BACK AWAY FROM THE INSTANT OATMEAL, PEOPLE! Try this instead...

Well Hi There!
How are you now? It's all good over here. Look, I guess I just didn't have a lot to say lately. Well ok that's probably not true but I got a little busy, and well, things got in the way of the old blogeroni. I'm sure it was devastating for dozens, if not SINGLES of people, right?

Anyhoodles, after breakfast this morning, well, I guess I felt a blog post coming on-so here we are. Today's post was inspired BY breakfast, a satisfying serving of Chocolate Protein Oatmeal. Seemed like a few people were intrigued, so I thought I'd share my 'recipe'. Blink & you'll miss it, it's that short & simple.

But first, let's talk about oatmeal. Are you eating the instant stuff? You know the kind- comes in those cute little brown envelopes in a box, usually made by a company that starts with 'Q'? Apple & Cinnamon, or Brown Sugar, or whatever? Here's a tip; go to the store, where the Cereal Aisle is, and there's this red box of cereal with a toucan on the front and multicoloured circles. Buy it, bring it home, and fill your boots with it; it has just about the same nutritional value as Instant Oatmeal, and your kids will think you're WAY cooler when you come home with it....that's the deal with instant, mkay? GarBAGGGGGiiioooo(that's me with my fancy Italian accent on the end of 'garbage')

Don't get me wrong, that stuff takes great, kind of like candy. But there aren't too many other ways it is able to redeem itself. And quick oats are only marginally better. You need Old Fashioned Oats or better yet, Steel Cut oats. Yes, they take a little longer to prepare, but that's part of it; they take longer for your body to break down, also known as a 'slow digesting' form of carbohydrate and have a lower glycemic index. They have a decent amount of fibre and help fill you up. I added some protein to them so I'd feel more satisfied & fuller for LONGER. Because nothing says 'lame breakfast' like feeling hungry 10 minutes after you ate it. Plus, if you are exercising, particularly with a resistance component (weights) on a regular basis, you need to feed your muscles protein to see results. There's no two ways around that.

Chocolate Protein Breakfast Oats:
- 1/4 cup Steel Cut Oats
-1/2 cup water
-1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (look for one that is naturally sweetened, as opposed to with Sucralose)
-Splash of Chocolate Almond Milk (I'm LOVING Silk True Almond Dark Chocolate right now)

Directions:
1. Cook oats according to label's directions. Steel Cut Oats usually take about a 1/2 hr, maybe a tiny bit less.
2. When oats are cooked, place in a bowl, add a scoop of protein powder, and a little splash of the almond (or other) milk to dissolve the powder. Eat up!
3. If you wanted to add anything else at this point to fancy it up, that's up to you; cacao nibs, cinammon, banana, chia seeds or some ground flax....but what you see above is the basic recipe.

Note: You all know I'm not a nutritionist at all. Just a hungry girl with a lot of opinions about how I like to eat. So with that said I'm not really in a position to recommend a specific protein powder. I've tried all sorts; Vegan, Vegetarian, Whey. These days I'm back on Whey. Sorry, but the unsweetened sprouted brown rice Vegan powder tasted like the end of the world when the cockroaches inherit it, so I gave it up. The one I take now literally tastes like a chocolate milkshake, is natural, made locally, and sweetened with Stevia, so I'm all over it. Check out the supplement section of your grocery store or try a supplement store (like GNC) and ask the staff for their recommendations, and some samples.

Don't get me wrong, I still love to fill up on a big glass of Green Juice most days. But as the weather gets colder, sometimes it's nice to have something a little heartier first thing in the morning. This will be my go-to choice on the days I feel like I need a bigger breakfast.

I hope you give it a try and let me know if you have any ways to make it better, or what you thought about it!

Take care, talk at you next time!
xoMelissa

I'm all about the Bulgogi, baby....a grilled supper recipe

Hello There Friends!
How's your summer treating you so far? Ours is just about to begin. I just KNOW the rain will stop soon!

So this post is all about grilling. We had an EPIC, I mean completely out of this world supper the other night and it inspired me to pass it along. I kid you not, as we sat down at the table together, The Bean looked at her plate, took her first bite and said: "I feel like we're in a RESTAURANT!" Yeah baby. That's what I'm talking about...It was easy, tasty & pretty healthy actually so keep reading if that sounds like it's up your alley.

As you know we eat pretty veg-heavy round this house, but not exclusively. So I don't want people getting all turned off that this is a vegetarian supper. Trust me, I'm not totally veg or healthy all the time either. In fact, last weekend at the local fair I ate a burger and fries (ok, all of my fries and the Bean's too) like the future of the planet was on the line. "You mean the world WON'T explode if I eat all of this?! Ok then!" But maybe you'll consider a night or two a week that doesn't revolve around meat. It feels good, trust me.

The inspiration for the first part of the meal came from the newest edition of Vegetarian Times, love that magazine. HEY! Don't stop reading! It's good, I promise!

Have you ever had a dish called Bulgogi? It's a Korean barbecued beef dish that is literally one of the tastiest things you can ever eat, if you eat beef. Thinly sliced steak marinated in a soy sauce-brown- sugar-garlic-ginger concoction and then lightly grilled, melts in your mouth. So when I saw in Veg Times a recipe for Seitan Bulgogi' I was pretty stoked to try it. Now listen, don't get all uppity about eating tofu. We have only recently become converts chez nous, and if you prepare it right, it's amazing; not mushy-yucky-poopoo tasting, I promise. To be clear, this isn't like the Beef Bulgogi of my dreams. Tofu isn't beef, so that's stretching it. But it's a damn fine stand in, and totally delish. True Story: I slapped the Beans Hands away from the plate of Tofu Bulgogi the other night when she tried to grab a 7th slice of the stuff. Back off kid! Mama needs Bulgogi!

I made a few changes to the VT recipe, namely because I didn't have any Seitan(not a huge fan yet), but I did have a brick of firm tofu so I used that instead.

Tofu Bulgogi
Ingredients:
-1 Brick of Firm Tofu (not silken!)
-1/4 cup low sodium veggie broth
-2 TBS Agave (or brown sugar)
-1 TBS Sesame Oil
-1 TBS Rice Vinegar
-1 TBS Grated fresh ginger (I buy the bottled stuff, but you can peel & grate to your heart's content)
-4 TBS Minced garlic
-Ground Black pepper to taste
-2 Green onions, chopped

Directions:
1.Set your brick of tofu on it's long edge & slice it along the narrow edge, slices should be about 1/4 inch thick. Place on a paper towel, and another paper towel over top to drain a bit.
2.Combine all the other ingredients and whisk together.
3.Set tofu in a baking dish in a single layer and pour the marinade over it. Marinate as long as you can- 2 hrs or more, and flip the slices over every once in a while to make sure they soak up as much of that heavenly sauce as possible.
4.Light the barbecue and when it's good and hot, clean off the grate & oil the grill. Don't want to lose any tofu to the grill. Reduce the heat a bit so you don't burn the food.
5.Place the tofu slices on the grill and brush with a bit of the marinade. Cook a couple minutes on one side and flip, brush with marinade again. Let them cook a couple more minutes, or more depending on your barby. The finished tofu should be firm, a little crispy on the outside, and the marinade carmelizing a bit...heaven...

So with that fine dish we also enjoyed grilled sliced sweet potatoes, asparagus, and red pepper, as well as a couple of beets roasted in foil in the oven and topped with goat cheese right before serving. A bit eclectic, but whatevs. I just threw the veggies (not the beets) into a zippie with some garlic-balsamic-evoo-pepper-rosemary marinade and then threw them on the grill. No, not in the bag, sheesh.

The beets were simple but amazing: scrubbed too large beets (peeling beets is for suckas. And people who like pink-stained fingers), placed in foil, drizzled with evoo & a bit of pepper/salt, wrapped them up and baked them at 400 for an hour. They're also the gift that keep on giving; I just ate the last half of one of those bad boys on bed of baby arugula and topped with goat cheese for lunch.

If beets aren't something you're used to eating, I might pass along a little piece of advice. How can I put this delicately? Let's just say after eating beats, the next day or whatever, if you have a bit of a shock in the restroom, fear not, you do NOT have internal bleeding. It's just that the beets are really, er, red. Ok? Nuff said.

And moving right along! That's all for now. Hope you like this little menu and I'll be back again another time, hopefully in the not to distant future. Have a great weekend!

xoMelissa

If You Already Love Your Abs & Glutes, then just ignore this post...

Well Hi There!
Remembah me? I barely remember myself! In fact, it's been SO long since I wrote a post that I actually had to try 5 times to sign in because I couldn't remember my password. Ahem. Bad 'Blogger'! I can barely even call myself a Blogger for all the action around this site, sheesh. Sorry about that! But even so, I am back today and wanted to put out an exercise post this time.

So the areas I get requests to 'work extra hard' with clients & class participants is often the core area, as well as the glutes. I don't often hear them referred to in such diplomatic terms, but I could hardly call this the Mummy Tummy & Ghetto Onion Workout, right? You call it what you want, but let's get started. For this little series, you'll need your exercise mat (or towel), 2 facecloths, and a slippery floor- hardwood, laminate, linoleum, that sort of thing. Carpet not recommended, no way.

Before you get started, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE that you've had a little warmup- 10-15 minutes to get your heart rate up a bit (and a light sweat going), get your joints moving, blood circulating, and your muscles warm. Follow that with a stretch, paying particular attention to your shoulders, chest, quads, hamstrings. Since I am a blogging dork and still don't upload pictures, I would recommend an Internet search of difference stretches, if you don't already know a few.

So the first exercise if for your core- all your abdominal bits! Please do both of these exercises with your running shoes on, ok? Lay out your mat on the slippery floor, and kneel at the top of it, so that there are only a few inches between your knees, and where the mat ends. Then:
-Place your hands (palms down) on the two facecloths, which are laid out on the slippery floor.
-Slide your hands forward (away from you), keep your back flat/straight, and your bum down, and slide just until you feel your core muscles tense up a bit, or become 'engaged'.
-Now, extend one hand forward with a straight arm, about 6 inches (or more, depending on your current core strength) and draw it back towards your body. As the first hand comes back towards you, start extending the other hand out, repeating the same motion. Alternate hands like this for a complete set; start with 2 on each side and work upwards from there. Don't forget to breathe. Did you feel your core working? If not, do more reps, and try sliding the hands further away from the body.

Exercise #2: Glutes!
-Sit on your mat, with your bum at the end of the mat, and your legs on the slippery floor.
-Place a facecloth under each heel this time, and lie back so that your body, from the lower back up, is on the mat.
-Bend your knees, and draw your heels towards your body so that while you are in this recumbent position, your heels are up at the edge of the mat, behind your bum, with your knees bent.
-Lift your hips UP! Way up! It should be a straight line from your lower back, all the way up to your knees; your feet are still on the ground, on the facecloths. Squeeze your glutes.
-Next, slide one foot away from your body on the slipper floor & facecloth, and extend until it is straight. Now bring that foot & leg back to the starting position. As you bring the first foot back, start extending the other foot in the same motion, and continue to alternate the slide outs for a full set.
-Again, start with a set of 4 and move up from there, depending on your current ability. Don't you feel that in your glutes & hamstrings?

Try doing a set of the hand slide outs, followed by a set of the glute slide outs back to back and repeat for two sets of each. And of course, be sure to stretch afterwards. Let me know how you make out with them!

So there you have it! I feel weird that I said the word BUM so many times, but whatever. My American friends, that's just how we roll up here, not so much the word 'butt'. Hope you enjoyed the post, and let me know your feedback or if you have any questions!

Gotta run for now, back soon with a recipe next time!

xoM

A Guest Post! And a flatbread recipe to die for!

Good Morning! Happy Wednesday! How are ya?
I'm writing today with a special guest post from a good friend of mine, Erin. This is a lady who is not only one of my dearest friends, but a constant source of inspiration to me. She is the mother of 3 boys under the age of 7; she homeschools, she is a fiend in the kitchen; a superb wife to a hardworking husband; a supportive friend to so many....and still, somehow, finds time to fit exercise into her life. And no, she doesn't sleep. Enjoy her post below, and try out the recipe for her flatbread. You won't go wrong with it!

Erin:When I was a little girl, my dad would bundle up in his big fluffy coat, warm hat, large gloves and head out into the cold Ontario winter nights with the garden hose in hand. He'd set out into the frosty air, without a complaint to flood the rink he worked so hard to create for my brother and sisters and me. As a girl I felt so sorry for him, being out there in the dark, frigid night, and would ask him why he did it. He'd reply in his loving tone, that was his time alone to think, pray and be in peace and quiet. There were four of us, born in just three and a half years, and to say it was a busy household was an understatement!

At the time his reasoning baffled me, but now as a mother of three young boys, I can relate to that desire more than I ever thought possible. Now though, I base and juggle my life in order to get those few precious moments of time alone. I wake up as early as I can, trying to be oh, so quiet while the rest of our family sleeps, to start working out. Some days it works out, other mornings I am joined before 5 with a little buddy watching me and drinking his warmed up milk from the couch. Others, I have a participant that eagerly tries to do push-ups and bicep curls with me. I balance my time between teaching my kids, baking bread and household chores with a mid-day run (laps around our circular driveway!) bundling up against the onshore winds, and loving the challenge of completing it. I love to run, not just to get in a bit of cardio, but I love that it's my time alone. I may be joined with helpers while weight lifting, but my run time is my own. I understand fully what my father was thinking when he'd get all bundled up and head out into the Ontario winter; a few moments of me, and only me.

I used to find it so hard to justify spending the time on myself, rather than on the kids or our home. I felt guilty somehow, that these couple of hours a week would be detremental to my family. But rather I found the opposite thing happen. I am a much happier, nicer and altogether better Mommy, wife, and person after I've had to time to re-connect with myself. It gives me the time to think about my day, prepare my mind and focus on what's truly important to me. Oh, there are days, that life gets in my way of my alone time, but knowing that I can count on trying again the next day is a comforting thought. I know these days we are in the midst of are crazy, but cherish the path we are on as well. As I know that one day, all too soon, our house will become less busy, less noisy and less chaotic and my time will be my own and I will miss these days of not knowing when I'll get a shower let alone a run.

One of our favorite family treats during the winter months, is homemade flatbread. It's super easy, doesn't require a lot of skill, is fun for kids to be involved in, and serves well as bread, pizza, and perfect with dips! This recipe is from a farm in England called River Cottage, so the recipe measurments are in metric.

River Cottage Flatbread

500g plain white flour
500g strong white bread flour ( I use the whole white flour from Speerville)
10g quick active yeast
20g fine sea salt
325 ml warm water
325 ml natural yoghurt, warmed
2 tbsp good olive oil

The easiest way to make this is to use a stand mixer: fit the dough hook and add flours, yeast, salt, water, and yoghurt to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined, then add the oil and leave to knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and silky. (To knead by hand: mix flours, yeast, salt, water and yoghurt in a bowl to form a sticky dough. Add the oil, mix it in, then turn the dough out onto a clean work area and knead until smooth and silky.)

Shape the dough into a round, and place in a clean bowl. Leave to rise, covered with a towel and left in a warm spot (I use my oven, turned off) until doubled in size. Deflate the dough and if you have time, let it rise a second, third, even a fourth time as this improves the dough, but is by no means essential.

Tear off pieces the size of lemons, and one at a time shape into a round, then roll out to 3 mm thickness and leave to rest while rolling out the others. Leaving the dough for 5 mintues after rolling dramatically improves the finished bread.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy based-based frying pan over the highest heat and set the broiler to maximum. When the pan is super-hot, lay the first bread in it. After a minute the bread should be puffy and starting to char on the bottom. Slide the pan under the hot broiler, a good 15cm from the heat and watch your creation bloom magnificently. Remove your bread when it begins to char on the top. And let cool. Repeat until all dough has been used.

Enjoy!

BINGO! Wings, that is....

Happy Weekend Everyone!
Hope you're having a great day, and doing something you enjoy, and hopefully you have the day off from a paid job? I'm having a pretty perfect day. Spent the morning with some of the most hardworking clients ever, I am inspired by them every single time I am with them. Not to sound like a pollyana, but how did I ever get so lucky? Like, how many people get to say that they truly adore their 'job' and are chomping at the bit every day to do it? I feel so blessed this way.

So now I'm home, baking with The Bean, and doing a little prep for (breakfast)dinner tonight- eggs with fresh tomato & bean refritos, alongside goat cheese Ezekiel quesadillas- yum, yo! And what breakfast (I mean dinner) would be complete without a little Las Moras Chardonnay, hmmmm? That'll be for later....As I sautee the beans, tomatoes, cumin, onion & cayenne, The Bean alternates between balancing on my new Bosu Ball and having her polly pockets attempt death defying feats off of it, way to go Bean for getting fitness into the Polly's shallow little rubber lives...

Alright, so I wanted to post a little excercise sumthin sumthin for ya's today. It's a little move I like to call the Bingo Wing Blaster. Don't know what a Bingo Wing is? Raise your arm overhead vigorously and shout: "BIINNNGGGGOOOO!" like you've just won a round of the game. Oh! What's that? What is that loose skin flapping around on the underside of your upper arm? Those, my friends, are your Tricep muscles, known by all of us, referred to by some of us as The Bingo Wing. Here's one way to wrassle those little chickies into tip top shape as tank top season draws near.

Tricep Pushups:
- Lie on your side in a straight line, preferably on a carpet or padded yoga mat. Rest your head on the ground, and stack your legs and feet one on top of the other. You should have one arm free along the upper edge of your body, the other parallel to your body on the floor.
-Take that bottom arm and wrap it around your waist area, giving yourself a little 'hug'. Cozy, right? Enjoy it while you can, the fun is about to start.
-Take your 'top' arm, bend at the elbow, and place that hand in the vicinity of your face/shoulder region, palm flat on the ground. Your elbow should be pointing towards your feet.
-Now, push UP! And come back down. This pushup manoevre activates the tricep muscles. You'll know it when they start to quiver. Start with 1,3, 5 or 10- whatever your ability is. Here's the thing: by the end of each 'set' it shouldn't feel like the back of your arm is going to spontaneously explode. It should feel fatigued and quivery (note scientific physical fitness term), so however many it takes to get to that point, that's how many you should be doing- whether it's 1 or 20. Take a break then flip over and do it on the other side. Try for two sets on each side.
-Here's how to stretch out those triceps after completing the excercise: in a seated or standing position, reach one arm directly overhead. Bend at the elbow and reach your forearm down behind your head & neck. Use the other hand to gently press down on the bent elbos until you feel a gentle stretch. Repeat on the other side.

Ok well I hope you enjoy the excercise and that your weekend is an outstanding one! The next post, I am excited to announce will be a Guest Post from a dear friend of mine who somehow, I don't know how, manages to do it all- mother of three boys under 7, homeschool them, manage the household, chef it up like a pro, be a loving & supportive wife to a hardwoking husband AND make time for excercise most days of the week. She'll be joining me to talk about why excercise is so important to her, and a delish recipe for her home-made flat bread, which I may or may not have been known to eat like a little piglet, it's so good. Stay tuned!

Later!
xoMG

Slow Cooker Italian Veggie Stew

Hey There!
How are ya now? I am working this afternoon on a bunch of excercise plans for clients, but wanted to take a quick break to put up a post with a recipe that got rave reviews chez nous this week. I'd like to post again with an excercise too- did anyone try the ab thingy? How did you make out with it? Next up: the Bingo Wing Blaster...stay tuned....

So, some nights around here are a little hairy, especially when I teach my evening classes. Those are the days I like to haul out the slow cooker and throw something in it in the morning, that everyone can enjoy for supper, even if our mealtimes are a bit staggered. I do love the slow cooker and I feel it's pretty hard to go wrong with it; you simmer anything for 8 hrs and chances are, it's going to taste pretty good.

A word about the recipe though...I feel a bit sheepish because it uses a premade spice mix, which contains corn starch & maltodextrin (which is made from corn starch too). Kinda lame, I know, but you know what? I personally don't feel like it's the end of the world. You can decide for yourself whether you want to try it. Meantime, I will wait with Bated Breath to see if the Corn Starch Police come knocking on my door.

Italian Vegetable Slow Cooker Stew:
Ingredients
-1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into chunks about the size of golf balls. Cept more square
-1 large onion, chopped
-2 Large Red Peppers, seeded & chopped into thick slices
-1 Can White Kidney Beans, drained & rinsed
-1 Large Can Stewed Tomatoes of your Choice (I used organic with basil)
-1 Cup Vegetable Stock
-1 Envelope McCormick Slow Cooker Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning
Directions:
Throw all ingredients into a large slow cooker. Stir to combine and break up any spice clumps. Set slow cooker on 'low' for 8 hrs, cover with the lid, and get on with the rest of your day. The real directions on the package call for Chicken (we're still only seeing each other casually so I decided to NOT use chicken for this stew) as well as mushrooms, which I would rather bleed from the eyes than eat, but you can pop some into the stew if they're your bag.

I enjoyed this stew topped with a bit of fresh parm & a slice of crusty country-style bread spread with a bit of soy-free Earth Balance. Yum. The Bean gave it two thumbs up too....

Alright, I'm out. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, ours is off to a great start so I know we will! See you next time...
xoM

Hey, Your Transverse Abdominus is Showing! Try This Move To Work Your Lower Belly...

Happy Friday Everyone!
Hope your weekend is off to a grand start?! I'm ending a busy week by...looking forward to a busy weekend, and it's all good! Excercising with great people (clients) for a living? It barely even feels like work. I feel so fortunate to love my jay oh bee....I foresee some family time on Sunday too. I may or may not be showcasing my prowess (note sarcasm) in the bowling department with the Bean and Brad so that could be fun!

Ok so one question I am perennially asked by clients & participants is how to target the lower area of the abdominal region. I don't need to get into all the spectacularly negative names we give our lower bellies, you know them already. So we'll call it what it really is: your Transverse Abdominus. This core muscle of the abdomen plays a key role in keeping you upright, and works to keep your gut 'in' by acting like your body's natural girdle. And on a more aesthetic note, it's the trouble area that so many of us struggle with trying to tone, strengthen & whip into shape for bathing suit season. So here is a simple excercise you can do at home anytime to target that particular area.

Execution:
1)Sit on a carpeted area, or preferably a padded yoga mat.
2)Lower yourself into a lying-down (supine), face up position.
3)Gently press your lower back into the floor so that it is comfortable and your back is not arched way up.
4)Raise your legs up, then bend at the knees so that your thighs extend upwards, but your shins are parallel to the ground; like a table.
5)Now, place both hands on your thighs, just below the knees. You're in the right position, and the real work begins.
6)Once you are properly in place, you will PUSH on your thighs with all of your might. BUT, you must use counterforce so that your legs don't actually move from the pushing from your hands.
7)By activating your TA or lower belly, you remain in that static position. How long can you hold this? Try 10, 15 or 20 seconds, depending on your core strength. Remember to breathe throughout the excercise.
8)Release, take a quick break, 1-2minutes, then repeat a couple more times. If you are completing the excercise properly, you'll feel that tension in your lower ab area right away when you start pushing with your hands, and using counterforce to keep your legs from budging...

I'm not saying that completing this manoevre on it's own is going to give you that lean, flat belly that we all want...but it is one way to work towards that goal. Eating clean, getting regular cardio & completing other ab excercises are all part of the deal too. But giver a go and tell me what you think mkay?

Gotta run. Hope you all have a super weekend, see you next time!
xoMelissa

What Happens In Vegas & Roasted Chickpeas

Halllloooo!
Am I the WORST blogger ever?! Like, who has a blog and updates it once every MONTH?! That would be me...sorry everyone...time seemed to get away from me over the last few weeks. There were a few trips to the States for work & family visits- Vegas, DC; a certain six year-old's birthday, Spring Break, and then kapow on top of it all my bidness has spiked and I've been running with it! So here I am, and I will endeavour to write more often from here on in....

So you know what they say about Vegas & what stays in Vegas. You ever been to Vegas with a 5 year old? Here's what happens in that strange yet overwhelmingly fun town: you try not to burst an ab laughing when she points up at a 3 storey tall billboard with a photo of Holly Madison in her 'burlesque' show when she says: "Mummy, that lady is dressed like Little Bo Peep". Uh huh. Holly's Bo Peep getup, in it's entirety, could not have been bigger than a single kleenex. Charming. The other thing that 'stayed' in Vegas was the Bean's first lost tooth. Which she lost on the Strip, in the middle of the afternoon, in front of a gobsmacked Hello Kitty impersonator. Don't worry, the tooth didn't really stay there, we have it with us...but suffice it to say the Nevada Tooth Fairy was er, particularly...generous to my little girl. I hope she doesn't get used to this $5 a tooth nonsense, I'll need to start training a WHOLE lot more clients to make that fly.

So summer is just around the corner and it's exciting to hear & see so many people who are making positive changes in their activity levels. Must be the thought of all those shorts, tank tops and bikinis...or Bo Peep outfits as the case may be, that is lighting a fire under people to get fit & shed a few pounds. All the power to them! I love it! What about you? Anyone starting a new physical activity program? Have you started tightening up your eating? Remember, the 'moving' part is critical to your progress, no doubt about it. But it's what you put into your mouth that makes the most difference! As one of my favorite mentors always says: "I can make em sweat & burn calories, but I can't go home with them and sit on their forks!"

With that said, here is a recipe for a healthy, super flavourful, protein & fibre packed snack that I experimented with recently and really enjoyed. Savory Roasted Chickpeas- you can also call them Pois Chiches Epicee if you want to get fancy & amaze your friends....

Roasted Chickpeas with Cajun Spices
Ingredients:
-1 Can Chickpeas, drained, rinsed & gently patted dry
-2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Cajun Seasoning (or other spice blend) to taste

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray or brush with a bit of olive oil.
-In a bowl, combine the chickpeas with the 2TBS of oil & spices, toss to coat completely.
-Spread prepared chickpeas on the sheet and into the oven they go. Give them a shake every 15 minutes or so so they cook evenly on all sides. Roast for 50-60 minutes, but keep an eye on them because there's a fine line between roasted, crispy, toasty goodness and little black Pellets of Death...

Try them instead of a greasy bag of potato chips when you're chiling in front of the tube, as part of lunch (I just had a 1/4 cup alongside some goat cheese, Mary's Crackers, & a mountain of raw veg) or on top of a salad for a little texture & flavour. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Alrighty then. I must away to some client work & Mt Laundry (the amount I have to get through could be considered a cardio & resistance workout, or at least endurance, yeesh) before the afternoon is all gone. Hope you are all well, and comment anytime- I love to hear from you!
xoMG

Shweddy Balls- You Know You Want 'Em

Halllloooo Everybody!
How YOU doin'? I'm great. I am really feeling the love! Let me just say, in regards to my last post; thank you so very much for reading it, and for all of the overwhelming support on it. The comments were wonderful, but the extraordinary number of private emails I received about it were truly touching. Like they made me cry. Thank you for sharing your own stories- not all of them were identical to my own experience, but just went to show that we all seem to have our 'thing' that we've been through, or are working through, or that push us to be better and work harder. I was worried about making my readers feel icky about my backstory, and stressed about whether I should post it. Thank you for making me feel like it was a positive thing. You guys rock!

Ok so a lot of the blogs I frequent have been all about protein ball recipes. Little nuggets of yummy goodness that make a great pre or post workout snack or anytime really. So I am jumping on the bandwagon and have created....my own SHWEDDY BALL recipe. If you think I'm just being a weirdo, please go to YouTube and search for the Alec Baldwin SNL skit from years ago about his 'shweddy balls'. You'll get an ab workout laughing so hard.

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
-4 scoops protein powder of your choice (I use sprouted brown rice vanilla flavoured)
-2 TBS Almond Butter (or nut butter of your choice)
-2 TBS (heaping)Coconut Flour
-2 TBS Coconut Oil
-5 or 6 honey (or other) pitted dates
-splash of vanilla extract
-sploosh of agave, honey or maple syrup
-Chocolate chips to taste (I am a graduate of the 'don't measure chocolate chips school of thought'- like WHO would only add a TBS of chocolate chips?! Unless you don't care for chocolate, in which case I'll shut my trap now)

Directions:
In a food processor, buzz the dates till they're chopped up. Add in the protein, Almond butter, flour, oil, vanilla and process again. At this point it'll probably still be a little dry, so add in a bit of syrup. If it's STILL really dry, a splash of water to moisten it up a bit- you don't want it to be runny, but moist enough that you could form the dough into balls. At this point things are starting to get a little Shweddy. Stir in your chocolate chips, and form the dough into balls the size of golf balls. Store in the fridge. At my house, the 10 or so balls I made were gone within 12 hours. These taste like a firmer version of cookie dough, we really enjoyed them and they're bound to become a staple chez nous.

Let me know what you think! You could switch things up here; add in oats or ground flax or a combo instead of the coconut flour, or add in raisins or goji berries or something instead of chocolate chips- it's your call based on what you like. In a shweddy ball.

I'm working on a couple of other recipes that I am hoping to post too...but I need to do a little focus group testing tonight on Brad and the Bean before they're ready for primetime. Hopefully I'll have another post coming soon with said recipes!

I'm out for now, thanks for reading & for all your bloglove- the feeling is mutual!
xoMelissa

I Aimed For STRONG, Not Skinny....

Hey Everyone What's Shakin?
Let me first just say that this post may be the teensiest bit more heartfelt for me- my apologies if this is your first visit and you kinda wonder what you're reading. But fear not! I am usually WAAAAYYY more full of beans than this, so please do keep reading!

I feel like for some reason, I wanted to share with you all why excercise is so very very important in my life, a bit of a backstory. Maybe you'll feel like this post speaks to your own experience, or something that's going on in your life, even if our stories aren't identical- I hope it resonates with you on some level if you have stuff going on that is difficult.

So the truth is, my story isn't one about how I was once obese and worked hard to lose a lot of weight and overcome adversity (this of course notwithstanding the 65 pound weight gain I enjoyed while pregnant with the Bean, but I chalk that up to a strict Kraft Dinner & chocolate diet during my pregnancy. No comment ok?) I am inspired DAILY by people who this is true for. I think it's extraordinary and I am humbled by it. But that isn't me.

After the Bean was born, we really wanted to make a sibling for her. Or two, to be exact. Apparently, the Universe had other plans for me. To make a long story short(ish), I had no problem conceiving, I just couldn't seem to stay that way. This happened more than a couple of times, and every time it happened, it really took a dangerous toll on me physically and more significantly, emotionally. It got to a point a couple of years ago, where I was really angry & dissapointed with myself- my own body, to be truthful. I felt, physically, like a failure; like my body failed me. I LOATHED by body. I wasn't clinically depressed, but there were times when I didn't want to get out of bed; I was so profoundly sad and I wondered if I could ever possibly feel better about my situation and myself. I felt like my body was sabotaging my plans and it was all my fault. I felt weak, trapped in a body that wasn't doing what I wanted it to. I could barely stand myself, and I know it was hard for the people around me too. I am fortunate to have such an amazing support system of family & friends though, they held me up on so many levels.

But what happened was, in the midst of all this overwhelming sadness, an idea came into my head. When I was at my absolute lowest, this voice in my head said: "If I can just get to the gym. If I can just get there, and start getting physically strong, everything will be ok." I know it's hokey, but it's the truth. So as soon as my doc gave me the go-ahead, I was there. I started at 2, 3, and then 4 days a week. I hired a trainer. I was shy about being in a place where there were so many strong, beautiful bodies, where I didn't 'belong' with my sad face, soft, half-pregnant looking physique. But I sweated my a*s off, started doing pushups and lifting weights. The more often I went, the stronger I felt & looked, and the better I felt about myself. I was transformed.

So even though I DON'T necessarily know what it feels like to feel trapped in a body that is bigger than I would like, I know what it feels like to hate your body and feel like a prisoner in it or like you're not the one calling the shots. And although some people may turn to their Faith, or support groups, or booze or medications or whatever to heal what ails them, I turned to fitness. And it saved me. Becoming STRONG saved me. Yes, I am on the 'leaner' side, I won't lie- but that was a side effect of working hard and making changes to the way I eat so I would FEEL stronger & more energized. These days, working out is as much a part of my life as breathing, eating healthfully (at least 90% of the time), drinking wheatgrass and well, you know, enjoying a little vino when I feel like I want to. I'm not obsessed with excercising to burn calories or be skinny or anything- it's about feeling strong. Because I've lived through the alternative and have no desire to go back there.

Becoming a personal trainer & fitness instructor was the next step for me. As cheesy as it might sound, I wanted to help other people- particularly women- feel as good about themselves as I managed too, by incorporating physical activity into their lives.

Let me be clear: I am certainly not a doctor and I'm not advising anyone to go off medication and hit the elliptical to cure themselves. All I'm saying is that in my particular case, improving my fitness & strength helped heal my body, my mind and improved my self esteem, mkay? Just sayin.

This isn't a pity party I'm trying to start here. I'm just trying to give my own example of how aiming to get strong, rather than just skinny, lifted me out of the worst time of my life. Maybe the same will be true for you.

OOOFFF! That's heavy, yo! I'm done! Have a great day, and rest assured my next post will be full of the regular shenanigans and a healthy yumptious recipe a'ight?

Later!
xoMelissa

You Know What They Say About A Girl With Big Feet....

Hey Everyone, how goes your Friday? Sorry it's been a while since I had anything to talk at ya about, but things were a bit hectic as I settled into my new routine. I've started teaching aerobics classes, and have been taking on new personal training clients, while still doing the everyday Mommy/life stuff and my own excercise regime, so it's taking a bit of adjustment, in a good way. Today I decided to take the day off, especially from excercise, as it's been a pretty large physical activity week for me. A rest day never hurt anyone, right? By tomorrow I'll be chomping at the bit I'm sure!

So speaking of excercise, I've been in the market for a new pair of sneaks. Whatever, right? Get down to Sportcheck or Foot Locker just and buy some, right? Yeah not so much. Because some of us don't just have feet. We have pontoons. Those of you who know me personally know it- I'm like a frickin' sasquatch, and you can see my feet coming around a corner before you see the rest of me. It's brutal. You also know that one of the highest compliments you can give me is: "Wow, those shoes/boots/pedicure/etc make your feet look so SMALL!".

This is nothing new. I was fitting into my Mom's dainty size 8s in the 6th grade. Uncles used to encourage me to really get into barefoot waterskiing before I even hit my teens. I think I was supposed to be taller, but oh well. I could go on and on with anecdotes like this, but I think you're probably starting to get the point.

You know what they say about a girl with big feet...we need big shoes. And that can be a tricky proposition when you're rockin' a set of size 10-11 feet. So for that reason, shoe shopping- particularly running shoe shopping- ranks somewhere lower on the list than Bikini Shopping and Bra Shopping. Too much info. Sorry. Just sayin'. Lady readers, that might resonate with ya's.

So wish me luck in my search eh. And if you have any tips for where us particularly Pediendowed folks can get a pair of quality sneaks that don't make us look like Ronald McDonald.

Meantime, how about a recipe for something super easy that sounds fancy? Behold: Miso Glazed Baked Salmon. Great anytime, takes just a few minutes to make, can even be served for a dinner party. If you don't have Miso in your life yet, give it a go. It will satisfy your 'Salt Tooth' in a healthy way. Miso is a fermented soy bean paste (please, don't stop reading, it really is good!) that's got B12 vitamins,and trace minerals zinc, manganese & copper. Plus it's high in protein. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 TBS grapeseed or vegetable/canola oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1/2 cup red miso paste
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBS brown rice vinegar
hot pepper sesame oil to taste (or sesame oil & dried red pepper flakes if you can't find it)

Directions:
Heat oil in a small saucepan over med heat. Add garlic and 5 spice powder and cook for about 30 seconds or til it becomes fragrant. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (except sesame oil & pepper flakes),bring to a boil and cook, whisking constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season to taste with hot pepper sesame oil. Let the sauce cool & thicken further before using.

I like to drizzle this sauce over baked or barbecued salmon portions. But if you're not feeling the fish love then drizzle over steamed/roasted veggies or protein of your choice. It's delish.

Alrighty, hope your weekend gets off to a good start! Mine is bound to; I'm training a client first thing tomorrow morning then getting ready for a bootcamp with Tommy Europe from the television shows 'The Last 10 lbs Bootcamp' and 'Bulging Brides'. I hope he doesn't make me cry. We'll see. So if it's cool I'll post after the weekend with those shenanigans.

Have a great one, thanks for reading!
xoMelissa

Am I Losing My Touch?! And a Taco Salad Recipe

Hey Everyone! How's it going? Is January getting started on the right foot for you? It is for me, fo sho! After a magical but low key Christmas & New Years will my little family of 3, we're back in the swing of things. Bean's back at school, I am back at the gym with a vengeance & an eye to achieving some fresh goals (one of which involves a bicep curl & a 35 lb dumbbell, we'll see how that goes, ahem), new personal training clients signing up AND...my aerobics classes starting on Monday out in my little village. I am nervous & excited, can't wait for people to show up and hopefully feel like they're getting something out of it!

What are your goals as far as fitness for this year? Any changes on the horizon?

So the gym is hopping, as I'm sure you can imagine. Lots of newbies, great to see them working hard to change something in their lives. I love it. What I don't love? One of the 'oldies' whose still kicking around the place. He's this guy, a real pain the butt, lurks around the place making googly eyes at all the ladies, innapropriate comments, touchy-feely, very icky. I've complained to management about him, and said a few things to him to head him off, and it works....for a little while. But then he's right back at it within a few weeks, drives me nuts. At my gym I'm usually one of the only girls in the weight room, which can sometimes be intimidating enough- do I really need this douchebag there to make it uncomfortable?

And the worst part is, I think I might be losing my touch. My touch with the Look of Death (aka Beotch Face) that is. I mean, this look has been known to fell a man at 20 paces- just ask Brad (don't worry, he's ok now). They wither as soon as I bust it out, sometimes even curl into fetal position on the floor, it's never failed me. So I tried it on Mr Douchey yesterday and it appears he is my Kryptonite. Didn't even phase him. Googly eyes just got bigger and inane comments presented....haallllp! What do I do? Any thoughts? Advice?

Alright, enough yakking. How about a recipe? Taco Salad is a real standbye in this house. The Bean absolutely ADORES it, and so do we. It makes a huge amount of food, which is great for leftovers. And it is superb for entertaining too because the platter is pretty impressive looking. I think it's pretty healthy, especially if you use extra lean ground beef or even better, ground turkey or chicken. This was our New Year's Supper, a nice fresh, clean way to start the New Year. Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, minced
2 TBS minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can EACH of black beans,kidney beans, & corn niblets, drained and rinsed
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 - 2 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (or halved cherry tomatoes)
1 cuke, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper (colour of your choice), chopped into chunks
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Chopped cilantro to taste (optional)
1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1 or 2 avocados, sliced or guacamole
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Salsa, Sour Cream, Tabasco

Directions:
On a LARGE platter, arrange the lettuce as a base, like a bed. Spread kidney beans over lettuce, then black beans, then corn. Scatter chopped peppers, cukes & tomatoes around the perimeter of the salad base (so the platter doesn't turn into a mountain). When you're almost ready to serve, fry ground beef or turkey with chopped onion & garlic, add chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper and fry together till meat is cooked through and fragrant from the spices. Top salad platter with meat, then green onions, olives, then cheese & cilantro. You can either buy a vinnaigrette of your choice to go with it, or make one with Olive Oil, Lime Juice, Salt, pepper, agave/honey, garlic. To be honest, there are so many flavours going on here that lately we haven't even been using a dressing. Serve with salsa, sour cream, tabasco (I put that s%$t on everything!) and guac. I also like to make nachos (with baked chips instead of fried) OR quesadillas made with Ezekiel wraps....Enjoy!

Alright guys I gotta scoot so bye for now. Thank you for reading. I appreciate it immensely and look forward to your feedback. For reals....

xoMelissa

I Saw The Queen

Good Day! How are you? Recovering from Christmas & Holiday debauchery? Did you have a great weekend?

We sure did around here. Actually it was a magical Christmas for my little family. Totally low key, very relaxing, lots of time spent together, it was the best. The Bean was a darling, and savoured all her Christmas presents, it was too much fun. Brad is back at work for a little while today, probably only to get a bit of respite from playing Barbies for 3 days straight, what a good Daddy....

So the extent of my excercise from Friday to today involved lifting. Lifting heavy glasses of wine and eggnog, and forkfulls of 1 billion different kinds of chocolatey, delicious, rich Christmas foods to my lips. With a huge snow storm that made us housebound yesterday, I had to wait until today to get out of the house and straight to the gym. And so today I had my first post-Christmas EPIC workout. It wrecked me, and in a good way. The inspiration for my workout today came from a video I saw online, made by that girl on the 'BodyRock' website.

Ok now, let me just preface your viewing of that video (if you choose to check it out) by saying that that girl is in incredible shape. If you can get past her, er, ample chest, you'll see she has a pretty incredible physique and more importantly, is in extraordinary physical condition. And with that preface, I am sure it is safe to assume that if I have any male readers they are now furiously googling 'body rock' and are no longer reading!

Needless to say my respect for her physical abilities intensified when I attempted to complete one of the drills there and could only get through half of it. That was inspiring to me. Here I am, thinking I'm in half decent shape, and I was quickly disabused of that notion.

THEN, guess who I saw at the gym today? THE QUEEN. This is a nickname I have for a woman who goes there sometimes when I am there and she is this serene, gorgeous, perfectly formed beauty with a bod that is not only as close to perfection as can be, but she doesn't seem to sweat. Also, she just kinda 'floats' from place to place, with this serene look on her alabaster face. I feel like a sweaty, puffing little gremlin beside her. But the point is, she inspires me too. So between these two incidents, I am more in love with excercise than ever before, because I feel like I have major goals to achieve in the coming year. And I can't wait to go back to get going with those! What are your fitness goals this year? Want some help? Let me know....

So with all of that eating out of the way I am recomitting to putting healthier foods into my mouth. Last night I made a gorgeous Ragout of Winter Veggies and the rest of the week will involve Swiss Chard/Cheese/Quinoa Tart, Vegetarian Pizza (dough made in my new stand mixer, thank you Brad!!!), Roasted Squash & Sweet Potato Harvest Casserole. New Year's will either be Thai Food or possibly Chinese, we'll see how it goes. Either way it's gonna be a chill evening here at home for us....What are your plans?

Anyway, I must away to scale Mt Laundry and take care of some work-related emails & calls. Have a great day, and be back soon!

xoMG

Gluttony & Chutney, Bring it On!

Yo, Ho, Ho, Ho!
T Minus 4 days till Christmas- how you doing???

I'm just about all set myself for the big day, just a few last minute stocking stuffers for my Baby Daddy and it'll be go time. I did something insane last weekend, in an effort to totally finish all Christmas shopping- food included- and braved Walmart & Costco. On a sunny Saturday the week before Christmas, I can't imagine what was going through my head when I decided to embark on that mission, it was complete insanity! My only saving grace was that a) I was able to work out beforehand to minimize stress and b) I didn't have either the Bean or Brad with me, which would have made it unbearable. It got so bad in the aisles of Costco, where people were lounging and dawdling with their enormous carts, not letting people through. The look on my face must have been quite, er, significant shall we say? That people starting looking at me askance and quickly moving their carts aside so I could grab what I needed and go. It literally was like the Red Sea parting before me. Except I'm not Moses. I just posess The Beotch Face. Making Christmas Memories in box stores every year. Yup.

As it was I felt as though bleeding from the eyes would have been preferable to that excursion and unfortunately it depleted my Christmas Spirit considerably. However, all was restored the next day when I attended a glorious brunch and cookie exchange, where I got to stock up on dozens of gourmet cookies prepared by a fabulous bunch of ladies. You ever been to a cookie exchange? I am telling you it is the WAY to go- sure you gotta make a bunch of cookies to bring with you, but you come away with so much, and such wonderful variety! It works kind of like a multilevel marketing scheme or 'cookie pyramid' in a way, but hey, it's not like you're getting sucked into a bunch of Amway soap so it's all good!

So speaking of working out before a stressful shopping experience and the holidays. I was listening to a program on the radio this morning and the hosts were going on about how this time of year they just leave their fitness program go by the wayside, and just indulge to their heart's content. Let me be clear: you know I am a piglet. I don't limit myself to just the holidays to overindulge. It is a pastime I enjoy year round! But with that said, I'll be at the gym every day this week too. Keeping active will mitigate the effects of all the sweets, 'nog & wine and whatever else- why wait until January 1st to get moving? Just sayin.

It's nice to see so many people at the gym right now- and I know it will get out of control once Christmas is over. A lot of new people seem to be kicking around. Heavy Breathing Sound Effect Man is one new addition to my weightroom. Highly entertaining, for about the first 3 seconds. Sounds like he was trying to give birth instead of lifting a 20 lb dumbell. Good thing my Ipod goes pretty loud, sheesh.

Ok so I wanted to share a couple of things. The first is a Cranberry Chutney recipe that I make every year, borrowed from my superb auntie. It's a great alternative to canned cranberry sauce. It's highly spiced- not spicy- and will make your house smell like Christmas instantly. Not particularly the most healthy thing around due to the sugar, but you know what? Who cares. Goes great with all fowl, and we are going to have it with our Christmas dinner of stuffed Pork Roast (jury still out on whether I'll partake in that particular option, but it does look yummy). So here it is:

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients:
1 12 oz pkg fresh cranberries
2 Medium Granny Smith Apples, chopped
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup golden raisings
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cloves & allspice
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.

Directions:
Bring sugar and water to a boil, boil for 3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except nuts, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes. When cool, add nuts. Refrigerate.

Last night for dinner I made 'Mexican Kitchen Sink Stuffed Peppers'. Yes, a very authentically Mexican dinner probably handed down generation after generation. Or not. But anyway, it was really good! It was an easy, tasty & healthy way to use up fridge leftovers, and you could change it up however you want. Here's what I used:

- 4 large sweet peppers (2 yellow, 2 red)
-leftover brown rice
- leftover chopped, steamed brocoli
-1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
-salt, pepper, cumin to taste, fresh garlic
-salsa
-sliced black olives
-cheese

Directions:
Cut the tops of the peppers off and set aside. Remove the seeds and that white stuff that holds the seeds. Combine all other ingredients except the cheese, adding enough salsa to make it moist but not soupy. Scoop into the peppers and top with cheese. Place into a casserole dish so that the peppers are standing up, and wedged together so they don't tip over. Cover with foil and bake in a 375 oven until the peppers are tender and the rice mixture is hot. Remove foil and broil until cheese starts to get brown and bubbly. It was quite tasty, and I ate it with a salad on the side, very filling. And now I have a leftover one heating up in the oven for lunch, yum! You can hold on to the tops of the peppers and eat them with dip another time.

Ok you're probably getting tired of my rambling post so I'm done for now. Hope you guys are all in the Christmas Spirit and excited for the weekend...if I don't talk to you before then, have a wonderful holiday!!

Latah!
xoMelissa

There Will Be Birthday Curry & A 'Tini Recipe

Hey There Everybody!
How's your Thursday treating you so far? Mine is oustanding! It's my birthday! And so far, it's been a great one! It all started with a lovely little bauble presented to me at 6am from my Baby Daddy, he is so thoughtful. What makes it particularly thoughtful is that he went to the jewellery store and bought the item all by himself! That took planning and thought, and I was so touched, what a sweetie pie. At the gym I got a big birthday hug from the girl at the front desk, and many 'Happy Birthday's!' from my weight room peeps too, it was so sweet....And this is all on top of so many well wishes by phone, email & facebook. I am really feeling the love!

Tonight, I will celebrate with Birthday Curry from the Taj Mahal. I can't wait! There will be Dal Makhani, Garlic Naan, Rice, Spicy potato & cauli tomato curry....ooooh it's gonna be debauchery. We'll eat Indian food and decorate our Christmas tree tonight, which reminds me of when I was a kid, we always decorated the tree on my bday. So I'm feeling pretty fortunate and grateful today. Thank you everyone!

So listen, about that eggnog martini. You need to make it. It's out of control yummy and so easy to make. Here's the recipe:

-1 oz EACH of Vodka, Eggnog & Amaretto.

Shake in a martini shaker with a bit of ice and pour into a martini glass. If you want to get really fancy you can rim the glass with crushed graham crackers, but I didn't roll that way. What I did do was pop a stick of cinammon into the glass once the 'tini was poured. I may or may not have used the stick as a straw when it was time for 'tini number two....You can use whatever kind of eggnog you want- I went with fat free eggnog (is that an oxymoron?) but I wouldn't normally recommend anything fat free. Because if it's fat free it's full of chemicals usually. But for one night I thought it wouldn't be the end of the world. Enjoy!

Anyway I gotta run so I'm out for now. I'll post something more interesting and pithy in the not to distant future hopefully...

Enjoy your day!
xoMelissa

Dear Chicken, We Need to Talk

S'up Yo!
How's everyone making out today? Things are good out here, the last few days have been quite productive & busy. Friday night I set the goal of getting down to bidness, and getting the majority of my Christmas shopping done. I set a plan, and executed it to a T, in cahoots with my fellow power-shopper E.M. We shopped like we were waging war. 3 hours, a handful of stores, mayjah power walking, pouring rain, and we gotterdone. I was exhausted by the end of it! But I know one little girl who is gonna SQUEAL when she sees a Barbie van on Christmas morning....

Anyway, as we all know, you gotta fuel up for shopping, right? Well the eats were super-clean all day Friday, I was feeling good. We got out to the shopping place and decided to sup at the Swiss Pigeon (aka Swiss Chalet), with all it's chickeny-frenchfryee-saucy goodness. I eat there MAYBE once every year or two. I was looking forward to it. I ate that chicken, sauce & french fries like it was my job, it didn't stand a chance. But by the next day, I was ready to quit that job on the spot. Why did I eat that chicken? Why in God's name is it so frickin' MOIST?! Ugggh... I was not feeling the love let me tell ya. It's kinda like those rotisserie chickens you can get at the Cottage, they're like, all yummy when you're eating it, and afterwards you feel like you've had a paraffin wax treatment on your hands they're so oily and, er, moisturized.

This was all exacerbated by a conversation between me and the lovely E.M. about a novelty chicken product she had seen in a flyer (and to her credit, would NEVER buy, much less eat as she is a chef extraordinaire and Natural Food Champion). Ok are you ready for this? Here is the 'product' in question (note that I don't use the word 'food').

Chicken. Shaped like a slice of bread. That you put in your toaster to 'cook'. And then people eat it.

WTF?! If I could make the caps any larger they would be. I am gobsmacked and appalled by this idea. IT'S AGAINST NATURE. And to top it off, I feel like everywhere I go, all I see are billboards by McSpew with a picture of chicken nuggets and the tag line: "Seasons Dippings". I ralph.

Anyway, I know it's not poor Chicken's fault. Not at all; this is a waaayyyy bigger conversation that involves factory food and hormones in animals and that kinda stuff. Not gonna go into it here. But needless to say, Chicken and I are going to go on a 'break'. And let me be clear; the break from the white meat has nothing to do with guilt or worrying about calories or whatever. Seriously. I'm just kind of over it as far as the bird goes. I still eat meat, or whatever else I feel like. It's just right now, I don't really feel like eating too much chicken.

So with that said, what's on the MENOO this week? I'm thinking:
-Veggie Thai Green Curry & fresh salad rolls
-Basil & Spinach Pesto with Soba noodles( I seriously need to use this basil before it goes bad)
-Vegetable Shepherd's Pie, Halloumi-Spinach Salad
-Omellettes, Herbed Roasted Potatoes, Steamed Veg
-Indian Feast!
-Leftovahhhhs

You guys got anything yummy on the go that you want to share? I'd love to toss it up a bit so if you have something yumptious then let me know!

There may or may not be an Eggnog Martini making an appearance this Friday when we get our tree and decorate it. Just sayin. Anyone got a good recipe for one? When the Bean was wee, she tasted Eggnog in her sippy cup, she must have been almost 2. (Don't worry, I went easy on the spiced rum.) But she loved it. She called it Eggymuck, because her pronunciation wasn't fully developed, and when she wanted regular milk she would ask for her Muck in a cup.....The Eggymucktini. Sounds so, exotic/weird. But I think it'll be good....

In other news, highly entertaining session at the gym the other day in the cardio section. It was like gym karaoke. A lady on an elliptical adjacent to me had her headphones in, and proceeded to start singing at the top of her lungs. I don't know if she knew she was doing it. At first it was kinda weird, but then I started to enjoy it. She was sweating, moving, had a smile on her face, and was obviously enjoying herself while being active. I'm down with that.

Anyhoo, I got some things to take care of so I'm out for now. You guys have a great day, talk at ya later!
xoMelissa

How to Cure a Man Cold

Ok my Lady Readers, Listen Up!

This is seriously hush-hush. If a man reads this post there's a chance my blog page could suspiciously dissapear, the information contained within is SO secret. But here it is:

I have discovered the CURE for the common MAN COLD. You know what I'm talking about, if you have a boyfriend,husband,father, son, brother, or male co-worker. They get a little sick, a little sniffle, a sore throat, whatever. And suddenly, it's as though they've contracted the Bubonic Plague. Couch-bound, breathing heavily through their mouths only, in need of constant pity, asking for cinammon toast with the crusts trimmed off and cut into triangles, too sick to eat supper at the table with you but not sick enough to nurse a beer in front of the hockey game. Ahhhh the Man Cold. Very serious. Not as serious as a Man Flu, but borderline.

So anyway, it appeared as though the cold virus has the ability to jump genders. I am not even kidding. I know this because yesterday I started to feel the effects of said condition myself. Yes, yours truly began to suffer from a Man Cold, starting as soon as I woke up. I knew that's what it was when I started sniffling, breathing only through my mouth, I whined at the Bean to pass me the tv remote, didn't have the energy to excercise and I started rummaging in the cupboards for brown sugar and cinammon to go on toast....And with only a 5 year old to nurse me back to wellness (Brad being out of town) I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and beat this thing. So, I snapped out of it, and devised a serious plan of attack in an effort to defy the enemy. And it totally worked, as this morning I woke up feeling like a million bucks, and proceeded to demolish the weightroom with renewed vigor, run errands like a maniac for the rest of the day, and I'm still going strong. Ready for the recipe?

Here it is. Consume the following in the order listed STAT, as symptoms present:

-1 packet EmergenC upon waking, followed by one extra glass of water
-4 Litres of Smart Water, consumed throughout the day
-1 Litre green juice (make yourself, go to Pete's Juice Bar, or buy some at the grocery store), with WHEATGRASS & CHLORELLA added to it
-Fresh fruits, raw veggies, seed crackers & goat cheese (this part must have been the clincher, I'm sure) for lunch
-Energy Bar for a snack (see preceding post's recipe)
-Ezekiel Wrap with sliced turkey, low fat cheddar, and spicy salsa for supper
-1 Extra Strength Neo Citran post supper
-1 cup chamomile-lavender tea before bed
-Bedtime at 8pm at the LATEST.

I swear it works. In fact I am SO sure of this cure, that I anticipate a Nobel Prize for Medicine in the mail poste-haste. I wanted to share this valuable information with you as soon as I could. Keep it on the DownLow though ok?

Good Luck My Sisters! Be Strong! Man Cold season is upon us, so be prepared!
xoMelissa

Weekend Retox & Protein Bars

Allo Bonjour!

How's your week getting started- good I hope? I'm doing good, after Retoxing (as opposed to De-toxing) all weekend, I am glad to be starting the week off on a positive note. I had one of those weekends where, if it wasn't nailed down, it was going into the Olde Pie Hole, let me tell ya. You ever have that kind of day/weekend/week/life? No? Well bully for you, wish I could say the same for myself....From time to time it's liberating to just relax and eat whatever you want. Although with that said, I know for me, it makes me feel like crap physically and emotionally. And they say that food doesn't affect how you feel- what a load!

So I resolved to get back on track starting immediatement; a monster green juice helped this morning, followed by a home-made protein bar after training a client this morning. The recipe will follow! The slow cooker has a lovely veggie chili bubbling away inside, and I plan to have a large plate of crudite and PC Edamame Dip for lunch...I feel better already!

Aside from eating like a little piggie all weekend, we did have a good one. Yesterday the three of us attended Mama Mia, courtesy of my incredibly thoughtful Mother in Law. And Brad grinned and beared it- I think he enjoyed it more than he let on. Never mind about quiche- Real Men Listen to Abba I say!

Hey so you like my pic? This is me on Thursday night attending a fancy shmancy work function with Brad. And apparently, I was doing my best to impersonate a politician or Barbara Bush. Huh. Whatever. It'll do for now til hopefully Santa brings me a better camera and I can start doing more in the photo department....

Speaking of Christmas, tis the Season eh! And I don't mean like we already have our tree or lights up- at least not for a few more weeks. Tis the Season to PLAY THE SANTA CARD! Woohoo! If any of you have kids you may already employ this tactic to ensure good behaviour with your kids. Or maybe you don't...but I do! I play that card like I'm in a life or death game of Poker, fo sho. Bring it on! Santa is watching! He's like a Festive Big Brother who is all-seeing. I love it! His omnipresent self gets us one step closer to the All Seeing Easter Bunny...he's twitching his little pink nose and watching YOU with his beady red eyes, muah haha!

Ok enough shenanigans, let's talk about snacks. Here is a recipe for Protein Bars (all natural, and Raw) that I think are delish. You need at least 4 minutes to make them ok? So be ready.

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup coconul oil
-1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
-1 mashed ripe banana
-1/2 cup shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened, but fill your boots with the sweetened if you like)
-1/2 cup chocolate chip (I use this measurement loosely, as I belong to the 'no measure' school of baking with chocolate chips)
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-1/2 cup all natural peanut or almond butter
-2-4 scoops of your favorite protein powder
-2 TBS Chia or Salba seeds
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
- Blend or stir coconut butter with banana till well combined. Don't worry about coconut butter lumps, I swear you won't taste them in the bars. But if they freak you out, use a hand mixer to break them up.
- Add all other ingredients and stir until well combined. If the mixture is super dry, add a splash (not too much!) water to moisten a bit.
- Take a small square brownie pan and line with wax paper. Then spoon the batter in and level it out. Wrap plastic wrap over top, then pop in the freezer for about an hour, till getting quite firm (but not totally frozen).
- Remove from freezer, pop the whole thing out of the pan, and cut into bars. Store in a tupperware container in the freezer, and let thaw for 5 minutes before eating.

Nutritional Info:
- I have no idea!? But they are tasty, and you can easily fiddle around with the ingredients to modify. For example, take out the chocolate chips (yes, i did just say that), and add raisins and cinammon, little chunks of apple. Or add goji berries, or whatever. It'll be yummy, I promise. I think these are a great snack anytime, and are great after excercise. After you workout, you have about 45 minutes to get something into ya that is a good mix of protein and carbs. Otherwise your muscles will turn to whatever is on hand (e.g. themselves) to feed themselves and rebuild. Don't waste all your hard work- eat something healthy stat after excercising, mkay?

So the rest of the day is going to be busy, with errands and running around, not to mention the rest of my cardio workout- mountain climbing. The fearsome Mt Laundry must be conquered. I may require oxygen and a sherpa but I will persevere and summit to the end....wish me luck....

Have a great day yo!
xoMelissa

Carbs Are Not The Enemy! And an Enchilada Recipe...

Hiya!
I had hoped to post this earlier in the day but unfortch time got away from me, so here I am with a dinner recipe, kinda late in the day. Maybe you can make it another time this week if it sounds yummy to you- Veggie Enchiladas Melissa Style. I don't know what it is, but now that it's snowed, and gotten colder, I dream of hot, savoury comfort food that has a modicum of health. And that reminds me of hot sunny places, like Mexico. So the recipe itself probably isn't very authentically Mexican, but whatever, they taste good to us!

Thing are good around here. I spent some quality time at the Cottage on Friday afternoon doing some groceries, among four billion other errands the last few days. I had a nice compliment (I think) at the grocery store though. My cart was LOADED with stuph, as we were down to the bare minimum food wise. So I wheel up to the checkout with all kinds of goodies, and when it was all said and done, the checkout lady said: "Wow, I think this is probably the healthiest order I've ever put through!" And no, I did not elect to tell her about the burger the size of my head, on a glorious fluffy white bun, that awaited me on Saturday night, ahem.

It was interesting because after she said that she went on to lament that her own diet felt like it was lacking because "all I eat is carbs". I've said it before: I am NO dietician. But I responded that as she could see, the majority of what I eat is carbs too. Maybe a different kind...I'm not mowing down on chips and milk chocolate (or burgers) every day for sure, though I do have what the Bean refers to as A Salt Tooth, A Sweet Tooth, A Grease Tooth, and all kinds of other teeth- I'm a regular person. But the point is: Carbs are not the Enemy! Don't believe the hype! Potatoes and bananas are our friends! You need them to be strong and healthy and happy. Your brain won't work properly if you don't get carbs, and your muscles need them for energy. Low Carb Diets, like Atkins are for suckas. It really is, and don't let anyone tell you different. (Of course, if your doc indicates that you should have some kind of specific diet then that's another thing...I'm directing this to the rest of us who just want to be fit/healthy.) The key is moderation, of course. Don't eat white potatoes twice a day every day, that's ridiculous. But enjoy all kinds of healthy carbs- veggies, fruit, legumes, brown rice, quinoa, whole grains, that kind of thing.

I think the reason I felt like I had received a compliment is because I am that dorky person who is totally mortified if I 'need' to buy anything unhealthy, I worry that someone I know might see me at the store, peer into my cart with a look of disdain on their face. I'm no health food martyr, believe me, but most of the time we eat pretty well. I guess I'm a grocery snob...I feel like I have to explain myself to the checkout lady if I have to buy a frozen lasagna once in a blue moon (those are gross btw) for my husband if I'm going out of town or something...

So how did you guys make out the last week? Am I the only one who feels the need to go incognito when buying junk at the grocery store?

So speaking of carbs, veggies, and legumes, let's get down to bidness a'ight? Like I said, I realize this probably isn't a particularly authentic recipe, but it works at my house, and is pretty healthy I think. Here goes:

Ingredients:
-6 Large Tortillas ( I prefer Ezekiel Wraps bc they are hearty, nutritious, and stand up well in the sauce, but you can use whatever you like)
- 1 TBS Olive Oil or Coconut Oil for sauteeing
-1 can EACH of black beans & kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-1 large onion, diced
-1-2 TBS minced garlic
-1 tsp ground cumin, 1 TBS chili powder
-Veggie Stock or Water
-Salt & pepper to taste
-1 small zuchini, diced small
-1/2 sweet red pepper, diced small
-Baby Spinach, washed
-Chopped Black or Green Olives & Sliced pickled Jalapenos (both optional)
-1-2 cups grated cheese of your choice (cheddar, mozza, jack all work well, quantity is up to you based on your Cheese Tooth)
-1 can of prepared Enchilada Sauce, mild or hot.

Directions:
-In a large saucepan or frying pan, heat the oil over medium/high heat. When ready, add onions & garlic, sautee until translucent. Add cumin & chili powder and give a stir to release the flavour. When it smells nice and fragrant (should just be a few seconds), add the beans. Use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to mash the beans up- but not to a pulp, you want some texture. Add a bit of water or stock (about 3/4 of a cup) to make it saucy, and reduce the heat to medium. Keep stirring the mixture until the bean mixture reduces down into more of a pasty consistency as opposed to soupey. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Lightly oil a rectangular casserole dish (like a lasagna pan) and preheat oven to 375.
-Take 1 wrap and spread about 1/4 cup of spinach in bottom. Top with 1/4 cup (or more) of bean mixture. Sprinkle with diced zuke & red pepper (portion it out so you hae enough for all 6 wraps). Then, fold edges of the wrap over, like a tube with the beans & veggies inside. Lay seam side down in the dish, and repeat with all other wraps, beans & veggies.
-The enchiladas should be lined up side by side in the dish, touching one another, nice and snug. Pour the enchilada sauce over everything to coat it, spread it around with a spatula if need be.
-Top with grated cheese, olives & jalapenos if using. Cover with foil and bake for 1/2 hr, till hot and fragrant. Then remove the foil and broil for a bit to get the cheese all golden & bubbly.
-You might want to let it sit for just a little while, then dig in. This is yummy served with chopped cilantro, sour cream and salsa.

At mi casa if anyone tries to get between me and the crunchy corner bits where the cheese melts over into the dish, they're liable to lose a finger. Not even kidding.

Let me know what you think!

Ok, I gotta run for now. I truly hope to post some more in the next week but things are a bit crazy right now so I'll have to play it by ear. I have a wicked recipe for homemade protein bars that will knock your socks off, so if I can I will do my best to put it up!

Hope everyone is well, stay safe on those icy roads out there, yikes...
xoMelissa

I Run Like A Crazy Fool

Alright People, the Spectacle is over! Nothin' to see here!

Yes, I have just returned from my Own Personal Spectacle, in other words, my first 'run' in over 6 months. It ain't pretty. A runner I am not, I'll be honest; I affectionately refer to my runs more as a 'stagger' up and down the road, it's so slow and uncoordinated. Give me a dumbell, ask me to do pushups and I'm good to go- but lacing up a pair of sneaks and heading out on the open road is at worst, very difficult for me, and at best, the half hour comedy show. Remember how ridiculous Phoebe looked on Friends when she ran? Picture that and you'll have a glimpse into my running style.

Running where I live, in a rural area, is an adventure to be sure. There's the road kill- dodging that makes my run feel like an obstacle course, which is fun. And there are the vehicles- many of which give me a wide berth, others, not so much. The 'honkers' and 'oglers', love those guys, they're the best. Specially the guy who drives the filthy Honey Wagon (septic truck) who honks when he goes past. Wish he'd just pull over so I could get his number for a date, he's so awesome. One time last year when I was staggering- I mean running- along the road, I ran up behind a half drunken country boy, swaggering down the road with no shirt on, and when I passed him he leered: "Awww come on, yew kin run faster n nat"....Yes, like I say, it's always an adventure and a sight to behold when I run. Not quite as funny as when I attempt to do Zumba-type aerobics classes (need I elaborate on the 'Strip Tease Aerobics' Fiasco of 2007?! I think not.) My body just doesn't move in that way, unfortunately. Though I do envy the legions of people who swear by Zumba, it looks like a great workout and a lot of fun. It's just not for me. Ah, but I digress....

So how do I REALLY feel about running?! Well, even though it's not my forte, I try to do it sometimes because it's a physical challenge. I feel good for trying it once it's all done, like proud of myself somehow. And I know it's good for us in a cardiovascular sense. A friend recently asked me how I run, what is my technique. Well, first I put my sneakers on. Then I go out the door and walk for a few minutes to warmup, then I start running and I don't stop until I get home. Usually about 5-6km, maybe 8 km max once I work up to it. I'll probably never do a 1/2 marathon, and I'm fine with that. So there's my technique. The Beastie Boys & Green Day on my Ipod help me to keep moving. I come home and stretch, drink water, have a snack. If it's sunny on Friday I may try it again. Get your tickets now for the 1/2 hr comedy show...

We had a great weekend around here, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous out. Lots of family time, two large workouts at the gym and lots of good food. Last night I made an impromptu Harvest Bake for dindin that turned out pretty good. The Bean gulped it down in about 5 bites, so it must have been a hit. Here's what I used:
- 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1.5 cup Baby Cut Carrots, rinsed
- 2 Large Parsnips, peeled and cut into baby-carrot-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped, & 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cups of stale flax bread, cut into large crouton-sized pieces
- Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cracked Pepper, Minced Garlic & 1 heaping tsp dried thyme leaves (not powdered)
- A few glugs of Organic Vegetable Stock
- Aged White Cheddar- you decide how much cheese you like, I don't want to mention how much I used in case you get weirded out by how much cheese I eat.

Directions:
- In a large bowl, toss the squash pieces, carrots & parsnips with a few glugs of Olive Oil, salt & pepper & garlic to taste. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast at 425, for about 35 minutes. Halfway through, give them a shake so they brown and carmelize on all sides.
-While those veggies are roasting, heat a TBS of olive oil in a saucepan and sautee the onion & shallot until translucent, adding the thyme towards the end to release the flavour.
-When the root veggies are done roasting, toss them back into the bowl with the onion mixture, and add the croutons. Stir to coat, and add a few glugs of the stock to moisten it up a bit- but not enough to make it soggy.
-Spread it all in a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil. Broil for a little while longer until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove, let cool for a few minutes and dig in. It's kinda like stuffing. Without all the other stuff. We thought it was yummy....Served with a nice green/spinach salad and you'd be all set. We're having the rest of it tonight around here with said salad to go along with it.

So what else is on the go? Busy busy round these parts, prior to the stagger this a.m. I trained a client, and will do so again later in the week. I'm planning to do an advertising run tomorrow after the gym and bring my flyers to various locations around town to see about picking up a couple more clients, so that should be good. Aside from the usual minutae of everday life I'd like to come up with a few more recipes to post, so I'll work on that too.

What about you guys? Anyone else running like a crazy fool this week? Any tips on running? Or motivating music? Am I the only person who can't Zumba? Oh, and I won't dare tell you exactly how far & fast I ran. For two reasons. Number 1: it doesn't matter. We all gotta go at our own pace, it's not a competition. Just get moving. And Number 2: I don't want to lose my street cred as a fit person by admitting my snail-like pace. Admittedly, I am vain in this regard.

So I'm out for now, hope your week is off to a great start! See you again soon!
xoM