It was made with goat yogurt, cantaloupe, banana and bran buds. So refreshing and a nice change from oats.

Midday I had a green smoothie. It wasn’t your regular green smoothie with spinach or kale. It was made with SPIRULINA!

Spirulina:

I saw the leaves start turning colours, I felt a coolness to the air…but I didn’t want to admit that it’s almost Fall! However, I’m comforted by the fact that it isn’t TRULY Fall until the September Equinox on September 22nd…. And I guess pumpkin doesn’t sound so bad either.

I [...]]]> It’s September, isn’t it?

I saw the leaves start turning colours, I felt a coolness to the air…but I didn’t want to admit that it’s almost Fall! However, I’m comforted by the fact that it isn’t TRULY Fall until the September Equinox on September 22nd…. And I guess pumpkin doesn’t sound so bad either.

I was on dinner duty once again last night. My mom requested a salad, something with quinoa and a veggie. I tend to make quinoa one of two ways. 1) My Lemony Quinoa or 2) My Quinoa with Veggies. However, once I got my quinoa cookbook, I discovered there is a whole WORLD of quinoa that I’ve been missing out on!!!

So I decided to shake things up last night and make a Quinoa Casserole. I modified the original recipe a bit, so here is my adaptation!

QUINOA CASSEROLE
First I cooked some onions, garlic and veggies in olive oil and then tossed in 1 cup of quinoa in a saucepan   
Then I added in 2 cups of of liquid (you could use water or veggie stock) and cooked until the liquid was almost gone.
Then I stirred in 1/2 a cup of unsweetened almond milk (you could use any type of milk you like) and 1 egg (or one egg replacer) to bind everything.

At this point I could have added in ricotta cheese and/or sour cream or Greek yogurt.

However, I just stuck with a huge pile of shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack!

Oh. Baby.
  
I mixed it all together, added in some S+P and baked it at 350 for 30 minutes.  

And TA DA!
 
It was good, however, I can see why stronger flavors like sour cream were supposed to be included because it was definitely mild tasting. I would recommend adding in some cheese with BOLDER flavours like old cheddar, goat cheese, parmesan or any strong flavoured cheese.

Cheesy Quinoa
 
This is something you could have for breakfast, lunch or dinner – because of the egg it is almost reminiscent of a frittata.

On the side I made something I haven’t had in a while – Spaghetti Squash! 

It is so much fun to eat!!!

I made it simply with a bit of earth balance, S+P and herbs.
   
But I would TOTALLY eat is as regular spaghetti, with tomato sauce! Such a great alternative to pasta

The salad was green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and HEARTS OF PALM!  HOP’s are so yummy. They are my favourite in salads.

Especially with strawberries and toasted pecans. However, I didn’t have strawbs on hand, but I did manage to make some delicious pecans to go on top.

Agave sweetened, toasted pecans.

If I want to make a big batch, I’ll use my oven roasting method. But for these it was just Pecans, Agave, saucepan, heat, DONE.

Dinner = Success!

FOAM ROLLER HELP!

My last run went well, like I said and I’m planning another one for this afternoon. However, I am still experiences a bit of hip pain after my runs. (I injured my hip while training for a half marathon this year). I think I need to invest in a foam roller for myself. Do any of you have one? Any recommendations? Any places you know of to get one (even online)?  I may just hit up a sports/exercise store here and see if they have one. But if there are any you would recommend or any good places to get one, let me know!

It’s a new month and almost a new season, so what are your goals for September and the new season?

My goals for the new season are

• To get into a regular schedule here at home. I’m sort of bouncing around and would love to be on more of a set schedule
• Run a race
• Finish all my grad school applications!
• Read 2 new books and
• Make another blog video!

True, I’ve come back for visits between school sessions when I lived in Montreal and for holidays [...]]]> Summer is drawing to a close, school is starting, my brothers are back from camp/work and this is the first time in 6 years that all 5 members of my family are living together under one roof!

True, I’ve come back for visits between school sessions when I lived in Montreal and for holidays when I lived in Toronto and New York. But I am actually LIVING at home again (at least for now)! It’ll be interesting to have the 5 of us together again…chaos might ensue!

I guess we won’t be quite as crowded as the Tanner family though

And… I am back on my salad kick. I guess I just couldn’t stay away!

Saturday evening I had dinner at Joey’s, a popular, hip, yet casual restaurant.  
 
I got The Beach Salad (but switched out the chicken for shrimp)
   
I was greens, avocado, strawberries, pecans and goat cheese + shrimp. And a sweet poppy seed dressing the rounded everything out. It was tasty!

And lunch yesterday was a big pile of quinoa, which made it’s home on top of butter lettuce, grapes and mint.   
Plus a seriously awesome evoo, lemon juice, dijon, agave + mint dressing.

I had a second helping of just quinoa w/ dressing– mmm love that stuff

And yesterday I finally managed to get outside for a run! I did my usual route (that I haven’t actually done in FOREVER!) I like to change up my route a bit and take some different streets to make it longer/shorter. My route today was 3.65 miles.

MY STATS:

• Distance: 3.65 miles
• Duration: 36:50 (average of 10:06)
• Mile 1: 10:16
• Mile 2: 9:59
• Mile 3: 9:58
• Mile 3.65: 10:11

It was a challenging run. It started off nice and easy but once the sun/heat came out near the end of the run, I was dying to walk! But I pushed myself and made it all the way! That’s not to say that walking during a run is bad. Halfway through my run I actually took a 1 minute walking break.

There is a well known walk/run method called The Galloway Method. It is based on the idea that “runners can record significantly faster times when they take walk breaks because they don’t slow down at the end of a long run”.  I have never purposely tried it (sometimes I’ll take random walking breaks if I’m tried) but when and if I train for a half marathon again I may!

Questions: Do you have a big family/crowded house? Ever tried the Galloway Method?

Something to Check Out:

My super awesome friend JH, who has appeared on the blog many times, recently launched a website with her friend Emily called Sea Turtle Rodeo which showcases their original comedic writing, sitcom The Low Road, podcast and tons of other entertaining stuff. They are hilarious and you should definitely check them out!

You know what else is great? Having a [...]]]> Dried Mango.
 
Not the leathery, dry, no sugar added dried mango. The good stuff. The delicious, chewy Philippine Brand sweetened Dried Mangoes! I buy these in bulk at Superstore and they are my CANDY! I’ve tried other brands of dried mango and nothing compares!

You know what else is great? Having a dishwasher.

Living in NYC I almost forgot what it was like to have one! It makes life SO much easier. I remember in my chemistry class in NY we were all discussing how our New York wish would be to have a dishwasher. And then our professor said “I have a dishwasher!” and we all said “YOU DO!?!” and she said “Yes… My husband”  har har. But seriously, I like her thinking

Speaking of cleaning, I purchased a new set of cleaning products for my family to try out. The Martha Stewart Clean brand of products.

They have:

• 99+% plant- and mineral-based, biodegradable ingredients
• No added fragrances, only a natural, clean scent
• No artificial colors or preservatives
• No sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
• No ammonia
• No animal testing or animal by-products
• Recyclable packaging

And they actually WORK- unlike a lot of natural cleaning products out there. So far, I’m very impressed.

Recipe Time

Along with my “keeping it real” white pasta yesterday I had a pretty tasty tomato sauce. And it was really easy to make and tasted so much more vibrant then anything you can get in a jar.

I picked up some gorgeous local tomatoes the other day.

Blanched them until the skin started to peel, put them in cold water to cool and then peeled and chopped them.

I cooked a TON of garlic in some EVOO, threw in the chopped, peeled tomatoes (and their juices) added salt, pepper and some green herbs (basil or parsley would work), let it simmer for 20 minutes and then added in a splash of balsamic and a squirt of lemon juice.

And there you have it.
    
A simple, bright, flavourful tomato sauce!

Work It Out

After talking about my lack of exercise the other day, I actually motivated myself to work out! Sometimes I get into a funk where you literally couldn’t pay me to exercise and then something suddenly changes and I have all the energy in the world! Yesterday, since it was too hot out to run, I rocked the videos and did Level 2 of 30 Day Shred and the Tracy Anderson Mat Workout. 30 Day Shred kicked my booty. I haven’t done it in a LONG time and it was hard! 

Today is a cloudy, cool day and I think I am going to go for a run before lunch. I have no mileage or time frame set out in my mind, I’m just going to strap on my Garmin and see how I feel out there!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Finish This Sentence:  You Know What’s Great?…

I think that sometimes my blog posts are a little “sunshine-y”. Like, I ALWAYS eat super healthy and I exercise DAILY and I’m usually REALLY HAPPY. Well, Rachel’s post on Owning It inspired me to try and keep it real, [...]]]> I’ve been slightly lazy on the exercise front lately. Frankly, I just didn’t feel like it.

I think that sometimes my blog posts are a little “sunshine-y”. Like, I ALWAYS eat super healthy and I exercise DAILY and I’m usually REALLY HAPPY. Well, Rachel’s post on Owning It inspired me to try and keep it real, so to speak, more often on the blog. Believe me, I don’t always eat healthy and I don’t exercise daily and of course I’m not always super happy.

I think the reason for this is that, like Rachel, guilt has always played a major force in my life. I did…er do… things based on others approval, second guess my decisions and have to justify my actions. I felt like if I showed “unhealthy” foods such as, I don’t know, white carbs or a DQ blizzard on the blog, it means I’ve failed at being a good healthy living blogger. And that. is. ridiculous. Sometimes a girl just needs a bowl of white pasta and tomato sauce.

For example, my lunch today:
 

I know that my favorite blogs are the ones written by people who keep it real, so I truly want to try and do that more here. Yes, I am incredibly passionate about eating healthy, natural, whole foods, exercising regularly and engaging in activities that keep your mind and soul healthy as well. And I live by those passions most of the time and want to help others do the same. That is why I want to work in the health field as a Registered Dietitian and Health Coach. But that doesn’t mean I don’t eat cake, skip the gym for a week or have a couple drinks on occasion. I think I have tried to show that a bit on the blog in the past, but I want to do it even more so now. Sometimes when I’m around friends or family who read my blog they feel as if I am judging them for their unhealthy habits. I’M NOT!

I would NEVER want to make someone else feel bad about themselves because they aren’t as “healthy” as I am. PUH-LEASE! I think some people think I only like healthy food! Not even close. Just because I’m a future RD doesn’t mean I don’t crave so called “bad food”! Along with all the healthy stuff I love, there are SO many “unhealthy” things that I love too –

I love red wine, take-out sushi, pasta with white wine and butter sauce, doughnuts with rainbow sprinkles, DQ blizzards, croissants, Starbucks pumpkin scones, cheesecake, greasy pizza, french fries….I could go on

So there you have it.

I like to post mostly healthy stuff on the blog because I want to show people healthy meals I make, and tell people about the exercise I do to inspire people to get healthier. But I think that it’s important to show the times where I had something that most people wouldn’t consider healthy or talk about when I skipped out on the gym. Because it’s all part of my life and I shouldn’t feel guilty about sharing it!

There are SO many more things I still need to just OWN and not feel guilty about. And I love Rachel’s saying “Sorry I’m not Sorry” and it is something that really needs to be incorporated into my vocabulary! Sometimes I just get tired of being sorry!

Do you “keep it real on your blog”. Do you ever hold back because you feel guilty? What do you want to OWN?

I know how so many people are raving about Justin’s Maple Almond Butter. Well…I’ve tried the stuff. And I agree, it’s pretty good. But we don’t get that good stuff here in Canada (at least, not that I know of) and besides, it’s a little bit pricey. SO, [...]]]> Happy Wednesday! Here’s a Humpday Treat for ya:

I know how so many people are raving about Justin’s Maple Almond Butter. Well…I’ve tried the stuff. And I agree, it’s pretty good. But we don’t get that good stuff here in Canada (at least, not that I know of) and besides, it’s a little bit pricey. SO, I decided to whip up some Janna’s Maple Almond Butter.

All you need is:
    
I mixed a scoop of AB with a generous drizzle of Maple Syrup and put it in the microwave for around 30 seconds. Stirred it all up and voila

All mixed in!

It was good. Very good.

Check out what arrived in the mail the other day!

My very own set of Glass Dharma straws! So pretty! I love them already!

I was on duty for dinner last night and because I am holding on for dear life to the last moments of summer, I decided to prepare a summer inspired meal.
 
 
I made “Nutty Spaghetti” a sophisticated and light pasta made with a mix of ground almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, mint, parsley and lemon.

Spin spin spin!

GORGEOUS!
 
Tossed with whole grain pasta, a generous amount of EVOO, lemon juice and zest, parmesan and S&P 

Watermelon and Feta Salad. Chopped watermelon combined with oil, vinegar and pepper.
 
Placed on a bed of local butter lettuce and topped with feta and mint.
So refreshing!

My dad actually clapped when I brought this to the table

And a side of steamed sweet peas. They were steamin’ up the camera

Healthy (and meatless!) meals can 1) Look gorgeous and 2) Taste delicious!

AND I think my attempts of hanging onto summer worked! The weather for the next few days looks great! Perhaps more pool time is in order

Enjoy your day!

Are you hanging on to summer or anxiously awaiting fall?

Hope that you all had great weekends! I spent my Saturday afternoon by (and IN) my aunt and uncles pool

My uncle was taking pictures and I requested some for the blog, but haven’t received them yet! So you’ll just have to [...]]]> Seems I took a Salad Vacation and a Bloggy Vacation as well!

Hope that you all had great weekends! I spent my Saturday afternoon by (and IN) my aunt and uncles pool

My uncle was taking pictures and I requested some for the blog, but haven’t received them yet! So you’ll just have to imagine my glorious day of swimming and hot tub-ing

I haven’t gone swimming ALL summer! I forgot what great exercise it is. I played monkey in the middle and Marco Polo with my cousins, practiced my water handstands and flips, swam a few laps and WOW it a serious cardio workout!  I was exhausted afterwards and fell asleep so easily and EARLY that night! If you haven’t swam in a while, give it a try!

Dinner

My family usually makes dinner at home. However, there are those few occasions when you just don’t feel like cooking. It is during those times that we usually either 1) pick up sushi or 2) pick up from the Greek Market.

The Greek Market has really great food! Of course, they have amazing Greek staples like Greek salad, souvlaki and Avogolemono soup. But they also have an entire “healthy choices” menu filled with things like quinoa salad, chickpea medleys, broccoli salad and wheatberry salad…

Last night dad picked up the Quinoa Salad (with Peas! A great addition I would have never thought to use)

The tabouli salad

Pasta, veggies and feta

And an amazing spinach lasagne (look at that melty Mozz!)

It doesn’t quite seem like a “Greek” meal, but it was all delicious! I love the Greek Market

That’s all for me today! Enjoy your Tuesday!

Do you use swimming as a form of exercise?

What are your favorite things to order in a Greek restaurant?

My Introduction to Hugh Jass Salads

I have always been a veggie [...]]]> I like to switch up my breakfasts occasionally. Sometimes I crave cereal, sometimes eggs, sometimes smoothies, sometimes pancakes… but sometimes there’s nothing quite like a bowl of whipped banana oats with almond butter, straight up!

Soothes the soul!

My Introduction to Hugh Jass Salads

I have always been a veggie lover, ever since I can remember. I wasn’t one of those kids who refused to eat their broccoli. I loved it all! However, I never really got into salads until first year of university. My idea of a salad was what my family had been serving me for years – Torn up lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers with a bottle or two of dressing on the side. We were partial to Newman’s Own or Creamy Cucumber.

When I got to university I resigned myself to gross cafeteria food – dry chicken, mushy vegetables, mashed potatoes. You know the drill. So much for being healthy in college! When I sat down to eat with one of my new friends for the first time, I saw she had come to the table with a huge plate of fresh salad veggies! She had created the first Hugh Jass salad I’d ever witnessed! (I believe the term Hugh Jass Salad was coined by Mama Pea) Anyway, my friend took romaine and spinach and had topped it with my good ol’ peppers, tomatoes and cukes…but also broccoli, onions, avocado, artichoke hearts, beans, chopped nuts and goat cheese!

I was blown away! – You can do THAT with a SALAD???? It was all so new and exciting to me! And from then on I was a Hugh Jass salad girl in college, topping my various green with all the good stuff I could find! No more gross cafeteria food for me! Until one day…I got sick of the salads. I had too much of a good thing! I needed to take a salad break. So I moved onto soups, wraps and sandwiches. Then after a week or two, I started incorporating the salad back in. But I spaced them out between other things, so I wouldn’t get sick of them

Well, skip to August 2010…and I’ve reached my too much salad point once again! After a salad for lunch and a salad for dinner yesterday. I need a salad vacation!  

Well…at least 2 days off

It’s a hot one out there today! I’m off to phone my Aunt to see if I can come use her pool hang out with my cousins! Later Gators!

When did you discover Hugh Jass salads?

What would you put in your ULTIMATE Hugh Jass salad?

I would put a combo of romaine and mixed greens with roasted peppers, tomatoes, hearts of palm, avocado, chickpeas, black olives, onions, wild mushrooms, toasted pecans and goat cheese!!! YUM!

This was a huge surprise to me, because I try very hard to take good care of my teeth! My uncle dentist said “You should floss more” and I said helplessly “But I DO…I DO floss!!!” [...]]]> I did not have a successful trip to the dentist yesterday. I have….a cavity.

This was a huge surprise to me, because I try very hard to take good care of my teeth! My uncle dentist said “You should floss more” and I said helplessly “But I DO…I DO floss!!!” He also told me that this could be a result of having weak teeth, which I apparently have. He said he was surprised I was the first out of me and my brothers to get one because both my parents have them. I guess cavities can be genetic? At least that’s what I’m going to tell myself so I can relax about not having good oral hygiene! I DO FLOSS!!!! I LOVE FLOSSING!!!

I’m not sure why this sounded appealing to me at the time, but for lunch I decided on some spicay chili with guacamole 
This was Annie’s chili and it was pretty good. A little heavy on the beans though!

I had dinner with some friends from high school last night! Some of whom I hadn’t seen in YEARS!

We caught up at Viva over noodle soups and Vietnamese coffee!

It was great to see these girls again and hear all the amazing things they’re doing with their lives! I wish we were all in the same place so we could do this all this time!
 

We actually all had our page in the high school year book together!

Can you find me? Oh memories! High school seems so long ago!

Alright, back to reality! I’m off for the day – looks likes it’s going to be a gorrrgeous one! My plan for exercise later this evening is to go for a short run (maybe 2 miles) and then do the Tracy Anderson DVD!

Hope you have a great Thursday!

p.s. Mama Pea posted a great vegan alternative to my favorite pasta recipe! 

Do you still keep in touch with many friends from high school?

Ever had a cavity?

This is going to be a quick and RANDOM post as I have to skedaddle over to the dentist this morning! And who doesn’t love the dentist. Actually…I kind of do. My uncle is my dentist!

So, I tried a new bar the other day, before the gym.   [...]]]> Goood Morning!

This is going to be a quick and RANDOM post as I have to skedaddle over to the dentist this morning! And who doesn’t love the dentist. Actually…I kind of do. My uncle is my dentist!

So, I tried a new bar the other day, before the gym.
 
I’d seen these around and thought they looked pretty good.  However, the ingredient list on the bar is pretty long. And though it’s a lot of “healthy stuff”, it’s entirely TOO MUCH stuff in one little bar for me. And a a little too much added sugar.

Also, I didn’t really like the taste. It’s back to Larabars for me! I really want to try those new flavours!!!

After I got this bar, I stopped quickly into a Lululemon nearby to see if there were any hot yoga clothes on sale. I didn’t find any yoga clothes, but I did pick up two pamphlets on RACES!

A “Try a Trail” pamphlet and a 5k for breast cancer pamphlet. I think, if I’m here in October I’m going to try and run the 5k on October 3rd and the 8k (TRAIL RUN!!!) on October 16! I think it will be good to train for short distances and then potentially work up to a half marathon attempt in the Spring of 2011! I also think it will be neat to do a trail run –though it makes me slightly nervous.

Moving along… We received this in the mail the other day! The Tracy Anderson Mat Workout!

I ordered it for my mom for her birthday, and we tried it out yesterday. My thoughts?: It’s a very unique workout! Very different from anything else I’ve tried. It reminded me a little bit of a mix of pilates, a core-fusion/bar method type class and ballet.

It is definitely a TONING workout. You don’t use weights except for a small portion of the arms section (you use 1-3lb weights). Sometimes the moves she’s doing seem simple and you wonder how they can tone you, but once you start doing them you realize that they BURN! Especially the arms section. I would call this an intermediate workout. It’s short, but it definitely requires some technical ability. I feel like you have to be able to do the moves correctly to get the benefit. Here’s an example of Tracy’s style.

And FINALLY…the last hot yoga class that I told you about, I struggled a lot. I had to sit out for a lot of postures and felt very very out of breathe/overheated. Well, the class I just took the other day…COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! It was like night and day. It was one of my best classes yet. Which tells me, that it just gets easier as you keep doing it. And in even ONE class you can improve!

Cleaning Your Yoga Mat
*A tip* – My yoga mat gets pretty gross during hot yoga, so I clean it with a solution of 2 cups water and 5 drops of dish soap. Then rinse it with water and let it hang to dry!

Off to get my teeth cleaned! Enjoy this glorious day!!!!

Do you enjoy energy-type bars? What are your favorites (Larabars, Clif bars) etc?  

Have you ever done a trail race? How was it different than a regular one? Any tips?