My Favourite Guacamole!

I love avocados so naturally I love guacamole.  This is my recipe:

* 2 ripe avocados
* fresh juice from 1/3 of a lemon
* finely chopped cilantro
* garlic powder or fresh pressed garlic
* onion salt
* Cajun spice

Combine the above in a glass dish and mash with a fork.  So simple!  It is delicious with cucumbers or carrots dipped into it.  I even like to use it on a burger patty as a topping or on chicken breast.  The lemon keeps it from going brown as well and it keeps in the fridge nicley for at least 4 days.

Simple Series: Meat and Veggie Bowl

All of the ideas I've shared are meals I have obviously made for myself and thought, 'this is just too easy - I gotta share!".  Many of them I made in the same week (as you can see they include some of the same ingredients used differently.) This is one of those meals as well.  I ate this for breakfast.  I had some ground beef and veggies left over from the casserole dish I threw together earlier so I simply tossed them all together, added some garlic and onion powder, basil and pepper and heated it up.  Sounds too simple to be any good huh?  But it was delicious, healthy and filling!  Stop thinking great food can't be easy and simple and you will watch the excuses for not eating clean vanish (and watch your results improve exponentially!). I'm not saying doing a fun complex dish here and there isn't amazing - I love to whip something special up now and then - but these ideas are for everyday living and to get you on track toward your healthiest, leanest body yet :)

You can do this with any leftovers (chicken, sausage, any veggies...) - simply add a few new spices and reheat for a whole new taste!

Simple Series: Chicken Veggie Cilantro Salad

I love cilantro! So this is a great fresh meal I can whip up in 2 minutes with leftovers. Sometimes I also don't feel like having lettuce with a salad - this has a great hearty texture without it.

Simply mix the following ingredients:
* Chopped cold leftover chicken (cubes)
* Fresh yellow and orange peppers
* Chopped carrot
* English cucumber
* Fresh chopped cilantro
* Small handful of raw pumpkin seeds
* Dress with olive oil, balsamic vin and squirt of lemon juice.

Could this get any easier?  I love the fresh cool flavors and texture of this super simple meal - and how incredibly healthy it is!

Simple Series: Chicken veggie omlete

This is such a yummy meal!  Because you should always have some cooked chicken on hand from your bulk cook :) its fast and easy too!  In a pan, cook up some onions and peppers until soft and toss in the leftover chopped chicken to reheat. Pour 2 to 4 whisked eggs into another pan. Flip when one side is cooked, add the chicken, pepper, onion filling, fold over and finish!  I
love this omelet with some salsa and slices of avocado.  SO easy, yet so filling and satisfying.

Are you starting to see how simple healthy eating can be?  Don't overthink things and you can enjoy your healthy meals without the stress and mess of a big cooking ordeal!

Simple Series: Simple Salad

I personally don't think salad is boring or think of it like a "diet" food.  Salads are yummy! And super easy if you have a few things prepped ahead of time.

As many of you know, we always cook in bulk on Sundays for the week.  We include things like the beef veggie casserole I shared with you 2 posts ago, maybe some spolumbos and burgers on the BBQ, and some chicken in the oven.  We also will chop up a ton of different lettuce and put it in a huge container in the fridge so we can just grab a handful for salads like this one.  It really reduces the prevalence of the much used excuse for it "taking too long to chop everything for a salad".  I often also boil 4 or 5 eggs for a week and keep them in the fridge for a quick snack on the run or again, for a salad like this.  Make it easy for yourself and your health will benefit in such a positive way!

Ingredients:
* mixed greens (we usually use spinach, romaine hearts, and a tub of the mixed field greens all mixed together in a large container in the fridge)
* 1/3 of an apple chopped (if you made yesterdays breaky bowl with another 1/3 apple, you will now have a 1/3 apple left for tomorrow too... Fruit is best in small amounts instead of a whole one so you don't effect your blood sugar and insulin as much... yet you can still enjoy the yummy sweet taste. I rarely eat a whole fruit in one sitting :)
* 1 hard boiled egg chopped
* 1/2 an english cucumber chopped
* 1 or 2 tbsp hemp seeds

I make my own salad dressing and keep it on hand.  Sometimes I do a simple olive oil and balsamic vin but the favourite dressing I make is a honey mustard vinaigrette:
* olive oil
* balsamic vin
* big squirt of organic stone ground mustard
* tiny squirt of unpasteurised raw honey
* dried garlic
* black pepper
* sea salt

Keep it simple and enjoy!

Simple Series: Breaky bowl

Here is a super quick breakfast (or anytime!) meal that you can whip up if you are running low on your bulk food or if you feel like a bit of a treat but don't want to jump off the healthy food ship :)

I find it makes a nice breakfast or snack when I crave something a bit sweet.

Ingredients:
* 3 spoonfuls plain cultured coconut milk (it looks a bit like yogurt but a bit more slimy and thick)
* 1/3 of an apple - chopped
* sprinkle of walnut or pecan pieces and/or raw pumpkin seeds
* sprinkle of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and enjoy!  It has a nice texture with the different ingredients but it is still dairy and wheat free. Its a great snack for those wanting/needing to increase their healthy fat intake.

Simple Series: Beef Veggie Casserole

Who says healthy eating has to complicated?  True, whole fresh foods often do take some measure of prep in relation to processed packaged foods, but it is MUCH more of a minimal task if you know what you are doing and prepare in bulk.  And let's face it - processed foods should not even be an option at this point if you have any regard for your health and wellness at all!

Here is my first super easy recipe that your whole family will love and you can munch on all week.  It really feels like comfort food and works well for any meal of the day.

Ingredients:
* ground beef
* 1 sweet white or yellow onion
* brussel sprouts
* 1 frozen bag of cut green beans
* fresh spinach
* tomato sauce (I always choose a brand in a glass container with no corn syrup and no sugar in the ingredient list - or I get some crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and add my own spices for a sauce)

To make:
1) Chop then cook the onion until clear (I use coconut oil or organic butter), set aside.
2) Cook beef, drain and add the onions back into the wok/large pan.
3) Add chopped brussel sprouts, some frozen green beans, chopped spinach and the tomato sauce.
4) Cover and simmer on medium/low mixing every so often until spinach is wilted and beans/brussels are tender.
5) Done! So easy and quick - reheats well or can even be yummy cold. A bowl of this casserole is really healthy as it has great protein and nutrient density with both the beef and veggies - a complete meal!

Almond flour cake/cupcakes

I've served this to a few friends lately and I keep getting asked for the recipe - so here you go!
It's my go to recipe when I want to make a treat for someone or a party/Christmas etc. I just tweak it a little for the occasion.  You can do it in a cake form or as cupcakes. I keep the cupcakes plain, then make either a maple cream cheese icing or a coconut milk icing.  For the cake you can be a little naughty and add chocolate chips (which makes it not paleo :), or you could add walnut pieces and raisins, or mashed banana and pecan pieces...experiment!  The base works well for a lot of different variations.

Here is the recipe for the cake in the picture:

* 2  1/2 cups almond flour
* 1/2 cup flax meal
* 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
* 1/4 cup raw unpasteurised honey
* 3 eggs
* 2 tsp vanilla
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp stevia (if I use chocolate chips, I only add 1 tsp since the chips make it really sweet already)
* 1 cup semi sweet or dark mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Grease a cake pan with coconut oil (or line cupcake pan with liners).
3. Mix all dry ingredients.
4. Whisk all wet ingredients in separate bowl.
5. Combine and stir with wooden spoon until just combined - don't over mix.
6. Empty batter into cake pan or cupcake liners.
7. Bake 25 mins for cake or until toothpick comes out clean and it's golden brown on the top (or a little less - 20-23 mins for cupcakes)
8. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan.  It's nice warm or I like to put it in the fridge for a few hours and serve cold either alone as narrow slices you can eat with your hands from a napkin for guests with a coffee, or at dinner parties I serve it with homemade banana soft serve icecream from the yonanas machine.

Breakfast Series: Egg Patty and Avocado

This is another easy one to whip up for breakfast.  I had an egg sausage patty with avocado.

To make:
- Mix together 2 eggs, 1/2 a cooked spolumbos chicken sausage and some spinach.
- Cook it in the frying pan like an omelet but without folding it over - just flip it when one side is done.
- Slice a 1/2 avocado and enjoy!

What could be easier?

So there you have it!  One entire week of healthy breakfast ideas without a piece of toast in sight :)
You CAN eat a healthy breakfast without getting up super early to slave over it.  Being aware of eating a healthy breakfast is imperative to your day if you are trying to achieve a fitter, leaner, healthier body.  If you eat a high sugar breakfast (oatmeal, toast, cereal, granola, etc.) you will have a much more difficult time staying on track all day long.  The sugar spike and crash sets you up to ride the insulin roller coaster all day - not good.  This makes you crave more sugar and creates drops in your energy levels throughout the day.  If you eat a healthy breakfast with fat and protein and less sugar, you are more likely to be successful with a clean diet all day - without having to struggle or use your "willpower" to stay on track.  It's not about willpower - its about physiology.  Your body wants unprocessed, whole foods - not processed, carb rich garbage.  Give it a try for a week and see how you do!  I promise you will like the result :)

Breakfast Series: Sausage and salad

I really like this filling breakfast.  I had 1/2 a chicken apple spolumbos sausage and 1/2 a spicy chicken sausage with a leftover salad and 1/2 banana.  I bbq'd the sausage on cook and prep day and the salad was leftover from the night before.  Just as fast and easy as that unhealthy, sugar filled bowl of cereal and milk many of you may have been having!

Breakfast Series: Protein pancake

This is for those of you who just can't stop thinking about typical breakfast foods :)  It's a simple to make grain-free pancake to try.

To make:
There are tons of variations on this - be creative!

 - Mix together some vanilla protein powder, egg whites, organic vanilla, cinnamon, flax meal, 1/2 a mashed banana and some almond flour. 
- Grease your fry pan with organic unsalted butter or coconut oil.
- Add the batter and flip when top gets tiny bubbles.
- You can eat it plain or with a thin spread of almond, cashew or hazelnut butter.

I more often skip the banana and add some seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, hemp) for a rougher texture.

So simple and yet you will save yourself the fattening sugar spike, energy crash and inflammatory response that comes with wheat pancakes.

Breakfast Series: In a Rush Snack Pack!

I understand that sometimes we eat on the run - it's a fact of life.  It's ideal to sit down and enjoy your food, but sometimes you gotta go!  I had an appointment to get to and had a nice lunch planned and packed for right afterwards (burger patty with a large salad), so I simply grabbed this snack pack to munch on in the car on the way.  It's just as simple as a muffin (without the crumbs in the car!) and much healthier.  I simply had 1/2 and apple sliced, some pecans and 3 tiny slices of unpasteurised organic Canadian cheddar plus large green tea.  Every meal you eat doesn't have to be gourmet, as long as it contains mainly whole foods that support your health and fitness goals.  Ideally, I could have also had some protein powder and water to supplement some extra protein in.  This would be a great start for those of you who are currently not eating anything at breakfast at all and who don't feel you have an appetite in the morning. Start small :)

Breakfast Series: Crustless Quiche

I love this breakfast!  I had what I call a "crustless quiche" this morning with organic salsa and a 1/2 banana.  The quiche is also something I don't make from scratch in the morning, but make a large pan of on my cook day and eat for many meals throughout the week.  It makes a great lunch and supper too!

To make:
- Grease a large glass Pyrex dish on the bottom and sides.
- Whisk 12-16 medium to large eggs until they get some air bubbles (this seems to make the quiche lighter)
- Layer the Pyrex dish with some sort of meat (For this one I used left over ground turkey from the cooked turkey I made yesterdays turkey veggie hash with, but I also like cooked chicken breast chunks, spolumbos sausage or cooked ground beef).
- Then layer some veggies in by sprinkling them evenly over the meat. I used chopped brussel sprouts, red pepper and spinach in this one.
 - Pour the whisked eggs over top evenly over everything and sprinkle on some spices.  I used MSG and salt free Mrs Dash Southwest Spice this time.
- Bake at 350 in the oven for about 1 hour. Let cool and store covered in the fridge.

I love a slice of this with Neil Brothers Organic Salsa.  So easy and quick to heat in the morning or at anytime of day.

Breakfast Series: Turkey Veggie Hash

Here is another breakfast I had.  It is what I call "turkey veggie hash" or some of you may recognise it as something similar to my "lean green turkey" recipe.  It is something I don't make fresh early in the morning, rather one of the meals I make on my cook and prep day of the week.  I would eat this meal multiple times per week for different meals - any time of the day.

To make:
- Cook 2 packs ground turkey in a pan with whatever spice you like (I use a poultry spice mix I picked up in the spice bazaar on my trip to Istanbul.)
- While that's cooking, chop up a bunch of brussel sprouts and grate some stalks of broccoli with a cheese grater.
 - When turkey is cooked, add the sprouts and shredded broccoli stalks plus a ton of fresh spinach.  Mix until the spinach is wilted and the sprouts are softer.
- So easy!

It has a mild taste so it's good for those who don't like strong flavors in the morning.  It reheats well and is a very nutritious start to your day!

Breakfast Series: Salad for breakfast?

The number one question I get about nutrition is "what can I eat for breakfast?".  I get it - when you decide to eliminate the nutritionally useless and physically damaging "typical" breakfast foods like cereal, muffins, toast, oatmeal, waffles, etc, it does seem at first, that there is not much left to have in the morning other than eggs everyday.  This is so NOT true!  We need to begin to consider ALL foods as breakfast foods.  We are the ones who decided to categorise foods into which is appropriate for what time of day - your body doesn't care if its labelled a "breakfast food" or not! On the contrary - when you begin to eat nutritionally dense foods that do not cause an insulin spike and the resulting blood sugar crash, you will be more successful with good nutrition and have increased energy all day long.

I will show you my breakfast from everyday last week here on the blog each day this week.  Lets start with Salad for Breakfast.  It may sound crazy but let me share a few ideas with you.  Trust me, its only your head holding you back from really enjoying a yummy healthy salad first thing in the morning.

I had the salad in the picture to the right. ---->
Romaine, spinach, cucumbers, red pepper, pecans, and goat cheese with a homemade balsamic and olive oil dressing. Notice the size of my bowl :)  It's a serving bowl!  Lots of greens will fill you up. You could also add a hard boiled egg or two for some extra protein if you wanted.

Another breakfast salad idea:
Slice the hard boiled eggs into the salad with romaine, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado slices and a sprinkle of shredded unpasteurised organic Canadian cheddar.  Yum!

New Year - New Train of Thought...

It's cliche, but the turn of the new year is a great time to think about what you really want for yourself this year.  Are you really happy with how you treat yourself?  Are you truly striving to be the best you can be?  Are you uncomfortable in your body and dreading the warmer months?  Are you aware of how your actions (or inaction) affect your short term and long term health?

These are all important questions we should ask ourselves.  And then know this:
You have the power to change it!

Don't just "resolve" to eat better or exercise more - words get swept by the wayside more often than not.  Take a moment right now to PLAN for success.  Make at least 3 appointments for exercise time in your day timer and agree that they are non-negotiable.  Make a grocery list and plan to cook at least 3 healthy dishes in the next few days so you are prepared.  Write a list of foods you know have negative affects on your health that you eat too often and decide that they are no longer a part of your life - at all.

Having the body and health you want is not rocket science - but it's not without effort either. 
Even if you have been saying it for the past 10 years... Say it again and mean it this time:

"2013 is the year I love my body and improve my health!"

If you have questions about how to do this - please contact Gary or I - we'd love to help!
www.flipfitnesscanada.com