Healthy Life Lessons

Wow, its been a while since I have posted a recipe! But now that our new kitchen is done, I'm back! I decided to break in the new kitchen with a new from-scratch pizza crust. What's different about this one, is it's yeast-based, something I haven't made in ages. Truthfully, there are lots of whole grain pizza doughs available around Toronto, so normally I wouldn't bother, but I have to say, it was much easier than I expected. I think I will have to do this more often! What makes this recipe a little different is that it uses aquafaba (chickpea liquid) as the binding agent, and is oil-free and vegan. Why, when I am not vegan, or even vegetarian, do I make so many plant-based recipes? Well, first, plant-based foods are super healthy and I subscribe to Michael Pollan's philosophy: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Second, it brings out my inner scientist. I love experimenting with recipes and seeing how non-traditional ingredients (that are healthier)...

Wow, I think I got off easy with this cold. Monday I felt miserable, but yesterday I already felt better. I mostly just have a headache and stuffy nose. Today I feel almost completely back to normal. Nothing compared to what Adam has (and still has after a solid 2 weeks!). So far I have not had to cut any workouts or miss work, thank goodness! This was possibly the shortest cold I've ever had! So...today is Workout Wednesday here on the blog. Ya know how ads for stuff you're into kinda just magically pops up on your Facebook feed? Here's a shocker, I get a lot of ads for healthy food and fitness products. Though these stalker ads totally creep me out, I got sucked in a few weeks ago. Cathe has some new DVDs launching soon and there was a special offer to preorder. The new series is called Strong and Sweaty. Hey, I'm strong and sweaty! Sounds like a good fit for me!! As if that wasn't enough, while I was ordering the new set, I couldn't resist picking up a...

I am not feeling so chipper this morning. Not because its Monday, but because my generous husband shared his germs and I now have the cold he's been suffering from the past few weeks. I hope I don't get it as bad, or like him, I will have to miss work. But I have a headache from hell and kind of scratchy throat. I knew it was only a matter of time. I think Little A has it too. Colds suck. I guess the good news is, I get them far less often than I used to, probably because I sleep much better and eat much better than I did during my 20s and early 30s. Nevertheless, sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, those damn germs are going to get you. Anyways... You've probably heard me say it a million times, but the healthiest snacks are just food. Like food as nature intended: nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies. But sometimes its nice to have a little treat. When I am starving after a workout or on the go, I will indulge in a protein bar, and for the past few years my favou...

I was blessed with never having oily skin as a teenager. I got a zit here and there, but acne was never a problem for me. My skin has always been more on the dry side. Unfortunately, now that I'm 'mature' I am experiencing the downside of having dry skin. While women with oilier skin my age now 'glow', I tend to have sallow, dull skin that shows lines and wrinkles. The area around the outer corners of my eyes are particularly problematic because my eyes water a lot, particularly in cold weather, which irritates my sensitive skin. So I was more than happy to try out Nerium 's Age-Defying Eye Serum when they sent the request. Here is the scoop on this product: Exclusive Science: The patent-pending SIG-1191 molecule delivers targeted antioxidant power to help smooth the skin for a more youthful, healthy appearance, while also adding essential hydration.  Additionally, the exclusive I-FIL4R™ ingredient, derived from White Lily and Brazilian ginseng...

I am rarely on-trend. I've always had strong opinions about things and they tend to vary from the 'norm' a lot of the time. So don't be offended by this list. Clearly, these trends are all so popular, I am the oddball for not getting them. So here they are in no particular order... Gourmet Junk-food shops The biggest food trend in Toronto right now seems to be over-the-top ice cream goodies. Like I mean cones piled full of doughnuts, candy, etc. For a full list of these silly places, read here . If you want savoury over-the-top garbage, there's also a place for that . My belief is that the people who gravitate towards this kind of stuff, the stuff that is the exact opposite of what we should be eating, do it as an act of rebellion. Only problem is, the only one who suffers is you! These Birkenstocks (and all the knockoffs) It seems like virtually every female these days has a pair of these shoes. No offence, but I think they are the ugliest sho...

Good morning and happy Monday! I will just briefly gripe about the weather which is back to hot and humid. Grr, give me fall please! Today, I'm talking cats. Full disclosure: Until Big A was born, so 10+ years ago, I was the craziest of crazy cat ladies. It started when I was young. Like really young, and was a full-fledged obsession by the time I was 18 months old. It wasn't environmental. We had no cats. I had to beg for cats for years, until my parents finally relented when I was 11. They weren't cruel or anything, but my brother had asthma and a zillion allergies as a kid, including to cats and dogs, but by that time (when he was 15), he'd outgrown a lot of his allergies, including the ones to pets. I like other animals, but nothing compares to cats. Unfortunately, I somehow married a guy not only allergic to cats, but who doesn't really like animals (he's not a sociopath, I swear!). He put up with the cats I had when we met for years, b...

Its the end of the 4th week of the reno circus here. Fortunately, the construction side of things is done. and that's great because I'm DONE with all that. The front door fiasco got cleared up by our contractor, who, when he heard the locksmith was going to have to break the door and we'd have to pay him again for a second visit, said he'd do it himself. Fhew! It was back open before noon last Friday. A few more hiccups, of course. The guys installed the desk in the guest room/study too high. We were wondering if they'd be bringing in bar stools! But our designer confirmed it was an error and would be fixed. More importantly, the head contractor/boss, broke his foot last weekend! When he's not on sight, things don't get done nearly as quickly or as well. F*CK! Thankfully, the boss came (with his cast foot) on Wednesday and things started progressing again. It stayed stupid hot and humid until this past Sunday, when the temps finally cooled off...

I couldn't be more thrilled with the fact that Big A has become a bookworm.  For so long (or at least it felt like to us!) she showed no interest in reading on her own. Then she suddenly got bitten by the bug.  She is reading fairly mature stuff, and even gives me some of her favorites to read. At first I was going to object. After all, there are so many adult books to read, why would I waste my time on books for kids/youth? But then I realized it is a great way to see what she likes to read, and to be able to converse with her about it. Besides, some of the stuff she's given me is pretty good. Like Wonder , which is, apparently being made into a movie now. Recently,  I was sent 2 young reader books: A Blind Guide to Stinkville, and The Last Cherry Blossom. In case you're wondering, being 42 feels great. I feel great. With age comes wisdom comes knowledge of how best to treat your mind and body. No wonder most women report being happiest in their 40s and ...

I would be lying if I said I wasn't already really sick of living in a construction zone. I'm a homebody, but being home isn't very fun, and definitely, isn't relaxing right now. One thing that has helped is buying a booster fan to help cool down our bedroom. I followed my friend's advice and bought this little gem: Its for rooms in your house that don't heat or cool down efficiently.  Since we are still in the midst of a f$cking heat wave here, I decided this was essential. I've been doing a lot of phone/Skype counselling from home lately and midday our room gets so hot I feel ill.  Meanwhile, the workmen downstairs get all the nice cool air from our air conditioner. Grr! There have also been some fairly major hiccups. First, the new fridge we ordered wouldn't fit through any of our doors and had to be returned. We had to then find a fridge that would fit, which meant we ended up not getting our top choice. Then our front door broke. yes, I kid ...

Summer is over! Well, at least if you're a student. Officially it doesn't end for a few weeks, and it certainly still feels like summer. Yeah, I hate it. This f*cking hot, humid weather needs to end NOW! We made the most of our last weekend of the summer with our annual trip to the CNE on Friday, with a crowd of friends. It wasn't unbearably lot, thank goodness, and the girls and their friends had a blast on the rides.  Saturday I had to work, and Sunday was errand day. Monday we took the girls berry/apple/pear picking but didn't last long due to the heat. I organized the house to prepare for the construction workers starting back up yesterday, while Adam took the girls for a swim in our neighbourhood pool. Yesterday was the first day of school. Grade 2 and Grade 5. Yep, the girls are growing up.  We are fortunate that the girls don't have much anxiety about school, they are so much more confident than I ever was as a kid! But now, in the midst of our reno ch...

We are done our second week of renos and things are taking shape.  Already I can get more of a sense of what the final product will look like and I'm getting excited. Its definitely important to stay focused on the goal because it really truly is a nuisance to live in a construction zone. If only the frickin heat and humidity would die down, because I am still finding the toughest part to be spending so much time in our bedroom, which is the hottest room in the house.  Before the renos, I would often have to take my work down to Adam's study in the basement, but that's not been an option. How is it that in 2016, we still can't regulate central air better? The basement is freezing, the main floor cool and the top floor wretched. Adam is eating his fuelfood.ca meals and supplementing with a lot of snacks.  Turns out they are really better designed for someone on a weight-loss diet and just aren't enough food for most normal people, but he is finding them tasty eno...