Healthy Life Lessons

Hello and welcome to a new week! I hope you had a stellar weekend. Ours was...eventful.  I worked Friday night and Saturday.  Saturday afternoon I took Big A to get her ears pierced, something she has been wanting for years.  She is so pleased.  I can't believe how fast the girls are growing up.  Big A turns 10 in May! Unfortunately, Big A woke up Saturday night with a tummy bug that's been going around the school.    She is staying home today and my mother-in-law is watching her while I see clients this morning. In other news, I squatted with the barbell for the first time in years at the gym yesterday.  I've been using dumbbells instead more due to not wanting to waste time setting up the bar than anything else.  Now due to my new goal of really pumping my legs, I decided it is time to get back on the barbell wagon.  I am pleased to say I easily squatted 135 lbs...not bad for such a little person!  Yeah, I am to...

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 ...

This soup is so amazing, and also amazingly simple to make.  Really it is good hot and cold so you can make this recipe any time of year.  I made it spicy, since we like our food hot, but go ahead and make it mild if you prefer. Chilled Curried Carrot Soup (Vegan & Gluten-Free) 1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks 1 onion, sliced 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 1 tsp olive oil 1 + 1 tsp curry powder 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 chunk fresh ginger, peeled 900 ml vegetable stock Toss carrots, onion and garlic with oil, 1 tsp curry powder and salt.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 400F for about 40 minutes.  Let cool. Place veggies into food processor or blender with additional curry powder, ginger and stock.  Puree until smooth.  Season to taste.  Keep refrigerated up to 4 days or freeze. This recipe has been submitted to Urban Naturale's Plant-Based Pot Luck Link-Up  and this week's Gluten-Free Friday .

Happy Monday to you.  Today, Day 20 of my Gratitude Challenge, I am grateful for the JCC .  It's such a special place for all of us.  I've been teaching fitness classes there since 1997 and I think of many of the participants like a second family.  Adam and I met there.  The girls have Hebrew School there and take swim classes.  It's such a unique place, and I think it really reflects the flavour of Toronto: full of culture and diversity!  Yeah, its not just for Jews, there are folks of all kinds who use the wonderful facilities.  Anyways, going there every Sunday morning to teach my spin class makes me very happy. Man, its super cold here again.  The milder temps just won't stick around.  Stupid Polar Vortex! So I have a lovely recipe that is sure to warm you up.   Before I get to that, I just wanted to ask my readers a favour: I have a survey I've put together, hopefully to provide me with some data to present at t...

I suppose the bright side of the drastic dip in temperature this week is that it makes this recipe more appropriate to make.  It was inspired by Big A's insistance that because of her wiggly top front tooth, she must eat only very soft foods.  I am very dismayed that she is just as distraught over this tooth, as her two bottom ones, which have already fallen out.  Since this is only tooth #3 that she is losing, we are going to have to go through this drama many more times over before she has all her adult teeth in.  Sigh!  I am going to have to remind her again that she will never be able to get her ears pierced until she can deal with pain a bit better.  Perhaps I'm being insensitive...it's possible that it's really painful, I just don't remember being distressed about losing my teeth as a kid, and certainly most of  Big A's friends seem fine with it too. Anyways, this is a healthy, kid-friendly, wiggly-tooth friendly recipe that makes a great lun...

The unseasonably warm weather has turned seasonably cold. Perfect time for soup. Most smokey bean soup recipes use a ham hock to get the smokey flavour. I`ve made a vegetarian version which uses smoked paprika and liquid smoke to get the smokiness. I made it super fast by using these TruRoots organic sprouted beans I found at Costco, which require no soaking. You can use dried beans you have soaked, or a few cans of beans instead if you can`t find these. 1 tsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 2 zucchini, diced .5 tsp smoked paprika .5 tsp salt A few drops liquid smoke, to taste 2 cups sprouted bean mix (or 4 cups cooked or canned beans) 1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice 2-3 bay leaves 1 litre low sodium vegetable stock 4 cups water Pinch cayenne pepper (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste Pour oil into a large pot set over medium heat. Add onion and sweat for a few minutes. Next, add garlic, zucchini, paprika, liquid smoke and salt and ...

Adam used to always beg me to make soup more often but I would tell him there was no point making big-batch food since we had so little freezer space. We've had a chest freezer now for about 2 years so I have no excuse. I guess I just forget about soup for some reason. Silly really as I love it too. My last counselling client of the day cancelled last minute so I got home early. I was suddenly struck with the urge to make Adam soup. Unfortunately, I did not have the urge to go out shopping so I decided I had to make due with what was available. The most obvious choice? Lentil soup! Lentil soup is one of my favorites. Thick, hearty, tasty and nutritious. It also requires ingredients most of us have in our pantries. Today I was missing fresh onion, celery and green pepper BUT I did have a bag of Arctic Gardens frozen spaghetti mix veggies in the (Chest) freezer! This is my go-to for soups and stews in a pinch. It's made up of diced carrot, celery, onion, and gree...

This is by far the best soup recipe I have ever created. It was inspired by a soup I had once at Fresh, a vegetarian restaurant here in Toronto. But I think my version is even better. This makes a great lunch, along with a whole grain bagel or roll and can even be a complete dinner served with whole grain roles and a simple green salad. Leftovers can easily be frozen. 2 tsp vegetable oil 1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 onion, diced 1 large or 2 small carrots, diced 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 2-4 cloves garlic (to taste) 2 tbsp good quality curry powder ½ tsp ground allspice Salt and pepper, to taste 1 can light coconut milk (14 fl oz) 1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice (28 fl oz) 5-6 sweet potatoes (about 6 lbs), peeled and cut into eighths 4 cups vegetable stock (use a good quality organic brand in tetra pak if possible) Hot sauce (to taste) 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed(19 fl oz) Juice of 1 lime Pour oil into large saucepot or stockpot over me...