Five Minute Friday - Eat

Lately I've been making a concerted effort to make healthy meals at home.
(read about my health journey here)

I know many of us can get into a bad habit of eating out way too often, which is never a great idea for your health, let alone your monthly budget.
I've really been enjoying fresh local produce, yummy and filling salads, and easy hot meat and veggie dinners I can take to work.
Here are a few of my recent favourites.

Salads: I used to dread making and eating salads!
They always tasted the same. They never seemed filling or satisfying.
They never felt like a good, hearty meal.

BUT!
I've been experimenting and here are a few tricks I've learned that are helping me to LOVE my lunchtime or supper salads.

Romaine Hearts - these crisp, dark green leafy lettuces have been my staple base for my salads. Romaine is packed with nutrients—vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber!
They tend to stay crisp in my fridge for a week or two and can even replace taco shells or wraps for a change at meal times.

Bell Peppers - I never used to like peppers, but now I love the solid, tangy crunch these bright veggies add to my meal. I either dice them or I use my slicer (mandolin style, mine's from Epicure) to make thin strips (which can also be stored and used later sauteed for fajitas for stir frys!). Bell peppers are full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits!

Tomatoes - Most summers I've tried to grow my own tomatoes. I had a decent crop this year of small cherry and romas and add a good 6-10 of these small fruits to my salads. Did you know that tomatoes have long been linked to heart health? Fresh tomatoes and tomato extracts have been shown to help lower total cholesterol!

I've also been enjoying using my slicer to add some more delicate slices of the more denser, hard veggies like carrots and radishes to my concoctions. (see photo above!)

I also have bulk bags of unsalted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries in my freezer door and add a teaspoon or two of each to top off my lunch.

Some new toppers I've begun to incorporate are the Epicure brand nutritional yeasts—the Asian Umami or the Garlic & Onion. They contain inactive nutritional yeast offering a source of 8 essential vitamins & minerals. They have a rich almost cheesy flavour and have replaced my previous generous use of salt and pepper.

I'll also chop up an apple or add half a ripe avocado and finish off with some home made Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (simple olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and Epicure dry mix).

Protein at every meal is also important, so I've either been adding some chicken I've made the night before, or from a store-bought BBQ chicken, or even my own homemade meatballs! 

Now, maybe this isn't the way you'd make a salad, or maybe you really want to tell me I'm doing it all wrong. But hey, it's working for me so far. I'm enthused about making and eating my lunchtime salads so back off and make your own. 

No really, I encourage you to experiment and try out some new combinations for your salads. Add a fruit like a pear or mandarin oranges, add nuts or seeds like almonds or sunflower seeds. 

I'd also encourage you to find out more about Epicure products. Not because I want to push selling them (yes, I do work for Epicure!), but because I am enjoying them so much! They all enhance your food in a healthy, clean-eating way. I've already had to clean out my pantry to add all my new Epicure spice blends and other products and I'm having a blast discovering new uses and flavours from all the products I have. 

Happy cooking and healthy-eating!

---

This has been a writing prompt post from #Write31Days, join in the fun. 

Catch up on all my 31Days + 5MinFriday posts by clicking here. 

4-Week Health Challenge: Day 12

Well it's been 12 days on my...whatever you want to call it...cleanse, healthy kick, clean eating, Naturopath Plan and I'm still alive!

To catch you up, the Plan is basically: no wheat, no dairy, no refined sugars, no eggs, no tomatoes, no mushrooms, not much red meat, no potatoes, no peanuts or peanut butter...BUT lots of veggies and fruit, chicken, fish, cold-pressed olive oil and flax oil, pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, brown rice everyday and whatever else I can fit in that abides by those rules. (Plus all my vitamins and minerals and supplements etc.) It's for four weeks, then we slowly add in different foods to see if I feel okay or worse to weed out any further allergies or sensitivities to foods.
*You can read all bout my first day on this crazy plan here.

The first few days I'll admit, were a little rough, but I stuck to it. I had several severe headaches which I'm sure was my body detoxing from not having sugar or regular carbs.
After the third and fourth days I got over the worst of my cravings and at this point didn't want to wreck the good I'd already accomplished. (I was already down a couple of pounds on the scale and that in itself was encouraging!)


Today is the end of Day 12 and I'd like to share with you a few special foods and combinations that have kept me going and not feeling like I'm denying myself of special treats.

My breakfasts usually consist of either a fruit smoothie assisted by my trusty Magic Bullet small blender, or I've also found a great couple of gluten-free cereals that I now enjoy with some almond milk. Shock, I know! Even a few weeks ago, if you would have suggested to me to eat this combination...I would have laughed at you and grimaced with queasiness. However, I've taking quite a liking to it.

 As for snacks, I am a lover of salty things like potato chips or tortilla chips. My mom actually scouted out these Kale & Chia chips for me from Costco. I could eat these every day!! They have just a bit of sea salt on them, making them perfect as a salty snack on their own or even paired with some hummus.  So good!

Another snack I've been enjoying in my lunch is a brown rice cake with almond butter and a drizzle of honey. At first I tried the rice cakes with just almond butter but it's not yet a particularly favourite flavour of mine so adding the small topping of honey, especially this yummy local Blackberry honey, makes it just perfect! I will butter up two cakes and put them together, almond butter and honey sides facing, in a bag so the mess stays inside and twist apart to eat them. 

Last but certainly not least, I love a good cookie! My mom makes delicious cookies and I just had to find some kind of tasty cookie I could take with my when we go to the beach or even in my lunch. After scouring the grocery store aisles (that will be for another blog post in the near future, why some stores are easier than others to shop for natural foods!), I came across this brand, Lucy's Maple Bliss Cookie. And let me tell you, they ARE blissful! They were created by a mom who is also a doctor and she wanted to find a great gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free cookie for her own kids, but could never find anything. So she developed her own brand. They are super good, crunchy with a bit of chewiness in the middle. They make a few other varieties which I am sure I will try before the month is over.

So there you have it. Some healthy treats for snacking on. I'm quite enjoying the results of eating this way and I'm sure after this trial plan is over I'll be adopting a few of the rules to keep my eating habits clean and healthy. This morning I even saw a number on my scale I haven't seen for ...a very long time! Quite exciting!

Have you ever shopped or cooked gluten-free or dairy-free...or even sugar-free? 
I'd love to hear about it!

Do you have any favourite snacks or recipes or blogs you can recommend to me?

Thanks for reading! Please comment below.

Hey, did you know...you can sign-up at the top right of the page under "Follow by E-mail" to be notified by email when I post next.

4-Week Health Challenge: Day One

Taken on top of Mt.Tzouhalem on a hike that changed me.

Let's talk about health.

I am a relatively healthy 35 year old woman.
I say relatively because I don't have any major health issues, however, I am overweight, I have an under active thyroid gland and I don't eat very healthy or exercise as regularly as I should.

I'd love to be able to go on long hikes, trek through the forests, up and down hills with ease.
Heck, I'd love to be able to climb a few flights of stairs without being out of breath!

I am realizing that unless I change something now, my health is going to continue to creep into decline, my weight is going to continue to slowly climb and I am not going to be able to enjoy my life as I should or want to.

Enjoying life...well, okay, I think that may be part of my problem, in a cheeky, silly way.

I enjoy everything a little too much.

When it comes to eating and choosing foods, I'm not what you would call a typical emotional eater.
I don't eat because I am sad or angry or to fill a void, I mostly eat unhealthily because I just love everything! I enjoy food and I enjoy the social aspect of eating together, with friends and family or anyone, really.

(sigh)

Yes, apparently I need to tame my enjoyment a little or at least focus that joy towards some healthier alternatives and kick-start a total lifestyle change.

After this walk with my nephews I felt like scratching my face OFF!

Another of my smaller issues in allergies.

Since moving to Victoria at age 7, I have developed major seasonal allergies that affect me from Spring to Autumn. I sneeze again and again, my eyes get watery and itchy, my throat gets scratchy and my sinuses are constantly on fire.
Yes, I have taken antihistamines, every kind, every colour, every type. Nasal sprays give me nosebleeds and the pills wear off every few weeks causing me to keep switching meds. Not fun!

These past two winters I was also struck with cold after cold after bug, with my head constantly congested and my sinuses and throat never seeming to clear.
This feeling continued long after all the other cold symptoms vacated and then allergy season hit with a wham!


Enough was enough and I was ready to seek any new treatment I could find to rid myself of this awful congestion.

So, after being tossed around by several Doctors over the past years, I am trying the advice of a Naturopath.

She administered a Scratch Allergy Test which confirmed my suspicions that I am madly allergic to grasses. (Luckily not to my dog! Heh, heh.) If I ever walk through a field of any kind I come out looking like my face is melting off! Not fun for any summer outings or attempted hikes.

She also is suggesting a treatment plan to rule out any food sensitivities witch may be causing this nasty sinus issue. Her plan, which will boost my immune system, solve a few blood-related issues and kick-start some weight-loss, includes eating a lot of brown rice, veggies, fruits, supplements, oils and avoiding all dairy, gluten, egg, sugar, peanuts, anything pre-packaged and a few other items.

Oiy, this is going to be a challenge!

Yet, if I could make it through a totally liquid fast for one week, perhaps, with a little help from above and around me, I can last for 4 weeks with LOTS of healthy, delicious meal and snack options!

Yes, yes, I CAN make it!!!

A hefty trip to the grocery store later and a few hours cleaning out my fridge and freezer (thanks to a pal!) of anything out of date, old or unhealthy, and I am all set!

Here's how it's going...
(I am this writing journal both for myself to keep track and for you, for entertainment and to encourage you on your health journey, whatever it may be.)

Day One, Week One:
I started out my day with a large glass of warm water and a quarter of a lemon's juice squeezed into it. (Aids in digestion, so I am told.)
Took my Thyroid & Iron pills with the last gulp and proceeded to get ready for work.

Gobind Farms berries from the James Bay Market...super yummy local fruit!

I made a quick smoothie to take with me for breakfast - frozen blueberries & strawberries, 1/2 cup mango V8 juice I need to use up (it's 100% juice so allowed in moderation) and 1/2 cup or Almond Breeze Original milk. (Note: I should have bought the Almond Breeze Vanilla, probably would've tasted a bit sweeter.) However, the smoothie was quick, tasty, thick and lasted a while. I took my Multi Glyco & Orti B supplements with the smoothie. (Gah, Note, need to go buy the correct amount of Probiotics! I didn't bring my info sheet to the store last night and too low of a dose where I'd have to take SIX pills instead of 2 or 3.)

Before leaving home I grabbed my plethora of lunch and snack items from the fridge and the other bottles of supplements I'll taking with breakfast (Note to self: I need a smallish pill container instead of taking these whopping big bottles to work with me! Those weekly ones won't do since some of these capsules are HUGE!!)
Also grabbed my bottle liquid Vitamin D...I have still to take it. (Another Note: I forgot to bring a nasty fish oil capsule with me, too!)

My breakfast smoothie cup and snack pack.

I have a snack pack of raisins (the tiny kids school ones) nearby, should I feel the need for a snack mid-morning.

I also brought along some yummy green seedless grapes, a baggie of my own home-grown radishes, and an excellent salad for lunch. More on that in a moment.

It's 10:42 am and my smoothie is done (it became a little jelly-like at the bottom but I refused to think too much about it and slurped it down). Ate the raisin snack box soon after.

12:23 pm and it's Lunch time! Yummy salad here I come...oh no, I forgot my container of brown rice...sheesh! I'm super forgetful today! Ah well, the salad with tuna will keep me full until later.

Lunch - Salad made up of green leaf lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, orange pepper, broccoli slaw, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cranberries, ground flax seed, and some drained flaked white tuna.
For a dressing I added some dried herb mixture into about 2 tbsp of olive oil and cracked pepper. This, however, was not a satisfying dressing mixture. It tasted too...oily and barely added any flavour to my salad. I ate almost all the salad and right away started looking up some alternatives that I can make for next time.

I also ate my two brown rice cakes with a bit of almond butter. A satisfying crunch and the almond butter will take some getting used to since I love peanut butter, but it was a good addition to my lunch.

Supper consisted of a rushed cup of heated brown rice with a drizzle of olive oil and 2 tbsp of tuna mixed in. Hurried, because I was going out to an evening market with some friends and I didn't want to be starving and not find anything to eat there.

Sure enough, there didn't seem to be a single stall, booth or food cart that I could indulge in (besides all the yummy fresh produce) BUT I did find a roasted spiral sliced yam on a stick at once place. Bingo! And Delish!!

I forgot to snap a photo but this was what it looked like - A Yam Tornado Potato.

I bought some huge, fresh raspberries to snack on later and some local blackberry honey (the sample tasted super good!) and a few other non-food items.

I came home a little hungry but I had some water, raspberries and some kale & chia chips my mom found for me at Costco. (Checked the label and looks okay.) Really, I could LIVE off of these chips! Very tortilla-like, crispy, a tiny bit of sea salt and great on their own or with hummus.

I went to bed, not hungry and not too dis-satisfied with my first day.

Oh, I also found a health food store open near the market where we were so I bought some flax seed oil and the proper probiotics. Yay!

So far, so good for Day One on my cleansing/health/cutting-out-everything food journey.

Stay tuned as I update you on my progress. 

(*I am currently a week ahead of filling you in so today was my actual Day 7, yay! I'll blog about my first week soon.)


Questions: Have you every tried cutting out any specific foods because of interesting allergies or health concerns? What's your favourite healthy snack or meal??

A "Fast" Update - Not all 6s & 7s...

Day 6 & 7
So here I am...on the eve of my last day of one of the most difficult tasks I've ever committed to. A Fast.

Both yesterday and today have been tremendous mental and physical battles. A battle of wills - Will I cave? Will I fail? Will I pass out? Will I stay strong? Will I give in and just take a taste of peanut butter? Will my stomach ever stop growling?

It is not easy to break off deep, ingrained routines and habits cold turkey (mmm, turkey....). Such strong and natural instincts that have been with us since we were babies.

Something so simple as: "I'm hungry...I eat."

New Look & Holiday Tips.....

As you can see, I've redecorated my blog into a festive snowy theme for the time being. Do you like?

Also, I read this today and actually laughed out loud at work, so I thought I'd share the humour.

Holiday Eating Tips
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.

And always remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Saws and Social Shindigs

Weekends...for me that means a Saturday sleep-in, maybe a walk with my dog, shopping a bit with my mom or going out for lunch, a nice lazy, relaxing day.
However, this past Saturday I was jolted awake by the loud and shocking sounds of chainsaws at about 7:30 am! Yes, the scheduled cutting of a very large dead tree in my yard just happened to be early that morning. Why so early?! Especially on a day where the majority of people don't get up as early, who want to relax a little.
Sufice to say, I was wide awake by 8:00 am and by 8:30 am ran a brush through my unruly hair, donned a warm sweatshirt and took my gleeful dog for a walk down to a park. She was utterly ecstatic and thoroughly enjoyed our jaunt, we even met some neighbourhood dogs in the park and had a bit of off-leash time. The morning was gorgeous, a chill in the air but the warm, bright morning sun broke through the clouds to make our walk warm and sunny.
By the time I got back the tree still was not down, and my neighbours hedges were half-destroyed by the falling branches. I watched the latest episode of ugly Betty (an enjoyable Halloween romp!) then headed out to escape the noisy sawing.
I had a lovely day with my mom, poking around the dwindling Moss Street Market, shopping at Costco and Tilicum Mall. I always have such fun with her!
THEN...the piece de resistance (or however you spell it) that night I had a Costume Party! My wonderful friends Meg and Shan came over to help me decorate and get ready as I furiously cleaned. They also carved my pumpkins, and did an great job! Thanks!!!
My party was great! Lots of excellent, cute, fun and imaginative costumes! And LOTS of food and goodies!! Man!! I'll be full for a week!! Thank you for all the yummy treats and the great time! I had so much fun!
What was my costume, you ask? Well after a lot of research, thought and creative imagining....I dressed up as...
The Fairy Goth Mother!! Yes, that's right! Fairy GOTH Mother! I had fun coming up with the costume: all black, my dark burgundy leather boots (combat-style kinda), black lacey gloves with fingertips cut off, black nail polish, black lipstick (that didn't last very long once we started nibbling on treat!), a cool black mask with little metal studs and my hair up all spikey, sprayed black. Oh, and fairy wings and a star want that were also sprayed with some black. Fun, fun!
Some other guests at the party included: Minnie Mouse, a fancy fairy, a Lady bug, a Hill Billy, Tinkerbell, a Luna the cave woman, Siamese cats (joined at the shoulder!), a cute cat, and a lioness. My dog even appeared out of hiding for a bit dresses as a pilot in her bomber jacket. Some other shady characters showed up later, sans costume but still in the mood for a social get together. Thanks everyone, for a great night!
I'll have to post a photo or two later.