Healthy Life Lessons

Its been a quiet week for me  with my counselling practice.  Adam has had many evenings of work engagements or working late, and finished off the week with a trip to Winnipeg, so that's meant less available work time for me.  Most clients want to see me after 5pm, after work, but the girls' after school daycare closes at 6pm, so if Adam isn't available to pick them up, its usually a no go for me.   I also had a daycare board meeting Wednesday night so my evenings were pretty much not open for appointments this week at all. Fortunately, my mother-in-law stepped in to pick up the girls today so I was able to book a few sessions, and tomorrow I've got a bunch more clients lined up.  Saturday afternoon, the logistics of the girls' activities (gymnastics, swimming, playdate and birthday party) are so complicated, we actually have to borrow one of my in-law's cars so I can shuttle Big A in one direction while Adam shuttles Little A in the other. The silver lini

Clearly photographing food in a glass bowl is not the best idea...no pun intended! This was another recipe I made for the first time for our New Year's Day party.  They are yummy as a snack, or you can throw them in a salad.  Super delish! Savoury Roasted Chickpeas 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked) 1 tbls olive oil 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp Herbamere seasoned sea salt (or regular sea salt), or to taste 2 tbls nutritional yeast Toss chickpeas with oil and spices and roast at 400F for about 45 minutes, or until crispy.  Keep in an air tight container in cool dry place or fridge for up to 1 month.

Here are some of the tasty things I've been eating lately... My Smokey Tomato Soup, along with a Vanilla Spice Plantain loaf cake. My absolute favorite Mutsu (sometimes called Crispin) apples and Chocolate Chunk Quest bars. Warm kale salad with strawberry, red onion dressing (which I forgot to photograph) with this soft sheep's milk black peppercorn cheese diced into it...oh yeah!   Roasted kabocha squash...because delicata squash has disappeared from the entire city of Toronto! But it was actually pretty awesome, especially with cinnamon. How about you, what yummy things have you been consuming??? This post is linked with What I Ate Wednesday's host, Peas and Crayons .

Oy its a cold one today!  At least we aren't having the snow storm like our friends east and south of us... Recently a client who I am counselling about improving her health told me she and her fiancé made soup together for the first time, rather than buying it, and they couldn't believe how easy it is.  It is...really! In fact, here are 3 reasons you should make soup instead of buying it: 1. Healthier - Not only is the soup you buy usually full of salt, but it often also has added sugars and starches, not to mention weird preservatives.  The canned kind also contains BPA...blech! 2. Cheaper - The good quality soups can be $10/litre!  Making your own is much, much more economical!! 3. Efficient - Its hard to make a small quantity of soup.  Make tons and then eat all week, or freeze for future meals. This soup is very warming from the smoked paprika, cumin and the kick of cayenne, if you can stand the heat!  You can replace the chickpeas with black beans if you wi

Personal hygiene is something that is not always so personal.  If you emit bad odour, chances are others are going to notice! The hygiene habits of others comes to my attention on a daily basis simply from using public transportation.  Already vulnerable to motion sickness, I instantly become nauseous if I end up near someone with bad body odour.  Blech!  Sometimes I may not be near enough to someone to smell them, but I am often amazed by how unclean people look.  Hair greasy, full of debris, and clearly unwashed for a lengthy period of time.  Clothes that smell worn and musty.  Ugh! Of course, when I feel disgust, I then wonder if I am not just being elitist.  After all, for many people, regular bathing and clothes washing is a luxury.  Often poor hygiene can be an early sign of mental illness. But sometimes there just seems to be no excuse.  I am only at the gym once a week to teach my spinning class, but lately every time I am there so are two older gentlemen who have unpl

TGIF!  Happy Friday everyone! Despite the chilly temps, its actually been beautiful and sunny here all week.  Its amazing what a positive impact the sunshine can have on your mood. Nonetheless, even when the sun is out, I've noticed that for the past few years, I have had a cloudy feeling.  I've been very introspective and tried hard to determine the source of my angst.  I've explored every aspect of my life: health, relationships, parenting, career, spirituality, and while my life is not perfect, its pretty awesome...so what's going on? I kept wondering and not finding the answer. Until recently. It suddenly dawned on me where this existential angst and sense of foreboding is coming from...not from anything in my life, specifically, but more to do with how our society is evolving.  I feel sad, frustrated, and concerned about where our world is going...and I am referring to the usage of technology and portable devices. I know I now probably sound like an old c

I brought this dressing for the dinner we had at my brother's house last weekend.  My husband and children may hate avocados, but the rest of my family loves them and they adored this dressing and demanded the recipe. This delicious, healthy dressing kicks your everyday salad up a few notches.  It is absolutely amazing!  I have nothing more to say. Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing 1 ripe avocado, pit and skin removed 1/2 cup cider vinegar Juice of 2 limes 1-2 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste Handful fresh cilantro Throw everything in blender or food processor and go!  Dressing is very thick, feel free to thin out with water if you wish.  Keep refrigerated for up to a week. I have posted this recipe in Urban Naturale's Healthy, happy, green and natural party blog hop .

I have read so many amazing books recently and I have not been keeping up with sharing with you all.  First, I have to mention this one as I love, love, loved it!  I got it in the airport on the way to Florida and am so very glad I did. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is set in New York, my favorite city so of course I love it!! It captures true historical events like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, but is purely fictional.  In fact, it has some magical realism in it, which ordinarily I don't go for, but I seriously adored this book! I also loved this mystery, The Cruel Stars of the Night , by Swedish author, Kjell Eriksson.  Now I want to read all his other books!  It was a very creepy, clever who done it. The Orenda, is, of course, a masterpiece!  Written by Canadian author, Joseph Boyden, it is an engaging and disturbing tale about the lives of Jesuit missionaries, and natives in Canada in the 17th century.  I have to say, it was hard to have m

Someone please help me, I am living in a household of squash haters!  How did this happen?  My family also hates avocadoes...really, I ask you, what did I do to deserve this??? After making a huge bowl of roasted buttercup squash mashed with butter, salt, cinnamon and a bit of stevia, which was greeted with turned up noses, I realized I needed a plan B for this orange vegetable.  So through desperation (as many inventions are found), I created these absolutely delectable muffins.  The squash makes them incredibly fluffy and moist.  Combined with the caramel/butterscotch flavour of the coconut sugar, they are just divine.  Just don't tell anyone what's inside!!!  You probably also shouldn't mention that these are packed with vitamins and fibre and are low-fat and refined sugar-free...you know, you don't want to scare of the picky kids and nutritionphobics out there. Buttersquash Muffins 2 cups cooked, pureed squash (butternut, buttercup or acorn) 2 flax eggs (2

Good morning!  Its ONLY -1 Celsius here right now, which relative to the extreme temps a few weeks ago, is positively balmy!  But I am still all in for hearty, warming food.  Cold salads just don't cut it. This is a delicious, comforting winter meal that's pretty easy to prepare.  If you want to make it vegan, just substitute vegan sausage or crumbled tempeh for the sausage. Portuguese Sausage and Bean Stew (Vegan option) 1 tsp olive oil 1 lb turkey sausage, sliced 2 onions, sliced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbls sweet paprika 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked) I head kale, chopped, tough stems removed 1 can tomato paste Crushed red chili flakes, to taste (optional) Saute sausage, onion, garlic and spices in oil over medium heat until onion is softened and sausage is cooked.  Add vinegar, beans and kale and continue cooking until kale is wilted.  Stir in tomat

Its Friday, yay!!  What are your plans for the weekend?  My parents are coming to Toronto tomorrow and staying with my brother.  So we're having a family Sunday at their place.  Tomorrow I have clients to see and errands to do, and the girls have all their activities, so its going to be busy. We are already midway through January and that means just 8 more days to get in on my Indiegogo Campaign !  In case you missed it, I started this campaign to help launch my new business.  I am very nervous and excited.  I have tossed around starting a business of some sort for many, many years and its been a lot of hard work to get to this point.  Its not easy to start a business in Canada, especially an online business, because, in case you didn't know...Canada is a HUGE freakin' country!  I am still working out the details of shipping which my friend and business consultant has promised me is going to be, 'the bane of my existence.'  Ugh!! I never expected to hit my targe

The Wellness Kitchen cookbook is written by registered dietician, Paulette Lambert, from Extreme Makeover Weight-Loss Edition. Now that fact does not impress me, given how I feel about reality television, but the book is not at all what I expected.  Given that contestants lose massive amounts of weight in a short period of time, I expected the book to prescribe a diet to consist of kale and vitamins.  But it isn't that at all. In fact, Lambert explains, it is not a diet book at all, but, rather a guide for healthy living and cooking.  She does, however, also provide detailed menu plans for those looking to lose weight. Lambert's general philosophy is that health begins with cooking from scratch.  I can't agree more.  Cooking at home with real, whole foods is critical for maintaining a healthy weight.  What my clients struggling with obesity all share is an overreliance on restaurant meals, takeout and processed, convenience foods. Her goal with this book is to sim

Do you know what one food is most associated with obesity? Potato chips! Yes, those crunchy little dudes do not do a body good!  Why, you ask, are they so deadly? I suspect its because (1) they are very calorically dense (about 10 chips have about the same number of calories as a whole baked potato!), and (2) They are easy to eat lots of (betcha can't eat just one!). So within minutes of opening the bag, you could easily consume half your daily calorie needs. Lucky for me, I have no taste for them as an adult (not including my 2 pregnancies, but that doesn't count!!).  In fact, I don't really like most foods in the 'snack' category except nuts.  But as my husband often reminds me, most people are not as weird and really like salty, greasy, fried snacks.  That is certainly true of the other folks in this house!  Big A, in particular, is a total carb-addict and could live on chips, crackers, sweets and bread products. The one snack food my family absolu

I decided to change things up for our New Year's Day party menu this year.  I thought mini frittatas would be a cute little appetizer.  They were pretty simple to make and went over really well. You can really customize these anyway you want.  I didn't add cheese for my cheese-hating husband but here some ideas for what to add: parmesan, cheddar, swiss, bluecheese, asparagus, spinach, pesto, smoked salmon, olives, capers, etc. These are easy and tasty and can be made ahead and then reheated.  They also make a great quick breakfast on the go. Mini Frittatas 8 extra large eggs 4 tbls milk Salt and pepper, to taste Add ins of choice: I used marinated Portobello mushrooms and sundried tomatoes Whisk together eggs and milk and season.  Evenly distribute egg mixture between 12 greased muffin cups.  Drop in additional ingredients of choice (cheese, veggies, etc.).  Bake at 400F for about 18-20 minutes or until centres are set.  Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze.

Hello and Happy Monday! If there is one weekday task most parents hate, its packing lunches!  Trying to find something that's healthy and the kids will eat can be a challenge.  So check this out... You know that squeeze fruit kids love?  Basically apple sauce sometimes with a bit of other fruit mixed in?  Yeah, my kids love it. Recently at Costco, I found an awesome alternative in the same packaging: Mamma Chia's Chia Squeeze ! Admittedly I was a wee bit nervous they wouldn't go for it, but it was a total hit.  I think what worked though, is we got the blackberry flavour, so they think the 'seeds' are just blackberry seeds.  I couldn't pull off that deception with the other flavours. Anyways, they are organic and, of course, more expensive than regular squeeze fruit, so not sure these will be a regular purchase, but for now, they're going in the lunch boxes!

Its a beautiful, sunny - albeit - cold Friday! I am smiling because I am feeling wonderful.  Nope, didn't win the lottery.  But the intense sinus headaches I've been experiencing a lot lately are gone. Its always driven me crazy that even in winter I suffer from allergies.  I am usually on antihistamines (Aerius) all year round.  It isn't goldenrod that gets me the worst, it seems  to be dust, and what gets stirred up by the furnace - even though Adam is anal about replacing our furnace filters - is apparently a real trigger.  But after doing a bit of research this week I discovered another culprit for my intense sinus pain: the dry air!  Although the inside of my nose has been extremely dry and sore the past few weeks, I didn't realize that the dry air can also cause inflammation in the sinuses.  After digging out our humidifier and letting it run during the night, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!! So that's reason enough for me to celebrate this weekend.  I also

If there is one thing that makes me furious its when people, particularly public figures, spew misinformation about health and nutrition. Sometimes people do it to profit financially, sometimes I think they just don't understand how to interpret data.  The problem is it makes it very difficult for the rest of us to know what really is true and what is total BS. Unless you live under a rock, you probably have noticed the current obsession with coconut.  Coconut oil , in particular, is everywhere. It has been touted to do everything from prevent dementia to help shed fat.  So you may be wondering, does it really live up to all the hype? Unfortunately, the answer is no.  Despite what Dr. Oz and Dr. Mercola say...please do not EVER mention Dr. Mercola to me...that quack makes my blood boil...there actually is no strong evidence that coconut oil helps with weight loss, lowers cholesterol, prevents dementia, fights bacteria or viruses. There is some data showing that oils made e

Holy crap it is -17 Celsius here today...with wind chill it feels -100!!  Time to think back to our wonderful vacation in the Florida sun a few weeks ago. This might sound weird, but one of my biggest fears about going to the Club Med was that I would be really hungry all the time. How is that possible at an all you can eat place? I worried that either food would be doled out by stingy servers who would glare at you if you came up for seconds, and/or there would be so few healthy and/or appetizing options, that I wouldn't find much to eat.  For someone with a big-ass appetite, this had me concerned.  So much so, that I brought 14 Quest bars with me...enough for 2 a day, just in case. As it turns out, I certainly didn't need to be worried about being hungry at Sandpiper!  Not only were you able to help yourself to as much as you wanted, but there were a ton of delicious, healthy options. That being said, if, like my children, you cannot resist white carbs (pasta, panca

Now is the time of year when everyone is looking for the diet that is going to help them achieve their weight loss goals once and for all.  Unfortunately, most diets don't work long term because people they are too restrictive and people cannot maintain them indefinitely.  This is also the time of year people decide to go on cleanses or detoxes to compensate for their holiday over-indulgences.  As I have said many times, these quick fixes are pointless. When I was asked to review this book, I initially rolled my eyes.  Wholebody Reboot ? It sounded like a crock, just another gimmicky diet plan for suckers.  But the part about it being based on Peruvian Superfoods intrigued me, so I decided to take a look.  I am glad I did! Written by registered dietitian, Manuel Villacorta, originally from Peru, it provides meal plans and recipes customized for both men and women. Villacorta shares his own personal journey with his health and details how he put on weight and began feeling s

Its Monday. Its back to work and school.  And its freezing! So with the holidays over, winter is upon us here for at least another 3 months and that means a lot of cold and greyness.  Last winter I bought a Philips goLite BLU Energy Light to try to quell the winter blues I sometimes get.  I wouldn't say its serious enough to warrant a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but its more like a general glumness and winter fatigue (not physical fatigue but mental fatigue from the depressing weather).  Unfortunately, I would not say it was very helpful.  Not because the device doesn't work, but because, I discovered my problem is not that I need exposure to more sunlight from a physiological perspective.  Instead, I need a break from the dreary landscape.  I need to look at something pretty and cheerful.  Even on cold days, I have in a much better mood if the sun is shining, even if I spent no time outside. The blues always set in after the holidays and I think tha

If you have ever woken up and craved nothing but sweets and coffee for breakfast, well now you can indulge guilt free!  This cake is not-too-sweet, moist and absolutely 'awesome' in the words of my kids.  Yet they are packed full of protein, fibre and nutrition.  So stay in your pjs, read the newspaper, drink a few cups of coffee and enjoy.  A piece of this cake is also great for a mid-morning snack on your coffee break...or mid-afternoon...or for dessert after dinner.  Really, it is so good you can enjoy anytime! Ground pecans and dates give it a lovely flavour and crumb...you won't believe its completely flour-free! My blender kept getting jammed when I was making the toffee frosting so I had pieces of date in it, but that didn't stop the everyone from loving these.  You won't believe that they are gluten-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free too. Oatmeal Date Pecan Breakfast Cake 1.4 cups cottage cheese 1/4 cup flax meal + 1/2 cup hot water 1 cup dates

Is it really January 2nd already??? We've been somewhat in holiday mode for over 2 weeks around here and even though Adam and I have been working sporadically when we can, we have not been in living our full-blown, normal life.  The girls haven't had to be at school by a certain time, my practice has been quieter than usual, and Adam has been treating himself to slightly shorter workdays.  We have also done a bunch of fun activities with the girls including taking them to the new Annie movie, finally getting to Ripley's Aquarium, and going to see the James and the Giant Peach musical.  There were playdates and dinner parties, and of course, our New Year's Day party yesterday.  Now we have just the weekend left and we have to wake up and snap out of this delicious, relaxed lifestyle.  Whaaaaaaaaaaaah! It always feels harder, the longer and more wonderful one's vacation was, huh? Enjoy a healthy, happy weekend folks!