Spirulina Smoothie

Green smoothies have become my new obsession lately. I have been trying to drink one a day as they are filling and super nutritious. Now this green smoothie includes a new superfood I have been trying out which is spirulina... and I have been loving this new addition to my diet.

Spirulina is one mighty super food. It contains all essential amino acids, a wealth of antioxidants and immune boosting nutrients. It is fat free and is more the 60% protein based. I love adding this super powder to my smoothies as it gives an abundance of nutrients in a single teaspoon. This smoothie specifically is loaded with clean, healthy ingredients that are sure to provide you with great health and a tasty smoothie to enjoy! Don't worry, this smoothie may look like a salad in a jar but it tastes great... you can't even taste the green.



 

 

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp. vanilla greek yogurt

1/2 a banana

approx. a handful of frozen mango

approx. 1 cup spinach

1/3 cup 100% fruit juice ( I used a mango/ orange juice but any tropical flavoured juice will work)

approx. 1/3 cup water

1 tsp. spirulina powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup of ice

Feeding the Body & Feeding the Soul

In order to lead a healthy, well balanced lifestyle it is important to not only feed your body the nutritious healthy foods it needs but to also feed your soul. By that I mean giving into those sweet tooth cravings once in a while and eating that piece of cake after dinner, one piece of cake or a bowl of chips will not make you unhealthy. It is finding the balance between health foods and "cheat foods" that makes a clean eating lifestyle doable. 

For me personally, I know that if I totally cut out all junk food, I would end up binging on it in the end. So for my lifestyle to be as healthy and clean as possible I created a balance. Everyones balance between healthy food and junk food will be different but thats how it should be, we are all different so obviously our bodies wants and needs will be different too. Using me as an example I, eat healthy 85- 90 % of the time, the other 10-15% of the time I allow myself a treat. This could be an ice cream, a piece of cheese cake or my favourite candies, liquorice allsorts. I am careful to monitor how much of this stuff I eat and tend to only eat this type of stuff once every week or so, of course that is not always the case, so it is important to realize if you do eat more "unhealthy" foods then you intended to that week, don't stress there are many weeks in a year so plenty of time to continue eating healthy. 

Internal guide lines I tend to live by are pretty simple, and self made, they work for me and my body. I am a firm believer that everyone needs to create a type of "plan" that works for them. I limit my dessert to once or twice a week, also I will swap out the more unhealthy version, like a vanilla soft ice cream, for the more healthy version a greek yogurt smoothie bar, which contains less calories and more protein. By doing this I feel basically guilt free but still get my sugar fix. Another guide line for myself is if I eat junk food one day, I will eat completely clean the next. My biggest guide line I follow is to listen to my bodies needs, if it is screaming for a piece of candy, I will give it what it needs, one little treat will not ruin all your progress and healthy ways. All my daily meals ( breakfast,lunch,supper) are healthy and clean so indulging once in a while is good for me, and good for you too :) Feed your body & don't forget about feeding your soul.

Quinoa & Veggie Bowl with Chick Peas & feta

My quinoa and veggie bowl with feta and chick peas is a quick, healthy lunch recipe I love to make for myself. It has tones of vitamins and nutrients from the vegetables, and protein from the chick peas and quinoa, plus quinoa is a super food so it is extra good for you! 

What you’ll need: 

1 cup quinoa

1/2 cup chick peas

Feta Cheese

Vegetables , in this case I used broccoli, red peppers,onions and cherry tomato’s

1. Cook your quinoa, it is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Make sure you rinse your quinoa first then add it to the water once it is boiling.

3. Pan fry your veggies until tender.

4. Add approximately half the quinoa to your veggies once it is cooked as well as 1/2 cup chick peas, and 2 tbsp kraft balsamic vinaigrette. Allow for all combined ingredients to cook together for 3-5 mins. Top with feta cheese

5. Plate, serve and enjoy!

* I tend to make extra quinoa so I have left overs to eat throughout the week. If you want to make just enough for this dish then the measurements would be 1/2 quinoa to 1 cup water. 

Gluten Free Chicken Burgers

This is what I made for dinner last night, it is a really simple recipe but tastes so good. I never buy pre-made burgers, it is easy and much more healthy to make them yourself :)

What You'll Need: 

1 package ground chicken breast

1/2 onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic ( finely chopped) 

1 tbsp. burger spice

1 tbsp. weber Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning

salt & pepper 

- Combine all ingredients in a bowl & mix well. Form into 3-4 equal sized patties.

- Grill on the barbecue at medium heat for 15-20min, then serve and enjoy! 

This is how I plated mine, I served my chicken burger topped with grilled veggies ( red peppers, zucchini & onions) beside a garden salad, which contained romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, cherry tomato's, topped with feta cheese and Kraft huile d' olive oil greek feta salad dressing. I also had half a sweet potato as well. I like to incorporate as many different vegetables as I can with my dinner. 

 

Summer Coslaw

What You'll Need: 

1 green pepper (thinly sliced)

3 medium carrots (shredded)

half green cabbage ( thinly sliced)

1/4 purple cabbage ( thinly sliced)

garlic, salt & pepper ( to taste)

1/4 white sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

3/4 canola oil

1. Bring wet ingredients to a boil in a pot, add to sliced cabbage, peppers, and carrots. Let sit for about an hour to soften. 

 

Martini Fruit Cup

This is a quick snack idea, that is clean, healthy and nutritious. I cut up some banana, watermelon, mango and blueberries, and put them in a martini glass for presentation. 

Chicken Mango Skewers

What You’ll Need: 

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 ripe mangos

1/2 tsp. chilli powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

salt & pepper

skewer sticks

1. Cut your chicken breast into 3/4 inch strips

2. Dice mangos into tiny pieces, put in a blender/ food processor and blend until smooth, mix in chilli powder, garlic powder, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper

3. Marinade chicken in mango sauce for 30 mins to 8 hours, put some sauce to the side as it will be used later on the chicken

4. Once chicken is finished marinading put 2-3 pieces on each skewer and grill for 7-12 minutes

5. With the mango sauce remaining on the side, put in a pot, bring to a boil and drizzle on top your chicken skewers before eating

* make sure to soak your skewer sticks in water so they do not burn on the grill

Chickpea & Spinach Salad

This is a lunch time salad I like to make for myself. It is quick & simple but healthy, filled with protein and lots of vitamins and nutrients. 

I combined spinach, tomato, chickpeas, cracked pepper and topped it with Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing. Simple but satisfying!

Grilled Vegetables

This is my favourite way to prepare vegetables in the summer. I just chop up some peppers, onions and zucchini ( you could use whatever veggies you wanted of course) add them to a pie pan, drizzle with olive oil and allow them to grill on the bbq for 15-20 mins. 

They are clean, simple, and healthy and have a lovely summer vibe :)

Gluten Free Healthy Pizza

For dinner last night my mom and I made ourselves a healthy, gluten free pizza. I either buy the dough for the crust from my local gluten free bakery then roll it out and bake it myself or I buy the gluten free pizza crust mix from The Bulk Barn and follow the instructions on the label to make it.

For toppings I like onions, tomato’s, diced chicken breast, swiss chard/spinach, red peppers, a tiny bit of cheese and some basil. Then I bake it in the oven at 350 F for about 20-25 mins, then let it cool and enjoy :) 

* To make regular pizza crust I use 1 package Fleischmann's Instant yeast ( quick rise) , add one cup hot water , stir with a fork and let sit for about 10 mins. Then I add 2- 2.5 cups all purpose flour, some garlic and basil, mix it up, roll it into a ball, drizzle with olive oil and let sit for at least an hour. 

* You can make any pizza healthy, just limit the amount of cheese you use and add a lot of veggies and lean proteins :)

Post Workout: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This is my everyday post work strawberry banana smoothie. 

Ingredients: 

1 banana ( the more ripe it is the more sweet your smoothie will be) 

5 strawberries 

a handful of blueberries

2 x 100g yogurt ( I typically will use whatever is in my fridge but some of my favourites are coconut, vanilla, strawberry, cherry and coconut/pineapple/banana)

1/2 tbsp chia seed

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop vanilla/ strawberry whey powder if you choose

- Combine all the ingredients in a blender, blend them up and enjoy

* The single serving blender I use cost about $10-20 dollars from SuperStore…and it was a great investment!

Gluten Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

What You’ll Need: 

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp. warm water

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 clove minced garlic

salt & pepper

1 tsp. jam (I used blueberry) 

1/3 cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients, mix well, serve over your favourite salad!

* This is a healthy, clean, gluten free dressing, that is made of ingredients that most people have in their homes already. Home made dressing is the way to go, it is easy to make and so much healthier then store bought!

Blueberry & Walnut Summer Salad

I am a huge salad fan, not only are they clean and healthy but they can have so much variety! I love creating new salad combinations that are visually appealing as well as delicious. 

In my salad today I have: 

- ice burg lettuce/ spinach/ romain lettuce

- cherry tomato's

- orange peppers

-blueberries

- alfalfa sprouts

- cucumber

- walnuts

-pumpkin seeds

& it is topped with my Gluten Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

I hope you take some inspiration from my creation :)

 

Grocery List

Having a well stocked fridge/ pantry is extremely important when living a healthy lifestyle. By well stocked I mean full of fresh fruit & veggies, lean proteins and foods full of fibre, vitamins and nutritons. Limit the amount of junk food you have in your home and you will be way less likely to eat it because it is not as easily accessible. 

Veggies: carrots, frozen peas, sweet potato, bok choy, peppers, spinach, lettuce, tomato's, spaghetti squash, zucchini, beets, corn, broccoli

Fruit: apples, bananas, cherries, grapes, oranges, pears, cantaloupe, watermelon,mangos, berries, nectarines, lemons, pineapple

Dairy: silk true almond unsweetened vanilla almond milk, eggs, 0% greek yogurt, non-fat yogurt, feta cheese

Grains: gluten free bread & pasta, gluten free pizza crust, rice noodles, oatmeal, granola

Meat/ Protein: boneless skinless chicken breast, ground chicken breast, ground turkey, turkey sausages, deli meats ( chicken/ turkey), white & black beans, chick peas, quinoa, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, fish ( basa) 

 Miscellaneous: natural peanut butter, pop chips, original rice cakes, rice crackers, pop corn, blueberry/ raspberry jam, gluten free chicken stock, ketchup, mustard, spicy hummus,  rice vinegar, canned tomato’s, coffee, stevia

Gluten Free Turkey Stuffed Peppers

What You’ll Need: 

4 peppers

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 lb. ground turkey

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

1 whole tomato’s, chopped

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

pinch of fennel seed

1 tsp. salt + pepper

1. Heat oil with garlic and onion, saute for 2 minutes, add ground turkey. Cook until turkey is no longer pink.

2. Drain excess fat, put back into frying pan, add tomato’s, oregano, basil, fennel seed, salt, pepper and cooked quinoa, cook for about 7 minutes. 

3. Wash and cut tops off peppers, clean out the seeds. Divide the turkey and quinoa mixture into the 4 peppers, place in baking pan and cover with tin foil. Cook at 350 F for 60-90 mins. ( peppers should be soft to the touch) .

 

4. Once cooked, place on a plate and cover with a tomato sauce either from the jar or make your own! 

Sauce: 1 can diced tomato’s, fresh basil, 1 tbsp. olive oil & 2 cloves garlic, put them in a blender, blend until moderately smooth, pour into frying pan and allow to simmer for 10-20 mins. so flavours can absorb

Versus: iogo Greko 0% vanilla greek yogurt vs. Silhouette 0% vanilla greek yogurt

I am a big greek yogurt fan. I have tried multiple brands so I decided to compare two brands I eat the most often and talk about which one I recommend. 

 

Comparing the nutrition facts of both brands is crucial, the Silhouette brand does contain less calories at 50 cal. per 100g serving while the iogo brand contains 150 cal. per 175g serving but the nutritional value of the iogo brand vanilla greek yogurt is much more beneficial. It has 15g protein, 35% calcium, 25% vitamin D and is sweetened with sugar and honey while the opposing Silhouette brand has 8g protein, 8% calcium, no vitamin D and is sweetened with Sucralose, an artificial sweetener, and you can tell.

The taste of the iogo 0% vanilla greek yogurt is much more natural, it tastes pure, and real, the texture is also much more creamy while still containing no fat. The Silhouette 0% vanilla greek yogurt tastes like chemicals, you can taste the artificial sweeteners, and the vanilla flavour does not taste natural. The texture is also not as creamy and feels a fat free greek yogurt. Price wise they are about the same price, around $4.99 per 500g container. 

In conclusion I would definitely recommend The iogo greko 0% vanilla greek yogurt over the Silhouette 0% vanilla greek yogurt :)

Mango Salsa

Here is a favorite recipe of mine, it is easy, and clean: Mango Salsa

- For a family of four I use about 2 mango’s which I chop into tiny pieces

- Next I chop up some red onion and cucumber into tiny pieces and add that to the mango

- Then I add 4 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro ( I typically just go to taste, so this is just an estimate) 

- Finally I added one limes worth of fresh lime juice and your done :)

* Those are the gluten free taco chips  I use, I purchased them at Sam’s Club, they are EXCELLENT, I even prefer them over the not gluten free variety

A Typical Dinner!

So, I just wanted to share a typical weekday meal of mine :) I wanted to show how I love to incorporate lots of variety, colour and healthy options in my dinners. Healthy eating can be so tasty and fun, I LOVE eating healthy, it makes my body as well as my mind feel so much better and I can not imagine leading an unhealthy lifestyle.

For dinner I had my White Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burger with a side of peas, spaghetti squash and a side salad. To prepare the spaghetti squash I sliced it length wise and baked it in the over at 350 F for an hour, then topped it with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. My salad contains field greens, arugala, cherry tomato's, red pepper, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and topped with feta cheese and my homemade balsamic vinaigrette ( I will be posting the recipe for that shortly)!

 

Open Face Turkey Sandwich

My dinner from last night. I love creating different, healthy sandwich options, because there is room for so much variety! I like my sandwiches to be open faced because it means less bread & more proteins (turkey breast deli meat) and veggies :)

For my open face sandwich I toasted two pieces of gluten free bread, added a tad of mustard and topped with turkey breast deli meat arugula, roasted red peppers, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, feta cheese and drizzled with a tad of light kraft balsamic vinaigrette . So tasty!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe:

What you’ll need: 

3/4 cup butter

2 eggs or 4 egg whites

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

1 tsp xathum gum

4 very ripe banannas

3/4 cup brown sugar or 1/2 cup brown sugar + 1/4 cup apple sauce

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 coconut

cinnamon

1. Combine all the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix well 

2. Butter loaf pan and add the batter

3. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon

4. Cook on 350 F for an hour