Baked Pineapple BBQ Chicken

With so much evidence of depleting natural resources, toxic waste, climate change, irreparable harm to our food chain and rapidly increasing instances of natural disasters, why do we keep perpetuating the problem? Why do we continue marching at the same alarming beat?

Yehuda Berg

OK, so here’s the thing… We have been having a wack-a-doodle spring. The Okanagan Valley is unlike any other climate zone here in Canada. We grow the majority of the fruit and the grapes that make our wines. Here in Penticton we are a semi desert between 2 lakes. I know, it sounds weird but it’s one of the reasons why I love it!

This spring however, we’ve had an absurd amount of rain, much much cooler temperatures, and major flooding. We are flooding in part due to the rain but also because we had an extraordinary amount of snow this past winter. That’s the other reason why I love it here, it barely snows and the temperatures are relatively mild throughout the winter months. Not this year LOL. So now that we are getting temperatures closer to what is expected, +25 to +35, all of that snow we got is melting in the mountain tops… Fast!

So, here’s my problem, all I hear from everyone is how upset they are about the weather. I live in a retirement community so most of the seniors that I’ve run into have done nothing but bitch and complain about this being the coldest spring in history, the wettest spring in history, the coldest winter in history, and the worst snowfall… you got it, in history.

Throughout the last week we have gone down to the beach to check out the water levels and all I hear is those same seniors telling anybody within hearing distance that they have never seen the lake this high. They have never seen flooding like this that they can remember. We had a windstorm the other day and it was horrendous! Apparently the worst in… history 😂.

The thing that is just getting me though is that these are the same people that scoff at the idea of… Climate change.

😳😞😬

This really pisses me off.

Now, don’t get me wrong I understand the economy, well to a degree LOL in fact my old boss used to say I was the most capitalist tree hugger he had ever met 😂.

I’m not saying I have all the answers but it is ironic, don’t you think? This weekend I read quite a bit about the G7 conference. It is mind blowing to me that America voted in a President that does not believe in protecting our environment 😳!

As Trump would say… Sad.

I don’t want to get all preachy, I just wanted to touch on the hypocrisy that we are living in. I hear a lot of people say that our climate is cyclical and I totally agree! Because the more we hurt our Earth…the more natural disasters, weather crisis, forest fires, flooding, and animals are going to die off. We are the cycle and we need to think long-term survival and not necessarily short term economics.

Ok that’s enough. I just wanted to say something because it has been so in my face this past spring. I have taken walks on either side of the lake this past week.

This was the marina side on Wednesday,

This is the Loco Landing side this past Sunday,

Do you know how I can work out my frustrations on this topic? By kicking ass at FitBit challenges! 2 weeks ago I gave Ninja my old FitBit.

I’ve created a monster!!

He is crazy competitive AND he walks so much in a normal day that he has scared off the rest of my challenge competitors! So, this past week I stepped up and challenged him myself. I have so much fun with challenges and I wanted him to get the same experience. The banter, the push and the deep disappointment when your wife kicks your ass!!!

Didn’t happen 😞. I did win MY challenge but he beat me in our challenge by almost 10,000 steps 😒. I did however have a personal best! So, even though my legs feel like Jell-O and the exhaustion has even followed me into this week LOL I am feeling pretty happy with the results!

We discuss FitBits and the bike ride Ninja and I went on last week in our latest How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode 17: Fitbits are Sexist. Check it out!

I wanted to have BBQ the other day but it was raining. I found this recipe that used 3 ingredients and it was awesome! No leftovers! Easiest and tastiest dish I have made in a while.

Baked Pineapple BBQ Chicken
Adapted from Diethood

4 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle chicken and rib barbecue sauce
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper (I took my chicken out late and had to defrost in the microwave… I hate when I do that! I always overdo it.)

Grease a baking dish with cooking spray.

Arrange chicken in baking dish and top with 1/3 of the barbecue sauce; spread the barbecue sauce and top with pineapple chunks.

Add remaining barbecue sauce on top and cover.

Place in fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until chicken’s internal temperature reads 165F.

This week was busy! Actually the week was pretty boring as I just got caught up on cleaning and stuff, it was the weekend that was exciting! On Thursday I bought SBean a new bug jar and she has been on a mission ever since!

Friday was crazy!! I dropped HBear off at school and ran to The Wholesale Club to put in our hot lunch milk order. Then we had to get air in the van tires. Husky charges for air?!?!! Wtf? Then we quickly drove out to Kaleden where HBear had her second cross country run. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to the run this time because as she said, “Mommy I don’t think running is for me.” 😂 However, the next day she said she wanted to try to place better than she did the last time. It was a beautiful morning and they got to run 2k beside the stunning lakeside!

The kids did great! HBear came in 63!!! Last time she got 64 so she felt it was a great success 😉.

Right after freezies we raced home to make lunches. I completely forgot that it was Booster Juice for Hot Lunch that day and HBear doesn’t t like Booster Juice. So, I had to race home and make her lunch and drop it off at her school. I also had to make SBean’s lunch 😬.

Then we raced to get SBean to Gymnastics. While we were there I got my stair goal and had the BEST salad ever from Nest & Nectar.

We quickly left gymnastics and headed right over to my LAST ever Playshare Preschool meeting. I’m a little sad because even though we have only been there a year, I have met such wonderful people and made a few great friends. I have a feeling I will be helping out next year as much as I can 😉.

After school the weekend began! We had coupons for the new Buffet at the Casino. Thank goodness we only paid for 1 dinner because it wasn’t the best 😬. I mean… hello? McFly? It IS buffet 🤣.

After “dinner” we headed over to the travelling Carnival. Last week while we were geocaching, we saw the rides rolling into town. Every day SBean begged me to drive her by the fair grounds before school 😂. The Girls were so so so excited!!! Ninja got a wristband too because HBear likes the big girl rides now. He was turning green 😂 buffet, age and carnival don’t mix!

HBear went on Every. Single. Ride. 😳 At least we got our money worth!!! I can’t believe we paid $75 for 3 wristbands!!! That even included the $30 discount we got for liking and sharing their Facebook page!! Rip. Off. They had a BLAST though and we didn’t get home until almost 10!

The next morning was their dance pictures and dress rehearsals. SBean’s was first.

I just don’t understand? I am such an organized person! There is absolutely no reason for me to turn into the spastic Mom that I turn into when it comes to dance. Seriously… WTF? SBean was awake at 5:30 AM and her pictures were at 9:30… You would think we could manage to show up on time!

Then you would think wrong 😂. I am almost never late, well, I am late sometimes but only when it comes to picking up HBear’s PSBesty LOL. So, as we are driving all calmly to the theatre I look at the time and realize that it is 9:25 AM 😳. Although I have her hair and make up done I did not get her into her costume yet. We pulled up and I raced up all those stairs half getting her changed while we ran. We stopped in a hallway to do a full change and as people walked by I blushed and said, “sorry naked girl getting changed because her Mom sucks.” We finally reached the picture room and my super helpful “Dance Mom” from HBear’s dance class reminded me that I had forgot to put her tights on!

Shit.

Down goes the costume again and on go the tights… now where are her jazz shoes? Fuck! I forgot her goddamn shoes! Honestly, I am the WORST dance mom ever! So, for actual pictures one of the little girl’s lent her some jazz shoes but for the dresser rehearsal… Nope she went ~~bare~~ tight footed 🤣.

An hour later HBear had her dance pictures and rehearsal. I have to say, I am much better at that one LOL because of competition I have done her hair and got her dressed 3 times already so I am a virtual acro jazz pro 😂. I even did her side bun and her make up in the darkened theatre watching the other rehearsals!

I stayed with HBear while Ninja took SBean to Soccer. When HBear was done, she and I walked over to the field and joined them.

We fed the Girls lunch and took them over to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a sleepover! Saturday was date night and Ninja and I were going to our friend’s wedding with Dad! I was ready first so I enjoyed the sunshine on the deck with a delicious Caesar.

I haven’t been to a wedding in a long time. The groom was one of our first employees. His cousin is still one of our best employees and his other cousin is my HotLunch Besty. They also bowl with Dad and Ninja. The bride’s sister, also her bridesmaid is SBean’s PSBesty’s Mom. Small town 😊.

The wedding was gorgeous! It was in the same place that HBear ran her cross country run the day before. Right in front of the lake with crystal clear blue sky’s and 30° weather! Their colours were coral and mint green and the decorations were stunning, they were rustic chic!

After the ceremony we all went into the yard of the gorgeous restaurant for cocktail hour and appies. They had tzatziki, bruschetta, and roasted red pepper hummus with delicious crispy toast and crackers.

The bride worked so hard on all the gorgeous wedding details. I loved the lace, burlap, homemade cookies, naked cake which was baked by SBean’s PSBesty’s Mom and beautiful daisies with baby breath.

The dinner was awesome too! A buffet of Caesar salad, tortellini salad, tomato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, cornbread, and roasted potatoes! They also had grilled chicken, and a roasted pork carving station! For dessert the bride and her family baked 400 different types of delicious cookies! Yummy! The oatmeal chocolate chip was my favorite! The dancing started early and I loved watching the bride smile and dance with her 2 sisters, her brother’s girlfriend and her Mom! In someways I wanted to cry because at that moment I missed my Sis, my WinnipegBesty and my Mom more than anything. It was really hard seeing someone I know who is so reserved, come completely out of her shell in the comfort of her families embrace. I was so happy for her that I squashed my pity party and had another drink 🍹!

On Sunday we totally just took it easy! We had absolutely zero plans so after we had a coffee and a nice visit with the in-laws while picking the girls up, we went for a nice walk on the beach.