I’m Back.

It’s been eight months since I took my leave of this place. It’s been eight months since I’ve taken the time to write, to share my thoughts and insights. As I look back on the posts I wrote prior to September 2011, I see a different person. I see a person who had opinions, and while they were not wrong, sometimes they were harsh and lacked grace. That being said, I am still opinionated, and have come back to this place to share my opinions once more. I hope that these past months will have endowed me with wisdom that I may have lacked before. I hope that my future posts will be thoughtful, intentional– not a quick scrawl, but written with love and forethought. Like food, good writing takes time, patience, and intentionality. You’ve got to give a little heart and soul in order for your final results to be worthwhile. If you don’t want to put love into it, find something else to do. Find your passion where you can pour out the love that you have to offer. For me, I do love writing, and I do love food. So what better combination than for me to come back to this place– A Single Girl’s Guide to Healthy Living. I’m back.

 

 

A hiatus

I’m taking a break from this blog. It’s nothing personal. With the lifestyle switch I’ve come to adopt, I have had neither the time, opportunity, nor inspiration to write. I’ll check back in from time to time, but don’t keep your fingers crossed for regular posts. If the good Lord is willing and the creek don’t rise, you’ll see me here again on a regular basis in the future.

Toronto Hot n’ Spicy Festival

What do you get when you combine 30 degree heat with a humidex making it feel closer to 40 and add some of the spiciest hot sauces and chutneys around? You get the Toronto Hot n’ Spicy festival down at the harbour front. This festival took the hottest foods and seasonings from around the world and brought them all into one place. Complete with food vendors, cooking demonstrations, competitions, and market stalls, it was a great option to attend, if you could stand the heat.

I biked down to the harbour front only to just miss the cooking competition I had originally intended on watching. Instead, I wandered the stalls, drank a lot of water, and tried a few different hot sauces and chutneys. Now, I like hot sauce as much as the next person, but for some of them, I had to wait 15 minutes for my taste buds to return to form before I could try anything else. Pair that with the heat, and I also needed to take a few breaks to wipe the sweat from my brow. There was one delightful fig balsamic that I had the opportunity to try. It was aged 8 years and was sheer bliss. Sadly, I didn’t have the $25 for the bottle, and so had to pass up on buying it. But now that I’ve tasted that balsamic, the stuff in the grocery store seems more than a little lack luster.

Anyway, it was a great way to say hello to September and remember that just because August is finished, it doesn’t mean summer is over. Can you handle the heat?

 

Baking with Children

I must confess, I haven’t done much cooking with children. Now, I’m surrounded by children at home on a regular basis. As such, I came up with the brilliant idea of inviting the three kids to bake cookies. Am I ever glad their mom stuck around! Baking with kids is more like doing and activity or a craft than baking. It’s messy, it’s slow, and not particularly efficient. The kids enjoy it, but it’s a little taxing on the adult, trying to make sure the baking area doesn’t turn into a total disaster. That being said, now that I know that, I’ll book more time into my schedule to accommodate the slower pace and I’ll try to enjoy it for what it is, an experience for the kids.

Oh, and the cookies were excellent. I’ll try to track down the recipe and share it with you. I’m surprised at how much depth these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies had! It didn’t hurt that we added sunflower seeds and flax seed.

A lovely summer drink

I was sick of my plain old grapefruit pop today, even though I don’t drink pop very often. As such, I decided to do a wee bit of testing and was delighted to find a new refreshing drink to have in the afternoon. Very citrusy.

1 glass diet (or not) grapefruit pop

1 squirt lemon juice

1 squirt lime juice

adjust to taste.

That’s right. I even used the pre-squeezed stuff. How lazy can I get?

Oh, and while I don’t usually do product placement, I have to admit that I am in love with DelMonte’s Real Fruit Fat-free Popsicle. They are 50 calories a piece and make a great sweet treat after coming in out of the heat. That being said, you could probably make your own delicious popsicles right at home with 50 calories or less, all you’d need is something to freeze them in. Try taking a package of jello, mixing in some fresh fruit or juice. Pop it in your freezer and you’ll soon have a nice fresh treat. That, or make a smoothie and freeze it. Really, the options are endless!

Remember, all things in moderation! It helps keep your waistline and your grocery budget in line.

Spinach Salad with Balsamic and Peaches

Have you ever noticed that there’s nothing better than fresh, ripe fruit? Peaches are currently in season and today I made a lovely lunch that took the edge off the heat of the day and the 5km bike ride I’d just returned from. If you’re looking for a cool and refreshing salad, without a heavy dressing, this is it. The vivid colours are a mood booster, and will help to brighten your day.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

2 cups washed and torn spinach

1 peach, diced

2 large strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup yellow pepper

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup finely sliced red onion

Arrange ingredients on plate. Remember, a pretty plate makes everything taste better.

Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.

Top with:

1/3 cup shredded turkey breast

dollop of plain, non-fat yogurt

Serve with a large glass of cold water.

As I was sitting there, enjoying this delightful salad, one of my housemates mentioned that it looked “very healthy.” This from a guy who believe the only beverage at dinner is Coke, breakfast and lunch consist of a cup of coffee and a cigarette, and a firmly held opinion that no dinner is complete without a generous portion of meat. Delightful. But it did get me thinking. It’s important to know what you stand for and who you are when moving into a new community– be it in a house or a city. Nobody has any preconceptions about you, and you get to shape how they view you. Thus, by firmly planting myself in the healthy eating category, I’m noticing subtle changes in the house. The kids are starting to eat more vegetables, the housemate who mentioned that my salad looked healthy opted for a peach with his coffee, rather than the standard cigarette, and even the dad of the two kids bought turkey bacon along with the regular stuff, for those who may be concerned about nutrition and overall health.

Just think, if I hadn’t known what I stood for and why when I entered the house, I may have simply made myself content with loads of cheese and sour cream on tacos, spaghetti dinners with no salad, or portion sizes that are double what a person needs– just like what everyone else is eating. I would have started to pack on the weight (which may happen yet as I have to start the practical portion of my studies in four weeks), and I would have felt worse about myself overall. As it is, I’m making positive change in my housemates lives, and maintaining my own integrity and expectations while I’m at it. When there are unhealthy portions to meals, I simply take smaller amounts. I don’t want to insult anyone, but I’m certainly not going to revert to old habits because everyone else embraces them.

Knowing who you are influences how people see you, and the respect they have for you. Don’t rub it in their faces that you may think their way of eating– or anything else for that matter– is wrong. Simply think of it as different, and you prefer your own way. That way, you can be a positive catalyst for change not just in your own life, but in the lives of others.

 

Cooking for a bunch

Things have changed rather drastically in my life over the past month. I’ve gone from cooking for just myself on a regular basis, to cooking for 7-14 people twice a week. Moving to Toronto has really thrown my cooking tendencies for a spin. Now I have to worry about other people’s pallets and food preferences, as well as how to adapt my healthy cooking to meet their dietary expectations. For example, I made oatmeal cookies without raisins the other day, as the little girl I live with doesn’t care for them. Or how about the fact that all my housemates believe that no meal is complete without both meat and cheese? I can’t believe the amount of chedder and mozza they go through in this house! It’s not even quality!

That being said, they’re actually all pretty open to new types of food and trying new things. I made a delightful beef stiry-fry for dinner tonight. I love the fact that stirfry is so simple. You prep all your raw ingredients, saute the harder ingredients and meat first, add in the softer vegetables later to avoid mushiness, and then toss in whatever flavourings you desire. Tonight’s mix-up included ginger, sweet chili sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, a few dashes hot sauce, and a couple tablespoons apricot preserves. It was truly delightful. I had no leftovers. And the best part? I managed it all without using any oil. I sauteed in chicken broth (would have used beef if I had it). It worked nicely and kept the fat content low. Beyond that, I served it with brown rice and no one seemed to notice. Two small victories for me!

The trick to getting people to eat healthier is to keep them informed on good nutrition, and to not make a big deal out of minor changes. That being said, once of these days I’ll probably push the envelope and have a revolt on my hands. I’m just amazed I got away without adding cheese to the stirfry tonight! Next step, weaning them off all the meat– they eat way too much.

Oh, the other thing I’ve learned is to be gracious but stick to your guns. Taco Tuesday happens tomorrow. I’ve turned it into Taco Salad Tuesday for myself, as burritos are simple white flour, devoid of nutritional goodness, and the hard taco shells are deep-friend. Thankfully, I love me some good salad!