Judy's Hearty Healthy Breakfast Muffins

I'm horrible at eating breakfast. I think part of it is because I am not a morning person, and I want the absolute minimum amount of time between getting out of bed and being where I need to be (because that means I get to sleep longer!). I usually get out of bed about 30 minutes before I need to leave the house, which leaves me just enough time to dress, brush my teeth and grab something for lunch before I rush out the door. The other part is I feel awful if I eat right after waking up. I know that breakfast has been coined the "most important meal of the day", but I also think that listening to one's body is important too. 

I think I might be better at eating breakfast if there was something delicious to spark my appetite. As I was pondering this point I began craving a muffin I used to have from a local coffee shop in my hometown of Canmore. These muffins were huge, healthy and packed full of flavour. It would usually take me at least two days to finish one, and I always felt full afterwards. And thus, my latest idea of inventing a muffin based on a 10-year-old memory was formed. I've spent a lot of time modifying recipes to make them healthier, but I've never come up with my own recipe from scratch before, but I figure there is always a new opportunity waiting. 

This recipe also gave me a great opportunity to use up some bananas I had frozen, some blackberries that were nearly at the end of their useful life, cranberries I have frozen which were leftover from thanksgiving and an apple that fell out of the fruit basket one too many times. I think plenty of other fruits would go wonderfully in this recipe, and baking is a great way to use up fruit that doesn't really seem to appealing to eat on its own. This recipe is also devoid of any refined sugar as well as oils or butters! Since its full of fruit (and a veggie too!) that helps to keep it moist without the added fats!

2 mashed bananas (from frozen works best, they squish better)

1/2 an avocado, peeled and mashed

2 eggs

1/2 cup apple sauce (sugar free)

2 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp honey or agave nectar

4 tbsp apple juice (or other fruit juice)

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cup multigrain flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 c wheat bran

1/4 cup almonds, diced

2 tbsp flax seeds

1 cup cranberries (frozen or fresh)

1 apple, cored and diced fine (or grated)

1 cup blackberries (or raspberries) cut in half

1. Mash bananas and avocado together in a large bowl. Mix in eggs, beating thoroughly. Add in apple sauce, vanilla, honey and apple juice. Mix well. 

2. To wet ingredients, add baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well to make sure everything is well incorporated. 

3. Add flour, oats and bran, almonds, flax seeds, cranberries and apple to wet mixture, stirring well until all ingredients are well mixed.

4. Add blackberries and gently stir once or twice. They are very soft berries and will get squished if you mix too much. 

5. Bake at 350 for 21-25 minutes or until tops start to brown. 

Eating for Weight Loss

There is a bit of a misnomer out there about eating and losing weight. I come across so many people who are constantly cut calories, trying to exercise more, and yet are struggling to shed pounds. The truth is, your body needs a certain number of calories (discussed below) to function, and eating anything less than that will slow your metabolism and make weight loss a huge struggle in the long term. Sure you may very quickly shed a few pounds while your body adjusts, but once it hits "starvation mode" the pounds will come off less quickly and you will struggle to build muscle and maintain energy to focus on fitness and workouts.

Think of your body like a car. If you refuse to put oil, windshield washer fluid and gas in it, it certainly won't go very far. Now thing of oil, windshield washer fluid and gas as the nutrients, gas and minerals that your body needs. Sure you can survive a bit without vitamins, it will take your body a little while to notice that you are leeching calcium out of your bones to make sure your heart keeps beating (and this might take months, but its true), and as for the gas, your body will start to use up fat reserves, but the truth is, after about 3 days of extreme calorie deprivation your body will turn to your muscle tissue as an energy source. The reason being that per kilogram of muscle there is a lot more energy and nutrients than a kilogram of fat. Lastly we come to the windshield washer fluid, or that extra our bodies don't need every single day, but are certainly nice to have when there is a storm, or something abnormal. These are the extras we get from foods, like minerals, omega-3's and so on. These are not quite as critical as essential vitamins, but are substantial contributors to muscle and cartilage building, brain development, and maintenance of systems like our eye sight and hearing. Now imagine for a minute that you never put oil, gas or windshield washer fluid in your beloved car. How would it look? Dirty? Stalled on the side of a road? Engine seized up? Now our bodies are a heck of a lot better at adapting to adverse situations than a car, but that doesn't mean that they don't suffer.

When trying to lose weight you need to fuel your body so that your metabolism can be working at 100%, and also so that your energy level is high enough to make a difference when you are being active. No matter your size the body needs nutrients on a continual basis in order to provide enough energy to survive. In terms of what to eat and how to eat, here are a few guidelines:

• You need to eat 1200 calories a day PLUS exercise. 1200 calories is already a diminished amount, and for the majority of people, 1200 calories a day as a bare minimum. If you are exercising you need to make up those calories as well to ensure you have enough energy to function. Operating on less than 1200 calories a day will result in a slowed metabolism and slower overall weight loss.
• Eat foods low in sodium: the majority of people have diets high in salt. Anything processed already has salt in it, and since salt is a staple table condiment in North America incredibly high levels make it into our systems. Limit your salt intake (unless you eat only organic, you get more than enough salt from normal foods, even when exercising)
• Limit foods that come in a package. Even if you know little about nutrition, or food value, this is a simple rule to follow: The Less Packaging The Better. Think about processed cookies, they come in a bag in a package in a box, compare that with a head of lettuce, it comes inside of nothing. Think of each layer of packaging as a step away from healthy foods. The less packaging the better. 
• Add more variety to your life. Try to mix up the foods that you eat. Incorporate fruits and vegetables of many colours into your diet, and make sure they encompass at least half your plate at every meal. 
• Don't obsess. This doesn't mean eat a bag of chips a day, it just means don't restrict yourself so much that when you cheat you eat a whole cake (and a pie, and 17 donuts). It means eat healthy, eat clean, but don't kill yourself. We're only human, and even the very best of us can only have SO MUCH will power. Treat yourself every now and then, and let yourself enjoy your food. There are tons of recipes for foods that have full flavour and are still healthy.
• Train your taste buds. You might be surprised to find that if you stop eating chips for a while, you no longer crave them; the same is true with many so called "bad" foods. If you eat healthy for long enough, you will stop craving the bad things. For me at this point bad food includes cinnamon-raisin bagels, flavoured rice cakes and a small slice of homemade cake. I don't crave store-bought cookies or treats; I crave homemade banana bread and a medium-rare steak. The cleaner you eat, the less your body wants the bad foods, since it is no longer used to them. 

In terms of eating for weight loss, I don't recommend completely cutting out any single legitimate food group (fats and sugars don't make my list of "food groups"). Eat 1200 calories a day PLUS exercise,and make those calories good foods. Add multicoloured vegetables to your diet (the simple explanation is that different coloured vegetables contain different and essential nutrients). Make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet every day (about 1g for ever 1kg of body weight - this means for a 150lb person you should be eating about 65g of protein per day), especially if you are trying to build muscle. Try to think of your diet as what you eat, not what you restrict. Your diet should be everything that you consume (including water, which should be at a bare minimum 8 cups a day - more is better), and what you consume is important. I can easily stay on a 1200 calorie a day diet by eat only 6 Oreo cookies and drinking two glasses of wine, but I doubt that anyone would be able to maintain that diet because of the severe lack of nutrients, so eat real food, your body needs (and deserves) that to keep yourself in shape. Remember that losing weight should be about health and not pounds, the healthier you are, the easier it will be to both shed pounds and keep it off. 

What a Difference a Year Makes! 

Pictures of myself at the start of my new healthy lifestyle, and today! No fads or gimmicks here, just clean eating and good old exercise! 

New Years Resolutions & S.M.A.R.T Goals

Its a brand new year, and the gym this past week has been quite a bit fuller (as it always is for the first few weeks in January), as so many people have a New Years resolution along the lines of shedding a few pounds or getting in shape. The further it gets from Jan 1, the empty the gym gets until February rolls around and its just the normal gym crowd, with maybe one or two new additions. While I prefer the gym emptier (its much easier for me to get MY workout in) I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from setting goals and achieving them; simply put, I think New Years resolutions are a bit of a farce. If you really really wanted to set a goal and achieve it, why wait for a new year? Why not start today? Why not make it realistic, and worthy of your time, rather than a generic, "I want to not be fat this year". What does "fat" mean? What do want to do about it? What are YOU going to DO about it?

The solution to to set S.M.A.R.T Goals, which makes goals achievable. No one woke up and was magically smarter, or thinner or completely successful, but by making a plan, all of those things can happen! S.M.A.R.T Goals are behind so many successful motivational speakers and books, as well as many weight loss programs, they are just marketed differently. So, now that the secret is out, what is a  S.M.A.R.T Goal you ask?

S - Specific
Make your goal something specific that you want to achieve. They best way to create a specific goals is to use the 5 Ws

• What I want to accomplish
• Why I want to accomplish this
• Who is involved
• Where I will accomplish this
• Which things do I need to achieve this

The 5 Ws help, because they bring the goal down to something that is tangible. Rather than saying simply "I want to lose weight", think about how much specifically, why is it that you are wanting to lose weight, is it simply shedding pounds, or is it more about a healthier lifestyle? Can you do this on your own, or do you need some help (trainer, nutritionist, spouse eating healthy too), the possibilities are endless. 

M - Measurable 
This is a very important part of any goal. Saying "I want to lose weight" doesn't let us know when we will be satisfied, or help us to see when we have made progress and when we have completed our goal. Break the goal down into several smaller and measurable segments. Say "I want to lose 20 lbs, and to do this I want to lose 1 lb per week". This is something you can see and track, which helps to make the goal more realistic (which we come to shortly).

A - Attainable/Achievable
Not that all goals are not achievable, but sometimes we get a bit ahead of ourselves. If you struggle to walk to the mailbox, maybe your immediate goal shouldn't be to run a marathon (not that that goal cannot ever be a reality, just that today's goal should be an intermediary step). Make a goal that will be a challenge to yourself, but not one that will constantly seem unattainable. The idea of goal setting is to help us, not discourage us so far that we give up. This is a common mistake of people making goals about lifestyle and fitness. The goal is so unrealistic and unattainable that people give up long before they reach that goal. By setting a goal that is achievable, you are more likely to keep it, because you can see the success of accomplishing your goal. And the good part is, when you reach one achievable milestone, whats to stop your from making another one? (Please don't wait until NEXT New Years to make another resolution).

R - Relevant & Realistic
Make the goal relevant and meaningful to YOU. Although the goal "I want stack 500 red cups into a pyramid before lunch today" is a very specific, measurable, achievable and time bound, what is the point? Set a goal for yourself that has meaning behind it for you. Ask yourself, is this worthwhile, and why? If you cannot answer those questions, then maybe your goal needs a bit of revamping.

T - Timely
Set a time limit on your goals. Having no set time limit is another reason why people often do not follow their goals through. If you say I want to lose weight, you've left your goal unbounded, and then there is no reason to see progress, because there is no end in sight. By setting limits it is easier to achieve smaller goals, and then have them add up to a bigger goal. A goal such a losing 30 lbs might seem completely unattainable, whereas losing 3 lbs, is something that can be seen. Set your goal to lose 3 lbs in 2 weeks, and then, do that 10 times and you've achieved your true goal. It a lot easier to run a marathon when you start out walking around the block first. Set limits, and hold yourself accountable.


Setting goals is incredibly important to achieving them. So many people say "I want to be thin", when really they should be setting goals to live a healthier lifestyle. I like goals that involve all of self, not just the pounds we don't like. Just over a year ago I set a goal for myself to "Be healthier". I broke this down into several smaller steps in order to make it feasible.

Here are some of the steps involved in my goals from Nov 2011

- I want to be healthier because living healthy is important to me. I want to treat my body properly, and by putting garbage in, I will get garbage out.
- I will walk to and from school every single day, rain or shine.
- I will exercise for at least 30 minutes at least 3 times a week.
- I will be able to run 10 km by April 2012.
- I will drink at least 2 litres of water every single day.
- I will pack a healthy lunch so I am not tempted to buy unhealthy things to fill me up.
- I will put vegetables on my plate first, and they will fill half my plate.

I had a lot more mini steps, and sometimes added things as I saw fit. I wrote down my goals somewhere that I would see them every single day. This allowed me to make them more tangible. When I got to a point where my goal became habit, I cross it off the list, since it was something I didn't need to work towards anymore (a good example was upping my water intake, as now I can't not drink more than 2L a day, so its no longer a goal, just something I do). When I accomplish my smaller goals, I can set bigger ones, and add to the list.

Another important part of goal setting is reevaluating. If something isn't working, or isn't realistic, change it. That doesn't mean give up after 3 days because its a little bit hard, it means alter things, make them more realistic and keep going. Your goals should be challenging, but not so hard that you give up exasperated. Remember the steps, keep them SMART and enjoy!

Healthy Eggs Benny & Deconstructed Omelettes

Although I'm not (and never have been) a huge breakfast person (as pointed out by one of my fellow "Internet Wedding Planning Girls"), and most of my posts reflect this, I do in fact sometimes eat breakfast, and when I do, I really love eggs! They're packed full of protein and healthy fats, and at only 70 calories apiece, they are a great breakfast (ignore the taunts about cholesterol that is presented in the media, they're not a problem unless you have cholesterol problems AND eat more than 6 a day)! During the week I can rarely choke down much more than a smoothie within an hour of waking up, but on the weekends I usually have more time between waking and actually eating, and since we have more time we're usually a bit more creative. I love incorporating eggs into what we eat, because they help to keep me full, and are also full of nutrients* (check out below for the details!)

Healthy Eggs Benedict 
Serves 4 - anout 230 calories per serving (1 egg with 1/2 English muffin)

• Hollandaise Sauce
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 c fat free plain yogourt
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 2 tsp finely diced chives or green onions
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) - will make quite spicy
1. In heat proof bowl (I use a stainless steel one) mix together egg yolk, yogourt, mustard and vinegar
2. Put over a saucepan of boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring (I use a whisk and whisk slowly). The sauce will thin first and then thicken. 
3. When the sauce thickens add chives/onion, paprika and pepper

• Sandwich
• 4 eggs (2 per person)
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 2 whole wheat English muffins cut in half
• 4 strips turkey bacon or fat free ham
• pepper to taste
• paprika to taste
• chives/green onions to garnish

1. Poach eggs - Half fill a deep frying pan with water and add vinegar. Bring pan of water to boil, and crack eggs into pan, careful not to break the yolks. Poach eggs for 3-4 minutes, scooping water over eggs for the last 2 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon/ham in microwave. Place between two pieces of paper towel and heat on high for 2 minutes or until cooked. (The paper towel helps to absorb any extra fat!)
3. Toast English muffins.
4. Place bacon/ham on English muffin, and using a slotted spoon scoop egg out of water onto muffin. Cover with warm Hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with remaining chives/onions and paprika. 

Deconstructed Omelettes - A.K.A Scrambled Eggs with Stuff in it

About 230 calories per serving

I love omelettes, but I find that to form them properly I need to add so much oil to the pan so they don't stick. My solution is to make eggs with all of the omelette things, but without the added oil and omelette shape. 

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs per person
• Vegetables you like (examples below - per 2 eggs)
• 1 tbsp mushrooms diced
• 1-2 tbsp peppers diced
• 1 tsp onions finely diced
• 1 tbsp green onion diced
• 1-2 tbsp tomato diced
• 2 tbsp carrot grated
• 2 tbsp zucchini grated
• 10 leaves diced spinach
• Meat
• Turkey-Pork Sausage - Recipe Here
• Turkey bacon (one strip per person) diced
• Low fat sausage (I like Eating Right sausage) diced
• Low fat ham diced
• Cheese (about 1-2 tbsp per person, grated)
• low fat cheeses like swiss, cheddar or mozzarella
• goat cheese
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp finely diced basil
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard (per person)
• garlic to taste (optional)

Directions

1. In a non-stick frying pan add vegetables and meat (with harder vegetables like onions, peppers and carrots first), pepper, mustard and garlic. Cook on medium 3-4 minutes until vegetables are softening. 
2. In tall cup or bowl mix eggs. 
3. Add eggs and with a spatula, stir to mix eggs into vegetables & meat
4. When eggs are completely cooked, turn heat to low, sprinkle cheese on top and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes, until cheese has melted. 
5. Serve immediately. 

Whats Your Secret?

I'm often asked what my secret to being fit is, or what diet plan I'm on. Here's the biggest secret of all; I'm not on a diet.

When I first decided to slim down, I was very careful about what I ate. Despite all that I know about nutrition, I was trying to lose weight so I went fat free, carb free, sugar free (and taste-free and fun free). Dieting made me grouchy, irritable, listless and constantly hungry. I found that when I dieted, I cheated more, binging more on sweets and constantly craving things that were on the "no" list, which in turn made me feel guilty if I gave into my cravings. The day I decided to stop dieting and get healthy was the day I made the best decision of my life (other than saying "yes" to my wonderful husband that is). When I made the conscious decision to stop dieting and to change my lifestyle I no longer craved fatty and sugary things, and I no longer felt guilty about food. I found I had more energy to workout, to be active and to be happy with. I found that my days no longer revolved around the scantly meals that I was allowing myself to have, and that I could actually focus on myself, rather than on counting calories. I lost weight more effectively, and have been able to keep the pounds off. More than these small feats, I love myself more, and embrace the new me (I know, I know that sounds cheesy and cliche).

I think for anyone trying to lose weight, you need to focus on being healthy first, rather than just trying to shed pounds. Learn about your body, learn about food and learn about exercise. You can't expect to run a marathon the first day you lace up your shoes, nor can you expect to drop 5 pant sizes in a week. Bring healthy should be a long term goal, with short term changes. You don't have to make huge leaps and bounds, start small, and make changes that are manageable, rational and something that you are capable of following. Make changes that make sense for health, not for shedding weight. If you can learn to be healthy, you will lose weight; end of story.

Here are my secrets to being healthy:

1) Eat real food. The less processed, the less salt, and preservatives and bad things there will be. I've never done a shake diet, or meal replacements or anything like that. I eat fruit and vegetables and whole grains. The less packaging the better, because it means real food. I always put vegetables on my plate first, and try to make sure they take up half the plate.

• Some of the added bonuses of real food
• Its WAY cheaper than pre-packaged food (see what your grocery bill looks like if you buy everything fresh; compare the price of canned goods to produce)
• Its low in sodium, refined sugars and chemicals
• Its better for the environment (in many ways, no packaging = less garbage in landfills, and fresh foods also take less energy to produce than packaged ones)

2) Drink water. And lots of it. I think the only thing I drink is water (with the exception of herbal tea or decaf coffee some mornings). We shower to clean our outsides, but what do we do for our insides? I drink about 3-4L of water a day - which is twice the recommended 8 cups, and more if I'm exercising. I constantly have my water bottle with me, and find that if its there, I'll drink, you can train yourself to get in the habit too. And although it makes you have to pee more (hey heres a chance to get away from your desk and stretch your legs for a few minutes!!) it is definitely worth it!

• Bonuses of drinking water
• Its a lot cheaper than buying soda, juice, crystal light etc, most of which are either empty calories, high in sugar or full of artificial chemicals to make them calorie free. If you want some taste in your water, squeeze some lemon or lime in, or add mint leaves and cucumber for a refreshing drink.
• It helps you lose weight. Cold water helps you to digest food, boosts your metabolism and burns calories. Your body can digest things more efficiently when it is hydrated and it doesn't have to pull water away from other pertinent processes. If you're hydrated your body digests food more efficiently. Cold water needs to be warmed up by your body before it can be absorbed, which means you expend energy to heat it! 
• Its like a shower for all your cells. Think about it like taking a shower on the inside! It helps to wash away dead cells, rejuvenate blood flow and keep your body going! It helps to keep your kidneys working properly, and staying hydrated lowers your risk of bladder cancer! 

3) Be aware of what you eat. Its very very easy to snack idly, and not remember what you put in to your body. As much as our society is about efficiency, and go, go,go, take time to either plan your meals ahead of time (if you plan on eating while doing another activity, like working, studying, driving, etc) so that you don't over eat without thinking about it, or sit down and make eating your only activity. A lot of us over eat simply because we aren't paying enough attention to eating.

4) Be active. I spend about 40-60 minutes every day walking. I walk to and from school every single day, so even on days when I don't make it to the gym, I've been active. Take the stairs, so what if it takes 5 minutes to get to the 10th floor, did you really need to rush there? I sure didn't! Many people say I take transit to work/school, well how about getting off a stop or two early? Then you get a good walk in, get some exercise and I find walking gives me time to just be by myself. I look at the walk as enjoyable, time to think rather than an inconvenience. I certainly could take the bus every day, and I'd get there faster too, but then I wouldn't have that precious time to myself either!

 5) Hit the gym, and work it! If you really (really!) want to be fit and healthy, you'll have to work for it. I workout 3-4 times a week, and I don't resent it! So many people day they don't have time, or are too tired or whatever, but those are excuses. If you care about it, you will MAKE time for it. Rome wasn't built in a day, but one day, someone laid the corner stone, and it grew. I always think of my mom when thinking about  people being healthy and making time for the gym. She is such an inspiration. She lost over 60lbs, going from someone who got winded walking up the stairs to running a marathon just after her 50th birthday. If she can find the time and inner strength, so can you.

6) Don't limit yourself (too much). Healthy eating doesn't mean you can't ever eat dessert, or have a glass of wine, or go out for wing night. The trick is to learn to not want those things. I find that the healthier I eat, the less I want to put bad things into my body. My biggest craving at the moment is a fruit & veggie smoothie. I also let myself have bad foods when I want them, because I find its not all that often. I think that is the difference between dieting and being healthy, I no longer crave junk food, and I no longer have to "cheat" on my diet. I mostly eat good things, and then when I want, I have a cookie (because now I only feel like I want one, not the whole bag). And party my perspective on junk food had shifted, I don't want it or need it in my body, and would much rather eat a delicious meal than binge on a bag of chips.

And that is my secret.