Saturday and Vegetable Barley casserole recipe

Woke up for weigh in.. I don't have breakfast before weigh in generally so I just tossed a banana in my bag and a water bottle. I expected a gain and was happy it wasn't too bad! (up 1.5 from 2 weeks ago). That's okay.
We then went right to the Santa Shuffle. I was all festive wearing bright red and stuff :P. I wanted to get under 25 and such. I figured it may be tough as part of the race goes over the bridge (which is part of the galloping goose trail) which gets super icy this time of year, but it wasn't terrible. Matt really helped me and kept me going. We were running sub 5 minute kilometers the whole run and I felt like I was dying closer to the end! We finished in 23:01! That's a personal best by far! (though my garmin reads less then 5 km..)

After the run they had a table of food.. I was EXHAUSTED and had NO coffee at this point :P. I was whiney (feel bad for Matt :S). I grabbed an orange and a bran muffin for my breakfast. Haven't had one of these bad boys in years pretty much. Was delish!

We then booted it home so I could get my things together and get showered up. I was going to a gala that was to raise money for MS society. There was food, "dancing" (quotes because not many people danced :P), and a silent auction.

Anyway, Kirsty, Jenny and I were going together and wanted to get ready together.. as girls do :P. Kirsty and I went over to the Broughton Street Deli for a sandwich. Always a goodie. Had a roast beef sandwich with all the veggies. YUM!

I brought an apple and banana in my bag to munch on throughout the day. Anyway, I was silly and didn't take my camera out for the even at all but I went with a black strapless dress that went to about under the knee, and black heels. Had long curls in my hair.

For dinner, Kirsty cooked us up a small steak, onions and broccoli. So good!

So like I said, at this event, there was a silent auction. I got very tempted by this pretty "Giant" bike they had. Starting bid was under 500 so I thought "why not." I got in a SMALL bidding match with someone but I ended up winning the bike at $510! Very happy about that. I decided that I would pick it up from the store another day so I can get a properly fit bike and I wanted to look into possibly getting different handlebars and peddles. But we will see how I feel when I get there. I am Very excited! As some of you know, I have been wanting to get into cycling and possibly ride "Tour de Victoria" for my first time in 2012. So we will see! :)

Also, I had a request to post the casserole recipe, so here it is!

Vegetable- Barley Casserole
(4 points per serving)
Ingredients:
2 tsp Canola oil
1 small chopped onion
1 medium clove of garlic
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
3 cups coarsely chopped swiss chard, with stemps removed ( you can sub this for kale or spinach)
14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes with chillies (or without), well drained
2 cups cooked barley, quick cooking variety recommended
1/4 tsp cumn seeds
1/4 tsp crushed, dried oregano
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 sprays of cooking spray
1/2 cup of low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, corn and swiss chard; cook, stir frequently,  until onion is translucent and Swiss chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, barley, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper; heat through.
Coat a 2 1/2 - 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon barley mixture into prepared dish in an even layer; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts and mixture is hot, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and let stand for about 5 minutes before slicing.

This makes 6 servings!

Enjoy!