Happy Halloween part 2- the fashion side

Well, you can't have Halloween without scarry makeup/nails. So this is what I did before I went to bed last night. Another addition to 'Nice Nails'. Spider Web looking nails. Scary I know. I put a coat of black nail polish then silver crackle polish, I have been dying to try this crackle stuff. Next time I will put it together with a less scary colour. Like pink or red or even aqua!

Here is Melanie in her 60's cool chick outfit.

And here is my little bit of Halloween spirit.

Orange, black and zebra with silver sparkle scarf!

 

Happy Halloween

We wish you all a safe and Happy Halloween. My goal is not to put a piece of candy in my mouth. That's right, this year is different. Instead, I will get my sweet fix from this homemade low fat pumkin bundt cake and this most delicious sweet tea (naturally sweetened and caffeine free), Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice- thanks to my friend Kim for introducing it to me. It's so delicious, I love it more than the trendy chai tea.

Here are a few of our 'Scary' Halloween decorations.

I just loved this sign- Wicked- it's amazing what cool stuff you can find at Dollarama.

Melanie and Brent's handy pumkin carving work.

May the great pumkin keep you safe!

Scarfilicious Fashion Moment

There are some days when you just feel well put together. I had one of those days a few days ago. It's all centered around my new fall purchase. This scarf I got at Winners. It's Scarfilicious! I paired it with a nice long beige/brown long sweater vest and presto!

It's got those great neutral Fall colours, brown, beige, black and gray and it's got these 'popcorn' pieces all over. As well, it's one of those scarves that's got some elastic to it, so it bunches up.

I paired it up with some bling, a couple of coco mado bracelet designs, made by me, for such an occasion. Fresh water pearls, glass pearls and crystals in deep browns and grays with a hit of gold!

I finished the whole outfit with a hit of barely there lip gloss. It's shimmery with a hint of champagne colour. Real cheap too from Walmart.

Et voila!




And here are my lips (since my pretty pink camera is blocking them)



Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Here's another addition to Soupy Sundays. This is a delicious fall soup made with delicious fall ingredients. I escpecially love the hit of curry powder.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from andrewsscenicacres.com and my friend Kelly)

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tbsp butter
2 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 apple and 1 pear, peeled and diced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander/cilantro (or fresh chopped equivalent)
1 1/2 cup milk
In large saucepan, melt butter.  Add onion, cooking until softened.  Stir in flour; gradually stir in stock.  Add squash, sweet potato, apple, pear, curry and coriander.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until all are tender.  Transfer to food processor or hand blender and process until smooth.  Return to saucepan, stir in milk and cook over medium heal till heated through.  Do not boil.  Season with salt and pepper.   Makes 8 servings

Nutrional Infomation:
176 calories
36g carbs
5g fat
4g fat
4g fibre

I invited my wonderful parents over for Soupy Sunday. Consensus is, they loved the soup.

Sesame Meatball Stir Fry

Sesame Meatball Stir Fry (adapted from Chatelaine.com)

Ingredients

1 lime **see note below

1/4 cup (50 mL) soy sauce

4 tsp (20 mL) dark sesame oil

1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp (2 mL) hot chili-garlic sauce

1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch

1/2 2-lb (907-g) box frozen cooked meatballs

1 red pepper, cored and seeded

1 zucchini

1 celery stalk

Directions:

1.Squeeze 2 tbsp (30 mL) lime juice into a small bowl. Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, chili-garlic sauce and cornstarch. Set aside. Lightly oil a large frying pan. Set over medium heat. When hot, add meatballs. Stir often until browned, about 6 min.

2.Meanwhile, cut pepper into thick strips. Slice zucchini into thin rounds. Coarsely chop celery. Once meatballs are browned, add vegetables and a little more oil, if needed, to pan.

3.Increase heat to medium-high. Stir-fry until zucchini starts to soften, 3 min. Stir soy sauce mixture, then pour into pan (I would add in the pineapples here). Stir constantly until sauce is bubbly, 1 to 2 min. Spoon over rice- try brown rice or a wild rice blend.

**Tasted too 'limey' so next time I would add 1 cup of low sugar canned pineapple tidbits and replace the 2 tbsp of lime juice with 2 tbsp of pineapple juice. 

Nutrional Information (with a half cup of whole grain rice blend):

341 calories
23g carbs
18g fat
19g protein
3g fibre

Whole Wheat Pita Pizza

Every Friday night is Pizza night at my house. Well it used to be, 'let's order in a greasy mess'.... But now, we are choosing to make our own healthy version of that greasy pizza. We call it Pita Pizza, we make a variety with your veggies of choice, sauce of choice and 'good for you meats' of your choice, so we haven't seen pepperoni in 2 months- we use turkey pepperettes or chicken. I have bought whole grain pizza shells and tried whole grain enlgish muffins, but the pita is the best as it gets nice and crispy. This is my favourite kind below.


BBQ Chicken Whole Wheat Pita Pizza

Ingredients:            

1 Whole Wheat pita

2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce

¼ cup cut up chicken breast

1 Tbsp Sweet Red Peppers

1/3  cup of Shredded Part-Skim Mozzerella Cheese

½  Tbsp Real Bacon Bits

1 Tbsp sliced Manzanilla Green Olives W/Pimentos

¼ Broccoli

 Nutrional information:

452 calories

 55g carbs

12g fat

27g protein

6g fibre

Toss the chicken with a bit of BBQ sauce and then spread some BBQ sauce on the pita. Add all your ingredients and then finish with the cheese and sprinkle with a bit of the bacon bits- just a little adds a little bit of smokeyness.

I bake it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then broil it for a few minutes to make the cheese all bubbly and brown. I usually make the whole pack of pitas (6) and then we have leftovers. They are not bad warmed up in the microwave for 2 minutes. I serve it with a nice green salad and then you have a complete meal.

Mass production... time management at it's best.

Healthy Menu Plan- check it out for next week

Check out next week's Healthy Menu Plan. There were a few plan changes last week, so I wasn't able to make all the recipes I was going to. I will attempt again this week! Will be making use of one of my daughter's and my favourite fruit... MANGOS!

Eclectic Walking Music Shuffle

I usually go walking with Mella, but tonight she decided to have an indoor dance party (she loves dancing, singing and acting), so then I put my iPod in my ears and turned it on shuffle. I just wanted to share with you just how eclectic my music tastes are by showing you the songs that came on during my walk. It's just so funny how they are all from different decades and genres... the stories of my life!


Just Right- Robin Thicke
Time of the Month- Angie Stone
Jump- Glee Cast
Set Fire to the Rain- Adele
Reasons- Earth Wing & Fire
Seven Days in Sunny June- Jamiroquai

Adele, sings my current favourite song of love.... 'Set Fire to the Rain'. It's so raw and passionate. I just love it!

Time Management

Ok, as a busy mom, wife, worker bee, I have to make dinner, plan what to make for lunch for the next day... and then I remember, I HATE to make lunches in the morning, so I always pack them the night before. This week I got home from work had to make some omelettes and salad for dinner, so at the same time I packed myself a nice salad for the next day too.

I love buying a giant bin of Spring Mix, granted you have to eat it pretty quickly, but I love that it's pre-washed and you just have to grab a couple of handfuls and presto you have a salad. I like to add fruit and nuts and seeds to the mix though as it is a bit bitter. For lunch the next day pack the nuts/seeds seperately or they might get mushy. The dressing of the moment is: KRAFT Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressings, they are made with pure, superior-tasting ingredients like extra virgin olive oil. It's really good!

Lip Shimmer by Burt`s Bees

Here's something you may not know about me. I have an addiction. I am a lip balm/lipstick addict. I cannot live without some 'lip stuff' on my lips. In fact when we were recently away for a day trip, I forgot to pack my lip balm, and we had to go on a hunt to all the local store until I could buy any kind of lip stuff. Crazy, I know. I remember a friend of mine told me about 20 years ago, 'Chantal, you shouldn't put lip balm on all the time, you'll become addicted'. I laughed at her of course, thinking she was making that up. Well she was right. I am an addict all right!

My absolute favourite at the moment is Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer. I own about 5 colours, but my favourite is cocoa. It's just the most delicious colour, brown, shimmery, like the sun and some chocolate just kissed your lips. You put it on and your lips tingle, it's because it contains mentha piperita (peppermint) oil. What a feeling! And it`s all natural and comes from a company with a conscience. So politically correct for the moment. Check out the link.

I think next time I need something special, I just might venture into their Super Glossy Lip Shine. Check out this colour- Pucker Berry

Choco-Peanut Butter frozen cookies- Healthy Snack Alternative

In starting this new journey, I wanted to cut out the very unhealthy, highly over processed snacks of my past, chips, chocolate bars... basically crap! But I still wanted to enjoy Healthy Snack Alternatives that didn’t make me feel deprived from the crunchy, sweet, chocolaty tastes that make a girl feel good! So these foods/recipes will show you that there are alternatives that provide good for you nutrition and are not so highly processed. In fact, when I went to this week’s weight management clinic, the consultant actually said the same thing. That it’s great that I have found healthy alternatives for snacking, it’s important to make the right changes and not feel deprived, that this is the way to be successful in making the right changes for life.

So here is a recipe for a delicious snack when you need something sweet and chocolaty... Eat them from the frozen from the freezer, they are better that way. Don’t worry, they are not hard, so you won’t break a tooth.

Choco-Peanut Butter frozen cookies (an old Weight Watchers Recipe)

Ingredients

                1/4 cup skim milk  

                2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder  

                2 Tbsp sugar  

                1/4 cup chunky peanut butter  

                1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats  

                2 tsp canola oil  

Instructions

    Mix milk, cocoa powder and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat.     Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir into mix until melted. Stir in oatmeal and oil.

 Drop 16 spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for at least four hours. They are better the day after you make them as they get more frozen and hard. Eat frozen. Very delicious!

Nutritional information per cookie (make 16)

58 calories

7 g carbs

3 g fat

2 g protein

1 g fibre

Nice Nails

This is going to be my new segment. 'Nice Nails'. Some of you who have know me for a while may know that I have been wearing nail polish since I was in grade 6. I know, my nails are screaming in pain!!! In grade 9, I remember ordering from our local Avon lady the colour of that moment- it was called 'Toasted Tan'. Well alot has changed since the 80's with colours- like blue and silver and deep, deep colours...  my favourites are O.P.I., I just love the names. The 4th finger in this photo is 'Belize it or Not' . But most recently I started putting my own designs on my nails. I thought it would be fun to update you with my latest creative whim every week (or few weeks depending on how busy I get). You ask... 'How can you paint and create designs on your left hand?', well, it's because I have been doing it for about 35 years (oh, that hurt to say that)!

This design is called 'Cherry Plum Pudding'. Note the polka dots and the 4th finger of a different colour.

Healthy Snack- Yogurt Fruit and Granola

Here is an awesome morning snack. Many people say, and I am now following this new way of eating... you need to eat every 2-3 hours. And your snack needs to have protein and fibre. So this is my usual morning snack at work.

Delicious and nutritious! I take about 200g of Vanilla Fat Free yogurt, about 8 strawberries cut up (or any type of fruit you might have on hand) and about 2 Tbsp of my Healthy Homemade Granola and there you have a great mid-morning snack full of protein, fibre and carbs, and very visually stimulating! We eat with our eyes don't you know!

Nutritional information:
172 calories
27 g of carbs
3 g of fat (from almonds- good for you fat)
10 g of protein
3 g of fibre

Healthy Lifestyle Update

Today I went to my weight managament clinic and since I started on this journey 5 weeks ago I am pleased to report that I have lost 14.6 lbs.
I am so proud, I must say! What an awesome payback for all the hard work I have put into my journey so far. I printed all my daily food and exercise journals from http://www.myfitness.pal/ 
(look for me under 'superchantal') and brought them for the doctor to look at and they were 'impressed' and said to keep bringing them back every month. They said 'I show a lot of promise for a great successful journey' and to that I say.... YOU BET! I am stoked!
I owe alot of this to my most delicious breakfast item. Kashi Go Lean Crunch. Seriously, alot of what we all need to do to get our metabolism working well in the morning is to have protein and fibre in the morning. Well it has 10g of protein and 9g of fibre. The first ingredient in Go Lean Crunch is the seven-grain blend. Go Lean Crunch also contains soy protein concentrate, evaporated cane juice crystals, brown rice syrup, chicory root fiber, whole grain oats, expeller pressed canola oil, honey, salt, cinnamon and vitamin E. Nothing artificial, nothing 'unpure' like, bad for you fats, sucrose/glucose.

So you see me below, the new 'unofficial' Kashi spokesperson:

That's me in a late night Whole Food shopping trip buying my favourite cereal - Kashi Go Lean Crunch.

And that's Janice, my sweet girlfriend who thought it was great fun shopping at Whole Foods at 9:30 at night. We actually laughed at how much fun we were having at discovering new whole foods and reading food labels. She one of my friends who convinced me to start blogging about my recipes, ideas and nail art (that's coming soon!). Thanks Janice!

Beef and Vegetable Crockpot Soup

Every Sunday is  'Soupy Sunday'!

This weekend was a great new addition, and when the recipe calls for the use of a crockpot, that's even better. That way I can spend less time in the kitchen and more time on some Amazing Adventures. It was so warm and delicious, I served it with some whole wheat baguette and some Spring Mix salad with some fresh chopped pears, almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Beef and Vegetable Crockpot Soup

Ingredients:

    1 lb lean ground beef

    1 medium onion, chopped

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/4 teaspoon pepper

    3 cups water

    3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

    1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

    1 (11 1/2 ounce) can V8 vegetable juice

    1 cup chopped celery

    1 cup sliced carrot

    2 teaspoons sugar

    1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

    2 teaspoons dried basil

    1 bay leaf

Directions:

In a nonstick skillet cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.    Transfer to a 5-qt slow cooker.  Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Adapted from http://www.food.com/

Nutritional Information:

143 calories

16 g carbs

3 g fat

13g protein

2 g fibre

Healthy Homemade Granola

Healthy Homemade Granola (adapted from The Amateur Gourmet)

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup almonds (whole, chopped, or slivered)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon, salt, coconut and ground flax seeds.  In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 minutes at 325, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola.

Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cranberries over the granola and store in an air-tight container. Granola will keep for 1 week.

Makes 5 cups.

Nutrional Information (1/4 cup serving)

142 calories

19 g carbs

7 g fat

3 g protein

2 g fibre

Amazing Adventure- Weekend at the park

Mella and I enjoyed some great adventures this weekend. We first went to a local farmer's market in Oakville- Cristan Farms- We were looking for a nice pumpkin and found some great produce too!

Choose one, only one Mella.

We chose this one!



They have won so many ribbons and prizes for their produce.

Colourful Cauliflower.



More beautiful colours.



Mini pumpkins and squashes



Basket of Red Delicious.

We then went to a new park for us along the Lakeshore in Oakville. It had great views, awesome playground and a great trail. What a beautiful place for our nature walk.


Couldn't resist the picture of me in Mella's sunglass lens.



Beautiful Fountain moment.

 

21st Century monkey bars.

 

My Fountain moment.

Peace and Sunshine!

Those rocks were so gool and the waves look like I claw.

Another beautiful daughter moment, Melanie noticed this tire in the little creek and said 'The tire is like the tire around our stomachs, it's like we are throwing our extra tire into the creek.' I just love how she comes up with this stuff.






Healthy Eating Plan- the advice

I need to go grocery shopping today to make delicious and healthy meals for the week. I wanted to share my inspiration with you. Along with following the guidelines of a weight management team of experts, they recommend that you read this book.

I hate the word diet, it implies something that you are going to start and stop. But Dr. Oz knows a few things so I decided to pick up the book. It's a great read and really nails down what is wrong with what we feed ourselves and families. Over-processed crap. Think of it, should a loaf of bread really last  10 days on the counter?
So gone are the days of 100 calorie packs- you know the ones, all they are is 100 calories of sugar/salt/white flour.  And picture my new life now, if we need snacks, I bake them, Oatmeal cookies, granola, good for you muffins. If I need to buy something 'packaged' I look at the ingredients and make sure that the words, white flour, sucrose/glucose are not on the ingredient list. In fact, all the breads, pasta, rice, flour now is whole grain/whole wheat.... I never would have done this before. I grew up on everything white and bland. Whole wheat/grain adds such a dimension, a nuttiness,  take for example whole wheat pancakes made from scratch with fresh raspberries in the mix (recipe to come).
So at the store, I shop now mostly along the outside aisles, fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, fresh meat and whole grain bakery products. Don't forget the bulk food section for whole raw almonds!
The only packaged products I now enjoy for their great fibre, protein and whole grains are Kashi products. Delicious and nutritious.  Ok, that is my morning sharing... I am off to create!

Weekly Healthy Menu Plan

Check out this week's Healthy Menu Plan. Some of these recipes are new and never tested by me or my family, so if they turn out delicious, I will be sure to post them on the Healthy Recipes Tab.

 Stay tuned for the tastiest Apple Crisp Recipe.

Healthy Microwave Popcorn Recipe

I am a nut for popcorn, but have used the Orville Redenbaker SmartPop but have heard from others that it may contain too many artificial chemicals.
Check this recipe out for Healthy Microwave Popcorn Recipe.  I am going to try it soon and let you know.