I hold success in the palm of my hands - Healthy lifestyle update

Yes folks, I hold success in the palm of my hands!  What you see below is 1 pound of fat.  Nice, eh?  

Well, imagine holding 6 of those- that's how much weight/fat I have lost over the past month. Time to celebrate!

Celebrate, how? By going for a big walk! Buying some new running shoes because I've worn out my other ones.   Yup!

I went for a visit to my Wharton clinic today and that's what the scale said. But I know what has happened as well as loosing this weight, is that my muscle mass is much greater. I have been working at the gym like a dedicated student of body transformation for the past month.  Taking classes like Zumba, Body Jam, New Body and Awesome Abs and using the weight resistence machine- I have become stronger and 'tighter'. Just ask my loose yoga pants.  So what I'm saying is that the scale -although positive- doesn't show all my efforts.  So I have taken measurements of my shrinking body parts and will keep track of my progress in a variety of ways. 

It feels so wonderful to be on the right track, to be focused, to be dedicated to me and my health.  I can't wait to see what next month will bring!

Amazing Adventure - Family Day

I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's Day/Family Day weekend!  Today I want to share with you some of the Amazing Adventures my daughter and I had on Family Day (Valentine's Day recap to come soon).

If you recall, when I started my healthy journey a few year's back,  I would go on these fun outdoor treks with my daughter. I called them Amazing Adventures.  Well, it is with great pleasure that I share with you the latest installment in this series. This time- Frozen Lake Edition.

We were meeting my sister for a Family Day Café a little later, so we thought we would take advantage of the fact that it wasn't -35 with the windchill and go for a walk by the lake before our date.

We went downtown Oakville, 'the bottom of Navy' park we call it, but it turns out it has a name- The 'Homecoming' Trail. 

We were totally frozen, but had so much fun feeling the wind on our face, the air in our lungs, the frigid cold on our legs... we were giddy with excitement!  Couldn't believe the Canada Geese, mallards and loons all bathing in the water as if it was nothing!

Just check out Melanie's broadcast debut, Australian Outback accent and all, reporting on the Frozen Canadian waters and the fowl that inhabit it without any issue!

Well enough of the cold Canadian wildlife, this bunch of Canadian girls- warm toques and all- was ready for another Canadian favourite....

That's right! Warm coffee with lots of milk and hearts on top.... aka- latte time!  

Hope you were all able to spend the weekend with the special people in your life and share amazing adventures or quiet times with the ones you love!

Spaghetti Squash- Asian Style

It's soooooo cold outside- forecast for the weekend is -30 with the windchill, so what better way to warm up than with a steamy bowl of Asian inspired, nutritious and tasty Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry.

As you know, I have been trying to add more vegetables to our dinner table, and let me tell you... I think I finally found a way to enjoy this stringy squash!

You start off by cutting your squash in half, removing the seeds and baking it at 400F for about 45 minutes.

Now, this is the most fun... flip them over and using a fork, scrape the inside and see the magic happen! It all comes out like stringy spaghetti- hence the name!

Look at this amazing pile of golden nutrition! Now put aside and gather your other ingredients and ask Siri about the nutritional content of this delicious squash.

Seriously, that's what I did!

And look at the proof, Siri knows!

• 1 cup of spaghetti 491 calories

• 1 cup of Spaghetti Summer Squash, as she calls it, is 14 calories. unbelievable!!!! 

Now don't even start comparing the vitamin C content (15 times more)!

Now off to the Stir Fry pan. 

I assembled my choice ingredients. The original recipe this was inspired from had mushrooms (yuk for me), so I substituted with some sweet peppers and added some chicken breast for added protein. 

So here's how I did it.

Asian Inspired Spaghetti Squash 

(inspired by http://www.pickledplum.com/yakisoba-spaghetti-squash-recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 small spaghetti squash 

• 1 sweet pepper chopped in strips
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

• 2 scallions, finely chopped

• 2 cup coleslaw mix of carrots and cabbage
• 1 cup bean sprouts

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 tsp dried red chili, chopped (optional)

• 1 tbsp chopped peanuts
• 1 tbsp cilantro

• For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• ½ tbsp hot thai chili garlic sauce

• Salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut spaghetti squash in half, scrape off the seeds with a spoon, place open side down and bake in the oven at 400Fº for 40-50 minutes.
2. Use a fork and scrape the flesh into strings.
3. In a large pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and cook the peppers, add coleslaw mix and red chile and cook for two minutes.
4. Add chicken and cook for another two minutes.
5. Add spaghetti squash, bean sprouts, scallions and sauce, and mix well until the sauce has evenly coated all the vegetables. Cook for two minutes and turn the heat off.
6. Transfer to a bowl, top with cilantro, peanuts and serve.

Healthy Zucchini Sticks

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and I wanted to make my family a healthy snack that looked like a decadent Super Bowl worthy snack.  I had always wanted to try making these Zucchini Sticks from one of my favourite sites, skinnytaste.com, and were we ever impressed!

Served with a side of Marinara sauce, these 'crispy on the outside- tender on the inside' snacks definitively go into the 'don't tell them it's good for them' file!

It's a pretty simple setup really, zucchinis, eggs, seasoned bread crumbs.

Dip each zucchini stick in the egg, then your seasoned breadcrumbs, lay them on your sheet pan and bake.

Here's the recipe I used as a guide. I used a few eggs and opted not to put the breadcrumbs in the ziplock and just use 2 bowls to dredge them in.

Baked Zucchini Sticks (adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/baked-zucchini-sticks-13-pts.html)

Ingredients: 

• 2 medium (7 oz each) zucchinis sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks

• 2 large eggs

• 2/3 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs

• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

• cooking spray

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• salt

• fresh pepper

• 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Directions
In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping.

I altered the recipe a bit, sprayed the sticks with cooking spray before they went into the oven and baked for 10 minutes then flipped them and baked for another 15 minutes. Et Voila!  They come out crispy, crunchy and full of flavour. I urge you to try them the next time you need a healthy alternative that is fun and flavourful!

Chili on a boat

This is one of my new favourite ways to eat chili. On a boat- a sweet potato boat that is.... Packed full of vitamins and nutrients, it's a perfect vehicle to promote the goodness of this veggie-filled chili.



There's something about making your chili so fancy and pilled high with 'fixins' that makes this dish look like it wants to compete in the 'taste' Olympics.

It all starts with a giant batch of crockpot chili. Perfect for those cold/mild winter days we've been having.  Here's how I make mine.

Veggie-filled Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:

1lb ground meat (I chose beef, but turkey or chicken would be great)
1 onion, finally chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 can of tomato paste
2 28 oz cans of chopped tomatoes
1 can/jar of tomato sauce
1 can of green chilis
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
2 TBSP of chili powder
1 TBSP of Tex Mex spice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown ground beef and onions in a pan, adding some of the Tex Mex spice, salt and pepper too. Drain and add to crockpot with all other ingredients. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

Note: You could add your favourite veggies, change out the beans, add more spice with some jalapenos, it's all up to you and your taste.

Some people eat the chili in a bowl by itself. But no, not me, I love to mix the flavours and textures up. I take a sweet potato and microwave it for about 15 minutes (don't forget to pierce it with a fork, so that it doesn't explode). Once you can stick a knife through the middle, it's done. Simply cut it in half, Place in your serving dish, add your chili....

..,, and anything else you love. Here's my favourite combination.  Shredded cheddar cheese, light sour cream, green onions, cilantro and a tortilla chip crushed on top for texture. Amazing taste and texture! The amount of vitamin A and potassium this will add to your meal is incredible, not to mention the fibre boost too.

Living a healthy lifestyle is all about tweaking what you do to make it healthier and wholesome.  I used to eat chili with tons of nachos- loaded with salt, fat and empty calories. Now I choose nutrient dense calories that fill me up and fuel me with good energy!