FOODIE FRIDAY AND WEEK AHEAD!

HAPPY PASSOVER!

Last night marked the first night of Passover.

Passover is a very important Jewish holiday that celebrates our Exodus from slavery in Egypt and gives thanks to God for protecting us from persecution then and always.  In recent years, Passover also reminds us to think about other people (Jews and non-Jews) who are still unable to celebrate freedom and encourages us to combat tyranny where we may find it.

President Obama gives us a shout out...

In brief . . . We were persecuted as slaves, now we're free, praise God, let's eat & drink!

Initially Kieran and I were going to have a quiet seder at home, but I started thinking about it and decided to invite our friends with young child.  Passover just doesn't seem as fun without a little one.  And I also didn't feel like "finding" the Afikoman that I hid myself.

It was a very successful and fun Seder!  Our (nearly) three-year-old guest was very active in the Seder which was so cute I could have vomited.  She raised her sippy cup of juice when we blessed the 4 cups of wine, she dipped her parsley in the salt water and ate it (then promptly spit it out and looked at us like we were crazy), she found the Afikoman (I still owe her a quid for that), and she "opened the door for Elijah" then stood out in the hallway looking for him.

Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday because it's a time to share a delicious meal with loved ones and tell the time-honored story of our people.  The smell of the sweet red wine and pickled horseraddish reminds me of all the different and memorable Seders I've been to over the years.  Having a little one at the Seder table this year got me thinking about future Seders--our own little ones at the table eating Matzah ball soup and reading the story of Passover.  Even though Kieran isn't Jewish, he has always supported and happily participated in my traditions.  We have decided not to raise future children in one particular religion, but I always envisioned giving these Jewish holiday memories to my children and offering them the opportunity to learn about it if they were interested.  It will likely be another 5-10 years before we're at that stage in our lives, but it makes me smile to think about it.

Four cups of wine and a three-course dinner (four courses if you eat Gefilte fish...nom nom nom)--that's the easy part of Passover. Now the challenging part begins.  I can't eat anything that resembles bread, pasta, or cake.  I can't eat anthing with yeast in it (yes this includes beer!) or any food item that has a "leavening agent" in it.  When our Jewish ancestors fled from slavery in Egypt, they left in such a hurry that they did not have time to let their bread rise.  We now commemorate this by abstaining from leavened bread and other products for the next week ahead.

In it's place, we have this...

It's only been a day and I'm already sick of you SOURCE

This is Matzah.  It's exactly what it looks like--a big tasteless cracker.  Make sure you eat this with laxatives because it tends to bind in your colon like cement.  No lie.  Eat at your own risk.

It's not all bad, we now have leftovers for the next few days like Thanksgiving's Jewish counterpart.

Wishing all my Jewish friends and family a very happy Passover and thanks to all the non-Jews who have participated in Seders with us (we love you for it!) !

Next year in Jerusalem!

SOURCE

<3  Amanda

Springtime Changes!

Whoa, where did April come from?!
Springtime is certainly upon us and with it has brought some personal changes.

In January I started a new job which has kept me really really really busy with my 2-month-long induction. I've finally completed my official induction programme now which means I'm off on my own (eeek!).  This new job is really a much-needed career change for me which is already affecting my life in positive ways.  I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see where it takes me!

I've finally committed to kick-starting my personal fitness.  After avoiding anything sweat-inducing since our wedding, I eventually got tired of being tired and slightly blubbery and decided to take control.  I've set my sights on  Triathlon training.  Specifically I'm training for a Sprint Distance Triathlon in the fall which includes a 750m Swim, 20km (12.5 mi) Bike, and 5k (3.2 mi) Run.
I'm slightly scared shitless at the prospect of it, but I've been taking one thing at a time.  My first goal was to learn how to swim properly as my last swim lesson was at the age of 7 and therefore I still swim like a 7 year old (picture an injured fish...lifeguards don't know whether I'm joking or drowning). I just finished a 5 week swim lesson class and am feeling more confident!  Plus I met some seasoned triathletes willing to help me with my training!
Next thing is to get my bike in working order...starting with that flattened back tyre :-)
I'm hoping by posting this on a public forum, it will keep me honest.  I'll keep you guys posted on my training progress!  I've noticed that other bloggers are inspired by the Springtime weather and embarking on their own fitness goals--let's swap notes!

Yeahh...not quite there yet.  I'm working on it.  SOURCE

A week from today will be our first wedding anniversary!  I can't believe it.  Where has the time gone?  Don't worry I'll be posting a sufficiently sappy post next week to commemorate our milestone.  For now I'll just tease you with this-- I've purchased an anniversary gift for my hubby which either makes me the best wife ever or the worst (and slightly crazy).  I'll let you know next week when I get his reaction! :-)

This time next week I'll also be packing for a week-long visit to Maryland/D.C. and New York!  It's the first time I've been home since Thanksgiving.  Really looking forward to it, although my Canadian bestie won't be there :-(  Maryland has been on my mind ever since that Head & Shoulders Shampoo commercial featuring Michael Phelps launched.  Ahhh...the Olympics are a'comin'!

Bye for now!
Amanda