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August 25th, 2010
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?
August 24th, 2010
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?
August 21st, 2010
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!
August 19th, 2010
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?
August 18th, 2010
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?
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Welcome to Just Flourishing! I'm Janna.
I love eating, cooking and learning about healthy food. That's probably why I've decided to become an R.D.!
I used to be a ballet dancer and now I keep fit with yoga, running and some exercise classes thrown into the mix.
I believe in treating our bodies as well as we can by eating delicious and healthy foods and being active as often as possible. Why should you ever want less! Disclaimer I'm not a Registered Dietitian...yet! For medical or nutritional counseling please consult an RD, certified nutritionist, or medical doctor. All content on this blog is based on my own personal experience and opinions. It is not meant as medical advice.
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