Healthy Life Lessons

Weird thing, but I have a dirty dark secret: While on the surface of things I look like a very tidy, together person (people often comment on how tidy our house is), if you open my drawers, you'd see another side.  I don't know what it is, but I have never been good at organizing.  I just fling things in drawers so you can't see them.  I am forbidden from folding or putting away anyone's laundry but my own because I just roll things into balls and stuff them in.  My desk isn't horribly messy, but open the drawers and things are disasterous. Lately, however, this tendency is starting to have consequences, and now that I'm running a business, it is important for me to be organized.  I am great with my client files, but other things have still been sliding, and the truth is, all the disorganization makes me anxious. One area of our home that's been quite a mess for some time is our storage room in the basement.  We hadn't cleaned it out in 7 years and w...

Okay, this cannot really be considered 'healthy' given the fat and calorie content, but it is vegan, and does not contain any refined sugar.  Oh, and it is beyond amazingly and ridiculously delicious, which makes it worth the occasional splurge.  Coconut sugar has such a caramel-y taste, that this actually tastes more like dulce de leche than plain sweetened condensed milk.  But that's not a bad thing in my book. If you refrigerate it, it will harden into a fudge-like consistency...which can be a good thing!  If you want it spreadable, you have to keep it at room temperature and you might want to use 1 cup boiling water.  If you want it pourable, you will want to add additional boiling water until you get the desired consistency (about 2 cups). The potential uses for this are endless: coffee drinks, candy, chocolates, frostings, squares, etc. Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk/Dulce de Leche 1 cup coconut milk powder 2/3 cup coconut sugar 3 tbls cr...

I bet you've never heard of Kangoo Jumps, right? They are a fitness phenomenon, of sorts.  I discovered them at the CAN FIT PRO conference about 6 years ago.  Believe it or not, I actually own a pair.  As you can see from the photo, they are like ski boots with springy things on them.  They supposedly allow you to perform high impact activities while providing much more cushioning for your joints than regular footwear.  This is why I initially purchased them about 5 years ago.  Having fallen in love with running after Big A was born, and then developing runner's knee, before I gave up on my new-found activity, I bought a pair of Kangoo Jumps to see if they really work. I purchased them for $300 on Ebay - and no, Adam was never thrilled with this whole idea.  Admittedly, I wore them 2-3 times before I put them in a closet and kind of forgot about them.  My knees still felt achy afterwards, so it didn't seem to be the cur...

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Ours was good, thanks.  Big A had a big night out Friday.  She went to a kids movie night at a local community centre with one of her friends and it didn't end until 9:30pm.  She got home at 9:45pm (I was already in bed reading), and didn't get to sleep until 10pm.  This was all very exciting for her.  Despite sleeping to 7am Saturday, she was bagged, and after a busy day and another late night (we went to friends' for dinner), she passed out in the car on the way home.  Little A had an awesome day on Saturday.  She was the happy, delightful Little A that I feel like we haven't seen much of lately.  Sunday we had a Purim party which was lots of fun.  The only downer this past weekend was that on my way to teach my spinning class Sunday morning, I lost my cell phone.  Since it is the primary way clients reach me, I was in a big panic.  I went out looking for it, but in the snow,...

Although all 3 of the women in this house are totally thrilled to have Adam back, I wouldn't say it's been all rainbows and butterflies in this house since his return Wednesday night.  Thanks to Little A.  While she's been over the moon to have daddy home, it didn't stop her from having one of her hysterical screaming fits yesterday morning.  I am literally at my wits end with her and I really am starting to believe that it's so genetic thing, that Adam and I just produce children that are destined to be impossible for several years early in their life.  I also HOPE this means that when they are teenagers, it will be a breeze.  Ha! I spoke at length with Little A's daycare teacher and she reported - as has generally been the case - that at daycare, she is perfectly capable of controlling her emotions and has the ability to calm herself down when she gets upset.  THIS IS NOT THE CASE AT HOME AT ALL!!!  Her teacher suggested a bunch of things, all ...

  Pastrami is a classic Jewish deli food.  But I don't think I've had it since I was a kid.  I am not much of a Jewish deli lover.  It's not healthy, and for the most part, it's not even food that I like that much.  So I don't know how I came up with the idea of making mushrooms seasoned like pastrami (maybe I was thinking of ways to make Adam love a vegetarian meal?), but boy I'm glad I did, because these are delicious, and they make a mean Rueben style sandwich! Do they taste like pastrami? No, of course not.  Your Uncle Moishe won't be fooled.  They taste like super delicious mushrooms.  And  really, is there anything better? Portobello Pastrami 1 lb portobello and/or oyster mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup vegan or regular worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup spicy or garlic pickle juice, or additional vinegar 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp celery seed 1/...

Adam gets back tonight (insert big sigh here!).  The girls are still in one piece and I'm still standing, although I've developed an eye twitch, possibly lost some weight and gained a few more wrinkles in my forehead. I'm still certain that if I was a single mother, my children would be filthy, toothless, illiterate, delinquents. Ha ha!  I only missed one bath and a few days of flossing, but I forgot about brushing the girls hair after bathing them most nights.  Big A had quiet the rats-nest going by last Saturday.  Yeah, I know, I'm mother of the year!  Fortunately, after spending the night with my in-laws, the girls were delivered to me the next day with glossy manes.  Getting Big A to read every day was as difficult as I thought it would be, but I managed to push her through it for at least a few minutes most days. I'm trying to accept that Little A is going through a difficult period, much like Big A did between the ages of 18 months and 5 years, an...

So Adam is coming home tomorrow, assuming his flight gets in, and I'm still standing!  Barely.  Man, the weekends are the hardest, and with Family Day yesterday, this was a long weekend.  Honestly, I'm never a big fan of Family Day: an extra day with the kids in the dead of winter with half the city closed down and any open attractions and venues crowded with families trying to entertain their own rugrats.  Yeah, thanks, not really a holiday.  With Adam away this year, I was especially underwhelmed.  Fortunately, his cousin offered to take the girls for the day.  Oh halleluhah! The weekend was really up-and-down.  Saturday morning, Little A had one of her major screaming fits before 8am.  My crime?  I dared give Big A the mug she wanted.  Once she calmed down, 45 minutes later, she became sweet, happy Little A, and the girls surprised me by playing together nicely for about 90 minutes while I had a quiet breakfast with the news...

Okay I have to admit something: I've never had a Meyer lemon until a few weeks ago!  I don't know why...  So when I spied a bag at Fiesta Farms, I snatched them up.     I used half to bake some blueberry, buckwheat, lemon muffins, and then I used the rest for this dish: yummy, flavourful (and of course nutritious), roasted veggies.  To be honest, I think I actually prefer regular lemons, they have a brighter flavour.  But since I've never had them before I don't know if these ones just weren't stellar, or if they just aren't to my liking compared with regular lemons.    If you don't want all your veggies to turn purple, you may want to roast the beets separately, but frankly I didn't care.  You can also swap out these veggies for your favorites.  I think broccoli, zucchini and peppers would also be delish with this marinade.  If you have no Meyer lemons, sub regular ones.  Meyer Lemon & Dijon Roaste...

Oy, last night was the toughest yet since Adam left.  I don't know if the girls were just tired or it was a full moon, but I don't think there were 5 minutes that didn't involve screaming and crying over I don't know what.  I needed several time outs. I am kind of happy and sad that it's Friday.  I'm happy simply because it's another day closer to Adam coming home (next Wednesday if his flight is on time!), but sad, or perhaps weary is a better term, because the weekends are toughest when he's away as I have the girls all day long.  Hopefully this weekend will be a bit easier, and we'll get out to do more stuff, assuming we're not hit by another massive snow storm! Big A and I discussed what Random Acts of Kindness we could do this week.  We decided to surprise the custodial staff at her school - who I am assuming are not the recipients of gifts as often as are the teachers - with a big box of good chocolate on Valentine's day.  We left...

Happy Valentines Day! Here is low-down on a new cook book aimed at couples. I was recently sent an advance copy of The Newlywed Cookbook (3rd Edition) to review.  I had no idea what the purpose of it was, but figured it would be recipes to serve two people, rather than the standard 4 for most recipes.  Turns out, its focus is on quick, simple to prepare dishes and meals, which I may have figured out if I'd researched the author beforehand.  Robin Miller is the host of the Food Network's Quick Fix Meals . I knew, since there was no focus on nutrition, that this book wasn't going to be for me, but I was interested to see what made it unique anyways. The book definitely gives you breadth and variety, with chapters for: 1. Pizza and bread 2. Pasta and risotto 3. Chicken, turkey, duck and game birds 4. Beef, pork, veal, venison and lamb 5. Seafood and shellfish 6. Side dishes, salads and salsas 7. Desserts and other sweet treats 8. Special occasion recipes and...

When we had dinner with Adam's colleagues a few weeks ago, our hostess made a rice dish with  figs that was outstanding.  I used it as inspiration for this dish, but, as usual, put my own spin on it.  It. Is. Amazing!!  This would make a perfect side dish for a romantic Valentine's meal.    Orange, Fig and Wild Rice Pilaf 1/2 tsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup brown rice 1/2 cup wild rice, soaked for at least 1 hour 1 cup dried figs, chopped 1-946 ml carton chicken or vegetable stock 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon Juice and zest of 1 large navel orange Salt and pepper, to taste Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic in oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (30-40 minutes).  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Serves 4-6.  Leftovers can be frozen. This recipe has been added to Diet, Dessert & Dogs' W...

Source Along with our weight and what we put into our bodies, North Americans seem to be obsessed with our guts and what's coming out the other end.  While some people suffer from serious diseases that affect GI tract health such as Crohn's, colitis, celiac or even irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it seems like virtually everyone else is on some sort of specialized diet or supplement to improve digestion, bowel function and/or a host of what is believed to be associated symptoms.   Gluten-free is the new diet du jour, having replaced past favorites such as low-fat and low-carb.  But is avoiding gluten really going to cure what ails you?  Honestly, I'm willing to bet that in 5 years, most North Americans are no slimmer nor healthier, even if many of us jump on the gluten-free bandwagon.  Therefore, I was very pleased when I saw that the Nutrition Action Healthletter for January/February 2013 was dedicated to GI stuff. Here's the scoop on poop (and rel...

Friday (snow day here in Toronto), I drove the girls to school/daycare and then drove a few hours later to volunteer at the school and then pick up some stuff at the market.  By that point, the snow was so deep, I barely got the car back in the garage.  At that point I knew I was walking to get the girls later on, which I knew was going to be tricky.  I suspected the stroller would be impossible, so it meant Little A was going to have to walk, which is not easy for someone so little.  I brought their snow shoes with me and hoped for the best.  To my surprise, they were total troopers and snowshoed enthusiastically the whole way home without any complaints.  In any case, once I knew we were going to be on foot, I also knew we'd need a reward for trudging through all that snow.  So the girls munched on these while they warmed up and watched cartoons while I shovelled for the 3rd time.  As soon as I was done, our neighbour got out his snowblower...

It figures that we'd get a freakin' huge snow storm while Adam is away!  But, hey, it gave me an opportunity for another random act of kindness.  It's been harder than I expected to find opportunities, at least to do the things I think are most kind.  Things like giving what we don't need to Goodwill are things we already do, so I am trying to look for opportunities to do additional kind things.  This week I only managed to drive Little A's daycare teacher home in the storm and shovel for the neighbours again.  But when I woke up this morning, the teenage son of the neighbours west of us was shoveling our front walk...this is the first time anyone in that household has moved a single snowflake for us in the 7 years we've lived in this house!  Maybe because I shoveled for them last week?  Just goes to show, kindness begets kindness.  The snow is coming down so hard that after I was showered and dressed, you couldn't even tell he'd done...

I am always grateful at the end of a busy day to be able to crawl into bed and escape with a good book.  Here is what I have been reading lately.  I will admit it, I recently finished the entire 50 Shades Trilogy .  Come on, tell me you haven't read them all too!?! To be honest, I think the hype is absurd.  This is not porn for heaven sakes!  It's actually a love story, although a complete fantasy one for sure. I think the appeal for most women is not the kinky sex scenes (which become more 'vanilla' in the later books), but the romance between Christian and Ana.  Many women will admit to, at least at some point in their life, having that desire to tame a 'bad boy'.  Why?  Because many of us believe that this is the ultimate measure of our worth.  Awful, but true.  Luckily, I grew out of this, and I hope most other women do too. In any case, the other piece of it is simply the desire that we all have, men and women, to be des...

I nagged Adam several times before he left to remember to eat carefully because of his cholesterol.  I know he'll be careful, but I also know he won't be eating lentils and rice either.  Nonetheless, since chicken is one of his favorites, I decided to indulge him with this dish for the last supper we ate together.  Yes, the last supper! Marinating the chicken overnight is a must, don't skip this step!  I served this with an amazing rice pilaf and some roasted veggies (recipes to come). 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup red wine vinegar Zest and juice of 2 navel oranges 1/2 cup Spanish olives, pitted and sliced 3-4 cloves garlic 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried oregano Salt and pepper, to taste

All the parents at the girls' daycare have noticed an annoying trend: foods that the kids won't touch at home, they gobble down at daycare.  Perhaps it's peer pressure, I don't know, but the kids tell us they ONLY like  x, y or z   the way the daycare makes it and it drives us all mad.  I don't doubt the food is good, the daycare has their own cook who makes, fresh, homemade vegetarian meals each day.  But some of the parents have tried using her recipes and their kids STILL won't eat the food at home. Nevertheless, when the girls both came home last week and told me they like chili - as long as it's not spicy - I couldn't miss the opportunity to make something new.  Now, anytime I serve something new for the first time, it's ALWAYS a disaster.  Generally they will refuse to try it or say they hate it before they try it, or will try only a microscopic amount.  I end up furious, and Adam asks me why I even bother.  Fun stu...

So Adam left for London yesterday.  Luckily, my mom is coming through town today on her way to visit family in New York, so I at least have back up tonight. Several people have suggested to me that there could be some benefits to Adam going away.  They have said that when their partners go away, they create a new routine with their kids that sometimes ends up being simpler and that, in fact, when their partner returns, it just messes up this system. But this is not how it goes in our home.  I just have too wonderful a partner.  Adam is not just my husband, he is my best friend.  He is not just the primary breadwinner, he is also my equal partner in looking after the household.  I do the cooking, most of the laundry, dropping off and picking up the girls from school/daycare, and planning their meals and organizing their clothes.  But Adam pays all the bills, deals with all the garbage/recycling/composting, he runs the dishwasher, folds the laundry,...

It's coming, and coming soon!  Nope, I'm not talking about the Superbowl folks.  I could not be less interested in that, or to put it another way: I would rather poke myself in the eye with an ice pick than watch sports, pretty much any sport, on television. But on Sunday, Adam goes to London, England for 17 days!  This will be longest I will be a lone parent to date and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified.  Yes, it is getting easier as the girls get older, but Little A is still prone to (daily) bouts of what can only be called completely irrational hysterical fits.  Take yesterday morning for example.  She woke up seemingly in a fine mood.  Then as I got her dressed she randomly said, "Big A never shares her gum with me." This is actually not true at all.  A few minutes later when Big A woke up, she was greeted with Little A screaming at her, "You never share your gum with me!"  Given this ridiculous accusation, I really could...