Category: health and fitness

September 11, 2015

Make Meal Time Easy and Healthy With Nudge Foods Vegetable Mac N Cheese #GetNudged

Simple Weeknight Gluten Free Mac N Cheese with Nudge Foods

It is hard to resist the creamy, satisfying and just overall goodness of macaroni and cheese. It is a meal that all family members love but making it from scratch can be difficult during the busy school week, we just don’t have time for that. What I am not okay with is unhealthy ingredients that make you cringe not to mention that you can’t even say the names on some of the boxed products.

So how do you find a simple boxed macaroni and cheese that helps you eat better? Enter Nudge Foods. The Nudge team set out to create a product that not only tasted great but also be a product that you would be confident to bring into your home.

The result: four macaroni and cheese products that are:

made with organic ingredients
made with grass-fed dairy
peanut free
non GMO ingredients
no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours
a source of Omega 3 fatty acids (from the grass-fed dairy and flax pasta)

My family and I were quite impressed with the creamy taste of the macaroni and cheese, good doesn’t have to taste yucky!. The gluten free shells were fantastic and delicious, sometimes gluten free pasta can be quite textured and almost mushy tasting but the shells maintained their shape and texture with a great taste.

While the Nudge Macaroni and Cheese variety is perfect on its own, why not shake it up a little bit and add in vegetables to not only fill you up faster but add even more nutrient value to your meal.

Ingredients

one box of Nudge Foods Gluten Free White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
margarine or butter (2 tbsp)
milk (5 tbsp)
one zucchini and one carrot (other great vegetable combos are: spinach and red pepper, mushrooms and green beans)
one tbsp of coconut oil
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the macaroni and cheese as directed on the box.

While the macaroni is cooking, cut up your carrots and zucchini. I like to quarter my zucchini and shred my carrots. In a separate pan, add the coconut oil, zucchini and carrots and cook until tender. Add the black pepper as desired.

Once the macaroni is fully cooked, drain the pasta and mix in the butter/margarine and milk. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the macaroni and cheese and mix.

Serve and enjoy!

Make sure you follow Nudge Foods on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date. Watch out for another simple, week night recipe using Nudge Foods that your children will love.

Watch out next week for a new recipe using my kids favourite the elbow macaroni and cheese!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.

September 10, 2015

Week Four: One Month Down!

It is almost hard to believe that one month has passed by already. It feels like yesterday that I had finally had enough and wanted to fix the mistakes that I was making and become healthier not only for myself but to give a positive example to my boys. Now it is week four and while I am still sticking to it this had to be my hardest week yet. As you can see by how late this post was! Not only was it the first week of school for my babies (and my youngest who is now officially a Kindergarten kid!), I also had my Dad over helping me with caring for the boys the week before school started and he is the most divine cook ever. No lie – I can’t stop eating his food!

This week, I chose to keep better track of my fitness by using a calendar on the fridge. The mental tracking was just not cutting it anymore. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t giving in to weaknesses nor was I lying to myself.

So here is how I did it week three:

1-2 pound weight loss. I may have gained two pounds with my Dad’s cooking! Oops!!
Weight training three times this week. I managed it once 🙁
Yoga three times this week. Zero times this week.
~~Daily squat, lunge, push up and crunch challenge.~~
11,000 steps a day. While I didn’t hit 11,000 every day, I always made it to 10,000.
One 3 km walk.
One 4 km walk.

This week I know I have to step it up even more, especially with The Great Camp Adventure Walk coming up in the next few weeks (yay!).

Week four goals:

1-2 pound weight loss.
Weight training five times this week.
Yoga three times this week.
Daily squat, lunge, push up and crunch challenge.
11,000 steps a day.
Two 3km walks.
One 4km walk.

I am quite excited to see what this week four brings me. Hopefully it will only continue to become easier and more routine as this week passes by. Don’t forget to head over to my initial post and enter the giveaway before time runs out. Have a fantastic week!

September 9, 2015

Five Tips to Survive the Allergy Drip

Five Tips for Surviving the Allergy Drip

This post was sponsored by the makers of REACTINE®. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Allergies. Just the word itself makes me want to cringe! Allergy season for me brings what I like to refer to as the dreaded ‘allergy drip’. Starting in the spring right through to the fall it is not unusual to see me with tissue stuck up one nostril trying to prevent the ‘drip’ from escaping, red-eyed and just overall in a miserable mood. This is also the busiest time of the year for us as a family with our son’s competitive soccer, swimming outside and travelling, so there is no way I can just hide away in my bedroom (which honestly most days I want to when allergy season hits!).

After several years of dealing with allergies I have learned some tricks to cope with allergy season. Here are my top tips to get you through this difficult season.

Make an Appointment with Your Family Doctor

Before you start on any type of medication routine, seek the opinion of your family doctor if you have any questions or concerns about medication. Your family doctor may refer you to an allergist and this is important for so many reasons. Your allergist will likely complete a skin prick test to determine what exactly you are allergic to (indoor vs outdoor allergens or pet/food allergies) and help determine what kind of medications you should be on, especially if you have any coexisting conditions such as asthma. Knowing what allergens you are allergic to is essential to minimizing symptoms during the peak of allergy season. You can’t prevent allergic symptoms if you don’t know what you are protecting yourself from!

Find a Product That Works For You

Find an over the counter medication that works for you, in my case this is REACTINE®. REACTINE® provides me with 24 hour non-drowsy relief during the day and prevents what I like to refer to as the ‘Allergy Fog’ (the lovely sedating effect some allergy medications can have on your mind and body). When I take REACTINE® morning after morning, my body constantly maintains the level of antihistamine so it doesn’t need to build the level up again (talk to your doctor for daily use beyond 6 months).Make an appointment with your family doctor to see if you require a nasal spray.

Use a Nasal Rinse

While this may not be everyone’s favourite thing to do, it offers a lot of sinus relief. Allergic sinus pain can be quite painful, with the pressure in your cheekbones, forehead or extending into your teeth. Using an over the counter nasal rinse (I use mine twice daily during the worst part of the season) will help to remove any excess mucous build up while moisturizing dry nostrils. The bonus (but a bit of a gross bonus) is that you can literally see this technique working, plus the relief is instant. This can be used in addition to allergy medication, like REACTINE®. If it still feels like you have some water in your nose after you complete the rinse, try to gently blow your nose to remove any additional saline.

Keep the Windows Closed and Air Conditioner On

While it is always nice to leave the windows open during the summer months (not to mention better for the environment and electricity bills), this is actually introducing pollen into your home. This only makes it that much harder for allergic individuals. I still remember how last year, my husband tried to cool down the house with the windows open but when it came to go to bed I could not sleep because my eyes were itching and my nose was running.

Monitor the Air Quality and Pollen Reports

Your local news station and the Weather Network are perfect for keeping you up to date with the air quality and pollen reports. You can also follow @ReactineCA on Twitter for local pollen forecasts. If the air quality is poor and the pollen count high, it is a much better idea to stay indoors as much as possible. Why worsen your symptoms if you can avoid them? If you do have to be outside, ensure you medicate as indicated and if you require inhalers bring them with you. Try to be in locations where if it is needed you can find somewhere to cool down inside at intervals.

While you can’t erase all of your allergy symptoms no matter how hard you may wish that they would just go away, you can significantly reduce your symptoms with a combination of REACTINE®, nasal sprays, rinses, being aware of pollen reports and planning wisely. Always remember to keep a large stock of tissue wherever you go because there is nothing more embarrassing than being caught with your nose dripping and no tissue around!

How do you treat your allergies during allergy season?

August 31, 2015

Week Three Update: Staying Strong and Healthy

It is said it takes twenty-one days to break a bad habit. I have officially reached that point and passed through the worst parts of my journey and I am on the road to committing to making healthier choices for myself and my family. It no longer feels like a chore but it is just part of my normal day. I feel strong, confident and ready to take on more.

Here is how I did:

Last week’s healthy living goals:

~~1-2 pound weight loss~~ I have finally started to lose weight again thankfully! I lost another two pounds and I am at a weight I have not seen in five years so I am beyond happy. I think the walking and added weight training is helping.
Yoga four times this week. I only managed to do this once this week and I truly missed doing my yoga. Yoga always makes me feel refreshed, energized and at ease with life.
Daily evening meditation. My kids did not want to seem to leave me alone but c’est la vie. I am going to devote additional time this week for my ‘quiet’ time to unwind.
~~Daily squat, lunge, push up, crunch and plank challenge~~. I not only completed my personal challenge but also added in extra weight training and ball exercises.
~~Two litres of water a day.~~ Completed! And learning to finish the majority of my water before 4pm so I am not up all night (!).
11,000 steps a day (got to up my goal a bit!). I completed this five out of the seven days and it is slowly becoming second nature to me to just keep moving.
Two 3km walks. I only made it on one walk this week but I completed it without being completely out of breath.

Each day I feel better as I commit to living a healthy lifestyle. I feel as if I have more energy to give not only to myself but to my family.

This week’s goals:

1-2 pound weight loss.
Weight training three times this week.
Yoga three times this week.
Daily squat, lunge, push up and crunch challenge.
11,000 steps a day.
One 3 km walk.
One 4 km walk.

I am hoping each of these little actions will help me out in my goals of walking 10km with my sister in The Great Camp Adventure Walk on September 26th.

Make sure to check out and enter my healthy living giveaway before September 11th. Good luck.

August 27, 2015

Walk and Dream: The Canaccord Genuity Great Camp Adventure Walk #WalkForSickKids

Medicine has always been an important part of my life. When I was younger, I wanted to be a surgeon more than anything else in the world. My life was centred around helping people and trying to make them better. It was what motivated to become a lifeguard, to volunteer in retirement homes as well as at York Central Hospital and later to participate in a research study at Sick Kids Hospital as part of the Aventis Biotech Challenge. The days that I spent not only in the lab but with patients taught me so much. Medicine is all about healing and creating miracles and why my life has always centred around caring for others.

While I may not have become the surgeon I had always wanted to, I did graduate from a Kinesiology program and I am currently working in a teaching Family Medicine unit. Every day I am able to witness little miracles in our patients and share in these moments with them. It is a role that has humbled me and taught me to appreciate every moment in life because nothing in life is ever guaranteed. My work has brought home to me how important it is to give back to others and to support research and providing care for patients. This is a concept that I am continually trying to share with others.

Sick Kids is a world leader in both patient care and research in order to make sure that every child has the chance to be healthy, happy and dream. It is because of courageous individuals, volunteers and generous donors that these children are given the chance to achieve all they deserve.

The Canaccord Genuity Great Camp Adventure Walk will be held this year on September 26th, 2015 in downtown Toronto. The Great Camp Adventure Walk is a challenge by choice event – you get to choose whether you want to complete a 5km, 10km, 15km or even 20km. Campsites are found along the route every 2.5km, each having its own unique theme and activities. The Main Camp at Fort York will be full of family friendly activities including: entertainment, arts and crafts, Fun Zone, games, Tuck Shop and quiet areas for rest.

The Great Camp Adventure Walk gives families the opportunity to not only support those in their lives that may have been affected by childhood illnesses and cancer but to also teach their children about the importance of fundraising and the miracle of medicine. It gives children a chance to support children.

If you want to be a part of this important day to benefit Sick Kids, head over to the Great Camp Adventure Walk page and sign up to take part in the walk (they are dog friendly too!) or donate to a group or individual participating (if you want to donate to my team, you can do so here). If you are signing up for the Great Camp Adventure Walk, you can use the code: social, to receive a $10 discount off the registration fee.

The 2015 goal is to raise $2 million for Sick Kids and every little bit helps! So head over to the Great Camp Adventure Walk to learn more, donate, volunteer and participate. Every action counts and makes a difference in a child’s life.

Please take a moment to enter to win the following giveaway. Not only do you walk away with $100 but you also win $100 donation to a team of your choosing – a win-win!

The Great Camp Adventure Walk for SickKids Promotion Contest

Disclosure: I am part of the Canaccord Genuity Great Camp Adventure Walk for SickKids campaign with Influence Central and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.