My Peak Challenge

As a huge fan of the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon, I was pretty excited when the tv series came out on Starz last year. 

This is a painting I did inspired by #Outlander - clearly a bit of an obsessed fan girl! But in all seriousness, the book series are probably some of the best books I've ever read.

Of course I started getting my fan girl chops on and following the Outlander cast on social media like every other obsessive fan girl.  In the process I learned that swoon worthy Sam Heughan, the Scottish actor who plays the role of Jamie Fraser, has created a fitness challenge that helps fundraise money to support a charity organization called Bloodwise which helps support blood cancer research.

Here's a promo pic for the program featuring Sam Heughan - super fit (and extremely good looking) guy who climbs mountains and runs marathons.  Not sure I'm even close to that level - but I am excited about my goals!

I became interested in what he was doing, and after connecting with a lot of fantastic Outlander fans who were participating in the challenge, I decided to set my own fitness goals and give it a go. 

The program is called My Peak Challenge  and it encourages participants to set their own health and fitness goals while connecting with others in the community. 

http://www.mpc2016.com/products/my-peak-challenge-2016

I'm fairly excited about it!  I wanted to join last year but I had just had a baby and didn't feel ready to jump head first into a fitness challenge with a newborn and another toddler at home.

Anyway / my youngest is now 14 months old so now I feel ready to be a part of the #MyPeakPosse #BearStength community.  I just signed up for the My Peak Challenge Prep Program and ordered a My Peak Challenge starter pack - which comes with a really cute t-shirt.

First things first, I need to set my goals.  I'm happy to say that I already did a weight loss challenge shortly after my daughter was born and I have been back to my pre-baby weight for several months now.  So now that I am feeling good about my weight, I am ready to set some more challenging fitness goals.

Sam provides some awesome fitness tutorial videos, nutrition tips and a course plan.  I'm hoping to follow along with the workouts and as much of the plan as I can.   

Since I have a crazy schedule with my kids I'm making my pledge realistic for me to follow - So here is my plan and My Peak Pledge:

mypeakchallenge #mypeakpledge

- I will attend my cardio barre class at least once a week

- I will go for a long walk/ hike with my daughter at least once a week

- nutrition goals - I will eat at least 2 servings of fruits and vegetables daily

- Follow along with the program and make adjustments to fit my schedule and fitness level

- I will focus on core strength and toning my butt and legs by doing at least 2 sets of squats (15 each set) and 2 sets of bicycle crunches on at least 3 days of the week.

- I will work hard to increase my daily water intake and carry my water bottle with me everywhere.

- maintain my current weight and improve my muscle tone, energy levels, strength, flexibility and nutrition

- I will limit my intake of alcohol and chocolate to no more than 2 glasses of wine or beer a week and no more than 3 small servings of chocolate a week

- I will log on to myfitnesspal every day until May 1st to track my progress

Okay! Let's do this!

Trader Joe's Breaded Cod - Easy Dinner

When I want something quick, easy and healthy for dinner I will often go to my freezer and get out some Trader Joe's frozen breaded cod fillets, which I always have in my freezer.  They only take 20 minutes to bake in the oven and while they are baking I make a quick homemade (no mayo) tarter sauce and some sautéed spinach and tomato. It's so easy and super delicious!

This meal is jam packed with protein and vitamins - I love it and I always feel great after eating it.

Home made tarter sauce:

- 2 heaping tablespoons of sour cream

- 1 teaspoon of capers

- 1 teaspoon Siracha sauce

- chopped chives

- a squeeze of lemon

- 1 teaspoon horseradish 

Just mix it all together - add a little salt and some garlic powder - yummy!

Then after I make the sauce I just heat a sauté pan with some olive oil, add some largely chopped tomato and let cool for  3 or 4 minutes.  Then I add some fresh spinach leaves, add a dash of salt and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.  

Next I plate the spinach and tomatoes.  Then I take the cod out of the oven and onto my plate, spoon some tarter sauce over the top, and Voila, a delicious and healthy dinner or lunch.

This is my go to meal when I want some serious vitamin power!

Quick and Easy Shepherds Pie

Occasionally at our house we eat a big lamb steak with mashed potatoes and baby broccoli for dinner. It's one of my favorites - but lamb can be really expensive so we don't have it that often.

Here is the left over lamb steak from the night before...
 

Usually we end up with a lot of left overs and instead of eating the exact same thing the next night, I like to mix it up and make a super quick and easy shepherds pie using the left over lamb and potatoes.

It's so delicious - it could almost be better than having the lamb steaks.  

Ingredients:

- half a pound of left over cooked lamb steak - chopped into small chunks 

- 1.5 cups of left over mashed potatoes

- 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese

- half an onion diced

- 1 celery stalk diced

- 1/4 cup of chopped carrot

- 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen peas

- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

- 2 small tomatoes finely chopped (or can of diced tomatoes)

- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- water or stock

- salt, pepper, dried oregano and some chili flakes

- olive oil and a little butter

First I assemble all the ingredients starting with chopping the veggies. I put all the onion, celery and carrots together since they take the longest to cook. 

Then once they are all chopped, I put them in a sauté pan on medium heat with a little olive oil and a teaspoon of butter.

While that is cooking I prep all the other ingredients.

Next, after the veggies have cooked for about 5 minutes or so the tomato paste will go in.

Meanwhile I am still prepping...

Then I stir around the tomato paste until it is well combined. About this time I preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Then I add some seasoning, the salt and pepper, chili flakes, oregano and sometimes I add some garlic powder.

I will then add some water or stock and let it cook down until the carrots are soft for about 15 minutes. Just keep adding water if the veggies start to stick or get to dry. 

Next I add in the meat and frozen peas. I usually will add a bit more butter and let that sauté for another 10 minutes until it is all nicely combined and the veggies are well cooked.

Then I assemble all the ingredients into a lightly greased oven dish. Starting with the veggie/ lamb mixture on the bottom, and then adding the potatoes and grated cheese on top.

This is what it looks like all assembled:

Then I pop it in the oven for 20 minutes and voila! An easy, delicious shepherds pie! 

You could use this same recipe with any leftover protein you have, ground beef, ground turkey, left over chicken or even just as a veggie dish it would be delicious.  

Enjoy!

Morning Skinny Drink

Currently I have two children under the age of three and have discovered how difficult it can be to find time to take care of yourself.  I am so busy taking care of other people (miniature crazy people) that I end up neglecting myself, and am often so exhausted that I look and feel tired most of the time.

Before I had children, somewhere in my late twenties, I weighed on average about 123 pounds (I'm about 5'5" tall) which was pretty lean, not really skinny but not overweight either - I was usually a size 4. After having my first child I gained quite a bit of weight. When I was pregnant is when I started the weight gain and then never really was able to lose it, and I weighed an average of about 140 pounds, which put me at about 20 pounds overweight.  It was not a huge amount to overcome, but challenging non the less.  I finally made a commitment to get back to my pre-kids weight after the birth of my second child.

To make a long story short, after my second child was about 4 months old, I lost the weight doing a diet for nursing moms.  I lost all the extra weight, and then some.  I am now the size I was when I was like 19 years old (pretty skinny) at about 115 pounds and I have more energy than ever even though I still don't get much sleep (baby sleep training is still my everyday experience).  I won't go into all the details of how I did it since I really want to focus on "maintenance" for this post.  I'll save the weight loss journey for another post.

I've made a conscious effort, as much as possible, to really think about my food choices before I eat, while I'm eating, and be as thoughtful as possible about what I put in my mouth - even being as busy as I am with the kids.  Before I lost the weight I wasn't really thinking about what I was eating - I was just eating - now my mind is working differently and I am always thinking about what the food is, how much I'm consuming and if what I am eating is making me feel physically good.  I think of food in terms of energy, healing and joy.  I know that seems vague but, I will go into more detail about that in a later post.

The "thinking" is the first part.  The second part is what I like to call my "skinny medicine foods".  These are foods that I have done research about (and by that I mean searched Pinterest boards) and consider to be food choices that I can make on a regular basis that not only help me maintain my weight but also aid in losing weight and flushing out my system. 

There are about twenty or so such foods that I keep on my list, but the main one and the one I swear by is what I call my "Morning Skinny Drink".

It's pretty simple and I drink it religiously every morning, and if I ever miss a few days I still drink it at least 4 days a week on average.  

What is the magic drink? It's basically just lemon and water.  I know it sounds too simple to really work - but believe me - IT WORKS!!  

Now, the trick is to drink it when you first wake up about 15 minutes before you eat or drink anything else.  I won't get into a long explanation of how it works, but essentially it helps flush your intestines, it gets rid of harmful bacteria, it helps boost your metabolism, it balances the PH levels in your body which helps your body manage sugar (don't have tell you how important that one is), and also gives you a little energy boost.  It does a bunch of other stuff too but I will leave it to you to do your homework about it.  Suffice as to say it's a magical, magical, wonderful thing and super easy to do on a regular basis.  

Like I said, water with lemon, every morning, first thing.  Pretty easy!

Now, If you REALLY want to give your body a good clean and want to go to that extra effort to look good and feel good then you've gotta try my "Super Skinny Drink"

This is it:

- Tall glass of ice water

- Juice of one whole lemon

- Unsweetened Cranberry juice

- 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

- 4 whole mint leaves

- 1 tablespoon of honey

Mix all together and drink it down first thing in the morning then follow up with one glass of regular water.  

Enjoy! 

Here's a before and after photo so you can see the difference this has made in my life...

Here's me a few months after second baby - at 140 ish pounds...

Here's me last weekend at 115 pounds and looking a lot healthier and happier!  It's not a ton of weight difference (only about 25 pounds) but the difference is HUGE! You can really see the difference in my face (already have a round face to begin with) but the change is dramatic.  And my waistline really tells the story too - from wearing large baggy t-shirts to small tops and size 2 dresses!  I look better, feel better and can wear my old skinny jeans! Yay!

My husbands favorite soup - Spicy Potato

Spicy Potato Soup

This is my version of a classic potato soup.  I originally found the recipe in an Irish Pub cook book, along with having learned a similar soup from my granny, and I have added my own twists of flavor to it over time.  It is my husbands absolute favorite soup.  It is really comforting to eat and filling enough to be a meal on it's own.

 

 This soup is pretty basic to make, you basically chop and prep all your ingredients and throw them in a pot.  There are a couple of extra steps at the end to make this soup extra creamy and delicious, but it's really pretty easy.

 

Ingredients:

- 1lb pancetta or bacon - diced into small chunks (I buy the diced pancetta from Trader Joe's) - you can omit this ingredient for the vegetarian version of this soup

- 1 tablespoon of veggie oil

- 2 celery stalks diced

- 1 hot pepper (jalepeno or serrano) finely chopped for a little kick (omit this if you don't want it to be spicy)

- 1 diced onion

- 3 garlic cloves minced

- 8 medium size potatoes peeled and cubed (I use Yukon Gold)

- 4 cups of chicken stock, veggie stock or water

- 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter (or veggie oil if you want less fat)

- 1/4 cup of all purpose flour (sometimes I use chickpea flour or rice flour for a gluten free option)

- 1cup heavy cream and half a cup of plain yogurt or milk (you can just use yogurt for the healthier version)

- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 teaspoon of coriander

- 1 teaspoon of oregeno

- 1 cup of chopped chives or green onions to garnish
- sometimes I add a little tumeric for color and subtle flavor - it also has amazing health benefits

 Directions:

- I start by prepping all my ingredients.  I chop all the veggies and put them aside.  I put the celery, onions, garlic and peppers into one bowl, the potatoes in another, and the cilantro into it's own little bowl.

- Using a heavy bottomed pot like a cast iron dutch oven, turn the stove to medium heat and begin by browning the pancetta or bacon in a tiny bit of vegetable oil.  Cook for 3 or 4 minutes until lightly browned, then carefully remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

- Now add a tiny bit more vegetable oil, and a tablespoon of butter to the pot and throw in your onions, garlic, celery and pepper.  Cook for about 5-6 minutes on medium heat until the veggies are softened.

 - At this point you can add in your spices and salt and pepper to the veggie mixture.  Once the vegetables are soft add in the potatoes, and also the pancetta that you set aside.  Cook this for about 2 minutes and make sure everything is incorporated together.

- Now add in the chicken stock until the potato/ veggie mixture is fully submerged and bring to a boil.  Once boiling turn the heat to low and let simmer for about 45 minutes.

- While that is cooking you can start your roux - which is the creamy component to your soup.
- To make the roux, in a separate small pot, add in the rest of your butter and the flour over medium/ low heat.

- Once the butter is all melted and incorporated with the flour, turn the heat to low and slowly add in the heavy cream and milk.

- Now whisk the mixture until it begins to thicken, then turn off the heat.

 - Then you can add in the chopped cilantro and a little salt and pepper to taste.

- The roux/ cream mixture should be very thick at this point like cake icing.

- Once the potatoes are softened in your soup you can add the cream mixture to it and stir it around.

At this point you can serve it as is or you can mash the soup down a bit to make your chunky soup a little more creamy.  I use a hand held mixer and just mix/ mash the soup a little just on the top so I still have a good amount of chunkiness.

Your done!  Serve with green onions for garnish if you like or just as is.  I hope you like this soup as much as we do!

 Bon apetit!

Safe and Healthy Brands for Famillies

Chemicals in our Food? Yuck - NO thanks!  How about GMO's, Pesticides, Pink Slime, Petro-Chemicals, BPA, Hydrogenated Oil or Hi-Fructose?  Definitely NOT! 

Navigating the food aisles of Supermarkets in America can be quite the daunting task, especially when you have a screaming baby, you are tired, and you just need to pick up a few things to make dinner.  Now add trying to decipher cryptic words on ingredients lists you've never heard of, and trying to work out which foods are safe to feed your baby.  OOOF!  It's too much sometimes...

Lately I have been growing more and more concerned with the ingredients, and food handling practices of food companies in the U.S.

Why?  Well, there have been a string of recalls lately on food, everything from Ground beef, Uncle Ben's Rice, Hot Pockets, Falafel Wraps, to Organic frozen berries and more.  My husband and I bought a bag of organic frozen berries from Costco, only to find out a week later that they had been recalled for containing Hepatitis A!!!  Luckily I hadn't actually opened the bag yet.

It sent some alarm bells off in my head though. You can read the article about it here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/31/frozen-berries-hepatitis-a-outbreak/2378139/

photo courtesy of -http://www.thefutureofhealthnow.com/fruits-vegetables-protect-mental-health/

What's Happening to our Food?
In addition to an increase in food recalls, a series of consumer driven pushes have lead companies to get rid of certain ingredients in their food due to health and safety concerns.

Well, you say,  we have a Federal Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) that protects us, right?  Yes we do, but they are not necessarily always looking out for what's best for consumers.  Like every other political branch they are subject to lobbying by huge food corporations that push hard to keep certain chemicals and misleading food labels in the food supply.  The FDA deems all kinds of harmful chemicals okay for consumption as long as they are in small enough doses.  Well, I for one am not interesting in eating chemicals no matter how small a quantity.  Accumulation of those chemicals over time can not be good for anyone!

Not to mention there are so many GIANT, MEGA food corporations that process food in giant factories that are difficult to regulate.  So, if you are a concerned mommy like me, read on...

I recently learned about MORE chemicals in foods I thought were okay, after that whole 'Subway sandwich' debacle (Subway decided to take a gross chemical out of their bread after consumer complaints. The chemical is also used in making yoga mats and shoe soles. GROSS!)

Anyway, it lead me to start looking into other foods and their ingredients lists - and the ones that were really long and hard to spell, or the ones that were a cryptic series of numbers...

for instance, R12-135 which is a chemical used to clean machinery.  It was listed as an 'ingredient' in the Oroweat bread I was buying.  It is banned in most other industrialized countries, and is labeled a "hazardous material".  Maybe it's just used to clean the machines the bread is processed in - I really don't care - I don't want it anywhere on my food!

What is it doing in supposedly healthy whole wheat bread?  Good question! 

Rather than drive yourself crazy trying to decipher all the crazy ingredients in food, and spend a bunch of money (I certainly can't afford to buy everything at Whole Foods), I am working on creating a list of safe, healthy foods and ethical brands to help us all out.  I will create a series of lists from best of the best to chose, to worst offenders to avoid.

I found this link which I found really helpful to get me started...
http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/the-top-20-most-credible-natural-food-brands.html

There are definitely other brands besides the ones on my list - but I think these are the ones that I see the most in stores, and cover a variety of food types, from dairy products, to meats, cereals, snacks and baby foods.  In general it's a good idea to try and buy 'certified organic' foods whenever possible (which I know is not always available, and is more expensive).  Whenever we consumers buy organic we are encouraging more food companies and grocery stores to produce better quality foods, and stock more in their stores.

Here are the guidelines needed to be 'certified organic'...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_certification


Okay here is my first list...

Top 15 Best Food Brands 
(in no particular order)
My list of the most trustworthy, ethical, certified organic, healthy brands available...(found in most grocery stores)

1. Trader Joe's Brand
http://www.traderjoes.com/
I know Trader Joe's stores are not everywhere in the U.S. but this store is hands-down my favorite place to shop.  Their prices are much lower than other healthy food stores, and they carry a ton of great products, including their own brand.  The Trader Joe's brand foods are free of GMO's and also their canned goods do not contain BPA.  They carry a lot of organic products from local producers.

2. Stonyfield Farms
Organic yogurts and dairy products. They are certified organic and I think all their products taste fantastic.

3. Horizon Organic
http://www.horizondairy.com/milk/
I always buy this brand of milk for my daughter.  Because my daughter drinks so much milk it is really important to me to make sure it does not contain hormones, or anti-biotics - which a lot of milk that isn't organic does contain.

4. Bob's Redmill
http://www.bobsredmill.com/
Great selection of gluten-free products and different types of flour and grains.  I find all kinds of great products from them in the 'healthy' section at my local Ralph's grocery store.

5. Eden Foods
http://www.edenfoods.com/ 
BPA-free cans, organic soy, no gelling agents in the soymilk, commitment to organic, local and traditionally made foods for three decades. Family-owned.

6.  Nature's Path
www.naturespath.com
The go-to brand for organic cereal and a commitment to non-GMO ingredients, but beware, they still use a lot of sugar and ingredients like soy oil.

7. Earth's Best
http://www.earthsbest.com/
Earth's Best is a full line of organic baby food.

8. 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods Brand)
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/about-our-products/product-lines/365-everyday-value
Whole Foods brand has high quality and pretty much all organic products.

9.  Organic Valley and Organic Prairie
http://www.organicvalley.coop/
Founded in 1988, Organic Valley produces award-winning organic milk, cheese, butter, soy milk, produce, healthy snacks, and more.
The mission of the Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP) is to create and operate a marketing cooperative that promotes regional farm diversity and economic stability by the means of organic agricultural methods and the sale of certified organic products.

10.  Simply Organic
http://www.simplyorganic.com/
Herbs and Spices, and pre-made meals for when you need a healthy option for something quick.
Simply Organic's pure, organic herbs, spices and seasonings plus fresh food equals delicious, healthy meals for you and your family. Once you've tried Simply Organic®, you'll agree we provide a simply healthy way to incorporate organics into your life. We travel the world over to bring you fresh and aromatic seasonings of unsurpassed quality. You'll taste the difference in every bite.

11. Amy's Kitchen
http://www.amys.com/

I like their line of Macaroni and Cheese.
Amy's Kitchen is a privately held corporation which manufactures natural and organic convenience and frozen foods. 

 12. Back to Nature
www.backtonaturefood.com

Back to Nature foods are made with simple and delicious ingredients – plus no artificial flavors or preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup.

13. Applegate
http://www.applegate.com/
Organic meats - Sliced deli meats, hot dogs, sausage and bacon that are free of antibiotics, gluten, casein and taste enhancers

14. Neiman Ranch
http://www.nimanranch.com/Index.aspx
Niman Ranch is a San Francisco Bay Area based ranch, meat processor and distributor of high quality "natural" beef, lamb, and pork, founded by rancher Bill Niman. Niman Ranch offers a complete line of fresh beef, pork, lamb, poulty, cage-free eggs and a variety of smoked and cured meats. Niman Ranch is leading the industry in sustainable and humane agricultural practices. 

15. Annie's
www.annies.com/‎
Annie's Homegrown is a Berkeley, California-based maker of natural and/or organic pastas, meals and snacks.  I get their cheddar bunnies for my daughter.

One final note...

The main reason to buy organic for every food type (meat, vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy etc) is because you can be sure the food will not contain harmful chemicals, pesticides, hormones and other bad things.  The consumption of pesticides and chemicals has been linked to increased cancer rates, environmental damage, brain developmental issues in children, and obesity.

In my opinion, it's worth it to spend a little more on organic and save your family from medical bills and heartache in the future.  I know that I can't always protect myself or my child from all the crap that goes into food all the time (I'm sure we will eat it sometimes) - but I can control what I buy at the grocery store.

 My daughter Sofia helping me put away groceries.