Hearts of Palm

What a nice weekend! I hope you all had as nice a weekend as me. I got in my workouts, friend time, family time and relax time. Still got to worry about cleaning thought...who wants to do that on a sunny afternoon?

I am so excited because I bought some new runners. I've been needing them for a while. I picked up purple and gray Nike Lunarglide 2 at National sports in the clearance section (yay!) and kinda knew as soon as I saw them that they were meant to be on my feet. I did a quick google search for reviews and ran around the store a bit with them on before buying. I broke them in today as I did my errands and workout this afternoon.

I worked out in the pool area of my building. It's an above ground pool that's surrounded by grass and gets a lot of sun. So it was a nice area to workout! There were some kids playing in the yard and I think they thought I was nuts. I was doing plank at one point and they came around a corner and each of them one at a time said "whoa!!!" It's a little awkward having an audience sometimes.

I also got these little cuties (or creepers depending on how you look at them) out of the car today!

I'd bought them last weekend at the antique store in Fenelon Falls and forgot them in the car. The red eyes look like they may have been added on long after its original purchase and they definitely bring out the creepy in these. I may touch them up. I'm still not even sure if they are supposed to be bears or gofers or what. Still, I couldn't eave the store without them! They are a nice little addition to my small S&P shaker collection!

So I tried something new today. Hearts of Palm. I was only able to get canned ones so they were quite salty. I'd like to try them fresh one day to see how they are really supposed to taste. In the can they were sort of like canned artichoke hearts with the same texture and subtle flavour. I've really only seen recipes where they are used in salads, so tonight I made a potato salad with hearts of palm!

I intended on making this Potato Artichoke Salad recipe from Delementals but could not find artichoke hearts anywhere at the grocery store! So I sort of had to improvise. I still managed to make a creamy potato salad with lots of leftovers for the week but I'm looking forward to making this particular recipe again.

I managed to grab a snapshot of what was left of my serving with Bryan's phone. I gobbled it up.

This recipe turned out to be really simple but not the most waist-line conscious - though potato salad rarely is. 

Ingredients

2 lbs potato, diced (I used baby yellow and red potatoes)

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2T butter

1 can diced hearts of palm

1 container PC Artichoke & Asiago dip

Directions

Boil your potatoes until tender, drain and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, saute the onions until translucent in the butter then add the garlic and heat for another minute or two.

In a large bowl mix the cooled potatoes (throw them in the fridge if you have to), onions & garlic, hearts of palm and potatoes until the potatoes are covered. I added in 2 tbsp of greek yogurt just to make sure it was all well covered, this works well is you don't have enough dip for your liking.

Store in the fridge until you serve it.

See, super quick and easy! That dip is a good trick if you need to make a large amount for a picnic or potluck. I might even try this with spinach dip.

Shed That Winter Weight - Chick Style

So this is exciting! Today I have a special guest post for you guys from Fit Chicks Head Chick, Laura Jackson!

In case you haven't heard yet, Fit Chicks is who I do my bootcamp classes with. In fact as I type this I'm trying to stretch out my oh so sore glutes and hamstrings from the last two classes. Not only is Laura a co-founder of the program but she is also a Nutrition and Wellness Specialist and has some great tips to share with you today about how to shed some of that extra cool weather weight! Hope you enjoy!

TOP 5 WAYS TO SHED THAT WINTER WEIGHT - CHICK STYLE!

By Laura Jackson

Spring has sprung and we know what that means…bathing suit season is around the corner! Unfortunately, there is no magic secret for weight loss. If there was, Oprah would have conquered her weight issue and she would have told the world! Spring is actually one of the best times to start shedding the pounds. The air is getting warmer, the days are longer and the produce is plentiful. So what are you waiting for? Here are our Top 5 Tips for taking off the winter weight!

1. Eat Whole Foods

Don't deprive yourself of food, Chicks. This will only lead to binging. Instead, focus on WHOLE, NATURAL and FRESH foods (the best for you foods don't even have a label!). It's really hard to overeat fruits, vegetables, beans, quinoa, eggs and lean healthy meats l. Pay attention to the amount of higher calorie items you use like nuts or oils, but don't eliminate them either!

Take advantage of the lovely fresh produce that is plentiful in the spring months. Raw vegetables are so fabulous for your health, and super low in calories and high in fibre so they will fill you up without adding to your waistline.

2. Drink Water or Herbal Teas

Do not to drink your calories. This is one of the most overlooked weight loss secrets out there!  It won't fill you up as much as whole foods will and the calories are still there (1 small iced coffee can hold a whopping 350 calories).  Find plain water boring? Stick to herbal teas or try water with cucumber, raspberry or mint added for flavor.  Just make sure to avoid artificial sweeteners. While they may seem like a no calorie option, studies have shown that they react within your body in the same manner as sugar so you are not doing your body any good!   

3. Move!

Taking bootcamp is fab, but make sure the other 23 hours a day aren't spent on your toosh! Make an effort to be more active like walking, dancing, yoga…the activities you can tke part in are endless and fun! 

4. Watch the Snacks

Healthy snacks are great, but grazing constantly will lead to overeating. Plan out snacks, focusing on whole foods and proteins like hard-boiled eggs, veggies and hummus, or a green smoothie - and don't eat mindlessly! Keep snacks at approx 250 calories.

5. Find What Works for You

Some Chicks love having 5-6 small meals a day so they are never starving, others like the satisfaction of 3 big meals. You are unique, and your healthy eating plan won't work for everyone so listen to your body and find what works for you.

6. BONUS TIP - Above all BE CONSISTENT

Results don't happen overnight. Keep moving and nourishing your body with whole foods and results will come!

So Chicks try these small changes and the results will show not only in the way you look but the way you feel – inside and out! Who doesn’t love that?!

Laura Jackson is Co Founder / Head Chick of FIT CHICKS, a Canadian based women's only fitness company.  FIT CHICKS offers 8 week bootcamp programs at over 30 locations across Canada  as well as fitness / nutrition challenges, workshops, Zumba® by FIT CHICKS  and recently launched FIT CHICKS Gear, a line of workout clothing for women. She is Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition and Wellness Specialist with Canfit Pro as well as a Level 1 Kickboxing Instructor. Laura is also a fitness contributor to national publications and TV Shows such as The Huffington Post, National Post and CTV Morning Live as well as a health blogger at www.fitchicks.ca/blog.

Next 8 week sessions start on May 7^th, please visit www.fitchicks.ca, call 1-877- F1- CHICK or follow us on Twitter @fitchicks or check us out on facebook /fitchicksbootcamp

Avocado + Mushroom Soup

Slow and steady wins the race! I've been doing OK this last week balancing my food, workouts and social life and I think the key has been taking it easy. Not being too hard on myself and really thinking about all my choices and options. By avoiding those snap decisions I've been able to make good choices and have splurged on things I really wanted. Like an extra large, busting at the seams taco up at the cottage last weekend.

One of the decisions I had to make recently was deciding to step back from volunteering with a great organization. I really believe what they are doing is great but on this little path to life balance I'm trying to take I needed to step away from something and that just had to be it. I wish them all the best and will miss the company of the other volunteers.

So I must say that has made room in my brain for other things. I've continued to get up early in the morning and tried to either work out or make a really great breakfast. This does mean going to bed a little earlier! While I tried to get up early this morning the fact that I went to bed last night at 12:30am meant that when my alarm went off I just moved to the couch and slept another hour. Tonight I'm in bed by 11!

I was up so late because I decided to make soup after bootcamp. I was looking for a recipe that included only fresh foods, nothing packaged or processed. I was having a little difficulty as most recipes call for chicken, beef or veggie stock. I started looking up recipes on caveman and paleo diet websites and found an interesting mushroom soup recipe that included avocados. Sold.

This was pretty simple to make as it doesn't take much cooking time. The time comes in prep when you're chopping everything. I got some REALLY ripe avocados so they blended up really quick in my blender.

Side note here. I bought a really cheap blender from Wal-Mart last year and use it almost everyday! Especially since I don't have a food processor it becomes a necessary tool in the kitchen. It seems to be holding up ok but I'm beginning to wonder just how long it will last with all that ware. I'm wondering if I should get a separate food processor or invest in a really heavy-duty blender. Any suggestions?

Back to business here. This soup has a really interesting flavour from the avocado. I think it's gonna taste really nice today as all the ingredients have had a chance to mesh and meld together. I might add more mushrooms next time and a variety of mushrooms just for some...variety! For some extra protein I'm eating a couple hard boiled eggs along with it, but I think this soup would be really great with some chicken on the side. It might be even better with some cubed chicken in the soup!

Give it a shot!

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados

Juice from 1/2 a grapefruit

1 clove of garlic

2 cups boiled water

1T coconut oil

1 cup of your favourite mushrooms, sliced

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1t basil, or 3 fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a food processor or blender mix the garlic, avocado, grapefruit juice and hot water until smooth and set aside.

In a large pot heat the coconut oil and saute the onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil until soft.

Add the avocado mixture and heat through.