Recipe Friday - Yummier Protein Shakes

As much as I hate to admit it, when I'm working out really hard or when I'm trying to loose weight, I drink a protein shake for either breakfast or lunch. I'm not one of those "gym rats" that eat only chicken, egg whites, and shakes instead of real food. Trust me, the rest of the day I'm eating a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains (and the occasional treat) I've just learned from my personal trainer friends that extra protein is needed when you're trying to build muscle, and lower carbs (notice I said lower carbs instead of NO carbs) will help people lose weight. So today's recipes are how to make a protein shake actually taste good, instead of like cardboard.

First of all, the best tasting protein shake is called Whey Gourmet and you can get this at most sports nutrition places. If you want to save money, Exact (found at Fortinos) isn't too bad either.

Second, you'll need a blender like the Magic Bullet or whatever.

Third, drink your protein shake cold. There's nothing worse than a warm thick shake. Eeewww, I'm grossed out just thinking about it.

Here's a few ways I like my shakes

1. Chocolate Monkey - 2 scoops chocolate powder with half a frozen banana and water. Mix in the blender until smooth.
2. Strawberry Banana - 2 scoops vanilla powder with half a cup of frozen strawberries, half a banana and water. Mix in the blender until smooth.
3. Mint Chocolate - 2 scoops chocolate powder, 4-6 ice cubes, half a teaspoon mint extract, and water or skim milk. Mix in a blender until smooth
4. Orange Creamsicle - 2 scoops vanilla powder, 4-6 ice cubes, half a cup orange juice, and skim milk. Mix in a blender until smooth.
5. Pina Colada - 2 scoops vanilla powder, 4-6 ice cubes, 1/3 cup frozen pineapple chunks, 1 tablespoon canned sweetened coconut puree, water. Mix in a blender until smooth.

I've also heard that mixing in some instant coffee crystals makes a fabulous mocha shake, but I don't drink coffee.

Well, there you have it, 5 wonder ways to actually enjoy a protein shake.

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Teething Pain Solved

Any parent will agree, when your baby is teething IT'S HELL (or heck, or... is it bad to say hell?) Back in the day... WAY back in the day, parents used to rub - get this - RUM in their babies mouths! WHAT?! Seriously? Alcohol in a babies' mouth? Well no wonder it worked, the babies were too drunk and doped-up to complain about the teething pain. I'm sorry to tell you that today that is just unacceptable for so many reasons. The main reason is that alcohol can put put your baby into convulsions (scary!)

Thankfully there are other options and they are work wonderfully to relieve the pain. There's the usual, Tylenol or Advil and that's great before bed, but let's be honest, even if it works we just can't give our babies this stuff day in and day out. Then there's Orajel, the stuff that numbs away the teething pain. I HATE that stuff! It works for about 5 minutes tops and it full of toxins. I refuse to use it! My favorite thing to use when my babies are teething is all natural, last for at an hour or longer, and calms my baby down. It's called Highlands Homeopathic Teething Tablets. They cost about $10/bottle. They are toxin free, and side effect free (at least I've never heard of or seen any side effects in my experience) They dissolve instantly in a babies mouth and they taste sweet, so it's easy to get your baby to take them. They also contain chamomile and therefore bring a calming effect to your baby. You can find them at Nutrition House, some Shoppers Drug Marts, and most Health Food Stores. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Hmmmm.... I think Joseph needs some now.

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Hawaiian Shout-Out

According to sitemeter, my blog had it's first visitor from HAWAII!!! I have no idea who it was, or how they came across my blog but it was so exciting to see Hawaii on my list of recent visitors! I love Hawaii (went on my honeymoon there) and I hope to spend my 10 year anniversary there. I have about 6 years to save up, and 6 years to look good in a bikini :)

Any way, Aloha to my Hawaiian visitors! Your visit made my day!

Me Ka Aloha (with love)
- Elisabeth

Teach Your Kids to Dance!

If you know me, you know that I used to be a competitive dancer. I was obsessed with dance. I danced 6 days a week, 2.5 hours a day (minimum) and I loved every second of if. There's just something about dancing that makes people feel so alive! That's probably why dance is such a part of our culture. Think about it, when we get married we dance, when we graduate high school we dance, when we want to have fun night out we dance, when something exciting happens we dance, heck when my daughter needs to use the potty she does a little dance. It's so much fun and everyone, regardless of skill level, can have a blast dancing.

July 31st is national dance day (yay!!!) and Tabitha and Napoleon from So You Think You Can Dance have choreographed a fun hip hop routine. Why not get together with your kids and learn this awesome routine? AND if you're brave, video tape it and send your video to the Dizzy Feet Foundation and you might be featured on national television!! It's fun and it's a great way to burn off some extra calories, and it might kick start a new hobby in your kids (or your own) lives :)

Check out the YouTube video!


Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Chicken and Roast Veg Quiche

Lately I've been looking for more ways to use up ingredients laying around my fridge. I almost ALWAYS have a bunch of eggs sitting in my fridge, just a few days away from expiring, and since I hardly ever eat eggs for breakfast, I thought I'd make some quiche!

Ingredients
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, put through a garlic press
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Original
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (or use chopped broccoli)
1 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken (I usually use last night's leftovers)
3 eggs
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 (9-inch) pie crust, in pie pan
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Toss onions, garlic, bell peppers, extra virgin olive oil, Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper together on a large baking sheet. Roast in oven until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus, toss well and roast until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 15 to 20 minutes more. Add chicken, toss well and set aside.

Mix eggs, egg whites, flour, baking powder, milk, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Arrange vegetable mixture in pie crust, then pour egg mixture over the top. Scatter cheese over egg mixture and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 45 minutes. (Tent with foil if top gets too dark before quiche is cooked through). Set aside to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

ENJOY!

At Least I Had a Good Laugh

I'm sure you were all expecting this.... but Hip Hop Abs did NOT make me lose 3 inches in 6 days... at least I don't think it did. My waist is the same size as before (how utterly disappointing), but I never measure other parts of my body. It occurred to me last night that maybe they meant that you would lose 3 inches, but not necessarily from your waist. I don't feel that much skinnier than when I started, but maybe it's because I'm PMSing, or maybe it's because it just straight up didn't work. As least I had fun and had a good laugh. Those workouts are hilarious to do and to watch. Check out this Hip Hop Abs workout on YouTube and you'll die laughing. Those backup "dancers" seriously crack me up, as does the instructor, Shaw T. Have any of you tried it? What did you think?

So, back to Jillian Michaels and running for me. Why is it so darn hard to loose those last 10 pounds?!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Black Bean and Veggie Soup

Yesterday was one of those days where I NEEDED to go grocery shopping so bad, but didn't have time to go. Dinner time came and I had no clue what to make. I opened the fridge and noticed a few left over veggies, so I decided to make some soup. I also found a can of black beans and decided to add them to the soup for some added flavor, texture, and fibre. It turned out better than expected and both kids really enjoyed it, especially Joseph. The best part is, it was FAST.

Ingredients (this is what I had on hand, I'm sure other veggies would be great too)

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 very large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning
splash Extra Virgin Olive oil

Method

In a large sauce pan heath olive oil on medium heat. Add all veggies and spices. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Add chicken stock, black beans and soy sauce. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender, maybe 20 minutes. Puree soup until smooth.

ENJOY!

Happy Birthday To.... ME!!

Today is my birthday and it's also been 6 days since I started that Hip Hop Abs shenanigans. I've actually had really sore abs and love handles believe it or not.... however..... I didn't take into account a couple things before I started.

1. The day after I started it was my brother's birthday. Let's just say there was a lot of ice cream cake eaten.
2. My cousin and very good friend came over for girls night. If you've ever met my cousin you'd understand that girls night = FOOD!
3. Adam (my running buddy and Italian friend) came over and made us an Italian dinner, with dessert. Who can say no to that?
4. Today is MY birthday and I was woken up this morning with a HUGE serving of pancakes and strawberries... and brownies.

I know, I KNOW!!! Sounds like a bunch of lame excuses, but it's true. Ok so, I can tell you that Hip Hop Abs is a GREAT workout if you're looking for something fun and full of cardio. Plus it works areas of your abs that you might normally have problems with. I'm pretty confident that that it would work if you didn't have a million events happening (which include food). I'm going to try it again, and this time I'm duct tapping my mouth shut to avoid the surplus of food that seems to follow me every where I go.

Meet me back here in 6 more days.... I PROMISE!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

27 years ago I was a little chubby baby.... now I'm just a little chubby.

Tune into Oprah Today if you HATE Dieting!

Ok I've said it before.... I'm not one of those "I love the gospel of Oprah" kind of person. I seriously watch her show like five times a year tops. But for some reason I get emails from her show everyday. Today I read the subject and immediately set my PVR to record today's show (and I suggest you do the same!)

For all of us diet haters, here's something that just might shake up the way we look at food forever. Women all over have been losing weight (and keeping it off) thanks to New York Times best-selling author Geneen Roth's latest book, Women, Food and God. This book has had a significant effect on Oprah's life. "[It] blows the doors off of my tumultuous relationship with food," she says. "It's a love/hate thing that so many people have experienced."

Geneen says the way many women eat doesn't indicate that they necessarily love food. "When you really like something, you pay attention to it and you take time with it. When you like something, you don't eat standing up, you don't eat it in the car, you don't eat sort of shoving the food in your mouth on the way from the stove to the table," she says. "When you like your body, you also pay attention to that, to when it's had enough."

Sounds interesting to me! I've already set my PVR to record it. I can't wait to see the before and after of many women and to hear more about this amazing book. Hmmm, it's my birthday tomorrow. Maybe I'll add this book to my wish list!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Real Italian Meatballs

Sorry this is late. My internet was having issues. Last night my good friend Adam came over to make us a real Italian dinner (yes, he's Italian). He made us some very yummy meatballs and I ate like 6 of them! They were easier to make than I thought and tasted WAY better than any store bought meatballs.

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

- 1 pound of ground meat. We used the tri-pack of lean ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal which equals 1 pound total. You can buy this at most fancier grocery stores like Fortinos.
- 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup fresh Romano cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1 large clove of garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients with your hands until incorporated. Form into balls of desired size. I like to make them slightly smaller than a golf ball. You can either fry them in oil until cooked, OR simmer them in tomato sauce for 3 hours. Serve with pasta and sauce.

Tomato Sauce
- 3 cans of crushed tomatoes (796 ml)
- 1 small onion
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley
- salt and pepper

Put 1 clove of garlic and onions in a large sauce pan on medium heat for 5 minutes string often. Add 2 tablespoons parsley and remainder of the ingredients and warm on medium heat until sauce starts to bubble. Add 1 clove of garlic and 1 tablespoon parsley. Gently add uncooked meatballs and simmer on minimum for 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Lose 3 Inches in 6 Days?!

One of my best friends and I have decided that we're going to get skinny once and for all! We always complain that we're flabby from having 2 kids each and now we're REALLY going to do something about it. I don't just want to look "ok" I want to look GREAT! I always hear people say "you need to learn to accept your body the way it is." Would you tell your kid who is getting mostly Cs in school to just "accept" those grades? Or would you tell them that they need to work harder and that they CAN achieve the grades they want and deserve? Obviously nobody would accept mediocrity in other aspects of their life, so why do we feel the need to accept it when it comes to our bodies. We CAN change our bodies for the better!! It's happened for a number of people, so why not me?

I've been running 5 km and doing the Jillian Michael's workout for a few months now and I have seen results (see my before and after pictures), but I want to lose more. The goal, lose 3 inches in 6 day!

So what's the plan?
1. Jillian Michael's workout 3 times a week (or more) on level 2.
2. Hip Hop Abs every night. They claim you can lose 3 inches in 6 days. Let's see if it works.
3. Eating mostly fruit and veggies (no potatoes or bananas)
4. Protein shake for lunch
5. Sensible dinner, with mostly veggies (less than 500 calories)
6. No eating after 7:30 pm
7. Drink 8 glasses of water a day

I'm hoping the hip hop abs claim to "lose 3 inches in 6 days" is true. I'm going to give it a try. I REALLY want to be able to post "after" pictures that I can be proud of. Wish me luck!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Happy 4th of July!

Since I was born in the United States I always get excited about the 4th of July. I remember being a church camp and bringing sparklers with me so I could have a mini 4th of July celebration (haa haa I was such a nerd!) Even though I was raised in Canada I still really feel like an American at heart... Canada is GREAT too... and I feel pretty special that I'm the only person in my family that is American. The best part of the United States, in my opinion is HAWAII!!!! I love it there and when Dave isn't looking, I'm going to buy a house there. So to all my American friends HAPPY 4th OF JULY! Good bless the USA!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Pesto Pasta Salad

Tonight I'm going to a friends house for a Canada Day (well day after) party. She called yesterday and ask me if i could bring either a veggie tray, Cesar salad, garden salad, or a pasta salad. I decided on a pasta salad because I have a great recipe up my sleeve. I made this a year ago for another party and someone commented "this is delicious, probably the best thing here!" Here's the recipe for pesto pasta salad...

Ingredients

- 1 cup of pesto sauce (or if you're in a hurry, 1 jar Presidents Choice pesto sauce)
- 1 pkg grape tomatoes cut into halves
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled on the George Foreman Grille and cut into bite size pieces
- 750 g of corkscrew noodles, cooked

Throw everything into a large bowl. Mix and serve!

Enjoy!

O CANADA!

Happy Canada Day! I hope you're all enjoying you time off and spending it with your friends and family. Today we're heading to a festival where we'll be watching local dance studios perform, a dog show, local musicians, etc. We went last year and had a great time so we're really looking forward to it this time. We'll also be bringing our friends would missed out last year because they were HAVING A BABY last Canada Day (happy birthday Brandon!)

I hope to also take a few minutes and think about what a great country Canada is. When I think back to earlier this year, when the Vancouver Winter Olympics were taking place, I remember all the commercials that were about Canada. I remember watching the American stations and they were constantly showing Canada's beauty. I loved watching the interviews with all the Canadian athletes and they'd show their adorable home towns and strong communities. I actually appreciated Canada more after the Vancouver Olympics. Here's some Canada eye candy for you!


Me Ka Aloha
-Elisabeth