Even though it is the end of summer break, beach days are few and far between and we are getting the kids ready to go back to school, I must say, it is nice to be getting back into a routine again!
Lobster Coconut Noodle Soup
Here is a recipe I adapted back in 2016. With Lobster season in full swing, here's a good way to use up your leftover lobsters (if there are any!). It's a nice, quick and healthy option for those who always may have a little stomach irritation with the full cream in traditional soup. Give this recipe a try, it might just become your new go to for left over lobster!
Simplified Caesar Salad Dressing
Salad season is on the way!
Here are some reasons why you should ditch the bottled dressings and spend an extra 5 minutes making your own:
They are full of artificial flavours
They contain unnecessary sugars (like high-fructose corn syrup…who needs that on a salad… or ever?)
Bottled dressings are also made with tons of preservatives to prolong their shelf life … ever wonder why they don’t expire for 2 years?
These types of dressings are also loaded with trans-fat (the bad kind of fat!)
All that being said, there are some bottled dressings you can buy with some clean ingredients and lower on the preservative side (these can be pretty pricey for a bottle though). The bigger picture here is that if you are making a dressing from scratch it’s going to 1. Taste better not only because its super fresh but also because you made it yourself (isn’t that always the way!) 2. You don’t have to have 10 bottles of half used dressing in your fridge for years and years and years…you get the point. If you make your own, you can make as much as you need and there is no waste! 3. You can control the ingredients you put in your dressing, if there are any dietary restrictions or allergies this is the perfect way to know exactly what you are getting!
The recipe for this salad dressing is a Caesar style dressing, its light, healthy and full of flavour!
Caesar Salad Dressing:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 clove of Garlic
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon Tamari (or coconut aminos)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Dijon Mustard (I like to use an organic brand and make sure it is free of canola oil)
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste!
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a food processor, blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender or even a regular blender! If you don’t have any of those, make sure the garlic is minced well and whisk all ingredients together and let stand for a few minutes before using to make sure all the flavours come together.
Enjoy & happy BBQ’ing!
Like this dressing? Check out our “Perfect summer dip” recipe by clicking HERE.
Leg Cramps
If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night with leg pain, you may familiar with leg cramps. Leg cramps can last from a few seconds to up to 10 minutes and are characterized by a sudden pain due to shortening of a muscle. It occurs most often in the calf, but can also occur in the other parts of the body (though it is less common).
Surviving Pre-Holiday Stress
The holidays are typically a time where family and friends can get together and celebrate. For some, the weeks leading up to the holidays can cause headaches, havoc and unrest. Here are some tips to help you survive the weeks leading up to the holiday season.
Plan Ahead
Now is the time to look at the calendar and lay it all out. Identify which day will be a shopping day, which day is a baking day, which day will be occupied with get togethers. By labeling it ahead of time you will be able to avoid feeling like you are running out of time. Don't forget to schedule time for self-care, it’s easy to forget about the most important person during this time of year, you!
Just Say No
Don’t be afraid to say “No”. Recognize that you can’t do everything and be everything all the time. Saying yes all the time can leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Be realistic
Does it have to be perfect? Is good enough? Thanks to social media, now more than ever we have these imaginary standards of how something is supposed to look. Trying to keep up with pinterest can be exhausting and impossible.
Stick to a budget
Get an idea of how much you can realistically spend over the holidays without going into too much debt. Spending too much over the holidays leads to stress, anxiety and depression in the New Year when the credit card bills start to roll in. Strategies to avoid spending too much over the holidays include:
Donate to a charity in somebody' else’s name
Give homemade gifts
Start a family gift exchange
Avoid eating out, have pot luck get togethers instead
Don’t abandon healthy habits
Even though you may be busy, still make time for exercise, stick to a healthy diet and sleep routine.
Feel It
Recognize how your are feeling and talk about it. It’s not always possible to be with your loved ones and that can be difficult. Whether it is due to distance or the passing of a loved one, sometimes it is difficult to process these feelings during this time of year. It’s okay to cry and express yourself, just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you have to be happy. Take some time to look at old pictures, tell stories about them, sing their favourite song, cook their favourite meal to feel close to them.
Remembering a feeling is much easier than what gift was given in any particular year. Take the time to reflect and recharge with your loved ones over the holiday season!
Happy Holidays!
Back To School Lunch Ideas
Pockets of time.....
Improving and maintaining lean mass as we age (and we are all aging) Part 1
Your body composition is made up of fat, bone, water and muscle; with your lean body mass being your fat-free mass. As we age it becomes more difficult to maintain our lean mass which is protective against injury, illness, and death. In this post we will talk about lean mass and it’s importance in fall prevention. The higher your age the higher your risk of falls and/or injury, but it’s never too late to start protecting yourself.
Getting active after winter hibernation
As the days start to get longer and warmer many people start to experience the drive to “get healthy” and get moving again. I hate to break it to you, but you are a year older than you were last year, so it might not be as easy just to jump back into your old routine. Here are some tips to help you get back into an exercise routine and avoid injury.
Surviving Time Change
Originally daylight savings was implemented to make better use of daylight and conserve energy. The first recorded time change in Canada occurred in Thunder Bay in 1908. Many people report a transient disruption in sleep quality during the adjustment of the time change, a study published in 2020 actually demonstrated a number of adverse health side effects observed from the time change.
Pockets of time.....
Osteoporosis
A long, long time ago, walking on two legs gave humans and primates an advantage as it consumed less energy and thus allowed for the crossing of larger distances. Bipedalism decreased the amount of neck strain and gave an improved view of the surroundings. However, the cost of being upright increased pressure on the spine and increased the risk of…
Let's talk about posture
Increased TV time? Give this stretch a try!
Improving and maintaining lean mass as we age (and we are all aging) Part 1
Stay / Get healthy during quarantine
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with a wide variety of feelings during this period of uncertainty and isolation. Here are some some things we are doing around our house to stay healthy. This may be the perfect time to make your health a priority, and if you don’t know where to start, these tips could be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Let's talk about posture
“Your state (emotions) changes other people’s state. Change your state physically - change your biochemistry. The way you move, the way you breath, the way you use your voice - changes biochemistry” —Tony Robbins.
Good posture can increase energy, improve breathing, circulation, and digestion. Good posture means less strain and pain on your connective tissue and joints. It can reduce stress and anxiety while increasing feelings of personal control and confidence(1). Poor posture is increasingly common with smartphones, computer work, and sedentary behaviour. Sitting, slouching and standing with poor posture is a repetitive strain on our body. It compresses our musculoskeletal system, lungs and digestive system. Wearing high heels or even running shoes with a large heal can put your spine out of good alignment. Specializing in sport or hobbies may add to asymmetry in our posture.
Test your posture.
Have a family member take a picture of you from the front, side, and back. Your head, shoulders, hips and ankles should line up, one above the other. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Your shoulders and hips should be level? Does your head tilt? Does one shoulder blade seem to be more prominent than the other? Do the muscles of the back seem more developed on one side? A healthy back should be symmetrical. Does your spine maintain its natural curves?
You can use a wall to help train good posture. Stand with the back of your head, shoulders and buttocks touching the wall, and your heels a few inches from the wall. Put a flat hand behind the small of your back. You should be able to just barely slide your hand between your lower back and the wall for a correct lower back curve. If you have too much space here draw your bellybutton toward your spine to bring your lower back closer to the wall. If you need more space arch your back just enough so that your hand can slide behind you. Then walk away from the wall trying to maintain good posture.
Habits for good posture.
The way to improve bad posture is to be posture-conscious when sitting, standing, walking and sleeping.
Avoid sitting or standing in any one position for a long period of time.
Take a micro break (stand up and raise your arms above your head) or change positions every 30 minutes.
Strengthen your core with McGill’s Big 3.
Strength train a couple times a week.
Think about expansion of the ribcage and spine. Keep your head up and chest spread.
When walking lead with your chest not your head and allow your arms to swing naturally from there shoulders.
Keep an active tension in your core while walking (think about somebody going to punch you in the belly).
Walk barefoot.
Breath through your nose. This initiates diaphragmatic breathing which allows us to breathe without fatiguing secondary breathing muscles in the upper chest and shoulders.
Sit on the floor more. It forces hips and other joints to use greater ranges of motion than sitting on a chair.
Sleep on your back or side maintaining the natural curvature of your neutral spine.
Stand up straight! Learn more by clicking HERE.
Cuddy, Amy J.C., Caroline A. Wilmuth, and Dana R. Carney. "The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-027, September 2012.
Surviving Pre-Holiday Stress
The holidays are typically a time where family and friends can get together and celebrate. For some, the weeks leading up to the holidays can cause headaches, havoc and unrest. Here are some tips to help you survive the weeks leading up to the holiday season.
Plan Ahead
Now is the time to look at the calendar and lay it all out. Identify which day will be a shopping day, which day is a baking day, which day will be occupied with get togethers. By labeling it ahead of time you will be able to avoid feeling like you are running out of time. Don't forget to schedule time for self-care, it’s easy to forget about the most important person during this time of year, you!
Just Say No
Don’t be afraid to say “No”. Recognize that you can’t do everything and be everything all the time. Saying yes all the time can leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Be realistic
Does it have to be perfect? Is good enough? Thanks to social media, now more than ever we have these imaginary standards of how something is supposed to look. Trying to keep up with pinterest can be exhausting and impossible.
Stick to a budget
Get an idea of how much you can realistically spend over the holidays without going into too much debt. Spending too much over the holidays leads to stress, anxiety and depression in the New Year when the credit card bills start to roll in. Strategies to avoid spending too much over the holidays include:
Donate to a charity in somebody' else’s name
Give homemade gifts
Start a family gift exchange
Avoid eating out, have pot luck get togethers instead
Don’t abandon healthy habits
Even though you may be busy, still make time for exercise, stick to a healthy diet and sleep routine.
Feel It
Recognize how your are feeling and talk about it. It’s not always possible to be with your loved ones and that can be difficult. Whether it is due to distance or the passing of a loved one, sometimes it is difficult to process these feelings during this time of year. It’s okay to cry and express yourself, just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you have to be happy. Take some time to look at old pictures, tell stories about them, sing their favourite song, cook their favourite meal to feel close to them.
Remembering a feeling is much easier than what gift was given in any particular year. Take the time to reflect and recharge with your loved ones over the holiday season!
Happy Holidays!
Back To School Lunch Ideas
Even though it is the end of summer break, beach days are few and far between and we are getting the kids ready to go back to school, I must say, it is nice to be getting back into a routine again!
When it comes to packing kids lunches it can be difficult to get creative and find healthy options, it is very easy to head for the “snack” isle of the grocery store and fill their lunch bags with these items. While you might have a something relatively healthy packed for their main meal, chances are they are going to gravitate to the “less healthy” items first if they are there as an option. In my experience, kids do not get much time for lunch and they want to have whatever is quick and easy so they can eat and then get on the go for the remainder of the break to play!
So here are a few easy and healthy options for school lunches for kids:
Roast chicken and veggies (my favourite option!) I like to get a fresh organic chicken and do my own version a grocery store roast chicken. You can put the chicken in a slow cooker (4 hours high - 8 hours low) season with sea salt, pepper, turmeric and smoked paprika, extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Once the chicken is done, remove from the slow cooker and pull meat away from the bones and store in the fridge for quick lunches for the week. This is great served with veggies - cut up cucumber, carrots, peppers, etc.
Low sugar granola (check out this recipe recently shared on the blog) and full fat yogurt. You can also add some fresh berries on top or on the side!
Homemade soup (or chilli) Investing in a good thermos is a really good idea. Schools that have microwaves usually limit the heat up time and the line up can be long, this can deter your child from wanting to heat up their lunch and could end up not even eating much at all. And let’s be honest here, kids just want to get outside and play at lunch time! I like sending soup during the winter months since because you can make big batches and load it up with lots of immune boosting/protective ingredients. (Hot tip: save the bones and drippings from your roast chicken and throw in some celery, onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar and some herbs and keep the slow cooker going to make your own broth, freeze and store for soups later!)
Veggies and dip This could be a lunch on its own, but also works well as a snack option. Pairing with sunflower seed butter (nut free!) or hummus adds some extra protein. I would try to avoid using any kind of dressing (unless homemade and sugar free) as most store bought versions contain sugar, not something you want to add too much (or any at all) of to your child’s lunch.
If there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is totally worth it to invest in a metal bento box style lunchbox! You can fill up those little spots with so many different healthy foods! Variety is key with kids, and with so many options you are not limiting them to just one boring old sandwich day after day. Another reason I like these is because you can sneak in something new and encourage your child to try it, even if it is just one bite and if they don’t like it, they have other options as well! Fun fact: it takes 7 times of trying a new taste to get the palate used to the flavour! Something to keep in mind when introducing new items to kids!
A few other quick tips to keep in mind when packing school lunches….
Have fun with it and involve the kids in the process, take them grocery shopping with you and let them pick out their favourite produce and items from the health food section (avoid the inside isles of the grocery store!). Letting kids have a choice in what they have to eat will make them more likely to actually eat their lunch. If you are making big batches of soup or granola or even some homemade snacks, let them help in the kitchen so they can feel like they were part of the process too.
Keep in mind any restrictions in place for the school. As you know most (probably all) schools are nut free when it comes to food, but sometimes classmates can have certain allergies as well that could be harmful to them if they are in close proximity. (Usually the parents will be informed of anything serious, but just incase its better to be safe than your kid without a lunch!)
The less sugar the better! Most kids packed lunches contain two times more sugar than what is recommended, and to be quite honest the recommendation is on the high side. Making sure your kids lunch has very little to no refined sugar is key. Upping the protein, healthy fat and balancing whole grains and fruit and veggies is just as important for kids as it is for adults. You do not want your child to be crashing after lunch because of what they ate. This will also make them ravenous and go on a snack craze when they get home from school because they are just not satiated enough from their meals earlier in the day. Its also important to fuel the brain with these good foods to help with their concentration levels for later in the day (the first half of the day is covered with their healthy breakfast!)
A final tip is about hydration! Keep it simple with water! My kids like to use a steel water bottle because it keeps it cold all day long, and most teachers are ok with keeping it in the class or in their school bag if they want a quick drink, and its a much better option than the school fountains….
I hope these help with ideas for lunches for your kids this coming school year, if you have any healthy tips you like to do, let us know what they are!
Enjoy the long weekend!
Do you want to encourage more healthy eating habits with your kids? Check out this healthy brownie recipe HERE or these chocolate zucchini muffins HERE
Avocado Brownies - Recipe
Have you ever added avocados to your baking? You should really give it a try, these brownies are delicious and you would never know that there is avocado in them (great for picky eaters!)
Adding avocado not only adds in a good amount of healthy fat to your baking, but also makes the texture of these brownies very soft and fluffy.
Check out the recipe below and if you give it a try, let us know what you think!
Serving = 12 brownies, (9x9in. pan)
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 Tbsp coconut oil or coconut butter (melted)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cacao power (or cocoa powder)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup organic dark chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Add first 5 ingredients into food processor & blend
Add in remaining ingredients (excluding chocolate chips) and blend until smooth
Stir in chocolate chips, leaving some for topping
Line pan with parchment paper
Pour batter in pan and smooth - top with remaining chocolate chips
Bake 18-20 minutes
Remove & let cool before cutting
Enjoy !
Love pancakes? Check out our most popular recipe “Pancakes with Protein” by clicking HERE.