New Dr. Oz Magazine // The Good Life

While browsing the bookstore the other day, I happened upon a new magazine by Dr. Oz, The Good Life.  Of course I picked up a copy and, so far, I really like it!  If you aren't familiar with Dr. Oz, he's a heart surgeon and professor who became popular as a regular guest on Oprah and now has his own show, although he still practices medicine.  His credentials are stellar, but what most people love about him is how he puts health lessons into terms we can understand and implement in our own lives.

The first issue has great information about multivitamins

what Dr. Oz is eating now . . .

exercises for a tighter booty. . .

and how to lose 10 pounds in 4 weeks.

You can order The Good Life HERE and it also comes in a Kindle edition.

Oxygen is my other go-to magazine for fitness inspiration.  I keep all old copies as references for exercises and recipes.  You can order it HERE.

Muscle & Fitness Hers is also really good and is pretty inexpensive for a subscription ($1.66 per issue). You can order it HERE.

Do you read fitness magazines?  Which ones?  If you picked up Dr. Oz' magazine, what did you think of it?

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Operation Get Lean - Week 1 Recap + TREADMILL SPRINT INTERVALS

Last week, starting Sunday, I began training and eating to get lean and add muscle with a goal of looking something like the photos below.  I'm crazy for those shoulders and abs!  I've never really had nice shoulders and arms like that and I want to see if I can get them.  

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Slightly embarrassing to post my pic, but I wanted to document my progress, so here's where I'm starting. 

I have been doing a lot of reading, researching, and remembering what trainers and fitness competitors I've known have told me throughout the years.  To get results like that, you have to lift weights, do cardio, and eat clean.  There's really no secret.   

A few days ago, I posted my current eating regimen and I'm happy to report I have stuck to it 100%.  I have planned a cheat meal for Saturday night, but plan to continue my clean eating Saturday day and on Sunday and the next week, etc.  I really want to see what eating like this COMBINED WITH the working out and cardio do for me in the next few months. 

I'm planning to workout 5 days a week (Mon-Thurs, Saturday, and off Friday and Sunday).  This week I'm taking off Friday (so that will be 6 days this week).  The cool thing for me is that I added 20 minutes of cardio to the end of every workout.  I've never done that before.  And I'm talking hard cardio, keeping the heart rate up the whole time.  (I'm not monitoring it with a device but can tell by the way I feel). 

Go HERE to see what I ate this week.  The big changes for me were giving up my afternoon coffee (I drank hot tea instead) and my late night bowl of cereal.  I used to always eat a bowl of something like Cheerios before bed.  Now if I'm hungry, I'll eat one serving of greek yogurt.  It's also challenging to eat every 2-3 hours, reminds me of breastfeeding.  It feels like as soon as you're finished eating, it's time to eat again.  But, I liked my meals, so it wasn't too bad.  I just keep thinking

THE WORKOUTS

I'm not following any specific program, just making sure I hit every body part hard each week.  For convenience, this week, I followed 5 workouts from the Jamie Eason Live Fit plan.  But, I also added 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill at the end.  For 5 of the days, I just kept adjusting the treadmill to do my own made-up intervals.  For instance:

Minute 1:  4.0 mph at 0 incline

Minutes 2-4:  2.5 mph at 15 incline (don't hold on!)

Minute 5:  4 mph at 0 incline

Minutes 6-7:  6.5 at 0 incline 

and then repeat for 20 minutes total. 

One day, I did treadmill sprint intervals.  Since I've never done this before, I set the treadmill speed to 7.5 mph and did 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.  Basically, you crank the treadmill to your desired speed and run for 30 seconds, then grab the side rails and jump to the side, keeping the treadmill going at that speed and rest for 30 seconds.  Moving the speed up and down takes too long.  

I did that for 20 minutes.  The first 9 minutes weren't too bad, and the iPod helped.  Minutes 11 and 12 felt super hard.  Minutes 13-15 I was like, "Why am I doing this f*#k*ng thing?"  But the last 4 minutes, I'm thinking, "I'm almost done, I can do this, I AM doing this! I'm strong!"  I swear working out is such a mental and physical sport.  I never thought I could consistently do cardio after a hard weight lifting workout and now I've done it 5 times in one week.  I learn that you have to train your mind and your body at the same time.  

For weight training, I did: 

SUNDAY- back

MONDAY - legs 

TUESDAY - biceps and triceps 

WEDNESDAY - shoulders + planks (3 sets, 45 seconds to 1 minute)

THURSDAY - back and biceps + planks (3 sets, 45 seconds to 1 minute)

SATURDAY- legs 

Go HERE for the exact workouts with pinnable images, except I added one more not shown.

I have been tired at a reasonable time at night (thank God, sometimes I get a "second wind" right before bed and can't sleep) and woken up so SORE every morning that I was immediately taking 2 Advil.  I just ordered a nighttime recovery supplement that is supposed to help with soreness- it's by Advocare.  I haven't taken it yet, so I can't tell you if it helps or not, but I'm crossing my fingers! 

You can follow my Pinterest FITNESS inspiration board for more motivation and fitness tools. 

Have a great weekend!

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Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Dairy, Gluten and Grain Free)

Everyone's favourite cookie...chocolate chip.  These is definitely a healthier alternative that doesn't disappoint on taste.  These cookies are chewy and full of flavour.  I like the palm sugar in this recipe as it gives the cookies a bit of a caramel flavour.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup sifted ground almonds or almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch
• 3 tablespoons sifted coconut flour
• 3/4 cup palm or coconut sugar ground to a powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
• 2 eggs at room temperature and beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup dairy/gluten free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life or President's Choice)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F and prepare cookie trays.
2. In a mixing bowl combine almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut flour, coconut sugar, sea salt and baking soda.
3. In a medium size bowl combine eggs, coconut oil and vanilla.
4. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir to fully combine.  Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Place cookie batter in fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet, they will flatten as they bake.
7. Place in oven for 10-13 minutes or until lightly brown on the top.
8. Place on a wire rack to cool.

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Before & After with Andrea from Worley House

Andrea of Worley House is sharing her weight loss success story with us today.  I'm super proud of this girl.  She lost 68 pounds by eating healthy and working out AT HOME.  If you have weight to lose, take heart, Andrea saw big improvements in just three months!  She's got two kids (one my son's age) and a younger one as well.  Please leave Andrea a comment on this post so that she knows she has inspired you.  It's brave of her to share her story!  Also, check out her blog- I think you'll like it! 

Hi Honey We're Healthy Readers! My name is Andrea Worley, I blog over at my little slice of the Internet called Worley House! I'm so honored that Megan asked me to share a bit of my story here, on a topic I never thought I'd ever share about; weight loss and becoming healthy. 

I had my second baby in December 2012, my pregnancy with #2 was much harder on my body, I gained about the same amount of weight that I did with my first but I was already over weight and not very healthy when I got pregnant the second time around. So I think that those things combined with a difficult pregnancy added to my discomfort. 

On delivery day I weighed in at 190 pounds. I knew that some of that weight was baby, excess water and fluids. Couple weeks after having my second baby I weighed myself, 168 pounds on my 5'2'' frame. At that point I knew that I needed to change a lot of habits if I wanted to lose the weight and become healthy. 

I started working out and changing what I was eating. I don't have a gym membership, I'm just a woman and a mother using what she has to make her life healthier and better. I dusted off my DVD of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and used it daily. Well past the 30 days. It was 20 minutes, but certainly not easy for me. It was a great starting point, and I knew I needed to make time for myself if I was going to reach my goals.

I set small goals for myself when I first started losing weight. I also started tracking everything I ate through My Fitness Pal. This was a good visual for me to see the calories I was consuming. To learn portion control and because I was still breast feeding as well I needed to make sure I was eating enough calories to still produce and not reduce my supply. 

After three months of eating well and daily exercise.

After three months of eating well and daily exercise I started to see some major results. It gave me to motivation to keep going and set new goals. My healthy lifestyle change has spilled over into every area of my life and to my family. 

I started drinking tons and tons of water. I believe water intake is huge for weight loss and flushing out your system. I omitted all dairy from my diet as well, started cutting out sweets and sugary drinks. I also eat five small meals a day. My diet is mostly clean, and when I say that I mean I am human. I have a cookie sometimes. I strive for consistency in this- not perfection. 

Once I started making changes to my eating habits and working out I noticed right away that I was sleeping better and easier at night. The headaches that I was getting often were gone, and over all I had a better outlook on life and on myself. 

I also believe that my lifestyle change also helped get me out of my post baby funk. My whole outlook changed. 

The picture on the left is my "before" picture taken in May 2013, and the one on the right was taken at the end of October 2013. I'm down 68 pounds now and have reached the goal weight that I wanted to be at.

I believe in always setting new goals for yourself, stretching yourself and making your body work for you and not against you. I still work out daily, I do videos from the comfort of my own home and have now added running into my workouts. I've learned that food is fuel for your body. It's not supposed to make you feel good about yourself, or make you happy. The purpose of food is to nourish our bodies and allow it to do what God created it to do. I really believe you have to change your outlook on food as well.

Almost a year into my fitness journey, I've met some of my original goals. It's time to make new ones and always continue to thrive in living a healthy life. I'm looking forward to running my first 5K ever this March. Don't give up if you don't see results immediately, change takes time. Your body didn't get where it's at over night, so give yourself time to makes the right and healthy changes.

If you're wanting to make a change I encourage you to just start, there's never going to be a "perfect day" to start or a perfect month. Once you start you will never regret it. Once you start to see your body change you won't regret it either. It's easier to not work out, I believed this for far to long but once I started making changes in my habits it gave me a new outlook as well. And, I won't lie it feels pretty great to have nothing that fits and your pants be a little looser than before. It's a great perk!

Thanks Megan for letting me share today! If you're looking for more tips, encouragement and motivation visit me over on my blog, find me on Facebook ,  Twitter or Instagram @worleyhouse.

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Lean Body Meal Plan

Despite my valiant efforts to finish 2013 healthy and strong, I find myself here in February a good 5 pounds heavier than I'd like to be.  Five extra pounds on a barely 5'1 woman makes a difference.  I notice it most in that my pants are too tight, even my next-size-up jeans.  I spent last weekend in Las Vegas and I'm sure that didn't help things.  So, I'm back at it determined to shape up this month.  It's my birthday  month too, so that's a perfect time to hit it hard!

I figured I need to get back to basics with my meals and I'm doing a typical lean body meal plan, which consists of eating 5-6 small meals every 3 hours, with 20-30 grams of protein per meal.  The Jamie Eason Live Fit training program recommends the following:

(via Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer/Bodybuilding.com)

* * * * * * * * 

I started Sunday and for this week, my meals look like this: 

7:00 a.m.  1/2 cup OATMEAL with raisins, sliced almonds, cinnamon and milk.  Coffee and creamer (gotta have it)

10:00 a.m.  Protein shake 

12:00 p.m.  TEX MEX with fresh pico de gallo (but I'm using chicken this time)

3:00 p.m.  Celery or apple or rice cake with peanut putter

5:00 - 6:00 p.m.  TURKEY CHILI

8:00 p.m.  Greek yogurt or egg white omelet 

That's it.  All day every day for a week.  I'll have a "cheat meal" on Friday and probably Saturday too.  Then, back to it the next week and all of February, just switching up the meals with different lean proteins and veggies.  I eat every several hours anyway, so that's not difficult for me.  I have also seen really good results when I've stuck to this kind of eating, so I'm excited to get going again! 

I find it's actually easier (time wise) to follow this plan because I just do one grocery trip on Sunday and make a big batch of chili and Tex Mex and portion it out for the week.  I'm not staring into the fridge wondering what to make each night.  Plus, once the meals are cooked on Sunday, it's just popping them into the microwave to heat up.  Super easy.  People always ask, "But what do you feed your family?"  My husband wants to lose weight too, so he's on board.  If he wants more variety, he'll eat out for lunch.  My son still mainly eats grilled cheese and a side of something like yogurt or an apple for dinner.  

For my workouts, I'm pulling some of the Jamie Eason Live Fit Training workouts being sure to work each body part every week and adding 20 minutes of cardio at the end of the workouts.  Right now, I've been doing my cardio on the stairmaster, alternating the speed to keep it intense.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments and I'll answer them there.  Have a great week!

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Breakfast Shake or Smoothie and the Benefits of Zinc(Dairy, Gluten and Refined Sugar Free)

This is a great smoothie to start your day. This shake includes bee pollen. Bee pollen is a complete food, full of amino acids and anti-oxidants. It reduces allergies, boosts immune systems and provides energy.  Bee pollen can be found at most health food stores and farmer's markets.
One of my other favourite ingredients in this smoothie are the sesame seeds.  Sesame seeds are high in calcium and zinc!  Zinc not only boosts your immune system but it also enhances your sense of taste.  Did you know that zinc deficiency can actually create a picky eater? 

Ingredients (serves 1-2)

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or water
• 1/2 teaspoon bee pollen
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon/gluten free vanilla (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 pears
• 2 handfuls kale

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Serve.

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GOOD HEALTH DOES NOT CARE ABOUT BUSY

Society really needs to stop the glorification of busy, and I am not one who is going to listen and accept all the excuses of not having enough time to care about making health a priority in life.  Let me rephrase that, I may listen to the laundry list, but I will definitely provide the tough questions in response and offer that better time management choices and priorities need to be addressed.  So many people create too much “busy” in life that every second of every hour is consumed by work, overtime, functions, social, social, social, volunteer work,  more work, more functions and the “YES” list goes on and on.  How can anyone pull themselves out of such a drowning pool of stuff, and many times all those so called important things consuming every minute are not even necessary.  Further, many of the things that fill those precious seconds are ways to avoid or hide from just “being”.  What is wrong with society to feel guilty sitting still for an hour alone in a contemplative state, relaxing, meditating, or exercising.  Has it got so bad that avoidance of looking at ourselves is too scary, disappointing, and living in denial has become the “norm”? 

I am convinced that people think it is impressive to be over busy and brag about it ad nauseam like some sort of “busy” award should be given.  I hope this ruffles a few feathers and causes people to think about their “busy” in the whole big scheme of life.  I mean what is this so “busy” mentality that good health is kicked to the curb and illness is accepted, and further taking pharmaceuticals to take care of the illness and stress caused by the “busy” and that being accepted.  Can you tell I am on a “soap box” on this subject?  I have worked in the health industry for over 30 years, and am strongly stating that the tiresome laundry list of busy needs a good washing out.  I am not talking about busy that may come from handling a temporary crisis, but years of putting off a healthy lifestyle all for the glorification of meaningless busy.   

The hard truth is that good health does not care about busy, and all those things that are cluttering up our time, creating stress, and keeping us from a healthy lifestyle WILL bring the consequence of illness.  Maybe not today or even tomorrow, but all that procrastination of not taking care of YOU will rear its’ ugly head in the form of illness, obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, joint and spinal issues, depression, and that list can go on and on as well.  It is the blow of illness that can rattle a person and finally cause a wake-up call to adapt a healthy lifestyle. Sadly, and many times at this point, permanent damage to body processes have already taken place, and the person that once was can never be again, to the extent of 100% recovery anyway.  It is at that point that the “things” in life become unimportant as the struggle to become healthy, and the regret of not taking care of oneself surfaces to the forefront of one’s life. 

We are all at a point of being able to prevent or greatly reduce illness, and I am and always will be a very candid health professional with you, my family, and all of my clients.  I can write all this to you and hope that you listen, but this is your journey and your decision.  I fear for those who choose to let this go in one ear and out the other, and if I have reached and shaken the limbs of others to start now to live a healthy lifestyle, then I have accomplished the goal I set out to with this write. 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding!

StayHealthy!

Darla

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Curry, Carrot and Caramelized Onion Soup (Dairy, Gluten and Grain)

I was in the mood for soup but wanted to make something different.  I was reminded of a soup my mom made us.  I love using Indian spices as they not only taste great, but also have excellent detoxifying properties.

Ingredients

• 2 diced onions
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• pinch of sea salt
• 5-6 diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cored and diced apple
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 5 cups home-made chicken or vegetable broth
• cayenne pepper to taste
• sea salt to taste

Directions

1. In a pan heat oil then add sliced onions and a pinch of sea salt.
2. Let onions fry on in pan and stir on occasion to release onions from sticking to pan. Continue to fry onions until clear, brown and at desired texture.  Usually takes 5-7 minutes.
3. Add carrots, celery, apple, curry and turmeric.  Fry and coat for 1 minute bringing out flavours.
4. Add broth, salt and cayenne.  Bring to a boil.
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until carrots are soft.
6. Puree until smooth.
7. Serve.

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Coleslaw with Homemade Dressing (Dairy, Gluten/Grain and Refined Sugar Free)

I have a weakness for creamy dressings which makes coleslaw one of my favourite salads. Cabbage is excellent source of vitamin C, it can alleviate constipation, ulcers, headaches, eczema, infections and can help you lose weight.  I feel this salad is often served more in the summer however with its high source of vitamin C it is great for the winter in order to help keep away those colds.

Ingredients

• 5 cups shredded white cabbage
• 1 shredded carrot
• 1 shredded crispy apple or pear (optional)
• 1/2 cup home-made mayonnaise 
• 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar or vinegar of choice
• 2 drops liquid stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large bowl add cabbage, carrot and apple/pear.
2. In a small dish combine all remaining ingredients and stir until fully combined.
3. Pour sauce of cabbage, stirring to fully coat.
4. Cover and let salad sit in fridge for at least an hour to absorb the flavours.

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Beef Stew -One Pot Meal (Gluten and Grain Free)

My husband loves a good one pot meal and I like the ease of making them.  It is a wonderful meal on a cold winter day and is a great way for using up vegetables that are getting close to expiring. This stew can be made ahead of time and just reheated when desired.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 2-3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 pound stewing beef
• 4-5 diced carrots
• 2-3 diced parsnips
• 1 pound diced mushrooms
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Montreal steak spice
• 1-2 cups broth or water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a dutch oven heat oil and fry onion until fragrant.  Add garlic and fry another minute.
3. Add beef and give cook just until browned on the outside stirring continually.
4. Add all additional ingredients and place pot in oven.
5. Cook for approximately 60 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

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Home-made Montreal Steak Spice (Gluten/Grain, MSG and Preservative Free)

I am always worried about added MSG when buying spice combinations.  I used to suffer from migraines and am a bit paranoid when it comes to ingredients listed as "spices."  For more on MSG you can read my post MSG, I Found You.  When combining all these ingredients to ensure your spices are gluten free and don't contain any additional ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and place in a sealed container.
2. Keep in a dark dry spot.

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Immune Support and Immune Boosting Tea (Homemade with Natural Ingredients)

So the common cold has hit some of us here.  My oldest must have an immune system of a rock as she is not phased but my youngest and husband have struggled for about week.  I have been using some of my more natural cold remedies but in addition, I have also altered a tea recipe I received from my Naturopathic doctor.  It was also suggested that this recipe could be made into popsicles but I have yet to try this method.
All of these spices have a warming effect on the body but each also contains additional immune support for the body.

Cinnamon-Antimicrobial

Cloves-Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antihistamine

Ginger-Antiseptic, anti-nausea

Nutmeg-Detoxifies, increases circulation

Star Anise-Increase appetite and help digestion

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a medium size pot.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1-2 hours depending on desired taste.
2. Enjoy the smell as it simmers and enjoy the tea when ready!  If you prefer a sweeter tea I am sure a bit of honey would go well with it.

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Gluten Free Multigrain Banana Bread (Dairy, Gluten and Refined Sugar Free)

Do you ever look into your freezer and see a whole lot of frozen ripe bananas?  I have made this loaf twice this week trying to get use some of those bananas. This banana bread has great flavour and awesome texture, it does not last long. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 cup teff flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla
• 1/3 cup honey or other natural sweetener
• 3 drops liquid stevia
• 3 ripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat to oven to 350 F and grease a loaf pan.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl combine all wet ingredients including the banana.
4. Add banana mixture to flour mixture and stir just till combined.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

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Home-made Mayonnaise (Dairy, Gluten, Sugar and Preservative Free)

One of my favourite condiments is definitely mayonnaise...I am Dutch.   I have tried several times to make it and have had a lot of fails.
There are a few key steps to making mayonnaise.  The egg must be at ROOM TEMPERATURE and you have to poor the oil VERY SLOWLY.  Although it takes some patience to make, it will be worth it as you will be left with a healthier alternative to the store bought variety. I have tried making this recipe with other oils but personally haven't found another variation that I like.
Note:  This recipe uses a raw organic egg.  If you don't prefer to eat raw eggs you can apparently buy pasteurized eggs.

Ingredients (makes approximately 1 cup)

• 1 organic, free range egg (at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (at room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions 

1. In a small bowl combine egg, salt, cayenne, mustard powder and lemon juice.
2. Add egg mixture to blender.
3. Turn blender on to a medium speed and very slowly add sunflower oil.  Either use a dropper or ensure your pouring method uses a very thin stream of oil.  This is crucial or the mayonnaise will not thicken.  The emulsion will break if too much oil is added at one time and you will end up with a runny sauce...I have already had this happen :( 
4. Once you have added the sunflower oil, use the same method to add the olive oil.
5. If done correctly you will end up with a very tasty thick mayonnaise.

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Recipe Fails

I had a friend over this week and was experimenting with a cookie recipe just before she came. Needless to say it was not a successful recipe and the cookies ended up more like pancakes.  We had a good laugh and decided to eat them anyway just in a bowl with a spoon.  I realized I have A LOT of fails in the kitchen and figured it might be fun to show you some of them.  Here are just a few of the fails I have had and these are only in the last couple of days!

Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies?

I am so thankful to have a family who will pretty much each anything.  Since we changed our eating habits before the girls were born, they are used to a lot of "interesting" dishes.  They will eat pretty much everything. Our oldest has coined a phrase for "mush bars."  Mush bars are simply bars I have tried to create that didn't set in the least and well look like mush.  She seems to think this is normal and will even take her mush bars to school ;)

An example of one of my "mush" bar fails

These are suppose to be biscuits?

I have to thank my mother in law for raising a son in a home where food was prepared and meant to be eaten.  Dan will eat anything I make and will always tell me it is good even though I know it really isn't at all.  There has only been one meal which he didn't finish and didn't go back for seconds.  I had experimented a while ago with thickening a stew using psyllium husk and I accidentally put in way too much husk.  The stew literally turned into a jello and needed a knife to separate the pieces.  On the bright side, it was easy to clean up as it literally slid out clean from the pot.
Cutting out gluten or grains and adding in more nutrition doesn't always come easy, but I figure at least I am trying.
Much success to you.
Irene

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Almond Rounds (Dairy, Gluten/Grain, and Refined Sugar Free)

I hope everyone has had a healthy, happy start to 2014.  I enjoyed taking some time off of my blog and spend even more time with my family.

This recipe is a creation based on a dessert my mom used to make.  Mom usually made her almond rounds with a bit of jam in the center which tasted and looked great.  This recipe doesn't use any grains as her original recipe required, nonetheless they taste great.

 Ingredients

• 2 cups ground almonds
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 3/4 cup palm or coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon gluten free almond extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Topping Options

• raspberry jam (I used Le Fruit by Natur-A.Vogel or Crofters) 
• whole blanched almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare mini muffin pan.
2. Combine all ingredients (except topping) until well blended.
3. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan.
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until slightly brown on top.
5. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

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REFLECTION

Many of you may be in the process of reflection, but truly it is something that should be done on a daily basis, and not only when the New Year rolls around.  The word itself screams to take a look at me/you/us and speaking personally, I include all areas of my life and not just my physical well-being.  I imagine a big mirror in front of me and gazing into that, I ask myself…am I happy with the person that I am physically, emotionally and spiritually? If any of the answers come up as a big negative, it is time to implement a change to create a better, healthier ME.  It is hard to deny the things that need fixing when I am staring back at me waiting for the action to make that happen.  Of course, I can close my eyes, put the mirror away, brush things under the rug, and procrastinate and get to it later…or not, and well, just continue to live in denial. 

I am a mover and a shaker, and strive to change, progress, and become a better me today than I was yesterday and that takes a choice.  Sure, I could avoid those things that need to be done, because maybe I want to hold onto some sort of drama, negative feelings about the past, or circumstance and continue to play the “blame card” of this is the reason I am the way I am.  I have learned in this journey of life, that this type of thinking results in a life of unhappiness, bitterness, resentment, jealousy, and paralyzes the brain to make appropriate healthy life choices.  Honestly, this type of thinking creates a person that is not a joy to be around unless the company being kept is another negative person also playing the victim card of life.  It is so important in our life reflection to also look at the type of people we associate with, and I always ask myself…does this relationship nourish my soul and grow me in a positive way as a person?

Reflection is huge in the scheme of life and change for the healthy.  It should cause deep thought into living our passions, being real with who we are, and having the ability to share that with ourselves and others.  There is too much hiding behind the crap of excuses, circumstances, and laziness to change and I apologize if that sounds offensive, as my intention is to motivate and never discourage.  Sometimes, a draft of really cold air needs to slap us in the face and wake us up to the reality of what is going on in our own life, and hopefully that leads to taking a step further to change what needs to be changed.  Otherwise, we continue to go along living a “fake” life, hiding behind “out of our control” drama, negativity, and looking for validation for unhealthy habits.  What is even sadder, is enablement of this type of lifestyle…YES, there are those who feed into the ugliness of negative and validate the behavior which enables someone caught in this shit storm to continue living this way. 

Reflection also causes us to see our physical self in a way that makes us happy or not.  What it comes down to is me/you/us and the mirror, standing naked before the reflection and staring back at the image, we need to ask “do I LOVE what I see”.  It is important to always love yourself at every level of health and as long as steps are being taken to become a healthier us each day.  If the answer to the question is “no”, then what steps need to be implemented to change this?  Be honest here and strive for the happiness that you want, the health that you need and deserve.  If you tell me that you are happy in an unhealthy state and if I shared that with you…how would that make sense?  The point I am trying to make, is that we all have our best healthy-self hidden inside what may be an unhealthy body today, but that does not mean that tomorrow needs to remain the same.   Reflection requires that hard honest look and further to take the actions necessary to bring about changes that move us in a progressive healthy direction. 

Reflection is not a fad or temporary fix, but part of the process to make a LIFESTYLE change and create a healthy body that will be maintained for life. Reflection causes us to get into our “mental game” and start putting the puzzle pieces together of what is wrong and how does it get fixed.  It all starts with what is going on between the ears, and once the reflection is honestly accepted, and the feelings that go with that, then changes can begin to create a healthier person, and then that lifestyle change will create a reflection that we will be happy to know for a lifetime.

Enjoy a beautiful and healthy Happy New Year!!!!

Me and My Mom

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Stay Healthy



Darla

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