Beach Vacation & Christmas = Interesting Combo

It's finally time!

Time to take off to Varadero, Cuba. I won the trip about a month ago and at times I think time slowed down and crawled backwards but at the same time, I can't believe it's the end of November already.

Doesn't look to shabby to me?! - img via

We are leaving early Saturday morning and have a quick layover in Calgary. We should be getting into Cuba around 9pm, just in time to grab a drink at the bar. I've got to be honest, I never considered going to Cuba as I had heard from so many people how bland the food was. I never even spent a minute to investigate it on my own. Well ever since we won the trip I've been googling and flipping through pictures of Varadero. People!! Why didn't you tell me they had gorgeous beaches?! Food, who cares about food when you have gorgeous white sand beach and crystal blue ocean waves sparkling at you. All I need is a drink in hand and I'm good. Jeeeez.

I'll definitely be reporting back on my opinion of Cuba compared to other Carribean destinations. I've heard that the people are quite charming and nice like in Dominican Republic. Sweet news to my ears.

We get back into Vancouver on December 2nd. It's going to be strange going from pretty much no Christmas activity in our town to boom, Christmas season galore. I'm excited to start decorating our place. It's our first year in our new condo and our first Christmas living together. Our place is far too tiny to have a fake or real tree so I've scanning the web and Pinterest (of course) trying to find some alternatives. Any ideas anyone?

A little Christmas tree this year - img via

I've been having a craving for pomegranate's this past couple weeks and gave in the other day and bought Scott and I a big one. I couldn't believe that it cost $5.00 just for one but I just had to get my fix. I haven't been having any sugar treats so this was going to be my splurge treat. I tried out the under water method of opening it up. It works so well! It was alot easier then tearing at it while all the pomegranate juice squirts on your hands, eyes and clothes. Come December I'm going to try creating a Pomegranate Martini. Any recipes you could suggest??

A simple pomegranate martini - know of any great recipes? - img via

Well folks, until December....
Have a great holiday Thanksgiving and talk to you soon. xo

-Michelle

Weekend Warm-Up : Cooking School (Dirty Apron)

Happy Friday everyone!

A big TGIF for me this week. I think I've accidently slept in about 3 times this week. I tend to need more sleep when I'm stressed in life. No matter how many naps I catch, still not enough. Hopefully next week will be alot different and I can get back into my groove.

Special Sushi Making Party Night

The past few weekends we've been on a trend of creating different foods we've never tried cooking/making before. Scott created a wonderful sushi meal a couple weekends ago. We all got a turn to make our own rolls and they turned out amazing. I thought I could totally nail it but mine was the worst one! lol. By the time all the prepping was complete we were starving. I don't think I've ever eaten sushi that fast, tsk tsk on me.

This weekend we are heading to The Dirty Apron Cooking School here in downtown Vancouver. For Scott's birthday present, his best friend bought all of us a night out together at the cooking school. This has been a dream of Scott's for a while. I think this will really take his passion for cooking to a new level. The school has been nice enough to offer me a non meat dish to cook. Greeeat now I'll be "that veggie girl" again haha! I'm really looking forward to it all, should be fun.

Lovely Links: 

• Vega Kitchen is really putting out some good recipes lately. Apple, Cinnamon & Oatmeal Protein Shake. 
• Tips for Dealing with Daylight Saving Time this weekend.
• Taylor Morgan posted some crazy photos of Hurricane Sandy Aftermath
• Southwestern Chicken and Speghetti Squash Salad. easy on the dressing ;)

 What are you doing this weekend?
-Michelle

Healthy Weight : Keeping Smoothies Skinny

Beware: Smoothies are usually considered a meal and I'm a Smoothie Freak! Love em!
 

Smoothie Art

A large percentage of smoothies that are offered at on-the-go places have the same amount of calories as a meal. Liquid calories can be dangerous! There is also a large amount of sugar in smoothies (natural or added) and should be consumed in the morning or early afternoon so your body can burn off all that extra energy/sugar.

There's also healthy smoothies and then there's "smoothies" which are actually just milkshakes in disguise. Smoothies can be a great meal replacement if made correctly and be amazingly beneficial to your health. Adding Kale into your smoothie everyday is an easy way to get those extra greens.







A run down of some of the smoothies offered at "on-the-go" places:

Jugo Juice - a fav "on the go" one

Mc Donald's Peach Smoothie - 545g serving

320 calories / 70g carbohydrates (sugar) / 65g of sodium

Dairy Queen/Orange Julius - Strawberry Banana - 587g serving

320 calories / 82g carbs / added sugar and fructose corn syrup

Booster Juice - Mango Hurricane - 24oz

336 calories / 78g carbs (sugar)

Starbucks Strawberry Banana Smoothie (soy) - Grande

290 calories / 58g carbs (sugar)

To give you an understanding of how it compares to a restaurant breakfast:
A waffle at IHOP (no syrup/no butter) is

310 calories / 37g of carbs

Now I'm not saying go grab a waffle instead of a smoothie but I'm showing you that a smoothie is pretty much a meal and can sometimes be considered an unhealthy meal if you don't know what's going into it.

The BEST thing to do : Make them at home so you know what is going into them and how much is going into them. That way you can also make meal sized or snack size.

Here's an example of a smoothie I make at home most mornings for breakfast:
  

Magic Bullet - your best friend in the kitchen!



• 1 small frozen banana
• Handful of frozen mango chunks
• Handful of blackberries
• Large handful of Kale
• 1 scoop of Vega (Natural) Energizing Protein Powder
• 1 tablespoon of Flax Seeds
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of almond milk

Blend! and slurp!

Amazing added ingredients for smoothies:

Kale : High in Vitamins A, C & K. Great source of Iron and fights fatigue. I can notice a huge awesome difference in my skin when I add Kale.
Flax Seeds: Great source of fibre and Omega 3's.

Chia Seeds: High in calcium, iron and magnesium. They also contain Omega 3's.
Coconut Water: Filled with potassium and 5 different electrolytes. My favourite brand is Zico.

To milk or not to milk?
I'm not a fan of using milk but instead I like to use almond milk or soy milk. I find that milk is not easily digested by anyone and causes more harm then good.

What do you put into your smoothies? Are you a smoothie lover?

-Michelle



Healthy Recipe : Salmon Cakes

A favourite healthy recipe created by Scott and loved by all our friends!

This recipe originally started off as a salmon burger. Scott had made them into patties and stuffed them in to a fresh whole wheat bun. It was delicious but it was too much. We all sat around holding out stuffed bellies claiming it was the BEST salmon burger we've ever tried but it was just way too much food.

Ta-da : the salmon cake was born. So the next week (it's that good) we made them and tried it without the bun. The flavors are so incredible that it was amazing on it's own. The curry sauce underneath compliments it perfectly. You don't have to have the sauce but it's a nice touch.



This recipe is unlike the "cakes" that you get in restaurants that are filled with stuffing's and are not healthy for you. This is full of fresh ingredients and a touch of panko crumbs to hold it together. I like to add a salad on the side as you are getting a ton of protein from the salmon. We've also had baked sweet potato fries and quinoa as a side. It goes great with anything.


Salmon Cakes

This recipe will make four 8 ounce salmon patties.

600 grams of salmon ( I found that a rough chop for this patty works
best for flavor and it will juicier)
1/4 cup of chopped green onion
1/4 cup of chopper red bell pepper
1/4 cup of panko (may need to use more with different salmon)
2 egg yolks
salt
pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and lightly mix. You don't want the salmon to be torn apart.
Preferably refrigerate for 20-60 minutes to let in bind and the flavours combine. Separate the mixture into 8 balls. Lightly press them down to form more of a pattie than a ball.

In a frying pan with coconut oil, lightly crisp the salmon cakes on both sides to get a crunch. Then put the cakes in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Optional:
a nice squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

As for the light mayo for the plate:
Light mayo mixed with Thai red curry paste (this tastes absolutely
amazing, the stronger the mix the better it goes with the salmon cake)


This is now a staple meal in our house.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

-Michelle

Weekend Warm-Up : Food & Recipes

Can you tell I'm hungry this Friday?


Smoked Salmon Crostini's


 Food is on my brain and I'm itching to try out so many recipes this weekend. Okay, let's be honest here... I won't be doing the cooking but I'll suggest some ideas to the cook in the house, Scott (BF). We went out for dinner last night and by changing up my usual eating routine in the week it got my stomach wanting some new tastes. It doesn't help that Pinterest is amazing for some food photos. Now I just have to convince him to cook healthy food. He still loves his butter and fat, like every other meat & potato's man.

We have come a long way from the first days of dating though. I swear I gained 15lbs when I first started dating Scott. I couldn't refuse his home cooked meals. It was just such a sweet offering. After several plates loaded with dairy (cheese!) and covered with condiments, I just couldn't take it any more and had to start suggesting alternatives to the fat ridden ingredients. Slowly but surely we've come up with healthy versions of the classics. He also used to be a huge meat eater who loved his steak, ribs, and chicken. Scott has also started to incorporate more fish into his diet which makes it easier to plan meals together.

What are you eating this weekend? Are you splurging and having a "cheat day" or are you sticking to your healthy nutritious meals?

A few healthy recipes I've found this week from across the web:

• Pasta for lunch? Smoky Tomato Roasted Pepper and Arugula Pasta
• My friend Angie over at "Dishes Undressed" featured a Mid West Vegetarian Burger. I might have to try this one out this weekend.
• The clouds have been making an appearance around town. Time for some soup!
• Beautiful natural vibrant salad. I could eat this every day for lunch.
• Any one use Tofu on a regular basis? I'm not an average user but these Tofu Triangle Bites look good.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Don't drool too much over all the recipes ;)

-Michelle

Healthy Recipe : Halibut on Beet & Zucchini Salad



Beet & Zucchini Salad

This week we decided to have my mom over for a nice evening dinner. Well that's what we had hoped. Like always, things didn't go as planned (but we love it that way). My mom's doctor appointment ended up going longer than expected and then a nice surprise, my aunt stopped by to say hello. We ended up eating dinner around.... say 9:30pm lol.

This recipe is great for a light meal. It's fresh and the dill combined with the beets and zucchini is amazing! Besides the salad having to marinate the recipe can actually be made very quickly. We were lucky enough to receive our beets from a friend who has a garden in the city. There is nothing like fresh organic vegetables. The difference in taste between organic and not organic is astonishing. If you ever want to test the difference, try buying a piece of celery from organic and not organic.

Halibut with Beet & Zucchini Salad

1  zucchini

3  beets

4  3-5 oz halibut fillets

3 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)

2 cups of arugula

3 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Cut zucchini and beets into paper thin rounds. In a large bowl toss zucchini and beets with 2 tbsp of Vinaigrette (recipe below). Set aside and marinate for 20-60 minutes.

Preheat pan over medium-high heat. Brush halibut fillets with 2 tbsp of vinaigrette and cook till almost fully done, about 3 minutes per side.

Before plating, toss dill, arugula and pine nuts into zucchini mixture.

One each plate: lay a portion of salad mixture down and top with halibut. Spoon small amount of vinaigrette over fish and salad. Serve immediately so the salad doesn’t wilt.

Vinaigrette

2 tsp of lemon zest

½ cup of lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

½ tsp of sea salt

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of fresh oregano (chopped)

Grounded black pepper to taste



Halibut on Beet & Zucchini Salad

Enjoy!

-Michelle

Best Choices : How to Eat Healthy at Starbucks

Worst Choice Vs. Best Choice

I'm starting a new series on Best Choices to make when eating out. It will dive into: what is your best choices to eat at different restaurants, events or even when attending a friends BBQ. Sometimes you can be so hungry and overwhelmed with choices that you just give up/surrender and pick what your nagging candy gremlin in you wants (I've got one who loves to come out while I'm grabbing a water at 7-11!).

So the first place I wanted to touch on is a common daily favourite of many people. Starbucks!

Let me begin by making a comment most will want to debate with me about but this is my opinion and what I have found to be healthy choice for myself. I don't believe milk from a cow is healthy for you. There's alternatives to milk now and they ARE offered at Starbucks, we should all take advantage of this. I'll go into full detail regarding milk and dairy in another post.

Coffee
When ordering coffee try to stick to a water based coffee instead of a half dairy or half soy milk choice. This reduces the amount of calories obtained considerably. Stay away from the artificial sweeteners (you are adding chemicals to your coffee - sound appealing?). Instead use honey. If you have been used to sugar and sweeteners, it won't take you too long to get used to honey.

Americano (made with espresso & water) : 15 calories and 0g of fat
Caffe Latte (made with soy milk): 150 calories and 5g of fat
Mocha (made with soy milk) : 230 calories and 7g of fat

Smoothies :
should be used only when you are in need of a meal replacement and have no other choice. I do enjoy the chocolate banana one but it packs 300 calories and has 55g of carbohydrates in which 34 grams is sugar! It may be partially from fruit but that is still a lot of sugar.

Iced Coffee:
Always best to order a straight iced coffee (brewed or americano) and then add some soy milk and honey to taste. If you are in dire need of that blended drink, it's best to go with a light frapp.
Beware: even though it's only 140 calories it still contains 29 grams of sugar and sweeteners.


Food
If it looks like dessert - it is dessert! Those little treats staring at your soul while you stand in line are evil! lol
There's a reason the display case for the food is smack dab in your face, to make you stare at them while you wait and in the mean time you convince yourself "it won't be that bad". On average though, how many times do you really eat dessert during the day? Yes, maybe a birthday at work or special dining out at lunch but not just because you are having a coffee. To give you an example of what you may think is somewhat harmless:
Reduced Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake: 400 calories, 8 grams of fat and 50 grams of sugar!

Luckily, Starbucks does offer healthy food choices.

Here's a list of my GO-TO FOOD choices:

• Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap (use as a meal) - 290 calories and 10g of fat.
• KIND Bars - full of protein and low in calories
• Packages of dried fruit - natural source of calories
• Greek Yogurt - try to avoid the bottom part (extra sugar there)
• Fresh Fruit - easy option and natural (of course)
• Package of dried fruit & nuts - avoid the ones covered in a coating (sugar!)

Hope you enjoy this "Best Choices" series and if you would like suggest a subject for Best Choices, please contact me through email, Facebook or Twitter.

-Michelle

Healthy Food Recipe : Homemade Granola

I love cereal! but cereal doesn't love me. So I've found something new. Granola!

Mixed up Before Adding Wet Ingredients and Dried Fruit



I love all cereals but they do not agree with my stomach and usually aren't that great for you due to the processed ingredients, added additives/chemicals and all the sugar (even in healthy ones). Let's be honest, you didn't really think those frosted flakes, fruit loops and shredded wheats were good for you? It's all broken down and rebuilt ingredients in a box. The reason it can last so long on the shelf is because of how broken down the material is.

A great alternative to cereal is... Homemade Granola. My BF and I were buying a small bag from the local cafe that makes everything fresh and the bag was costing us $9.00 each time. So I thought it was time to just make it at home and save some money. Big bonus: now I know exactly what is going into my granola and add what we want to it. I love to change it up for the different seasons.

Here is my homemade granola recipe:

 

Summer Sun Granola

 

Dry Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups of rolled oats (try to use organic)
• 1/2 cup of slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1/2 cup of carob chips

Dried Fruit:

• 1/2 cup of cranberries
• 1/2 cup of golden raisins

Wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of real maple syrup  (no Aunt Jamima's)
• 1/2 cups of real honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Directions:
Take a cookie sheet and spray with pam or pam olive oil. In a measuring cup combine the maple syrup and honey together.

In a large bowl stir all dry ingredients except for the dried fruit until fully mixed. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Stir until everything thing has a light coating on it. You can add more of the wet ingredient mixture to your taste*.

On a large cookie sheet spread the mixture out evenly. Once the oven is ready set it on the middle rack to bake.

After 10 minutes take the pan out and gently mix the granola around on the pan. Place back in the over and set time for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes check on the granola and see how golden brown it is and add the dried fruit. Mine took another 5 minutes to reach the golden brown I like.

Remove the pan from the oven and let set for an hour. Once the granola has hardened you can break it up into a sealed tight container.

*try not to use too much sugar.

Tip: I like to eat this in the morning so I am able to burn off the calories from the dried fruit, oats and maple syrup/honey.

What do you add to your granola? I would love to hear some ideas I can add next time.

-Michelle

Healthy Food Recipe : Paella

I first tried Paella when I was in the Dominican Republic and they had it in this massive pan over an open BBQ pit and they had to use a paddle to stir it. I was hooked instantly!

Paella is a rice dish that originally came from Spain. I love how versatile it is by adding whatever seafood you like and subtracting the meat.  It also brings the whole family together to enjoy. I recommend having it at lunch time due to the starch and carbohydrates content in the recipe. This gives you more time to burn off that energy (carbohydrates) from the food. You can also remove the chorizo sausage (I would recommend), which can have a lot fat in it. If you can find a lean sausage that would be fine. We put the sausage in the Paella as my BF enjoys meat but I ate around it.

My BF is in the midst of trying the recipe out using Quinoa in place of the rice. He's still fine tuning it so it has that moist texture like the Paella. As you might tell over time here on my blog, I'm not the cook in the family anymore - he's taken over. He's a big meat and carbs guy while I'm a pescaterian who loves fruits and veggies. We are learning to meet half way. Together we are coming up with ways to make a recipe healthier. A learning process we are excited about.

Seafood & Chorizo Sausage Paella

• 1 pound of mixed seafood - chopped in 1 inch chunks. We use scallops, shrimp, snapper and salmon.
• Small touch of fresh parsley - chopped up
• 1/2 pound of chorizo sausage
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 litres of chicken broth (can use veggie)
• olive oil
• 2 cups of arborio rice
• 2 handfuls of frozen peas
• 2 lemons

Place a large skillet/frying pan on high heat and add small amount of olive oil (enough to lightly cover the pan). Add the parsley, onion, garlic, chorizo sausage to the pan. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until onions become soft and the chorizo sausage is fairly cooked.

Stir in the arborio rice and season with salt and pepper. Add in the boiling broth until the pan comes to a boil. Make sure to stir so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Put a lid on the pan and bring the heat down to a simmer. Occasionally stir up the paella. Lots of rice is different so read the package of your rice for cooking time.

When rice is nearly done, add in the seafood and peas. Gently stir in the seafood. Squeeze the juice of one lemon on top. Cook for another 5 minutes. If the rice seems a bit dry then add in a bit more water. You want the rice to be more moist than dry. Have a taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the Paella pan to the middle of a table and everyone can dig in.

Serves 6 people.

Enjoy!



Chef Hard at Work



Have you made Paella before? What did you include in yours?

I would love to hear your version of the recipe in the comments below. Or you can send me a link via Twitter.

-Michelle