potential for 

amazing views. It was a relatively short hike, listed with moderate difficulty (...which I didn't think was bad) and it was close to my parents place at the lake which meant it was accessible. The hike is 2.2 miles with 127 ft elevation gain. According to AllTrails it takes an average of 45 minutes to complete but it took us 1 hour 36 minutes to complete (note: this does not include the time we sat and hung out checking out the view and flying the drone). 

I did it! 

On September 18, 2024 at Falcon Lake, Manitoba with Justin. 

How I felt: Amazing! So many things went wrong on the way to the hike and had the potential to ruin the trip or make us cancel but I trust myself and not what I thought were 'signs' that we shouldn't do the hike. I relied on the fact that I'm always prepared and it was awesome. 

Reflecting at the top

I will say this - this was the hike that almost didn't happen. The skies were looking like they could storm but relying on many years of prairie girl knowledge of storms and some weather forecasts we were pretty sure that we could do the hike ok so we headed out. On the way out I noticed a sweet smell in the car and couldn't figure out what it was - I thought for a bit maybe it was a hand soap but it didn't make sense. We ended up stopped at the store in Falcon lake to check for something and when we did that I opened the back of the car and noticed that everything was wet. My entire water bottle had leaked all over the back of the car and my bag; and to make things EVEN better it started to lightly drizzle. I was so close to calling the hike at this point - I mean my bag was soaked in strawberry lemonade crystal light flavoured water and the car was wet and it was starting to drizzle. But I figured we had come this far we might as well take a little tour around the far side of the lake and see what we could see.. When we got to the parking lot I was pretty determined to not let these "signs" dissuade me from doing the hike and I mean I am generally over prepared for everything. So as luck would have it I found my compact hiking towel that I got off amazon or something like that in the car and I dried off what I could and then put the towel between me and the bag and decided off we would go. The hike was amazing - and it starts with going up a ski hill which was very reminiscent of one of my favourite hikes in my life into the mountains as a cadet. 

General Hike information:

Getting to the Trail:

Getting to the trail is really easy - you basically drive to Falcon Ridge Ski Slopes which is on the south side of Falcon Lake. It is located within a provincial park so a park pass is required. If you read all trails and everything else they are very specific about where you can and cannot park and it was slightly confusing - but the basics - keep driving until you can't drive anymore because you are in a parking lot and  the road ends. You will see other signs about parking for the lodge in the summer and restaurant - keep driving by those. You will know if you are in the right spot if you see a red outhouse on the edge of the parking lot. The other spots are for guests of the Lodge and restaurant. 

Navigation on the trail:

Trail Signs

Navigation on the trail I would say is fairly easy - one of two things: Download all trails and you get *most* of the hiking trails available in the area. As Top of the World is not the only hike here. I haven't tried it but I understand Trailforks have the entire system. If you don't want to do that then it's pretty easy just to take a picture of the resort map before you begin. The only thing I will say is a lot of people seemed to miss the turn off towards the cliff view - which honestly the entire reason to do the hike in my opinion. 

Starting the trail:

When you start the trail you will go up and to the right behind the outhouse and it is an ATV/Equipment trail for the most part. The nice thing is that all of the climb is at the start of the trail and it is a steeper climb up but there are no rocks or other things to be climbing over the path is mostly just packed gravel type situation. When you get to the point where you cut off that trail to go to the "top of the world" there is going up and down some rocks on the hike but it is very easy and no large climbs. 

When you get to the cliff there is a little bench and an amazing view where we took a break and flew the drone for a while.

Final thoughts: 

If you are looking for a nice, easier style hike that isn't just flat then I would recommend this trail. The best thing is - as you start wanting to develop you can add other sections on to the trail.