Healthy Life Lessons

So, what are your plans for tonight?  Going out?  Partying hard? We are lucky if we go out at all, but tonight we are.  Nothing wild and crazy though, we're heading to our friends' house and bringing the girls (kids are welcome), so we'll likely be leaving by 9:30pm.  This is as much for Adam and I as it is for them, however, because we have our big New Year's Day party tomorrow and neither of us want to be tired and hung over for it. Do you have any goals or resolutions for 2015?   I have only come up with one so far: get better at standing up for myself. I am a pretty outspoken person and if there is something going on that I feel is unjust on someone else's behalf...watch out!  My problem is standing up for my own rights.  I have never been good at this and it means I often end up being a doormat.  This is, in general, more often a problem for women, who are socialized to look after the needs of others.  It's always bitten me...

It already seems like our trip to Florida was a lifetime away! Its hard to believe just 2 weeks ago we were soaking up the sun there. If you are looking for a place that will give everyone in the family a true holiday, Club Med Sandpiper is the way to go! We all had such an amazing time.  The food is great, the facilities are amazing, and there are activities for children of all ages as well as adults from morning to night. First, we got a suite with 2 bedrooms, which was awesome, because sharing beds or rooms with our kids never turns out well.  The girls even had their own half bathroom.  The rooms are definitely not luxurious, but there are some nice touches like chocolates on your bed every night, bathrobes and slippers for the adults and decent toiletries.  There is also a mini fridge stocked with pop, a coffee maker and a selection of coffee and tea. The food can accommodate even the pickiest of eaters with everything ranging from pizza, French fries, ...

  Hello!  How have your holidays been? We had a truly fabulous time in Florida! It was really amazing. One thing that made it so great was I was far more disconnected than usual. As it turned out, the resort had spotty Wifi and I could not get any Internet on my Ipad, except if I went and sat in the reception area.  Because of this, I ended up checking my email every other day, only because I'd left a voice mail telling clients I would be reachable by email, and checked Facebook once a day on Adam's computer.  Aside from that I was totally offline and out of touch with the whole world.  I barely watched television, and didn't read a newspaper once (I usually read 2-3 a day).  It was the most stress-free I think I've been in years.  It felt awesome. This photo was taken by Little A, with me wearing a dress of Big A's and my hair, in its naturally curly state, pulled back...and I am sandy, smelling of chlorine from the pool, and utterly rela...

Ah, don't you just love Grumpy Cat?  Not sure why he's so grumpy though, apparently he's made millions! I am going on a little blogging break.  We've got family stuff, a trip, and I have a lot of business stuff to work on over the next few weeks, so I will be back December 29th. If you want to get a jump start on your health resolutions for 2015, there are still 44 days to be first to try konjac powder and experience all its health benefits.  If you contribute to my campaign, you get to try some at a discount and, for those in the GTA, you get to try some goodies too!! Until then, I hope you have a safe, happy, wonderful holiday!!

This is a super yummy, comforting hot meal, perfect for chilly winter days.  Of course, besides being delicious, it is also packed with nutrition, guaranteed to fuel you for your busy life. Smokey Southern Bean and Bacon Stew (Vegan Option) 1 tsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced A few drops liquid smoke or 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp real maple extract or 2 tbls real maple syrup 2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 1 cauliflower, cut into florets 1 onion, sliced 2 slices turkey bacon, tempeh bacon or 1/2 cup coconut bacon 1 lb okra, trimmed and sliced 1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked) 1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked) 2 tbls creole seasoning, or chili powder 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 can tomato paste Cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste Toss sprouts, cauliflower, onion and bacon with oil, garlic smoke and maple.  Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and roa...

  If you are under age 50, you probably aren't terribly concerned about your bones.  But you should be!  The latest issue of the Nutrition Action Healthletter summarizes the latest research findings.  Your bones generally reach peak mass in your 30s and by your 50s most folks start to lose a significant proportion of their bone mass (men too, although women lose bone more rapidly). A million and a half Canadians have osteoporosis and many more have low bone mass and don't even know it.  Not only does this put you at risk for fractures, it also costs our health system millions of dollars.  Among frail, elderly, a fracture can also mean death.  Osteoporosis is referred to as the silent disease because often people don't know they have it until they experience a serious break. Genes play a role in your risk of osteoporosis, but lifestyle also has a significant impact on risk and is the one thing you can control.  Uncontrollable risk fact...

Ironically, while this yummy salad is festive with the colours of Christmas (okay maybe more pink and green than red and green, but close!), I took it to our family Hanukkah party...hey it's pretty hard to come up with a blue and white salad...blueberries and cottage cheese maybe? Anyways, this is great for a pot-luck because it is served at room temperature and balances out some of the super 'healthy' ingredients with a bit of sweetness. Salad 1 cup quinoa 1 lb organic baby kale 1/2 cup juice-sweetened cranberries/cherries and goji berries 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or sub sunflower seeds Dressing 1 cup cranberries 2 tbls orange rind Juice of 2 oranges 2 tbls maple syrup or honey 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 tsp salt Cook quinoa according to package instructions and let cool.  Toss with kale, berries and seeds. For the dressing, place cranberries, rind, juice and sweetener in a small pot and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down t...

Its Monday!  No doubt about that.  Little A was in Monday morning mode which is always delightful...not!  The girls just wanted to stay home and do all the crafts they got at the Hanukkah party yesterday.  I tried to put things in perspective for them and explained that they are damn lucky they get to go to school because in some countries only boys get to go and girls have to stay home, aren't allowed to learn to read and have to do nothing but have babies and scrub toilets their whole life.  Surprisingly, it actually worked and they were so flabbergasted by my preaching that they forgot all about complaining.  Ha! Anyways, on Mondays its particularly important to appreciate the little things.  Here are the little things bringing me joy right now. First, my new winter jacket I got on Black Friday for 50% off. It is the lightest, warmest and most flattering winter coat I have ever owned.  LOVE IT! By the way, that is not me in the p...

You may think it odd that as a therapist, I do a lot of work from home?  Well naturally I do all my paperwork and report writing at home, but I also do a lot of my counselling.  No, I don't have clients come over to my house...while it would be awesome to have a home office, we don't really have an appropriate space nor are we close enough to subway stop to make it realistic.  Actually, I do a whole heck of a lot of counselling by phone. In person is best, of course, but sometimes it just isn't possible. You see, there are few infertility counsellors in small towns outside of the Greater Toronto Area, so I get many clients from north and west of the city...and a few from east - I've even had clients from my hometown of Kingston!  Also, sometimes clients that start out seeing me in-person, switch to phone counselling.  Why?  Because if they don't live downtown, it can be a nightmare to get in and out of the city core.  Its getting really difficult ...

  This is a photo of a yummy teriyaki chicken and cabbage stir-fry I made for Adam and I using home-made teriyaki sauce. I am very careful about what sauces and condiments I purchase because most of them are pretty much pure sugar and other crap.  If you think its too much work to make your own, you're wrong.  Most are very easy to make yourself, just like this teriyaki sauce which is sugar-free and corn-starch free and can be gluten-free if you want. Sugar-Free Teriyaki Sauce 1/2 cup, packed dates Boiling water Chunk of ginger, peeled 2 cloves garlic 1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos 1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned) Optional: 1 tsp konjac powder Place dates in measuring cup.  Cover with boiling water up to 1 cup line.  Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients in blender.  Add dates and water and blend until smooth.  Keep in fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Back when I was a gym-rat, I really didn't think it was possible to get fit without going to a gym.  Working out at home just gave me images of someone lying on the ground doing side leg lifts with Jane Fonda or jogging on the spot for a few minutes.  But when life no longer allowed me to get to a gym regularly (i.e. I had kids), I had no choice but to keep active by working out at home.  I now much prefer doing it that way.  No having to look presentable.  No waiting for equipment.  No wasted time getting to and from somewhere else.  I love it!!  And I've realized you don't even need much equipment or space to become a lean mean fighting machine right in your own space. One of my must-have home gym items is a doorframe pull-up bar.  I use ours 2x week when I do my back/shoulder/chest strength workouts.  There is really nothing better for building upper body strength!  So I was more than happy to review a copy of Doorframe Pu...

I am always looking for new flavours, particularly when it comes to granola.  Just when I thought I'd exhausted all the possibilities my puny brain could think up, I was inspired by the juicy, orange persimmons at the market, which are now in season.  Being an Asian fruit, they team up perfectly with Chinese Five Spice.  If you aren't a fan, just omit and stick with the cinnamon.  Either way, this granola is sweet and fragrant, and, of course, healthy and delicious! Persimmon Five Spice Granola 3 ripe persimmons, chopped 1 tbls lemon juice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder (optional) 1/2 tsp pure, uncut stevia powder (or other sweetener, to taste) 1 cup water 3 tbls coconut oil 4 cups large flake oats (gluten-free, if necessary) 6 cups puffed millet 1 cup uncooked millet 1 cup raisins  (and/or almonds, cashews, dried apricots, etc.) Place persimmons, juice, spices and water in pot and bring to a boil over medi...

Hi and welcome to the start of a new week! This weekend Big A officially passed Swim Kids 10!  In case you are not familiar with these levels, this means she is now ready to start Bronze Star level...even though at age 8, she isn't eligible to pass Bronze Star for another 3 years, until she is 11.  I am so proud of her, she is such an amazing swimmer.  Something I can never say about myself.  So far, she has no interest in joining a swim team, and I can't blame her, I was never interested in competing either. I did love swimming as a young kid, but then there was a point where I stopped enjoying it.  I actually remember the moment.  The swim instructor threw weights into the deepest part of the pool and asked us to retrieve them.  I dove down and remember if felt like miles just to get to the bottom.  I struggled and ended up having to come up for breath before I got the weight.  In the end I got it, but something about the w...