Author Archives: mathan

Low Carb Cheesecake

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Using two separate recipes, I decided to combine both – a crust from one and the filling from another to create what, hopefully, will become a regular dessert around here.

You’ll need an Instant Pot for this recipe.

For the filling:

  • 16 oz wt. cream cheese (2 standard 8 oz wt. bricks), softened to room temperature
  • 2/3 cup powdered erythritol sweetener (4 oz wt.)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Crust

Compote

  • 12 ounces frozen raspberries (I went with Cherries), thawed with the juice
  • 1/4 cup swerve confectioners (or powdered erythritol)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water

Preparation

  • Remove cold ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream) from the refrigerator and allow them to warm to room temperature. Start this 30 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
  • Prepare a steam rack or the trivet that came with your pressure cooker, ideally with lifting handles.
  • Prepare an aluminum 6-inch round cheesecake pan (I used a 7-inch and added a few more walnuts, additional sweetener and butter – I used Swerve as the sweetener for the crust) with removable bottom or springform pan. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with separate pieces of parchment paper.

Making the crust:

  • Add the crust ingredients to a food processor. Pulse the walnuts for about 15-30 seconds until they are broken into small pieces. 
  • Scoop the walnut crust into a 7-inch round cheesecake pan. Use a spoon to spread the walnuts around and cover the bottom of the pan. Then press the walnut using glass or bowl with a flat bottom to compact the crust. Any holes will fill in while doing this.
  • Place the crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes while you make the cheesecake filling.

Make the filling:

  • Add cream cheese and erythritol to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat on low speed until well-mixed, about 1 minute.
  • Add heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds each. Don’t overmix the eggs.
  • Remove the pan with chilled crust from the freezer. Pour the batter over the crust, careful not to leave trapped air gaps. Flatten the surface using a spatula.

Cook and cool:

  • Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Place the trivet over the water, with its handles resting on the sides of the pot. Place the cheesecake pan on top of the trivet.
  • Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 30 minutes at high pressure, followed by a 15 minute natural release. Manually release any remaining pressure by gradually turning the release knob to its venting position.
  • Carefully lift the lid to avoid dripping condensation on the cheesecake. The top of the cheesecake should be jiggly but not liquid. If needed, use a paper towel to carefully dab at the cheesecake to absorb any condensation on its surface. Turn off the pressure cooker.
  • Let the cheesecake cool uncovered in the pressure cooker. After about an hour, lift it from the pot using the trivet’s handles to continue to cool on the countertop.
  • After it has cooled, loosely drape a paper towel over the cheesecake pan and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Do not seal tightly because the cheesecake needs to dehydrate.
  • Carefully remove the chilled cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper. Slice and serve.

Make the compote:

  • Mix the fruit, Swerve, lemon juice and water
  • Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes
  • The sauce should thicken as it cooks.
  • You can add a very very small bit of xantham or guar gum to thicken the sauce if you really need it.

Ode to a car in a garage

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This may seem like an odd blog entry, but secretly I’m a car guy.  Okay, maybe not that secretly, but the car I am thinking of plays an important role in my life.

In the summer of 1986, my mother bought her first car.  This was the car that transported my sister and I back and forth to school for several years, that took us, as a family, to get groceries on weekends.  It took us on summer camping trips, and it was an extra in The Santa Clause.

I remember going to Don Little Ford during that summer and mum picking out her two-tone blue Ford Escort L.  I wanted her to go to the Volkswagen dealership next door, but alas she didn’t.  My grandmother had a Mercury Capri that she was willing to trade in, or maybe they took my grandfather’s AMC Pacer, I can’t remember.

My mum put seat covers on, awful and ugly almost faux sheepskin covers, wanting to make sure the car retained the maximum value should she ever wish to trade it in.  Sadly, she never did trade it in, and the car lasted until about 2000 when they decided to park it in the garage of my grandmother’s old house.

There’s a story that I only recently told my family about, and it involves that car.

I wasn’t allowed to drive Mum’s car.  Honestly, I should have been as soon as i got my license rather than my grandmother given how bad of a driver she became in her older age.  I can be a nervous passenger as a result, but I’ve learned to work on that.

When I was allowed, it was when I was in grade 11 or 12 doing a co-op (1991 or 1992).  I was taking my friend Chris home, following our friend Matt.  We were racing each other, doing 80 kph down Thompson Rd in Milton.  I chose to turn the corner at that speed and nearly slid into someone’s front lawn.  Thank goodness no one was waiting to turn at that corner and I didn’t hit anyone.

I was crapping myself when we got the car to Chris’s place.  When we looked at the back tires, they were bald.  I thought I had done that!  So we literally went to a store and I bought two new tires with money I had earned working.   My mother and grandmother didn’t notice.

Ultimately, my mother hadn’t replaced tires on the car at all for, at that point, the 5 or 6 years she had the car. Yes, I was stupid for driving as I was, but my mum’s lack of knowledge on maintaining a car and probably not listening to the folks at the garage created a bit of a death trap.  

Still, I know this was an incredibly important purchase for my mum.  She saved her money for it, being a single Mum, it created a bit of freedom and independence.  It was her car, and she was building equity.

I can understand why it was put into the garage, but honestly, it’s rusted, it hasn’t had any maintenance on it.  A shadow of it’s former past.

Looking at it, I still like the angles it has, I love those halogen headlights and the taillights.  The liftgate, as I remember, was spacious.  For a compact car you could fit a lot on it, and I recall fitting well in the back seat.

The colours of blue on the car, I liked it with the pinstripe.  It’s probably why I like blue cars – having had four of them to date – A Toyota Echo, Toyota Prius, Mini Cooper and the present BMW X3.

Still, I am thankful for the workhorse it was, the joy it brought my mother and having a ride out of Campbellville.  32 years later, it’s time for this car to move on to it’s next life.

Castaway Cay 5K

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From the Disney Castaway Cay 5K.

From the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

In 2007, Scott and I jogged our first 5K.  It was the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 5K.  Scott entered for a fundraiser, as a way to celebrate 100lbs lost, as a way to reclaim exercise, and I joined him.  We finished in 42 minutes, 30 seconds, hand in hand in relatively cool September weather.

Last year, 10 years after running that 5K, I had set a goal of running a 10K, myself, in Q1 2018.  I had asked, for Christmas 2016, the Learn to Run course from The Running Room.  I enrolled and started in March 2017, but with 130 days on the road for work, sadly, I really could not keep up with the course.

 

As a result of non-stop work travel in 2017, I knew I was not in any shape to run or jog a 10K.  I do know I can easily walk 10K for sure.  Walking around Stockholm and New York City this past summer clearly showed this to me.

Scott and I had booked our February cruise to the Caribbean so that we could get into sun and warmth after a particularly grey winter.  We’re both prone to the winter blahs (aka SAD).  Our trip included a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge on both ends, and our cruise includes a stop at Disney’s Castaway Cay.

One of the ‘excursions’ at Castaway Cay includes the Castaway Cay 5K.  If I wasn’t going to be able to meet my goal of running a 10K, I can easily do a 5K.  I had to do this.

I’ve known about the Castaway Cay 5K for many years after my friend Stephen had run the Walt Disney World Marathon, and then after also ran the Castaway Cay 5K.  Since then, it’s always been one of those life milestone things I’ve wanted to do.  Don’t ask me why, it just is.

Before, I get to the Castaway Cay 5K, our overnight stay at Walt Disney World actually coincided with the runDisney Princess Half Marathon weekend, and in particular, the 5K held on Friday and the 10K held on Saturday.

I have to admit, sitting down in Boma, Saturday morning, I was quite blown away at the people who were wearing the participation medals for the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K.  People of all shapes and sizes.  This helped break stereotypes I’ve held in my head.  I kept coming back to my mind that running, jogging and participating in 5Ks and 10Ks Isn’t just for “crazy super fit thin people”, that there is a place for me and Scott, that people of all shapes and sizes run and jog and can participate.  This took it to a whole new level for me.  I was inspired and excited about the Castaway Cay 5K and figuring out how I could do a 10K.

What was coming up for me is, this IS something I can do.  This IS something that a big person can participate in.  I don’t have to hold on to the previously held notions of what a jogger looks like.  I can break that stereotype for myself, and maybe I can break that image for someone else just as others have inspired me, without realizing it.

Unfortunately, after boarding the Disney Fantasy, I started to realize – Damn it all, I’m coming down with a cold!  That’s NOT going to stop me from registering, and that’s the first thing Scott and I did, headed to Guest Services and got ourselves registered.

Map of the Castaway Cay 5K

The Castaway Cay 5K is meant to be a fun 5K.  You start out at the Bike Rentals area, you proceed down the Castaway Cay Airstrip, around a path that leads to the Castaway Cay lookout tower, back around and then down to the end of the airstrip near Serenity Bay which is the adult beach, and then repeat backwards.

You have 90 minutes to finish the 5K and you can run, jog, or walk.  Essentially, do it on your own time.  You’re not given a tracker that tracks your start and end time so it’s not a formally tracked event.  You won’t find your results on the runDisney website.  Again, it’s meant to be fun to do, on your own terms.

Here’s a tip – if you register for the Castaway Cay 5K, you’ll be some of the first people off the ship. I’m not saying just register to be the first person off the ship.  Register and do it!  You’ll have fun!  Seriously!

Why again, would I want to do a 5K as part of my holiday?  Okay, part of it may have to do with wanting the really cool participant medal that’s given to everyone.   Look at it to the right – there it is in all it’s glory.  *GRIN* Oooh shiny!   Seriously, it’s a very nice incentive, and way cooler than any participant ribbon you received in elementary school.  Why wouldn’t you want a piece of coveted Disney magic like this?

Scott and I both wanted to walk and jog the route.  For Scott, it was about being active and sharing in the experience.  For me, it was about taking what I had learned from the Running Room, and seeing how fast can I do a 5K, pushing my own boundaries.

While I was able to get through most of the cold and was well enough to attempt the 5K, Scott picked up the cold from me, starting a few days later.

While we picked up our bibs and pinned them to our shirts on the ship, once we walked from the ship to the Bike Rentals shop where the 5K starts, Scott had decided, smartly, that with the cold, the heat and the humidity he would not run.  Even I was a bit nervous about how I would handle the course, but I seemed fine on the long walk to the starting line.  I was going to proceed.

I tried to do a 1 minute jog/1 minute walk routine I had learned from The Running Room, however it probably ended up being 1 minute jog/2-3-4 minutes walking.  I kept my head up, my mind was positive, I picked up three cups of water at different times during the course to stay hydrated, I had some great tunes playing streaming from my watch to my headphones – no need to carry a bulky iPhone.  Despite the heat, humidity and the strong sun, I was feeling good.

I finished the run in about 39 minutes and 45 seconds.  I don’t know for sure because, as I said earlier, there isn’t a tracker to track when I crossed the starting and ending line.  What I do know is that the clock just flipped over the 40 minute mark, and I crossed the starting line at about 25 seconds after the start, based on video Scott took.

Despite the changes I’ve made to my body, losing the weight I have, despite working on my health, I still have this weird relationship with jogging, that some how it’s not for me, that I hate it.  Yet I jog during spring and summer and I’ve enjoyed it, seriously enjoyed it.  I do this thing and I feel accomplished, like I’ve overcome something and I want to continue challenging myself – and it’s solely about challenging myself and not comparing myself to someone else.

You have no idea what a huge win this is for me, and how much it actually moves me to tears every time I think about it.  I don’t understand the shift that’s happed in my thinking, but  I feel proud of the accomplishment, that I’ve been able to push past self imposed baggage.  It feels really freaking good.

I’m really looking forward to doing another 5K and a 10K.  Is a half marathon in my future? Let me get through the 10K first, but it is a possibility. (Yes, I just said that and it’s in writing).

Even more magical though, was Scott.  One of the cruise staff had noticed he had his bib on, but was not jogging and she asked why not.  He explained that he had picked up a cold and was doing the smart thing by not doing the 5K.  For being smart, he was awarded a Castaway Cay 5K participant medal.  While he refused to wear it because he didn’t feel he earned it, as far as the cruise staff and I are concerned, he did.  Something like this needs to be recognized.

And there will be an opportunity to do it again in the future, together.

As you can see below, I finally put the medal on him. 🙂

Our next step?  Scott and I are going to do the runDisney Virtual Running Shorts this summer.

 

Thoughts from Leadership Training #1

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I have been taking a course in management over the past few days, specifically on leadership, feedback, coaching, difficult conversations, etc.  It’s been a great course to show me the things I’ve done well over my career, as well given me some guidance as to things I should work on, so that I can be the best employee, and best manager that I can be for my staff, my management hierarchy and the company.

Today’s topic on providing feedback took me back to a time where I was asked by a Sr. Manager about an employee’s performance –  someone I was working with on a project.  I had given some feedback balancing both positive and negative feedback.  It was clear my Sr. Manager at the time was concerned about the employee, as they were new to consulting, and wanting to build up the employee, knowing that they were struggling.

It was also clear that the same Sr. Manager asked the Project Manager the same question and shared feedback from others.  The only reason I knew was because the Project Manager then came to me, essentially, berating me for the feedback I had provided, how horrible it was, and how horrible a person I was.

I don’t totally remember my reaction at the time, but I am sure I was defensive, and ultimately flabbergasted.  The Project Manager clearly had no understanding of what was actually communicated, and acted quite inappropriately around something they truly had no idea about, nor the commitment to contributing to helping that employee.

See, the feedback I provided was not malicious in any way.  It was about guiding that employee so that they could be the best consultant they could be.  I was straight up because that’s what my management needed to hear.  They didn’t want to hear some padded, safe story about how the employee was not truly doing.

Yes the employee had faults, needed to learn from their faults, and maybe even fail at something.  It’s that failure that can lead to some great growth.  Truly, it’s been amazing to watch that consultant grow over the years.

It’s all in how you deliver the feedback, your intention – to build someone up; what you are truly committed to – building a fantastic project team (at the time);  and what you stand for – my team being the best team they can be.

It was clear that the Sr. Manager could count on me for my honesty and commitment to contributing to build a fantastic team of consultants.

When providing feedback, you want to build someone up, build their confidence, build trust, and make that person feel valued.  Support them.  It can be scary to be that straight up.  Again, consider what your commitment is.

If you’re not going to provide substance and contribute to building your team, then maybe you’re not the right person for the job, leading to morale and trust issues.  Ultimately it’s destructive.

X3: Picking up tomorrow

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Tomorrow is pick up day of the X3!

I can’t say it will be the most unique SUV in the garage, but definitely a different one.  Probably the most connected vehicle in the garage, for sure.

We saw it a week ago when it arrived at the dealership.  It looks gorgeous!  Note this is pre-PDI:

MINI: Ode to a unique car in the garage

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Our MINI.  Definitely the most uniquely styled car in the parking garage.  In a sea of bland colour choices.  Sedans and SUVs.  A car we specced out and had delivered from the UK to how we wanted it.

Tonight is it’s last night in our parking garage.  I’m saddened to see it go, yet I’m not sad to see it go.  I really do hope someone can love what is, for us, the most photographed car we’ve had.  A car that makes me smile every time I go into the garage.

But you know, the car issues really got to me with this one.

I think the trick to buying a MINI is, while it’s a car that should be a manual, the automatic is much more reliable.  Everyone I’ve asked who has one, who has said they’ve not had any issues, has had an automatic.

And then there were the space issues.  As amazing it is on space, it was definitely a downfall for us.  I’d have to keep to one side as Scott put his belt on.  In winter that’s compounded by big jackets.  Scott’s mum getting in the back a bit uncomfortably with her back.

If we had a need for a second car, I’d say, I would consider a MINI – an automatic.  I’d also consider a Toyota as well, maybe Honda too.

Two years and almost two months and 55580 km later.

X3: It’s landed in Canada!

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I was told, this morning, that the vehicle was on rail.  Well now, it’s off the rails because… It’s been picked up by Hansen’s!

Now to get it to Policaro and PDIed and delivered.  I admit, I have asked if we could have a Saturday delivery but I suspect it’ll be Wednesday next week.

X3: Ready to be shipped

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Well it looks like the X3 is ready to be shipped from South Carolina!  Talking to my dealer this morning, the vehicle is in 182 status which means, “Scheduled for Carrier”.  Sweet!  Let’s hope it gets picked up in the next day or two!  Which hopefully means one week of transport?  Maybe it gets to Brampton next Tuesday, maybe for a pickup by next Friday?

We can hope!

X3: Producing a Tuesday baby

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Thankfully, robots don’t drink on Mondays.  The good news is, production day was on Tuesday.  The vehicle was in assembly in the morning, so we’ll see.  I’m hoping that tomorrow, Friday, it’s starting to be shipped, so maybe in status 190?  One can hope!