Recipe Friday -

Kids will love to help you make this healthy snack since it’s fun to spread the cashew butter and sprinkle the chocolate chips. Slice the apples into rounds first then use a small cookie cutter to remove the core from the center of each slice. We used a heart shaped one once, it was way cute!

Ingredients

2 small apples, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds, core removed
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
3 tablespoons cashew butter (or all natural peanut butter)
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons omega granola

Method

Start by brushing the apples slices with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Spread one side of half of the apple slices with cashew butter then sprinkle with chocolate chips and omega granola. Top with remaining apple slices, pressing down gently to make the sandwiches. Enjoy!

Celebrating 4 Wonderful Years!!

It was on this day, back in 2006 that I married my wonderful husband Dave. It's been a great 4 years that's for sure. We had 2 beautiful children, bought 2 cars, bought a house, Dave graduated, we moved to a new city, went to Hawaii, started 2 businesses and more and more. I'm so grateful to be married to the greatest person I know. I love you Dave!! xoxox

Better Late Than Never

Remember way back in June, when I ran the Moon in June 5 km race? Well, this week I was sorting through some pictures on my computer and I realized, totally forgot to post pictures from the Moon in June. So, in case you've been dying to see Adam's short shorts haa haa, here are a few pics. Enjoy!


Here we are waiting for the race to start. Adam was very proud of his short shorts.
In deep conversation.
The very front of the line. I'm standing behind the guy in the diabetes shirt. (That's my friend Elliot, he ran a marathon this week in Iceland for team diabetes)



That dude in all black is my friend Joel. He finished something like 18 minutes wearing that thing! (You can see the side of my head behind the girl in blue)

The finish line. My favorite part of the race LOL!

Recipe Friday - Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins

Last week blueberries were on sale at my grocery store. Four pints for $5!!! I wanted to make blueberry muffins but last time I did, they turned out awful. I think I've honestly tried half a dozen recipes and none of them met my expectations.... until NOW! Thanks to Martha Stewart (she'll never let you down) I made the BEST blueberry-banana muffins ever! Seriously, my kids couldn't get enough of them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ (I used ground flax seeds instead)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries (I used a pint of fresh blueberries- YUMMY)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.
3. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com

A Little Experiment

I've been told by a few people that my "leave a comment" thingy isn't working. I trying to fix it, so to see if it's working, I'm proposing a little experiment. Everyone who sees this post, leave a comment. Even if it's sweet and short. I need to find out if it's working or not. If by Friday I have no comments, I'll know for sure that it's not working. THANKS!

- Elisabeth

Recipe Friday - Turkey Meatloaf

One of my first memories of watching the Simpsons was an episode where Homer is sitting in front of the oven saying "Mmmm Meatloaf" I always thought meatloaf was gross because of this, and unhealthy. Even though meatloaf is a classic American/Canadian meal, my Mother never made it. Then one day, I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows "Chef at Home" with Michael Smith and he showed us how to make a delicious and healthy meatloaf. I've made it and I can tell you that it's so YUMMY! Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 2 pounds of ground turkey
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 can (156 ml) tomato paste
• A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme or oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Preheat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and then add the oil and onions. Sauté them until they are golden brown. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue sautéing until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have lightly browned.
3. In a large bowl mix together the turkey, milk, breadcrumbs, egg, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and mushroom mixture. Season well with salt and pepper. Press the mixture into a loaf pan, or 8” by 8” baking dish and bake until lightly browned on top and firm, about 1 hour. An instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meatloaf should read 165 degrees.

You Need Muscle

There are so many diets out there, promising to help the numbers on the scale drop. The thing is, they work! They all work in some way or another. Even the crazy grapefruit diet, where all you eat is grapefruit for 7 days, works. Here's the problem. Besides being next to impossible to stick to, most diets will make you loose water weight and muscle weight. Therefore, you'll just look like a smaller flabbier version of your old self. Sad, but true. Check out this picture of 2 different women. Both are a size 2, but one looks pretty good, where as the other looks AMAZING!What's the difference? Muscle! Instead of worrying about weight, it's a way better idea to worry about you body fat %. The leaner you are, the hotter you'll look, no matter what your weight. Here's a few reasons why having more muscle mass is WAY healthier.

1. The number 1 reason (haa haa at least for me) is that it looks better. We all know it, muscles (not too much) looks HOT!
2. Studies have shown that people with more fat around their abdomen are more likely to suffer from Type 2 Diabetes than those with lesser body fat around the waist

Read more about The Health Benefits From Having Low Body Fat Levels by 24 Hr Fitnessst

Studies have shown that people with more fat around their abdomens are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes
3. Reduced risks of developing certain types of cancer
4. Sleep better at night
5. Lower your blood pressure
6. Toxins are stored in fat cells, so less fat = less toxins
7. Reduced risk of heart problems that may arise due to clogged arteries and veins
8. Helps control your blood sugar levels
9. With added muscle comes some additional power and strength. This will help during normal everyday activities.
10. More energy throughout the day
11. The more muscle your body has, the faster your metabolism is. Essentially this means your body burns more calories to do normal functions. Bottom line...a faster metabolism means a better fat burning ability.

So what I'm trying to say is, dieting is ok if you're trying to kick start your body transformation, but the key to getting in shape is to lower your body fat percentage. I'll leave a post later in how to do this.

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth
reduced risk of heart problems that may arise due to clogged arteries or veins.

Read more about The Health Benefits From Having Low Body Fat Levels by 24 Hr Fitness

reduced risk of heart problems that may arise due to clogged arteries or veins

Read more about The Health Benefits From Having Low Body Fat Levels by 24 Hr Fitness

reduced risk of heart problems that may arise due to clogged arteries or veins

Read more about The Health Benefits From Having Low Body Fat Levels by 24 Hr Fitness

Recipe Friday - No Cook Berry Crisp

With this heat, who wants to be turning on their ovens? This recipe requires no oven at all and perfect for summer, especially with berries in season. It's a great way to load up on anti-oxidants, vitamins, protein, and healthy fats. I'm heading out to my garden to pick some fresh raspberries right now!

Ingredients

6 cups mixed berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

In a (7- x 11-inch) dish, toss berries with maple syrup. Put pecans, almonds, dates and cinnamon into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Scatter nut mixture over berries and serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Trying to Get Pregnant?

Don't get too excited, I'm not announcing anything here haa haa. Rosie and Joseph have been sick this week so I was looking up some stuff online and came across this website. http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-calculator It tells you when your most fertile days are and when the baby would be due if you did conceive. Obviously it's possible to get pregnant anytime during your cycle as many women can prove, but this information tells you when it's the MOST possible.

I think it's good to know your most fertile days so you can get your body ready and increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy. It's highly recommended to avoid alcohol and caffeine. Experts generally agree that low to moderate caffeine consumption (less than 300 mgs a day or about two 8-ounce mugs of coffee) won't get in the way of getting pregnant. But you might want to cut out caffeine altogether if you're having difficulty conceiving or undergoing in vitro fertilization. You're also going to want to take a pre-natal vitamin with higher iron and folic acid. I was low in iron when I was pregnant with Joseph and my energy was incredibly low and I always felt light headed. Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains. Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%. Folic acid prevents some birth defects like spina bifida.

When I decide that it's time for another baby (notice I said "when"), I'll certainly be checking out this website so I can coordinate the best times to "try".

To all the mommy wannabes out there, don't forget to be healthy and have fun "trying" ;)