the housewife

On the mend....

2011-09-09T08:18:00.000-06:00

After my father's diagnosis of colon cancer, things moved very quickly. I flew down. His surgery was scheduled, test were run- all within a matter of days. I am happy to announce that the surgery was a complete success. There was not as much cancer as they originally thought. All good news. He is well on his way to a full recovery!

10 minute-Creamy Vodka Pasta Sauce

2011-08-30T18:58:00.000-06:00

So easy, so good.

1 can of navy beans
1 can of seasoned organic tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon basil
1/4 cup vodka or a little more if you like the flavor
1/3 cup cold pressed olive oil
pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped arugula and basil

Put all ingredients in blender or food processor. Heat sauce pan to med heat, add sauce and heat through.

THAT'S IT!!!

How easy was that?

Photo Courtesy

Nacho "Cheeze" Dip

2011-08-28T19:56:00.000-06:00

photo courtesy

Our new favorite for "appie" night! Just serve with warm tortilla chips (and a margarita)(or 2 margaritas, whateva).

2 tbsp Earth Balance Butter

2 tbsp brown rice flour (or any bland flour you have at home)

1 1/3 cup UNSWEETENED non-dairy milk ( I like Almond Milk)

2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1/2 tsp mustard

1/3 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

1/2 cup of Daiya cheese (cheddar style)

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

2 green onions

1 tomato, chopped

1 small avocado, chopped

In a medium sauce pan melt butter at a medium heat, add flour and let flour cook with butter for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk. Add nutritional yeast, mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk in Daiya cheese. Melt well. Remove from heat. In a serving bowl add cilantro, onions, tomato, and cheese sauce. Blend using large tablespoon. Sprinkle avocado before serving.

I did not take a picture.. but trust me, it was beautiful and delicious.

Great Vegan Breakfast for Meat Eaters

2011-08-28T09:27:00.000-06:00

I made this for breakfast today, and it is a great breakfast to offer meat eaters. Its quick, delicious, nutritious and full of veggies! I should add that the tofu is very palatable for all of those that don't like it. #myhusband

Tofu Scramble

2 green onions, chopped
5-6 mushrooms, chopped2 sweet bell peppers, chopped
1 small package of Firm Organic Tofu
1 organic tomato chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup Daiya Cheese ( mozzarella style)

4-5 whole wheat tortillas

Sautee mushrooms and green onions in the olive oil for about 1 minute on medium high heat. Add peppers and tomatoes. Add seasonings. In a separate bowl mush up tofu (drained) and then add to pan. Mix well and keep on low heat. Add Daiya cheese, and cover.

Fill tortillas like a burrito with the tofu scramble.

You can also spread refried vegan beans and salsa on tortillas prior to stuffing. I added a bit of hash browns.

The C Word

2011-08-26T17:09:00.000-06:00

The Daddy

For the first time in my family's life, we heard the C word. To the surprise of all us my dad was diagnosed with early stage colon cancer. I FREAKED OUT. This is my daddy, this can't be happening to my daddy. I instantly felt like a little girl, not ready to face what was happening.

First of all, we are optimistic. We caught it early, like really early. This is the reason why I felt it was important to share this very personal moment, in the hopes that daughters everywhere will panic, as I have, and force their parents to have colonoscopies, the other C word.

My father called me about a month ago. He complained of loose bowel for two weeks. After watching Dr. Oz and the silent killer episode, I immediately urged my dad to to the Dr and request a colonoscopy. My father felt my request was extreme, but did it anyway. He complained that the prep work for the procedure was uncomfortable and that by now he had no more loose bowels. But I was grateful he went. He went in last week and received his results this week. No symptoms other than the two week episode. Treatment for my dad requires surgery, but as of now no chemo, no radiation.

Lesson learned. I hope to pass this lesson on to you and urge those around you to have the dreaded, uncomfortable colonoscopy.

I will be travelling to be with my dad, and of course, change his diet. Colorectal cancers can be prevented by eating a diet low in animal fats and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables, according the American Cancer Society. I also now that a diet with NO animal fats can help even more. I am brushing up on macrobiotic diets and heading off to sunny South Florida to help my dad. But mostly I just want to hug him and will be forever grateful that he didn't tune out my nagging.

I should add that after watching that episode I forced my mom to have one too. So grateful she went as well. They did find some polyps that needed to be removed, but she is fine. Like my mother says "yo nevah know".

Ran-To-The-Oven-To-Bake Cake

2011-08-25T08:48:00.000-06:00

First thing to unpack in new house is the kitchen, of course. Bakeware, of course. I had to bake, I needed warm sinfulness to get me through the rest of the day.

Easy-Peasy Pumpkin Cake

Preheat oven to 350°

One package organic vanilla cake mix (vegan of course)
1 can 100% pumpkin

Mix.

Bake.

OMG! THAT WAS SO EASY!!

I baked at 350° for about 35-40 minutes in a glass pan. It was the most moist cake I have had in a long time.

These recipe can be easily altered. Just add some cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe some extra vanilla.

Thought I'd Come Back to Blog

2011-08-24T19:43:00.001-06:00

I am a little hermit crab among changes and stress. I shut down. I can't share one word. My mom jokes that she knows I am stressed out when I don't take phone calls, or make any for that matter. It is I, complex housewife.

Over the last few months, my husband changed jobs, my youngest was officially diagnosed with a behavior disorder, and we moved to a new city. I closed up, completely. Things are starting to finally settle and I decided I miss this venue, so I am back. I do greatly apologize for my flakiness. I will try to not do that again.

First things first.... my new city.

Winnipeg! Where the bear got his name, come on! Winnipeg! I am exploring this new city. It has some really interesting pockets, its incredibly urban for a small city (POP est 750,000). Great news is that for such a small city there are many vegan restaurants. Found a few that we are in love with.

Yes, we are all still vegan. The biggest challenged we faced was traveling as vegans. I stayed in a hotel for 4 weeks until our home was ready. THAT.WAS.TOUGH. But I learned a lot, and was surprised what I could do a with a minibar, a microwave, and a blender. I'll save that for another time.

Our home is coming together and I am loving redecorating again. Pictures to come. Our moving company broke my camera...sigh. Will post pictures soon!
'
Thank you all that come back, and thanks to those who are new on this journey!

Vegan Bar Food and Beer - Possible and Fun

2011-03-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

By: The Husband

On my continuing quest to find delicious food in my vegan household I attempted onion rings. My previous attempt at potato skins seemed to go well so I thought I would give it a try. Who knows...someday in the future perhaps we'll see a bunch of half sauced dudes in a bar on a Sunday that actually look and feel healthy as they watch the game. It's a thought anyway.

Two large sweet onions
2 cups Vegan buttermilk (add 1 tbsp of vinegar to regular almond or soy milk)
1 cup unbleachead wheat flour
1 cup Cornmeal
pinch of Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper
Sunflower Oil

I cut the onions in half to get to the large circles that make the best rings, separated them and soaked them in buttermilk for fifteen minutes. Vegan buttermilk was a mystery to me so I asked my all knowing wife whom said almond milk and vinegar and away you go. It worked great.

Triple dipped them in the mixture of flour, pepper and chili powder. Preheated about an inch of the sunflower oil on medium to high heat and soaked them for about three minutes. Dropped them on paper towel and salted them.

As for what you put on them after that it's your game so you choose. My wife made a sauce that was good but being the traditionalist I would have preferred a malt vinegar or ketchup but that's for next time.

No guilt at all after polishing off about fifteen of them...if only the Dolphins were playing this time of year.

When its Quiet, I PANIC....

2011-03-09T12:31:00.002-07:00

At least she kept the scissors off her sister this time...sigh.

So-good-my-teenager-left-a-note Pudding

2011-03-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

By: The Housewife

I never receive notes from my teenager. Never. Here is what I found this morning.

The reason for the love? Peta's Vegan Chocolate Pudding. Done in 5 minutes flat. And delicious.

Chocolate Pudding:

1 package firm silken tofu
10 tbsp sugar (We used less about 8- more than enough)
8 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder ( use 8 if you like dark chocolate, use a little less if you want a lighter flavor)
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until creamy! Chill (if you can wait).


This is what I was able to sample..one tsp.

Climbing the Vegan Mountain

2011-03-06T17:19:00.002-07:00

by: Vegan Husband

I am a reluctant participant in operation "vegan transformation" ...reluctant is probably to soft a word but this is a family blog. I have never been a huge fan of food, foods or tasty treats. Food is what we eat in order to get from point A to point B. That being said when we recently turned vegan my already limited likes in the food department essentially evaporated before my eyes. I had never been a huge meat eater but this was ridiculous I thought. Alas, I'm also a believer in happy wife means happy life....so what I now find myself doing is attempting to create things from my former life and see if they convert them into a vegan lifestyle. I'm not sure if everybody is aware but essentially being vegan means attempting to create tasty treats from what seems like six available ingredients. Sigh. Potato skins were something I occasionally enjoyed but how to make them vegan? Well I came up with this.

Five Baking Potatoes poked with a fork, wrapped in parchment paper and then aluminum foil.
In the oven at 450 for an hour.
Cut them half and scoop out the middle, save this as it makes great mashed potatoes later.
Dash of salt on the skins along with a coating of vegan butter.
Dash of garlic powder.
Vegan Cheddar cheese grated and put on top.
I used a dash of the old fake bacon bits that are actually pretty good.
Back into the over for another ten minute broil to melt the cheese.
Green onion and sour cream on the top to taste.

It's pretty good to be honest. Now to figure a way out to recreate a Big Mac!

Crumpets and Tea, Sir?

2011-02-25T09:44:00.003-07:00

I remember the first time my husband mentioned crumpets to me, I said to myself.. "Que dice este Gringo?".

I soon realized these buttery, moist, milky, breads filled with little holes that were perfection. I was soon in love.

So you can imagine my surprise to find a vegan crumpet recipe in Vegan Yum Yum! These are better than any regular crumpet! I dream about them, I fantasize about them, and am eternally grateful to Lauren Ulm for the recipe.

Crumpets:

You will need crumpet rings that are approx 3 inches in diameter and at least 1 inch high. Which I didn't have, I had LOTS of holiday cookie cutters so I took the 2 big ones ( one was a gingerhouse, and the other a gingerbread man) and remolded them by simply rounding out the corners with my hands. This was fine.

1 package dry active yeast ( or 1 tbsp)
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water (105°-115°)
*** 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour**
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 3/4 cups soy milk ( I used almond milk)
Earth Balance margarine (to oil the cooking rings)

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Set aside to proof.

Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add the "milk" and the yeast mixture, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Loosely cover with plastic wrap ( i used a cloth napkin because its more environmentally friendly) and let rise for 1 hour.

Stir the mixture down. Add more milk or flour if needed to get a very thick batter, but no so thick that you can't dip a measuring cup into it.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat for 3 minutes. Turn down the heat a bit (about halfway between your medium and low setting, but closer to medium).

Grease two cooking rings with margarine ( and be generous, the batter will stick) and place in the center of the skillet. Add 1/3 cup of batter to each ring. Cook for 9 minutes or until the tops are set ( it will look translucent yellow instead of opaque white) and there are little holes scattered on the tops.

Remove the rings with a potholder, thick towel, or pair of tongs, leaving the crumpets on the skillet. Flip the crumpets and cook for 2 minutes longer, and then remove from the skillet.

Buttery perfection.

Laura Ulm has a great blog check it out at: http://veganyumyum.com/

Homemade Granola

2011-02-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

You should try this recipe just to make your home smell nice. It is however, incredibly delicious, and nutritious. My family runs to the kitchen when this is baking! My babies can devour 2 bowls easy.
I adapted this recipe from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet book.

Homemade Granola

6 cups quick cooking oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I like almonds)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup safflower oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread oats on rimmed baking pan bake for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl combine wheat germ, coconut, seeds, nuts, raisins, and then the oats from the oven. Mix well. In a separate little bowl, with a fork mix well oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix until oil looks brown. (about 30-60 seconds) Add to oat mix a little at a time, combine well until everything looks coated.

Spread half of the mixture on baking pan and bake for 10 min. (at 5 minutes stir it up so it cooks evenly). Then do second batch. Let cool serve with your favorite non-dairy milk! Our favorite is Almond Milk.

Valentine's Day Dessert

2011-02-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

I am not big into Valentine's Day. I don't decorate for it. I find it just a great excuse to eat chocolate. Just because we are now vegan doesn't mean that has to change.

Chocolate:

Melted 1 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips with 1/3 cup of almond milk over a double boiler. I then dipped bananas, strawberries, and maple waffle cookies. I placed on a plate and put it outside to cool for 20 minutes. The temperature here was -6C or 21F. In your own home you can just place in the fridge for a couple of hours or in the freezer for a 30 minutes.

Delish! The husband doesn't eat chocolate (crazy, I know.) So the girls and I had a special treat!

They were a big hit!

The Reluctant Vegan

2011-02-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

My Loving, Supportive, Reluctant Vegan

I have had many people ask how my husband feels about our home being vegan, and how I convinced him to do it. The truth is he doesn't like it, he tells everyone he feels great, but hates it. He doesn't like to be told what to eat. I didn't convince him, he is slowly coming on board. In the beginning he said "I'll support you, but I WILL NOT BE VEGETARIAN, I want turkey", his most recent comment was " FINE, I'll be vegetarian, but I won't be vegan!". PROGRESS! I think.

I have done all of the cooking lately. Its just easier for me to know exactly what is going into my food. Recently, my girls and I had a play date. The husband was in charge of dinner. I was scared. I shouldn't have been. The husband made the most amazing vegan chili I have ever had. EVER.

The Husband's Vegetarian Chili and Crostini

1 small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
Olive Oil

2 cups cooked red beans (soak beans overnight, drain, add to pot with water and cook for approximately 1 hour, until tender) OR 2 cans of red beans
1 package ground "meat" ( I like Yves for this)
1 can chopped tomatoes (organic is best)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Garnish with chopped cilantro and Tofutti Sour Cream.

Heat Olive Oil in pot. Sautee onion until clear. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add ground "meat", heat thru, add beans, tomatoes, and all of the seasoning. Cook at low simmer for 25 minutes. Serve in bowls and add garnish!

Crostini

Sliced whole wheat baguette
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°. On cookie sheet drizzle olive oil, place sliced baguette and drizzle more oil on top. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn over and cook for an addition 2 minutes. Serve with chili!

I didn't take pictures, I was hungrrray! But it was beautiful, and delicious!


Photo Courtesy of Pinch My Salt. com

Cold and Uninspired

2011-02-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it is the cold temperatures or the grey skies. I am completely and utterly uninspired. Dreaming of sandy beaches and margaritas amidst -20° weather.

Our vegan diet is going great. The trick is planning. I need to know what we are going to have everyday. That I believe has been the reason for our success. Detox part of the diet is over, so I am back to feeling normal. I don't miss the coffee in the morning or even crave anything anymore. I have been very busy at my local library checking out books and getting really acquainted with the diet.

I started this diet exclusively for health reasons. I truly believe that a vegan diet is the healthiest diet for all humans. The more I am submerged in the "lifestyle" the more I realize how terrible eating animals is. I am surprised to learn the impact on our environment eating animals had. If all Americans switched over to a vegan day, just once a week, it would be like taking 5 million cars off the road.

Is there a transformation happening within me? Yes, absolutely. I want so much more for this world and my girls who will have to live in it.

That's all for now. Will preach a little more later.

Thai Basil "Pesto" Pizza

2011-01-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thai Basil is a bit different than the regular Italian basil. I bit more pungent. Regular pesto has cheese. Mine, of course, does not. But it is not missed.

Thai Basil "Pesto"

1 cup of Thai basil
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup raw walnuts
salt and pepper
Olive oil (about 1/3 of cup)

Add all basil, garlic, walnuts, salt and pepper in food processor. Slowly add olive oil to desired consistency. Keeps for a long time in refrigerator.

Pizza

1 large whole wheat wrap
2 tbsp Thai Basil Pesto
1/3 cup mozzarella "cheese" I used a soy cheese

Preheat oven to 400°

Spread pesto on wrap and add cheese. Bake for 7 minutes. I bake mine on a ceramic sheet.

Whole wheat wrap (I like Ezekiel)

Weekly Menu

2011-01-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have found that sticking to a menu has been a complete life AND budget saver. I know what to shop for and what I am making. I highly recommend this regardless of what diet you are on. I usually sit down the husband and the older daughter and we discuss the upcoming menu. They get to have input and choose what can be on the menu.

Monday
Colombian Style Lentils
Brown Rice
Sauteed Swiss Chard

Tuesday
Chinese Fried Rice With Bok Choy,
Carrots, Green Onion, and Broccoli

Wednesday
Vegetarian Picadillo
Brown Rice
Salad

Thursday
Fried Tofu with Tamari Orange Sauce
Roasted Sweet Potato
Salad

Friday
Vegetarian Chili

My First Attempt at Vegan Entertaining

2011-01-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Playoff "Party", I put party in quotations because my husband said without beer there is no playoff party.

I had a few friends over for the playoff game on Sunday. My gracious friends are well aware of our new "diet". They brought guacamole, organic tortilla chips, mango and tomato salsa, veggie platter, and potato chips!

This was my menu:

Creamy Vegan Cremini Mushrooms with Crostinis
Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets covered in Buffalo Wing Sauce
Hummus with Pita and Veggies
Veggi Sushi
Vegan "pizza" with Thai Basil Pesto and Soy Mozzarella (recipe coming this week!)
We served non-alcoholic beer, and sparkling water.

Recipes:

Creamy Vegan Mushrooms with Crostinis

olive oil (generous drizzle)
1/2 tsp Earth's Best Margarine
1 small white onion chopped finely
3 cups cremini mushrooms sliced
2 tsp non-dairy sour cream
Salt and Pepper

Heat pan and add olive oil and margarine until melted. Add onions and sautee for about 5 minutes, until clear. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and sautee for 10 minutes. Add sour cream. And simmer until liquid is reduced.

Crostinis

Sliced whole wheat baguette
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat cookie pan with olive oil, place slices of bread and then on the tops coat with olive oil. Bake for 3-5 minutes and turn over. Bake for another 2 minutes.

Official Sugar Junky

2011-01-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Currently suffering withdrawal from coffee and sugar. Feel sluggish and tired. More motivation to stay off the stuff. I assume my daughters are feeling the same way, especially since I received a full temper tantrum this morning demanding sweet coffee. I offered a "sugar" free vegan hot chocolate. DELICIOUS! A complete success!

Vegan Hot Chocolate:

1 cup Almond Milk
1/2 TSP Organic Cocoa Powder
1/2-1 TSP Organic Agave Nectar

Warm milk and stir in cocoa and nectar!

Miso Soup and Diet Update

2011-01-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

I feel great. I think I am detoxing from coffee and find that I get sleepy half way through the day. But overall we are doing great. The girls (4 and 3) are devouring their dinners without a fight. I have tried for the most part to eliminate sugar from their diet and think that their appetite for healthier foods has increased.
Next step for us is to make a miso soup from scratch. It makes a great appetizer for a meal or even better, breakfast!

Here is the recipe I will be trying out:

5 cups dashi (shiitaki mushrooms in water for 10 minutes then heat to a light boil, turn off heat, then let rest for 20. Save mushrooms for other recipes or add it to soup)
1/2 pound soft tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
2 tbsp shoyu ( a type of soy sauce)
add seaweed or wakame (that has soaked in warm water)

Stir together miso and 1/2 cup dashi in a bowl until smooth. Heat remaining dashi in a saucepan over moderately high heat until hot, then gently stir in tofu and seaweed. Simmer 1 minute and remove from heat. Immediately stir in miso mixture and scallion greens and serve.

Rearranging 101: Our Eating Habits First

2011-01-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Larissa Monologues

It started with a full physical at the doctor's office including blood work. The verdict: My body doesn't process animal fat. I simply store it in my blood. My triglycerides were high. I have only been eating meat for around 6 months this time around. I have been a pesco vegetarian on and off for most of my life. When we moved to Canada I discovered that Canadian beef, it was DELICIOUS. I was hooked. Red meat coupled with the overindulgence of amazing wines, equaled a fat and not so healthy housewife. That makes the housewife unhappy, and as we all know if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

I knew it was time for a change, but I couldn't remember how to go about doing that this time around. I went to the library and rented the first book: The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone :

The book was an easy read and really inspired me to start making some major changes. First step create a weekly menu. Being prepared is key and also helps to keep a budget. Here is my first dinner menu:

Monday:

Roasted Squash with Couscous and Basil
Grilled Tofu
Salad

Tuesday
Tacos!
Fresh salsa, Guacamole, Soy Cheese, Lettuce, Black Beans, and Brown Rice
Whole wheat tortillas

Wednesday
Grilled Seitan
Brown Rice
Steamed Veggies

Thursday
Sweet Potato Fries
Veggie Chicken Nuggets

Friday
Kale and Caramelized Pizza
Soy Cheese

Challenge no. 1, I live in northern Alberta. There are not a lot of organic supermarkets or easy vegetarian options. This is cowboy country, red meat and potatoes. I have even heard people say this of vegetarians: "my food poops on your food". I found that I have to visit more than one store (maybe even three) to find all of the items that I need. To make it easy I follow a few rules. Try and be as organic as possible. No meat no dairy, and when possible stay away from gluten. For at least 30 days NO ALCOHOL.

I have to admit, it has only been a few days, but I feel better already. I haven't missed meat or red win yet.
We have limited the amount of entertaining that we do, to make this new part of our lives a little easier.

By the way, no my husband is not happy, not happy at all. He'll come around.

Ice Art

2011-01-13T15:46:00.002-07:00

Needed for this project;

Little warm hands and feet
Ice cold patio door

Place little warm hands and or feet on frigid door. Voila! Winter art.

Patiently waiting for spring... patiently waiting for spring.... patiently waiting for spring.....patiently waiting for spring

Malaysian Barramundi

2011-01-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Long -Time- No- See should have been the title to this post. After holidays chores, coupled with stomach flus have made my life quite busy.

Amidst the chaos I did manage to make a few meals, this Malaysian Barramundi was my favorite. Barramundi could be best described as an Australian sea bass. Tender flaky white crust, YUM!

Marinade;

2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon honey

Coat fish and set aside for 10 minutes prior to baking

Preheat oven at 385°F

In the meantime on a cookie sheet, spread evenly the following ingredients

Generous splash of Olive Oil
5 stalks of lemongrass
1 onion sliced
hearty handful of chopped cilantro
3 garlic cloves
the heart of one pineapple, chopped.

Place Barramundi on top and pour remaining marinade over. 20-25 minutes.

That's it.. its like healthy fast food.

New Years Resolutions

2010-12-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

I don't have one. I hate putting that pressure on myself. But I do need to get in better shape...I am reposting a oldie but a goodie!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I tried to blame it on many things. But I finally discovered the reason for my weight gain. I stopped moving and kept eating and eating. Being married to my best friend doesn't help either. Nothing like weekly date nights filled with cheese and wine. So delicious. Until I put up my pants and got stuck half way up. I panicked. Completely panicked. I asked myself, "Could others tell? Maybe if I put on a large sweater....".

I attended a dinner with a silent auction, PHAT training, a personal trainer. I bid I won. I met Stacey the most positive and likable trainer you'll ever meet. It was hard to hate her. Although after our first session I did a hate her a little. I almost couldn't walk to my car not to mention the nausea. But she made me move. And I started feeling good again. She was a great jump start into everything I had forgotten over the course of the year.

I met with her to discuss some easy tips I can pass on to you! I will follow up with exercise tips.

I asked Stacey if there are only 5 tips to give any woman what would they be. Here are her answers.

Stacey Hogbin of Phat Training (yes, she's a bad ass)

TIPS:

1. Eat Breakfast! And have it be the biggest meal of the day.

*My note: Bring on the extra large organic eggs*

2. Drink 3 liters of water (roughly 12 cups of water). It seems like a lot, but our bodies our 60% water, and we need to keep replenishing it.

*My note: I was confusing thirst and hunger- this tip alone helped me a great deal*

3. Schedule an hour to yourself. She recommends an hour to do something that is just for you. Go to the spa, read a book you like. Stacey suggests and hour " to make a better you"

* My note: As a mom an hour might as well be a 100 years- however try and work yourself up to that hour- start off with 20 minutes, as wives and mothers, and husbands, and employees we tend to give ourselves up and forget to give time to ourselves*

4. Don't just do cardio. Include resistance training. You will not bulk up- that's just a myth. Stacey notices that many women are always on the treadmill or out jogging. Resistance training is just as important and shouldn't be forgotten.

*My note: I hate cardio.*

5. Watch your sodium and sugar intake. Read labels!

*My note: clearly my downfall- I salt everything, and eat too many sweets*

A special thanks to Stacey for taking time out her busy day to speak with me!