Healthful Options for Clean Eating

I’ve had a lot of you asking me about my diet (I hate that term, I prefer to think of it as nourishing my body with what it truly needs) and healthy alternatives that I like to indulge in. I say indulge because I truly enjoy eating healthy. On the other hand, I also have a sweet tooth + I find a good balance by trying to eat healthy 80% of the time + allow myself little ‘treats’ 20% of the time.

Like I’ve mentioned before, once you can allow yourself to find balance + to look at food as fuel instead of only what you ‘can’t’ have, it makes the process that much more enjoyable + easy to stick to. We’re going for long-term health here, I’m not one who believes in fads or crazy diets. I’ve shared some healthy alternatives below to hopefully inspire you to make small changes everyday!

Healthful Alternatives + Recipes

Quinoa + Kale Patties

Crispy Chicken Parmesan

Crispy Brussel Sprouts w/ Garlic Aioli

Almond + Flaxseed Granola

Shrimp Tacos w/ Cilantro Lime Sauce

Pinterest is a great resource to find healthy recipes + inspiration, I encourage you to check it out

Make Your Own Health Bars

Over the past few months I have made many changes to my diet. Now, when I say diet I am not referring to ‘dieting’, but rather have completely cut out processed foods, sugar and refined carbs. I’ve filled my meals with leafy greens + veggies, quinoa, protein shakes (2 per day) fruits, complex carbs, fish, lean meat + chicken. Instead of thinking of food as a way to waste time when bored, I think of food as my fuel and our relationship has blossomed because of it.

I have to say that making small changes gradually has helped me to make the transition + stick to it. I feel great! I do a mix of Yoga (Hot + Flow) + Boxing consistently throughout each week, and found that I wasn’t fulfilling my nutritional needs (Pre-Post) in order to get the muscle, toning + definition I was looking to gain.

When it comes to snacking (which I do between each meal: the key is small nutritious snacks that will fill you up + won’t weigh you down). I will regularly alternate between a variety of healthy (unsalted) nuts, fruits, veggies + plenty of water. I love the idea of protein bars but so many are loaded with sugars + fillers that aren’t the best, and really who doesn’t want the best for themselves?

Here are a few healthy homemade bar alternatives to try for extra fuel pre/post an intense workout:

Healthy Homemade Bars

Healthy Fruit + Nut Bars

No-Bake Banana Nut Protein Bars (vegan, gluten-free)

Sweet + Salty Bars

Mix + Match Energy Bars

*You can also visit my Pinterest page for more Healthful + nutritious meal/snack ideas

My Review: The Kale Chip

After reading the floods of comments + reviews on this magical snack, I had to give it a go! So, this past weekend I headed to my local market to pickup some leafy greens + went straight to work. My first thought was that when baked, kale chips might actually be bitter or they wouldn’t turn out right on the first try. But to my surprise + delight, they turned out perfect! They were light, crispy + delicious – have you heard a bad review yet?

Kale Chips are super easy to make + take little to no time at all – the perfect snack on-the-go, packed with Vitamins K, A & C. 1 cup of Kale contains less than 50 cal, more than 1000% of the recommended daily Vitamin K, more than 300% of Vit A & more than 200% of your recommended Vit C {source}.

Making Kale Chips couldn’t be easier!  Ditch the guilt of snacking + get your greens in – daily!

Daily Health

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend off + were able to enjoy some of that sunshine we had!! When it comes to daily health, I like to make sure that I am filling my body with vitamins, minerals + nutrients it needs to get me through the day! It’s hard to figure out what we should be taking, what we should steer clear of, and what might benefit us in the long run. To help with the chaos that is the vitamin isle, i’ve included a Vitamin chart – labelling all the vitamins + their functions!

My Daily Ritual

1 x Materna Daily Vitamin
3 x Omega 3 Fish Oils
1 x B12 Viamin {for energy}
1 x Skinnygirl Daily Cleanse + Restore Drink

Healthy Skin 101

Healthy skin starts from the inside out! Toss these power foods into your grocery bag next time you head to the market, and put your best face forward by giving your skin the nutrients it needs! Summer time is spent socializing so now’s a great time to change-up your diet to incorporate more foods that will give you that summer glow!

1. Almonds
2. Carrots
3. Dark Chocolate
4. Flaxseed
5. Green Tea
6. Safflower Oil
7. Tuna
8. Spinach
9. Sweet potatoes
10. Tomatoes

Juice Truck Love

If you haven’t already heard by now…it’s time to jump on The Juice Truck bandwagon!! Zack + Ryan are the founders of The Juice Truck creating healthy, inventive + original concoctions from juices to smoothies + beyond! They source the best in local produce by supporting local farming efforts (always a plus!)

Their mission? “To encourage – through our products + our brand – the health of our community, our people, + our land” ..Love this! And if that wasn’t enough to win you over, their secret to creating the most nutritionally complete juice? – they use a premium cold pressing production technique – similar to how olive oil is made (who knew?!). This cold pressing technique uses no heat, preserving the natural flavors of the produce, thus delivering more essential vitamins, minerals + enzymes than juice extracted any other way. Genius.

 This weekend, I strongly recommend you head down to see The Juice Truck Boys + their bright pink food truck on the corner of Abbott + Water St. in historic Gastown! Follow The Juice Truck or Visit them on Facebook for times, locations + check out their fabulous menu. Cheers to Happy Juicing!!

Fancy Toasts

I got a great response from when I posted my Foodie-On-The-Go article, so I thought I’d share some more great snack ideas! I loove open-faced sandwiches – they’re quick, uncomplicated + delicious – Enjoy!

Green Envy

It’s hard not to ignore what everyone tells us so often about the health benefits related to drinking green tea! I’ve been trying to make it a habit to reach for the Green every couple days to soak up all those extra vitamins, minerals + antioxidants my body would love me for. It’s just too good to pass up! With the summer months ahead, why not make Matcha Green Tea Popsicles for a fun, yummy way to get healthy or try a matcha frappe from Starbucks!

Why it’s so good for us

• An excellent source of antioxidants
• Burns fat + enables you to exercise longer
• It prolongs your life
• Lowers stress + boosts brain power
• Reduces high blood pressure
• Helps protect your lungs
• Helps protect your liver
• Prevents tooth decay
• Helps preserve + build healthy bones
• Boosts your immunity against illness
• Rehydrates better than water!

Need a Boost?

At home, at the office, during yoga or a simple catch-up session with my dearest girlfriends; it seems no matter where I turn.. someone’s hacking up a lung or treating the sniffles or coming off of a 3-day at-home-sick stay!! Yuck! To help boost your immunity + ward off that flu bug that everyone seems to be sharing, I wanted to let you in on a few of my emergency Vitamin Booster Juices to help!

Get Well Soon!

Foodie on-the-go

I’m always on-the-go like many of you! Sometimes I find that I’m not getting enough of ‘the good stuff’, but rather pinching out on something quick + easy that ends up to be less than satisfying. On my obsession that is Pinterest, I came across some AMAZING snack ideas that hopefully you will love as much as I do! I’m putting these delicious creations to the test this week! Enjoy!