What’s For Breakie??

Uncategorized

My favourite… TACOS!!! So easy too…

I am all about keeping it simple and fast. This can be breakfast, lunch or dinner in my eyes. It covers all the bases for a healthy and fulfilling meal.

Here is what I do…

Ingredients:

Spinach

Mushrooms

Peppers

Onion

Fresh Bacon Bits (store bought from Costco)

2 Eggs (fried over medium for me)

2 Small Corn Tortillas

Sauté your favourite veggies …. I sometimes add Costco bacon bites #lifehack when my veggies are all finished sweating ….fry your eggs (scramble or however you like) and BOOM!!

TIPS:

I’m gluten free so I only use corn tortillas- they are best when you throw them on your frying pan to heat (after your veggies and eggs are done) for a minute! #LifeHack #OnePanWonder

Use your own choice of fillings… cheese if you like (I’m also sensitive to dairy so no cheese for me) … salsa is good to add… my kids love the Red Hot Franks Buffalo- n-Ranch on theirs!

Enjoy!!!

PS- I LOVE CILANTRO!! I topped my taco with chopped cilantro… are you 👍🏼 or 👎🏼 for cilantro??

#ThursdayFoodieTip #tacothursday

Just Breathe!

kids, positive, stress relievers, Uncategorized,

Do you have a child that has HUGE EMOTIONS??

Jake

I do. Meet Jake.

He was a force to be reckoned with before he even arrived. This kid had me sweating and put on bedrest at 28 weeks. After he arrived he was what some label a “Dragon Baby” where he spent day and night crying and screaming.

Early on I realized Jake suffers with anxiety. I often wonder can a child have anxiety even before they are born because after having a colic child where there was never any answers to “why is he crying ALL. THE. TIME.?!” I feel he was born with it.

I carried him in my arms, swaying/bouncing him and making soothing sounds for so long that I still catch myself swaying out of habit. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do but it was all that calmed him and allowed me to survive … being close to me calmed him then and it still does.

He still has “feelings” as Jake refers to it. Before he goes to school or if he knows I am working away from home are a couple examples of when. It consumes him some nights where he can’t sleep… these “feelings” take over and he becomes overwhelmed.

At nearly 8 years old he is a wise ol’ owl with a talent to entertain, tell stories make jokes and argue that he is right like his life depends on it. He is loud, he is passionate, He is one of a kind! For those of you who know Jake can fully understand what I am talking about. He still makes me sweat, he still makes me to lean into all my “tools” to help manage stress, he still leaves me wanting to pull my hair out.

As a parent it can be exhausting… not to mention I have 3 more kids with needs, wants and different personalities that need their Mom as well. I have had my share of freakouts that left me feeling guilt and shame. Embarrassed at how I REACTED rather then RESPONDING with love. I have laid in bed at night feeling like a failure… letting those voices creep in telling me how “I am not cut out for this! I am not a good Mom! They deserve better!”

Over the years I have realized the connection between stress and self regulation. Learning into my own practice has allowed me to see the importance in providing the kids with these same tools that I myself need so badly. Things like movement, mindset, perspective, gratitude all keep me in a good headspace to manage stress and keep me moving forward.

I started to build these habits with the kids. I have been teaching my kids about self-regulation and recognizing what they are feeling. Communicating their feelings in a healthy way rather then screaming and fighting. DISCLAIMER: THEY STILL FIGHT AND ARGUE AND HAVE FITS. It is in those times, if I can grab hold of my own urge to react (power in the pause) and take those moments to use as a teaching moment then I feel like I win and they gain another brick in their foundation of life.

Their is a POWER IN THE PAUSE!! This will have to be another post for another time!

Just today Jake was upstairs playing a video game. Now, I am trying to give the kids freedoms and privileges … my kids say, “all the other kids do it!” And I honestly am okay with a little screen time. I am a believer that life is about balance!

However, when the screaming, crying and fist come out! HECK NO!! It’s done!

Jake had this experience today… he was losing his cool big time! Like I explained earlier, he has HUGE EMOTIONS– good and bad ones! So when he started having a fit he was called down and we had a team meeting with all three boys who were playing together to figure out what was happening. I knew ultimately what happened but I want to sit everyone down to talk about it and have an opportunity to share their side of the story.

After all was said, Jake was extremely over stimulated and had way to much time playing a game really hypes him up. Sensory overload mixed with his need (self pressure) to be better than his siblings resulted in him going into a full blown freakout.

The older boys were told to leave. I didn’t speak to Jake right away. I laid out our “Mindful MInute Mat” lit some sage, put out some essential oils along with my book of breathing exercises. without saying anything Jake sat on the mat and immediately had a shift in energy.

He picked the oil, he started flipping thru the breathing options and he began to calm himself.

After, he was fully relaxed we talked. We hugged. He Understood.

This is real life. This works.

My family is no different than yours. I am no different of a parent than you.

It seems “weird” in the beginning to sit and focus on your breathing when you are feeling angry or sad or overwhelmed. However, until you get yourself and/or your kids in a place of “calm” then there is no way they can understand the lesson you are teaching them. There is no way you can see things from their perspective if you are a Mom feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

I promise it gets better…. JUST BREATHE!!

~L

“You Should Be So Much Skinnier?!!”

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Why are we so damn obsessed with being SKINNY!!!??  Why are women (I know men have judgements to but in this case I am talking bout he women) being judged by their size, hair, skin? Really?  Is this what type of society we are raising our kids in??

The first thing I often hear when I start a conversation is a comment about how I look; “You should be way more skinny than that with all you do!!”  How many times do my clients tell me someone has said this to them!  Or how many times have someone made cruel remarks to me about my body!!

“Wow… your so thin!!”

“Your legs are so big!”

“I thought your tummy would be harder!”

“Lift up your shirt and let me see your abs!”

“You ass and thighs are way to big to be a distance runner.”

WHAT THE HECK!! What is wrong with people?  

I think SKINNY is a bad word!  I also think FAT is a bad word.  No one ever feels good when they are called those things.  Everyone is on their own journey and we are all doing the best we can at this particular moment.  Instead of tearing people down why not focus on something more positive like how hard that person is working.  So much hard work and dedication goes into living a healthy and happy lifestyle that to hear of these people hurting someone who has put in a real effort to make their life better is so upsetting.  So sad to see this type of hate when there is so many things that people could be focusing on.

Jealousy is an evil being!  I know we all can easily look at someone else and say to ourselves “I would love to look like that” or ” I wish I had her hair”!  That’s ok!  But to respond in a negative way towards that person is not ok.  If you cannot bring yourself to pay someone a compliment please do everyone a favor and keep it to yourself!  That person does not want to hear it.  They have just spent the last 6 weeks juggling work, kids, errands, family issues and fighting the clock to get where they are and they do not deserve to be tore down! They deserve a whole lot more and it cannot be summed up by the word SKINNY!!

If you do find yourself in a situation where you are being judged or made to feel bad here is a little list to help you come out of that situation the bigger person instead of a victim!

How to deal with Negative People:

Step 1: Ignore- because you are not the issue really!  The issue is they feel poorly about themselves and what is missing on the inside! Know that their attacks or bad energy towards you is nothing personal to you, often what they are putting out are expressions of feeling towards themselves.

Step 2: Kill it with Kindness- They may want you to react and they want to see you hurt!  But don’t give it to them… instead say “good morning… i hope you have an AWESOME day”!  If they try and tear you down in front of people do not acknowledge!

Step 3: Keep your Pokerface in tack- Nothing would give them more satisfaction than to see you hurt!  Keep it together… once you get home send me a message and you can rant/vent to me! 😉

Step 4: Stay Strong and Focused- As much as they want you to fail… You focus on how great you are!  You are hardworking , kind and you will not stop moving forward!  Work Harder… Set More Goals and Stay being you!

My next point is… Why are we letting our value or feelings about ourselves be determined by other people??

Self confidence is key to success in this world!  We need to love ourselves no matter how much cellulite we have.  No matter how much our boobs sag. No matter how long it takes us to complete the half marathon. We sometimes are our own worse critic and tear ourselves down and feel we need to be SKINNY (yuck … that word).  Why?  Wouldn’t you want to be happy instead?  Wake up and open your closet, put something on and leave the house with a bounce in your step! How many of you pick out an outfit for work and look in the mirror a dozen times?  Do you fret over your skin tone?? “What a pimple?”  Do you skip breakfast thinking your to FAT (ugh… that word)?  

Ladies… STOP!!  You are all beautiful in your own unique way!  Do not go another day thinking you are not enough… stop searching for more! WE NEED TO LOVE OURSELVES!

So, What does Self Love Mean??  Self love is a practice… Its inner-work and acceptance of who you are. It don’t happen over night for all you over achievers who think it will happen as soon as you think about it!  You need to really work on it!

Steps to SELF LOVE:

Step 1:  Get  Real with who you are – Stop hiding who you are! No one is perfect and that totally fine!  Understand who you are is a result of your journey… nothing to be ashamed about!

Step 2: The Past happened for a reason – Yeah.. so you made some not so wise choices!!  We all have!  You are not defined by the choices you made you are defined by the person you are right now.  Understand all that happened was just you trying the best you could at that point in time.  Looking back you may not have chose that but beating yourself up is not gonna make it better.  Make peace with it and chalk it up as LIFE LESSON #9423 … and start living your best life today!

Step 3:  Find things to Love about yourself now- Right now thing about something you love about yourself! Have you thought about it? Write it down!  Now start there!  Create a list of all the things that are wonderful… Using the “I AM” statements is a powerful exercise to help build self-love! “I AM STRONG” “I AM GOING TO HIKE TO SIGNAL HILL” “I AM SO SMART” “I AM GOING TO ROCK MY PRESENTATION THIS WEEK” – Create a list and read it each day!!!

Step 4: Manage you Inner-Critic- Stop being so cruel to yourself!  The things that make you so unique is what makes you so wonderful!  So what if you don’t have a thigh gap like the cover model on Cosmo… guess what? Chances are she doesn’t either!!  You can’t photoshop reality and you are beautiful – inside and out!  Be Kind to YOU!!

Women, we need to stand together to bring each other to higher levels!  We are incredible beings with so much love and talent! Together think of the possibilities 🙂 

Be sure you pay a compliment today to at least one person!  See how great it makes you feel to bring a smile to someone else face!  When you are spreading love you will receive love!  I promise that if you smiled more and complained less your life will change!  Its a powerful practice and it works!

BE GRATEFUL. BE KIND. CHOOSE HAPPY. CHOOSE LOVE.

Cheers,  ~L

Click this link below to sign up for my weekly newsletter where I makeover recipes to be yummy & healthy, I give you workouts and I help motivate you to be your best self!!  

http://tinyurl.com/happynewsletter

AVOCADOS: THE ALLIGATOR FRUIT!!!

healthy tips, meals, , , , ,

Avocados :)

Know as the “Alligator Fruit” because of its colour and texture of its skin… this little green gem is loaded with antioxidants and healthy fats!

You can add them to smoothies, use them as spreads, dips or sauces. However, they can be pricy so if you see them on special don’t be afraid that they will go bad if you buy them or feel the need to eat a bag of avocados in two days just so you don’t waste them!

Here is what you can do to save them for another time… FREEZE THEM!!

Steps:
1- Cut them and remove the pit
2- Scoop out the ‘meat’ and set the skins aside
3- Blend them in a food processor with a little lemon juice. (You can chop them or leave them in halves if you wish but still add the bit of lemon juice… I like mine processed best!)
~~~~The lemon juice keeps them form turning brown~~~
4- Put them in snack size a bag so you can grab them and add them to any of your favourite things!

Check out this link below to learn some great benefits of the Avocado!!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9744/11-fun-facts-about-avocados.html

ahhhh… ROUTINE!

attitudes, exercise, Happiness, health, kids, Life, student, teacher, Uncategorized, ,

IMG_9386

Well, its been awhile since i had a good routine going. From all the ups and downs of my pregnancy it just never seemed to happen. Then the baby and Summer arrived and … well… just never happened!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a routine and schedule kinda gal. My thought is it keeps me organized and I get stuff done. For the kids routines are great too, keeping things consistent is important for them. However, not everyone is all about the routine and keeping in line with one (of my dozen) ‘Life Commandments’ I need to remind myself to “Lighten Up”!!

In doing so… my love of being in a groove often gets tossed and I go with the flow. It actually has been really great! My husband is not a routine kinda guy. He likes to do whatever whenever and not stress about the small stuff (like housework, bedtimes, chores etc) especially in the summer.

At our house, Summer is about makes memories and spending time together. So, if the dogs got footprints and dog hairs all over the house and we want to go to the beach, we go! Typically, I would not be able to go because I would want to clean the house first and be sure everything is in its place… BOROING!!! I Know… hence the ‘Life Commandments’ were put in place and I now say “Screw It… TO THE BEACH” 😉

Its way more fun and how many kids get to see the fun and exciting side of their parents?? How many of us are caught up in routines and chores… work and rules? How many parents say “well its 9pm and its bedtime… so No you can’t go outside and look for night worms?” (My kids like to look for Night Worms…LOL) There are a lot of us who have gotten “boring” now that we have become parents!

Its important to have rules and things in place don’t get me wrong… we have chores for the kids, weekly allowances, time outs and screaming kids who don’t get their own way. I just mean ‘Lighten Up’ on the little things! Whats the big deal really? Its summer and the kids are suppose to be able to have fun!

However, this brings me to my next point… How the heck do Momma get some ‘me time’ with the lack of schedules and routines???? I mean really… by the time 8pm comes I wanna stick the little guys in bed and sit down in quite … whew! Its tough sometimes ya know! So its kinda bittersweet really! What are we suppose to do? Finding that out can be challenging but the main thing is to just remain calm… and it will work out!

Momma Time!
Momma Time!

Tips:

1. Include the Kiddos: It allows you to do things you like without feeling too guilty about them doing nothing while you enjoy something 😉

2. Stay Calm: Its short term remember.  By the time they are in grade two they don’t wanna hang out with you.  Soon they will be packing their bags and moving out.  (I am so not ready for my oldest to be heading to grade 1- where the heck did those years go too???  Full days… nope I am not ready… Wanna keep him here with me forever sniff, sniff)

3. Laugh:  It really is the best medicine (well It ties for first with exercise) … Try not to be too serious about things that are not really that important… Who cares really if you want til supper to do the dishes?  Go enjoy the sun with your kids.

4.  Take You Time: How??  Just do short intervals… for example my run last night was 30mins.  The baby was crying yes… but ya know what it was 30mins, he wasn’t hungry or needing changing and Dad was with him!  Momma needs a little “Sweat Therapy”  and after the whole family feels the benefits!  Just take “YOU” time quickly! 😉

Last night I escaped and did a quick run to re-energize and then I took the older boys in my gym with me to workout with me.

working on our fitness ;)
working on our fitness 😉

It can be frustrating at times when they are hyper and all you want to do is decompress in peace but for me I remind myself that this is short term and allowing them to be here with me is great bonding time as well it teaches them about health and balance.

Because I am a Night Owl and and Early Bird, I take advantage of these time of the day.  Everyone else is in bed and I like to be up.  So, I took the baby down to the gym this morning for his first “workout”… (he likes early morning as well)  It was basic but it was something 🙂  And that is perfectly Ok… there will be days where I long to have them here with me and they will be gone doing their own things…

see how much he LOVES it! LOL

see how much he LOVES it! LOL

Never too young for exercise ;)
Never too young for exercise 😉

As a person who like to get a lot done… remind yourself that everything will get done eventually! But for now… just roll with it!

Monkey-ing Around!
Monkey-ing Around!

Seriously… Monday Why You Got To Be Like That??

health, monday, stress relievers, Uncategorized, , , , ,

YUP... HOW MANY FEEL LIKE THIS?
YUP… HOW MANY FEEL LIKE THIS?

Seriously!!! MONDAY why you got to feel like this?
Ugh… you wake up Friday feeling great knowing its a few more hours to quitting time… Monday you wake up your body aches, your tired, annoyed and hating life…Why can’t we feel like Friday everyday?

Think About it…
There are 52 dreaded Mondays in a year… if we head into each one of them feeling sluggish and unmotivated thats a lot of wasted time… Thats 1,248 hours of uninspired, feeling crappy hours!! Wowzers… Lets fix this so we use this time to kick some goals/projects to the curb!

Well, to help with Maniac Monday here are a few tips:

1. MINDSET:
A big thing for me and anyone who knows me is that its all about mindset. Switch your brain on to happy thoughts of how Monday is going to be the day you wake up and actually start your day with that run you promised yourself last thursday you would. How many of you say “Monday is the day…” Well … Monday is here so get going on those promises!

2. CLARITY:
Is this you Monday morning: *ALARM GOES OFF* you hit snooze a dozen times or shut off your alarm totally only then waking in a panic realizing you slept in. You jump outta bed..bang your toes… trip on the dog…yell at your partner and kids… you can’t find your keys… you skip breakfast and head into work really feeling awesome and inspired to land those deals and tackle those to-do list??
Instead just get up… don’t hit snooze. Make time to ease into your day without all the hectic crazy drama. Sit and enjoy your coffee in the morning think about what it is you want to get done today and start it off with a clear, calm mind… It will make you feel so much better 🙂

3. SUNDAYS = ORGANIZED:
Sundays can still be relaxing if you have to do a few things to get ready for your week. Make sure your chores are done, Get organized where you know where all your things are for the days ahead. It really makes things stressful when you get to the grocery store with your two toddlers trying to remember what it was you were suppose to be getting! Can you even remember what meals you were making this week when the kids are fighting and throwing cans in the floor? because I can’t. Use Sunday to make your list, to plan your week, get the laundry done and then Monday will not be so overwhelming 🙂

4. LIGHTEN UP MONDAYS!
So not only does Mondays infect you but it effects co-workers, family members and friends. Some people are so “BLAH” on Monday they don’t even want to speak to anyone. We all know what I am talking about… we wave at people and say good morning to get a glare and sometimes a growl from the other person!! Right??

Instead, Lighten Up Monday! Make it a ritual to do something fun on Monday at work or at home… Make Monday Funday by having a Nerf Gun War (my kids love this) and yes it can happen at work just talk to your boss about doing some morale and team building activities. Or why not at your 10 o’clock break do some stretches at work … even watch some funny you tube videos while your stretching… Laughter is very powerful! Or how about instead of yelling at your kids to get ready you can SING what you want to say (I read this in a book called “The Happiness Project” By Gretchen Rubin and thought the same thing as you are now ” thats weird” but trust me it works!!! I do it to my boys and they laugh instead of being grumpy.

5.  FOOD PREPP’IN:
YES!!! This is a huge one for me and I recommend it to all my clients. Use Sunday to get your food planned and prepped for the week. Slow Cookers are amazing for working (or non-working) people. There are a load of sites on line with recipe ideas for slow cookers like :

There are lots of options and I promise once you make this a ritual in your home life gets less complicated. Meal Prep and Planning is key to eating right (losing those few ponds you want gone) and it eliminates so much stress for the evening when you get home, your all starving and have no idea what to make.

8.  WORK’IN ON YOUR FITNESS:
What is the best stress reliever EVER??? EXERCISE! and yes I shouted that (hehehe) because its true. Who feels awesome and accomplished after a great sweat session…? Everyone! I am not just saying that either because I am a personal trainer I believe it fully! Get Moving and Stress Gets Going!!! Who doesn’t want that…?

So, now Mondays are no longer the “DREADED MONDAY” its now “YAY! ITS MONDAY” where you are taking names and kicking butt!!!

HELLO MONDAY.... WE'RE READY FOR YA!
HELLO MONDAY…. WE’RE READY FOR YA!

Hungry For Sunshine and BBQ : Simple Salmon

BBQ, healthy, kids, lean, meals, Salmon, yummy, , ,

The weather is getting nicer and I am feeling as if I don’t want to be inside making those hearty meals and cleaning up a big mess after.   I want to be outside with the kids and enjoying the fresh air!

Enjoying the Sun!
Enjoying the Sun!

Do you enjoy grilling??  Who is the BBQ Master at your house?  I have really taking a liking to the BBQ this year and what to try a bunch of new recipes on it… something besides hamburgers, pork chops and bland chicken!!

Here is a Salmon Recipe that I found in the “What’s Cooking” Kraft Magazine.  It is on my next nice day menu!  Seems simple, different and yummy!

Perfectly Grilled Salmon:

Prep: 20mins Total: 40mins

Makes 6 Servings

What You Need:

1 Tomato Chopped

1 Cove Garlic, minced

1/4 Cup Parmesan Shredded Cheese

1/4 Cup Kraft Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

1 Skin-On Salmon Fillet (1-1/2lb)

2 Tbsp Chopped Basil

What To Do:

1. Heat BBQ to medium heat. Combine first 4 ingredients with 3 Tbsp Dressing. Spray a large sheet of heavy duty foil with cooking spray.

2. Place foil on BBQ grate. Top with fish, flesh side down.

3. Grill 5mins; turn fish. Brush with remaining dressing.

4. Top with tomato mixture

5. Grill 18-20minsor until fish flakes easily with fork; top with basil.

What are your favourite BBQ meals??  Are you afraid to get adventurous with the BBQ?  I was a little intimated but now I am excited… you can cook anything on the BBQ!

Don’t stick with BBQ all summer… step outside your comfort zone and explore 🙂

Way more Fun than Being Stuck Inside!
Way more Fun than Being Stuck Inside!

Roasted Pineapple For Dessert ... Yum!!
Roasted Pineapple For Dessert … Yum!!

CHEERS!!!!

http://www.kraftcanda.ca

 

 

Common Grounds!

Uncategorized

Wow… This is a beautiful song that Eminem wrote for his mother. I am not sure if its my “Momma Hormones” or not but it hit a spot on my heart and felt the need to share what I thought as I watched.

We all have a different story and our lives all got their own tune. But somethings we can all relate to is PAIN and LOVE!

Sometimes we mean the best and have the best intentions for our children but we mess up. If we can take anything from this beautiful song is that don’t let your mistakes keep you from love. Never give up on each other and always look for the best in each other. All our demons and troubles need to be embraced as learning experiences and we need to work hard everyday to make this our best life.

There is two things I know for sure in life:
1. There is no one that is perfect… we try our best!
2. We only have a short time here in this life.

Our children are born innocent pure creatures who do not know hatred, jealousy, resentment or cruelty. They are shaped by their life experiences and it is our responsibility to show them love, kindness and care. Give them what they deserve and spare them a life filled with such sadness and darkness that so many other children/people have to fight their whole life to be freed from.

Its so sad to see that played out in this song… but its a reality that so many families experience! Don’t wait … Don’t be too proud… Fix it!!!

When watching the video… what are your thoughts/feelings?
http://www.policymic.com/articles/89219/eminem-just-rewrote-his-entire-career-in-one-beautiful-moving-video

THE POWER OF SOUP- Red Pepper Switch UP!

colds, flu, Happiness, healthy, meals, peppers, roasted, soup, yummy, , ,

cold and flu season :(
cold and flu season 😦

It seems like everyone around us are sick!!  Its been a long winter and with the way it is in Newfoundland we often get four seasons this time of the year.  So the warm, wet, cold and snow is really sending everyone into cold/flu mania!!

My Fam Jam was sick as well (thankfully all better now… **KNOCK ON WOOD**) and when they are I always resort back to the old fashion ways and make soup!  For some reason, it just makes us feel so good!  I typically would make Chicken Noodle Soup but it seemed like the kids (hubby too) were sick forever so i also made a delicious Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  It was marvellous!  You can make it as spicy or mild as you like and the heat from it just seemed to open airways and energize everyone.  We didn’t make ours too spicy because the kids are not a big fan but it seemed like it made them feel really good and it was a nice switch up from the norm.

Red Peppers are sometimes called one of the “super foods” because of all there health benefits. So why not try and add them into your family’s diet… this soup allows you to get them into your kids easily without fuss!  Kids love soup 🙂 I recently read in article online (chatelaine.com) that explained some of the benefits of red peppers… here are somethings I read:

-Red peppers are loaded with vitamin C. Besides being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C is also needed for the proper absorption of iron.

-Red bell peppers are a great source of vitamin B6 and magnesium. This vitamin and mineral combination helps decrease anxiety, especially related to PMS (hello?!?) . Vitamin B6 is also a natural diuretic, so get ’em in ya to help reduce bloating and prevent against hypertension… why not??  we all want to be less BLOATED… ugh!!

– Red bell peppers are packed with antioxidants. The combined effects of vitamin A and C and lycopene.  This combination in the red bell pepper becomes superfood. Red peppers are one of the highest veggies in lycopene, which has been successfully tested in the prevention of many cancers including prostate and lung. 

-Burn more calories with red bell peppers. Recent research has shown that sweet red peppers can turn up your system to burn more calories.  Red bell peppers do not contain capsaicin, which is what makes peppers hot and causes us to sweat, but they do have a mild thermogenic action that increases our metabolism without increasing our heart rate and blood pressure like the hot peppers do.  BONUS!!!!

 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup:

Ingredients:

3lbs Red Bell Peppers, halved and cleaned (8-10) I didn’t have all red peppers so i used yellow (2) and orange(1) as well!

5 Cloves of garlic, in peel

2 cups Onion, chopped

2tbsp Olive Oil

1Tbsp Italian Seasoning

4 cups Chicken Stock

1 tsp Hot Sauce

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1-2 tbsp rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Half the peppers and remove all the seeds and membranes.  Press them flat with your hands and lay them on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet.  Place the garlic cloves on the baking sheet.

2. Set the oven on broil and raise the rack to the upper position. Broil the red peppers and garlic for 15 minutes.

3. Once the skin has blackened, remove them from the oven and place in a large zip bag to steam (10mins)

4. Preheat large pot to medium heat. Add oil, seasoning and onions.  Cook for 10 minutes, until onions are soft.

5. Add broth, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels into the pot.

6. Peel the charred skin off the peppers and place win the pot.

7. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for another 20mins.

8. Then using a hand help immersion blender or standard blender, blend until smooth. **if you are using a blender be sure to remove the lid and cover with a towel instead- this will allow heat to vent without a big mess**

9. Add the vinegar and salt if needed.

10. You can add a little sour cream or plain greek yogurt to mild out the spice and heat.  Just thin it out with a little milk and swirl it over the top!!

This recipe I found online (www.aspicyperspective.com) and made some changes to make it more suited to our likes!  Feel free to do the same!

I hope this helps with the cold and flu season!  We really enjoy it and even froze some to have later.

Roast Pepper Love
Roast Pepper Love

(check out:  http://www.chatelaine.com/health/diet/five-health-benefits-of-red-peppers/ to read more about the power of the Red Pepper and they also have a couple recipes there for red peppers :))

 

The Simple Pleasures Of Sunday!!

Ahhhh…. Sundays!!  How I love thee… I spend them catching up on quality time, chores, rest and cooking!  Its really become known as our family day and I look forward to them.  No rushing or yelling or fighting… (okay some fighting…lets be honest!!! I have two small boys that all they do … LOL) but just AHHHHHHHHH!!!

The boys are not feeling a 100% today so we decided to stay home, just rest and do things around the house.  Honestly, I felt so tired that I wanted to cuddle on the couch the entire day with them.  Do you ever feel this way?? Not wanting to plan and prepare… Just relax and go with the flow?  So… because its Sunday and thats what Sunday is about… I grabbed a cozy blanket and I cuddled and snuggled them as we watched their favourite cartoons.  Later, we did a little workout together… some arts and crafts… cooked supper together…did some baking… bubble baths… story time and then bed!!

The simple pleasures of Sunday inspired me to want to bake some simple pleasures!  I decided this time I would like to try my hand in some delicious breakfast bars. I have never tried making them before but have made granola bars a few times.  After I began baking I realized the two are quite similar.

Everything In My Pantry Breakfast Bars :)
Everything In My Pantry Breakfast Bars 🙂

Everything In My Pantry Breakfast Bars:

I found a recipe online Oatmeal-Raisin Bars @myrecipes.com but I changed ingredients and amounts- I adopted this recipe and just used whatever I had here at the house .  Which is normally how I roll anyway …lol!  So use what you like…

1-1/4 cup of Almond Milk (you can use whatever type of milk ya got)

1 Large Egg

2 Tablespoons of Honey

1 tsp of Vanilla (i just got some great tasting vanilla while on vacation and was so excited to use it 🙂 … Simple Pleasures )

1 tsp Cinnamon

1-3/4 cup Oats

1/4 cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 cup chopped Pecans

1/4 cup Coconut

1/2 cup raisins (soak them for few minutes in hot water to soften if needed)

> You can add whatever things you like: dried cranberries, sliced almonds etc.

> I should mention that these are NOT very sweet!  My boys actually said they were a little disappointed because they needed to be a little sweeter.  So next time I will add Stevia or Brown Sugar to make them more appealing to the kids.  Use your own judgements… thats just how the Sheppard House rated them 😉

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; Line and 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Leave about an inch or so hanging over the edge of the pan for easy removal after baking so they can cool nicely.

2. In a large bowl, whisk milk, eggs, honey, vanilla and cinnamon.

3. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Pour batter into baking pan and spread evenly.

5. Bake until golden brown edges and they are set in the middle.  About 35-40ins in my oven.

6. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars 🙂

My kids really enjoy helping me in the kitchen.  As as you can tell they have some good advice… like “Mom, these need to be a little sweeter… Next time add some brown sugar!”  Try not to stress about these types of things… this recipe is great because its easy and you can just make it your own.  Let the kids have a say in the flavours, experiment and really enjoy days like this.  It will be Monday before ya know it and schedules and deadlines and the RAT RACE will all start again!

TAKE TIME TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE WITHOUT SO MANY LIMITATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS… YOU MAY BE SURPRISED AT THE WONDERFUL OUTCOME!!!

Simple Pleasures... Sleeping Boys :)