Healthy Life Lessons

The heat and humidity keeps making our bananas ripen before we can eat them. I had 5black bananas to use up today so I made a HUGE batch of healthy, low-fat muffins. You can always cut the recipe in half. I used raspberries from our garden, but fresh or frozen will do. 5 ripe bananas, mashed 1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda if you want them lower in cals) 4 egg whites or 2 extra large eggs 4 tbls organic canola oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 3.5 cups milk or water 2 cups organic whole wheat flour 2 cups natural bran 2 cups oats 1/2 cup organic ground flax seeds 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp sea salt 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries Combine all wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until frothy. In a seperate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Dump dry ingredients and berries into wet ingredients and stir, just until combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 375 F about 18 minutes, or until tooth...

Because my mother had breast cancer 13 years ago, this is an issue close to my heart and something I worry about quite a bit. This month the Nutrition Action Newsletter did a fantastic job of summarizing the findings of the latest research. Many people are confused about what increases and decreases breast cancer risk, so I thought I would provide a brief review of the information from the Newsletter. Uncontrollable Factors that Increase Risk: Age (highest rates are among women 70+) Family history (Risk is twice as high in women with a first degree relative who has had breast cancer) Genes (BRCA-1 and CRCA-2) Breast density (more dense = more risk) Benigh breast disease Jewish ethnicity Early menstrual periods (before age 12) or late menopause (after age 55) Births (fewer than 2 children or no children before age 30 = greater risk) Height (taller women are at greater risk) Controllable Factors that Decrease Risk: Avoid gaining weight (BMIs of 27 and above increase risk) Avoid taking ...

P1: I am working on the major paper for my current course at school, and for the first time since I started this program, I feel like I'm struggling. I don't know why. I chose the topic and it's only a 10 page paper. The title is, "Empirical Evidence of Freudian Defense Mechanisms." I think defense mechanisms are one of the most useful and compelling aspects of Freud's work and there actually is quite a bit of evidence that they exist. I just can't seem to organize my thoughts. I write a paragraph but then don't feel it belongs in the place I originally put it and then start moving it around. Of course, Adam pointed out that I should be writing up an outline before I begin, but I never do that for papers, I'm too eager to get started... P2: Little A is cutting a bunch of teeth at once and boy, did she let us know on Monday how uncomfortable she is! Adam was off work for the day so he and I attempted to take her on a trip to the Don Mills Ce...

So it turns out that all of my fellow students who were in Prof A-hole's course thought he was outrageously horrible and we all gave him scathing reviews on his teaching evaluations. In fact, I specified that he should not be teaching. Anything. Ever. I fully expected to not do as well in this course as I have in the others and frankly didn't care too much because I just wanted to be finished with it, and finished with him. However, when I learned that most of my peers had gotten their marks back already, I started to get nervous on Wednesday. Suddenly I began worrying that he'd already seen the teaching evals and was able to identify mine and was pondering how to get back at me. Fail me? Accuse me of plagarism on my final paper? Then I got my paper returned yesterday...Whoa was I surprised! He gave me a 95% (98% for content and 3% deduction for APA formatting errors), gushed about how beautifully it was written, said it was one of the best, and offered me an academi...

This is not a typical summer dish, but I had a craving. I used sole, but you can use any white fish. If you use something meatier, like halibut, the fish will stay chunky, otherwise, a flakier fish like sole or cod kind of disolves into the stew. I threw brown rice into the skillet and let it absorb the liquid, stirring over low heat until liquid was absorbed (making almost like a stiff risotto), but you can also add diced potatoes, like my mom does, instead. Shortcut tip: Arctic Gardens makes a frozen veg mixture called "Spaghetti" that consists of diced onion, red and green peppers, carrots and celery. You can use this instead of the fresh veggies (except for fennel), if you're short on time. Fish Stew 1 lb fresh or frozen white fish (boneless, skinnless) 1 tbls canola oil 1 bulb fennel (anise), diced 1 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 4 celery stalks, diced 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp fennel/anise seeds 1 can diced tomatoes, wit...

As my 36th birthday approaches in September, I can't help but think about the fact that I am now closer to 40 than I am to 30. Does it bother me? I guess a little. It's so ironic that when you are a kid, all you want to do is grow up, but once you do, all you want to do is halt the aging process. Do we ever really appreciate where we are? When I was a kid, being in your 30s was "middle-aged". Now, of course, my perspective is different. Being in your 20s is still being a kid and being in your 30s is the beginning of adulthood. Middle-aged now seems closer to 50 or so. And truthfully, I am a lot happier and fitter now than when I was in my 20s. A lot of this has to do with maturity and the fact that I take much better care of myself (less cardio, more strength training and yoga/less refined carbs and alcohol and more protein, fibre and good fats). I also have more things in my life that give it meaning, such as a husband and children and a purpose (becoming ...

In my current course for school, we are studying the way you practically apply various psychological theories. So in other words, based on various theoretical models, how to you structure the delivery of psychological counselling? Once again, I am fascinated and stimulated by the subject matter. Some of these dead white guys actually had some very interesting things to say! Carl Jung believed that at midlife, many people reach a crossroads. One is generally settled in one's lifecourse in terms of family and career but then one has an existential crisis (he is the one who coined the term "Midlife Crisis"). The purpose of therapy for people at this stage of life is to enable the process of individuation, which is essentially self-acceptance. This involves acknowledging all of one's shortcomings, as well as one's gifts, and finding meaning in one's life and one's place within the world. It is coming to terms with the one's own fallability and mortal...

P1: I am loving my new course so far and enjoying the beginning of my second course that is part of the infertility counselling certificate program at the University of Toronto. It is entitled, "Pregnancy and Parenting after Infertility". Just 4 more credits to go for the certificate! I am realizing just how important it is to my well-being and happiness to feel intellectually stimulated. I think that's why I was so miserable during my PhD, I really wasn't inspired by the material I was working with. So ironic really. I could have saved myself 4 years of my life and just gone straight to this program. Of course, I didn't really have the maturity or life experience for counselling at that time, nor would I have been able to call myself Dr. as I can now. P2: The other day I asked Big A to share her snack with Little A in the car on my way to the in-laws and she did so and then said, "You know what mommy, my snacks taste better when I share them with Littl...

Sometimes I fret that we eat too much meat in this house. We only eat red meat maybe once a month, but poultry is a staple I worry we rely on too much. So sometimes I try to make an extra effort to eat alternative sources of protein. So far this week, I've only had chicken for dinner on Monday and lunch yesterday. Aside from that my proteins at all my meals have been tempeh, wild salmon, veggie burgers and beans. I made this dish last night for dinner and I love it because it is healthy, easy, economical and delicious. Beans are so fantastic (healthy, cheap, and yummy) and make a complete protein when combined with a grain like rice, in this case. Black Bean Stir-Fry 1 tsp oil Broccoli, cut in pieces 24 mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 red peppers, cut in strips 1 can sliced water chestnuts 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced Sauce Large knob ginger, peeled and minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/3 cup black bean sauce (good q...

It is my least favorite weather right now: really really hot and humid. I am dreaming of blizzards...and no, not the ice cream treats from Dairy Queen, a real winter blizzard. I've decided that I must just have a constitution that predisposes me to being intolerant of heat because I am almost always warm to begin with and I really dislike the feeling of hot weather, or heat of any kind really, it makes me miserable. No whirlpools or saunas or Bikram yoga for me! I guess I just have a messed up metabolism or something. In the middle of winter I am still sleeping in a summer nightie and often have a fan blowing on me. If my room is not sufficiently COLD I cannot sleep. Poor Adam has had to contend with a bedroom so chilly he can see his breath in past winters. Unfortunately for me, now that we have kids we've got to keep the house warmer. P1: This is the last week of my course with Professor Poopoohead. Halleluyah! Next week I start a course called "Counselling Met...

I know I obsess too much about getting the girls to eat green veggies but I seem to have found the answer (at least today). Kale chips! We went to the local farmer's market and bought a HUGE bunch of organic kale. Then Big A and I tore it into pieces, drizzled it with oil and sprinkled it with sea salt. Then we baked it in batches in the oven at 325 F for 22 minutes on a non-stick cookie sheet. It came out crispy and delicious and, would you believe it, BOTH GIRLS LOVE IT!

Recently I made Little A some more muffins using pureed fruits and veggies from the freezer. This time I experimented and used spelt flour and coconut flour along with a combo of grated carrots, pureed pear, sweet potato and...believe it or not, pureed cauliflower! They are actually a hit. I picked up the coconut flour at the grocery store and saw that it is high protein, high fibre and high in calories...perfect for my picky little eater. It's also gluten free. The package said to add more liquid to your recipes when you use it to replace regular flour. I didn't listen initially until I realized it really did absorb ALL the liquid. I had to add a ton of water to get the batter back to the right consistency. Probably easier to start with a recipe designed to use coconut flour like these ones I found. I hope to try them soon. Blueberry Coconut Muffins Ingredients 1/4 cup coconut flour 3 tablespoons butter, melted 3 eggs 3 tablespoons honey 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ...

P1: I emailed a fellow student at school who has been in all the same classes as me and asked her what she thinks of Professor A-hole (she is currently in a different section of the same course). She has exactly the same impression of this guy that I do: arrogant, unprofessional, inflexible and condescending. At least it's not just me! I am just counting down the days until it's over and I don't have to deal with him anymore. Both of us, however, are going to have our say in the course evaluation, that's for sure. This guy really shouldn't be teaching! P2: Canada Day went much better than expected. Holidays are, of course, not really holidays once you are a parent, unless you leave your kids with someone else. We've done that once with Big A when we went to Chicago when I was pregnant with Little A. We left her with my in-laws and it went very well..we hope to do it again next year, possibly with a trip to San Francisco. Anyways, yesterday was actually ...