Change is in the Air

 As abruptly as the season changed from winter to spring, my life has undergone big changes this past month, both personally and professionally. It has been in a constant state of flux and non-stop work, but although there is stress involved, I am in surprisingly good spirits. I'm sure the spring sunshine has a lot to do with that, but having the unwavering support of my awesome boyfriend is an even bigger factor. Never have I known a person to step up to the plate so readily and take on such enormous tasks to help me. I feel very fortunate to have this man in my life.

How has my healthy lifestyle weathered this state of turmoil? Not so well to be perfectly honest. The diet has suffered terribly. The only workouts I've gotten have been the housework, gardening, and box lifting I've been doing on a daily basis. (Which isn't so bad actually...at least I'm still active.) I have my mom as a house guest for three weeks, and it feels like a vacation despite the fact that I'm still working, so there has been plenty of wine flowing and junk food eaten! I'm not being too hard on myself...I'm too happy to be weathering the changes with good mood intact. After all, my main concern is seeking vitality. That being said, I need to be sure to put a limit on this "break time" so I don't undo all my hard work.

My first 5 K run is coming up in a little over a month and I need to focus purely on training for that. The Killer Buns and Thighs workout has taken a backseat temporarily while I increase my aerobic endurance. I can't seem to fit both into my routine because of the time constraints and the fact that doing both at once is BRUTAL on my knees. The last thing I want is to injure myself, and since I made a commitment to run the race, that's what won out. I will run this evening, and maybe even get out of bed early tomorrow to get it done before work.

Happy Monday!

The BEST no-calorie drink on a hot day

Our streak of lovely spring weather continues unabated, which has allowed me to get a hefty dose of vitamin D this past week. I'm never as good at staying hydrated as I should be though. Even when I'm perspiring a lot, it doesn't occur to me that I should be replacing my fluids. Bad Heather! I kept it at the front of my mind yesterday evening though. As soon as I got home from work I was out in the yard planting the last of our seedlings and putting hostas in the flowerbed. It was hot work and although I would have loooooved a cold beer afterwards (they were beckoning from the fridge), I knew that it would further dehydrate me. But water wasn't appealing as a reward either. I compromised with the following:

An utterly refreshing and calorie-free take on homemade lemonade:

Toss into a blender:
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
2 cups cold water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons splenda (or whatever your preferred sugar alternative.)

Zap until blended and enjoy! According to my tastebuds it has the perfect blend of tart and sweet, while still being a great rehydrator (is that a word? It is now!)

Suddenly Summer!

Typical Alberta. We went from winter one week to what feels like full-fledged summer the next. This past weekend was gloriously sunny and hot, coaxing the trees into leaf and the new grass to grow shaggy overnight. There are still heaps of dirty, crusted snow here and there in shaded areas, but the lawnmowers are already out. Winter boots are still heaped in the entryway next to our sandals. We are all cynical (and superstitious) enough to believe that putting away all the winter gear would be pointless before May long weekend is over. Nevertheless, I am rejoicing in the new season and spending as much time outside as possible. Hauling bags of soil, mulch and compost, and raking and weeding have become my new workouts this past week.

I spent yesterday evening in the yard mowing, trimming, weeding, planting and supplementing our rock hard clay-based soil with fresh stuff. I placed a new clematis vine in the front yard that I have high hopes for...I've always loved the look of a climbing vine but have never had success keeping one alive. This time I followed the instructions to a T. As I was clearing the area around it, my neighbor commented "getting rid of that nasty weed finally?" Apparently I neglected to weed that small patch when I moved in last year and it's been an eyesore. Yeesh. Her yard isn't exactly nice to look at either!

In the backyard my boyfriend and I worked new soil and compost into a strip of garden along the garage. He installed a small picket fence border to keep the dogs out, and I planted my sunflower seedlings that have been on our kitchen table the past couple of weeks. I topped the whole thing off with some pretty red mulch. My hands are a little rough this morning- I know I should keep my gardening gloves on, but there is something so satisfying about feeling the dirt when you're working with it. When I went to wash them, the combination of earth and red dye from the mulch washing down the drain made it look like I had murdered someone.

There is so much more work to make this yard my own. I don't think I'll have much leisure time for the next month. Fingers crossed that the warm, sunny weather holds out!

Pep Talk Time

My friend pointed out that I hadn't written a blog entry for a week, and it made me realize how connected this blog is to my goals and habits. As I alluded to in last Friday's entry, this is a particularly stressful period in my life (the type we all must go through on occasion.) I'm holding it together fairly well considering the circumstances, but I fell into that seductive trap once again. Do I need to work out today? Don't I deserve a break? And while I'm taking a break, don't I also deserve some comfort (ie. junk) food? I have so much on my mind, can't I just forget about the blog, healthy food prep and daily workouts? That has been my internal dialogue. If falling off the wagon actually made me feel better, more vibrant and mentally stable, then I would say "go for it, self!" But in reality it makes me feel physically ill, sheepish and disappointed in myself. Last night was a low point in my mood, and I made a promise to myself to get back into healthy habits before I end up destroying any progress I have made. There is always time in the day to do a workout...even if I have to make time by getting up earlier. I am not being helpful to my loved ones by treating my body this way. Renewed effort is beginning today!

100 Calorie, Flour and Oil-Free, Delicious Chocolate Muffins? Yup!

This has been nothing less than a week of madness for me...a wildly busy and stressful period, so a lot of things took a backseat. I don't know when things will be on a more even keel, but here's hoping it will be soon. I'm not the type of person who particularly enjoys drama, although admittedly it does add some interest to life. Sigh.

HOWEVER...I did manage to get some exercise in (not every day, but every other day), and I even baked up a new low calorie version of the chocolate muffin! These are deeeeelicious little snacks, and at just 100 calories/ muffin, you can even have them for breakfast without feeling guilty. Or at least I did. Chocolate for breakfast is very comforting and satisfying! Here's what you will need:


1 3/4 cups Oats
3 large Egg White
3/4 cup Cocoa (natural, Unsweetened)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract, Imitation, No Alcohol
1/2 cup Sauce, Apple Unsweetened
1/2 cup Plain greek yogurt 0%
1/2 tsp Cream Of Tartar
1 1/2 tsp Magic Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Hot Water
1/2 cup Granular Splenda (you can add more if you like them fairly sweet)
1/2 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips


- Preheat oven to 350 F and spray or line muffin tin.
- Blend (or use a food processor) all ingredients except for the chocolate chips.
- Fold in chocolate chips
- Pour into muffin tin (the batter should fill 12 tins about 3/4 full.)
- Bake on center rack for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. (My oven actually took 25 minutes.)

You will thank me when you bite into one. Bon Appetit!

Happy Mayday!

Anyone who lives in the Edmonton area as I do is probably shaking their heads at our recent weather. Monday morning we started getting flurries of snow. They progressed into a full-on blizzard style storm with gale force winds that lasted throughout the day. By evening, there was a good amount of snow accumulation and shovels were once again broken out. Tuesday the temperatures were below freezing all day and we got some additional flurries. It was particularly disheartening because we had FINALLY lost most of the winter's snow, and many people had spent the weekend doing their spring prep yard cleanup. At my place we planted our seedling trays, (planting outdoors doesn't happen until late may around these parts), raked the grass and put some fresh mulch down in the front garden. Now our yard is once again blanketed by a thick layer of heavy, wet snow. I cannot express how tired I am of looking outside and seeing a sea of white. It's spring! Mother nature, get the memo!

Thankfully the temperatures are now warming up with some lovely days ahead. So with that in mind, I am going to be thankful for May the first ushering in our spring season at long last. I am keeping my fingers crossed that our brief summer lingers long into the fall months.

Pre-prepared Stir Fry Seasoning Discs

I've been relying heavily on stir frys for dinner this past week, and it occurred to me that I could save some time by pre-mixing the sauce, and freezing it into individual portion sizes that I could just toss into the frying pan. Thus was created: the stir fry seasoning disc! It couldn't be any simpler (well maybe it could....but this IS pretty darn easy.)

1. Take a muffin tin, add 2 tablespoons of chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of oregano to each cup.

2. Toss it in the freezer for a few hours or over night. (Note: because of the soy sauce it doesn't freeze completely solid.)

3. Remove from freezer and scoop discs out of the muffin tin with a large spoon. Place into a ziploc and put back into the freezer. You have to move quickly for this stage, as the discs start to melt very quickly when exposed to the air.

When you're ready for your next stir fry: sautee 1 teaspoon minced garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 2 cups of your preferred veggies and stir until coated and slightly wilted. Add in a seasoning disc- it should melt immediately upon contact with the frying pan. Stir until all the veggies are coated and cook on low until they are heated through. You can add meat of your choice too of course. I added some pre-grilled chicken to mine last night.

 Enjoy!