Healthy Life Lessons

Unfortunately, I could not even get the girls to try these...which drives me nuts.  I gave them the whole how-can-you-know-you-don't-like-it-if-you-won't-even-try-it lecture, but to no avail.  In the end, its not so bad as I love these and if there are more for me, well so be it! They go great with things like...sweet potato fries, like the ones that snuck into the photo, ha ha! Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts 2 lb fresh Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and halved 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 2 tbsp pure maple syrup Pinch of salt and cracked black pepper, to taste Toss sprouts with all the other ingredients and then spread on parchment lined baking sheet.  Roast at 400F for 20-25 minutes. Eat.

I call these 'Triple D' French Toast Sandwiches because they are inspired by some of the crazy-ass nutritional monstrosities you see on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  The stuff on that show makes my jaw drop.  It's like how many calories can someone squeeze onto one plate.  It's nuts!  But I actually like watching it occasionally to give me ideas for recipes I can healthify, like this one. It made a yummy breakfast for dinner the other night ;) Triple D French Toast Sandwiches 6 whole grain flat breads 1/2 cup egg whites 1/4 cup skim milk (or non-dairy milk) 1/2 tsp maple or vanilla extract 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon A few drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid (to taste) 6 slices cooked turkey or veggie bacon Natural peanut butter Pure maple syrup for dipping (optional) Whisk together eggs, milk, extract, cinnamon and stevia in a flat pan or container.  Separate tops and bottoms of breads and dip into mixture, making sure both sid...

Good morning!  It is a beautiful Monday.  We had a fabulous weekend except for me dropping my smart phone in the toilet.  Oh yes I did.  It's toast.  I am trying not to dwell on it.  It totally sucks, but in the grand scheme of things, it could be worse.  Still shitty though. I'll use the toilet talk to segue into talking about farts...I mean beans! I love the musical fruits.  All of them.  I think beans are awesome.  Not only are they absolutely delicious, but they are also incredibly healthy, versatile and inexpensive.  How can you beat that?  Frankly, I think they are probably one of the healthiest protein sources (one of the many reasons I think the Paleo diet is silly). So I was happy to review Vegan Beans from Around the World. The subtitle is Adventurous Recipes for the Most Delicious, Nutritious and Flavorful Bean Dishes Ever .  That sounded like just my kind of thing! This is definitely a good book for ...

Its been chilly for this time of year the past few days, but at least the sun has been shining bright.  It makes such a difference to your mood when the sun's out.  I don't mind this weather though, for me its a whole heck of a lot better than the raging heat and humidity we'll have soon.  I don't know about you, but I feel like I am constantly charging my phone and iPad.  This means things constantly being plugged in and using electricity.  So imagine how much energy you could save by using solar power to charge your devices! I encourage you to check out the Green Living Show this weekend if you want to get one just like this from BMS Trading : There are lots of other ecofriendly and healthy living products, you should definitely go.  And don't forget that you can get $2 off your tickets if you buy through my blog. We have a super busy weekend coming up.  I work Friday night and Saturday morning, and we also have my niece's birthday party....

    You have probably heard of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but when you think of it, you probably associate it with soldiers involved in combat or first responders (police, paramedics, fire fighters, etc.).  Certainly, those are populations most at risk for PTSD simply because of what they do every day, but others can experience it too.  Victims of crime or accidents, those who have experienced or witnessed abuse, or individuals who have had near death experiences or medical emergencies can all develop PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include depression, anger, flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and insomnia.  Many people with chronic PTSD attempt to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.  I had the privilege, when I was doing my counselling training, to work with a client who had PTSD from serving in the Canadian Armed Forces in Bosnia.  He had struggled with it for 12 years before finally being diagnosed! Even those who do not meet the cri...

Well hello and good morning to you! I wanted to share some news with you about the 2014 Green Living Show . This is an awesome event running from April 25-27 in Toronto where you can sample and buy a myriad of fabulous ecofriendly and healthy products.  There is information, activities and events for the whole family! Anyone who decides to follow me on Twitter , or becomes a blog follower by April 24th, will have the chance to win one of two pairs of free tickets to the show.  Or, if you purchase tickets through this link , you will get $2.00 of each ticket. Just plug in the code: BLOGGLS at point of purchase. I encourage you to attend this fabulous event!!

It's Little A's actual birthday today...I can't believe she is 5 already!  But we had a pretty awesome long weekend. Normally I work Saturdays, which kind of sucks, but is a necessity for now.  This weekend, I didn't work at all, and it was glorious!  If you have kids, you know that holidays and long weekends are not always a vacation, but this 4-day weekend was actually pretty great. Friday we took the girls to Artistic Way to paint mugs, and we had an amazing time.  Our pieces should be ready next week, and we are very excited to see the fruits of our labour. Saturday was Little A's birthday and, honestly, it was the best ever!  I have no regrets or guilt about letting the party planners at this place do all the work because they did an amazing job and the kids had a fabulous time!  I highly recommend Amazon Indoor Playground in Etobicoke, if you live in the GTA and are looking for a venue.  I am thrilled that we already booked Big A's par...

Well happy Easter Monday!  Its a beautiful day and the last one of our 4 day weekend.  We've been having a great time, how about you?  Or are you feeling a bit sluggish after too much ham, chocolate and other Easter indulgences this weekend...or Passover indulgences?  Maybe its time to ramp up your nutrition? Well, do you eat your greens?  Or do you drink them?  I eat them.  All the time.  So much, that people make fun of me. But I realize not everyone loves green veggies as much as I do.  I guess that's why greens supplements are so popular.  Personally, I am not a smoothie or juice person, so I am not a big user of these, so when I was recently sent a sample of Biocore's Microgreens , I shared them with my friend J, who just started chemo for ovarian cancer.  She has been struggling with her appetite, and, in particular, with having an appetite  for veggies.  She is a long time user of various greens supplements...

Happy Easter to those celebrating this weekend. I think we are all happy to have a 4 day weekend happening here, especially since the weather has improved.  There have been so many incidents of misbehaviour around here lately, that the girls have lost almost all of their privileges, and I've lost my sanity.  Although really I lost that years ago. Little A still seems to be in some sort of phase that is, well, miserable.  I think it was exhaustion a few days this week because the girls got to bed much later than usual due to the Passover sedars.  But yesterday morning she was so irrational that I can't even explain it. Adam and I suspect it might have been nerves about having to do this presentation in French at school, but it's hard to say.  She is very social, but definitely doesn't like being put in the spotlight.  She was too shy to sing the 4 questions at the sedar, for example, even though it was just family. I am very excited because today we...

Finally, after several days of indulgent Passover treats, here is a savoury recipe for you. This one basically adapts one I make all the time to be for Passover.  Having to avoid wheat and other grains isn't even the hardest part of Passover for me, it's actually having to also avoid legumes.  This means I can't even use soy sauce!  Thankfully, most health food stores now offer alternatives to soy sauce like coconut aminos.  I subbed coconut vinegar in for the rice vinegar I would usually use, but Adam wasn't overly impressed with that.  I agree, it's definitely better with soy sauce and rice vinegar, but for 8 days of the year, this will do.  It's still very tasty. For all you not celebrating Passover, this is still a yummy recipe that is great for people eating gluten-free, low-carb, etc. This is a big recipe, because it was served at our family sedar, so feel free to half it if you don't want to make as much. Sesame Ginger Shirataki Noodl...

Most folks who know food, know that the best Passover desserts, are those that never had flour in the recipe to begin with.  So when I found Nigella  Lawson's Olive Oil Chocolate Cake , I knew I had to make it for this year's sedar. It was definitely the show-stopper.  My picky father-in-law had multiple servings and there were nothing but accolades from everyone else (including the kids). Unfortunately, its not super healthy.  I thought about using something other than white sugar, and might do that next time I'm making it for us, but since I was making it for a crowd not always keen on healthy substitutions, I left the recipe as is. Actually, I kind of gilded-the-lily on this one and used almond milk instead of water to make it even richer, and instead of just dusting the top with icing sugar, as Lawson does in her recipe, I poured a chocolate fondant over the top. I also did the lazy woman's version and skipped all the sifting, electric beat...

I saw this recipe on The Detoxinista blog and instantly thought it looked perfect for a Passover dessert. I didn't think baking soda was okay at Passover, but when I did a bit of research, a lot of sources claim it is.  I guess you can decide for yourself.  I kept it in because I am not that experienced baking with almond flour, so I didn't want to mess these up. The original recipe uses maple syrup, but I don't like baking with maple syrup unless I want the flavour to be the focus (otherwise it's a waste of liquid gold!), so I opted for agave, and it worked perfectly.  These are super yummy even if you aren't celebrating Passover.  Adam described them as tasting like a cross between a macaroon and a cookie.  The kids love them too! Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free) (Adapted from this one ) Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of blmond flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanill...

Happy Passover, and happy birthday to my dad! Since I invented this recipe for Passover about a dozen years ago, they've been a favorite of Adam's.  The original isn't very healthy, using 2 full cups of brown sugar, but several of my attempts at making them with substitutions failed.  The recipe I posted last year is the original, but the photo is actually of the ones using coconut sugar, which ended up too crumbly.  This year, I finally mastered it!  Just a very small change in proportions and they turned out perfectly: sweet, caramel-y, crispy, chewy and amazing. The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (for Passover) 2 large eggs 4 tbls egg whites (or whites of 2 large eggs) 2 cups coconut sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups whole wheat matzo meal 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips Whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.  Scrape batter into greased 8x8 squar...

Little A's birthday is coming up, with Big A's a few weeks later.  Ugh!  Why is it that kids birthdays have turned into such a big deal?  When I was a kid, we had people over for cake and ice cream and we played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.  My mom would make me a cat shaped cake every year (remember, I used to be a crazy cat lady), with the face being made out of jelly beans and licorice (no professionally made fondant covered masterpieces).  Last year, we got away with doing a joint party for them at a local community centre, but just to prepare all the healthy (ish) cupcakes, cake balls, etc. that they requested, and set up all the entertainment, and make the music CDs for the lootbags, almost left me a drooling idiot.  I think I needed several days to recover from all the stress and excitement. This year, I am subcontracting much of the work out.  I just can't do it.  Things are busy and it's too much right now.  It's...

I really love the complex flavours of Thai food, so I don't know why I don't make it more often.  It's actually quite simple.  If you have the time, you can add your meat raw and simmer in the sauce, or you can just use leftover meat or tofu and throw it in later, whatever.  As long as you don't overcook the meat or seafood, it's really quite hard to screw this up. This could even be a Passover dish if you serve it over cauliflower rice!  If you want to thicken up the sauce a bit (which you definitely would want to do if using cauliflower rice), add a tablespoon or two of coconut flour. Red Thai Curry (Vegan Option) 1 lb boneless cooked chicken, pork, beef, seafood or tofu 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger, minced 2-4 tbls red curry paste* 2 tbls fish sauce (or Ume plum vinegar for vegan) 1 can light coconut milk 1 broccoli, cut into florets 4 cups mushrooms, cut in half 2 red or yellow bell peppers, cut into strips...

Happy Hump Day!  So what if it's only Wednesday, today is probably the nicest day weather-wise of 2014 so far!  I have another yummy, healthy Passover recipe for you. I know I say this every year, but I think it's worth repeating: Please do not buy any of those processed Passover foods at the grocery store!   They are full of total crap.  I read the ingredients on a box of the 'cereal' and it was basically nothing but potato starch and sugar.  Mmm!  If you think that can power you through your day, I think you'll be disappointed. This, on the other hand, is not only delicious, but sugar-free, gluten-free and high in protein. I hope it will help ease Adam's suffering over the 8 days of the holiday this year.  I'll just watch.  While I am contemplating fasting for Yom Kippur next year, I have no desire...probably ever...to keep Kosher for Passover anytime soon. Even if you're not part of the tribe, if you need to avoid gluten, this is a g...

I often have women come up to me at the gym and ask me how I have managed to get so much muscle definition.  My answer is: consistent strength training.  I often share how important it is, particularly for women.  The benefits include: Increases muscle strength and endurance Improves body composition (% of body fat) Strengthens bones and tendons Improves mobility and posture Decreases chance of injury Improves sport performance Reduces/reverses age-related loss of muscle tissue Improves confidence, self-esteem and gives a sense of empowerment Most women listen intently and then hop on the elliptical trainer. Sigh! I don't know why strength training continues to be so intimidating for most women.  Once you get started, you will wonder why it took you so long! Since I have almost completely shifted to a strength-based fitness program, I have never felt better nor enjoyed my workouts more.  But I still struggle to get many of...

So the count down to Passover 2014 begins!  Our big sedar is at my mother-in-law's next Monday.  So I have for you a yummy Kosher for Passover recipe! The only time I ever hear Adam complain about too much chocolate is Passover.  In order to make up for all that he is missing out on for 8 days, I usually bake up a whole slew of rich, chocolate-based desserts.  Although he is usually enthusiastic at the beginning, eventually it all becomes too much for him. I will be making some chocolate Passover recipes, but I decided to make one that includes one of his other favorite dessert flavours: apple!  It also contains no quinoa.  Adam is not a huge quinoa fan, but because its been deemed kosher for Passover, I tend to make it a lot every year.  Don't worry, I will still be posting some chocolate and quinoa recipes for Passover, but this one is first on the list. Gooey Caramel Apple Slice (for Passover) 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, cooled a bit 1...

What did I do?  I made it through a tough week.  Nothing serious...I am trying to count my blessings, but truthfully I feel a little beaten down. Monday the school called to say Big A had a fever, so I ended up at home with her until Tuesday.    Monday night I came down with whatever she had.  Tuesday morning I took her to the drop-in at her doctor's office and arrived 30 minutes early only to find there was already a line up.  It was the craziest I've ever seen it, clearly there are currently some nasty bugs going around!  The good news is the quick strep test was negative, but I still filled her antibiotic script just in case because the long test takes days to get results back.  By Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling as crappy as she was.  Tuesday Little A fell in the playground at school and got a massive shiner.  Wednesday morning Big A was well enough to go back to school, but Little A was nice enough to treat me...

Nice recipe name eh? Heh!  As I've said many times, rice is a favorite food of mine.  And I love all kinds.  Brown rice has lots of nutrition, but it can also contain higher-than-ideal levels of, naturally occurring arsenic.  Since discovering that, I've cut down on my consumption.  I can easily hoover back several cups worth in one sitting.  And that's the problem with even whole grains: eat is easy to eat too much because they are so yummy and comforting, but, unfortunately, not as filling as protein. I could never go low-carb, but I do try to get too much carbs relative to fats and proteins.  I don't track my macros at all, I just try not to get too much of a good thing.  Most carb substitutes - like spiralized veggies or spaghetti squash - don't work as a satisfying replacement for grains for me.  Even kelp noodles leave me wanting.  So far, only shirataki noodles satisfy my craving for carbs.  But I have seen so many...

Back in September, I radically changed my workouts, cutting down on cardio and upping my weights.  I have been feeling great ever since.  But after a few months of my new program I noticed something: I was loving doing my strength training, but even the reduced amount of time I was spending doing cardio, I was loathing.  I was rarely using the treadmill to avoid injury, but I was beginning to despise the Stairmaster.  Even with my favorite TV shows playing, I was counting down the minutes.  It suddenly hit me that I couldn't spend another minute on a cardio machine.  Keep in mind, by the way, that I'm limited to activities I can do in our workout room, since I do my workouts early in the morning when Adam has already left for work and I'm home with the kids.  That being said, even the idea of going for a run or bicycle ride outside wasn't appealing to me. Fortunately, a few months earlier, I purchased the Tapout XT Fitness DVD set an...