Author Archives: Brenda

Wednesday is Date Night at Milestone’s

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milestonesI went on a “date” last night with my husband. We decided to go to Milestone’s Restaurant in Langley and were pleasantly surprised to see they had a promotion on (see blog title). For $50 we shared a healthier appetizer (fresh salsa, tapenade, humous), I had a healthy salmon, rice & asparagus dinner, and we finished off by sharing an unhealthy but yummy chocolate cookie with vanilla icecream. I wish they would offer whole wheat and/or rye as options for the breads instead of only white bread and deep-fried chips. A healthy option for dessert would be nice too, but we probably would have chosen the warm cookie anyway. The atmosphere and service were just what we were looking for. Thumbs up!

Celery with Goat Cheese

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Celery with goat cheese

Celery with goat cheese

Today I had a yummy snack: celery with goat cheese, and celery with peanut butter.  I got the crunch I love and some protein to keep me full for awhile.  I use organic celery because I’d rather avoid the pesticides and it tastes healthier to me.

Eating celery is helpful for hydration since it is 95% water.  It is also high in Vitamin K as well as containing other vitamins and minerals.  Vitamin K helps your blod clot and may help your bones get stronger.

Healthier Meats for Carnivores

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During the summer we often use our barbecue to grill meat for dinner.  There are many places to buy organic meat and meat without antibiotics in BC and the Vancouver area.  In addition to purchasing it in some health food stores, you can also find it in these stores:

In Surrey/Langley/White Rock:

  • JD Turkey Farms – free range turkeys, turkey sausages, meatballs, soup and more.  Other healthier products such as honey and spelt flour are available in their store.  10% discount for bulk sausage purchases.
  • Farmer Ken’s Meats
  • Heritage Meats – organic beef, chicken, and more
  • Thomas Reid Farms – Langley; organic chicken in bulk by appointment only
  • Hazelmere Organics – Surrey

In Vancouver:

  • Big Sky Natural Meats – beef and lamb from Lumby, BC
  • The Butcher
  • Tango’s Gourmet Meats – the West End
  • Nature’s Prime

In Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam/Port Moody/Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge:

In Burnaby/New Westminster/Richmond/Ladner:

  • Superior Fish Market – Ladner; fish, organic chicken and beef, bison, other organic products
  • Queens Park Meat Market – New Westminster

In Abbotsford/Chilliwack/Mission:

  • Sumas Mountain Farms – Abbotsford; grass-fed organic beef, free-range chicken
  • Little Farmhouse Country Market – Yarrow
  • Organa Farms – organic turkey and hogs

In North Vancouver/West Vancouver:

For other locations across Canada:

www.eatwild.com
www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca

Frozen Bananas

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bananaAn easy, healthy and creamy frozen treat that we like is a frozen banana. 

Peel bananas that are yellow but not yet spotted
Break or cut the bananas in half
Stick a popsicle stick or chopstick into the broken half and push it into the banana
Wrap the bananas with plastic wrap
Put several bananas in plastic bags with the sticks sticking out to minimize freezer burn
Wait a few hours until they are frozen.

Remove from plastic bags/wrap and eat!

Walking with my Puppy

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Our puppy Mylo

Our puppy Mylo

In March we got a puppy at the request of my older daughter.  Mylo is the newest member of our family.  He’s very friendly and full of energy.  To channel his energy into something less destructive than chewing all the plastic lids in the house we have been taking him on walks five times a day.  He is a Brittany and ideally could use an hour run everyday.  I’ll have to work up to that, but for now he is good motivation to walk more often than I had been.

Using George Foreman Grills to Lose Weight

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George Foreman grill

George Foreman grill

I used to think that George Foreman grills were over-hyped and not worth purchasing – just another electrical device to take up room in my kitchen cupboards. If my husband didn’t want to barbecue the chicken breasts, I could cook them on my frying pan. Then my 7 yr old daughter and I were visiting garage sales, looking for toys and other things she didn’t need, when I came across a George Foreman grill. At a cost of $9 I decided to give it a try. They were selling it because they felt that burgers cooked on it were not juicy enough. Since we rarely cook burgers I didn’t feel that would be a problem for us.

The first thing we tried was cooking raw chicken breasts. Wow – was it fast. And they tasted good! Since then we have cooked pork chops, lamb burgers, frozen chicken breasts, lamb skewers and bison burgers. I have also used it to quickly grill sliced red peppers and red onion. We still use the barbecue outside sometimes, and we can’t grill a whole salmon on it like we can outside, but it sure is nice when it is raining or we are out of propane. It is also faster than our outside barbecue. I’m a George Foreman grill convert!

Homemade Baked Corn Chips

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Homemade corn chips

Lately we’ve been making homemade corn chips when we have guests for dinner.  They are a bit time-consuming, but so yummy when they are warm.  They are also healthier than store-bought as most store-bought tortilla chips are deep-fried.

Use a pastry brush to brush olive oil on both sides of corn tortillas
Place tortillas on pizza stone or cookie sheet
Cut into triangles with pizza cutter or knife
Bake for about 10 minutes at 350°F, or until they start to turn light brown
Remove from oven
Sprinkle with sea salt and put in a big bowl
Cover bowl to keep them warm while you bake another batch

Can be served with salsa or other dips, but they break easily.

Grapefruit as a healthy snack

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red grapefruit slices

red grapefruit slices

I love to have a grapefruit when I’m in the mood for something juicy and filling.  I usually buy the red or pink grapefruit varieties because I want it to be a bit sweet without adding anything to it.  I either peel it like an orange and eat the sections or I cut it in wedges.  It is a great late morning or early afternoon snack.

Grapefruits are a good source of Vitamin C, and the red and pink varieties have a lot of Vitamin A. They also contain folic acid and potassium. The white pith under the skin is a bit bitter, but is rich in bioflavinoids.

Studies show grapefruit interacts with calcium channel blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs and Zoloft so learn more before eating grapefruit if you are taking these.

Healthier in 2009?

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Jan, Feb, Mar

Jan, Feb, Mar

Will you be healthier in 2009?  Will you choose to make the changes?

Take the first step:  decide what you’d like to be different.

Now take the next step:  what is one thing you can do that will take you in that direction?

Last step:  remind yourself to make that change.  Whenever you change habits it takes time before the new habit is integrated into your life.  Put appointments on your calendar, sticky notes on your bathroom mirror, send scheduled emails to yourself, put a symbol of the change in your pocket or on your bedside table.

Kamut Vegetable Salad

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Kamut Vegetable Salad

Kamut Vegetable Salad

I love bringing this salad to gatherings of friends and family because most people like it and it is not very expensive to make large quantities of it. I cook the kamut a day or two before I make the salad.  The kamut makes a chewier salad than a rice salad.

1 cup whole grain kamut
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
chopped brocollini
chopped fennel
diced red and yellow peppers
soft goat cheese
2-4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt to taste

Place kamut, water and salt in slow cooker. Set on low and cook 8 to 9 hours.  Drain and allow grains to cool.
or
Place the kamut in a pot and cover with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender but still chewy, about 45-60 minutes. Drain, cool, and set aside.

Place cooked kamut in large serving bowl and mix in vegetables and cilantro. Make vinaigrette to moisten and toss to cover.

This recipe is based on one from Slow Cooking by Joanna White.
Other suggested vegetables: celery, cabbage, green onions, red onion, asparagus, brocolli, green beans, and cherry tomatoes.