Hello Again Friends,
Sorry I've been missing in action, today was my last exam, so I'll be posting as regularly as possible now! Today I picked up a salad from Harvest Barn (Located in Niagara on the Lake, http://www.harvestbarn.ca ) I loaded it up with all the Challenge Friendly fixings I could and dove in head first! Unfortunately I couldn't finish it off, and decided to pop it in a container and put it away for later. Later came, and I was starving without a clue for what to eat for dinner THEN I found my delicious container of left over salad. I pulled out some Challenge Friendly Whole Wheat Roti Wraps and Loaded on some chicken breast strips and VOILA dinner was served. I'm not one to waste, and if there's a way to re use some leftovers into a new meal I'm sure to find it! If you're short on cash, or short on time, LOVE your Leftovers!
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Hello Again Friends, If you weren't stuck inside like me all day, I'm hoping you got to feel some of the sun today. When the sun comes out I crave Ice Cream, but during the 8 week challenge, Ice Cream is off limits. Rather than salivate in envy, or anxiously await a reunion with your old friends Ben & Jerry here's a sweet fruity treat to trick your mind and stomach into satisfaction! Full Recipe and Ingredients below... fresh from the brown paper bag! Banana Raspberry Frozen Fruit-sicles (CHALLENGE FRIENDLY)
RECIPE 1 - Purchase Popsicle Moulds from the Dollar Store, Local Walmart or IKEA, that's where I found these handy silicone moulds for cheap! 2 - Peel Bananas and Place in Food Processor/Blender 3 - Add 1/2 cup of Frozen Raspberries, or other fruit preference 4 - Add 1/4 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk, I enjoy Almond Preference's Vanilla, which I pick up from Costco on a weekly basis! 5 - Blend until well mixed (as pictured above) 6 - Pour or scoop into moulds and place in freezer for 2-3 hours 7 - Remove from moulds and enjoy! Hello Friends, Sorry I was absent yesterday, got stuck in 12 hour shift land. I will post today's recipe right after this post, BUT I wanted to post about something a little more personal. I like taking photos of myself with my family, myself with my friends, myself with my dog, myself in the gym, and just plain old photos of my goony mug. Some might call it excessive, but to me, these photos showcase how much I've grown and changed over the past few years. My confidence and self esteem have improved greatly, and I'm not going to shy away from sharing photos that showcase this by other's perception of my "attention seeking" behaviour. I encourage all who read this blog to post pictures of themselves in any environment, lighting, or situation that they feel beautiful! Whether you're partaking in your own journey to a healthier you, or you're reached the point where you shine brightest, Always, Love thyself(ie)
![]() Here's an 8 week challenge recipe that I've fallen in love with, perfect for those of us with crazy shift work schedules to prepare ahead and grab and go! Avocado Egg Salad is simple, delicious and so much better for you than MAYO! Today, for work, I packed myself one of these delicious sandwiches on my favourite #challengefriendly Spelt Bread by Stonemill Bakehouse with some leftover Turkey Sausage & White Bean Soup! Paired with a snack size cucumber and Bocconccini pearl salad I felt satisfied! Full Ingredients and Recipe Below! Fresh from the brown paper bag! ![]() Avocado Egg Salad on Spelt Bread 1 - Fill a medium sized pan with 8 cups of water, add 6 large eggs and a dash of salt, bring to a boil 2 - In the meantime, whilst eggs are boiling, dice up 2-3 celery stalks, once diced, you should have about a 1/2 cup 3 - Dice half an onion, once diced, you should also have about a 1/2 cup 4 - Slice Medium sized Avocado in half, and remove pit safely 5 - Using a spoon, remove avocado from skin and place into a large bowl 6 - Using a potato masher or a large fork, mash until desired consistency, similar to a Guacamole 7 - Remove Eggs from stove and run under cool water until cool to the touch, Remove shells, Rinse under cool water again 8 - Roughly chop eggs and add to large bowl with avocado, celery and onion 9 - Add Salt, Pepper and Paprika, mix well, cover and store in fridge or serve immediately on your favourite bread (I like my egg salad cold right from the fridge) This recipe should make 4-6 sandwiches, and will hold well in refrigerator for about 5 days! ENJOY! ![]() GOOD MORNING Friends, I always try to get up fairly early on my days off, because I never want to waste a day where I'm not stuck inside at work, BUT this morning was a different story. Dragging would be the best verb to use to explain how I got my butt out of bed today. Thankfully, I threw breakfast in the Slow Cooker last night, and woke up to warm delicious "Cocoa Nutter" Morning Oats. Super easy, and little to no labour required, these delicious oats are nutritious & delicious, 8 week challenge friendly, AND can be prepared for the entire week. I tend to prepare one variety or flavour for the week, and then will change it up for the following week. This makes it easy to grab and go in the mornings, or throw a jar in your lunch pale when you're dragging yourself to work. They'll keep you full until lunch and will maintain that energy level needed to make it through the morning! Recipe and Ingredients below, right from the brown paper bag! ![]() "Cocoa-Nutter" Morning Oats 1 - Empty can of coconut milk and 7 cups of cold water into slow cooker 2 - Add 2 cups of steel cut oats 3 - Add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa (I use Fry's) 4 - Add 1/4 cup of CACAO nibs (I found mine at Winner's in the food section, but you can find them at most grocery stores in the baking or organic section) 5 - Add 2 tbsp of almond butter 6 - *FOR Added Nut Flavour, grind a 1/4 cup of Raw Cashews, Walnuts or Almonds in a food processor and add the powder like substance to the Slow Cooker, however, without, flavour is still delicious! 7 - Mix Well and cook on low for 6-8 hours 8 - When cooked, portion into containers or jars and store in refrigerator - Enjoy! Hello Again Friends, I'm back again, fresh from a full day of running around in this deceitful weather. Today, I was dressed for brisk, sunny weather, but that frigid wind goes right through you like Taco Bell... Too cold to BBQ, Too Sunny to hibernate, I found a happy medium and whipped it up for dinner! Tonight's dinner: Slow Cooker Turkey Sausage, Veggie and White Bean Soup! See Ingredients and Recipe Below, Fresh from the brown paper bag! ![]() RECIPE 1 - Cook Turkey Sausage in Frying Pan with 1/4 cup of water and 1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I ordered my Turkey Sausage from Elmira Meats, but any turkey or regular sausage will do) After cooking, pat with paper towel to remove excess grease, and slice into thin slices 2 - Peel Carrots and chop into thin circles 3 - Dice Celery stalks into thin slices 4 - Peel & Dice Sweet Onion into fine pieces, almost a mince 5 - Mince Garlic Cloves or use 1 tbsp of pre-minced garlic 6 - Open cans of White Kidney Beans and rinse with cold water and drain 7 - Pour 4 cups of NO SALT ADDED Chicken Broth into slow cooker, Add Veggies and Sausage 8 - Add 1 tsp of Dried Oregano, 1 tsp of Pink Himalayan Salt (Regular Iodized will do as well) Add 2 Bay Leaves and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste 9 - Stir Ingredients well and leave in slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours 10 - Don't forget to remove Bay Leaves prior to serving, otherwise one dinner guest might end up with some unwanted foliage in their delicious spoonful of soup ![]() The last few days have been a solid 6 on the pain scale. Tuesday, in the middle of my 12 hour shift, I noticed the seemingly harmless cyst on my lower back had become larger, inflamed and incredibly sore with every movement. After having some stellar nurses feel me up, I ended up at the nearest urgent care, with my concerned grandmother by my side of course. Antibiotics and pain meds shortly followed, and today I found out I am being forced into missing two more shifts without pay due to the physical nature of my job... Being the money famished student I am, this was upsetting, and I may have shed a few tears, but after a good cry, and some James Blunt mediocre karaoke, I decided to not let today be a total wash. I quickly changed into my comfiest sweats, threw on a cap, and decided to make today about my favourite four legged lady, Bella (pictured above). She is 3 years old now, part black lab, part coonhound, and I couldn't be more in love with her. She was a wee 9 weeks when we picked her up, and we've been losing shoes and pillows ever since. Today, we ran around the dog park, got all good and muddy and then hit up our local Petsmart, hoping to run in to our favourite groomer, Krystal. After being all dolled up, we bought some new treats, and were off to our next adventure. While at the dog park, it's cleverly named Dogford by the way, because we live in Brantford, hilarious right? ANYWAY, I snapped a few candids of my slobber puss running around, and came across the one posted above. Even though today was testing, I couldn't help but stop and laugh at the goofy faced girl who made me find the HAPPY in today. Hello All, This is new... I've decided to take my new found passion of sharing simple, delicious meals and my journey to a healthier life with you folks. I've lost over 90 lbs within the last two years, but never truly adapted good, healthy habits until these past few months. It all started with Bonnie Giampa & Briar Krieger's magnificent "8 Week Challenge", if you don't know who these inspiring women are, check them out on Pinterest, Facebook, Youtube or at their website www.8weekchallenge.com
Their program was the jump start I needed to get my health back. I lost over 30 lbs during my first challenge, and was motivated to lead a challenge team of my own... Which brings us here, my own team cleverly dubbed "Flab-u-Less" will be starting our 8 week challenge on April 18, 2016 and we are still looking for members, so please visit the challenge website and join the LIVE/VIRTUAL challenge, but be sure to select our team name! You won't regret it... :) Leading up to, and throughout those 8 weeks I will be sharing recipes, both Bonnie & Briar's as well as some of my own creations, my workout routines, and anything else that begs for sharing. I'm so excited to share my experiences with you, let's do this! |
AuthorAmateur health foodie, making an art out of simple meals is my passion. Currently, discovering my love for all things that make you better.. Archives
October 2016
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