Healthy Life Lessons

Image Source The theme of this past week has been looking for the silver lining. Monday I dropped my heavy, glass Brevel blender after slipping on the kitchen floor.  It fell on my foot, leaving me with a nifty bruise, and smashed sending glass everywhere and cutting both my hand and one of my feet.  I was left cleaning glass and blood off the floor for quite a while.  Sigh! The good news?  It is so big and heavy, it's been annoying me, and it was leaking.  So now I have an excuse to get a smaller smoothie maker since the only thing I really use it for anyways is making the girls smoothies and me my frozen coffee drinks.  Oh, and it's also good that the glass didn't fly into my eyes or face at least. Tuesday the daycare called (as you are probably figuring out, calls from your kids' school and daycare are usually bad news) 15 minutes before a client session to tell me Big A has lice. Now, as awful as this whole experience has been, I wi...

Once again Adam's stash of almonds he keeps to snack on at work was empty.  After trying to decide which kind to make, I decided to try another new take on them.  These ones turned out great:  Smokey, salty and spicy, they are super yummy! I made a double recipe this time to keep Adam going for a while, but half it if you want. Moroccan Spiced Almonds 9 cups almonds (I used one of those big bags from Costco) 1 tbls olive oil 1 tsp ground Harissa spice blend (homemade or purchased ) 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp sweet paprika 1/2 tsp sea salt Toss everything together in a large bowl.  Spread evenly on 2 large baking sheets.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, switching each baking sheet from top to bottom rack and vice versa, half way through.  Let cool.  Store in an airtight container. This recipe has been submitted to Diet, Dessert & Dogs' Wellness Weekend .

  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 was generously send a pack of Steam Whistle Pilsner to try recently. For those of you who love delivery services, you'll be happy to know you can now have Steam Whistle delivered to your door through Grocery Gateway . Here is a little bit about the Steam Whistle Brewery and their beer: Our focus is on making one beer - a Premium Pilsner that Canadians can be proud of. We believe that world-class results require focus and dedication, so we developed a distinctive recipe for our single brand based on Europe's renowned brewing standards yet is brewed fresh locally at our independent, Canadian Brewery. We use traditional brewing techniques and only four natural ingredients including spring water, malted barley, hops and yeast - all GMO-free. There is a fifth ingredient in every refreshing bottle, and that is the passion of our dedicated Brewmaster and staff. I adore beer in the summer. Although I try to keep my alcohol consumption to a minimum, I have to s...

It's the first Monday of the summer and the summer weather has hit with a vengeance.  But considering what's going on in Alberta right now, it doesn't seem fair to complain about the heat and humidity.  My thoughts are with everyone out west who is affected by the flooding! It was the girls' daycare's Annual General Meeting last week and it is always a potluck event.  I pulled this together in a jiffy and I have to say so myself: It was fabulous!  But don't just take my word for it, I got a ton of compliments and requests for the recipe and every last scrap got gobbled up.   Salad 1.5 cups quinoa 2 cups shelled edamame 1 340g bag rainbow or broccoli slaw 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped Dressing 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos 2 tbls tahini 2 tbls light miso paste 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tbls finely grated fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced Combine quinoa with 3 cups water, cover and ...

Somersets is a British company founded in 1991 that makes all-natural shaving products for men.  They are now available to the rest of the world online through www.drugstore.com and www.somersetsusa.com . Recently, they sent me a generous box with samples of many of their products. Being an XX, and a relatively hairless one at that, I handed over the products to my favorite XY (Adam) to try.  The products contain essential oils and are gentle on skin and the environment.  The are designed to protect the skin, reduce razor bumps and are soap-free so they don't dry out skin. Adam's feedback was the following: "The Pre-Shave Face Scrub really feels like it's getting rid of all the crap." "I really like this stuff.  It makes my skin feel good, it seems to smell pretty good...but it doesn't make my skin any better (i.e. reduce razor bumps/blemishes)...but doesn't make it any worse either.  The only thing I don't like is that the shave g...

It's almost Friday.  Does that make you happy? Or are you feeling bummed because it's only Thursday?  Are you a glass half full, or a glass half empty type of person? According to an article in Psychology Today recently, the things that differentiate happy people from those of us who are gloomy, are not what you might think. To summarize: 1. They take risks and push themselves beyond their comfort zone. 2. They are less analytical and detail-oriented. 3. They are buoyed, not threatened, by others' good fortune. 4. They don't deny or run away from negative emotions when they emerge. 5. They balance striving with pleasure. 6. They don't obsess about being happy. Interestingly, the authors of the article point out that happiness is just one aspect of a well-lived life.  Others include: occasional sadness, sense of purpose, playfulness, psychological flexibility, autonomy, mastery and a sense of belonging. Do you consider yourself to be happy? Do an...