Sweet & Savoury Coleslaw

 

 

Hello beautiful people,

I woke up this morning to the perfect Fall morning. The sun wasn’t up yet (I wake up at 5am), but I could see it starting to pierce through the dark sky, the air was cool and crisp and it was a mere 12°C (53°F). Glorious! I went for a short walk with our puppy and I could tell even he was happy we were done with the crazy heat wave we’ve been having.

I went back inside, poured myself a hot cup of black coffee (I kicked the sugar/creamer addiction a little over a year ago), checked the monitor to see if my baby was still asleep (luckily he was), laced up my running shoes and headed back outside for my morning workout.

Now as much as I love going to the gym and lift really heavy things, the reality is, I just can’t make it there most days. So I go when I can, and take it like a “treat” where I get to work on my favourite muscles…or those I feel need the most stimulation like my shoulders and of course, my booty (I’m no JLo, I can always use more booty!) But going to the gym 4-5 times a week is just not happening yet doesn’t mean I’m giving up on my fitness goals. I just adapt them to my reality. Being adaptable, that’s a lesson I’ve had to learn as a new mom. So maybe I’ll make it to the gym twice a week but in order for me to feel my best, I need to get my body moving at least 6 days a week. And because time is always of the essence, most of my workouts are short, under 30 minutes, and work my entire body and especially my core, which I find is still weak, 13 months after my pregnancy. And I always stretch. I never skimp out on the stretching. Because I know that if I don’t do it, I’ll end up really sore and stiff the next day.

You can say these little morning workouts are my “me” time… A little time to do something good for myself.

So what do my morning workouts look like… Here’s what I did this morning:

Warm-up:

  1. 25 air squats
  2. 25 jumping jacks
  3. 50 high knees
  4. 50 butt kicks
  5. 1 minute rope skipping (or you can jog in place)

Circuit: Repeat 3-5 times

  1. 24 walking lunges
  2. 30 toe taps on the patio stairs
  3. 15 push-ups
  4. 30 mountain climbers
  5. 20 yards (60 feet) bear crawl
  6. 20 sit-up to standing

Cool down: stretching

Do not be fooled by the simplicity of the bear crawl. It’s brutal! I had never really done it properly before going to the park with my husband for a workout and he had the brilliant idea for us to try an old football training of his. But that’s for another post… But yes, bear crawl, when done properly, is very hard!

If you’re unsure on how to do any of these exercises, please watch a quick instructional video. Youtube has loads of them like this one for bear crawl. It’s worth the extra minutes so you don’t injure yourself and get the most out of the exercise. Also, know when you are breaking form and take a break. Again, it’s not worth you injuring yourself.

After a workout such as this, you can bet I’m hungry. I’ll usually remain hungry for the following few hours. And there’s no such thing as starving myself. This girl’s gotta eat! Feeding myself highly nutritious meals is so important to me. I spend vary valuable time in the morning to workout, I don’t want all my efforts to go to waste.

This is where a salad like this, comes in handy. I packed this for my lunch, knowing I would be very hungry and need something satisfying, delicious and nutritious. This salad is made of nutrient and protein packed red and green cabbage, hemp hearts, shredded apples and cilantro. The dressing is freshly pressed apple juice and apple cider vinegar. I usually add olive oil to my dressings but this time, I wanted to keep it light and crisp…and I wanted to indulge in a little dessert later on!

This salad also makes the perfect accompaniment to your bean burgers, veggie dogs or open faced sandwiches.

I hope you enjoy it and leave me a comment to let me know if you’ve tried my workout!

 

xx

 

Sweet & Savoury Coleslaw
Recipe Type: Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3 portions
This salad is crunchy and refreshing. I usually like to mix two types of cabbage in my coleslaw but if you have or the other, just add more of the same one. A
Ingredients
  • 3 Cups red cabbage, sliced very thinly (i use a mandoline)
  • 3 Cups green cabbage, sliced very thinly
  • 1/2 Cup hemp hearts
  • 1/2 Cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 Cup apple juice
  • 3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Using a mandoline, or a sharp knife, thinly slice the cabbage.
  2. Add the sliced cabbage, the hemp hearts and the cilantro in a mixing bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk together.
  4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and stir to combine.
  5. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, for the flavours to combine.

 

 

 

 

Kale Caesar Salad

 

Hello beautiful people,

For the past few posts, I’ve shared with you my thoughts on compassion. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I’d love to hear back from you so don’t be shy, scroll on down (after you’ve read this post of course!) and leave a comment… But now, it is time to go back to plant based food and address a very important topic: plant protein!

Now, I know that this topic has been discussed in great length on countless plant based blogs, websites, youtube videos and Instagram accounts yet somehow, the confusion persists, especially in the bodybuilding and fitness industry, although there is some improvement there. If you’ve read my story, you know that this is an industry I’m very found of. But this post is not only aimed at those muscle heads (and I mean that as a compliment as I consider myself one!) but also, and mainly, at those that want to take their fitness to the next level, at those that want to lead an active lifestyle and at those busy families who want to nourish their bodies and fuel their muscles, all the while doing something  positive for their health, the environment and the animals. An all around winning situation if you ask me!

Now let’s get into the thick of things and debunk a few myths along the way…

Let’s start at the beginning. What is protein? According to the National Institutes of Health, protein is a macronutrient (like fat and carbohydrates). It is composed of amino acids, which are organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are the building blocks of muscle mass.

It was once believed, by the scientific community (actually, as far back as 1971), that plant protein was incomplete in and of itself. That all plant proteins lacked one or more amino acids and so someone eating only plant based foods, would have an incomplete intake of amino acids which could lead to a plethora of problems. And so “proper food combining” was recommended to those who wanted to adhere to a plant based lifestyle. And this complicated things for a lot of people. It made this lifestyle very labour intensive and unattractive. Those that might have been plant based-curious where easily turned off by the idea of properly combining foods at every meal.

Luckily, that concept has long been debunked! Unfortunately, it still persists… NutritionFacts.org actually made an amazing video on the topic and I would strongly encourage you to watch it here.

So now we know that most plant proteins contain at least the minimum amounts of all 8 amino acid and that our bodies can store amino acids for when we eat plants to that do not contain the magic 8. And so combining certain plant foods together at every meal is not required. Your magnificent body does the work for you. Incredible you are!

Now what? Well now, unto the next myth: protein requirements!

Since the craze of high-protein diets and the incredible lobbying of various meat industries, it is wildly believed that our bodies need an incredible amount of protein to function properly. We’re talking about diets that promote eating anywhere from 150 to 300 grams of protein (depending if you are active or not, man or woman), a day. That is insane! Some diets even go as far as suggesting a protein-fast where you only eat lean meat all day, for a period of time dependent on how much weight you want to loose. I won’t even get into the dangers of such a diet or the havoc it can wreak on your hormones and digestive tract let alone your sanity but it’s actually a very popular diet so this is scary! Diet such as these promote efficient, drastic and quick weight loss due to the power of protein.

Now let’s be real, protein doesn’t have magical powers and your body definitely doesn’t need that much to function, be active and recover from brutal workouts. So how much do you actually need? Of course, the answer is unique to each person but the general guidelines from the American Dietetic Association and Health Canada is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (1 kg = 2.2 pounds) of body weight per day. So a person who weighs 135 pounds needs 54 grams of protein in a day. Pregnant and breastfeeding women need more as do athletes. For myself, I weight 135 pounds and I know, through trial and error, that my body functions best and I recover faster from my workouts when I eat at least 80 grams of protein, some days even more. And yes, all my protein is plant based and delicious!

Now I know some of you are freaking out on me right now thinking this is way way to low. But think of this: a baby needs the most nutrients and protein as it has the greatest growth curve yet per 100 ml of breastmilk there is 1.3 gram of protein, 4.2 gram of fat and 7 grams of carbs. Food for thought!

Ok so now you know, you don’t need to combine different plant foods at every meal and you know roughly how much protein you need to eat. So what do you eat to hit those protein macros? Check out this chart below by Full Circle Healthcare.

It never ceases to amaze me how complete the plant kingdom is. So whether you choose to eat tofu or not, only unprocessed foods or not, it is very easy to get all the protein you need on a plant based diet.

If you are curious on how much protein you actually do eat, I encourage you to track one or two days in a log like My FitnessPal or Cron-O meter and see how much protein you consume. I’m sure you’ll be surprised!

And now, onto my recipe! I’ve made a kale caesar salad that is loaded with protein from the kale itself, but also from the hemp hearts and the tofu in the dressing.

I hope you enjoy it and let me know how much protein you consume!

xx

 

Kale Caesar Salad
Recipe Type: Salad
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 portions
This kale Caesar salad packs a serious protein punch and is loaded with nutrients so your body has all the help it needs to recover from brutal workouts or simply a hectic day of running around! You can sub the kale for collard greens or romaine lettuce or mix a few greens together. This recipe calls for a chill time in the fridge of 15 minutes to soften the kale. If you don’t have time to wait, sprinkle a little salt over the kale, once washed, and massage it for 30 seconds. It will soften. Just taste the salad with the dressing before adding any additional salt.
Ingredients
  • 1 full head of kale
  • 1/4 Cup olive oil
  • 6 oz firm silken tofu
  • 1 garlic glove (I use 2 gloves because we like it really tangy!)
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 medium size dill pickles
  • 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (vegan)
  • 1/4 Cup of nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 Cup hemp hearts
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Remove the ribs from the kale leafs, wash and chop.
  2. Set aside in a mixing bowl.
  3. Add all your remaining ingredients, except the hemp hearts, into a blender or food processor and blend until you get a creamy texture.
  4. Pour the dressing over the kale and combine with a wooden spoon.
  5. Store covered in the fridge for at least 15 minutes so the kale softens.
  6. Top with hemp hearts and some gluten free croutons.