Healthy Life Lessons

[This post is about women's reproductive systems. If it makes you uncomfortable, get a life. You wouldn't have a life without it whether you are a man or woman!] As embarrassing as this is to admit, I didn't really understand human fertility until I was 30 and Adam and I decided we were ready to have children. But I know I am not alone. Many of my infertility clients admit the same. Most of us grow up thinking if you EVER have unprotected sex, you will get pregnant. But the truth is, there are only about 2-3 fertile days every month! Similarly, I never understood the menopause process until I hit 40 and entered into perimenopause. I thought you just go from having your usual menstrual cycle to missing periods, to complete absence of periods, and that this would all happen around age 50. HA! Man, we women have it rough. It is so much longer a process, and far less pleasant!! The first shock for me was that instead of periods just getting lighter until they disap...

Though I consider myself a health food lover for sure, I think I also am a health food sinner. I don't really like quinoa (gasp!). The way it smells when it cooks is putrid actually. As you know, I don't really like smoothies or juice either, as I prefer to chew my food, thank you very much. I think coconut oil is heavy and greasy and don't buy into it being a miracle food. I refuse to use the hipster term 'bone broth' because its just bubby's chicken soup for goodness sakes, and I don't even really like broth that much (I am a double sinner here as one might argue any good Jew loves chicken soup!). I also don't really like the taste of green tea. Yes, I admit it! The horror!! Green tea has a plentitude of health benefits though, so I would like a way to get myself drinking it more often. Consequently, I was more than happy to sample Good Earth's Sweet & Spicy Green Tea , flavoured with fruit, cinnamon, and lemongrass. As soon as I poured ...

Are you struggling this morning? I feel great, actually. Much better than yesterday when I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a bus, thanks to Little A's sleepover birthday party, which had all of us exhausted. But Little A got up this morning even grumpier than yesterday. Even though she slept almost 12 hours! She whined non-stop about how tired she is, how she didn't want to go to school today and she just wanted to go back to sleep. Welcome to Monday little one! Anyways,  I have a new recipe for you today: Blueberry Muffin 'Quest' Bars! I used the basic idea from my homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest bars (which the girls still say are the best protein bars ever, even better than any you can buy!) but made these nut-free, and lighter by using dried blueberries instead of chocolate chips. These are so easy to make, you have to try them! Just remember, the base is primarily protein powder, so make sure you use a high quality protein powder that ...

Though I am not working this weekend, aside from tonight, I don't think its going to be a relaxing one. It is Little A's 8th birthday and she is having a sleepover party (Help!). She starts thinking about what she wants for her next party the day after her party. Luckily, its just a few friends, and, actually, its one of the least expensive parties we've ever thrown for the girls. But hopefully it doesn't cost us our sleep...or our sanity! The plan is the girls come over for pizza (I always offer other meal choices, but they always want pizza!), and movies, and this year, Little A wanted a cookie cake like the one Adam always gets for his birthday. I found the perfect one from a local bakery , that offers more flavours and colours than any other place I have found up to this point. She is absolutely thrilled with the heart shaped white and milk chocolate chunk variety she chose, with purple and pink icing. The next morning I promised her we would serve the gi...

I have been completely discombobulated this week. Since Monday was a holiday, I am just totally off kilter, though kind of in a good way. We were so busy over the 4 day weekend, it flew by. Lots of time with family and friends, which is the best way to spend it. And now I bring you a cook book review! Pascale Naessens is one of those women its hard not to envy. She is a model, healthy eating advocate, ceramic artist, speaker and author from Belgium. I had not heard of her before being asked to review her latest book, but I suspect that's because I am North American, as she clearly has made a name for herself already in Europe. Nevertheless, I was eager to read her take on healthy eating. Pure & Simple is primarily a cookbook, but it is based on her approach to nutrition (which she says is not a diet) and includes an explanation of her perspective on healthy eating. In a nutshell, she eats a low carb, high protein, high fat diet of whole foods. Its nothing ground bre...

More recipes for you today! I always like to explore new recipes for Passover, because...well the ol' traditional stuff is pretty yucky (I am looking at you matzo!). So I made 2 things using this basic macaroon recipe, a macaroon topped fruit crisp, and macaroon cookies. Take your pick, they are both scrumptious! As always, I didn't use sugar, just a combination of Vitafiber and stevia, and since the base is almond flour and coconut, they are gluten-free. Macaroons traditionally use egg whites, so this recipe isn't vegan. You could try using flax eggs, but I have no idea if that would work. If you just want to make cookies, go for it. Its a big recipe so it will bake a lot! You can add in other things besides chocolate chips, such as dried fruit, if you wish. Macaroon Recipe 1.5 Cups almond flour 1.5 Cups medium shredded, unsweetened coconut 2/3 Cup finely sliced almonds 1/2 Cup Vitafiber powder 1 tsp Pure stevia powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp Pure vanilla extrac...

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday! Lots of recipes for you this week. Though a kugel is a traditional Jewish dish, and often one served at Passover, this is something that you can make any time of year, regardless of your background. This recipe is healthy and only moderately sweet, so it makes a great, nutritious breakfast, brunch dish, or side dish for dinner. Most kugels contain a lot of eggs and many contain cheese, but this one is entirely vegan, as well as sugar-free and gluten-free. You can add in nuts and/or other dried fruits if you wish as well. It came together because Little A wanted to make something with me for our sedar at my in-laws and I didn't want to make another dessert, but also wanted to try and find something that would appeal to the kids. Apples and cinnamon is always a good bet! Apple Carrot Raisin Quinoa Kugel 1 cup quinoa 946ml carton unsweetened plain or vanilla coconut drinking milk (or almond milk) 2 apples, chopped 1 lb bag shredded ...

Its that time of year...you know, when every pharmacy and grocery store has shelves filled with chocolate bunnies, Easter eggs, and Passover gelt. Most if it isn't even very good, its usually cheap chocolate, you know, the kind that almost has a waxy consistency. Blech! Skip it! Make your own and make it sugar free. You get all the yumminess and the health benefits of chocolate minus the sugar. And, honestly, it is super fast and easy. This chocolate also is vegan and gluten-free, so very allergy-friendly. If you can't find Vitafiber, or another brand of IMO sweetener, order it online, its widely available, including on Amazon. If you don't have chocolate molds, you can pour it into little paper candy cups instead. Sugar Free Dark Chocolates 6 oz unsweetened chocolate 1/2 cup Vitafiber IMO syrup 1 tsp pure stevia powder (or other sweetener, to taste) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract Melt chocolate over double boiler (or heat safe bowl set over simmering water)...

When doing mental health histories with my counselling clients, I always screen for phobias. People usually laugh at first, but then you would be surprised how many people admit to having one. A phobia, by the way, is an anxiety disorder characterized by a persistent fear of an object, event or situation. Sometimes they develop because of a past trauma, but sometimes they have no clear origin. It is theorized that some of the more common ones, like phobias of spiders and snakes, actually have a biological origin, since in earlier times they may have served to keep us safe. We tend to think of phobias as humorous, but they can truly be debilitating for the sufferer. Fortunately, I find most of my clients who have phobias don't seem to feel shame about them. The most common ones reported to me are: Spiders Snakes Bugs of all kinds Flying Needles Small spaces Crowds The dark Dental work Medical procedures Others I've had reported to me: Ketchup F...

It seems that Irritable Bowel (IBS) is increasingly common these days. But I've been familiar with it since I was a kid. My dad was diagnosed with it back in the 80s. At that point, nobody was talking about it. He was put on this weird fibre supplement but I don't think it helped much because after a few years he quit taking it. By the end of highschool, I'd been diagnosed with it too. My doctor recommended I start my day with a glass of warm water and then sit on the toilet until elimination occurred. Um. Okay... That didn't work. Partly because drinking warm water made me gag (hot with lemon or ice cold is how I like my water!), and partly because it just didn't help me eliminate. It was only years later I realized I just needed to stop consuming milk (I was lactose intolerant and ate cereal with milk every day for breakfast) and start drinking a lot more water. I was working out regularly by 10th grade, but like most young people, drinking crap (pop, juice, ...

Once a week in my fitness routine, Monday, as a matter of fact, is core day. I love core day, but long ago I got sick of my rotating routines. Though I like my Jillian Michaels DVDs, and continue to keep them challenging by increasing the weight I use, I am bored of them. I plain hate the Bob Harper one I have, its weird and he's annoying. But I do it to add variety. I will throw in the ones that came with my Tapout XT set, but I don't love them. I've been doing all of them for years and have been dying for something new. Unfortunately, I never found anything that seemed worth buying...until now. I stumbled across a new workout program called Core de Force from Beach Body. It combines 2 of my favorite things: core work, and MMA inspired fitness! Its led by trainers Jericho McMatthews and Joel Freeman and includes 3 DVDs full of workouts. Also, includes all the usual Beach Body stuff (workout plan, diet plan, etc.), but I toss that stuff. The full workouts are betw...