Post-vacation bloat

The dreaded vacation bloat…it happens to the best of us. I recently went away and came home feeling rather miserable about myself. Now don't get me wrong, that vacation was great and it wasn't the fact that my belly was bloated that made me miserable…I don't usually focus on the scales or weight as they have been the devil in my life.

I put on my clothes that morning and they just felt wrong…but the more I thought about it the more I realized…this isn’t my problem! I don't really worry about how I look, my problem was how I felt! It is soooooo easy to get fixated on image, weight, measurements or even a flat belly but what really matters is how you feel. 

OK, so yes my clothes were tight and that made me feel uncomfortable but the real problem was that I felt sluggish, slow, drained, de-motivated and just generally low. I knew I needed to make some changes to get back to how I wanted to feel. 

If you start with wanting to change how you feel IN your body…only positive changes can happen. Energy, motivation and confidence are what I strive for, the rest just happens naturally.

Here are the four steps I used to help get myself on track

STEP 1. Tell yourself ‘you are beautiful’ starting from a place of love will always render better results….however you like to define results. For me the result I want is to feel motivated and confident instead of sluggish and subdued.

STEP 2. Drink more water. I usually carry a water bottle around with me, however I didn’t take it away with me. I left it at home and therefore forgot to drink throughout the day. This left me feeling bloated and seriously dehydrated. I thought I was hungry but really I was just craving water.

STEP 3. Drink less coffee. I usually drink decaf coffee with a little caffeine added in, but because I was a single parent for 10 days I opted for strong back coffee to keep me going through the day. The personal trainer/nutritionist in me was screaming NOOOOOOO don't do it…but I did. It was like a teeter totter effect, the more coffeeDehydrating me further.

STEP 4. Eat more. Thats right….eat more!! I found when I was away I would skip lunch or just have a small lunch. This left me craving sweet treats later on in the afternoon. When I say eat more I am referring to nutritionally packed meals with vegetables, protein and good quality carbohydrates.

STEP 5. Have healthy snacks available for when you are hungry. I struggle with snacking as I never know what I want. Making sure I have the variety in the fridge/cupboard is the best way for me to get something I enjoy/want at that time. Healthy trail mix, greek yogurt (2%), fresh berries, fresh peas, rice cakes with almond butter etc. Pick things that are nutritionally dense, the less empty calories the better.

One step at a time and keep building off the strong foundation to finally get you to where you wanna be!

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

This time of year, when its cold outside, my favourite thing to do is sit back and enjoy a warming bowl of soup. There are so many reasons why soup is the BEST, but my main love is that they are soooooo easy to make AND they are jam packed with nutritious ingredients.

I was scanning through Pinterest for inspiration and I stumbled on a couple of recipes but non of them really hit the spot. Either they had too much sugar or added cream, which aren't great for you. So I decided to adapt and make my own recipe for this filling butternut squash soup. Its full of flavour and has just the right amount of sweet. You can top it with some greek yogurt and fresh ground pepper and ‘Bob’s your uncle’ a perfectly well rounded soup.

Honestly this soup is so easy, all you need to do is chop all the ingredients and throw it in the slow cooker. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 medium white onion
• 3 medium carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 apples
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

METHOD

Chop and peel the butternut squash, chop everything else (leave the skin on the apples) and place them all in the slow cooker. You can chop the garlic if you like but I put the cloves in whole. Add all the spices then pour in the stock. Set the slow cooker to high for 3-4 hours OR set on low for 5-6 hours. 

When the butternut squash is soft you can place the soup in the blender and blend till smooth. If you like it a little thinner just add some water to the blender.

Serve with greek yogurt and enjoy!

juicy pulled pork tacos

What brings families together better than tacos?? In my opinion, NOTHING! I have a big place in my heart for build your own food at the table. It allows for creativity and zero (ok, well maybe not zero…but very few) objections about what you are going to put in your belly. If you don’t like tomatoes, don’t use them…..if you LOVE cabbage, put as much in your taco as you like. I find that giving options (but not too many) work really well to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.

This recipe is a slow cooker recipe so you don’t need much time slaving over the meat, just the time spent on the sides/accompaniments. AMAZING right?? More time to work, play, clean or workout!!

Find the list of ingredients at the bottom of this post.

Step one, and you can skip this step if you like. However, I like it because I like some crispy parts of meat. Chop the pork into chunks and brown on all sides on a high heat.

Step two, place meat, spices and water into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hrs.

Step three, while you wait for the meat prepare some side dishes…I like shredded cabbage, avocado and tomatoes.

Step four, take the meat out of the slow cooker and shred it on a plate with two forks.

Step five, place the juice from the slow cooker into a frying pan, mix 1 tbsp. of tapioca or cornstarch with a little water. Pour the tapioca/cornstarch mixture into the juices and bring to a boil to thicken the mixture.

Step six, place the shredded meat and sauce into the serving bowl and take to the table along with the remaining sides (including soft taco shells) serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

hale to the kale.....breastfeeding mamas salad

To all you breastfeeding mamas out there it can be very daunting knowing what you can and can’t eat for your baby! Knowing what to put in your body to benefit your new baby is definitely top of the list (for me at least).

We have carried these little humans and protected them for nine long months, now they are here, their needs are changing and you will notice they react differently according to what you eat. Did what I ate last night make them gassy? Is that rash on their face because of me? Do they have an ear infection because of MY eating habits?? MAYBE it is and maybe it isn’t. When I was breastfeeding I found myself scrolling through countless articles and books to make sure I was doing everything right. I would watch what I was eating and make sure Eden didn’t have a reaction over the next few days.

Good news is this salad is perfect for breastfeeding mamas as it cover all the nutritional bases. If however you have hypothyroidism you need to be a little weary of kale as it is does contain goitrogens when eaten RAW. So depending on your nutritional needs (please check with your healthcare provider) you may be able to steam it first and have it as a warm salad, or substitute for spinach or romaine lettuce.

Foods a breastfeeding mama should be including in their diet are;

1. Dark Leafy Greens
2. Good Quality Protein
3. Healthy Fats
4. Complex Carbohydrates

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 8 cups kale
• 2 cups cubed and roasted butternut squash
• 1 cup cooked green lentils
• 1 green apple sliced into sticks
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 cup crushed almonds
• 4 tbsp. goat feta

Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. maple syrup

Method

Roast the squash ahead of time, sprinkle the cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 mins @375 until tender. Let them cool. Boil the green lentils using the instructions on the package (usually simmer on low for 30 mins).

Layer all the ingredients on top of a bed of kale, add the dressing and serve. It is great as a meal or you can use it as a side salad with grilled chicken or a white fleshed fish.

p.s. I like to prepare the whole butternut squash and extra green lentils ahead of time so there are leftovers for other meals throughout the week.

Also, big shout out to my mother in law for the home grown kale!!

mornings in a hurry

Being a mother of a toddler and a new puppy, life can be very hectic!! Now don’t get me wrong, I am NOT complaining. But sometimes making a good breakfast can be challenging. When that is the case I make myself a green smoothie (it doesn’t have to be green). The benefit to that is that my daughter LOVES them and it’s a sure fire way to get her daily dose of yucky veggies in. Did I mention I have a very picky eater?? But that is another topic all together.

What I love about smoothies is that you don’t really need a recipe, once you get the hang of it you can add whatever you like! Here is how I build mine;

1.       Base – this can be WATER, COCONUT WATER, COCONUT MILK, DIARY FREE MILK or a WHOLE MILK (if feeding a toddler). I use approx. 1 cup.

2.       Fiber & Omega 3s – 2 Tbsp. Flax seeds, hemp hearts or chia seeds. You can even add a fish oil supplement at this point if you wish. Just make sure it is toddler safe (i.e. not too strong)

3.       Greens – 1 cup of greens. This could be spinach or kale just make sure it is ORGANIC as they have a high concentrate of pesticides. I sometimes add a greens powder for added nutrients.

4.       Fruit – I use a mix of fresh and frozen fruit, approx. ¾ cup of low sugar fruit like berries or ½ cup of medium sugar fruit like pineapple and mango. NOTE: if I am going to the gym/working out at home right after I will use a banana and some nut butter for extra sustainability.

Blend and enjoy!

If you are drinking these smoothies alone (no toddler/baby) then you can also add some protein powder, but I do not recommend adding it if you are going to share with a little person. It is best to provide their protein intake with ‘real’ food rather than a supplement. It is easy to add in at the end if you want to do both, just serve them theirs first then stir in some protein for you. But to be honest, I’m a fan of eating my protein rather than drinking it. There is enough slow release energy in these smoothies with the flax/hemp/chia that you don’t need to worry too much about protein.