Ok, so I just wrote out this whole post and it decided to delete on me :( Very disappointing but here it goes... again! Happy Monday!! It has been a very busy weekend and I am trying to organize everything so I can fill you in. It was a weird mix of relaxed and busy... How is that you may ask?! At nights I rested nicely either on the couch watching a movie or in the kitchen trying out a new recipe. And during my days I was busy busy busy. On Saturday, the "Intro to Chakras" workshop I attended went great. I went into it not knowing what to expect but I met a lot of new people and learnt a lot about achieving an inner balance. Actually, a friend I haven't seen in quite a while was there and we were able to catch up. Turns out we had a lot more in common than we thought as she too has been researching a lot of the foodie clogs lately and trying new [clean] recipes. It was great to talk shop, as most of the time it is only my mom who cares about this stuff and shares recipes with me :) I have so many new recipes to share with you this week and I thought long and hard which one to post first. This one seemed like the perfect "oh gosh it's Monday and I need something to get the week started" kind of recipe. Oh yes!! It is THAT good!! I found this original recipe from The Edible Perspective and thought it looked great for those moments when you are stuck for time. BUT it didn't only turn out to be one of my favorites, Sean has taken one for lunch everyday this week! I still have to make them, but it's a bonus when he likes one of my new [clean] recipes. So... here goes my version: The 3 Minute Oatmeal Cookie [big cookie] - 1/4 cup organic Quick Oats (rolled oats work also) - 1 free range egg white - 1/4 tsp cinnamon - 1/4 tsp baking powder - splash of pure vanilla - 1-2 Tbsp dark choc chips - 1 Tbsp walnuts - 1 Tbsp cranberries - 1.5 tsp pure cane sugar - 2 tsp whole wheat flour - 1 tsp ground flax All you have to do is mix it all together in a bowl. Just a normal everyday cereal bowl! After you've got everything nicely incorporated take the back of your spoon and pat the batter down into the bottom of the bowl. Don't pat it down too tight.. Just roughly. Place the bowl in the microwave for 55 seconds on high and then let it cool for 30 seconds. BAM! That's it! Not only are these delicious, but they are beautiful! I just LOVED taking shots of these cookies because of their detail. You can almost taste the oats, choc chips and cranberries. So pretty! ACTIVITY I took Saturday off and didn't get an official workout in. To tell you the truth though, it was actually very nice to get a rest day. Sunday morning, I woke and got geared up for an outdoor 5k run. It was awesome, BUT it took at least an hour for my body to thaw out after I got home. Don't let that sunshine fool ya! I was really happy I got out for a run though... that feeling you get after you've completed it and you feel proud of yourself for the mini achievement. I had a great afternoon and went out for breakfast with my love ;) *TIP - Sunday's are a great day to prep for your week ahead. Similar to last Sunday when I made the "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Quinoa salad, it is nice to cook a big dish for lunches/suppers while you are at work. Nothing's worse than looking at an empty fridge first thing in the morning knowing you will have to waste the money and calories by eating out that day. Also, don't forget to pack your snacks! Possibly a couple pieces of fruit and maybe a blueberry bran muffin or a [clean] cinnamon choc chip protein bar. Just don't get caught with your pants down and plan ahead! Have a great day! Please feel free to leave comments. I would love to hear from you guys and get any feedback and comments. Lots of love
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Well, it's friday! Always a nice feeling when you wake up and realize the next day you get to sleep in. It has been a great week.. kept very busy and it just flew right by. Due to my "so happy it's friday" feeling when I woke up, I slept in that extra couple minutes and decided to do my workout tonight when I got home from work. I will be doing the "Bang Bang Workout" from Bodyrock.tv tonight. I have a link to the video below but if you want to see the tutorial on their actual website, just click here. I'm pumped because I've done this one before and it's a doozy! lol This girl, Zuzana is amazing because she obviously has a kick ass body which you want to work towards BUT also the workouts are aimed towards being done at home. It gives people a really amazing routine who can't get to the gym or simply those people who just dont like gyms. She uploads new video's daily for workouts and exercise challenges. i will keep you guys updated! Now, on to the granola bars!! I actually got this recipe from my friend Sara from out west. She found it on The Gracious Pantry blog and they are just so yummy! Now, these are very different from the Granola Girls bars. I liked them though and they were a nice change for us in our house every once in awhile ;) Because god forbid there NOT be any granola bars in the house. Sean wouldn't know what to do. LOL [Clean] Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Protein Bars - 2 cup Organic quick oats - roasted in the oven without oil for about 10-15 mins - 1 cup All natural organic Peanut butter (or almond butter if you prefer) - 1/2 cup pure local Honey - 1/2 cup organic unsweetened Applesauce - 2-4 T of dark Chocolate chips - 1 cup of Protein powder (vanilla or unflavored) - 1 T Cinnamon - 2 T Organic Chia Seeds (I get mine from Cochrane's market out in KV - or bulk barn) - 2 T Ground flax Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl but allow for your oats to cool before adding the choc chips so they don't melt. The mixture gets very thick, but it's a good arm workout ;) When it is all incorporated, spread the batter out onto a baking sheet. This mixture doesn't quite fit a large cookie sheet so if you have anything a little smaller, perfect! Mine was 12" x 8" and worked great Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the bars are nice and golden brown. Cool and then cut! I had fun with mine and cut them into squares.. just for something different. OH! and as you can see below, sometimes i will take half a batch and crumble it all up and put it in a glass container. This way I have yummy granola to sprinkle on my yogurt in the mornings. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend.
Try to stay on track and be as active as possible! Lots of love! Today was a great day! It was a touch warmer outside and I got up early to get my workout in first thing this morning. I alternated back to skipping today and what a great way to get your heart rate up! Already, by 7:30am, I boosted my metabolism for the day and I was feeling great. I also can't say enough about the lemon water. I feel I am noticing a difference already in my skin, which no expensive cream could beat! I was out shopping on my lunch break today (I wish someone would tie me to a chair so I wouldn't spend so much $$) and I found my way into Coles bookstore. I was looking through the health and nutrition section and found Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" book I have heard so much about. It really caught my eye especially since I could take some of her recipes and put my own twist on them to make them THAT much healthier. I am really excited about this. As soon as I got home, I got settled on the couch with the new cookbook and had an amazing 30 mins browsing through it. Supper tonight... it was picture perfect so I couldn't help but share it with you. For Christmas, we got a George Foreman grill and I am obsessed with it! Tonight I made veggie kabobs, pork chops and a spinach salad with roasted chickpeas. Look at the photo above... this is how your supper should look every night! 3/4 of your plate filled with greens and veggies and 1/4 protein (meat) I am new to marinades but I played around with a mixture tonight and it really turned out nice. Veggie Kabobs - Marinade - 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 T fresh lemon juice - 1 t fresh ground black pepper - 2 t sea salt - 1 t dried oregano - 1-2 cloves mashed garlic Just mix everything up and pour into a plastic baggy. In the meantime, cut up your veggies. I used mushrooms, green peppers, yellow peppers, red onion and zucchini. Add the pieces of veggies into the baggy with the marinade and shake. Then put it into the fridge for 1-2 hours. When you bring the veggie's out of the fridge, thread them onto your wooden skewer sticks. Place on your grill for 7-9 minutes. I found this new recipe on Peas and Thank You and changed it up a bit. I love hummus and chick peas in general so these were a no brainer. As soon as they came out of the oven I was munching on them. You can eat them as a side or add them to a salad like I did. Roasted Chickpeas - 1 can of organic chickpeas, rinsed drained and patted dry. - 1 T pure Maple Syrup - 1 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/8 t sea salt - 1/4 dried ginger - t cinnamon Preheat your oven to 350. Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl and make sure everything is coated evenly. Spread the chickpeas on a cookie sheet (first lay down parchment paper to avoid a mess). Bake for 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Why choose chickpeas?
Aside from chickpeas tasting delicious, they are an excellent source of protein and fiber. They contain minerals such as iron, magnesium and zinc. Some research also claims that chickpeas help reduce cholesterol and aids in the prevention of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Next time you are at the grocery store... pick up a couple cans of organic chickpeas!!! (source: http://www.elements4health.com/chickpeas.html) Well that is about it for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day but it is that much closer to the weekend. Did I tell you guys I am attending a Intro to Chakra's Workshop on Saturday? I am excited because one of my new year's resolutions was to try my best to get out there and learn as much as possible. Have a great day! Be positive and stay healthy! lots of love It's still freezing outside. All I wanted to do was come home, get into my comfy warm clothes and bake something. So I did! :) I haven't made a good muffin recipe latley so that was my goal for tonight. I skimmed through all of my sources and found an interesting healthy blueberry bran muffin from one of the members of The Eat-Clean Diet. I always look for a muffin recipe that is high in fiber with no refined sugars. I usually like to add dark chocolate chips but I thought i would stick to the recipe on this one and just go with the blueberries. Batter is done and ready for the oven! Oh wait! You need the recipe don't you! lol Ok ok here is my twist on the recipe. Blueberry Bran Muffins - 1 1/2 cups oat bran (I use Bob's Red Mill) - 1 cup skim milk / almond milk - 1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce - 1 free range egg - 1/2 cup organic honey - 1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla - 1 cup whole wheat flour (I use Speerville) - 2 tbsp ground flax - 1 tsp baking soda - 1 tsp baking powder - 1 tsp salt - 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) Preheat oven to 375 *F. Line your muffin tins. Mix together bran and milk - let stand 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix applesauce, egg, honey and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder , ground flax and salt, make a well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir until combined. Add bran/milk mixture and mix until just blended. Fold in blueberries. Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The other very exciting project I finished this week is the redecorating of our bedroom! It was only a few small changes but I changed the whole color scheme to Chocolate brown and light blue. It has an amazing atmosphere! I bought new baby blue accent pillows, choc brown duvet cover, a baby blue throw blanket, new amazing little lamps and some artwork for above the headboard. It is just so comfy now and I love spending time in there. I even suprised Sean when it was all complete and he loved it. Mission accomplished. Well that is it for tonight. Tomorrow I want to try a Roasted Chickpea recipe I saw on Edible Perspective's blog. Chickpea's are so healthy for you and this seems like a nice little twist. Even though I just love hummus and raw chickpea's in a salad. Which reminds me, I will have to fill you guys in on my homemade hummus recipe that doesn't last long in our house ;) Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone survived that cold Monday we just had. It made it hard to get up in the mornings but I was successful in getting up early for my 30 min workout. Yesterday morning I did skipping again (1000 reps) and this morning I did a 20 min routine and some ab work. This routine is a mix of moves I learnt from Bodyrock.tv and from a class I attend Saturday mornings at Daytripping (Rockwood) with April Glavine. It is great! Anyways, here is the jist of my morning workout today: 1) 1 minute of jumping jacks 2) 1 minute of side lunge jumps 3) 1 minute of burpees 4) 1 minute of sumo squat knee ups 5) 1 minute of donkey kicks (slow for core) Repeat 5 times! Abs: 20 Star Crunches, 20 sit ups, 20 side curls (each side), 35 bicycles. And then don't forget about the lemon water and a healthy breakfast!!!!! :) I had my yogurt dish again. Isn't it pretty! On Sunday night, I made a huge quinoa dish so I could take it for lunches at work all week. It is so much easier that way and less room for error and grabbing something unhealthy or eating out. It took me a while to get on the quinoa band wagon but I friggin love it now! It is a unique super-food that is high in protein, fiber, and rich in vitamins such as calcium, vitamin E and beta carotene. It is also gluten-free! :) (source http://quinoa365.com/whyquinoa.html) "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Quinoa Salad - 1 cup of cooked quinoa (2 cups of water) - 1 zucchini chopped - 1 yellow pepper chopped - Half red onion chopped - Spinach, raw chopped - 1 can of organic black beans (drained & rinsed) - 3 mushrooms chopped - s/p - 2 T balsamic vinegar - 2 T extra virgin olive oil (evoo) - 2 t Turmeric - 2 t Curry - 1 t organic cinnamon - 1-2 cloves chopped fresh garlic - fresh ginger (grated) - 1T Chia seeds - 1T Ground flax - feta cheese Just mix everything together and voila! Now, don't adjust your screen, yes! The picture looks orange. The turmeric, even though it does not have alot of taste, it does turn your food a bit yellow/orange. But, don't skip this step! Turmeric is very good for you and along with curry, is said to be a cancer fighting agent. I will take this for lunch every day this week and it couldn't be healthier! Have you never made quinoa before? Here is a video from Quinoa 365 to show you how. It is soooo simple! Enjoy your day! Lots of Love It's the end of the weekend again, and it was a great couple of days. Weekends for me are an easy way to get off track since my routine isn't the same as when I am at work during the week. It is much easier for me to keep my meals on track and on time since I bring all my food with me and eat at specific times of the day. Now! Weekends are a whole different ball game. You're out and about all day and you feel you should "treat" yourself. I have always struggled with this and then always on Monday, you have to start ALL OVER AGAIN. Over the past few months, weekends have become much easier and I wanted to share some tips I have found that work: 1. Start your weekend mornings off with a small healthy breakfast as you would during the week. (Yogurt, Oatmeal, etc) 2. Try your best to get your workouts in during the weekends as well. OR get out and do something active like hiking, snowshoeing, etc. 3. Try to still get your 5-6 small meals in throughout your weekend days even if you eat out or treat yourself. Moderation is the key, even if it is a treat. 4. If you do treat yourself, try to only eat non-processed foods. Always stick to fresh, all ntaural, or organic. 4. Drink S*^t loads of water!! My weekend was great. I tried a couple new recipes and got out for some active workouts. Saturday morning I made Sean a yummy Omelet: Easy Peesy Omelet - 2 Free range eggs - Red onion chopped up - Yellow pepper chopped up - Zuccini chopped up - Spinach chopped up - s/p - Tumeric - Curry - Light cheese Free Range eggs make a big difference and if you want to start somewhere, this is it! These chickens live in a happy place and are not pumped full of chemicals and no caging methods. It only makes sense that if the animals we are eating are pumped full of chemicals and hormones, eventually that gets into our body and slowly over time that is how illness and disease sets in. A great place to get your free range eggs locally is Farmers Bundle - contact Nick Wheatley. I had some leftovers from a pasta dish I found on edible perspective. It was all made with organic ingredients; organic veggies, gluten free organic pasta, organic sauce, etc. Yummy! OH and I also bought a fresh pineapple to cut up and have in the fridge for snacks!! I got an amazing workout in this morning and went snowshoeing with my mom. We were out for a couple hours hiking through the fresh snow and even though it was really cold, it was perfect weather since we worked up such a sweat. And last but not least, I tried this new recipe for Mini-Choco Cinnamon Buns that I saw on (never home) maker's blog. This is a perfect example of a homemade treat you can make with healthy ingredients and snack on with moderation over your weekend. And if your man loves treats, this is the perfect recipe. Mini-Chocolate Cinnamon Buns
Hope you guys had a great weekend! Lots of Love! This morning, like every morning, started off at 7am when I got up to get my morning workout in. I like to get at least a 30 minute workout in every morning because it is a great way to get your metabolism going for the day. This morning, I did skipping, abs and some matt work. I usually do 10 rounds of 100 skips which = 1000. It gets your heart beat up for sure and you get a great little sweat going. I am obsessed with Bodyrock.tv because Zuzanna is amazing and provides daily workouts that are great. I used to always go to the gym, but she has inspired me to workout right at home and get an even better routine going. They are mostly all interval training workouts with just your own body weight. I have never trained like this before, so as soon as I started I definitely started to notice results. I will regularly post workouts from Bodyrock.tv :) As soon as I was finished working out, I drank one glass of water with quarter of a fresh lemon squeezed into it. Sean and I just started this routine actually because I have been reading about how good it is for your body. Here are just a few reasons why: 1. It is great for your stomach and digestion problems; heartburn, bloating, eliminating waste more efficiently, etc. 2. Excellent for your skin 3. Helps to cleanse the liver (http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/top-10-health-benefits-of-lemon-water-1422542) It is important to get this lemon water in first thing in the morning about 30 mins before eating your breakfast. It is also a good idea to drink it before you brush your teeth for the day because overtime the lemon could have an effect on your teeth. Now! The most exciting part of my morning!! BREAKFAST! When i started eating clean, i was really into oatmeal (Organic Speerville oats). But about 3 months ago I made the change to a lighter yogurt breakfast. I find I wasn't getting much Calcium in my diet, since I dont drink much milk, so I introduced yogurt into my morning routine. One of the most important little seeds I have become addicted to over the last couple years is the Flax Seed! I buy the Bob's Organic Ground Flax meal and I put it in everything!!! I mean everything! Baked goods, stirfry, scrambled eggs, everything! Ground flax seed has so many amazing benefits on top of being very high in fiber. I will get back to flax and will upload a whole post dedicated to it soon!
Delicious Yogurt Breakfast - 4T plain Astro Original Balkan yogurt - 2T Holy Crap (consists of chia seeds and hemp hearts - They were featured on Dragon's Den) - 1T Ground flax meal - 1T all natural protein powder (chocolate) - Half a banana (sliced) - 2 Strawberries (sliced) - Crumbled pieces of a homemade granola bar I mix my yogurt, Holy Crap, protein powder and flax all up and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. Then I add my fruit on top and sprinkle some of the granola mixture I made earlier in the week and have packaged for times like these :) It is sooo delicious and holds me over until my next meal (5-6 small meals a day). Off to work feeling great and energized!! Last night after dinner, I tried a new recipe I saw on the edible perspective that totally stood out to me! It is a Chocolate Avocado Banana Pudding. We love little treats after a good wholesome meal so I thought it would be perfect! Who would have thought a whole avocado made into pudding would taste so yummy (even though I love avocado). Anyways, it turned out perfect. I served it with a few slices of strawberry and banana in a cute little dish and Sean loved it! He actually doesn't know what it is made with so please.. don't tell him lol
Chocolate Avocado Banana Pudding - 1 avocado - 4T organic unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/4c skim milk (or any milk sub like coconut milk or almond milk) - 1/2 banana - 1-2T organic honey 1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor. 2. Process and take a few breaks to scrape the sides of the bowl until it reaches a nice smooth pudding consistency. 3. Serve and enjoy! Over the past year or two i have been doing more and more research on clean eating and what benefits it has for our bodies. It is amazing the things i have found! I am not a doctor, I am not a certified nutritionist (but hope to be someday), I am just a regular everyday gal who wants to put only the healthiest, most natural foods into my body. I am having fun sharing all of my findings with those closest to me but i figure why not start uploading it to my blog. I am known as the "granola girl" to most of you which is awesome! I hope that this will be a regular blog that you all come and check out to watch new clean recipes I am always trying, as well as workouts that I do daily and hopefully we can all just have some fun with it! Feel free to post comments and questions anytime. I am excited to start this journey with all of you and we'll see where it takes us. Lots of love! |