Healthy Life Lessons

  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...

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...

I am not a big bread person.  I know some people could live off it, but it doesn't do much for me.  I'd much rather get my carbs from things like oats, squash and sweet potatoes.  I do eat bread, but just not much of it compared to the SAD (Standard American Diet).  And definitely not any white bread.  I don't even understand why people like it. Blech!  For this reason alone, I love the idea of collard or lettuce wraps.  The focus can really be on the fillings.  Then I got thinking...Why not use a tastier carb and stuff it into the leaves as part of the wrap?  This was the epiphany I had one day while dreaming up lunch ideas for myself.  And that is how this scrumptious wrap was born. The hummus recipe alone, is a real winner, so if you aren't into the collard wrap idea, at least try the hummus!  Its so yummy.  Combined with all the other ingredients, there is a symphony of flavours and textures: sweet, salty, tangy, cream...

Good morning and happy Friday! If, like me, you love to peruse health food stores any chance you get, than you likely have seen, if not tried Explore Asian 's line of bean pastas. I used to buy them frequently until suddenly they got super expensive.  Like, WTF? They seriously seemed to double in price over night! Anyways, they're awesome!  They're vegan, organic and gluten-free and have a wonderful firm texture.  I adore them. Recently my health food store had a sale on their ready-to-heat line of noodle packs.  I'd never seen them before, but having been a fan of Tasty Bite meals as a grad student, I am not above trying this kind of thing.  In fact, I've been super busy lately and often in need of a meal I can prepare quickly or heat up at the office and these are perfect. The noodles are precooked and mixed with a sauce, but junk-free.  The ingredient list is pretty clean.  I bought the soybean noodles with sundried tomato sauce, a...

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 chilly outside finally, which means its the perfect time for chili inside. I love chili because its so hearty, comforting and versatile.  There are so many ways you can make it, whether its vegan or with meat, with beans or without, with a tomato base or a pumpkin one, etc. You can use a wide variety of different veggies and seasonings too. I decided to keep this one vegan and use tempeh as the protein.  You can add beans too, if you with, and/or add corn kernels, zucchini, or other veggies, but I wanted to keep it simple as I made this for a few of my lunches this week it had to be quick to make. I served it over cauliflower rice, but you can eat it alone, or over regular rice, quinoa, millet or other whole grain.  Don't be scared by the amount of chili powder used, most commercial brands pack no heat, which is why I also added jalapeno, but you can omit that if you don't like it spicy. It is perfect garnished with some diced avocado, and/or grated dairy/n...

Those are not pizzas! They are whole grain pitas smothered with as much of this divine hummus as I could squish on. I receive delicious looking weekly emails from the very famous Chocolate Covered Katie blog.  Mostly desserts, Katie also has some savoury recipes too, and her recent hummus variations piqued my interest.  I was particularly excited by her Nacho Cheese Dorito Hummus , because it is made with nutritional yeast, which I adore. Of course, I NEVER follow a recipe exactly, because I like to customize it to suit my tastes.  That's one of the reasons I love cooking!  I really don't get how, if you like food, and I think most people do, you can not like cooking.  My favorite food is the food made by me, because I make it how I like it best.  I think most people simply don't have confidence in their ability to cook things well, or don't think they can learn.  But you can, and you should!! Anyways, back to the hummus.  Its amazing!...

Say hello to my new favorite salad! This is going to be on the menu for lunch a lot I think.  Quick, easy and incredibly delicious!! I serve it with a roasted sweet potato or pile of winter squash on the side.  Mmm... Salad 8 cups greens (I used baby kale) 1 pint grape tomatoes Bacon (I used turkey, but you can use coconut bacon, tempeh bacon, etc.) Combine salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Avocado Buttermilk Dressing 1 ripe avocado 1 cup buttermilk (or non-dairy milk + 1 tbls lemon juice) 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 garlic clove 1 tsp salt 1 tsp salt-free seasoning blend Cracked black pepper, to taste For the dressing, place all ingredients in food processor or blender.  Puree until smooth.  If you find it too thick, add a bit more buttermilk.  Pour desired amount onto salad.  Store remaining dressing in the fridge for up to 1 week.  I have submitted this recipe to Urban Naturale's Healthy, Happy, Natural, Gree...

I love chickpeas...like I super love them.  So the idea of making a mock tuna salad with them is very appealing to me.   No it doesn't taste like tuna, it tastes like chickpeas, but I'm good with that.  I had seriously been craving chickpea salad and then when I saw the one they had at Yamchops , I knew I had to make my own.  Voila! It made a very nice couple of lunches for me, rolled up into whole grain wraps with a cucumber salad on the side.  Delish. Notuna Salad 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas), smashed with potato masher 2 large or 4 small stalks celery, finely chopped 2 green onions, chopped 2 tbls dill pickles, finely chopped 1/4 cup vegan mayo 1 tsp dried, or 1 tbls fresh, chopped dill Salt and pepper, to taste Combine all ingredients.  Eat.  Refrigerate for up to 4 days. I have submitted this recipe to Urban Naturale's Pot-Luck Party Link-Up  and Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten-Free Friday...

I love sundried tomatoes.  If I hadn't met Adam, I think I would marry them.  Every time I make something with them I wonder why I don't eat them more often.  Which is why I came up with this recipe.  It made enough for 3 lunches for me, which meant I got to eat them several times in one week with minimal effort.  Yah for that!  Don't mind my awful photos.  This stuff may look like poop, but it doesn't taste like it.  It tastes fabulous.  I actually found that it tastes better a day after you make it.  The bean flavour kind of disappears and the sundried tomato flavour takes over.  If you use less basil than I did it will retain more of a red, rather than brown colour. I put it on Ryvita crackers, but you can also spread it on bread or in a wrap, or make it a dip for veggies, or just spoon it into your mouth.  It is strongly flavoured, which is how I like it, but you can adjust everything to suit your own taste...

  I posted this recipe a long time ago , but it is always such a hit with the girls that I thought I would post it again.  I've cut down the sweetener and salt in the sushi rice and found the girls don't notice the difference.   Caulicumber Maki Rolls 3/4 cup short grain brown rice (or quinoa would probably work too!) 2 cups water 2 tbls unseasoned rice vinegar 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp granular sweetener (I use stevia powder) 1 cup frozen cauliflower* 1 cucumber cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, then cut in thirds lengthwise 5-6 sheets of toasted nori (seaweed) Optional: Sesame seeds for sprinkling, low-sodium soy sauce for dipping, pickled ginger and wasabi (for the grown-ups) Place rice and water in covered pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and continue cooking until all the water has been absorbed (depending on the type you use, you may want to overcook it a tad bit so it gets 'sticky'). Remove from heat and let ...

I am calling this a salsa because unlike a standard guacamole type thing, I've cooked down the onions, garlic and spices.  The reason for this was purely practical: as a counsellor and therapist I've realized it isn't very considerate to eat raw onions and garlic for lunch before sessions (for the sake of my clients!). In an effort to be kind to my clients, however, I discovered some unexpected deliciousness...so much so, that I think this is going to be a staple condiment from now on!  The flavours are intense and absolutely scrumptious.  I didn't even think it needed any salt, but adjust the seasonings to your own taste buds.  Enjoy on tacos, wraps (like I did on mine pictured above) or any mexican dish, spread on sandwiches, or just serve with corn chips or cut up veggies.  Yum, yum, yum! Red Onion Avocado Relish 1 red onion, finely diced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin Jalapeno pepper, minced, to tas...

  Pastrami is a classic Jewish deli food.  But I don't think I've had it since I was a kid.  I am not much of a Jewish deli lover.  It's not healthy, and for the most part, it's not even food that I like that much.  So I don't know how I came up with the idea of making mushrooms seasoned like pastrami (maybe I was thinking of ways to make Adam love a vegetarian meal?), but boy I'm glad I did, because these are delicious, and they make a mean Rueben style sandwich! Do they taste like pastrami? No, of course not.  Your Uncle Moishe won't be fooled.  They taste like super delicious mushrooms.  And  really, is there anything better? Portobello Pastrami 1 lb portobello and/or oyster mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup vegan or regular worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup spicy or garlic pickle juice, or additional vinegar 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp celery seed 1/...

I love falafel but have never made them from scratch until now.  I always thought you had to use dried chickpeas or fava beans and grind them and it all just seemed to intimidating and time-consuming.  Then I saw Dreena Burton's recipe which uses canned beans and pan fries instead of deep fries them.  She dredges them with flour (I used chickpea flour) to get the exterior crispy.  I  loved this idea and knew I had to try making them myself.  Of course, as I always do, I adapted the recipe.  Among other things, I use zucchini instead of celery, and use a bit of konjac flour, instead of oats, to hold them together.  I hate hiding grains in food in a way that you can't appreciate them!  Kind of like I'd rather get my fats from nuts, nut butters and avocado, rather than oils hidden in dishes in such a way that you don't even know they are there.  I am experimenting with konjac flour (glucommanen) more and more these days as a binder an...

If you're Jewish, particularly if you're a Jew from New York, than you probably enjoy indulging once in a while (or often!) in a chewy bagel slathered in cream cheese, covered with a few slices of salty, buttery lox...and maybe garnished with a sprig of fresh dill, red onion, capers, cucumber and/or tomato slices.  Jewish deli food at its finest! Cream cheese is found in a lot of Jewish dishes, and honestly, I love the stuff.  But it's not exactly a nutritional superstar.  High in fat and salt, low in protein and calcium, it doesn't really do the body good.  If you're looking for a better alternative, try quark!  What the heck is quark? It's a fresh cheese with the same consistency as cream cheese, but is low in sodium, low in fat, and high in calcium and protein.  It's an amazing versatile product that can be used as a base for spreads, like this one, or used in cooking and baking for both sweet or savoury recipes.  If you are not a big fan ...

I love nutritional yeast.  Yep.  Even if it weren't so healthy, I'd still cook with it.  Regardless of whether it really tastes like cheese or not, it just tastes good. My first introduction to it, however, is kind of amusing in hindsight.  I read about it when I went on my psycho-nutrition kick following my mom's breast cancer diagnosis.  This was back in 1998 before I was using the Internet, and while I was a single grad student with little money to spend on cook books.  Not knowing what to do with the stuff, I began just throwing it into fruit smoothies.  I didn't mind the taste, but now that I know it is best suited for savoury things because it has a rather 'cheesy' taste to it, I kind of gag at the thought. Anyways, now I DO know how to use it, and really enjoy using it in all sorts of ways.  Given how much I like the flavour, I started to think about how I could really showcase the flavour.  I've used it for many cheese-sa...

Did ya know that Hulk Hogan is still kicking (throwing people) around?  In fact, he's still wrestling! I only know this because my sweet, brilliant husband loves wrestling.  Yes, he is an enigma. Anyways, I call these Hulk Hogan Veggie Burgers because they are manly, meaty and huge.  No tree-hugging veggie burgers here.  But in all honesty, perhaps I should call them Trish Stratus burgers - after the Canadian former wrestler cum yoga guru, because they are also healthy and virtuous. I am an omnivore, so I tend to like anything with the word 'burger' in it's name to be hearty and 'meaty', but at the same time I aside from wild salmon or chicken burgers, I generally stick with veggie burgers.  I don't think I've eaten a beef burger since 1995 (I think my residence roomies convinced me to go to McDonalds one morning after a particularly wild party, with the promise that it cured hangovers). I tend to stick with a few tried and true brands that I...

It seems everyone is doing some version of chocolate-chip-cookie-dough dip these days.  This doesn't appeal to me much, but lately I've been wondering if it could be one option to expand Big A's limited repertoire of lunches.  Chickpeas dressed up as cookie dough might be the only way to get my girls excited about legumes.  But I have reservations about frequently making her lunches involving chocolate chips.  Like most kids, I think she already gets way too much sugar. So I got thinking...what OTHER kind of 'dough' or baked good flavour could I use with chickpeas as a base?  Then it struck me: Carrot Cake!  No chocolate chips needed and added bonus of some veggies.  I got so excited coming up with this recipe, that I decided to make it for my own lunch instead.  After all, I gotta test it out first to ensure it's kid-friendly, right?? I enjoyed this a lot, simply spread into a whole-grain wrap and rolled up.  But it would be amazing on...

Often picking up sushi rolls seems like the healthiest choice when you are getting take-out or prepared foods from the grocery store, unfortunately, there is often a lot of hidden salt, sugar and fat lurking in those rolls.  From the white rice, to the sugar and salt used to season it, or the mayo-based sauces, these rolls are not always so virtuous. It's really easy to make your own and to customize them based on your diet and taste. I've opted to make these without rice, but you can add brown rice, or even quinoa if you want to bulk them up a bit*.  I do recommend that you throw in rice or quinoa if you are not going to eat them right away as it will help keep the nori from getting soggy.  As is, they are best eaten immediately.  Aside from being yummy, these rolls are high in protein, and packed with nutrition and fibre.  I've seasoned the avocado spread with some soy and wasabi, so these don't really need to be dunked, which also keeps the sodium to...