Swell Little Life

Psst....

2011-08-08T16:57:00.001-07:00

I'm over here now...
Come check out my new home at www.hol-fit.com

Hope to connect with you there!

Are You Ready to Be the Healthiest You?

2011-01-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

Come join in the 30 Day Health Challenge I've been doing on my other Blog, Health & Swellbeing. Every day in January, I've done a Video post on what I have found to be the Healthiest Habits a girl can do....
You can also join in the great chatter happening on Facebook!
xo

Last Post

2010-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's now official......my shiny, new dot com is up & running!

I promise healthy doses of inspiration, vegan recipes, vlogs & workouts. And if you're real lucky, I'll make you up a batch of the black bean brownies my husband hates to love.

www.healthandswellbeing.com

Birthdays & Boardgames

2010-08-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

Last night my family came over for dinner & we celebrated my Gramma's 92nd birthday as well as my brother's 28th. He just flew in from Colorado yesterday and I'm pretty sure this week will be filled with a little more of this silliness:

Let's try that picture again without the knife mmmmkay?

After a delish meal, we started up the first of many coffee pots to go with the bday cake. I just love this picture of my brother & Gramma getting ready to maket their wishes. Although Gramma will never admit it...Shawn was always a little bit of a favourite of hers and to this day she will drop everything to make him her special scrambled eggs when he asks.

And then the board games broke out and well because that is just what we do around here.

My brother will be popping in for visits much of this week so I've been workin a little magic in my Veggie kitchen. Here's what we've been digging into this week:

M~ Rock n Roll Veggie Sushi & more gamenight

T~ Veggie Chili & Jalepeno Cornbread Muffins

W~ Black Bean Quinoa Burgs & Baked Potatoes

Th~ Coconut Chick'n, Fresh Beans w/almonds & Rice

F~ Pizza for the boys, monthly Gourmet Club with the ladies pour moi

S ~ Cashew Tofu Curry

Su~ Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells & Salad

Hope you're having a great weekend so far....please come by & visit me on my new blog Health & Swellbeing where I'll be regularly posting from as of next week!

Weekly Eats & Home Gyms

2010-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's really overcast this morning & a storm seems to be brewing, but these are the kind of mornings reserved for a big mug of coffee, morning oats & a little free time to plan out the week.

Mr Swell has just taken Chloe out for a little daddy/daughter morning and I'm just about to get to work in the kitchen. Here she is all ready to take on the day and I just don't have the heart to tell her that she won't be needing those sunglasses today!

I love planning out our meals for the week and thinking about who's stopping by for a visit and what the perfect food would be to go with that. All the good stuff in life revolves around food doesn't it?

This week's a busy one with lots of friends & family coming over and we're also getting started on putting a gym in our basement. Our basement is completely finished and most of it is home to our movie theater that we put in when we first bought the house (an awesome wedding gift from my in laws). I also have a small space down there/woman cave where lots of magical creations take place.....or better known as the home of a million projects that get started and never get finished :)

The gym is going to go into an area that basically houses our workout equipment already & a bar area. Here's a few pics of what it looks like right now:

This week will be all about organizing, optimizing space & hauling to goodwill. I've been spending quite a bit of time sourcing out prices for the equipment we need - which is basically a treadmill, smith machine/squatting rack, dumbbell rack & some kettle balls. We already have a great spin bike, step mill, balls, & cables etc. I'll do a proper before & after post once it's complete.

So here's our menu for this week - a lot of clean eating recipes that I'd love for you to try out!

M~ Rainbow Tofu Salad w/Cilantro Lime Dressing

T ~ Veggie Lasagna w/Ricotta Chive Nut Cheese

W ~ Spelt Macaroni w/Cashew Cheddar Cheeze

Th ~ Tofu Parm & Cappelini. Caramel Popcorn (Girls Movie Night w/ my sister)

F ~ Veggie Dogs & Roasted Potatoes

Sat ~ Pizza

Sun ~ Veggie Nachos in the theater

** all of these recipes and more can be found in my Plan to Eat database. You can also check out Org Junkie where lots of other bloggers post their meal plans for the week every Monday.

Question: Can you recommend any great sites for gym equipment at lower costs? Have you seen any great pictures of home gyms people have posted?

Have a great week everyone and please take a second to follow the new blog, Health & Swell Being, which I'll be switching over to in a few weeks!

Oh Sunday....

2010-07-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Can you even imagine that face greeting you at the door all the time! Seriously...too blessed over here!

That little girl & I spent the day doing lots of baking and cleaning, with a little stroller run this afternoon. It was so hot today but not the typical humid stuff. After the perfect afternoon that was had with a few of my girls yesterday, I decided today would be dedicated to baking and all things 101 Cookbooks. Sandra made this amazing Chocolate Rosemary Bread and I couldn't stop thinking about it or all the good catch-up time that we had while digging our forks into it. So in between baking, I uploaded a billion new recipes into my Plan to Eat site....check them out if you have a moment. I find Sunday to be the perfect day to prep the week and it makes Monday just a little more tolerable. I also love the mutlitaskedness (word?) that goes on a little something like this:

- Wake up at 530am to a beautiful serenade from the nursery.

- Soak nuts, chickpeas & black beans for this week's recipes

- Make a big pot of quinoa or brown rice

- Make monster Salad and cut up veggies for snacks or juicing

- Bake something healthy but delish

- Do not let the washer or dryer ever come to a stop

- Bask in the sight of your beautiful daughter throwing her lunch across the room and the jar of tomato sauce that you just dropped on your foot which somehow splattered from your kitchen to your white leather couch.

- Find yourself screaming at a slightly higher tone than your beautiful daughter because you want to remind her that you gave life to her....and then find her dismissing your scream by smiling & waving at you.

- Look at the clock & realize that it's only 9am.

- Look at the clock the next time & realize that it's 9pm and cross your fingers that somebody doesn't ask you what you did today because it's all a little foggy now.

I'm just thankful that this was one of those precious days that started out without anything on the agenda...

Okay...back to meal planning:

Here's a few of the recipes on our Veggie menu this week:

~ Sweet Orange Tofu & Brown Rice

~ Veggie Spring Rolls w/Peanut Sauce

~ Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells & Broccoli Apple Crunch

~ Lazy Day Peanut Noodle Salad

And lastly, a quick reminder that I will soon be taking this blog to a private setting but will be posting regularly on my new one Health & Swellbeing....I'd love for you to hop over & join me there!

On day 365

2010-06-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

It was magical.

A day made for a beautiful little girl in a tutu....

Who graced us with her presence at 12:19 a mere 365 days ago....

Surrounded by the love of her closest family & friends.....

who wrapped their love into pretty pink packages....

and a new larger than life friend...

A year filled with travels....

made for a really exciting cake....

and a little girl who now understands the sugar craze....

But the best part of the day, in her mother's eyes, was the 30 minutes of snuggling that happened at the end of it all. Because this little princess never likes to stay still for too long but knew she knew exactly what her mama needed.

The magic of this day is in knowing that we all were making a memory...and we knew it. Chloe couldn't have been more happy being surrounded by all the love and the day could not have been more perfect.

Kisses to our little sweetie in a tutu!

~~~~~~~~Here are a few of the details of her day~~~~~~~~~

On the Menu:

Grilled Chicken & Tofu Kabobs

Asian Salad

Cheesy Rice

Pink Punch

Strawberry Soda Cupcakes

Outfit:

I made the top using crystals & jewelry glue from Michaels

Tutu from Baby Bees Boutique (this was her original infant tutu that actually still fit!)

Sweets:

The beautiful cake was made by Chloe's Mimi using icing sheets & fondant. She also baked sugar cookies and applied edible photo sheets of Chloe for all our guests to take away.

I simply created the pictures in photobucket and then she printed them on the icing sheets & voila! We have these available in our Etsy Shop if you have an event coming up that you'd like add a little fun to!

Weekly Eats & Bday Planning

2010-06-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

This week is gonna be a beauty but very busy! Along with Chloe's birthday party this weekend and all the planning that goes with that, I've got lots of items to ship out that I sold on Ebay & Kijiji, as well as some studying for my Personal Training exam.

I keep telling everyone that I really want to keep Chloe's birthday very simple this year - just with family & a few close friends. But in typical me fashion, I have been swept away to the land of "it's all about the details" land. How do I not know myself better by now? Here are the many projects I have decided to take on this week as we prep for our little girl's big day:

~Make Tissue Pom Poms

~Create HB Banner using Fabric scraps

~Make Chloe's Tutu

because this one doesn't fit anymore :)

use bedazzling skills to make #1 Tank like this:

Monthly Picture Cutouts:

As far as gifts go - we've gotten her a few musical toys because she's quite the little Beethoven. Something that's been on my list has been to canvas paint this quote to put in her room - because I just think it's so darn sweet:

And then of course there's the house sprucing and the meal planning but that will take care of itself sometime between midnight & 6am the night before.

In trying to keep everything else simple for this week - here's what on our menu with some links to the recipes if you're interested in trying them out.

M: Asian Tofu Lettuce Wraps

T: Black Bean & Corn Quesas

W: Bean & Quinoa Burgs w/ Parm Potato Fries

Th: Coconut-Curry Lentil Stew

F: Homemade Pizza Dough (DIY style)

And if you haven't already - please sign up to follow the new blog I have in the works: Health & Swell Being. For some instant gratification while it's still being built - check out this great article on how to incorporate more health into your day

Hope you all have a great week!

Updates, Contests & a New Blog

2010-06-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Wow - it's been a while since I've posted! Summer's in full swing & we've been soaking up the outdoors and getting a ton of things done around the old casa....and the "life exfoliation" is still in full swing over here as we continue to clear out closets & clutter. I've found a whole bunch of things to donate & some things to sell so making a bit of extra cash has been nice too!

One of the changes I've really noticed about myself since becoming a mom is how much I'm striving for simplicity & really practicing "less is more." Really trying to focus on what matters.

I used to be such a consumer - living in such a fast paced bubble and had this more, more, more mentality. Clearing out my closets has made me realize just how much I used to live for the feeling of excitement that new outfit or lipgloss might bring or the feeling of never being able to put in enough time at work to reach success. Seriously - step away from your closets if you're not quite ready to face some stuff! I'm just so stupidly thankful to be in the place I am now.

And of course our little darling is about to turn ONE!!! Like, whoa!! She is just so great and full of life - it really does just keep getting better & better! Birthday planning is coming along for next weekend and I can't wait to show you pictures of her big day! (note to self to post 11 month update before 12 month hits)

So I have a big favour to ask of you: Chloe & I have entered a contest sponsored by Vega and we've love it if you'd click HERE to vote for our picture! Just by voting - you are also entered into the contest and you can go back every day to vote (has to 24 hrs in between). There are tons of prizes to be won! Here's the picture we submitted:

....and a few of the out takes:

I was just recently introduced to Vega products & I lurve them! If you happen to already be a fan of them & their creator, Brendan Brazier, then you might be interested in listening in on a webinar interview with him on June 15th at 5pm. You can register for free HERE.

And lastly - I am in the works of creating a Health focused blog aptly named "Health & Swell being"

You like? I'll tell you more about this new blog in an upcoming post but I can promise it will be full of inspiration for your busy life!

Since I began blogging about my journey through pregnancy & motherhood, my strive to live life in a healthy way, has come through in many of my posts. I plan to do the majority of my posting through this new blog and I'm planning on taking Swell Little Life to a private blog for family & friends. I would love for you to continue following on the new blog, which is still very much under construction but will be up soon. And I know many of you are amazing moms who maybe just stop by to catch up on Chloe's little life - so if you're interested in remaining a reader of Swell Little Life, please send me an email at angepeets@gmail.com & I'll add you once I take it to private status.

Sorry for the super long post - hope you all have a great weekend. I leave you with this little nugget:

"Don't worry about what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive." ~ Howard Thurman

My Thoughts on Cleansing...

2010-05-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I felt like it was time to clean house and I wasn't just talking about my closets.

I have never done a body cleanse before - mostly because I didn't feel like I could actually commit to doing one. I tend to take on so much in a day that I often feel like if I was to limit my diet to juicing etc, I would be constantly thinking about how I "deserve" to eat some comfort food. I think a lot of us approach food in the same way sometimes.

Well - although I didn't stick to the juice-everything-until-dinner idea, I have come to really like a few of the things I did during this cleanse and plan on including a few of the practices into my daily routine. Here's what I loved:

- Juicing first thing in the morning. My fave was this blend of Romaine/Beets/Carrots/Celery/Ginger

- Dry skin brushing before shower

- Reading: Just bought these 2 and can't wait to dig in. I used to find it very hard to not "check in" online throughout the day, but I feel like I've broken this silly addiction :)

- Eat a monster salad before dinner & a variety of veggies every day. I used to go days without eating a single veggie and now that I'm eating more - my body is really craving them throughout the day.

- Continue to do something that makes me sweat everyday - variety is key!

Overall I had ENERGY :: GLOWING SKIN :: FULLNESS BETWEEN MEALS

If you're ever interested in doing a cleanse I would highly recommend reading Natalia Rose's book Detox for Women. She is highly respected in the Raw food & cleansing world and has a few books out which are all amazing, but I really liked this one because of it's focus on all the issues & pressures that fall on women. There are so many gimmicky approaches out there and I totally agree with her approach around juicing and raw veggies, to put the body in an alkaline state, giving it the chance to purge all the garbage out.

I'll leave you with a little excerpt from her book that really hit home for me:

"We are responsible for what happens next. Women hold enormous power in determining how the global garden will grow. If we adopt the truths of self-care in our own lives, and teach our receptive family & friends in gently respectful ways, we can effectively secure the balance of power and healing back in our bodies and throughout the planet as a whole. It takes almost 7 generations to make a cultural change....you have to know that no agency, government or grocery store is truly looking out for your best interest & health. We must first set ourselves right and then integrate our knowledge into our sphere of influence."

Weekly Eats & Organizing

2010-05-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

Today is totally gorge out and the rest of the week is looking like total perfection. I think we'll be doing a little grillin every night & I can't wait. We spent all of yesterday outside - powerwashing the deck & patio cushions, getting the veggie garden done & just some overall sprucing.

Here's our menu for this week with links to the recipes if you'd like to give them a try:

M Veggie Nachos & Chunky Guac (perfect while watching Valentines Day)

T Black Bean Quinoa Burgers & Nut Butter Fries

W Veggie Chili & WW Cornbread

Th Broccoli & Leek Soup

F Tofu Parm & Angel Hair

*Visit Org Junkie for more recipes*

And while you're in the organizing spirit, check out this great little article on how the perfect mom stays organized. There's a few good tips in there and a sprinkling of that totally unachievable feeling :)

10 Months Old

2010-05-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

{Please note that this post is over 3 weeks old - I forgot to post at the time!}

My darling 10 month old:

Wow this month has been another full one! Full of new tricks & teeth & toys! I can hardly sit down to write about the new thing you've just done before you show us another trick. You have taught me an important lesson this month...to never give up. I don't know why it is, that as we grow up, we stop trying to reach our goals and give up so easily. I watch you as you try so desperately to pull yourself up to stand, or crawl on your knees or feed yourself...and you never give up! Your daddy & I often talk about how it seems sometimes that you have life more figured out than the rest of us & it shows through your confident smiles & your soulful eyes. Here's what you've accomplished this month sweet baby girl....

Play:

We just love the little personality that you're developing - you are so fun & interactive! You love to impress people with your tongue smacking & lip flicking....they are like buttah in your hands.

You have been so determined to crawl on all fours and have managed to get up a few times:

We find you in the silliest spots:

You love story telling time:

and playing with uncle Jeffrey:

and Maya:

but your all-time fave is swimming with Daddy:

Eats:

You rarely turn your nose at a new food and are still nursing 4x/day. Breakfast is usually avocado, oats & apples; lunch is brown rice, beans, fruit & toast; supper is quinoa, chickpeas, veggies & cheese. We are a bunch of crazy people going to extreme lengths to distract you while we sneak bites of food in your mouth.

You gobble up bread like our little birdie...

You now have 8 teeth now and seem to be cutting your molars already. And tomorrow we go to the DMV to get your license.

We really don't remember life before you! Although, I think your dad can vaguely remember sleeping on a mattress on the floor with a bag of Doritos in hand during his university days but I'm sure he'll expand on that story with you some day.

We love you to pieces!

1st Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

To my sweet Chloe....

I share this day with you. I cannot describe the love I have for you or explain the bazillion ways you have made my heart expand for the last 324 days. Just know that I have never felt more determined to be good at something more than I have in wanting to be the best mother I can to you.

To my Mom....

You are the strongest woman I will ever know and I'm so blessed by your example. You exude such grace, that those that don't know you would think that life has been easy. You are a rock and I'm so thankful for all that you have instilled in me.

{I can't believe you trusted me with your 2nd born. You had to know the "mint incident" was right around the corner!}

To Mom2/Nana...

Thank you for being such an amazing support. You are always there to talk and will drop everything to help us out when we need it! And nobody can touch your ironing & gardening skills!

And to all of my beautiful Mom friends....

You are all an inspiration to me & I so appreciate your friendship & advice. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing & beautiful women.

Today was a beautiful first Mother's day. After a nice morning at home we headed to my Mom's to have dessert before dinner. Thanks for the beautiful cake Mimi!

Chloe hasn't been feeling so great this week so you can see she looks a bit out of it in this picture. Which reminds me of one of my favorite motherly quotes.... In Garden State, Zach Braff's character summarizes a mother's love so perfectly:

"You know, this necklace makes me think of this totally random memory of my mother. I wasa litle kid, and I was crying for one reason or another and there was like snot running down my nose. My mom offered me her sleeve and told me to blow my nose into it. And I can remember, even as a little kid, thinking to myself, this is love....this is love."

Chloe - my sleeve will always be there for you .

Life Exfoliation

2010-05-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that May is finally here! The weather has been just beautiful, we wake up to the birds chirping and our backyard is finally various shades of green. I've often revealed my lack of love for living in a cold climate for 1/2 the year, but at the same time, I really enjoy the changes that each season brings.

Spring is the perfect time to "clean house" and get rid of all the stuff that accumulates over a long winter. In keeping with this theme, Mr Swell & I are going to do a complete cleanse over the next 5 days. Let's call this....

LIFE EXFOLIATION:

~ Body Detox: I heard about Natalia Rose's Detox through this blog, and I really love the approach it takes. The plan for this detox is that for as long as you wish, you only consume fresh vegetable juices until dinner, and dinner is a fresh raw salad with steamed or roasted veggies. The idea is that all toxic waste in our bodies is acidic, and by consuming an alkaline based diet (all veggies), the waste in the body is drawn out. Here's my grocery haul from today to get us started:

Our diet already excludes meat & dairy, but the caffeine & sugar is going to be a struggle for me! To help facilitate the toxic ridding, we'll take a long walk in the afternoon (no strenuous activity) and have an epsom salt bath each night after skin brushing...which is great for stimulating circulation & toxins out of your lymphatic system.
If you'd like to learn more about this plan, visit her site here. I will be doing posts over the next 5 days to let you know how it's going!

~ Reading: I have a stack of books that have been sitting on my nightstand forever, just begging for my attention. During this cleansing time - we are going to cut out technology based/mind numbing activities and focus on reading books...including one together!

~ Closet Cleanout: This is also the perfect time to tend to our closets & cupboards that have items which will be much more loved by someone else. Our goal is to fill around 5 large garbage bags with donated items. The Diabetes foundation through their project Clothesline, will actually come and pick them up from o ur driveway and then they disperse the items across various places in need!

We're really excited to start this tomorrow, but man did that bowl of cereal before bed tonight taste pretty fantastic!

Weekly Eats & Weekend Recap

2010-05-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful sunny Monday and I've got a massive mug of coffee in hand so... all is swell!

We had an awesome weekend away visiting with family. We left Sat morning and hit up my favorite shoe shop where the cuteness of Chloe managed to get me 15% off my cherished Fly Londons. Once we arrived, we had lunch and then Mr Swell took Chloe for the afternoon while Nana and I did some home decor shopping. At approx 2pm, I fell in love with this light for our high-ceiling living room:

{please help me convince Mr Swell that this light will add majah value to our life}

After dinner we rented a classic funny - Waiting. You can never go wrong with a little Ryan Reynolds and some inspiration to never eat out again!

The next morning we were up at 5am to eat and then head downtown Toronto for the race. I'll do a separate post on that, but I was so happy to finish in 55 minutes - such a fun experience! Afterwards we went to Cora's for some delicious eats & took a nap before making the drive home.

So, here are our eats for this week. I love not having to think about what to make for dinner when the day rolls around - you should give it a try!

M ~ Tofu & Walnut Rice

T ~ Kashi Quiche & Greek Goddess Salad

W ~ Black Bean Quesadillas & Strawberry Soda Cupcakes

Th ~ Spinach Ricotta Shells

F ~ Coconut Faux Chicken & Quinoa.

Sa ~ Eggplant Parmesan

Su ~ Mother's Day...not sure what's planned :)

Also - Nana surprised with the dehydrator I've been drooling over for a while now and I'm super excited to start making raw treats! I need to purchase a good food processor - could you guys recommend a good one to buy?

10K Spins

2010-04-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today was such a beauty and I couldn't help but wonder why my race couldn't have been today instead of Sunday...otherwise known as 90% chance of rain day.
But never fear...the gear is packed and the playlist is made. All will be okay. And yes - my playlist is exactly the length of time I expect to finish 10k in with a very specific last song that Chloe & I can be found dancing too on certain afternoons.

Think of me at 853am this Sunday, as I cross the finish with the other 15000 crazy people. And you can probably expect a post on recovering from a run sometime next week. Oh...and Chloe's 10 month post 2 weeks late...cause it's been that kind of a week.
Hope your weekend has a bit of sun or some really cute wellies!

Q: what's your go to song when you need to get your move on?

Planning our Eats

2010-04-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Happy MPM!

Here's our eats for the week...as you can see we are about 1-chicken-dinner-a-month away from being 100% vegetarian. Hope these recipes can inspire some meat free meals around your table a few nights a week :)

M Feelin Good Stew & WW Cornbread

T Quinoa Apple Slaw

W Bean/Veg Beef Tacos & Salad

Th Asian Noodle Salad & Pita Chips

F Coconut Faux Chicken & Brown Rice

Sat Carbs with Carbs & dessert Carbs (10K next morning) :)

This week is shaping up to be pretty swell:

- picking up my texts for the Personal Training course I'm taking mid-May.

- Norwex girls night. Do any of you use Norwex products? They're pretty life-changing!

- Date night with Mr Swell

- Toronto for the weekend: lots of shopping, visiting & a little 10K on Sunday!!

A little planning inspiration: "How we spend our days is inevitably how we spend our lives." ~ Annie Dillard

Make it a great one!

Green Thumbs & Monsters

2010-04-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow being Earth Day, and me being a bit obsessed with themes & planning....here is how we're getting our green on:

- Plant a tree with Chloe in our backyard.

- Go to Home Depot to pick up seedlings for the Salad Garden we're going to start. I am super stoked about having a veggie garden to pull from every night! Here's what we're going to plant:

- Spinach

- Romaine

- Kale

- Mixed Bell Peppers

- Cukes

- Green Onions

- Tomatoes

- Strawberries

- Spruce up my container herb garden

- Attend webinar with David Wolfe at 12p. He is considered to be one of the world's top authorities on natural health, beauty nutrition, & raw/organic superfoods. He is also president of FTPF which has set a goal of planting 18 billion fruit trees on earth. {sign up here if interested in webinar} He also records podcasts on Itunes which I think might be just the trick to get me through my....

- 1oK outdoor run tomorrow. This is my last practice run before the big day next weekend!

- Make a delish Green Monster after my run. This is my latest addiction:

- 1 scoop hemp protein powder

- 1 tsp dark chocolate powder

- 1/2 cup almond milk

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 cup frozen spinach

- 1 frozen banana

- 1/2 cup frozen cherries (found here for all you local gals)

- 1 tsp chia seeds

Blend, sip, smile & wipe that green moustache off your lips!

Hope you all have the chance to do something earthly tomorrow, and remember.....

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb

This Week's Menu

2010-04-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! I finally reached the bottom of the suitcases last night - it does feel great to be home and see the sun shining this morning!

Here's our menu for the week...if you'd like to join in the sharing, pop over to Org Junkie and link up!

M: Kashi Quiche & Salad

T: Asian Tofu Lettuce Wraps

W: Healthy Fettucini Alfredo & Green Beans

Th: Spelt Veggie Burgs & Sweet Potato Rounds

F: Veggie Mexican Casserole

We're Home!

2010-04-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Goodnight Florida....

Goodmorning cold Ontario!

We're home from Florida and that will be it for the travels for quite a while. To think that between Colorado & 3 Florida trips - Chloe has spent 2/3 of her first year traveling!!

Mr Swell had an early wakeup call at 1230am last night when we arrived home...but he was so excited to see us and even bought us beautiful blue flowers to welcome us home:

I'm feeling pretty exhausted this morning & have nice little list glaring at me begging for some attention:

So I am starting today off with a little of this:

and a boatload of water because I feel like a dehydrated, wrinkly prune. It's amazing how much an airport can suck out of you. Despite bringing along some healthy snacks (almonds, carrots & granola for me, buttered toasts & Mum Mum's for the Chloe) I always feel so bleh.

Well...I better get crackalackin so that I'm that much closer to a lovely dinner at my Mom's & a little home spa treatment tonight after putting Chloe down. I'm thinking that a lavender bath with face masks, Crest whitestrips & a fresh coat of nails will be just what the doctor ordered!

P.S - I loved reading all of your comments to my recent running post. It's super inspiring to hear about all of the ways you guys are focused on leading healthy lives & I'm glad you enjoy these kind of posts. I'll keep em comin'!

Run for your Life

2010-04-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Grab a tea bloggies....this post is a wee bit long but hopefully it offers up some ideas & inspiration to those of you looking to kick your health up a notch!

As I'm sure you can tell, I am very passionate about my & my family's health. I've belonged to a gym since I was 18 and have been educating myself on all things nutrition & wellness ever since. I have always been amazed at what the human body can do & endure, and nothing made me more aware of this than the experience of giving birth to Chloe.

My workouts have changed quite a bit over the last few years. I used to do just weights & cardio at the gym, but a few yrs ago I began practicing yoga and it really helped to balance out my training.

Now running, is not something that I ever used to enjoy. In fact, my mom loves to remind me that I had 2 lead feet growing up...but I insist on reminding her that this was because I never wanted to take the time to come inside from playing to go to the bathroom....and therefore, I couldn't move very fast. Duh!

I digress. I started running about 3 years ago and it did not come naturally to me. I would run for 10 minutes, walk for 2 min. Gradually I built up my endurance to be able to run 20 min straight.

One of my goals was to enter a race shortly after having Chloe, so I was really pumped to complete my first 5K race on Sept 2oth (3 months after having her)

I had only completed 2 practice 5K runs before the race so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, after finishing, I couldn't wait to sign up for a 10K! If you happen to be in Toronto on May 2nd you will find me at the Sporting Life 10K. Training for this has been a great challenge, and so without further babble, here are the steps I've taken to prepare for this and keep the junk out of my trunk the rest of the time!

PLANNING: The first and most important thing I do, is plan in my workouts for the month. When I do this, I first look at what opportunities I will have to myself (where Chloe is with Mr Swell or grandparents). On days when I know I'll be home with her all day - I plan to jump on our spin bike in the basement or I do a P90x or Yoga DVD. With my current focus being on training for a 10K - the majority of my workouts are obviously running. Each week, I do 3-4 runs that include: 1 easy run, 1 long run, 1 interval/sprint run & 1 negative split run (run faster for the 2nd half). The other days I do power yoga or circuit weight training. Here is a copy of what my workouts for April will look like. {Click to enlarge}

GET INSPIRED: I live in a constant state of needing inspiration - hence my deep appreciation for the blog world! Here are a few resources that I go to for my daily fix:
Blogs: The Fitnessista, A Foodie Stays Fit, Nourished Fitness, Oh She Glows
Podcasts: Ben Greenfield Fitness, The Nutrition Diva, The Because Show. These are great for long runs!

CLOTHING & GADGETS:
Nike plus running system. Although it may not be as accuate as higher end Garmin model, I love my Nike sportband. It communicates with the Nike sensor chip I have velcro'd onto my runners to tell me my time, distance and that I'm having a good hair day.

I love my Nike NZ Shox. I may or may not own about 10 pairs so that I can coordinate the colors of my shoes with my shorts. Serious runners mock my choice of shoe, but I find them very comfortable and have no blisters except on the days I forget to pack socks.

Lululemon All Sport Bra: If you are a BF Mama or just really blessed in the upper chest area, this is hands down the most supportive bra out there....and I've tried about 542 different bras that didn't make the cut.

Tunes: I use my Shuffle for most runs, but for longer runs I like to use my Ipod Touch so that I can listen to podcasts. They really help make the run go by fast and it's nice to get 2 birds stoned at once.

And the music doesn't stop when I swim laps...for this, I pop my shuffle into my H20 audio case!

MORE PLANNING: Every night, I take a few minutes to set out my gym clothes for the next day & prep the coffee pot to start brewing at 7am. Some nights I also prepare my oats for the morning so that I just have to reheat them. I find that having these things done, really helps my morning go smoother and ensures I stick to the plan!

NUTRITION: I'll end with this one. What you eat is going to be 80% of your result. It's so important to start your day off properly and so I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning and then I follow my workout with a protein shake to rebuild & refuel. Try this tomorrow for breakfast and then come back here and give me a hug:

RECIPE FOR MORNING OATS:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 tsp agave, maple syrup or honey
- 2 tsp slivered almonds
- 1 tsp chia seeds
Method: bring water & milk to a boil and then add oats and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the rest and serve with a little cold almond milk. This makes 2 servings and is very customizable!

Question: What are you challenging yourself with this year to lead a more healthy life?

Silly Little Rabbit

2010-04-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a blessed & beautiful Easter!

We had a beautiful weekend for Chloe's first Easter. I get so excited to think of all the fun we'll have next year putting on a hunt for her! One of the traditions we had growing up was waking up to a toilet paper trail with candy on it that would run from our bedroom door and went all through the house, eventually leading to a huge chocolate bunny or a fun little basket of goodies. Then we'd go to church on a sugar high! I also used to love the backyard hunts that my Gramma would put on for us - she was a super good candy hider!

We decided to forego the Easter bunny pic at the mall this year {which I struggle to find anything but creepy} and instead did our own little shoot. She's not so excited about having anything on her head but we managed to get a few good bunny ear shots.....and they made for a yummy cake later!

I would love to hear about all of your Easter traditions....

I'm off for a quick run this morning...for those interested, I'll be posting about my running & training tonight.

Sunshine Salad & the Wig

2010-03-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

Today has been yet another gorgeousssss day in West Palm that I think I may just have to start wearing tracksuits, get my face lifted & call it a day! Seriously...this is the good life out here. Why do I & my sweet family & friends inflict such pain on ourselves by enduring long, cold, snowy, depressing winters in Ontario?

I started the morning off with a light run while Papa walked Chloe around the town. I'm preparing for a 10K in May so I'm into the heavier runs now. I logged 8.5km a few days ago and was pretty sore after so I'm trying to pace myself. I'll do a separate post later about the fun that is known as running!

The babe was still out for her walk when I got home so I decided to cram in a little hair highlighting in the bathroom. Or should I say darklights. I thought it was time to put a little party into the do so I added in a few dark pieces.

I was picking up my regular kit at the drugstore when I decided to venture out and buy the $2.99 Revlon boxed color too. I am always being asked where I get my hair done (because people are so silly nice with their compliments), and it surprises people to know that I do it myself for a whopping $20 every couple of months. This is what I normally use if you're interested:

{Creme Brulee} { Light Golden Brown}

Tonight I'm making a huge salad up for dinner - keeping it light to kind of fit the mood of this sunny day!

I have to share with you my new love affair with salads. I've never been a rabbit food kind of gal but I'm trying to eat 50% of my food raw at each meal. Now - I find my body just craves veggies!

Here's a simple & delish Salada for you to try:

- 2 stalks of Romaine chopped

- 1 bunch of Kale chopped

- 1 cup of chickpeas (try soaking dry chickpeas instead of buying canned - super yum!)

- 1 stalk of celery chopped

- 1/2 red onion chopped

- red & green bell pepper chopped

- 1/4 cup slivered almonds

- 1/2 avacodo

Dressing: Better than Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette

2.5 tablespoons balsamic, white, or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or regular mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 minced clove of garlic (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Enjoy!!

Meal Planning & Tornadoes

2010-03-29T07:23:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday!

The whole world looks like a rainstorm today & we have tornado warnings here in West Palm (yes - we're back for another quick visit with family!). Chloe is teething once again and this has brought a bit of turmoil to our nice little sleeping routine. So I'm now just waiting for her to wake up and then we're going to spend the day girl style at the mall!

I had to forego my morning run today and instead tried out a yoga DVD that I picked up at Walmart - Jillain Michaels Yoga Meltdown.

I actually loved this for a few reasons - it's quick (there are two 30 min workouts), dirt cheap and it's more of a hybrid style yoga that mixes lots of aerobic activity in between the poses so that you're getting your heart rate up at the same time.

I just finished planning out our meals for the week and looking forward to hitting up Whole Foods this afternoon. Being that I'm here with my in laws - I have to try to make dinners that everyone will like but still eat clean. Hoping this menu till hit the spot!

M Chicken Pesto Pizza

T Black Bean Quesadillas

W Spaghetti & Veg Balls with Salad

Th Spinach & Black Bean Lasagna. Whole Wheat Blueberry Choc Cake for dessert.

F Coconut Chicken, Green Beans & Herbed Potatoes

Sa Chicken & Veg Stir Fry with brown rice

Su Dinner out

I'm also going to do a little baking this week as I've got a boatload of super ripe bananas. So choco banana bread & protein bars it is!

Head on over to Org Junkie if you want to participate in the weekly meal planning!

Food Revolution

2010-03-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

There's been something interesting happening in my brain since having Chloe. I'm turning into a bit of a purist. I look at everything through a different lens - a bit of a skeptical one. To be more specific....I just don't trust anything anymore. When it comes to her health & well being, I want to ensure I am giving her the very best. Not only in the food she eats, but in the example I provide her as her mother. A few of the healthy changes I have implemented in the last year are:

- switched our cleaning chemicals to all natural vinegar & baking soda mixes

- now buy all organic produce for the "dirty dozen" list

- plan clean & healthy meals 6x/week

- bake healthy treats 2x/week so we're not reaching for boxes of sugar laden sweets

I can't remember the last time I didn't hear about a product recall involving baby food or furniture. I leave the grocery store angry because of all the misleading food labels & the $200 receipt in my hand for healthy food. Why does healthy food with less ingredients cost 3x more than unhealthy food with loads of ingredients (Rhetorical question). I know it's completely due to the fact that the unhealthy food is mass produced with chemicals that cost nothing to make.

I read an article last week about how pop (diet & regular) is really the modern day cigarette. How true is that! Years ago, cigarettes were glamourous and certainly were not related to cancer. And today - our kids are completely addicted to pop. We have yet to see the affects of this over a lifetime.

I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tonight and I hope that most of you were able to catch it. My heart was heavy as I watched this. He was brilliant & made quite the effort in showing the kids exactly what is going into their food...because that is what is missing. Not enough people are making this connection. And then there was the family with the 40 frozen pizzas in their freezer. But I really can't blame them at all. I am initially really upset at the parent feeding their child that garbage, because the child doesn't know any better. But, neither does the parent really.

The light just needs to be turned on in more people so that they too, would not be so trusting of all the companies making a big buck off of their misleading products.

There have been many shows that attempted to educate through showing the food in terms of pounds of lard, or the show that age progressed the children to show how their eating habits would affect their adult life. But what is it going to take?

We have a tremendous responsability to our children in teaching them to lead healthy & active lives. We have to know that the very "systems" that are in place to protect & educate us are actually misleading & failing us. From vaccinations to applesauce...we have to know what's involved.

What were your thoughts on the show if you watched?