Fast Fat Burning Meals

May 13, 2015Leave a comment

I’m a bit late to the party but I am super excited to share this awesome video and cookbook with you! Yuri and I set out to prove that not only is it healthier to make your meals at home, but it is also faster, and WAY more delicious!

This video comes at a time when we are ready to share our Fast Fat Burning Meals cookbook and cookbook club with the world. No longer will you have to ask yourself “what should I make for dinner?” Because, the answer to your nightly dinnertime nightmare is here. The healthiest, quickest, and most delicious meals you can make for your family!

I wish I could share the burger in the video with everyone because it is melt in your mouth better than any other burger you’ve ever tasted – and it’s super easy to make! Seriously, make these burgers for dinner tonight. You will LOVE them.

So, is fast food really faster? Watch the video:

We’ve gotten some backlash for “wasting” that food, but in all honesty, McDonald’s is not food in my opinion. I would rather put it in the garbage any day than put that stuff in my body. If you are bothered by us throwing it away, you may want to ask yourself why it bothers you so much. If I had eaten it, the outcome would be the same. No one else would have gotten to eat it!

Best Burger Ever

1/3 lb ground sirloin
tomato
pickle
red onion
ketchup
mustard
greens as a base (not pictured)

To prepare the burger, simply turn on your frying pan to medium, salt and pepper both sides of your patty, and throw it in the pan! Cook just like a pancake, flipping when the burger is half way done, after just 2-3 minutes. Cook until your desired level of doneness is reached, and top that puppy with anything you wish!

Avocado/Tomato Salad

2 tomatoes
1 avocado
olive oil
lemon juice
sea salt and pepper

Place chopped tomatoes and avocado in a medium bowl, and season with olive oil, a dash of lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Done!

Going Gluten Free with Ease: Week 1

February 27, 2015February 24, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been a week since I decided it was time to fully commit to the gluten free lifestyle. We don’t bring it into the house except for the odd pizza anyway, so our pantry and fridge haven’t seen gluten in a few years. I’m pretty sure pizza was the only thing really holding us back. That, and restaurants, but I’ve successfully eaten at 2 restaurants this week and it was actually really easy. You just have to be sure to ask the right questions! If you’re not sure, always ask. Here are my ramblings from week one:

Soups, Sauces, and Salad Dressing.

Always ask if they’re gluten free. I ordered eggs benedict without the English muffin, which many would assume made the meal gluten free. But, I asked about the sauce, which turned out to be made with wheat. Traditionally it is made from egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and butter, but a lot of lower scale restaurants rely on a dry “just add water” mix. Gross. If you want to make it at home, here is a traditional Hollandaise Sauce recipe!

Bread.

Obviously, bread and other obvious wheat containing items are no longer options. But instead of focusing on “I can’t have it,” focus instead on all of the things that you CAN eat. Where attention goes, energy flows. Put your energy into energizing foods such as salads, proteins, and vegetables. If you find yourself sulking about what you can no longer eat, then it’s time to change your focus! Think about how your pants are starting to fit looser, or how much energy you have now that you’ve given up grains. Sometimes I just think about chocolate and how grateful I am that my favourite treat is gluten free!

Environment is Everything.

It may be time to change a few of your current hang outs. If you’ve always gone to a coffee shop and ordered coffee and a doughnut, the habitual energy of that establishment may pull you back in and you may find it hard to cope – unless your motivation is extremely high. Some people can do it, because their reason WHY they’ve gone gluten free is so strong. If you’re finding it difficult, it is important to put yourself in situations where you can thrive. Most cafes in Urban areas have gluten free options, but if you find yourself in Tim Horton’s country like I am, my advice is to stay far, far away!

“Gluten Free” Doesn’t Mean Healthy

Just because the label says gluten free doesn’t mean that food is fit for human consumption. Many large companies are jumping on the gluten free bandwagon and their foods are not pretty. Many packaged items contain corn, oats, and rice, which are all inflammatory foods that will spike your blood sugar higher than table sugar. There is really nothing redeeming about packaged foods! They’re likely high in sugar and rancid oils as well. It’s always best to make your own at home.

Drink Plenty of Water.

I have been incredibly dehydrated this week and I know it’s because I’m not getting enough water! When you give up grains your body releases a lot of water, and since our bodies are 75-80% water, it’s important to stay dehydrated so the body can perform its trillions of daily tasks. The easiest way to tell if you’re getting enough water is to keep track of your urine. If it’s deep orange, you’re in trouble. It should be almost clear!

What I’ve Been Eating

I’ve been eating lots of eggs, meat, salads, homemade pate, smoothies, green juice, and chocolate! I went to The Beet in Toronto yesterday which is an “organic restaurant that focuses on sourcing local, organic and sustainable ingredients.” I had a green juice and a steak sandwich in a gluten free wrap. It was amazing. Restaurants like The Beet make going gluten free very easy when eating out. I hope you all have amazing restaurants like it available to you!

Low Carb Chocolate Shake

December 7, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I joined Yuri’s beta testing group for the new book that he’s writing, and it all kicked off yesterday. Since then I’ve been trying to come up with new recipes for old favourites, bringing the carbohydrate levels way down for those low carb days. Since the diet doesn’t include my daily stress management tool – chocolate – I’ve been looking for alternatives.

So today being a low carb day, I changed up my favourite chocolate shake to stifle a craving. Not only is it low in carbs but it is very high in protein due to the peanut butter, spinach, and protein powder. My taste testers agreed that it was a fantastic alternative, both returning for seconds.

lowcarbchoc

Low Carb Chocolate Shake

1 cup coconut milk (canned, full fat)
1 cup almond milk
¼ cup peanut butter
3-4 cups baby spinach
3 tbsp protein powder
3 tbsp dark cocoa powder
20 drops stevia (Now’s French Vanilla flavour is my favourite!)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well.

Serves 2 (each serving has approximately 4g of sugar)

Luca got chocolate on his face, shirt, the floor, and couch pillows! Just a normal day with 3 boys!

How to Succeed

November 5, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

Today has been a stellar day, but it didn’t start out that way! I was wide awake half of the night, finally falling asleep around 3am, and up again before 7am with the 3 little clones. I gave Arlo a bottle, made the big kids oatmeal, and finished making enough snacks for 33 kids since I had double snack day duty, and somehow managed to get the big guys to school on time for the first time in awhile!

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Kid-Friendly Snack: Roasted Garlic Hummus and Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since I’ve been battling insomnia for a couple of weeks I came home and laid down to take a well deserved nap. An hour and no sandman later, I got up and drove to the forest for some well needed clarity. I walked for 2 hours while listening to an audiobook, while walking amongst the raining leaves. Why sit at home and read when you can enjoy this?:

My fitness goal is set. I’m just as persistent now as when I initially set the intention. I take daily action, eat well, and my success is written in the stars. However, I have yet to set a concrete goal with respect to my career. I’ve found myself floating in an ocean of possibilities, slowly moving along. So I started narrowing down my goals today while walking in the fresh misty air. I’m already getting really excited about working toward them each and every day. I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and start learning, writing, and plugging away at a book that I’ve officially taken out of the “someday” pile and placed on the top of my goal list. The audiobook I listened to was called “How to completely change your life in 30 seconds” by Earl Nightingale, and it was the perfect walking companion. I had heard it all before, but this time it really got my attention.

One of my favourite lessons is this: as long as you keep working toward your goals, you cannot fail. You may fall – that’s ok. Falling isn’t failing. As long as you get up, you’re still in the game. You’re successful. Momentary setbacks cannot harm you. Even if you’re in the lowest possible place you have ever been, a year from now, it will be just a distant memory, and you will be one year closer to your goals! If you set a clear goal and work toward its fruition every single day, the universe has no choice but to grow the seeds into future success. Our minds are extremely fertile, and whatever we plant in our minds will grow. Positive or negative the mind cannot discern the difference. It’s up to you to plant the seeds you want to cultivate. It’s easier to be negative. But know that your returns will be in direct proportion to what you focus on. Replace any fearful thoughts with a positive goal worthy of your time.

There is no need to worry about how something will come about. Worry is one of the lowest vibrations that we can find ourselves in. There is no sense worrying about something you cannot control, nor is there any sense in worrying about something that happened in the past, or things that most likely won’t come to pass. There is very little that we need to really worry about. Most worries are situations that we create in our own minds. It’s been said that 92% of things we worry about are in the aforementioned categories. Only 8% of our worries are legitimate.

I know I was always afraid of failing. What I really should have been worried about was my inaction. My fears that held me back. You cannot fail if you don’t give up, but you certainly can fail if you never do anything to shape the life you want. Most people are caught in a stage of quiet mediocrity. They want success, but they don’t want to work for it. They get distracted by 1000s of things and never really get anywhere. What do you want?

Don’t let events hold you back. Don’t give away your power by making excuses. It’s not what happens in life, but how you react to events that determine the result. A famous psychiatrist interviewed the sons of an alcoholic man, and when asked how they came to be on their current paths, they both answered something like this: “What would you expect having had an alcoholic father?” One of the men was what you would call a success. The other, an alcoholic like his father.

Traditional Greek Salad

October 28, 2014October 22, 2014Leave a comment

I LOVE Greek salad. What I don’t love is ordering it in a restaurant and being incredibly disappointed pretty much every time. Greek salad doesn’t have lettuce in it. It’s full of chunky vegetables and kalamata olives! They should be the star of the show, and not just a garnish atop iceberg lettuce! Rant over. Here’s how to make a simple Greek salad that surely won’t disappoint!

Greek Salad

4 tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 cucumber, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
5 oz goat’s milk feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
¼ cup sliced red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Serve immediately.

If serving a large number of people, you can cut up all of the vegetables ahead of time. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper, and garlic in a separate bowl and set aside. Mix in the dressing just before serving.

Creamy Chicken Soup

October 20, 2014October 14, 2014Leave a comment

There are a lot of soups that I used to enjoy as a kid that came out of a can. Cream of chicken soup was one of them. I’m almost certain that I would feel ill if I tried to eat them today. And while making soup from scratch take a little more effort, you are rewarded with amazing flavour and quality that you can feel good about feeding your family!

Creamy Chicken Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
½ cup gluten free flour
6 cups organic chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup canned coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste (I think I used approx a tsp of sea salt)

Chop up the onion, celery, and carrots and place in a large soup pot with the coconut oil or butter over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add the flour and cook for an 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Chop up the raw chicken breast into bite sized pieces and add to the boiling soup. Turn down the heat to low/medium and simmer for 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked.

Transfer soup to a high-speed blender and add the coconut milk. Blend until smooth. Return soup the pot and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Roasted Tomato Salmon

October 10, 2014March 23, 2015Leave a comment

On a day when I thought I had no food in the house, this recipe was born. I’d never attempted a fish recipe before because admittedly, I am NOT a fish person. Historically, the only fish I’ve ever really liked is smoked salmon, and even then it had to be accompanied with loads of cream cheese, capers, red onion, dill, and lemon juice.

SO, when I came up with this recipe it was a pretty big shock at how amazing it is. I think it’s probably the new house favourite. It was so good that I had seconds. Everyone had seconds – even the kids. I would go so far as to say that this is probably my new favourite dinner recipe, so if you’re reading these words I kindly ask you to make it asap and report back here!

Roasted Tomato Salmon

2 lbs salmon (3 fillets)
1 14 oz can organic diced tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp coriander seeds, milled (or powdered coriander)
1 tsp fennel seeds, milled (or powdered fennel)
1.5 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400F.

Place two large pieces of tin foil side by side on a baking sheet and fold them together accordion style so they make one large piece of tin foil.

Chop up the onion and garlic and toss it in a large bowl along with the diced tomatoes (including the juice).

If you have coriander and fennel seeds, place them in a coffee grinder and grind until fine. I like to grind my seeds myself so they are fresh and aromatic. I find buying seeds in their powdered form don’t have quite as much flavour. Add the fennel, coriander, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to the tomato mixture and stir well.

Spoon 1/4 of the tomato mixture onto the middle of the tin foil and place the salmon on top, pink side up.

Spoon the rest of the tomato mixture over the salmon and then fold the foil together on top followed by the sides so that it is airtight.

Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes at 400 F.

When you take the salmon out of the oven, the salmon should be slightly pink/raw in the middle. This is exactly what you want. Let it sit and rest for 5-10 minutes so it can rest/finish cooking and then enjoy!

Take Massive Action

October 8, 2014Leave a comment

I overheard some ladies the other day talking about the law of attraction. Afterward, I kept thinking about “The Secret” movie and how they basically forgot to mention that taking massive action is probably the most important part of manifestation. You can sit and meditate and ask your angels for help all you want, but if you don’t put their guidance into action, you’re not going to make it very far.

Once you have clear goals mapped out in your mind, it’s time to take little steps toward their fulfillment every day. Notice the synchronicities that are trying to help you along the way, and act on any opportunities that arise. If it’s a business you want to start, you can start laying the groundwork while at your present job. Maybe all you need are 30 minutes each evening to make it happen. Maybe you need more time, or maybe you don’t need any time at all – once you have a clear goal and the timing is right, your angels can move mountains and you can find yourself on the fast track. This can happen in any area of your life – you just have to be ready to work and know exactly what you want to make happen.

If it’s a fitness goal that you wish to reach, you can break down your action steps into daily activities that will get your body moving. If it’s important enough, you’ll find the time. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.

You know those little gut feelings that you have? Start following them. Set your intentions for your life and then follow the guidance that is offered. Align yourself with your Higher Self by following those hunches that want you to act integrally. I always get an uneasy feeling if I’m about to eat something that isn’t in line with my health and fitness goals. I’m getting better at listening to those feelings, but it’s definitely not easy! We have habits that are comfortable for us, but if they haven’t gotten us to where we want to go in the past, they’re worth the discomfort that arises when we choose differently. That discomfort starts to feel really really good once you start blazing that new trail.

If you’ve got a fitness goal you want to reach, I highly recommend a heart rate monitor – especially if you’re competitive like me. It helps me challenge myself every time I wear it. I’m always the last person on the ice at shinny these days because I’ve always got a challenge for myself. Today I had to burn 800 calories before I could get off the ice. I’m hardcore, I know. At the end of 80 minutes, I had burned exactly 800 calories. The point is that I have a fitness goal for myself and I intend to reach it. It doesn’t matter when exactly, but I make sure to take action steps each day that take me toward my goal!

Next time you get a gut feeling that something is off, take a moment and listen to your body. Start asking yourself questions and listen to what comes up. I guarantee you that you’ll start to notice things that you previously maneuvered while on autopilot.

The Power of Intention

August 10, 2014August 10, 2014Leave a comment

There is something extremely powerful about intention. It’s a goal that is present in the now. The problem with most goals is that they are feats that will occur “someday,” but someday never happens. Don’t wait for someday. Do it now. What I like about setting intentions is that they laser focus your attention so that there can be only one outcome. The intentions I have on the front-burner right now include creating a fitter body than ever before, and the intention to be happy. There is no other option in my mind. I know I will get to my goal physique and I will be happy – most of the time anyway.

shutterstock_189588569

Once you set your mind on something it is as good as done. Simply making the decision to do (or not do) something is a game winner. Once you make a clear decision, the universe has your back. Your angels will go to work behind the scenes, setting up synchronistic events that help to ensure the outcome you desire, so long as it is in the best interest of anyone else involved. Of course you still have to do the work, but setting the intention to get something done sets you up for success.

For instance, I love to run, test my boundaries in a hot yoga class, and push myself with a 24kg kettlebell. I have always loved to work out, but since setting the intention to get the body of my dreams, getting a workout in every day has been incredibly easy. There is always someone who is willing to help me out so that I can get to the gym or that yoga class. I even dropped my 2 month old off at the local coffee shop where the owners looked after him for 2 hours so I could play hockey! Life is full of synchronistic events that want you to succeed. All you have to do is ask for help, and recognize that help when it comes along.

We all have guardian angels who want to help us, but since we have free will, we have to ask for their help. They won’t interfere in our lives without our permission. I ask my angels on a daily basis to help me, and I tell you it works. My inner dialogue in the morning sounds something like this:

“Angels, I ask that you help me to release the pounds that no longer serve me. I love my body. It is an amazing place to live and I am so grateful to have it. I am excited about what I have accomplished this far and I am so excited to see my progress every day. Thank you for helping me to make healthy decisions so that I can have the body of my dreams.”

Our angels communicate with us through our intuition, little gut feelings that make us aware of this and that. They even communicate to us through the intuition of others. It’s why we may look at the clock every day at the exact same time, and why we tend to hear or see the same tidbit of information over and over. It’s said that if something catches your attention 3 times, your angels are screaming to send you a message!

I feel the support of the universe constantly when I am running. I get gut feelings that cheer me on. When I run past people on the sidewalk, they often smile at me, or even better, they say things like “great job!” I wish they knew just how much that encouragement means to me, but on some level I think they do. Often, I get these rushes of encouragement exactly when I need to hear them. It makes me think that it’s all in divine timing; my angels are pulling strings to ensure I succeed.

Since I ask my angels daily for help with my fitness intentions, my intuition is pretty bang on for steering me toward healthy foods and away from complete dietary disaster. I can have one piece of chocolate and not want to eat the entire bar. I can have a monster burger for lunch and have a salad for dinner. I’ve always known that my body craves movement every single day, but I made excuses before and I was unhappy for it. Now I listen to my intuition about fitness and my spirit is happy. I’m in a place of balance for once in my life and it feels pretty amazing.

In fact, I set the intention to write this blog post tonight while I was at the gym earlier today. I decided that I wouldn’t let how tired I might be (my usual excuse) get in the way. And so it is!

Don’t Get Comfortable: Push Yourself

July 20, 2014Leave a comment

What do you do when the going gets tough? Do you push through the mental anguish, or do you give up? How does your choice affect the way you feel? How do you want to feel? How you do anything is how you do everything. If you procrastinate in one area of your life, chances are that you do it in other areas as well.

Last night was night 7 in a string of “4 month sleep regression” nights. I had just gotten our 4 month old, Arlo, to sleep through the night about a week before, and now he sleeps worse than ever. In the past, I would have made excuses and taken a nap at the first opportunity, but I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to create the life of my dreams, and I can’t do that if I’m napping every day! To the gym I went.

I’ve started doing hill run intervals during the past few weeks, and each time I am challenged at the exact same point in my run. And each time I am happy to say, I’ve pushed through it. How? It’s all in your head. Set an intention, and you’re 99% there. Your goal is as good as realized if you have a big enough WHY, and the intention to carry it through. It’s how I got through 3 natural births. I just set the intention to do it, and although it wasn’t easy, I knew that setting the intention meant that I would come out on the other side in just a matter of time.

How can you push yourself to run faster and longer? It starts with the intention. Ok, done. But how do you execute that intention? One step at a time. When I was enduring natural back labour, I took it one second at a time. One breathe at a time. Looking into the future or back at the past does you no good in the “right now.” There’s no sense worrying about having to run for another minute to finish an interval when you are working in seconds.

It also helps to have a workout plan. If you’re flying by the seat of your pants then you’re planning to fail. My go-to workout at the moment is Treadmill Trainer Volume 1. Every time I use this workout, there is a point where I seriously think about giving up, and every time Yuri comes on and says “Do not give up. You’ve committed to this interval so let’s finish it!” And every time it gives me that extra mental push I needed. Do you think I could run uphill intervals for an hour by myself. Heck no. It helps to have a guide.

Whether my interval lasts 45 seconds, 90 seconds, or 3 minutes, I take it one second at a time. In order to quiet the mental chatter, I count to 10. Over an over. My mental chatter sounds like this: “1, (breathe out) 2, (breathe in) 3, (breathe out) 4, (breathe in)…10 (breathe in) ONE!” That last ONE meaning I have finished one set of 10. And I just keep on counting until my interval is over, at which point I congratulate the crap out of myself for making it through, mostly in my head, until the end of my workout. Then there is one massive outward celebration that usually includes dancing and people staring at me :). I texted the hubby this photo today because I was so proud and wanted to share my moment with him:

You have to celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be, because doing so adds gratitude, excitement, and happiness to your life and invigorates your Spirit. Happiness is vital for the momentum to keep going. If you hate working out, you’re not going to get very far with your goals. Find enjoyment in the process!

Don’t get comfortable. Break through your ceilings, again and again. Push yourself to get to that next level. Don’t leave the gym thinking that you could have gone harder. Put in the work and celebrate your successes as they come! Be grateful for your ability to push yourself and be grateful for the benefits as you notice them. For instance, you may notice that it’s easier to get up off the couch, you can lift your kids easier, it’s easier to breathe, you can breathe deeper, you’re happier, the people around you can feel it, and they’re happier because of the energy you’re bringing home.