Archive for the ‘Healthy Tips to Share’ Category

Eat Like a Blue Jay?

Promotions are everywhere in Canada showing food sponsored by the Toronto Blue Jays and, though I’m a fan of the Jays, I am not a fan of the message.

My six year old son is addicted to baseball in the summer, primarily watching the Blue Jays win their way to the top of the league. When he goes grocery shopping with me and sees their well recognized logo on hot dogs, chips and even beer now (though he’s not in that store I know he would love the cans) he immediately wants the product. A lot of the times he’s trying to sneak it into the cart without even knowing what’s in the package, for him it’s all about that logo on the package.

Once I remove it from the cart and explain what it is he’s ok with leaving it behind because he has been raised to understand health from illness.

Together we watched a documentary titled Kids Menu so that another educator could reiterate what we’ve been teaching him with more lessons and in a way he was eager to learn from.

With all of the new connections I was just introduced to 80 Twenty Nutrition and was delighted to find a recipe our whole family will enjoy called PBJ (Peanut Butter Blue Jays) Rally Shake. I invite you to try the recipe as well as read the entire article posted on the page and support the Toronto Blue Jays this season!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy

***Sarah Butland is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.***

 


Meet Holistic Lifestyle Coach Anik Gallant!

5 easy habits that will instantly boost your energy!

The following are some of my favorite health tips that I share with my clients. You can follow them without changing your current eating habits. By simply adding the following steps into your day, you will greatly improve your level of energy and feel great.

1) Warm lemon water. As soon as you wake up in the morning, add 1-2 slices of fresh organic lemon to 1 cup of warm water and sip while you get ready for your day. Lemon helps kickstart your digestion for the day and brings your body into a more alkaline state. Doing this every morning gently detoxes your liver and will help with weight loss.

2) Green smoothie. Before you eat your breakfast (and after your lemon water), start your day with a Green Beauty Smoothie. Packed with fruits and veggies, this alone can fill you up. If not, just eat what you normally would for breakfast in addition to the smoothie. The Green Beauty Smoothie is packed with nutrients ready for quick absorption and is sure to give you energy.

Green Beauty Smoothie

3 cup water

1 ripe banana

4 dates, pitted

1/2 cucumber, with peel

2 stalks celery

1 apple, with peel

1/2 organic lemon, with peel

1 big handful of leafy greens (such as kale, spinach or romaine)

1/2 scoop super green powder (such as spirulina or chlorella)

*Place ingredients into blender, blend and enjoy! Makes 2 large servings.

3) Daily salad. Eat a large salad 5 days a week. Get creative and make your salad appetizing to you! Load it with your favorite veggies, sprinkle some hemp seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds or dried cranberries. Try and keep your dressing options simple (homemade is always better than store bought). I personally like a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, a dash of maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Finally, add a healthy side of protein to your salad, such as lentils, beans, chicken, eggs, tuna or beef.

4) Snack smart. Between meals, try not to snack. Ideally you want to give your digestion time to process all the food from your previous meal before eating something. If you do feel hungry and choose to snack, here are some good options:

  • A fruit smoothie. Fruits made into liquids are quickly digested and provide you with immediate fuel. Make with almond milk instead of juice to help balance blood sugar.
  • Eat an apple with a handful of organic almonds.
  • Cut up some carrots, peppers or cucumber and eat with hummus, bean dip or salsa.

Choosing healthy snacks will fill you up until your next meal and are light enough to keep your energy levels steady during your day. Remember to avoid munching on simple carbohydrates like cookies, chips or crackers which can make your blood sugar levels drop and make you feel tired.

5) No eating after 6:30pm. A healthy body starts with a healthy digestion. Our bodies heal and repair during our sleep time therefore it’s important that by bedtime your stomach is empty with no more food to digest. If you have food in your stomach when you go to bed, your body has to work overtime to digest instead of healing and repairing. The result: waking up groggy and tired. To help reduce cravings and munchies attacks, sip on some room temperature water or herbal teas throughout the evening.

A New Brunswick Resident

A New Brunswick Resident

Anik Gallant is a holistic lifestyle coach and creator of Blissfullyorganik.com, a food and lifestyle blog where she publishes healthy and delicious gluten-free recipes. She’s passionate about inspiring healthy living in others and loves sharing useful tips for everything related to food, health, yoga, and living an amazing life. Connect with her or sign up to receive your free copy of her recipe e-book every month. www.blissfullyorganik.com


Have you Ever Eaten a Dragon?

Be adventurous today and try a dragon for breakfast!

You’ve read about dragon’s in fairy tales but now you can eat one in the form of a dragon fruit. Similar taste to a kiwi, dragon fruits look amazing and distinct among the other fruit in the produce section.

Also known as pitaya, the edible parts of this fruit when eaten raw consists of mostly water and carbohydrates, with some protein and fat content. Pitayas contain slight amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients.

You’ll find videos on YouTube on how to peel this wonderful fruit and more information at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading and being adventurous!

Sammy


A is for Apricot

Let’s start a fun challenge and try new fruits for the next while. Let’s start at the top – A is for Apricot.

Ever try one? With over 50 types of apricots grown in the world, it grows on a tree around it’s large seed or pit. Starting as a flower ranging from 2–4.5 cm (0.8–1.8 in) in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; apricots are produced alone or in pairs in early spring before the leaves.

Some sources say that the apricot was first cultivated in India in about 3000 BC!

Eat them fresh like an apple or dried like a big raisin, this fruit may be considered the world’s healthiest! They are known to help your eyes, are disease fighting and fibrous and more! Plus they are delicious.

Try one today and let me know your thought.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland


Clover Leaf is Re-Inventing Fast Food with Michael P Clive!

Clover Leaf, with the help of celebrity chef Michael P Clive, is helping Canadians get healthy in a tremendous way through their recently launched Re-Invent Fast Food campaign.

I’ve been invited to help share the news with you and I’m ecstatic to do so as it’s something Canada needs right now. With Jamie Oliver focused on America it’s great to see such a well known chef in Canada take charge of our community.

As part of my efforts to share this wonderful campaign with all of you I have asked Chef Michal P Clive and Clover Leaf 10 questions relating to their campaign, goals and 5 recipes they created in support of our health.  (I’ve tried 2/3 of these tuna recipes and they are amazing! Everything they say they are and more.)

Keep reading to know how Chef Clive enjoys his Mac and Cheese, from a drive thru and his phrase he’s trying to make known.

Meet Chef Michael P Clive:
1) To start us off on a light note do you prefer creating a meal, talking or eating your creation?

I like all three, in that order. I prefer to create the meal, discuss its attributes and then consume the meal. I tried coining the phrase “I’d much rather feed the masses than eat the masses” – it wasn’t widely accepted.

2) Michael, when you decided to become a chef did you ever imagine you’d have to help Canadian’s get healthy and avoid a pandemic of childhood obesity?

Not so much. Growing up at home my family taught me the importance of relatively healthy eating. Later my culinary training I focused on the standards of French cuisine which introduced me to the various ways of using rich creams and butter. Taking all this knowledge and finding a balance became something I was intrigued by.

3) What is your favourite healthy meal to make for you and your loved ones?

I really like to spend time with my loved ones so in order to have more time and still deliver a flavourful, meal explosion that is quick and easy, I’d choose any one of the Clover Leaf take 5 recipes. Something easily prepared in under 5 minutes. Perhaps you’ve heard of Take Five? 5 ingredients, five minutes? Reinventing fast food? Intriguing recipes? Chef Clive? No? C’mon.

4) Tell us the truth, do you ever get something unhealthy at a drive thru or do you make all of your own dishes?

Fast food drive thru is a slippery step. Once upon a time I could lean that way due to exhaustion after long hours of work. But I also learned some time ago that I simply felt better about myself if I kept my fast food selections “clean”. For example, fresh sandwiches and salads, cow calorie vinaigrettes instead of creamy dressings, and limit the road tacos. My wife also pretends not to know me if I frequent such places.

5) What kind of cheese do you prefer on macaroni with Clover Leaf tuna?

I prefer a five to seven year old Cheddar cheese – something with creaminess and tang. However, I suggest preparing your next Mac n’ Cheese utilizing the awesomeness of the Garlic & Hot Pepper flavoured flaked light tuna to add a new dimension to this classic comfort food.

6) Speaking of macaroni and cheese, do you recommend with ketchup, without, or with honey mustard? What is your favourite way to eat a classic?

Condiments don’t so much complete my Mac n’ Cheese experience, but rather spinning it around to include more protein. Whether it be smoked ham, grilled chicken, poached lobster or even canned tuna.

7) With Clover Leaf you created 5 recipes with tuna that are pitted against popular, easy and quick favourites such as pizza, burritos and a cheese burger. What is your favourite fish that could be used to compare to these items, besides tuna? Is there a fish you would recommend to regular non-seafood eaters to start?

Well, tuna is a favourite of mine but if the world were to run out I suppose I’d choose something from the fond memories of my youth. Salmon. So versatile, so much flavour. I’m a lover of so many species. Sole, Perch, Catfish, Swordfish. So may faves! Hard question.

8) Michael, do you have any advice for up-and-coming chefs who want to make a difference by lowering the rate of childhood obesity while making eating affordable and easy?

Keep it clean and keep it simple. Avoid grazing and prepare more food at home. Your home is less likely to have a deep fryer…for the time being that is.

9) And lastly, but maybe most importantly, if you had to eat one meal for a year what would it be?

Wow, I’m never ready to fully answer this question. Right now I’m feeling like the original Shawarma every day. Maybe some fruit infused soda water to go with it! If not that, then perhaps a captain burger…or beef wellington.

10) Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Check out these recipes and many more for your next culinary adventure at www.cloverleaf.ca.

Thanks for reading, sharing, eating well and cooking!

Sarah Butland

author of Sending You Sammy