Simply Enjoying the Weekend

Continuing with the theme of mindfulness, minimalism, and moderation, I wanted to share a few things I do to simplify my life. This simplification helps me enjoy each moment more and be able to spend more time doing the things I want to be doing. I am a list maker, and I hope that with a continued focus on these goals I will be able to reduce the size of my 'to do list' and spend more time on my passions. My own challenge is to not spend all my time ticking items off my list, but to get back to living each moment :)

If minimalism is something you're interested in, there are lots of blogs about it. A few that I've been reading (or trying to find time to read; hence why I need to minimize things!) include:

• The Minimalists
• Becoming Minimalist
• Zen Habits

One thing I like about the minimalist movement is that there is no one definition of a minimalist person. We can all be minimal in our own way, just as moderation and mindfulness apply differently to our unique lifestyles. 

We only have so many second, minutes, hours, and days. I want to spend mine doing the things I love and with the people I care about. I want to continue to enjoy moments, experiences, good books, and great food, so I need to make that a priority in my life.

In my last post I talked about comparing ourselves to others, but at times we also try to live up to other people's standards. I want to live my life, not the life someone thinks I should live. So here are a few things I've already done or already do to simplify my life:

• Donate items (such as clothes, books, etc.) to organizations (such as Community Living, the Opportunity Shop, etc.) - if I'm not using it, someone else should
• Set things aside to see how often I use them - last winter I cleaned out the kitchen and put a box of items in storage, a few months later when I hadn't needed them I donated them or gave them to friends who had uses for them since I obviously didn't
• Change gift giving traditions - my husband and I often try to purchase experiences or save up for a trip in lieu of gifts and on one side of our family we either only purchase a Christmas gift for one individual or all chip in and donate to a specific cause/charity rather than buying more stuff
• Go through my closet every few months to see what I haven't worn in awhile and decide whether to start wearing it, alter it, or donate it
• Clear papers out of my office and attempt to do more things on my computer
• Go through drawers and get rid of pens that don't even work anymore
• Make extra at supper so that we can enjoy leftovers for lunches
• Plan out my weekly groceries so that I get what I need and will use
• Prep for a few meals when I do get a chance to be in the kitchen

I'm sure there are more things, but this is also just the start of my journey into being mindful of being minimal. I am an organized person and I like things to have a place, so I think that helps me get started. What do you do to simplify your life?

Since it's Friday, I encourage you to enjoy your weekend and actually be in the moment. I know I have lots to look forward to (even if it's just a few ticks on the to do list) and I'm grateful for that.

TGIF
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Mmmy Journey Begins (and continues...)

I wanted to take some time today for reflection. As my business has grown, I've had time to think about the areas I am most passionate about and thus, where I want to take things in the future. This is both exciting and overwhelming and one of the many 'joys' of being an entrepreneur! As you will see in future posts, I am trying to declutter or minimize things in my life to reduce stress and create more time to pursue my passions.

I know many people in their 20s or 30s (or 40s, 50s, etc.) who aren't sure what they want to do with their life. I sometimes feel this way, although, I think it's more about the journey, because we might never have a clear answer to that question. I'm told that as I young child I asked my mom "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I always thought that was a strange story, because of course, she was my mom and a 'grown-up'. Although, I know many 'grown-ups' who don't know, so perhaps it was a very legitimate question!

 I have met people who have found their 'passion' and seem to be doing exactly what they should be doing for a career; although this is definitely the exception, not the rule. The more time I spend pondering my own passions and goals, the more I learn about myself and the more learning I do in general. As far as I can remember, I've been a competitive, driven person. As with any personality trait, it has its pros and cons. This drive pushes me to be the best me and live the best life I can. My struggle is when I compare my life to other people's lives, or have an unclear definition of what 'best' means for me.

I see comparison all the time in my practice, whether it is about weight, willpower, the media, money, time, etc. With social media, I feel that we also often see people's highlight reels and make assumptions about the people and their lives, when in fact we really don't know their situation. The idea of focusing on our own struggles really came out when I attended the Landmark forum years ago as a Lululemon employee. Many people were overcoming traumatic pasts, but we realized that we all have our own troubles, and if it's a big deal to you, then it's a big deal (again, we can't compare). My big take away was to focus on contentment. Not that I want to be complaisant, but to be in the moment and appreciate all that I have.

I am inspired by quotes, various books, my husband, my family and friends, my clients, and by setting small goals for myself. I will likely always be a work in progress. I will never be perfect, but I will always be me.

I continue to be passionate about mindfulness, moderation, and recently minimalism (hence the mmms). I'll continue to share thoughts and tips relating to those topics, so feel free to comment and join in! For now, enjoy a few of my current favourite quotes and feel free to reflect back!

Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Smart Summer Snacking

As we start August today and celebrate a summer long weekend, I thought I'd put down a few snacking tips. In my experience, people eat differently on weekends compared to during the work week (and that could mean they eat more OR less healthy). The summer can add another challenge as people may head away from home on road trips or to a cabin/cottage or campsite. Each location can have an impact on what and when you're eating and drinking. It's also common for people to have a reduced appetite when the weather gets warmer and of course, even more important that you remember to hydrate yourself.

Yes, summer may mean barbeques and happy hours, but it doesn't have to be all hot dogs, chips, and beer, especially if you're being mindful, enjoying a variety of foods in moderation, and working on new goals/habits. As usual, it starts with a little preparation:

• pack healthy road trip snacks and water bottles
• chop fruit and veggies at home to reduce prep time at the cabin/cottage
• pick up healthy groceries so you have options when you look in the fridge/pantry
• bring snacks to people's homes/lakes so that you know there will at least be one thing healthy to choose from

Timing of intake can also change when you're away from home. Perhaps you stay up later, sleep in longer, and start the day with a large breakfast or brunch. You may not feel like you need a mid-day meal ('lunch'), but you also don't want to be starving and reaching for cheesies before supper.

Snacks can help us get from meal to meal, but they don't have to keep us full all day (I prefer if we avoid fullness and learn to achieve satisfaction anyway); they're meant to help us get important nutrients, hydrate us, keep our energy up, and fill the gaps when meals are far apart. Homemade bars, energy bites/balls, smoothies, muffins, and of course vegetables and fruit are both tasty and can be made/prepped ahead of time.

Lately I've baked a few snack items and have frozen them so that we have lots of variety available and I don't have to turn on the oven when it's really hot and humid out. I try to enjoy seasonal flavours (peaches, nectarines, berries, etc.) which means that the snacks in our house change all year round.

A few that I've tried recently or have been in our routine include:

•  peanut butter banana roll ups (an easy staple)
• strawberry, mango, sorrel smoothie (with sorrel from our CSA: PayDirt Farms)
• saskatoon berry, red river cereal muffins (adapted from Canadian Family; with berries I picked with a friend at our local Berry Barn)
• hemp bars (from my new roots; thanks to a sample box I received from Rocky Mountain Grain Products)
• frozen grapes (great on a hot day)
• chocolate cranberry balls (from elana's pantry; used in an athlete session; great to curb a sweet craving)
• carrots and celery with hummus
• spring rolls with vegetables and chicken or shrimp

 What have you been snacking on this summer?

Enjoy your weekend and make mindful snack choices!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Grilled Fruit Chia Pudding {Recipe ReDux}

I hope you're been enjoying a great July so far and all the flavours of the season. This month's ReDux theme is A Spirited ReDux:
From plain Jane vanilla extract to fancy-pants elderflower liqueur, we like to keep a little liquor in the kitchen. Show us how you like to cook, bake or mix-it-up with spirits, extracts and other alcohols. A splash of vodka makes summer sauces shine – and liqueurs brighten desserts: What’s your healthy recipe with spirit?

 

I was inspired to combine grilled fruit and chia pudding since I enjoy fruit and chia with yogurt on a regular basis. Grilling allows you to spend time outside and brings out the sweetness of fruit.

 

Last summer we had a delicious grilled pineapple dessert made by a dear friend, and at a foodie night I think it was a cajun/creole theme) we enjoyed bananas foster - these were the flavours I was thinking of for this recipe. I wanted to make something 'summery' and somewhat healthy. You can definitely play around with the spices and spirits used in the chia pudding and try different fruit on your grill.

 

Grilled Fruit Chia Pudding
Makes: 4-8 servings (depending on portion size)

Ingredients 
Pudding
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp almond extract

Fruit
oil for grilling
2 peaches, cut in half, pit removed, and sliced again to create 8 circular pieces
1 pineapple, cut into 1/2" slices (you should get 4-6 slices)
2 bananas, peeled, cut in half length-wise and width-wise for 8 slices

Directions 
1. Prepare the chia pudding the night before you plan to use it. Combine all pudding ingredients. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Wash and slice fruit as above. Heat barbeque to medium heat and brush lightly with oil. Place sliced fruit on grill (as much as you can fit). Turn 45 degrees after appropriate cooking time (below) to get nice grill marks. Then flip once, grill, and turn 45 degrees. Remove from heat.
       Grill times: peaches 2-3 minutes (8-12 total), pinepple 3-4 minutes (12-16 total), banana 1-2 minutes (4-8 total)
3. Place fruit in 4-8 dishes. Remove chia pudding from fridge, stir, and spoon over top. Enjoy!

This is great as a dessert or as leftovers for breakfast. As always, see below for fabulous recipes from other reduxers.

Happy grilling, happy summer!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

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Community and Creativity

This summer we're taking part in our first CSA (community supported agriculture) and receiving organic, heirloom vegetables from PayDirt Farm.

We've had one delivery so far and get our next one tonight, so I figured I better get posting! In our first one we received: spinach (3 varieties: Monstrueux de Viroflay, Nobel Giant & Gigante D'Inverno), radishes (2 varieties: purple plum & long scarlet Cincinnati radish), lettuces (3 varieties: Merlot, Merville de Quatre Saison & Vivian), chard (2 varieties: rainbow & Bright Lights - both colourful chard) and a bunch of onion chives. Just like when we received the CHEP Good Food Box in the past, I find it's always exciting to get items I might not typically purchase and then find recipes to use everything up.

I found lots of great recipes to try and shared some of our lettuces as well. Since we are only 2 adults in our household (which is why we're getting a 1/2 share), I also had to be creative and made a few big batches to freeze so that we can continue to enjoy these vegetables in the future. I made a pot of my New Year's Eve soup with chorizo from Pine View Farms, and a spinach soup from Farmgirl Fare that we now have as lunch leftovers from the freezer. I discovered that I prefer a creamier spinach soup or something more hearty - lesson learned.

I also made a swiss chard with raisins and pine nuts side dish that we enjoyed with grilled parmesan zucchini and shrimp. I 'failed' at feta, red pepper, and spinach quinoa bites in that they became squares as I couldn't get them to hold a bite/ball shape (I added a few bread crumbs, but decided squares would suffice).

I also made a crustless quiche with spinach and mushrooms, I find it's a great supper one night and breakfast the next, and we always have eggs in our fridge, so it's an easy dish for me to throw together and a great way to include more vegetables.

I served a lentil, swiss chard (in place of kale), and barley salad at the lake on the weekend and it was delicious, I will definitely make it again. It was also a great way to use some barley which I often have sitting in the pantry for addition to a soup in the fall/winter.

We enjoyed a variety of salads and sandwich type items with our lettuces and shared the fragrant and flavourful chives with my parents on baked potatoes.

Needless to say, I've been busy in the kitchen (which I love) and I still have lots to share with you. I look forward to posting our upcoming CSA vegetables and how I decide to use them in my kitchen.

Are you gardening, going to a local farmer's market, or participating in a food delivery or CSA program this year? 

Share in the comment section to help others know what's available, what's possible, and what you like to create this time of year.

To your health & happiness!

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Happy Hours

I apologize for my recent absence from the blog - I have still managed to do the monthly ReDux challenges, but I haven't been posting as often as I'd like. In the meantime, I hope you've been visiting the Nutrishus facebook page and my instagram account to see what I've been up to, what's happening in the world of nutrition, and what I'm making in my kitchen.

I've been taking part in #100happydays since April 28, and have been sharing that on instagram as well. It relates well to my former posts about mindfulness, gratitude, and being in the moment. No matter what the day is like, I look for at least one source of happiness to focus and reflect on - I personally think it's a great exercise (however you choose to find your happiness).

Part of my absence has been a reflection on my life as an entrepreneur. I get so many ideas, and often need time to sort through them in order to decide where to spend my time and energy. I'm hoping to get more clarity around that this summer and set some goals to keep me focused. As you know, goals are very important, they involve action, and help use accomplish things and change habits.

I had a client recently state "I don't know where to start". Taking on our health can seem overwhelming, but I am still a strong believer in variety, moderation, and balance (although you need to consider how you define each term) as well as making small changes now for lifelong results.

Perhaps that means spending 10 minutes tonight washing and chopping vegetables while your supper is cooking. Those veggies can then be eaten the rest of the week raw as a snack, used in salads/stirfries/omelets, or thrown on the grill if you're cooking more outside these days. For many people, healthy eating goals need to focus on increasing vegetables (and fruit); so be brave and purchase a new variety the next time you're grocery shopping or hit up the local farmer's market. If you don't know what to do with the new ingredient, you can often find recipes in stores, talk to a friend or co-worker, or use google or pinterest for inspiration. Don't feel like you have to eat 3 new meals for the next 7 days, just focus on one meal this week, or cook in big batches so that you have leftovers and one less meal to plan during your busy week. I know I like leftovers this time of year because it means I'm using the stove less and keeping my home cool.

In case you're looking for happiness in a song or need something to listen to while you're cooking tonight, here is Pharrell Williams's 24 hour music video - Happy:



Here's to many happy hours in your kitchen and in your healthy future!
Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

Lemon Ginger Biscuits {Recipe ReDux}

I'm posting this later in the day than usual, but it's still the 21st! This month's theme was:

Cooking with Tea
Tea cups around the world are bubbling up with bold new flavors: From cardamom chai and sencha green to bubble teas and veggie teas. We wish we could attend the World Tea Expo the end of this month – but in lieu of a plane ticket, we’ll be cooking and baking and stirring up tea-inspired healthy dishes.

I'm really curious to see everyone's creations, as there are many ways to interpret this theme and many flavours to play with.  I started planning on Mother's Day and that inspired me to make a new variety of biscuit (tea biscuit, baking powder/soda biscuit, or whatever you like to call them). We served cranberry orange biscuits as part of our family brunch, but the Twinings in my cupboard was calling me. The light spring flavours that stood out to me were lemon and ginger.

With biscuits in mind I was also inspired to try raspberry chia jam (adapted from a house on the hills) and making my own candied ginger (from healthy green kitchen).  I must say, the jam is delicious and the ginger is very flavourful, mine didn't look quite as beautiful at healthy green kitchen's though!

I have fond memories of biscuits on a Sunday morning and I felt like many people probably even have tea with their biscuits, so it fits the theme doubly.

Lemon Ginger Biscuits
Makes: 30-50 biscuits with 2 to 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutters (depends on desired thickness)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking  soda
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2-1 Tbsp candied ginger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 Tbsp milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450F. In a bowl stir together flours, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and baking soda. Cut in butter/margarine with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ginger, toss to mix in. Make a well in the centre and add lemon juice, yogurt, and milk. Using your fork, stir until just moistened.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding and gently pressing for 10-12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Roll until about 1/4 inch thick (or 1/2 inch if you prefer) and cut with a biscuit cutter. Reroll the scraps and continue cutting biscuits out.
3. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place biscuits about 1 inch apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter/margarine, honey, or jam.

Optional: I wanted more lemon ginger flavour so I made a quick glaze with 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp honey, and 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger. Melt the butter, add the honey and ginger and stir frequently until honey dissolves. Drizzle on biscuits.

Enjoy a cup or tea flavours today (make it iced if you're getting hot weather),
Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

An InLinkz Link-up