Healthy for the Holiday

Yesterday morning as I drove to work, there was snow in the air. Am I the only person who is SO ready to bid winter adios?! I love the cold, crisp days of winter and a clean, beautiful winter landscape, but come on!!! Easter is just a few short days away and I am ready for some sunshine and some warm Springtime temperatures!!

Speaking of Easter --- can you believe it's this coming weekend?! It seems like we just got over the Christmas break and here we are at the next special holiday.

Last year I went totally crazy on the sweets for Easter, but this year I am going to try really hard to stick to my clean eats plans as much as possible. It so easy to go crazy over the holidays - especially a holiday that promotes chocolate eggs and sugary jelly beans as the food of choice. That's not to say that I'm not going to indulge in a creme egg or the peanut butter/chocolate/oreo dessert I've heard is being made for my family dinner, but I am definitely going to focus on my long-term goals and try to stay on track as much as possible.

Here are a few of the tricks and tips that I'll be using in my effort to stay on track this Easter Long Weekend:

*Drink my 8 glasses of water each and everyday - I tend to sip on coffee and wine on long weekends and holidays. I probably will still enjoy both, but my water intake won't suffer as a result.

*WORKOUT!!!! - It's so easy to relax the workout schedule over the holidays. If your gym has reduced hours or you're going to be out of town, throw your sneakers on and go for a walk/jog, or better yet, encourage the whole family to get out and take a stroll around the neighbourhood.

*Remember what the holiday really is about - holidays do not = food!!! Family, friends and celebration  are what the holidays are all about for me. Just because it's a holiday does not automatically give me the green light to gorge myself on every piece of food that passes my way.

*Moderation is KEY - Do you love Cadbury creme eggs as much as I do? Well then eat one...but don't buy out your local convenience store and eat five. The same goes for your favourite Easter dessert. Have one serving and savour every delicious bite. Don't go back for seconds and don't eat it for breakfast tomorrow...er, not that I've ever done that before ;-) Enjoy the taste of decadence and move on.

*Get back to your normal routine asap - Come Monday morning, I will be back to my healthy, clean eats. The indulgence won't be lingering around because the longer that I'm off my routine, the harder it is to get back to it.

*Contribute healthy dishes to your holiday meal - Instead of my usual Skor Bar Trifle (which admittedly is amazing), I've offered to contribute one of my favourite salads and clean desserts to our Easter meal this weekend. I know that my brother's girlfriend is making something decadent (remember that peanut butter/chocolate/oreo concocotion I mentioned above?), so we won't be missing out, and now we'll have a couple of healthier options as well.

Source via Pinterest via Elisa Walsh

Here's a few clean dishes that I think would be perfect for your holiday table:

Sticky Buns

Tiffany's Clean Eating Dr. Wilbur Salad

Martha Stewart's Easter Salad

Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Rachael Ray's Gingered Carrot & Kale Ribbons

Angela's Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf

Tosca Reno's Ooey Gooey Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding - what I'm bringing!!!!
Angela's Coconut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies

What's your favourite Easter dish? Link up to share with my readers!

Do you have any tricks or tips to staying on track after the holiday long weekend?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Food for Thought:

Source: Pinterest via Julie Ann Petersen

Celebrating Celery

I read somewhere recently that March is National Celery Month.

Celery is one of those veggies that just doesn't get enough credit.

As I started to search around for some mouth-watering and healthy recipes, I was surprised to find that celery actually has several impressive health benefits.

You will almost always find some celery stalks in our crisper because it's one of Derek's faves --- give him a bag full of chopped celery and fresh radishes as a snack and you've got one happy man. I don't get quite so excited about this veggie. It's one of those foods that I feel sort of <meh> about. I like the crunch factor, but it certainly isn't the first thing I reach for when I'm searching for something satisfying to eat.

When I saw that it was a month of celebrating celery, I thought that I needed to give celery another chance, so I started a search for some clean celery recipes to try ---- of course, I headed straight over to Pinterest :) Here are some of the pins that made me drool the most.

* Green Apple, Celery & Walnut Salad

* Five-Spice Tofu Stir Fry with Carrots & Celery

* Celery Slaw

* Roasted Celery with Blue Cheese Crumbles {swoon}

* Celery-Based Green Juices

* Clean Eating Citrus Celery Salad

I'm going to give these a try and I'll let you know what I think!

Do you like celery? What's your fave way of eating it?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

The Low Down on Clean Eating & Some "Pinning" Love

Hi there! Happy Thursday to you! It's been a quiet week at my office because there are tons of people on summer vacation. I thought the week would drag by since so many people were out having fun, but it's actually been a quiet and productive work week. It's amazing what you can accomplish when the boss isn't around to bug ya!! :-)

I've been getting a lot of questions about clean eating and what it's all about and what you do eat vs what you don't eat, so I thought I'd talk to you a little about that and then share some awesome clean recipes that I have recently found during my escapades on Pinterest.

At first, I did a little searching around online before I answered the question "What is clean eating?" There are several different interpretations out there, so here's my simple answer:

CLEAN EATING is a lifestyle that focuses on eating whole, natural foods.

Clean eating, in my opinion, is the way to go so that you are fuelling your body with the best food and nutrition for optimal functioning. THIS IS NOT A DIET, although you will look and feel great! Basically, you want to eat foods that have been processed the least. This means you limit processed foods, foods sweetened artificially, bad fats, refined foods such as white flour, white bread or white rice and alcohol (this one is toughest for me!). When you start eating clean, you need to look at labels and become aware of ingredients --- if there are few ingredients and you know what each ingredient is (and it's a whole nutritious food), then it's probably a good choice! Organic is good too because we don't want to eat foods that have been chemically-treated. Clean eating is not just for vegetarians and vegans; if you're a meat eater, you can do this too! When it comes to animal products, I look for local stuff with labels of grass-fed, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, etc.

So....what to eat, what to eat? Once you get started, it's really not that difficult to eat clean, but it does take a little more planning because you can no longer reach for your favourite frozen convenience meal. Here are a few really great sites that I find helpful for meal inspiration:

The Eat-Clean Diet (Tosca Reno's site)

The Gracious Pantry

Oh She Glows

The Clean Eating Mama

I've also been stalking Pinterest searching out some mouth-watering clean meal ideas. Here are some of the most drool-worthy that I've found so far:

Source: Pinterest via Mary Tate

Source: Pinterest via Stephanie Haughian



Source: Pinterest via Jenha Martin

And here are a few of my own clean recipes I think you just might enjoy:

Bananarama Protein Pancakes

Marinara with Lentils & Veggies

Roasted Sweet Potato & Kale Soup

Chewy No Bake Trail Mix Squares

Happy {clean} eating my friends!!

Are you more productive when it's quiet and there's not many people around or do you thrive in a busier environment?

Have a great day!

Andrea

xoxo

Kale: The Overlooked Superfood

If you are a lover of food or healthy living blogs, I'm sure you've seen kale mentioned a time or two.

Kale is one of those superfoods that doesn't get enough credit where credit is due. I'm sure I saw kale in the grocery store, but I never gave it a second glance and didn't really acknowledge its existence until a year or so ago. It was right around the time when I'd come to the realization that my eating habits needed to change if I wanted to lose weight, get fit and live a healthier life. That was also the time that I discovered the wonder that is green smoothies. The first time I tried kale was in a green smoothie and I have one word for how it turned out "BLECH!" I hated it! Kale left my smoothie thick and chunky and I was barely able to slurp it down.

After that experience, kale was gone from my diet once again. However, this summer I kept seeing recipes for kale. Kale chips and marinated salads really caught my eye, so I decided to give it a second chance. I am so glad I did because I can now call kale a veggie that I love. Not only have I found some tasty recipes that I use over and over again, but kale is also full of nutritional goodness that I just can't deny my bod. First of all, kale is very high in antioxidants and what gal doesn't love that?!

2 cups of kale contains 260% of the daily requirement for vitamin A, 170% of vitamin C, 10% of calcium, 8% iron , 3 grams of protein , over 1000% vitamin K,  and 40%  manganese , 40% of vitamin B6 among other. As a green leafy vegetable it is a prime cancer fighting food, rich in anti-oxidants and detoxifying enzymes, carotenoids  and high in fiber . The  sulfurous phytochemicals stimulate the body to make cancer fighting enzymes. One cup contains more than 5 grams of fiber.The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin in kale help prevent eye degeneration and help protect against cataracts .It is also high in calcium. [source]

Now that is some kick butt, awesome stats!!!!

So naturally, when my friend Judy gave me a recipe for marinated kale, I was all over it! I headed straight to the grocery store to pick up a bunch of kale so I could try it out. SCORE! I loved it! It's definitely another easy and awesome recipe that I'll be adding to my vault. :-)

Marinated Kale
Recipe slightly adapted from Maximized Living

This recipe is a great way to enjoy raw kale. If you love the taste of hummus, you'll probably love this recipe because the dressing has many similarities.

1 small bunch kale
1.5 tbsp tahini
1.5 tbsp water
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Cut your kale into bite-sized pieces. I do not use the kale stems because they tend to be bitter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Pour onto the kale and mix well. Don't be afraid to get your hands in there and massage the dressing in really well. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

This marinated kale makes a great snack or side dish to a healthy dinner.

I have two other kale recipes that I love. Check 'em out:

Baked Kale Chips
Weekend Glow Kale Salad (by Angela)

Have you ever tried kale before? What's your fave way to eat it?

Enjoy your day!

Andrea