Peppermint Delight Smoothie

Peppermint Delight Smoothie

by | Jun 1, 2015 | Recipes, Smoothie

Ingredients:

Half a frozen banana

1 cup of cashew milk (can substitute with almond or coconut)

1 cup of spinach (organic please)

2 drops of essential peppermint oil (make sure it’s therapeutic grade) or add a handful of fresh mint (organic please)

2 drops of vanilla extract

Instructions:

Blend until smooth.  My daughter likes to add ice cubes.  You can also add 1 Tbsp. of raw cacao nibs for a little kick!

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

by | May 30, 2015 | Dessert, Recipes

This is absolutely delicious & so easy!

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. raw cacao

3 ripe avocados

¼ cup raw honey

1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract

Dash sea salt

Instructions:

Blend in a food processor until smooth and Bob’s your Uncle you have a fabulous dessert.  People will think you’ve been in the kitchen for hours!

Creamy Roasted Vegetable Soup

Creamy Roasted Vegetable Soup

by | May 28, 2015 | Entree, Recipes

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, chopped

2 squash, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped – I like red but the yellow is sweeter

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 cups dairy-free milk – such as almond or hemp

2 cloves garlic

1 Tsp. ground cumin

Dash cayenne

½ bunch fresh parsley

½ bunch fresh cilantro

2 pounds of lean ground beef or turkey (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil & salt.  Roast vegetables for 20 minutes.  Once roasted place vegetables into a blender along with garlic, cumin, cayenne, parsley & cilantro.  Blend and slowly add in the milk to get a creamy consistency.  Once you have your desired consistency, serve!

If you choose to add beef or turkey, simply sauté until brown and add to the mixture and blend together.

 

 

 

 

Hearty Oatmeal

Hearty Oatmeal

by | May 20, 2015 | Breakfast, Recipes

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups water

Pinch sea salt

2 ½ cups of oats

2 ¼ Tsp. cinnamon

Fruit of your choice

Nuts/seeds of your choice

Instructions:

  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add water & salt. Bring to a boil.  Add oats, cinnamon and stir to combine.
  2. Cook for 4 minutes, or until oatmeal thickens.
  3. Top with fruit & nuts/seeds of your choice.
Glowing Green Smoothie

Glowing Green Smoothie

by | May 18, 2015 | Recipes, Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of dairy free milk (I like almond or hemp)

4 kale leaves (organic please)

½ cup parsley (organic please)

½ apple (organic please)

1 Tbsp. flax meal

1 Tsp. ginger root

Juice from one lemon

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  You can add more milk or water.

Kale Salad

Kale Salad

by | May 1, 2015 | Entree, Recipes, Side Dish

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, stalks removed & discarded, leaves thinly sliced

1 avocado

2 large carrots, chopped

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

Dash of sea salt & pepper

1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)

Small handful toasted pumpkin seeds about 2 rounded tablespoons.

2 cooked chicken breasts

Instructions:

Place sliced kale & carrots in a large bowl, add avocado & massage until evenly coated.  Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt & pepper.  Toss together and add diced mango, toasted pumpkin seeds and cooked chicken.  Perfect for lunch or dinner!

How to Stop Comfort Eating – Mindful Eating

How to Stop Comfort Eating – Mindful Eating

by | Mar 11, 2015 | Diets, Uncategorized, Weight Gain, Weight Loss

femme gourmande problèmes de poidsFor many, a hectic day at work followed by the stress of picking the kids up from school and taking them to an extracurricular event, only to be responsible for prepping a great dinner for the family, can lead to a session of comfort eating as a stress coping mechanism. Also known as “emotional eating”, or even “binge eating”, comfort eating may also be used as a replacement for things that are missing in your life: career fulfillment, a relationship, or the loss of a loved one.

The good news is, this type of eating is learned; a habit developed over time – which means it can be changed.

Binge eating for comfort

According to an article at PsychologyToday.com, “More people suffer from binge eating disorder than all the other eating disorders together.” As the author describes it, one of the many intervention programs for this type of eating has become known as “mindful eating” or “eating mindfully,” which is really more about HOW you eat than it is about WHAT you eat.

The New York Times describes mindful eating, or what others refer to as “conscious eating,” as the new craze in healthy eating. By making a meal a fully conscious sensuous experience, rather than a simple way to fuel your body or as a substitute for some emotional void, eating slowly with a full appreciation for each bite taken will slow the compulsion to binge, and reduce the rush toward weight gain.

Essentially, when it comes to comfort eating, the most effective way to make a change is to use a behavior modification approach. Don’t eat when you’re feeling emotional. Use your favorite foods as rewards, rather than as coping tools. Modification of your environment is also helpful, basically making it less comfortable to comfort eat. Reduce temptation by removing your favorite binge foods from the house.

Below are links to a couple of articles you may find helpful, with clues to help you control comfort eating:

If you would like to know more about how to stop comfort eating, emotional eating, or binge eating, please get in touch with me today for your FREE 30-Minute Wellness Consultation.

Thanks for reading and keep well.

Tara

7 WEIGHT LOSS TIPS FOR WOMEN OVER 40

7 WEIGHT LOSS TIPS FOR WOMEN OVER 40

by | Feb 22, 2015 | Diets, Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Women over 40

annabel candyToday I’m featuring a guest blog from a longtime friend and esteemed writer Annabel Candy.  Annabel offers a popular travel blog for adventurous fun lovers.  The name of her site is perfectly coined “Get in the Hot Spot”http://www.getinthehotspot.com/– advanced adventures for body and soul.  She has lived in 8 countries and travelled to over 40, I think you might consider her an expert on travel!!!

According to Annabel “Get in the Hot Spot is for travel loving women aged 40+ who want to be more adventurous, have more fun and feel fabulous” now that’s just what the doctor ordered!

In addition to writing about her travel adventures, more recently Annabel has been very candid about her personal battles with depression and life lessons as a women in her middle years (if someone can come up with a more flattering term for middle age I would love to know I’ve been racking my brains for weeks).  As you will read in this article 7 Weight Loss Tips for Women over 40 – http://www.getinthehotspot.com/weight-loss-for-women-over-40/  – Annabel is so relatable, insightful, witty and spot on with her suggestions.

Thank you to Annabel Candy for allowing me to share her insightful wisdom in  7 Weight Loss Tips for Women over 40.

Annabel also offers a blogging course called Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps.  Please go to Get in the Hot Spot – www.getinthehotspot.com for more information. I’ve purchased the course so hopefully in the not too distant future you will see an improvement in my blogs. 🙂

Thanks for reading and keep well.

I would love to hear about your weight loss challenges and success stories.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

by | Jan 1, 2015 | Healthier Holidays, New Year, Uncategorized

Wishing everyone Health, Happiness & Prosperity!

I stumbled across this quote at my dentist’s office “when was the last time you did something for first time”?  How appropriate to begin a New Year!

How many times have you been asked if you made any New Year’s resolutions?  We are so conditioned to focus on making these resolutions the minute the clock strikes 12 midnight, but it’s important to remember you can change your life at any time.  You can change your habits and change your life.  We need to clarify our vision and consciously design what we want.  Be specific, what old habits need to be broken and what new ones need to be created?  While this is true, let’s be clear change is hard work and in order to succeed we need to work at it consistently.

Life is short, I know that’s a cliché that we always hear, I even wrote that in my high school yearbook, not having any idea what it really meant but it sounded good at 17! Joking apart we really don’t know what tomorrow holds so it’s important to live in the present moment.  While goals are important for our growth and development let’s not forget to appreciate and respect what we have in the here and now.

Often we don’t need a new version of ourselves, what we really need is to see the real and authentic us and the courage to be content with that.

Thanks for reading and keep well.

I would love to hear about your conscious designs for 2015.

Your Survival Guide to Healthier Holidays

Your Survival Guide to Healthier Holidays

by | Dec 22, 2014 | Diets, Healthier Holidays, Uncategorized, Weight Gain, Weight Loss

I think we can all relate to feeling a little frazzled during the holiday season, so much to do and so little time.  It’s important to fix that festive frazzle before you run out of steam…… all you need is a little bit of savvy planning.  I have created a list of my top 10 Tips that have served me well during the holidays.

Scales and Christmas attributes isolated on whiteYour Survival Guide to Healthier Holidays

  1. Exercise:  Most people have a little extra time available over the holiday season. Take this opportunity to develop a regular exercise regime. This will help to burn off the excess calories and fat consumed over this period. It will also get you into the habit of exercising, and you can continue the regime after the holiday season is over.
  2. Eat regularly:  If you are going to an event don’t starve yourself all day in anticipation. You’re in danger of arriving there feeling ravenous and eating everything in sight. Instead, have some healthy snacks throughout the day. By doing this, you’ll be less likely to over-indulge when you are out. Remember to eat before an event to fuel your body, and always chew well, aim for 25 chews per bite.
  3. Plan ahead:  Leading up to your event make sure you create a healthy eating schedule:  eat every 3-5 hours, and get at least 7- 8 hours of quality sleep.  Eating regularly will keep your metabolism elevated and getting enough sleep will help prevent overeating the next day and giving into cravings.
  4. Survey your food choices:  When you arrive at the party, ask for a glass of water with lemon and wait at least 30 minutes before eating. This will give you time to relax, get comfortable in your surroundings, it will also give you time to notice the food items and what your choices are enabling you to make a wiser decision.
  5. Balance your meals & use a plate: Use a plate to keep track of what you are eating.  Don’t be tempted to fill your plate with those rich calorie-laden foods.  Instead have a little of everything including fruit and vegetables, fill your plate with the healthy options first, leaving a little room for those treat options.
  6. Stock up on healthy snacks:  Always have healthy snack options available to avoid temptation, some good examples are: nuts (unsalted walnuts or almonds), seeds (unsalted pumpkin or sunflower), fruit and raw vegetables such as carrots or celery, very easy to prepare and transport.
  7. Moderate alcohol intake: Alternate your drinks, switch between alcoholic beverages and water.  Don’t forget that alcohol does contain calories and a lot of them.  Drinking water can help starve off cravings, give you satiety and help ward off those holiday headaches the next day. Remember to limit the calorie-laden egg-nog.   There are plenty of lower-calorie beers and wines available that can help, so opt for the healthier version whenever possible. Also watch your holiday coffee drinks, don’t turn your coffee into a dessert.
  8. Make your own dish: Volunteer to bring an appetizer or a favorite dish, this way you are guaranteed to have at least one genuinely healthy option.
  9. Focus on the event: Try socializing with friends, family members or colleagues and concentrate on mingling and not just eating.
  10. Mindful thinking: Treat the holidays as one day, not one month.  Get back into your healthy regime after the event.

Finally, enjoy the holidays and don’t deprive yourself just keep some of these tips in mind!

Thanks for reading and keep well.

I would love to hear about some of your tips for surviving the holidays.