Spaghetti Squash - your new friend!

What a BUSY weekend! Wow! I completely gapped on Friday and forgot to post a healthy recipe.. I apologize.. but I'll make it up to you. I'm going to share with you my new favourite vegetable, a magic vegetable if you will... the Spaghetti Squash.

Many dieters tend to shun pasta for it's high calorie content, which is a shame because whole wheat pasta has lots of fibre and keeps you full for a long long time.. but even I tend to cook pasta rarely and usually when all is said and done it's topping the calorie count at around 500 calories... which for a dinner for us is a little high, we like to stay under 400. 

Enter the spaghetti squash. The magic 'pasta'! It contains, Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids which aid in preventing heart disease, cancer and inflamation as well as brain function AND it has SO many vitamins and minerals (very high in vitamin A, B, C), lots of folate, potassium & beta carotene which is just awesome! And the best part of all, one cup of this magic 'pasta' is only 42 calories VS roughly 220 for real pasta.

Sounds awesome doesn't it! It really is, and to top it off it's SUPER easy to make! There are a few methods of cooking it, you can go online and there's tons of tutorials and recipes but I'll share mine with you here. It makes a quick, easy and incredibly healthy dinner for you and your family. If you need to save time, bake the squash the night or day before and reheat it when you're making dinner. AND if you want to go even MORE healthy and save on preservatives - make your own spaghetti sauce and meatballs and you're eating super clean :)

Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

1 spaghetti squash

2 cups of your favourite pasta sauce (I really like blue menu mushroom + garlic or homemade sauce)

If you're using bottled sauce, add in 1/2 a diced red onion, 1 diced bell pepper and a handful of mushrooms for added texture and vitamins.

16 extra lean turkey meatballs (again.. I love blue menu or homemade)

• To cook the spaghetti squash: 

   Pre-heat the oven to 375F. 

   Pierce all over with a skewer (like you would a baked potato) to allow steam to escape while baking.

   Place on a baking sheet and bake for atleast and hour for crunchier 'pasta' and over an hour for softer.

   Remove from the oven and let it cool so you can handle it. 

   Once cool place on a cutting board and cut in half lengthwise.

   Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, discard.

   Use a fork to string the squash into spaghetti like strands and place in a serving bowl.

   DONE! You have squash pasta!

• While baking the squash heat your pasta sauce and meatballs. Once your squash is shredded and placed into a serving bowl, top with your sauce and meatballs and serve. Dinner's ready!

• Sprinkle with light parmesan cheese or reggiano for added yumminess.

This recipe serves 4.

1 serving is 286 calories

(which includes 2tbsp of parmesan, 4 meatballs and 1/2 cup of sauce & 1 1/2 cups of squash)

That's just ONE recipe to enjoy with spaghetti squash. Treat it like you would any other type of pasta and experiment with flavours that you enjoy! Just remember to keep it light and clean, no carbonara sauces people.. ha ha!

CN Tower Climb

Classified as one of the seven wonders of the world and the tallest tower, the CN Tower is a BEAST! It towers over Toronto and I think people like me take it for granted since I've lived in the GTA for most of my life. I've visited it as a child and an adult, I've seen it from the highway, I've seen it on the horizon (it's really cool on a nice, clear day how far away you can be from Toronto and still see the tower) and I've walked by it while downtown a million times. This is a marvel that people come from all over the world just to see how amazing it is and recently I finally understand how truly amazing it really is myself.

On Saturday April 16th WWF hosted its annual climb where almost 5000 people lined up to climb the CN Tower's stairwell - Pat and I were 2 of those people. When I was overweight the thought of any type of stairs was a nightmare for me. Even bringing the laundry up our stairs to our bedroom would leave me winded. Fast forward 9 months and I'm in line to climb the worlds tallest tower.... 1776 steps and about 144 storeys.  

We unfortunately didn't plan that weekend very well and were in Niagara Falls for a hockey tournament for Pat. We had to be up at 4am to make it to Toronto before 6am to beat the crowds. I could have killed the people on Pat's team as they decided that Friday night was party night and that knocking on our door was a novel idea all night - I probably got an hour of sleep so I was rather grouchy when our wake-up call came in at 4am. My nerves were so shot from the lack of sleep and general nervousness about the climb that I was a wreck all morning, I felt sick and I'm pretty sure Pat was ready to climb by himself with all my complaining that morning... but he's just too amazing, he stuck with me and kept trying to make me smile through all my complaints. The lineups were pretty long even at 6am but in comparison to later in the day I'm sure we made it through in rocket time. We finally got to the tower where you're greeted with some pretty crazy security and some more lineups.

When we FINALLY made it to the opening of the stairwell and we got our time cards stamped we were ready to sprint the first 30 floors... but wouldn't you know it, a handicapped group had gotten in before us and were using both sides of the railings to climb. I thought it was SO amazing that they were making the climb with their disabilities but I was a little irritated as we waited, and waited and waited and the clock was ticking, there wasn't much of an opportunity to pass. At that point we had added at least 3-4 mins to our time but I was so amazed with their determination that I tried not to let the time loss get me down. Then we sprinted, and got up past floor 30 and then the leg burn started, 10 more flights and the lung fire started and I have to say, you can practice on a stairclimber all you want, NOTHING prepares you for the challenge. It's so much harder when it's a real stairwell but the benefit of it being such a public event there are people resting on landings who cheer you on and you cheer them on, paramedics to remind you to take it easy and little posters on each story painted by kids of tigers, polar bears and little inspirational slogans like "just take one more step".

If it wasn't for Pat I might have given up several times, the nausea set in around floor 100 and with the leg burn and the lung fire I was ready to just sit and give up but he stayed behind me - literally had to push me a few times and he sacrificed his own personal goal just to finish with me. Once I saw floor 140 I was so excited and at floor 142 the stairwell changes and you climb in fresher air as the stairwell opens up. There are people there to stamp your time card and WOO HOO, you've climbed the CN Tower.. but oh, by the way, before you can take the elevator down you have to climb an additional 10 storeys... CRAP! I was wearing my Biggest Loser shirt that my best friend had given me that has a Jillian quote saying "Unless you faint, puke or die KEEP WALKING" and as I sulked looking at the next flight of stairs the paramedic read my shirt and cheered me on to listen to my shirt and suck it up and just finish the climb. She was really funny.

My personal goal was a hopeful 25 minutes but I felt that anything under 30 minutes would be an acceptable time, Pat's goal was under 20 minutes, hopefully 17 minutes. We finished in 28:30 which is definitely under the 30-40 minute average climbers time but Pat really sacrificed his time for me (he really is amazing, I guess that's why I'm marrying him.. haha), I managed to reach one of my goals so I'm pretty happy and who knows how long we were delayed at the beginning, we might have cleared the 25 minutes... we won't know until next time!

Going back down to the ground in a see through elevator might be some peoples idea of amazing but with my severe nausea I nearly puked and had to turn around... I think I freaked a lady out who looked a little shocked haha I didn't puke on her though, no worries! You exit the elevator and there's volunteers and people cheering, it's pretty cool, you really feel like you've accomplished something pretty great. Once we got back down to the ground and started walking back to the atrium I took a look up and this is what I saw...

We just climbed that. Yep. All the way to the top. I nearly cried when the sheer amazement of our accomplishment set in. Who freaking CARES how long it took, we climbed that when 9 months ago I barely could get up our stairs at our house! Wow. 

I have a huge problem with setting big goals or challenges for myself (as you can see with my very flexible climbing goal time) and you might too but all I can say is jump in with both feet and you might surprise yourself. Join a 5K, join in the next CN Tower climb, try a mini-triathalon - Try SOMETHING. Whatever your time, you will have a sense of accomplishment that will leave you glowing.

I'm totally in for the next climb, I think it's in November, but I think this time if Pat wants to try to reach his goal I'll be okay by myself. As much as I loved crossing the finish line with him at my side I know inside he wishes he could have got a better time so next time, I'll encourage him to achieve it! I don't want to be the reason that he has to move slower.. but..  NEXT time, I'll be under 25 minutes :) Will I see you there?

Healthy Recipe Friday!

Stocking your spice rack. It's essential to home cooking and the more spices you have at your disposal the more dishes you can create without creating a HUGE shopping list.

I've always loved to cook, and I've amassed a huge spice collection as a side effect of this love of cooking.  But not everyone knows what spices to buy and when you're looking at $2-$5 per jar at the grocery store it can seem really expensive!  Just head to Bulk Barn and buy your spices there and pick up spice shakers from the dollar store. That way you've saved some $$ but you still can create awesome dishes! Or you can start by purchasing the spice from the grocery store but instead of re-buying it when you run out, just fill it with spices from the Bulk Barn, whatever helps you save the most money! You can even get creative and print cute labels from your home printer (that's the graphic designer coming out.. I did that with mine haha). Here's a list of essentials, call it your "must haves". It's not ALL the spices in the world, but it's the ones I've come across most often and certainly what I'd consider to be a well stocked spice rack.

Allspice (ground)
Basil
Bay Leaves
Cayenne Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Corriander (seeds & powder)
Cumin
Curry
Dill
Fennel Seed
Garlic Powder
Herbs De Province
Dried Mustard
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Rosemary
Sage
Savory
Tarragon
Thyme
Tumeric (be careful, it stains! but it's essential)

With those spices you're well on your way to creating any dish from anywhere in the world! You'll be fully stocked and ready to take on any recipe! Plus you get the added bonus of making your own seasoning blends instead of buying the pre-made, salt filled, store bought variety :)

Here's another awesome recipe for you to try this weekend. It's so yummy and so worth eating vs store bought pizza - it's not greasy and no guilt PLUS it's super filling! Serve with a light salad on the side and you've got yourself a super easy meal!

Pie Caramba (from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry)
Mexican pizza

8oz extra-lean ground beef (I've used extra-lean turkey and it tastes just as good)
1/3 cup minced onions
1 tsp minced garlic (something else you should keep on hand all the time)
1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup diced bell pepper (choose any colour)
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained (measure out 1/4 cup portions and freeze for future use so you don't have to waste the whole can)
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I've never put this in, I'm not a cilantro fan, but add it in if you like it)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp each salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 pizza sauce (buy a low cal variety like Blue Menu)
1 12" pre-baked thin crust pizza shell (they have awesome ones in the bakery section at Loblaws)
1 cup packed shredded light old cheddar cheese
2 tbsp minced green onion
            Light sour cream, salsa & guacamole (optional and not included in calorie count)


• Preheat oven to 425F

• Spray a large, non stick skillet with cooking spray. Add beef, onion and garlic. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, corn and beans. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper. Cook 1 more minute and remove from heat.

• Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust. Top with half the cheese. Spoon beef mixture evenly over pizza. Top with remaining cheese followed by the green onion.

• Place pizza directly on middle oven rack and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is completely melted and crust is lightly browned.

Makes 1 pizza, 8 slices
186 calories/slice (without any of the dipping sauces)

The Secret To Weight Loss

Okay.. I lied... There IS NO SECRET to weight loss. Sorry to burst your bubble! There is no magic pill, there is no fad diet, there is no 2 minute exercise plan to make you magically turn into a super-model with ripped abs with size 2 jeans.

We all have to check in with reality for a second, and I really mean it. When I see commercials on TV for a new pill that will "zap the fat right off your body", or ads on the internet for "a new exercise designed so you can get ripped abs while sitting watching TV" or expensive meal plans that teach you nothing about how to fend for yourself I get SO angry! There is no magic wand that can be waved to fix being overweight or obese. It's just not that easy! If it were there would BE no overweight people.

The REAL secret that isn't so secret to weight loss is a simple two step system. Ready?
1. Eat healthy
2. Exercise regularly.
Isn't that what doctors have been saying for years? Turns out they're right!

Next time you see another ad for a product that sounds too good to be true, let me save you time, money and disappointment - IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. All those products, fads and programs are designed to help you drop weight quickly, you might even lose a substantial amount of weight to start but you will lose too much too quickly and you aren't given the skills to help keep it off in the long run so it will likely come back plus more.

Weight loss is only a place to start, but it doesn't stop there. You don't just drop to your desired weight and stop - you'll just end up having to do it all again PLUS more as you settle back into your unhealthy habits. Weight loss is the start of living a healthy, active lifestyle that you continue for the rest of your life. As you go along your weight loss journey you should be learning about how to shop for food, how to cook for yourself and your family, how to make positive choices when out for meals, how to workout hard but also how to just be active - basically accumulating the tools you'll need to maintain a healthy lifestyle - not just popping pills or eating pre-packaged diet food provided on a 6 week 'plan'.

Do you just want to lose 10lbs now for beach season and then lose that same 10lbs again before Christmas and then the same 10lbs + the 15lbs from the Christmas season for your New Years Resolution? This cycle is not good for us mentally or physically but it sure is great for the weight loss industry! Now I in no way want to put down the weight loss industry, thank goodness there are the products and services available to us - I just think it goes a little far sometimes with the whole "magical" thinking. Aim for a loss 1-2lbs per week, exercise as many days as you possibly can (atleast 3-4 days but aim for more) for at least an hour and already you've begun your magic formula! Effort = weight loss :) Simple!

So now that I'm done with my rant let me share with you one of my "magic" tools that has helped me with my weight loss. A food/exercise diary. Any dietician or nutritionist and some personal trainers will request that you keep one for atleast 2 weeks so they can see your eating patterns and diagnose where you're going wrong and applaud you for doing things right - but for those 2 weeks I bet you would eat SOOO much better than if you weren't keeping a diary. It's the aspect of being accountable for what you're eating and it's VERY effective!

You can buy a nice journal and enter everything by hand - I used this method in college and would go so far as to give myself a sticker or something on each page that I stayed under calories or entered good exercise. Make sure to record your calories for each meal AND snack AND anything else you consume as well as your calories burned through exercise. You can figure out your calories burned through exercise through sites like http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc Then do all your math and figure out your over/unders for the day. This may be a little involved for some people and a little time consuming but it does work!

The formula for your calorie allowance is take your weight x 12 is the amount you should eat per day to maintain your weight. For a loss of 1lb a week subtract 500 calories and for 2lbs subtract 1000 calories. This is a rough formula, if you are very active during the day and are into very strenuous exercise you may need to adjust and add a few more calories. Also remember to never let your calories drop under 1000, you should never consume less than that. So if you weigh 170lbs your calorie allowance to maintain your weight is 2040, to lose 1lb a week it's 1540 and for 2lbs it's 1040. This can all be adjusted to your lifestyle, just remember it's a base starting point.

You can get tech savvy and use one of the online programs like Spark People, Fat Secret or Loseit. - I use loseit right now and I love it. With these online programs you have access to huge food libraries and rarely have to enter anything custom (but when you do it's super easy) and it calculates your food/exercise deficits as well as gives you an accurate calorie budget for the day. It allows you to connect with friends, create motivators and rewards you with badges for doing a good job. I'm very computer oriented and terrible at math so this is a lot simpler for me than doing it all by hand.

Be accountable for what you're putting into your body. We are all guilty of snacking throughout the day and not counting those calories towards your budget - but if you nit picked at a piece of cheese, a handful of nuts, 2 crackers and some of your kids snack you could have added 300-400 calories in mindless snacking to your day for no reason! Bummer!

Start keeping track of your food, even before you change anything -you'll be surprised how quickly you can change your eating habits when you see it on paper/screen. I would much rather see banana 100cals under snack rather than chips 100cals wouldn't you?

There's no reason not to.....

... exercise... and I'm not kidding. I think the NUMBER ONE thing we all lack is the motivation to change our lives. The number two would be the lack of knowledge on how to continue to succeed.

Let's start with the number one reason - the motivation to change. I'm sure at some point or another we have all been at our healthy peak. For me it was my first year of college, I would work out everyday, eat really well and I felt and looked great! For some reason after that year I just stopped. I didn't work out, I didn't eat well and I just assumed I was just as fit and healthy as I was that year in college. But I wasn't.. and it just got worse as the years went on. I would see myself in photos and just shrug it off as a 'bad angle' or a 'bad photo' but it wasn't the photo, it was my heavier body! I had this vision of myself in my head from years and years ago but that's just not what it looked like anymore. I had no reason to want to change as I thought nothing was that wrong. I mean, I've always been overweight as I've mentioned before, so I just always assumed that's the way it was always going to be.

So because I never thought I was someone who was that "far gone" I never thought I needed a diet or exercise plan, or professional help either with a diet program or joining a gym. I would try to workout here and there, mostly when I was feeling self-conscious.. but that would last a week or two and I thought that would be good enough. This touches on reason number two, lacking the knowledge on how to continue. I never thought that the first few weeks were just the starting point, not the ending point. I didn't know I had to eat better and keep consistent to see real results, I just always assumed I was doomed to be the 'fat girl'. I didn't realize that sitting on the couch for the whole evening was a negative choice. I didn't know that it was actually a LOT easier than I thought to really get the weight off forever and extend my lifespan!

So this brings me to my point of the day: There is no reason NOT TO BE ACTIVE. And I mean it. Whether your reason to workout is you're someone who needs to lose weight, or if you're just doing it to maintain your weight OR just being active to be healthy - there is no excuse to not be active and exercise.

One thing I can say is the only factor I can think of is time - if you have lots of time to dedicate to fitness & nutrition you will probably be successful much quicker than someone who only has a little time to dedicate to it but that's really it. Speed. So if you're a mom of 2, you have a full-time job and a house to clean.. yes, your time is monopolized vs someone like me who only has myself and my fiance to look after, 2 pets and work from home. But I'm sorry, it's STILL NO EXCUSE!!! You can still find the time in the day to make yourself feel better.

It's so easy to put our own health on the back-burner and chalk it up to "no time", or "I'm too tired" but really we aren't doing ourselves any favours... so here's my advice: stop denying yourself a healthy, happy, active life. By making these excuses we are living in denial and are short changing ourselves!

It's not like you have to do anything HUGE to your daily life to make good choices that will snowball to something amazing, we've talked a little bit about nutrition and label reading but in terms of being active it's really just a few small things. Turn off the TV and computer and instead take your kids out to the park after dinner, run around with them and play and be silly! You'll burn tons of calories and have a great time bonding and playing with your kids - they'll love it too! Take the dog for a good walk, he/she will appreciate it and it'll inspire you to get outside and enjoy quality time with your spouse, or kids while you do something active together. So was that so hard? Already you've made positive choices to your day to be active and healthy. Be creative and think of ways to do things together - bike ride, rollerblade, go to the zoo for the day, garden together, go for a nature walk or hike, play an active game for Wii (or Xbox Kinect, or Playstation Move) like EA Sports Active, Wii Sports, Biggest Loser - these are all active things to do as a family that will help keep you in good health mentally and physically. And next time your cursing the 3rd vacuum of the week or picking up after your spouse and kids here's a little bonus for you: cleaning the house burns calories too!! Don't just schlep around like a zombie and clean, put on some good music (refer to my ipod playlist in a previous post) and dance and put some energy into your daily chores! You'll have more fun, feel less negative and burn calories!

To really ramp up your weight loss, build on your already healthy & active habits. Turn your walk with the dog into a jog, choose a route with more hills when you're biking etc etc. One thing I can also say is having time to just yourself isn't a bad thing. If you want to take a few days a week to go to the gym or workout on your own DON'T FEEL GUILTY!!! Get a gym membership, get a workout DVD and free weights - do what you want to do that will make you feel motivated to keep going.

You have more time than you think to start taking the steps to a healthier life, just make the effort! Like I've said each good choice snowballs into something else and sooner or later you'll be buying your skinny jeans and feel AWESOME about yourself. Next time you're flopped on the couch after a hectic day, just get up and do something for a half hour - your body is made to move, so GET MOVING!! :)

And if you need a little help with putting a quick routine together, here's a little help! No Excuses Workout

Doubts

I think we all deal with doubt at some time or another, usually in the form of doubting in yourself or your abilities... I deal with doubt almost daily. I usually wake up doubting that I'll stay under my daily calories, or doubt I'll make a good meal or doubt that I can make it through my workout or doubt that I can do the "new" thing I want to try that day. 

I'm really a negative thinker and I'm trying hard to change it. Change is a gradual thing for sure, I mean all the changes I've made in my life in the last 6 months have all been very slow and really just snowball from other positive changes or decisions that I made. The negative thinking and self confidence is definitely lagging behind all the health and body changes I've made but I'll get there.

I thought I'd post this today as I've come across some wonderful quotes that can help with this type of negative thinking! 

1. Tell yourself, “If I don’t try then I’ll never know. Don’t doubt yourself. You are a perfect example of talent and beauty.” ~Annie Pryatel

2. My mantra for this year: My abilities will always outweigh my doubts. The moment when I think I can’t is the moment that I can.” ~Lissa Rae

3. The moment you feel it (doubt) creeping in, it’s time to act. Get involved and let experience prove you wrong. ~Hector Peguero

4. When in doubt, zoom out. If you doubt all the time, you need to zoom out to the big picture. ~Mary Mecca

5. Ask yourself, “What will happen if I doubt this doubt?” ~Gareth Stubbs

6. What’s the worst that could happen if you do what you feel doubtful about? Is that something you can deal with? Then do it! Most of our worries are a waste of time. What will happen, will happen. ~Kate Roselund

7. Put one foot in front of the other and keep going. ~Roze Quartz

8. Realize that doubts are fear, and fear is: Forgetting Everything’s All Right. ~Sherri Levy

9. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Doubt is only a thought and feeling, nothing to resist. ~De-stress Your Success

10. Focus on the good in your life, reflect on your past achievements, and look to your mentors and all they have achieved. ~Tiscanny Derksen

Try an exercise in positive thinking today. Do you look at yourself in the mirror when you're getting ready in the morning and think atleast 10 horrible thoughts about yourself before you go out the door? "Oh my butt looks big in these jeans. Yuck my makeup is smudged. Ugh my hair is frizzy. I'm going to bomb this job interview... etc...etc..."  Try something new - look in the mirror and say 10 positive things to yourself "Wow, I love this new eyeshadow. My shirt really accentuates my waist. I have a beautiful face. I'm totally going to rock that meeting today.. etc etc" It's AMAZING what positive thinking can do for your overall well being and I think it's something that we all need to practice. Focus on the good and the bad kinda just disappears! :)

Healthy Recipe Friday!

I have SO many favourite recipes that really make our dinner time a lot less boring than it might have become as we live the low-cal lifestyle so on the advice of Pat, I thought I would take a day a week and share one with you! Some of them I share might be super easy (like the one I'm posting here) and some are more complicated, it will depend on which book or site I got it from.

2 of my favourite cookbooks are "Now Eat This" by Rocco Dispirito and "Eat Shrink and Be Merry" by the Podleski sisters. Since Rocco is a chef, his recipes tend to be a little more involved with a few more steps and exotic ingredients wheras the Podleski sisters tend to create recipes for everyday living with everyday ingredients. I've cooked my way through many of the recipes from both books and Pat and I have come across quite a few that make regular rounds to our table!

Remember your portion sizing, each recipe will make a certain serving amount so if you're only cooking for 2 like me and Pat, remember to still divide your meal properly and refrigerate or freeze the leftovers for delicious lunches! Cooking for yourself is rewarding, healthy and economical if you do it right :)

Plan your meals for the week and shop accordingly. Try to buy ingredients that will be good for many recipes. For instance, this recipe calls for basil, so pick another meal that week to have basil in it to make sure you don't waste any! Easy peasey!

There are my tips! Let's get to the good stuff. This is a super quick and easy mid-week meal, prep time and cook time is short and so is the ingredient list so this is a recipe that it's good to keep the staple ingredients on hand for those days when you can't think of anything else to make. This one is by FAR one of my all-time favourites!

Wok This Way (from Eat Shrink and Be Merry)
Asian beef stir-fry with basil and red bell pepper

1lb sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced (I recommend buying a cheaper cut of meat, like the fast fry variety, the sirloin really doesn't make a difference so save yourself some money)
3 tbsp asian fish sauce
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp grated gingerroot (a easy tip about gingerroot, buy it once, peel it, and freeze what you don't use. It freezes well and when you need it for another recipe just take it out of the freezer and grate it)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp peanut oil or canola oil
1 large bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 medium red onion, sliced
Lots of fresh basil leaves (approx 20)

• Place steak slices in a shallow bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, gingerrot, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour over steak. Marinate at room temp for about 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large non-stick wok over medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade and shake off excess. Reserve marinade. Cook steak in hot oil just until cooked through, stirring constantly. Remove steak from wok and set aside. Add red pepper and onion to wok, cook and stir for about 5 mins until vegetables are tender. Return beef to wok and add basil and reserved marinade. Cook 1 minute until basil is wilted and beef is hot.

I like to serve it with 1/2 cup basmati or jasmine rice for a full meal. It's filling and delicious!

Serves 4
Calories without rice: 258/serving        Calories with rice: 368/serving

A funny thing about weight loss.

I'm watching the Biggest Loser right now (of course!! my favourite show ever) and Brett just put Courtney on the same plan that I am. The HUGEST contradiction to weight loss I've EVER experienced!

Eat more. Work out less. That's it. Confusing isn't it!

Now okay, in all fairness it isn't THAT simple. I still workout a lot, and the extra food is just a few 100 extra calories in the form of protien and healthy snacks. But it still goes against everything we learn about losing weight! It's all about the 'shock' factor. You have to change it up so your body stops working against you.

When I really got into a groove with working out and eating better I was working out every day (all 7 days every week) for atleast an hour if not 2 or 3. I would get up and do a workout DVD and then later when Pat got home I would go to the gym with him and sometimes in between there I would take Max for a run. I was doing all this eating roughly 600-900 less calories a day than I should. For the first few months I was dropping weight like there was no tomorrow. Then the weight just sorta wanted to stay... I was losing inches and building muscle and going through typical plateau "symptoms" but after a while the plateau just wasn't going away. So after speaking with friends and my trainer about it we all came to the conclusion that I wasn't feeding my body for the amount of exercise I expected out of it!

So after fiddling with my calories and figuring out what I should be doing physically I came up with my new plan! Workout less. Eat more! I now workout 5-6 days a week for usually no more than an hour (but 2 - 3 hours can still happen) and I added 300 calories to my day. BOOM! Weight started coming off again by my next week weigh in! It's been a few weeks now and the weight isn't flying off anymore but it's steadily going down.

Lesson learned: Your body expects to be surprised.

How much do you bet me that in a few more weeks I will have to change it up again. My plan will be to keep my calories the same but to bump up some of my workouts to high intensity. That meaning, when I do squats, I'll do jumping squats or when doing weights, I'll do them while doing step ups or multitasking (standing on one foot etc).

So if you're stuck in a plateau or you're frustrated just remember that your body can be your own worst enemy. It gets lazy and starts working against you - you push it and it replies with "meh".

So when your body is telling you "meh" - change it up!! Try a new activity, try a different eating pattern, I assure you, your body will wake up and get running again :)

Proof!

I saw some links today on Bob Harper's Facebook and thought I'd share them with you. He basically just talks about everything I just did in my last posts but it's nice to see a health expert share my point of view! It makes me feel like I'm on the right track :)

Just click the links to watch the youtube videos.

Bob Harper on healthy eating

Bob Harper on a healthy lifestyle

Serving Sizes - Learn to Eyeball

The number ONE thing anyone can learn when learning to eat healthier is how much you should be eating.

I covered this briefly in previous posts but it's such an important topic I'm bringing it up again! We live in a "super-size me" type world. Yes, after that movie came out there was much more awareness of the pitfalls of literally "super-sizing" but this type of thinking is not limited to fast food.

When making nutritional choices for yourself and your family you really have to understand what serving sizes are. When buying packaged food they usually make it pretty easy (ie: for 1/2 a package or 1 bar etc.) but your whole foods or foods you're preparing for yourself often don't come pre-measured - and if they do please direct me to your grocery store!! HA!

So now that you understand that you have to measure your food you get thrown into a world of measuring cups, measuring spoons and scales (for food.. and I suppose a bathroom scale too HA). My measuring cups and spoons have been my #1 helper in the kitchen but sometimes in real life you just can't bring them with you. Can you imagine going to a dinner party and pulling your teaspoon out of your purse to measure your salad dressing. Oh dear!

It's time to learn to eyeball. Yes you won't be able to write your EXACT calories down in your food diary (you are keeping one right??), and it is an approximation but it's hell-a lot better than not making an effort at all! In no time at all with a little practice you will be able to eyeball a lot of your favourite foods and you might be able to retire those measuring cups and spoons back to the cupboard only to be brought out to bake a birthday cake!

I made a chart! Let's look at it! :)

So hopefully that will help you along your journey to food measuring freedom! No more dinner party faux pas! :)

On another note: I had a wonderful jog with my #1 personal trainer today. The sun was so warm and the breeze was nice and chilly so it made my 3.5kms so enjoyable! It's so nice to go out running in the nicer weather and not have to worry about the ice or deal with the lung fire that inevitably came with the negative degree weather. Who's my #1 personal trainer you ask? That's my dog Max! It's his 1st birthday tomorrow so I thought I just brag about the awesomeness that is Max!

Tell me he's not the cutest dog EVER! What makes him such an amazing trainer is his little annoying habit that turned into a motivator! When he was younger Max LOVED to pull on his leash.. and pull.. and PULL! It drove me nuts! But when we started jogging together he ONLY pulls on the leash after we've crossed the street or if I'm slowing down. He basically tells me to get my act together and get running! If you find you're slacking in the activity department - get a border collie haha Happy 1st birthday buddy!! Here's to many many more years of running together xoxo

Eating "Healthy": The elusive concept....

"I want to eat healthy"

Who would think that this desire is SO much more complicated than it sounds...
Let's look at it shall we?

When I was in high school eating "healthy" in the cafeteria at school meant opting for the fries WITHOUT gravy.. oh my! Or perhaps the pre-made, soggy, quick grab cream cheese-bagel... ugh... (people who went to my high school probably remember this caf fare!)

Have things changed at schools at all? I mean I've been out of high school now for nearly a decade, I sure hope there's better options at my old high school.. and all schools for that matter! Maybe there were even better options available, I honestly can't remember.... I thought the fries without gravy was healthy so who knows! haha!

Does that view on "healthy" food not seem a little skewed? As I got older this view of "healthy" food stayed with me. I thought "hey, I cook for myself, I must be super healthy", who knew that the food I was cooking for myself was enough to serve 2 more people and full of preservatives and other crap that shouldn't be consumed on a regular basis. Also my "I know pop isn't great for you but I only drink 2 a day" attitude was doing me no favours by adding 100's of extra grams of sugars and calories to my day (not to mention adding pounds to the scale).

There's McDonalds on every corner,  huge deals on pizza & fried chicken and 'junk food' is marketed to us like it's good for us (back to my label reading fiasco). Have you ever gone into McDonalds and thought "Hey I'll get a salad with my McChicken"? ..... yeah... "healthy".... On a side note, I worked at McDonalds when I was in high school and my favourite customers were the one's that ordered the double quarter pounder with bacon with extra large fries and an apple pie but with a DIET coke"... too funny. Was that diet coke really going to make that meal much better?


How on earth is anyone supposed to know how to eat properly? Do you know how many calories you should eat in a day to maintain your weight? Do you know how many calories you drink in a day? Do you know what a serving size is? How is anyone supposed to eat healthfully if none of us know the basics!

I've learned a lot in this 8 months. A LOT. And the funny thing is I'm still learning. There are so many different schools of thought on the eating healthy subject. Seriously! If you're looking online or in books for help on what to do for food you'll be spun in so many different directions that you'll probably just throw it all out the window and give up. One nutritionist will highly recommend eating avocado for the healthy fats, whereas another one will say NO! It's fatty and terrible for you! (On a side note: did you know avocado can raise your vitamin K levels which can interfere with heart conditions? Interesting .. )

So I was thinking: I said live the 80/20 rule, but how are you supposed to do that if you don't know when you're on the 80 side or the 20 side? Let me share with you a little bit on what I believe might be the best ways to eat 'healthy'. There aren't many universal truths! The few that I've come across are:

• Drink 8 glasses of water (approx 2L+).. seriously, do it. After you get through the peeing every 2 minutes after the first few days you'll feel AWESOME and your skin will glow.

• Learn the difference between how much you eat and how much you SHOULD eat in a day. This is pretty shocking in the beginning. Restaurant portions can feed 2-3 people. Servings sizes are important. Just because you serve it a doesn't mean it's the serving size noted on the label. Measure things with measuring cups and spoons until you know how to eyeball (I'll post a chart in a following blog) You actually don't need to eat a ton in a day to feel full and satisfied - once you stop eating junky foods you'll notice it doesn't take as much to feel full and to stay full until your next meal/snack.

• Eat fruit and veggies whenever you can. Divide your 9" dinner plate in half, then in half again (think of a childs plastic plate with the slots) - the large half should be your veggie serving! Add fruit and veggies where you can and note what a "serving" is. It's really REALLY not hard to reach the 5-10 goal.

• Avoid high fat/ high calorie and over processed food. I suppose that's a given, but really, how many people (including me) may think they're making a healthy choice when buying processed food. Look at your "healthy" lean turkey deli meat... nitrates, sodium, preservatives... it's scary stuff!

• Get your food in the purest form you can. Whole foods mean less processing. A tip I heard from my parents dietician was if it's over 15 ingredients, it might not be the best for you. One loophole I found was cereals and granola bars - my favourite Kashi bar is over 30 ingredients. Be mindful and smart - if you can't pronounce it or don't know what it is... DON'T EAT IT!

• Avoid high fructose corn syrup at all costs! It's sneaky and it's renamed over and over and it's in everything, you have to search for it (glucose/fructose, corn syrup, hydrogenated syrup, golden syrup etc etc.)  Its obvious places are in pop & candies (it's a sweetener) but do you wanna know some "healthy" products that have it? Activia yogurt & Nutrigrain bars! NASTY!

• Protein is good! Atkins is bad. Remember to eat lean protein, not greasy bacon or sugary sauce coated chicken wings for protein, those would be your treats.. not your daily protein! I've heard 40-70g of protein is all you need for a sedentary lifestyle. Though I learned as I worked out I was not consuming enough protein, my muscles were always sore and I was lethargic, I added one protein snack a day and it's helped a lot.

• Avoid any specific restrictive diets. No carb diets say you can't have fruit... seriously.. that's wrong. Any diet that removes a food group should be avoided at all costs. We're omnivores for a reason. If you're a vegetarian or vegan there's still no excuse.. there's tons of ways to eat all 4 food groups. I just tried almond milk recently, wowza was that delicious! Vegans... no excuses.. drink your almond milk! Vegetarians... eat your beans!

• Beware of whole wheat. I know that sounds weird, YES buy whole grain and whole wheat whenever you can - you don't want to eat white flour, it's TERRIBLE for you. But here's some more sneakiness - look out for "enriched" whole wheat. It sounds awesome and healthy, you might be thinking "oooo it's whole wheat AND enriched with extra stuff!" but actually what's happened is they've processed the whole grain so much that they mashed out all the whole grain goodness and had to "enrich" it with additives, I also heard they dye it.. Gross. You want your whole wheat/whole grain products to just say "whole wheat/whole grain".. not enriched... this way you're getting your vitamins from the source, not from the laboratory. You can always try rye, spelt or sprouted grain breads - they're AWESOME!

• Organic doesn't necessarily mean it's better or automatically good for you. Organic foods in theory are awesome! Better for us with the lack of pesticides and better for the environment! But the regulations are ALL over the place. The labelling of "organic" or "natural" products is sketchy at best. I'm not saying don't buy organic, try to where you can for sure! Just READ the ingredients and the label.. what makes it organic or natural? Make an informed decision, don't spend your hard earned money on something that might be the same as the 'regular' version. Also check out your local farmers markets once they open, buying locally can make just as much of an impact instead of buying organic and you can talk to the farmer face to face and find out how they grew it!

Does that all make sense? I think so.

I know it may seem like a lot, but after you've shopped a few times, read a few labels this all becomes second nature! Take little steps and try 1 thing a week until it all becomes routine! It won't take long for it all to sink in.

Clear the cobwebs and start thinking with your brain instead of following the marketers and the 'experts'. Just 'cause it's been marketed as healthy doesn't mean squat. Read. Learn. Decide. Remember that it's a process and it's never perfect, things change all the time but as long as you're mindful you will be doing all you can. You make the choices for your healthful eating so be smart and informed about it!  :)

Salty & Sweet

Here's an eye opening factoid!

Did you know that you shouldn't eat foods that are over 200mg of sodium per serving or over 9g of sugar per serving? The added sodium and sugar in the long run can have very negative effects on cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.

We all get so focused on calories and fat that we forget there's all kinds of information on the label to read when we're purchasing our food. After hearing this from my Mom who's seeing a dietitian with my Dad, I did a little focused label reading at the grocery store.

Turned out a TON of my favourite foods were just disgustingly high in both categories!!! Take for instance my lunch that I'm eating right now - Smart Ones Ricotta Ravioli. I think BONUS it's Weight Watchers, only 250 calories for the dish and it's cheese stuffed pasta! Win win win!

Then I looked at those forgotten categories: sodium = 720mg!!! sugar = 12g!!!!!

What the heck!! Here I thought I was making a good healthy lunch choice (as far as prepared, frozen lunches go.. it's always healthier to make things fresh) and it turns out I'm way overindulging in salt and sugar! Your daily intake of sodium should stay under 1500mg and I've now consumed almost HALF of it in this tiny little lunch.

Let me introduce you to my favourite rule of the healthy lifestyle. The 80/20 rule (as I read in the Eat, Shrink and Be Merry book and have been practicing since August). It's simple, be a Saint 80% of the time. Eat your fruits & veggies, make sure you're not overindulging in sugar/fat/salt etc and make sure you're getting your exercise in! But to live this 'perfectly' all the time is against human nature, we need to let loose and be 'bad' once and a while so in comes the 20% - have your piece of chocolate, eat that little bit of steak, just be happy! By not depriving yourself all the time you live a much more balanced lifestyle and are happier because of it. There is no guilt, there is no bingeing, and take it from me, if you really adhere to this practice and make sure to not make it 80/20 EVERY day, you will still lose weight and still stay healthy :) (aim for once a week to every 2 weeks and remember it's a treat not a full on feast of fats and calories!)

So the message today, READ YOUR LABELS!! On a consistent basis try to buy foods LOW in sodium and LOW in sugar (and calories and fat if you can) so that daily you're staying well within the recommended intakes. Then when you're feeling 'naughty' you'll have a whole lot less guilt when you have that little 'treat'!

Happy eating!!!

iPod Playlist

I think the most important part of your workout is what you listen to. When I'm running and a really awesome song comes on I feel like I can run faster and suddenly I'm less tired. Everyone has their genre and everyone has their "power" songs - like my fiance listens to mostly classic rock and alternative whereas I prefer top 40 and dance for working out & running.

I thought I'd share a collection of songs that play randomly on my iPod. Maybe a few songs will help you through your workouts.

This list is in alphabetical order by artist as it appears on my iPod. The songs in bold are my "power" songs.

My First Kiss - 3OH!3
In Da Club - 50 Cent
Angel - Akon
The Time - Black Eyed Peas
Just Can't Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Forget You - Cee Lo Green
Forever - Chris Brown
Yeah 3X - Chris Brown
Automatic - Danny Fernandes
Sexy B*tch - David Guetta feat. Akon
Bass Down Low - Dev & The Cataracs
Coming Home - Diddy
Find Your Love - Drake
Stereo Love - Edward Maya
Tonight - Enrique Iglesias feat. Ludacris
Like A G6 - Far East Movement
Fergalicious - Fergie
London Bridge - Fergie
Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida
Low - Flo Rida
Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine (great lyrics for running... duh...)
On The Floor - Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull
Power - Kanye West
All Of The Lights - Kanye West
Firework - Katy Perry
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Please Don't Go - Mike Posner
Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford & Sons (awesome pace for when you're tired, you'll get pep!)
Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
Hot In Herre - Nelly
Moment 4 Life - Nicki Minaj
Hey Baby - Pitbull
I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
I Like That - Richard Vission
Only Girl - Rihanna
Fire Burning - Sean Kingston
Dynamite - Taio Cruz
Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz feat. Ludacris
We'll Be Alright - Travie McCoy
Dj Got Us Fallin' In Love - Usher
More - Usher (very motivating lyrics)
OMG - Usher
Check It Out - will.i.am feat. Nicki Minaj

So my story for today: find music that gets you pumped! There's nothing more motivating than feeling energized by music. :)

The Journey ... so far

At the beginning of August 2010, my fiance (then boyfriend) Pat looks at me and says "I think I want to lose some weight". The idea of going on a diet or adding regular physical activity into my daily routine wasn't exactly what I wanted to do in the best month of summer (BBQ's, drinks, lazing about in the sun) but I thought if he wants to do it I'm going to support him.

We decided to start by just changing our eating habits by following our recommended calorie intakes - it turns out on a DAILY basis we were surpassing what we should eat in a day by 100's even 1000's of calories! And that didn't even include "special occasions", restaurants or parties! I don't even want to know how bad we were eating at those events. That was a wakeup call to me! I'm a foodie, I love to cook and I LOOOOVE to eat - but all this love of food was digging me a deep hole, at the age of 26  I was gaining weight at a staggering pace. In 5 years I had put on over 60lbs and I was overweight to begin with!

We hadn't added in much exercise in that first week and it's probably good that we took it slow - the physical withdrawal from the sugars, fats and amount of food was intense. Headaches, dizziness, irritability - you would think we were coming off drugs!

We supported each other and got through that first tough week of eating and when we did a weigh in we had dropped over 5lbs each - JUST by changing our eating habits! This was encouraging to me, never in my life had I lost over 5lbs in a week. Suddenly something sparked inside me and my mantra for the next few months was "I don't want to be the fat girl anymore". I was scared to set an actual weight or fitness goal for fear of not achieving it (a whole part of my personality we might get into in another blog post), so my goal in the beginning was simply, keep losing weight. I didn't care if it was a pound, two, three, HALF - I just wanted to keep seeing the weight come off.

My whole life I have been the heavier girl, for my high school formal I had to get my dress at the plus size store (I was a size 16 at that time, humiliating for a young teenager...) so my lifelong battle with self esteem and desire to "get thin" started early. I had amassed a fitness DVD & equipment collection that could rival a gym! Free weights, steps, boxing equipment, elliptical, bike, bands - you name it I have it and yet owning it doesn't help you lose weight HA! Go figure!

So to keep the weight loss going I decided to put all these unused tools to work! I started working out in my basement using the DVD's and free weights - and let me tell you, when you start out working out, my GOD can you tell you're out of shape. I was winded in 2 mins, I could barely keep up with the workouts - but I kept at it. I did everything at my pace and if I couldn't do something fully, I would modify it so that I could do something. Slowly but surely my fitness level improved and my desire to challenge myself began. I picked up Bob Harpers Inside Out Method (cardio & strength) DVD's as well as Jillian Michaels (yoga & 30 day shred) AND as many Biggest Loser DVD's as I could. I decided if those people on the show can do it, I can do it.

Bob & Jillian are trainers to be admired. Seriously. Their workouts challenge you, they hurt you and yet somehow they do it in a way that make you feel powerful. You may collapse in a heap on the floor, and you may only have done half of what they asked, but they find a way to make you proud for trying. This became my new mantra "just try it, if you fail, try again". Slowly but surely, working out almost every day for about a half hour to an hour I had lost nearly 50lbs! I was shocked!

One day Pat had decided that he wanted to try jogging, and having my new mantra I figured, let's go! Boy, did that feel like rock bottom again... I could barely get through a block before I wanted to die, my lungs were on fire, my legs were rubber - it was BAAAAD. But somehow, I kept at it and got addicted to the mental and physical challenge of it. We would bring our dog Max (border collie... ridiculous energy) and he almost seemed to cheer us on. I think he loved the fact that he was finally getting the exercise HE deserved!

Pat and I had joined a gym the previous year - another lesson learned, you don't lose weight by owning a gym membership HA! We decided now was the time to start going back. I got a personal trainer 2-3 times a week as well as Pat and I would go in the evenings together to do cardio. This was winter and it was getting more and more difficult to jog outside so thank goodness for treadmills! Soon the gym felt less intimidating and more like a second home. The people became less intimidating and I realized they were all there to get healthy too, who cares if that girl looks like a size 0, she probably has as many self esteem issues as I do! Or not, but it really didn't matter anymore, I was focused and determined to become a better runner and just get more fit!

There was this one day at the gym I had decided I wanted to see how quickly I could do 5K on the treadmill (just over 3 miles). I couldn't jog the whole thing but I walked as briskly as I could and just kept focusing on the show on TV, I ended up doing it in about 43 mins, not too shabby for this chubby girl.  Feeling proud and accomplished I headed to the change room and the woman who was changing in front of me wanted to tell me that she admired my dedication - she saw me on the treadmill and said she thought it was so amazing how focused I was. This was such an amazing day for me, for the first time I was noticed at the gym - not as the weird fat girl, but as someone to be admired. I could have hugged her! That day I decided to never think of myself as the 'fat girl' again, I was the 'fit girl' and I could do anything.

To be honest, my self esteem goes up and it goes down and I have ROCK BOTTOM days all the time. The journey to fitness is NOT easy and as confidant as I can seem, sometimes I just don't always feel it (I'll probably talk more about this another time). I just don't want anyone reading this to think, oh.. it seems so easy, because it's not.

I encountered weeks where weight just stopped coming off. I would work out and eat perfectly but not lose a pound. My longest stretch was over 6 weeks. I would cry, scream, I would threaten to stop eating (TOTALLY counter productive... but I was upset) and want to give up but I have Pat, and he won't let me give up. So if you're starting your journey - find your support group, even if it's just one person. If you don't have anyone - email me, I will support you! 'Cause sometimes it's just not fun and not easy and you might just want to throw in the towel. But believe me, when you don't give up, and those extra pounds come off, or you can run that extra kilometre or do an extra pushup - it's the most amazing feeling that nothing compares to.

We started at the beginning of August, now it's the end of March, I'm down 71lbs and Pat is down 67lbs. Together we have lost a whole person!!! I still have 30-40 more pounds to go and Pat has about another 30, so here I am - starting a blog to share our progress as we try to lose the last of our weight and reach our fitness and life goals. I've been told I'm motivational and inspirational so I hope this blog will be an outlet for me to share my stories and the things I've learned with whoever wants to listen.

The first little tidbit of information I can share with you: take the first step.

Seriously, it's THAT easy. Whether it's swapping your fancy coffee with whipped cream for a black coffee, or swapping your burger for a salad, or taking a walk after dinner instead of sitting down to watch TV right away... those little steps build to something amazing. You don't have to jump in with both feet right away, nor do you have to change your life drastically (ever..) You'll be amazed with a little dedication and these 'little steps' how far you can go, just take that first step :)