Healthy Life Lessons

In today's Globe and Mail, there is an interesting piece by Sarah Hampson on parenthood. She argues that it is trendy for women to be publicly proclaiming what was previously taboo to admit: having children is challenging, sometimes unpleasant and does not necessarily lead to happiness. While complaining about domestic duties and economic inequality was the issue du jour for our mothers, complaining about parenting is what women do today. I guess that makes me fit right in. I can't argue with her either. Obviously from this blog it is clear that I find parenting challenging and often unpleasant and I would say that the majority of conversations that I have with my friends who are also parents involves complaining about our children. I have also realized, through my studies in psychology, and anecdotally through my conversations with my girlfriends, that having young children is very hard on a marriage. I don't know anyone who would disagree with this. Is this why so...

I did it, I found a way to use up the seaweed by creating this recipe that even Adam gobbled down! This dish has a stellar nutritional profile, especially for vegans as it is full of healthy fats, protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12. Of course, it is still healthy and delish if you don't have seaweed on hand. 1 tsp canola oil (or peanut or untoasted sesame oil) 1 lb organic extra firm tofu 1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces 2 red/yellow/orange bell peppers 1/2 lb fresh or marinated shitaki mushrooms (or button mushrooms), sliced 100g seaweed, snipped with scissors into strips (optional) 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced Sauce 3-4 tbls fresh ginger, finely chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup tahini 2 heaping tbls miso paste 2 tbls low sodium soy sauce or tamari 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup cooking sherry* 1 tsp Japanese pepper blend (optional) Hot chili flakes, to taste (optional) Whisk together all ingredients for sauce and set aside. In wok or large skillet...

I sneaked a lot of nutrition into this kid-friendly meal! 1 lb lean ground turkey or chicken 1 small cooking onion 2 slices whole wheat bread 4 cloves garlic 1 300g box frozen chopped spinach, thawed (or fresh baby spinach) 2 eggs 1 can tomato paste 2 tbls worcesterchire sauce 2 tbls nutritional yeast (optional) 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional) 1/2 tsp kosher salt Put meat in a large mixing bowl. Place onion, bread and garlic in food process and process until onion and garlic are finely chopped and bread is crumbs. If using fresh spinach, add to food processor at this stage. Crack eggs into bowl with meat and add in thawed spinach, tomato paste, worcesterchire sauce and desired seasonings. Dump onion mixture into bowl and mix until everything is well combined (you can do it with your hands but it worked just fine with a mixing spoon!). Fill greased muffin tins or mini loaf pans to the top with mixture and bake at 375 F for about 40 minutes, or until cooked through (...

This dish is so easy and uses things you often have on hand in the pantry. Nevertheless, it still looks and tastes great and tends to wow people. I love it as a side for fish, because of the lemon, but it would be great with chicken or sausage too. Or, you could add beans or tofu and make it a vegetarian main course. I served it with rainbow trout with my balsamic dijon glaze last night and even the girls were willing to eat some (even though there were vegetables in it!). 1.5 cups long grain brown rice or brown rice/wild rice blend 3 cups water 1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice 2-4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried basil 1 300g box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed Juice and zest of 1 lemon Salt and pepper, to taste Pinch hot pepper flakes (optional) Optional add-ins: marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, olives, fresh parsely, etc. Place rice and water in large covered pot over high heat until water starts to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer until all th...

January is coming to and end so too is my little holiday from school. Next week it's back to the books in full force. The time has flown but I am fairly satisfied with my level of productivity over the past few weeks. I am surprised by just how incredibly BUSY I've been. Of course, I have been working on the second last course for my Miscarriage/Infertility Counselling certificate, so that's had be somewhat occupied. This current course is on third party fertility treatments (i.e. donor sperm, eggs and surrogacy) and is incredibly interesting. There are so many layers emotional and ethical issues involved. I still have not got a confirmed practicum placement for May, but I am feeling very optimistic. No word from J.S. at Women's College Hospital, however, so I'm just writing her off. I am disappointed, but frankly, if she is this undependable and flaky, I figure I am better off working with someone else. My radar should have gone up when she started making ...

This tastes decadent but is actually low in fat and sugar. Perfect to enjoy with your afternoon tea. 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1/4 cup canola oil 4 egg whites or 2 whole eggs 1/4 cup agave syrup or maple syrup 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 cups organic whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp sea salt Pinch of nutmeg (optional) 1.5 cups mini dark chocolate chips Whisk together wet ingredients in medium bowl and set aside. Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl, add chips, and make a well in the centre. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix, just until combined. Batter will be thick and lumpy. Dump batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 375 for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If it starts browning quickly (as mine did), cover with foil after the first 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes one very large loaf.

When I was a kid, we nicknamed my father "The Condiment King" because he loves to douse everything he eats in some kind of sauce. Given that he has always loved eating and had more girth around his middle than is healthy, this is not a good thing. My parents fridge is always full of mustards, pickles, relishes, salad dressings and bottled sauces of various types. Now I am all for a good condiment because I love food with flavour and think blandness is a culinary sin, but when it comes to your health, there are good, bad and ugly things you can choose to put on your food. A lot of foods we often deem unhealthy or fattening, like white potatoes or pasta (whole grain, of course), are actually very nutritious as long as you avoid preparing them with high fat, high calorie ingredients like sour cream, mayonnaise, butter, whipping cream, etc. My Favs: Vinegar - There are so many varieties and I love the zing they add to food. Cider vinegar and rice vinegar are my favorites. Ci...