Do you have a personal chef, especially one that looks like the hunka hunka burning love one to the right? —>

Yeah, me neither, but you’re damn straight I’d kiss the cook!

When I asked my busy Mom friends what a dream solution is for them to eat healthy, half of them answered “a personal chef”, along with:

• healthy meals delivered directly to their house
• someone to do their grocery shopping
• healthy, quick, and simple meal plans already done for them
• a babysitter for their kids so they can cook uninterrupted
• someone to clean up the code orange kitchen disaster after meals (OK, that’s my dream solution!)

While you may not be able to afford a personal chef, you can reduce your prep time for the week by 25% with only one kitchen appliance.  Plus, you can throw it in the dishwasher after you use it!  Curious as to what this holy grail of kitchen prep is?

*Insert drum roll sound here*

The humble food processor!

Listen, as a nutritionist, I’ve heard all of the excuses for not eating healthy, real food.  Excuses like:

• it takes too long to chop and prep
• I don’t have time to cook every single night, but I still want my family to eat healthy
• my family won’t eat the healthy meals that I slave over the stove to cook for them (this is a whole other ball of wax!)

While we all (myself included) have every excuse under the sun to get take-out, we still have an overwhelming urge to feed our family the most nutritious meals possible!  I’m absolutely blown away that every Mom I talk to is willing to eat the crappiest crap crap herself because she’s usually too tired or busy from taking care of everyone else, but over her dead body will her kids eat anything but the most nutritious meals!

Where take-out and healthy urges collide, guilt thrives.  Guilt that we should be able to handle making a homemade meal, all while working full time, doing 5 loads of laundry, cleaning the toilet, and driving kids all over kingdom come.  Give yourself a break, plus the equivalent of 2 extra hands in the kitchen!

Gone is the need to be able to slice zucchini at warp speed like Jamie Oliver, with the looming possibility of losing some fingers in the process.

Gone are the days when your expensive mascara from Sephora is running down your cheeks while you chop onions.  Damn you, onions, you get me every time!  (Do yourself one more favour and invest in some onion goggles.  They work like a charm, and are truly life changing.)

Gone are the days of prepping and chopping veggies for 15 minutes each night … you can prep all of your veggies for the entire week in 15 minutes!

See how dragging out that dusty food processor can slay your prep time excuses like a metaphorical dragon? Click to tweet it.

Here’s exactly how to use your food processor like the secret kitchen ninja that it is:

1. Dust off the one that you already have, or buy a new food processor with the slicer and grater attachment.  I’m in love with my stainless steel Cuisinart 7-Cup food processor that we got for our wedding over 3 years ago, and I’ve never had a problem with it.  It’s fairly affordable at $129.99 (prices in Canadian), but you can find cheaper options at WalMart or other larger retailers. This one is on sale this week at Canadian Tire for $39.99! That’s only 77 cents a week if you break down the cost over a year … what’s your sanity (and fingers) worth to you?
2. Spend a 1/2 hour meal planning so you know exactly what you’re buying (no more wasting cash on veggies that just rot in your fridge), and you can get in and out of the grocery store once per week in less than an hour.  If you need help meal planning, click here to get your own copy of my free guide that walks you through each step.  Meal planning can be sexy!
3. Each week when you’re done your grocery shopping, run right home, and drop your veggies off at the pool (i.e. wash them real good, especially if they’re not organic).  Glance at the recipes that you’ve laid out for the week on your trusty calendar, and sort each veggie by how they need to be prepped:  grated, sliced, or diced/minced.
4. Assemble your food processor with the correct blade.  Pinky swear that you’ll read the instructions on how to do this properly when you do it the first time.  We’ve already established that the food processor can save you from chopping off your fingers, but only if you use it correctly!
5. Process away!  Save even more time by putting all the grated/sliced/diced veggies for each recipe together in their own container, that way they’re ready to  add to your hot pan in 2 seconds flat.
6. Put all the dirty appliance pieces in the dishwasher, or if you’re feeling ambitious, wash them by hand.  Who are you kidding, do you really want to wreck your manicure?
7. Sit back, have a glass of wine, and give yourself a pat on the back.

In the next part of the Eat More, Cook Less Series, I’m going to show you how to work your fridge like it owes you money.

Leave a comment with the ONE kitchen appliance you couldn’t live without!

Have you ever said to yourself:

- When I’m thinner, I’ll play with my kids more
- When I’m thinner, I’ll be less anxious
- When I’m thinner, I’ll be healthier
- When I’m thinner, I’ll be able to sleep at night

You know what?  You’re dead wrong.  You won’t necessarily achieve any of those things.

I bet you’re a little bit mad at me for raining on your weight loss parade, and I don’t blame you one bit.

You’ve been tricked by Weight Watchers, Herbal Magic, Herbal One, Jenny Craig, and almost every other weight loss program out there that if you could only lose weight, your life would all of a sudden be happy and perfect.  It won’t be.

It all comes down to figuring out your “why”.  The reason “I want to be thinner” in and of itself isn’t much motivation for losing weight, because your brain registers it as hard work, which it is!  Counting calories or points, only eating certain foods until noon, making everything from scratch, no processed or packaged foods.  Some of this stuff can take hours of prep time.

My “why” came late last year in the form of my newborn son who was hospitalized for 129 days after his birth (you can read more about our story, and how we spent 4 1/2 months in the hospital here or here).

Like any other Mom pretty much in history, I had to put my own wants and needs aside (and recuperating from a c-section) to attend to his major health crisis.  Most women have responsibilities like this, where we are caretakers for children, spouses, parents, siblings, or even close friends.

By nature, we give, and give, and give, and sometimes don’t get anything back.  We convince ourselves that the constant giving is enough to fulfill us … except it’s not, because we fill the void with eating.

This is why the goal of “being thin” or “losing weight” isn’t enough in and of itself, because the real reason women are overweight isn’t the food, it’s the lack of happiness in their lives.

You won’t want to love yourself with healthy, nourishing foods until you love yourself.  Period.  Tweet it.

So how do you go about learning to love yourself, and creating a fulfilling life with experiences and not food?  This simple but oh so powerful, 5 minute activity, courtesy of Sarah Jenks (who just launched a kick-ass program called Live More, Weigh Less – learn more about it here) can help you figure out your “why” so you can finally lose those extra 10 pounds without dieting, counting points, giving up anything, or starving yourself.

How to fill your life with happiness instead of crappy foods:

1. Click here to get your happiness activity sheet, and print it.
2. In the “When I’m                      “, fill in your dream.  This could be thin, healthy, wealthy, spiritual, balanced, happy, or any other adjective you can think of.
3. Think about what a day in the life of your thin, healthy, wealthy or happy self is going to look like.  Start with what you would do first thing in the morning until the minute you go to bed.  Don’t limit yourself to what things would cost in money or time.  If you’re stuck, a good question to ask yourself is “If I won the lottery today, what would I do for the rest of my life?”.
4. Write down everything that you can picture yourself doing in this dream day, from taking the time to read your favourite magazine to travelling the world.
5. For each thing you want to do on your happiness list, write down what’s going to need to happen to get your there.  For example, if you want to go to Paris, you’re going to have to save money to do it.  When do you want to go?  How much are hotels, flights, and food?  Google is your best friend for this part of the exercise, and you may surprise yourself about how affordable some of your dream things actually are.
6. Put your big girl panties on, and take action!  Schedule all of the things that need to happen for you to achieve each thing on your happiness list, even if it’s 5 or 25 years away.  As Marie Forleo says, if it’s not scheduled, it doesn’t exist.

Slowly but surely, your day will be filled with anticipation of the amazing things you’re going to do in your life instead of eating a whole box of Oreos

Leave a comment with ONE thing on your happiness list that makes you the most excited to finally do!

I’m kind of a big deal!

It’s been a year since I posted regularly … the reason? A very nausea filled pregnancy (seriously, I was sick EVERY DAY of that 9 months), and a new baby!

Introducing our son, Aleks, born on October 6, 2012. I knew that having a baby would change our lives, but had no idea how much.  Within 8 hours of Aleks being born, he was rushed down to Sick Kids Hospital in London (one hour away) and in surgery to remove a large section of his small intestine that had died inside of him in utero.  I’ve never been more scared in my entire life.

Aleks and I spent 4 1/2 months, exactly 129 days, at the hospital in London before coming home.  I lived full time at the Ronald McDonald House of Southwestern Ontario, and Ben stayed in Chatham 4 days a week to work.  I’ve chronicled our journey and struggles on a separate blog, so you can read about Aleks’ story more in depth there.

I’ve learned so much about myself and how I want to live my life going forward.  There’s something about seeing your little baby in the Critical Care unit that changes you forever.

I want to spend more time with family and friends.
I want to eat healthier, but spend less time in the kitchen (unless I want to!).
I want to have more energy, and be around for a long time to see Aleks grow up.
I want to work smarter, not harder.
I want to be happier.

A Sonic Youth fan just like his Dad

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I wasn’t happy before, but I’m definitely more alive now.  I realize how much time I wasted before, when I thought I had all the time in the world!

You’ll notice the difference in my blog posts and recipes, since I don’t have hours and hours to cook anymore.  I’m sure you don’t have hours of free time either!

I’m also going to put more of a focus on the cost of eating healthier, since that’s the 2nd most common frustration for people who want to eat healthier (the time factor is the 1st).  You may notice that I have a new FREE guide for eating healthier on a budget in less time.  This has replaced my previous guide “5 Steps to Managing Menopause”.  If you’re not already on my mailing list, you can sign up at the bottom of this post, or on this page. Did you already sign up but want this new guide?  Just send me an e-mail and I’ll gladly send you a copy!

So what does a busy Mom of a 6 month old eat for breakfast?  Avocado on toast!  I need fat of the avocado to give me energy and help me feel full until I get to eat again (whenever that may be!), and the magnesium content helps keep me calm when Aleks is acting crazy.

Avocado on toast

2 small or 1 large slice of toast (gluten free if needed, or sprouted wheat bread)
1 ripe avocado
1 splash of really good balsamic vinegar (the longer it’s aged, the smoother and sweeter it tastes)
1 pinch of sea salt or himalayan pink salt

1. Toast the bread
2. In the meantime, remove the pit from the avocado, and take it out of the skin. If you’ve never done this before, check out this video where I show you how!
3. Mash the avocado in a small bowl.  Add the balsamic vinegar and mix gently.
4. Spoon the avocado onto the toast, and top with the salt of your choice.

 Reader question:  What are your biggest frustrations about trying to eat healthy?  Let me know in the comments below!

Keep reading to see how you can win 3 FREE tickets to The Ultimate ME Day Women’s Conference on Saturday, April 20th in Chatham, Ontario.

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About a week before we were going to take our newborn son, Aleks, home from the hospital, I was feeling run down and completely exhausted (for the back story about how we spent 4 1/2 months in the hospital after he was born, please click here).  I had been living at Ronald McDonald House in London for 3 months, and I missed home, I missed my husband, I missed my family, and I missed my bed.  I was spending upwards of 8 hours a day in Aleks’ room, only allowing myself to leave after I was sure he was napping.

I felt like, on one hand, I wish I could take a whole day off, just nap, rest, and do whatever I wanted to do.  On the other hand, I felt so guilty, like the worst Mom in the world for saying that to myself, and was worried about how I would feel once we actually brought him home.  If I felt this way and he had 24/7 care in the hospital, how would I feel when I was his 24/7 care at home?

Well, the universe works in mysterious ways.  In a span of 2 hours, I received 3 separate e-mails about maintaining a work and life balance as a Mom, and making sure that you are taking care of yourself and making you your #1 priority.

Wouldn’t you feel guilty leaving this sweet face in the hospital all day?

After talking with my other Mom friends, I’ve come to realize that almost every single woman on the face of the Earth feels guilty on a day to day basis.  As a mother, wife, or partner, you feel guilty when you spend any time or money on yourself.  Hell, you might even feel guilty for taking the time to pee if you child is screaming like crazy, because you feel that their emotional need is more pressing than your newly incontinent bladder after childbirth.

This guilt can come from many different places, including your experiences and upbringing.  Did you learn from your Mom, your Grandma, or maybe an Aunt that women should feel guilty when they spend money or time on themselves?  Did she say things at the checkout like “I know I shouldn’t buy this, but … “.  Did she say things like “I wish I didn’t have to … ” and insert the phrase “leave early for work”, “skip your recital”, or “stay late to work on a project”.

Do you say things that start with “I wish I didn’t have to …” to yourself?  When that dreaded phrase pops into your head, start by immediately asking yourself why you feel like you don’t want to do whatever it is that you think you have to do.  Is it because you feel that you don’t have time for it, that you don’t enjoy it, or that you feel like you should be doing something else?

Feeling dread or guilt about doing something, or wishing that you don’t have to do it, comes from a place where that task is not in line with your goals and dreams.  To feel that you don’t want to brush your teeth at midnight when you’re exhausted is one thing, but when you feel like there are major things in your life that zap your energy, depress you, and that don’t feel right, those are things that need to change.  They don’t need to change immediately, but there has to be an actionable plan to change them, or modify them so that they work better for you.

Here are the steps you can take to have more “me” time:

1. Get out your calendar, whether it be on your computer, phone, or on paper.
2. Put in all of your events or obligations that have for the next 3 months (or as many as you can remember, no need to over-schedule).
3. Start by picking one event in the next 2 weeks.
4. ASK FOR HELP from the people closest to you to see if they can go instead.  It may be your husband or partner, you mother or father, sister, or any in-laws.  It could also be a close friend that your children call “Auntie”.
5. In most cases, they’ll usually say how thrilled they are that you asked, and that they’d like to make this a regular occurrence (double bonus!).
6. Sit down with your child or person that you feel obligated to, and explain why someone else is going to be there instead of you.  If it’s a young child, they may make a fuss the first few times you do this, but explain to them that you are going to do something else so that you can be happier when you’re spending time with them.  If your children are older, you’re teaching them a valuable lesson that they’ll use in their own lives, and value alone time of their own.
7. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

When things are planned and written down, they are much more likely to happen.  You’ll also notice that the world did not end when you didn’t go to that 4th hockey practice of the week.

What I really want you to realize is that you can stop feeling guilty when you take time for yourself since you are not abandoning someone else.  Instead, they have the pleasure and privilege of spending quality time with someone else that they love and probably don’t see as often as they should.  Remember to spend your newly found free time doing something that really fulfills you, that allows you to disconnect from your daily worries and stresses.  Most importantly, it has to be something that forces your mind to focus, otherwise those worries will have room to pop up in your head when you’re trying to have fun and relax!

When you make your “me” time count, the guilt naturally falls away because you start to notice that you are happier, less exhausted, and more productive.

So what did I do on that day when I was feeling run down and exhausted, spending all my time and energy worrying about what I would feel like when we finally got to bring Aleks home?  I went to my chiropractor and spent 30 minutes getting my body and mind back into a happier and healthier place.  30 little minutes that made me feel more productive for the next 2 days.  And did I feel guilty?  Hells to the no!  OK, maybe a little …

Take Action Now:
Follow the steps outlined above, get your calendar out, and write down the first 5 events that come to mind.  Do it now or you’ll get busy doing something else, and it will only take 5 minutes!  Then tell us what day you are scheduling your own time in the comments below.

I can’t wait to hear how happy you are after your “me” time!

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Please join Ashley at The Ultimate Me Day women’s conference in Chatham on April 20^th, 2013, where she will be presenting “Make it Count:  How to Leverage Every Day Like it’s Your Last!”

Want to win FREE tickets for you and 2 friends?  Visit her Facebook page for more information, and pat yourself on the back for making time for yourself!

Just an update that for the next few weeks, I will not be posting any new content or recipes.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail at ashley@lovewhatyoueat.ca, and I will try to reply to you as soon a possible.

Thanks for your patience!

Ashley

Me around 3 o'clock in the afternoon when I'm "hangry". Photo courtesy of www.thefatlossauthority.com

We all know the feeling:  it’s 3 pm, you’re at the office, and you either need to get your snack on, or rip someone’s head off.  Repeat to yourself that ripping someone’s head off at the office is frowned upon.

You’ve now entered the “hangry” zone.  Hangry is a word that Josh from this great whole foods blog came up with to describe his wife, France, when her blood sugar dips a little bit low.  Their recent post on 10 Whole Food Snacks That You Can Pack inspired this recipe and post.  (*note*: just as I’m writing this, another healthy snack post just went up on Oh She Glows … does everyone need a pick-me-up at this time of year, or what!?!)

So let’s revisit our options:  snack, or rip a coworkers head off.  Guess that leaves us with the snack option … so what are you going to eat?

This part requires a little bit of advanced planning and cooking if you want to make something fancy, but you can be as easy as grabbing some portable healthy snacks like:
- one piece of fruit with a small handful of raw nuts or seeds
- an apple, cut up into slices, with some nut butter
- some mini carrots with some store bought hummus or bean dip
- a healthy, gluten free cracker with some cheese (if you are not sensitive to dairy)
- a healthy protein bar, like Zing bars

It’s important that your snack have a little bit of protein, a la the nuts and seeds or dips, so that your blood sugar doesn’t take another nose dive in 30 minutes and leave you even more hangry.

Now, let’s get physical, and take it up a whole other notch on the snacking ladder.  These recipes do require that you actually take the time to make them, so make a huge batch, divide it up into individual serving sizes, and freeze them.  This is what I do with all my baked goods and granola (and maybe even homemade chocolate truffles), et voila, instant Hanger Management!

Here’s some great snack recipes I’ve previously posted:
-  30 Second Banana Ice Cream
- Gluten Free Granola

Time for a new one!  I debated which recipe to post this week (soup vs. snack), but since I’ve gotten so many requests on Facebook from the picture that I posted on Sunday while I was making this recipe, I figured I’d give my readers what they want!  (See how that works?  Do you have a burning question or want a recipe?  Send the request my way, and I’ll try my best to answer!).  These almonds remind me of Cinnabon cinnamon buns that I can no longer (or will no longer) eat, and will make your entire house smell like heaven!  This recipe is inspired by, and a tweaked version of this one.

Without further ado …

Maple Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

2 cups             whole, raw almonds
¼ cup             maple syrup
2 tsp               coconut oil
2 tsp               vanilla
1 tbsp             cinnamon
½ tsp              sea salt
parchment paper

1.  Soak almonds overnight in a glass bowl with cold, purified water.  Make sure the almonds are covered by at least 3 inches of water.  This step isn’t mandatory, but it will increase the digestibility (i.e. nutrient content that you actually absorb) of the almonds.
2.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
3.   Place a piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet.
4.  If you soaked your almonds, rinse them in a colander with lots of cold water, and spread them out on the baking sheet.
5.  Bake for 15 minutes.
6.  In the meantime, in a large saucepan, mix together the maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Heat for about 2 minutes over medium heat, until the mixture just starts to boil.  Turn off the heat.
7.  Once the almonds are done baking, add them to the saucepan, and stir them until all the almonds are evenly coated with the maple syrup mixture.
8.  Turn the oven down to 300 degrees fahrenheit.
9.  Spread the almonds back onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, moving them about every 10 minutes.
10.  Take them out and let them cool on the baking sheet for about an hour, until the coating has set.
11.  If you soaked your almonds, they will still be sticky.  If you didn’t soak them, the coating should harden up.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and enjoy for the next week!

Reader question:  What is your favourite healthy snack?

Gluten and I were inseparable.  He was always hanging around, at parties, at my friends house, in my kitchen, even in my bathroom.  I gave into him at least 3 times a day, and let me tell you, I thought things couldn’t get any better than that … until it wasn’t.  You see, I developed an allergy to Gluten.  I started feeling that something was wrong in the pit of my stomach, and my head was telling me the same thing.  To make matters worse, I learned that he gave an actual disease to other people!  I knew that I had to kick Gluten to the curb, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life.

I still see Gluten around town.  He’s still at my friends house, at parties, in the lunchroom at work, and every single restaurant that I go to.  When I see him, I still get upset sometimes that he wasn’t meant for me, but I know that I’m better off without him.

I know you have your own sob story of an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, spouse, partner, or even a friend or family member.  Have you ever stopped to think that you may have the same type of abusive relationship with your food?  When I say abusive, I mean that you invest your own time, money, and feelings into your food, and it shares nothing but pain, bad moods, and horrible bodily symptoms back with you.  Who would want to stay with something like that?

Feeling joyous while eating a gluten free, egg free, and dairy free cupcake that doesn't make me sick!

You absolutely have the power to get your food to love you back, you just have to make that choice to eat what nourishes you, just like sometime in the past, you made that painful decision to let someone go that didn’t nourish you.

Certain foods have the power to leave you in bed all day, to disrupt your whole life with upset stomachs and other digestive issues, piercing headaches, and depression and anxiety.  Other foods have the power to give you soaring energy, glowing skin, and joy and happiness, not to mention reduce your risk of certain cancers by up to 75%!

Any of the recipes that I post on this blog give you that healing power because I want you to feel fabulous every day of your life.  Check out these sexy-time recipes, and make them for yourself and your honey tonight:
- Minty Fresh Quinoa Salad
- Braised Beef Ribs or Chicken en Papillote
- 30-Second Banana Ice Cream

You should love your food, and your food should love you back!

Reader question:  What food do you like to make to show others that you love them?

I couldn’t NOT post this talk on how to live to be 100+ years old, because who doesn’t want to die peacefully in their sleep at the age of 102, especially after sex!  P.S.  You have to watch the video to get that joke …

I absolutely love TED Talks.  It’s a not-for-profit organization that’s devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, all for free, and all over the world!  There are so many inspirational talks in general, with tons of 20 minute talks on health and lifestyle.

I’ve read lots of books on this subject, and they all come down to one thing that I’ve said before

Genes load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger

As Dan says in his talk, about 10% of diseases are truly genetic, but the other 90% comes down to what you eat and how you live your life.  What a fantastic, uplifting, hope nugget for all the people out there who feel that feeling good and having good health is out of their control.  It is almost entirely in your control, so let’s do something about it!

Nutritionally speaking, there are a few things that the longest living people in the world have in common:

Photo courtesy of http://carlypea.wordpress.com

1.  They drink wine:  Woohoo, let’s talk about the fun one first!  Statistically, centenarians do imbibe regularly, but what they don’t do is drink a whole bottle of wine in one night, sitting alone at home, crying into their glass.  They do drink one glass of wine while still surrounded by a lively group of their friends and family.  This longevity factor could be as much of a social benefit as a nutritional benefit.  Yes, red wine contains resveratrol, a potent anti-oxidant, but that doesn’t mean that you should drink four glasses instead of just one!

2.  They eat greens:  Green leafy vegetables are a nutritional powerhouse, and I suspect that we haven’t even scratched the surface of science on these hidden gems yet.  Greens are filled with folate, vitamin K and calcium for bones, iron, magnesium, potassium, and small amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.  Basically, leafy greens combat inflammation, and inflammation is the root of almost all of our diseases in western cultures.  Aim for at least one serving of leafy greens per day, but knock yourself out with some green juicing too!

3.  They eat until they are 80% full:  It takes 30 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full.  By the end of that 30 minutes, you’re stuffed beyond words.  I’ve actually done this before after Thanksgiving when I was about 15 years old, where I got sick after eating way too much.  The food was just so good, but I promise you that I’ll never do that again.  The Japanese say the phrase “Hara Hachi Bu” before their meals, kind of like a prayer, to remind themselves to eat until they are 80% satisfied.  They know that 30 minute later, they’ll be 100% happy!

4.  They don’t eat a ton of meat:  Everyone has their own individual set point for how much meat they eat that will make them feel good.  Some people, like vegans, feel great on 0% meat, while other people feel fantastic eating 3 servings of meat per day.  I can’t tell you what your magic number is, but I can tell you that the more isolated populations of  centenarians eat locally raised, grass fed meat from animals that were humanly raised.  If you read this blog regularly, you already know how I feel about meat (um, it’s delicious and I feel great when I eat it, especially when I know who raised it and where it came from).

Reader question:  What are you doing to get the most years out of your life, and the most life out of your years?

Whenever I hear someone say “I can’t eat that, I’m on a low fat diet”, it makes me a little loco.  Thanks to the deluge of media that we see everyday, and the low fat craze that started in the 1970′s, there’s a fear of fat in our society.

Sure, if you want to have dry skin, dry hair, dry private parts (menopausal ladies, I’m talking to you, and you know exactly what I’m talking about!), be on a blood sugar and hormonal roller coaster everyday, and miss out on so many delicious foods that have the essential nutrients that your body needs, they knock yourself out on that low fat diet.

More recent research has shown that eating fat does not actually make you fat, and may be more driven by our sky-rocketing intake of refined carbohydrates, sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup more than anything else.  I highly recommend you read the book “Why We Get Fat:  And What To Do About It” by Gary Taubes, it’s fascinating (or hire me as your nutritionist, since I’ve already read it, and can give you actionable steps on how to lose that weight, get healthy, and love what you eat again!).

The fat-filled foods to put on your must eat list should include:  raw nuts and seeds, coconut oil, butter, and avocados!

I’m going to tell you a secret.  I used to HATE avocados.  Now let me clear one thing up,  I was convinced that I hated avocados before I even tried an avocado.  Lesson one in hating foods:  actually try the food first before you decide!  Then I tried a straight piece of avocado, and I still hated it.  Then I had it mashed up, with some Fleur de Sel and some aged balsamic vinegar, and I loved it!  It turns out, I don’t like eating avocado on it’s own, but if it’s in a salad, or as a dip … well holy guacamole!  Now I can’t get enough of them.  I put them in smoothies, eat them on tacos, and add them to my kick @ss quinoa salad below.

Avocados are a nutrition superfood, and here’s why:
- they have more potassium than bananas, with only a small percentage of the sugar.  Ask anyone where they can get potassium, and the first answer they say is bananas.  I’m starting an avocado crusade, down with bananas (well not really, just in the potassium argument!).  Know someone with high blood pressure?  An avocado a day will keep the doctor away
- they are a huge source of fiber.  One cup of avocado has almost 1/2 of your recommended daily intake!
- they are full of various B vitamins and vitamin C, helping to increase your immune system and your energy level throughout the day
- they help you absorb more of the disease fighting chemicals found in other foods, so that when you eat avocados together with other veggies, you get between 200-400% more nutrition!  Talk about killing two birds (or two tumours) with one stone.

So don’t delay, get your avocados today … and make this delicious recipe!  This quinoa salad is really ideal during the summer, when mint, cucumber, and tomatoes are all in season, but hey, I need a little pick-me-up right now, and what better way to get it than a colourful, light tasting, delicious, and nutritious salad!

Minty fresh quinoa salad

Cook time:  20 mins
Prep time:  15 mins
Serves:  4-6 as a main, or 6-8 as a side dish 

225 g uncooked quinoa (about 1 ¼ cups)
2 ½ cups water
4 inch piece cucumber
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
3-4 sprigs fresh mint
1 avocado
1 clove garlic
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 large lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1.  Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2.  Rinse the quinoa under cold water for several minutes to remove the bitter film on it.
3.  Once water is boiling, add quinoa and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed, and the quinoa is light and fluffy.  Spread out onto a flat baking pan to cool.
4.  While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, prepare the rest of the ingredients as follows, and put them all into a big bowl:
5.  Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, slice into small chunks.
6.  Halve the tomatoes.
7.  Remove the mint leaves from the sprigs, and chop finely.
8.  Halve the avocado, remove the put, remove the soft flesh from the skin, and cut into ½ inch chunks.
9.  Remove the garlic from the skin, and mince finely.
10.  Once all ingredients are in a large bowl, add the pumpkin seeds and juice the lemon into the bowl, making sure that all the avocado pieces are covered with the juice so that they don’t turn brown.
11.  Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss all the ingredients together, making sure they are all coated in the lemon juice and olive oil.
12.  Add the cooled quinoa to the rest of the ingredients, and toss together.
13.  Taste the salad, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
14.  Serve on it’s own for a snack or small lunch, or use as a side dish for lunch or dinner.

Reader question:  What’s your favourite way of eating avocados?  If you’ve never tried one, what’s stopping you?

Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired?
Are you overweight?
Do you want to solve these problems by eating delicious food?

If you answered yes, then you totally agree with mine and Jamie Oliver’s philosophy that you can totally change your health and your life JUST by eating real food!

This is why I absolute love and adore Jamie.  He’s not afraid to put himself out there as an ambassador for real food in the fight against obesity and other health issues, especially in US schools.  It’s all very empowering, really, since it’s YOU who has the ability to completely change your life, and all that it involves is a little love and time spent in the kitchen with real, nutritious food that will blow your mind.

Jamie won the TED prize in early 2010 for his passion on this subject, and his wish is:

To create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.

His prize-winning presentation literally made me stand on my feet and applaud him, even though I was the only one in the room, and I was watching it online.  Here it is for you to enjoy at your own leisure, and I HIGHLY recommend watching it when you’re down, sick, negative, or any other feeling that makes you not want to cook.

Even this nutritionist needs inspiration from time to time to keep on the whole foods highway, especially when it seems easier to take a quick detour to Fastfoodville.  Yes, it’s temporarily easier, but how easy is fighting cancer (1 in 3 will, and 487 Canadian are diagnosed with cancer everyday), heart disease (every 7 minutes, someone in Canada dies from heart disease or stroke), or diabetes (today, nearly 1 in 4 Canadians either has diabetes or prediabetes)?

So, are you ready to cook real food that is only going to take you less than 10 minutes of actual work, and costs next to nothing?  Enter the world of dried beans!

Now I know what you’re thinking:  ”Ashley, every time I eat beans, I have so much gas that I end up feeling like a balloon that’s about to pop!”.  I used to, too, until I started cooking dried beans, and making sure that I have enough good bacteria in my gut.

Dried beans are cheap, cheap, cheap!

The secret to non-musical beans, if you know what I’m sayin’, is soaking them overnight in cold water.  When you do this, you are helping to remove the indigestible sugars, called oligosaccharides, from the outer coating of the beans.  Funny enough, there are supplements called prebiotics that are made of oligosaccharides, and a common complaint of people introducing them is gas and flatulence.  This is why it’s so important to have enough good bacteria in your digestive system, because it’s the good guys that can actually help you break down these complex molecules properly and completely (i.e. gas free!).

Here’s a step by step lesson in cooking dried beans with pictures.  This recipe is inspired by an episode of one of Jamie’s shows (I cannot recall which one right now … I think Jamie at Home?) when he talks about how poor Italians live off of dried beans because they are so cheap.  This whole recipe probably costs around $3 … sweet!

Balsamic Beans

1 cup                 dried white beans (navy, cannellini, etc)
1 head               garlic, unpeeled
A few sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)
A few sprigs of fresh oregano (or 1 tbsp dried)
1                       small potato, cut in half (or 1 large potato cut into 4)
3 tbsp               Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp               Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup             Plain tomato juice (NOT V8 or any other flavoured tomato juice)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste (may need up to 1/2 tsp of salt)

1.  Soak the dried beans overnight in a large bowl with lots of cold water.  The beans should be covered with at least 3 inches of water to make have enough to re-hydrate.

Make sure the beans have LOTS of cold water to sit in overnight!

2.  In the morning, drain the soaked beans and rinse well under cold water to remove the excess starch (i.e. gas causing fun!).

After soaking overnight

3.  Place them in a crockpot and cover them with cold water (again, make sure they are covered by at least 3 inches). Throw in the garlic, herbs, and potato.
Cook for 6 hours on high, or 8 hours on low.

Don't even bother peeling the head of garlic yet

4.  Make sure you save at least 2 ladlefuls of the cooling liquid (to loosen the final mixture to a thicker or thinner consistency, depending on how you like them).  Drain the beans in a colander or strainer, and put the garlic and potatoes onto a plate.  Get rid of the fresh herbs (if you used them).

Little goodies nestled in their bed of beans

5.  If you used a large potato, save 1/2 for another use.  Remove the garlic cloves from the skin (it will be VERY soft), and mash the potato and garlic together with a fork.  Add it back into the drained beans.

After cooking all day ...

6.  Add the extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and tomato juice to the beans.  Start to add the cooking liquid in 1/4 cup intervals, and stir well until you reach a consistency that you are happy with.  You might even want to mash the beans a little with a potato masher, but that’s completely up to you!

The deliciousness that is a roasted head of garlic. Peel the soft cloves out of the skin before you mash it with the potato.

7.  Starting with 1/8 teaspoon intervals, add in sea salt and keep tasting until you are happy with the beans.  Add black pepper to taste.

Et voila! The finished product, which would probably look a million times better with some chopped parsley on top!

8.  Serve as a side dish instead of rice or potatoes.  Store any leftovers in the fridge, and they will last up to 4 days.

Reader question:  what do you make that’s quick, cheap, and delicious?  Leave your answer in the comments below!