Fueling mommy AND baby

As many of you know from our messy mealtime photos, our family has chosen to adopt baby led weaning methods with Ava. She has quite the appetite and I'm so impressed at how well she eats! What some of you may not know; after 6 months, babies begin to require iron from sources other than breast milk. Iron is also important for us busy moms! Lentils are a great plant-based source of iron but are tricky for little fingers to handle. I've had several moms from my fitness challenge groups ask me about how I incorporate lentils into Ava's diet.

So I'm happy to share this great all season recipe that your whole family can enjoy hot on a cold day or warm paired with a fresh salad in your patio!  I'm enjoying it from my patio as Ava naps! (Love working from home!)

Cheese and Lentil Wedges

Great for at home or on the go as their are firm and not too messy!

Serves two adults and one baby, generously. 

1 cup of red lentils
2 cups water
Oil or butter for frying (preferably unsalted for baby
1 Large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3/4 grated cheese
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (to your liking)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used a half sourdough english muffin leftover from Sunday Brunch)
Freshly ground pepper
I also added some spinach, so you could add kale, asparagus or other greens

Put the lentils into a pan with the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the lentils are soft and all the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, heat the oil or butter in a frying pan, add the onion, and fry until soft.

Preheat the oven to 375F and lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan (I used a pie plate). Drain the lentils and the onion and garlic and put them into a mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix well.  Press into the prepared pan using the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then cut into wedges. Serve warm or cold!

I hope you and your baby enjoy this as much as Ava and I did!

Source: Modified from The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all you mamas and soon to be mamas had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday! How did you enjoy yourself?

I for one, fully indulged and milked it for all it was worth! Hubby made my favourite breakfast: salmon eggs Benedict with bacon and fruit accompanied by a mimosa!

And then I enjoyed a nice long bath with epsom salts and essential oils.  When Ava woke, we went for an hour long walk in the sunshine to a point over looking Edmonton's gorgeous river valley.  It was a great day!

Eric spoiled me with a photo book of all the cute pics of Ava that I've sent his way over the past 8 months. It was fun to reminisce together and dream out loud about what the future might hold.  A message in the card he selected, from Ava, was particularly touching for me.

I come from strength,

I come from beauty,

I come from love -

because I come from you!

It resonated for me (and brought on the tears) because I want Ava to see me as her strong, beautiful (from the inside out), loving mother.  This whole health journey, isn't about looking cute in a bikini (although I wouldn't mind if that's a perk that comes along lol). More importantly, it's about having energy, feeling strong and confident, and radiating love.

This journey has made me more conscious of my habits (good and bad) and has prompted me to be more intentional about my choices in an effort to foster healthier habits.  Healthy living shouldn't feel like work, or feel like you're hopping on (and often falling off) the bandwagon.  It's a decision to commit to thriving in your life and understanding what it takes to thrive!

Snacking when you're out and about

Now that the weather is FINALLY improving, I'm so excited to get out and about town. My hubby and I just moved back to Edmonton (from Calgary last year before Ava was born) and I'm looking forward to exploring the city like a newbie!

One thing I've learned on this fitness journey is that I'm great at eating healthy when I'm at home. However, when I'm out and about - well the old saying "failing to plan is planning to fail" - that pretty much sums it up. If I don't pack snacks, I'm either starving and binging when I get home or I succumb to Starbucks drive through or some (hopefully healthy?) food court fare.  

What are your "on the go" snacks? I usually take a shakeology for the road and then pack some trail-mix, beef jerky, an apple and a banana for Ava.

Only 43 days left till summer, these healthy choices will be the difference maker. 

Have an awesome Friday!!

Can't wait for cold season to be over!!

I never used to get sick very often, but now with a little one (I attribute it to lack of sleep) our little family seems to have caught this never ending cold that's keeps going around!!  It's really throwing a wrench into my exercise plans!  I'm trying to stay positive through it all. So this morning, knowing I wouldn't have the lung capacity to make it through 25min of Shaun T yelling "the focus is on your core!", I decided to get out for a brisk early morning walk!

With Ava still in her PJs, I wrapped her up close to me and joined daddy for a walk to the train! It was a tad chilly but the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and kids were giggling on their walk to school.  Ava loves kids and kept peeking her head around me to watch them skip along.  

Eric and I grabbed a breakfast panini and  coffee and had a nice visit before we went our separate ways. 

Came across this cute "pick me up"... Even though we were all feeling pretty fatigued and under the weather, it's nice to enjoy the happy moments. 

What storm clouds are rumbling through your day? Can you see the silver lining? You know it's there! Sometimes you have to look around, sometimes you just have to look into your child's eyes, and those clouds magically disappear!

Have a great day, enjoy the dream that is your beautiful life!!

Down 20lbs and Ava's RESP is UP $300USD!

EEK!! Never thought I'd be so excited to go shopping.

I was out last weekend shopping for a dress to wear to my friend's wedding that I'll be emceeing.  I had procrastinated doing this because I'm trying to lose the baby weight.  Well wasn't I surprised when I had to ask the clerk for the next size down, TWICE!

Bring on the fashion ladies! I can't wait to go shopping for a new wardrobe once I hit my goal weight!

It's been a lot of hard work, and I'm still not at my goal weight. HOWEVER, I'm learning to embrace and celebrate the milestones along this journey as they keep me focused on my goal and motivated to keep pushing!

The most important part of this journey is the energy and confidence I've gained knowing that I can do anything I put my mind to.  I feel like a healthier role model for Ava already!

I'm also excited that her RESP is growing as the income from my new Beachbody business is rolling in!  Each week I receive a cheque, just for encouraging others to join me on my journey to getting fit.

If you're mentally committed and ready for the challenge, don't hesitate! There are some great sales ending this month and will arrive just in time for you to get your booty in shape for summer!

I'm SOO glad I took this leap of faith on February 3rd 2014 and stayed focused on my goal.  I'm not looking back and can't wait to see what the rest of this year will bring!

Let's get healthy together!

I LOVE my slow cooker!

Do you use your slow cooker? I believe it's one of the most under-rated appliances in your kitchen!! Prep the night before and stick in the fridge, pull it out the next morning, plug it in on low, and leave for work/play date/mountain climbing/boarding. Come home to the most amazing aromas with a full appetite and dig in straight away to supper!!

The best part, is slow cooking reduces a lot of fat from your protein while leaving it super tender and juicy!!

I picked up this Albera pork roast (no hormones, antibiotics etc) and laid it on a bed of sliced onions and garlic.  I peppered the you know what out of it, sprinkled some herbs, and splashed some white cooking wine in there for moisture.  Oh and I experimented by splashing in some bourbon too!  You can't go wrong with slow roasting! 

I'm off to do my Focus T25 Speed 1.0 workout now, will let you know how this turns out tonight!!

I'd love to learn what your favourite slow-cooker recipes are, please share them on my Facebook page or below in the comments!

 

Grilling in the Great...Indoors??

It's snowing outside today and its almost May!!?  Hubby wants to do steak tonight, and so it occurred to me that some of you may wonder, "what's the best way to cook a steak inside?"

The best advice I ever got was from our local butcher, Acme Meats! It's fail proof and always gets top rating from my hubby!

I love the Sear-Roast method. As the name implies, you're going to sear your steak, and then you are going to roast it. I find this cuts down on some of the smoke and gives you that just off the grill greatness...or at least close to it.

First comes the fun part; pick your perfect steak. This always comes down to personal preference, but which ever you choose, ideally you want it marbled and cut nice and thick.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, which is probably as hot as you can get it. Also, set your steaks out on the counter (on the butcher paper or a cutting board) so they can come to room temperature.

Now we season. Pat them dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle them with salt (generously, but don't go too crazy) on one side. Coarsely grind some black pepper onto that same side. With your fingertips, gently press the salt and pepper into the meat. Flip each steak over and repeat. I like to keep it cool with the seasoning and let the meat speak for its self.

Get a skillet hot on the stovetop, pour in just enough high-heat burning oil such as Parthena or Camelina to put a thin film over the surface of the pan, and sear your steaks for four minutes or so on one side. Ideally you'd do this on a seasoned, oiled, fiercely hot cast-iron skillet; however, if you don't have one of these, it's perfectly OK to use a fiercely hot stainless-steel skillet instead. In any event, you need a very hot, oven-proof pan

Four minutes have gone by, the smoke detectors are going off, the kids are yelling, the dogs barking and now your steaks are crispy, sizzling and caramelized brown on one side. It's time to flip those steaks over, immediately stick the entire skillet in the oven, and set a timer for four minutes. Maybe open a window too.

When the timer goes off, put on an oven mitt, remove the skillet from the oven, remove the steaks from the skillet, put the steaks on a plate, pour the liquid from the skillet over them, and tent them with aluminum foil. And now just let the juices do their thing while they rest and you wait.

Hopefully by now your house is smoke free and you can celebrate the fact that your having a steak dinner and know that winter can't last forever. Spring is coming---hang in there!

Want to cut down on smoke? Reduce your pan heat and still obtain a decent sear.

To roast or not to roast? Once the steak hits the pan, flip it every minute, for about eight to ten minutes, depending on how thick the cut is and how well done you want it. Don't forget that your steak will keep cooking during the resting period.

This method works best for me, so do what works for you.