Healthy Life Lessons

I live with 3 cereal monsters. Adam eats oatmeal every day and likes to snack on cold cereal. The kids like eating cold cereal any time of day. So when Nature's Path offered us samples of the products, I knew this family would be happy to oblige. If you have ever set food in a health food store than you are probably familiar with Nature's Path cereals. All their products are organic and the company is committed to sustainability. As soon as the kids saw the Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla they were excited, even though I don't recall ever buying them that variety before. They devoured the whole box quickly, eating it mostly as a snack by the handful. The 3rd ingredient is sugar, so it is definitely a treat (6g per serving), but at least it is high in fibre. The Heritage flakes are a more adult cereal, but the kids liked them too (5g sugar per serving and even higher in fibre. Before they could get too far into the box, however, I used the rest to make Covered Katie's Butterfi...

  As a psychotherapist, I spend a lot of time talking to clients about nutrition and exercise. Why? Because overwhelming research shows how critical our lifestyle is to not only our physical health, but also our mental health. Most people, unfortunately, do not eat or move in their daily lives in a way that is conducive to wellbeing. One of the main barriers is motivation. Most of us have become so accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle based on the conveniences of modern life - including prepared foods/fast food/takeout, etc., that we have become very reluctant to devoting time or energy to an exercise program or cooking. If you are looking to improve your diet but unwilling to take a lot of time to prepare meals, than Evive Nutrition may be right up your alley. It is a Canadian Company that offers premade frozen smoothie cubes and meals that can be delivered right to your door. There are over a dozen smoothie varieties that all contain at least 3 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protei...

My apologies for the late post this week...its been BUSY. I guess people want to get in some counselling/therapy before the holidays? 😀😀 I'm not complaining though, I love my work. I am never happier than when I am busy with my work...except for maybe when my kids behave and get along (but that rarely happens). Today I have a healthy recipe for you: GRANOLA! Who doesn't love granola? Come on, sweet, crunchy, amazing with yogurt and fruit...I bet Donald Trump doesn't eat granola. He must eat lots of Cheetos, because otherwise, how did he get that colour?? Anyways, the problem with granola is it is usually very high in calories, with the calories being from sugar and oil. A 'serving' usually isn't enough for a mouse. The tricky part though, is to get the crispy, crunchiness without the sugar and fat. Well you are all welcome folks, because I figured out how to do it! Yep, since this granola has no added fat or sugar, it is much lower in calories than ...

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 ...

Good morning! Welcome to a new week, and the first day of spring. What are you having for breakfast? Please say it isn't sugary cereal! Nothing wrong with some good whole grains for breakfast, just ditch the sugar. You can customize one yourself at Mixit.ca , which now has more options... I have always adored dried fruit. I used to seriously eat pounds of dried pineapple. Our local market would let us buy it in 20 lb bags from them at wholesale price, it was awesome! My first pregnancy turned me off it and since going sugar-free I haven't looked back. I still occasionally indulge in unsweetened varieties like apricots, raisins, dates, figs and prunes, but lets face it, dried fruit should be eaten in moderation not just because they are super high in natural sugar and calories, but they can do major damage to your teeth and, um, your digestive tract, in large quantities. An increasingly popular alternative to dried fruit is freeze dried fruit. It is much lower in calori...

Happy hump day! Stuck for a meal idea today? This one works for breakfast, lunch or dinner! One of my favorite quick, healthy and satisfying meals is a scramble. Basically I throw in a shit-load of veggies, often some meat/veggie meat and/or cheese, spices and seasonings and egg whites and scramble it all up. If you are vegan, you could still make it by replacing the eggs with either mashed tofu, or chickpea flour. What's great is how versatile it is. You can so many different things to it, you never have to make it the same way twice! I use egg whites because I already tend to eat at least 6 whole eggs a week, but feel free to use whole eggs, if you prefer. The basic recipe is saute your ingredients (veggies, whatever else) in a large non-stick skillet.  Add 1 cup egg whites and cover skillet until egg whites are almost completely cooked. Add in cheese, if using, and cover until melted. Serve! Here are flavour ideas: Mexican Diced zucchini and/or peppers Chick...

Are you still in a sugar coma from Halloween? The girls are enjoying their daily treat from their Halloween stash, but to my surprise, we didn't have to cull them down after all. The girls volunteered to give Adam and I a huge portion of the candy they collected. After Adam devoured a pile of mini chocolate bars from their donation pile, I took the rest in to the office. Though I hate encouraging unhealthy food consumption, I've found that if you bring anything junky to an office, it always gets consumed in record time. Now lets talk potatoes. If you love potatoes but avoid them at all costs because you think they are unhealthy, well I have good news for you...you can (and should!) eat them! Potatoes, in and of themselves, are not unhealthy, its just that most people prefer to eat them prepared in unhealthy ways (fried or mashed with a ton of butter and cream). They are high in fibre and full of nutrients. They are also very satiating, meaning that relative to their ca...

North Americans love cereal, whether its practically pure sugar (Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, etc.) or colon blow (you know, the crazy high fibre ones that go in one end and out the other almost instantly), we can't get enough of it. Most of the ones on store shelves are more on the junky side of things, unfortunately.  Even if they're organic and free of icky chemicals, they are often just chock full of sugar. A lot of cereal lovers customize their breakfast bowl by mixing different boxed cereals together and adding in fruit, nuts or other items.  Now Canada has a company that allows you to design a customized cereal blend, with options you may never have though of before, and packages it up pretty and delivers it to your door (for free!).  How about that? Mixit.ca is a straightforward website where you can choose your base and add in everything from nuts, to dried fruit, to cocao nibs, to protein powder! They allowed me to try it out so I designed...

Welcome to another week!  If another Monday isn't depressing you, then likely the events over the weekend are.  The gay nightclub shooting in Orlando has us absolutely horrified.  There are just no words.  When is all this hatred and violence going to stop?? Not sure how to segue from that to a recipe, but here you go... I love making massive egg white omelets or scrambles.  There is so many ways to flavour them and they provide a huge hit of high quality, low calorie protein.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy to eat yolks.  Its just I try to keep my whole egg consumption in line with the recommending 6/week max.  I often make fried or hard boiled whole eggs, but for an omelet or scramble, I stick with the whites and make honking huge ones, using a full cup of egg whites.  Believe me, if you want to quash hunger, these are great! The ways you can dress them up are limitless...with Mexican, Italian flavours, Greek, Japanese or Korean......

Its a beautiful Monday morning! Hopefully it won't get too hot.  Yesterday was rainy but okay, however, Saturday was way too hot and muggy. So... One of the trendiest flavours these days is salted caramel.  Not that I care about what's trendy. I usually find trends silly and pretentious, but in this case, it can be quite delicious. I've always appreciated the sweet/salty combination. This is a variety of granola I haven't made before, so it was also born out of my ongoing obsession with kitchen experimentation.  This one is definitely a success! It is also low-sugar/refined sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan. I kept this nut-free and added freeze-dried apple and mango, and raisins, but you can add whatever you like.  Pecans would be delicious, as would chopped figs, apricots or dates. Salted Caramel Granola 2.5 cups unsweetened apple sauce 1/3 cup coconut oil 2 tbsp. coconut sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 droppers full of English Toffee or ...

  So did you have a Mother's Day Brunch yesterday?  We didn't, because as Big A once told people when she was about 3, "We don't celebrate brunch in our home." Like it was some religious thing, ha ha! In reality, I think Adam and I look at like, "Why would we eat only 2 meals in a day, when we can have 3?" If I had to identify one thing in common most of my clients with food or weight issues have, its not eating enough quality food at breakfast.  They either don't eat at all, or they don't eat enough, or they just eat some sort of high carb item like a bagel.  The result is that at some point later in the day their body retaliates for failing to fuel it properly and they get cravings, mood and energy dips and/or extreme hunger and inevitably end up indulging in high calorie, low nutrition foods like chips, candy baked goods or chocolate.  It then becomes a vicious cycle as they end up full of shame and guilt, and wake up the next morning ...

Here's another recipe I've created for Passover, but is also perfect for anyone looking for a yummy, healthy breakfast or snack idea.  Its also great for restricted diets because it is vegan, sugar-free, nut-free and gluten-free. One of the best things you can do for weight management and to boost energy is to eat a protein-rich breakfast, unfortunately, a lot of people crave sweet, carby foods in the morning.  This granola is super high in protein and good fats and will keep you fueled for hours.  Combine with some yogurt and fresh fruit and you've got an amazing power breakfast. If you aren't a big fan of apricots, you can sub in any other unsweetened dried fruit of your choosing and/or add nuts if allergies aren't an issue. The hemp protein gives it a dark colour, so make sure you keep an eye on it while baking to make sure its not burning, because it may be hard to tell by just peering through your oven door. High Protein Spiced Apricot Granola ...

Its Monday and I am not feeling cheery.  Our phone rang in the middle of the night and woke me, and I had a hard time falling back asleep, so I feel tired.  Its also winter again here in Toronto. Like WTF, its April, why are we having a freakin' snow storm??? Time for something yummy to brighten up this day.  These muffins certainly fit the bill. I have never been a fan of cheesecake, but one of my favorite ice cream flavours as a kid was Blueberry Cheesecake and other cheesecake-flavoured things.  I also adore cream cheese frosting.  In the savoury food realm, cream cheese also can't be beat on a bagel, especially with smoked salmon on top. Unfortunately, cream cheese is little more than salt and saturated fat.  Quark, on the other hand, is low in sodium, fat and calories, and high in protein.  It makes a great substitution.  It is used in these decadent tasting, scrumptious muffins, which are surprisingly healthy and very satisfying tha...

Its Monday, a February Monday.  But I feel amazing and the weather is spectacular.  Yeah, you heard me!  The whole weekend, in fact, was amazing: very mild temps and sunny.  WTF?  Perhaps that's why, despite having more than several beers Saturday night when we were at our friends' for dinner, and then a kick-ass workout at the gym yesterday morning, I feel so awesome.  Amazing what a little sunshine can do! Well, perhaps it isn't quite so delightful where you are, in which case I suggest a hearty breakfast to power you through your day.  Here is a delicious recipe that will tickle your taste buds and save you a few bucks.  It is kid-approved, and, in fact, Big A declared this the best granola she's ever had.  The only problem is, the girls are going through it so fast, I may have to hide some for myself! If you are looking to cut your grocery bill and you love cereal/granola, making your own is worth it.  Its so expensive to...

Although I am not vegan, or even vegetarian, I have started doing mostly vegan baking.  This is because, (1) I find using flax eggs actually makes low-fat baked goods have a better consistency than using real eggs, and (2) Its a sneaky way to get flax into my kids (the girls eat real eggs all the time). Blueberry muffins are usually nothing more than cake: white flour, sugar, butter or margarine, etc.  Absolutely nutrition-free aside from the blueberries.  In addition, they will spike your blood sugar, which will crash soon after making you crave more sugar and carbs.  Forget about it! Instead, these one-bowl blueberry muffins are packed with fibre, protein and nutrition and will leave you feeling satisfied and help you avoid the energy crash and cravings. Because I made these for the kids, I added a scoop of Mighty Greens powder, but adding a greens powder is optional.  You can probably replace the spelt flour with a gluten-free substitute, i...

Little A has a habit of asking for elaborate breakfasts on weekdays when we are in a rush.  Lately she's been asking for blueberry pancakes, so I promised her I would make some when I had the time, in advance so they are ready to go for busy mornings.  I finally got around to it and decided to try making vegan ones.  I don't know why, but I have never made pancakes without eggs before, as it turns out, they turn out just fine!  They are also gluten-free because I used nutritious whole buckwheat flour. In addition, I snuck in extra protein with some vanilla hemp protein powder, to keep the girls energized through their busy mornings.  When I make pancakes ahead, I simply freeze them with wax paper in between and then take them out as needed.  You can either defrost them the night before or defrost in the microwave or toaster oven. Vegan Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp. ground flax + 6 tbsp. hot water) 1/2 cup baking stevia ...

Sorry, but I have to say it every year: DO NOT BUY PACKED PASSOVER FOOD! While all processed food is basically crap, the stuff they make specifically for Passover is often even worse.  Not only that, but its ridiculously expensive and tastes like shit. Do yourself a favour and make your own Passover eats.  We only buy the whole wheat matzo and whole wheat matzo meal and that's about it! If you like cereal or granola for breakfast, I know that it can be hard to just eat matzo.  I don't recommend it anyways, its just empty carbs that will leave you feeling famished and sluggish in a few hours. This granola is filled with fibre, protein and nutritious seeds and fruits.  Pair it with some Greek yogurt and maybe some fresh fruit and you'll be sailing through your morning with energy and vitality. Passover Power Granola 1/2 cup coconut oil 1 cup apple sauce 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp pure, uncut stevia powder (or other sweetener, to taste) 1/2 tsp ...

One of my favorite food blogs is Vegan Richa .  Virtually every recipe she posts is not only nutritious but drool-worthy.  Recently she posted a granola recipe using lentils instead of grains.  OMG, I cannot believe the brilliance!  What a fabulous idea!! My kids will NOT eat lentils and beans knowingly and getting Big A to eat protein at all is often a challenge, but the kid loves granola.  I could have done an entirely lentil-only granola, but I was afraid that was too risky, so I simply added them along with the other (gluten-free) grains to bump up the protein in this granola.  Oh man, so so so good! This granola pairs some of my very favorite things: ginger, figs, and warm, sweet spices. It also happens to be gluten-free, sugar-free, and high fibre.  Adding cashews would be awesome, but I kept it nut-free so the girls could take it to school.  If you aren't a fan of figs, substitute with another dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries...

As I enjoyed some roasted kabocha squash last week, it hit me that since its drier than other types of squash, and a bit more starchy, it might be possible to bake grain-free goodies much like what you can do with plantains.  I happen to like the taste of kabocha better and I find them crazy filling because you eat the skin, which is full of good-for-you fibre. This weekend I gave it a try and it worked superbly! Because you include the skin you kind of need a high speed blender, unless your food processor is powerful enough, because you want it completely pureed. These make a great breakfast, meal on the go, or snack.  They're good plain, but also yummy with butter, nut butter or other topping of your choosing. Unlike baked goods made from plantain, which I find a bit dry and bland, these are very moist and flavourful.  To me, they taste kind of like a pumpkin spice pudding cake.  Yum! Kabocha Kake 1 small kabocha squash 1/2 cup egg whites 1 scoop stevi...

I am really short on time for blogging this week, so I am just popping in to say, don't forget to follow me on Twitter: erica_health and/or Instagram: konjacforlife for your chance to win this amazing basket of 7 different organic cereals from Nature's Path!! Also, check out my new website, which is finally open for orders: www.konjacforlife.com