Healthy Life Lessons

We head off to Florida today, well tonight actually. Our flight is 9pm so I can only imagine how it's going to go with two tired girls, especially if there are delays. I can't wait for some warm weather (relatively speaking...it's going to be 11 celcius in Orlando today!) and relaxation. All in all, it's been a good holiday season so far. Yesterday I took the girls to my brother's house while Adam taught his spinning class and then after Little A's nap, we decided to conduct an experiment and take them to a movie. We went to see Yogi Bear (don't bother seeing this unless you are going for your kids!) and it was a hit with Big A (no scary parts), who has only been to one movie in the theatre so far (Tangled) and ended up having to leave for 20 minutes because one part was too frightening for her to watch. Little A behaved better than expected, although she didn's stay still for more than 30 seconds at a time. I chased her around the theatre most of ...

We're hosting our 4th New Years Day party for our family and friends this year. Each year I simplify the menu because we have noticed that people tend to drink more and eat less. The first year we didn't serve alcohol, just cider and tons of food and we had way too many leftovers. Slowly we've upped the beverage selection (this year, mulled cider, wine and hot chocolate) and decreased the food (just black bean dip with fresh crudite, organic tortilla and kettle chips, clementines, chocolate truffles, a selection of nuts and candies, popcorn, cookies and this party mix. Yeah I know, we'll probably still have too much food! Not only does this taste great, but it makes your house smell fantastic. It is a cinch to make and very kid-friendly (Big A loved making it as much as eating it!). 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbls pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 6 cup cereal squares (I used President's Choice Organ...

Yes, I really am devoting a whole post to this humble vegetable. I will admit that, along with mushrooms and raw tomatoes, I did not learn to enjoy this tasty veggie until I was an adult. But if you haven't tried them lately, I urge you to. Not only are they packed with vitamins and minerals, but they pack 6g of protein per cup and provide a complete vegetarian protein when combined with a whole grain! I don't usually like frozen veggies as much as fresh, but frozen baby brussell sprouts are actually quite good, if you prefer their convenience. If you can't handle them plain, it's easy to jazz them up. Here are a few ideas: - Saute with oil-packed, thinly sliced sundried tomatoes and garlic - Saute with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped garlic and a splash of pure maple syrup - Saute with orange juice, orange zest and grated fresh ginger - Add to a curry, stir-fry or pasta recipe

The solution to my foot problems are apparently not so simple. My visit to the podiatrist yesterday was, well, weird. He determined that my feet are sore and swollen, not because of my messed up biomechanics due to my twisted pelvis, but because I have poor circulation in my extremities. While I have known about my poor circulation for a while (any exposure to heat or cold and my hands and feet turn bright red), I never considered this. Apparently, my feet are completely intolerant of the cold and I am almost having an allergic reaction to it. Huh? What? Since when? "So what's the solution?" I asked him. "Move to Florida or alternatively stop walking outside during the winter" was what he told me. Yeah right! Maybe a few days in Florida next week will help but no chance we're moving anywhere any time soon. So he wants me to see (1) A dermatologist (he thinks I have developed eczema from the cold), and (2) a vascular surgeon! Oh boy! And what abo...

Believe it or not we are almost at the end of 2010. This is always the time when I like to take stock of things. How far have I come since 2009? What did this year bring? What do I think/hope/wish next year will bring? I feel that 2010 was definitely better than 2009 which involved me working at a job I despised and uncomfortably pregnant with Little A until April when Little A was born and then I was pretty miserable for the rest of the year, suffering from postpartum anxiety and depression. The beginning of 2010 things improved significantly when I began school and they improved even more in May when my mat leave ended and Little A moved from being a baby to a toddler (whenever Adam and I see anyone with a small baby now, we feel like high-fiving each other just knowing we will never have to go through that first year again!) and I finally felt like I got some semblance of a life back. Of course, 2010 has not been without its ups and downs. The biggest ones have been trying to...

All the nutrition and health experts recommend that you fill up on healthy, satisfying food before heading to that holiday party or meal to avoid over-indulging. This will certainly do the trick! It is a generous portion of food, very filling and will keep you going for a while...all for just: 450 calories, 6g of fat, 50g protein, 49g carbs and 8g fibre Warning: Don't attempt to eat this like a sandwich, it is way too much food, it's a knife and fork meal! 300g package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 tbls of your favorite salsa 1 cup egg whites/Egg Beaters/Egg Creations, etc. Jalapeno flakes, to taste (optional) Cracked black pepper, to taste 23g cheese (1 cheese string), chopped into small pieces 1 whole grain flat bun (like D'Italiano Thintini), toasted Place spinach in non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once spinach starts sizzling, add garlic and stir until garlic starts to get fragrant. Add salsa and stir and then pour in eggs. Season...

I thought I would follow up the fudge recipe with a few healthier ones. This is easy, delish, and makes a great topping for oatmeal, pancakes/waffles/French toast, yogurt, ice cream, angel food cake or anything else you can come up with. We are having dinner tomorrow at the home of one of Adam's colleagues and I we are bringing dessert, so I am serving this with a home made banana bread. The girls are still working their way through all the Hannukah gelt they got and I am sure when we go to Florida there will be treats galore, so I thought I'd stick with healthy for this occasion. 3 lbs fresh or frozen berries (I used a mix of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries) 2 navel oranges 2 tbls corn starch Place berries in a large pot over medium heat and stir frequently. Zest oranges and add zest to pot. While berries are getting hot, juice the oranges. Add corn starch to orange juice and stir until corn starch is dissolved. Once berries are sizzling and hot, add orange j...

I thought it appropriate to follow up a post on calories with a nice indulgent recipe. Ha ha! I made this last Christmas because, for some reason, I had been really craving PB fudge. It is so easy and delicious, it was almost worth the bellyache I had from eating too much of it. Should of followed my own advice and eaten more veggies... 500g pure white chocolate chips 1/2 heaping cup creamy peanut butter (not natural) 1/4 cup jelly (I used Crofters Organic Superfruit, but any will do) Melt choc chips in microwave or over double boiler, just until melted. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour into parchment or wax paper lined 9x9 pan. Drop dollops of jelly over peanut butter mixture and use a knife to swirl it together. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

What better time of year to discuss calories? Every magazine and newspaper I have read recently has at least one article on "how to avoid holiday weight gain". But what inspired me to write about this was an interview in the newspaper about a book that just came out by Tim Ferriss called, The Four Hour Body . This guy makes a lot of radical claims, some of which there is truth behind, others I think which are misleading or just plain wrong. In the interview, he states that "the type of calories you consume is more important than the number". This is false. The type of calories IS absolutely important but ultimately it is the number that counts. Why? It is actually quite simple. You cannot fight biology. The biggest obstacle to weight loss is hunger. We are biologically driven to eat when we are hungry. Most diets fail because people cannot live in a perpetual state of hunger and deprivation and, thus, either start binging/cheating on the diet or return to...

It always feels strange to be Jewish this time of year. Living in a predominantly Christian culture, the entire month of December feels like there is a big party going on that we are not invited to. I love and hate the holiday season. I love: tasteful Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, fruitcake (yes, I love it...especially with marzipan icing!), the parties and the time off from work/school, etc. I hate: tacky Christmas decorations (why oh why do the people down the street have a life sized inflatable Santa??), the excessive consumerism, the boredom. Yes, I said boredom. Because while all you Christmas celebrators are so "BUSY" with whatever it is you are busy with...shopping, baking cookies, cooking, partying, etc., us Jews have very little to do. Hannukah, after all is a minor Jewish holiday that lasts 8 days (compared to the Christmas holiday season which is really the entire month of December) and really doesn't involve heavy gift giving and most of us can...

I did it. I biked to and from my physio (that's an hour of cycling) and it was reportedly closer to -12 celcius here yesterday. I wasn't even cold because of all my clothing...the biggest challenge was the fact that the gears on my bike were frozen so all the uphill work (almost the entire route is uphill on the way there!) was quite the workout because I couldn't lighten the resistance on the wheels. Will I do it again for physio next week if it's this cold? No way in hell! I'm done school on Sunday so next week I can take all the time I need to get there :)

If you don't complain about the weather at least once a week, I believe your Canadian citizenship can be revoked. Okay, I'm kidding, but complaining about weather is a national past time along with watching hockey and drinking double doubles from Tim Hortons. Unlike most sane folks in this fair country, however, I have always hated the heat of summer more than the winter cold. But I have noticed that my tolerance of the cold has declined in recent years. It started when I was pregnant with Little A. Usually pregnancy makes women warmer...not me! That winter, which admittedly was a very bad winter, I just couldn't shake the chill. Several times in March of that year, when I was 9 months pregnant and it was still bitterly cold, I even called in sick to work because I just couldn't take it anymore. This year I'm struggling again and I'm wondering what has happened to me. All through grad school, I would ride my bike ALL winter long, yes, you heard me...neith...

Italian sausage is usually seasoned with fennel seed, which makes it a great match with fresh fennel. I love the sweetness of the fennel and tomato sauce contrasting with the earthiness of the mushrooms and the bitterness of the rapini. There is so much vegetable matter in this dish that it is super healthy. It makes about 4 hearty servings that are more veg than pasta, which is really the healthiest way to eat pasta. One serving is 1/2 a cup...have you ever seen a 1/2 cup of pasta? I could eat it in one bite! Bulking up your pasta with veggies makes it go a lot further and makes for a lighter, but more satisfying dish. Just leave out the sausage or substitute chick peas to make this vegetarian. 1 lb short whole grain pasta (penne, rotini, etc.), cook according to package directions 1 lb hot (or sweet) Italian turkey sausage, sliced, or removed from casing 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp fennel seed (optional) Hot chili flakes, to taste (optional) 1 bulb fennel...

Even with snow on the ground and frosty temps, I prefer this time of year to summer. When it is 30 celcius and 100% humidity there is little you can do to make the climate feel more pleasant in my opinion. In contrast, there are lots of things you can do to make the winter months more bearable. Warm up from the inside out Don't underestimate what a big difference your food and drink choices can make. Try eating "season" appropriate foods (i.e. all things warm and hot!!) and you will instantly feel better. If you usually have cold cereal for breakfast, try switching to hot cereal. If you don't like oatmeal/cream of wheat, etc. try quinoa or brown rice cooked with almond milk, cinnamon, nuts and dried fruit or even take your cold cereal with milk and heat it up in the microwave for a few minutes. If you usually have a salad for lunch, take those veggies and turn them into a steaming bowl of vegetable soup. You will still have a nutritious meal, but one that will be...

Since Adam doesn't eat shellfish, using imitation crab (the stuff they use in sushi) is the closest I can get when cooking for the two of us. I admit that I actually really like this stuff, even if it isn't necessarily the healthiest choice. Nevertheless, it helps make a really quick and easy meal. To make the meal even easier, use a 750g bag of frozen Japanese style veggies (frozen veggies are actually very nutritious, although they generally don't taste as good as fresh). You can substitute real crab or other shellfish in this recipe or use tofu or edamame to make it vegetarian. Both miso and soy sauce have a lot of sodium so do not add any additional salt. 1 lb imitation crab meat - chunk not stick variety (or shellfish, tofu or edamame) 1 head broccoli, chopped into medium size florets 2 small carrots, thinly sliced 1 red pepper, thinly sliced 2 dozen mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced Sauce 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger (you can use less, b...

Tomorrow is the last night of Hannukah and I am actually relieved. This holiday has brought an endless amount of parties, which has meant an endless amount of chocolate coins, jelly donuts and cookies that my girls have been eating. If you had told me a few years ago how much crap my kids would be eating at this point, I would have told you that I would never let that happen. Ha! Now I'd probably feed them a KFC Double Down myself if it meant 5 minutes of peace and quiet! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit. But it was slightly disturbing to see Little A crawling under chairs at the JCC Hannukah party on Sunday, collecting the chocolate coins that people had dropped on the floor and even more disturbing that she and Big A ended up eating nothing much besides chocolate, marshmellows and a few bites of latka for their lunch that day. Tonight Adam is taking them to the final Hannukah blow out at his grandparents shul tonight so at least I get some extra time to myself t...

I am really eating crow today! I am a complete idiot. As usual. First, the daycare was right. Something WAS wrong with Little A. When I finally got her in to see a doctor this weekend, he confirmed that she had an ear infection. What??? She really and truly was not acting like it, at least not at home. In the past, when she has had one, she has been hysterical and very obviously in pain. Aside from the daycare's reports of an intermittant fever, she was acting just fine at home. None of the usual signs (constant fever, hysteria, misery, etc.). She's now on antibiotics and doing fine. I don't know how many times the girls have had an ear infection and I tell myself that the next time I will recognize the problem sooner. I now vow that anytime either of them has any trace of a fever, I'm taking them to the doctor immediately to RULE OUT an ear infection. Poor, poor Little A and bad, bad mommy. Or, as she is still calling me, "Mommy Poo Poo". Second...

Big A is refusing her naps again so we told her as long as there are no meltdowns, she is welcome to skip it. So far this weekend, she's handled herself pretty well, although she did snooze a bit in the car on the way to Ikea yesterday. Today she insisted we bake together while Little A was taking her nap solo, so I came up with this recipe and it turned out soooo good. 4 ripe bananas, mashed 2 eggs or 4 egg whites 1/2 cup sugar or Splenda 19 oz can crushed pineapple, with juice 1/4 cup canola oil 1 tbls coconut extract or 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 cup light coconut milk 2.5 cups whole wheat flour 1.5 cups natural bran 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp sea salt Whisk together wet ingredients and coconut in medium bowl. Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix just until combined. Spoon into greased muffin tins (makes about 12 large or 18 medium muffin...

Oh my girls! They drive me nuts but I love them so. They are such characters. Little A is still refusing to use many words with us. She prefers to point, babble and then scream hysterically when we cannot figure out what she wants. I had a long talk with one of her daycare teachers this morning who assured me that she is using a lot of words there, most of which we have never heard from her before. She did admit, however, that Little A usually just cries first, until they force her to use words to ask for what she wants. She suspects that we given too quickly to her crying instead of encouraging her to verbalize. Of course, yesterday when Big A started calling me Mommy Poo Poo on the way to school, Little A picked this up immediately and they were both yelling "Mommy Poo Poo" and laughing hysterically all the way. Little A is also still being difficult about her teeth. When we get out the toothbrush, she starts yelling, "No teeth, no teeth!" and it takes Ad...

I first had this dessert at a Passover Sedar many years ago. The recipe comes from the Barlings, friends of the family, although I've modified it with a few twists. It is super easy, looks pretty and tastes even better. It's a great dessert to make for a big crowd. In fact, I've learned to ONLY make it for a big crowd or else I gorge on it and...well, you know what happens when you eat too much dried fruit!!! 2 cups pitted prunes 2 cups dried apricots 6 baking apples, chopped into large bite chunks (any variety that will not turn to mush will do) 6 ripe pears (or 1 large can pears, packed in juice or water), chopped into large bite size chunks 1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped 1 large can low sugar cherry pie filling 1 tsp ground cinnamon Combine all ingredients and pour into large greased oven safe dish (or divide between 2 smaller ones) and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until apples are tender. ...

Most of us have a tendency to focus on the things about ourselves and our lives that we would like to change. Those with "dysfunctional perfectionism" as I have been told I have, tend to discount the positives and focus only on the negatives thereby considering anything short of perfect as a failure. It's a difficult habit to overcome but one which is so incredibly self-destructive. I also tend to catastrophize, or in other words, assume the worst case scenario. Not much optimism here given my natural worrying tendencies (I come by it honestly as my mother is the same in this way). But my recent training in CBT has taught me to reign-in my worries before they spiral out of control. No reason to assume the worst unless there is evidence to support this assumption, right? So assessing life right now from this vantage point, things are pretty good. I have my allergies and sinus headaches under control with my frequent nasal/sinus saline rinses and have managed not to...