All Inclusive Vacations with Babies

As much as I love traveling around Europe seeing the culture and eating the most delicious foods, I also love spending a week at an all inclusive resort, poolside where my big decisions for the week always involve what drink should I have this time.

Our first all inclusive with a little one who was 18 month was in November 2013 when we traveled to Cuba.  I have been to Cuba numerous times with my first trip there back in 1992.  I had no concerns with bringing a young child to Cuba but my criteria for a resort had changed from our previous trips. Things that were important on my list: short flight, short bus ride from the airport, small family friendly resort with good reviews.

We found all of these things at Memories Flamenco Cayo Coco.  The flight is about 3.5 hours from Toronto, and only a 20 minute bus ride to get to the resort.  The resort had such good reviews on Trip Advisor that we almost couldn't believe they were true.  The resort was amazing and so great that we went back again in 2014 with a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you go to an all inclusive with young children.

1. Have realistic expectations - once you have a child your life is no longer about sitting around and drinking mojitos.  This is especially true when you travel even to a resort.  Do not expect that sitting at the pool all day will be relaxing and that you will return from your travels well rested.  As with at home your number one priority will still be your little one and they are still a lot of work.

2. Go with the flow and don't sweat the small stuff - you are on vacation for one week, don't stress if junior doesn't go down for his nap on time or only wants to eat pasta for a whole week.  Even if they scream for the entire plane ride (yup been there and done that) just know that you will eventually get off that plane and everything will be alright!

3. It can get HOT - the heat was more of an issue when my daughter was only 5 months old.  We were hoping she could nap poolside, but most days it was just too hot for her to be in her stroller and tent even in the shade.  This of course leads right back to #1 & #2, where we just went with the flow and sometimes someone had to be in the room so the baby could nap.  Also toddler/preschooler nap time is usually right after lunch when the sun is the hottest, neither J nor I usually minded taking a mid-day siesta when it got to hot.

4. Bring help! - if you can, it is always great to have other people with you, be it grandparents or other family members or friends.  You can never go wrong with extra hands (or feet to push a stroller around the resort so little ones can go to sleep).   Just be mindful that they are on vacation too and might not want to babysit all the time.

5. It is better to be over packed then not prepared - I am not talking about have 5 suitcases full of stuff, I am just talking about making sure you have all the essentials that you are going to need.  Especially in Cuba where there is no store that you can just run out to pick stuff up and the tuck shop on resorts are super expensive.  Also going right back to #1, think about what you are going to be spending you days doing.  We packed our snorkel gear and never once used it, so that was wasted space in the luggage.  We also had our little guy break out in a bad rash from the sun screen we brought, thankfully I learned the diaper cream works wonders on rashes.

Long Over Due Post

Well I feel off the Whole 30 wagon and left my blog in the wind for a long time.  Truth be told the reason for both of those things was the I found out I was pregnant with number 2 while I was doing my Whole 30!

So here I am 2 1/2 years later.  While so much has changed in my life, at the same time nothing is that different.

I now have 2 beautiful children, a preschooler boy and a toddler girl.  As frustrating and maddening as parenting can be, the joy, laughter, and all around happiness that children bring into ones life is indescribable.

We have continued to travel and are lugging our little munchkins all over the world.  Since my last post we have travel to:

• Cayo Coco, Cuba x2 all inclusive vacation
• Kissimee Florida for 7 weeks (drove down and back)
• Lisbon, Portugal for 6 weeks
• Ottawa, Canada 
• Darien Lake, NY for numerous camping trips
• Mayan Riviera, Mexico all inclusive vacation

Wow seeing it in a list like that is amazing.  In the coming weeks I will provide reviews for these travels we have undertaken with tips and tricks that we have learned when travelling with little ones.  While traveling with children is a lot of work and not always what I would call a vacation, we keep on planning more trips as we have Vancouver and Victoria BC already booked and watch out LA because we will be there this summer!

Now I am sure you are wondering "what about Eats?".  Well I am still eating Paleo and have completed undertaken 2 more Whole 30s.  I am far from perfect though as last winter I fell off the wagon in a bad way for a long time and have been struggling to get back on the wagon for an even longer time.  I am proud to say that since the start of 2016 I am following the Paleo diet and reaping the benefits.

Whole 30: Week 2 Recap

I have somehow managed to get myself sick.  I feel as though all of the gems/viruses that are running around the daycare have decided to attack me at once.  It started with a really sore throat that I battled most of the week, then Friday I could feel my body losing the battle and by Saturday morning the battle was lost and I was officially sick.

I am not sure how my immune system let this happen when I am healthier then I have ever been, while at least eating healthier then I ever have.  Even up until Friday, I felt great overall just had this annoying sore throat that wouldn't go away.

Despite being sick I am sticking with doing my Whole 30.  The tough part isn't the food. The tough part is that I want to put a big lump of honey in my tea to sooth my throat or have some booze to help kill all the bad things in my body. 

Overall things still aren't hard.  We are eating fantastic food.  Haven't eaten out or anything that I haven't made myself I think this is when it will get tough.

Day 9:

Breakfast: 3 eggs poached and 1 slice prosciutto
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: home made chicken soup

Day 10:

Breakfast: 3 egg muffins
Lunch: home made chicken soup
Dinner: lamb chops with puréed cauliflower and steamed green beans

Day 11:

Breakfast: 3 egg muffins

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken

Dinner:  mahi mahi with guacamole and lime cilantro coleslaw 

Day 12:

Breakfast:  3 egg scrambled 

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken

Dinner: baked chicken wings with franks hot sauce 

Day 13:

Brunch: apple with nut butter and proscuitto 

Dinner: grass fed steak with cauliflower and mushrooms 

Day 14:

Breakfast: larabar

Lunch: sausage

Dimmer: roasted chicken with green beans and  salad

Whole 30 Day 8: Mmmmm I Love Zoodles

I had so much energy on Sunday that I spent most the day in the kitchen cooking up a storm.  I am still in shock from how much I accomplished.  I started with breakfast apple sausages , turned my chicken broth that had been simmering in the slow cooker all night into an awesome chicken soup, made tomato sauce, meatballs, and egg muffins.  Plus all of the actual meals for that day.  As I told J, I am turning into a domestic goddess!

Monday's dinner was zoodles in marinara sauce with meatballs.  Turned out awesome, way better then spaghetti and meatballs.  I couldn't believe how fantastic and healthy every bite was and sooo healthy.

Day 8

Breakfast: 3 egg muffins and 1/2 a sausage
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: zoodles covered in tomato sauce and meat balls

Whole 30: - Week 1 recap

I have completed my first 7 days of Whole 30 and overall I am feeling pretty good.   There really haven't been many of the side effects that are outlined in the Whole 30 Timeline.

I never suffered through "the Hang Over" from sugar withdrawal on days 2 & 3, or the unexplainable "Kill All Things Phase" on days 4 & 5.  "I just want to nap" are suppose to take place on days 6 & 7, but I had some much energy on day 7, I can't believe all the things I was able to accomplish.  I did experience some of the day 8 & 9 "my pants are tighter" symptoms,  but that was actually on day 4.

I am still sticking with my previous comment that so far this isn't that hard.  No cravings or desires for "forbidden" foods.  Even when J is eating chips and drink pop in front of me I don't feel as though I need to partake.  Although I do get annoyed that he has started eating more junk and less paleo since I started doing Whole 30.

I am however still having a daily battle with not stepping on the scale.  Especially on days when I feel skinnier and really just want to know.  I have settled for knowing that the new clothes I bought are one size smaller then I used to wear, fit nicely and are not at all tight.

I have also this far avoided eating in a restaurant or at someone else's house.  I have been trying to rack my brain for what would be an acceptable meal to eat out and haven't come up with much.  I think that maybe Swiss Chalet, 1/4 chicken with side salad (olive oil and vinegar dressing) would work, no bun or sauce of course.  But I think my best bet is to try and avoid eating out for the duration of the 30 days.  Be good for my pocket book if I can do that too!

Day 5:

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins and 2 slices prosucitto 

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and homemade dressing 

Dinner: grilled tuna with salad

Day 6:

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with spinach, mushroom and tomato and 2 slices prosucitto pan fried

Lunch: tomato salad and grilled mahi mahi 

Dinner: baked pastured chicken with zucchini noodles, green beans and a salad

Day 7:

Breakfast: 3 poached eggs with apple pork breakfast sausage (recipe)

Lunch: sausage with salad
Dinner: roasted pork with steamed cauliflower and roasted beets

Whole 30: Day 3 & 4 - Hide the Scale

One of the rules for doing a Whole 30 is that you aren't suppose to weigh yourself during the entire 30 days.  Here is a little excerpt  on this taken directly from the source (you can also click on the excerpt  to be taken to the Whole 30 page to find out more about the program).

You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30.

I have found that this habit is one of the hardest for me to break.  From the time I wake up I start thinking about weighing myself and have to remind myself that I am "not allowed" to.  Then there is constantly reminding myself while in the bathroom waiting for the hot water in the shower that I cannot step on the scale.

After I step into the shower the need to weigh myself goes away.  This is because I have convinced myself that you weigh less before you shower then you do all wet after you shower (also can't eat breakfast before you weigh in cause that add on pounds).

It is because of my overwhelming desire to weigh myself everyday and my own silly little rules about getting weighed, that I think this rule is such an important one.  I really do need to break away from the psychological hold that the number on the scale has on me.

Meal Log

Day 3:

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms, and a side of smoked salmon
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and home made dressing
Dinner: cilantro lime chicken legs (2), marinated tomatoes and zoodles (zucchini)

Day 4:

Breakfast: egg muffins with prosciutto
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken and home made dressing
Dinner: grass fed ground beef tacos - home made seasoning, lettuce wraps

Whole 30: Day 2 - Not That Different

Ok so I am saying this after completing only 2 days of Whole 30 but I am going to say it now and see if I eat my words later (are words allowed to be eaten on the Whole 30? going to have to consult my list).  So far for me eating Whole 30 has not been that different.

Before Whole 30 - I was eating 3 meals a day of real food that was mainly paleo.  Now I am eating 3 meals a day that are 100% paleo.

A lot of the reading I did before I started this journey was people saying that you need to stock up on food and they can't believe how much food they went through.  But I haven't gone through any more food then I was before.  I stocked my fridge the same as I always do on the weekend and as the week goes by the amount of food dwindles down.

There are some small changes that I have had to make to be compliant on this diet, but I don't actually even notice the difference.  Here are my changes:

• No more dried cranberries on my salad they contained added sugar
• No more store bought salad dressing that I knew I shouldn't be eating.
• No cheese on my salad or in anything I cook
• No milk in my tea
• No eating R's snacks - he is gluten free so many of these are off limits for me
• Read every label very carefully!

I did find out that I don't like my morning tea without the milk in it (used to be sweetner as well ekk!).  So I have started drinking my herbal teas in the morning and love it.  Vanilla rooibos tea is absolutely wonderful and has a beautiful hint of sweetness to it.  I am disappointed in myself that I used to add milk and honey to this tea as it is so much better without anything added.

So really no earth shattering changes to report (thus far - still looking up if eating words in on Whole 30 or not).  

Day 2 Food Log:

Breakfast  3 egg muffins and salmon/cucumber nori rolls  

Lunch: salad with chicken and home made dressing (3 ingriedents: olive oil, rice vinegar and herb de Provence soooo yummy)

Dinner:  mild Italian sausage* with steamed cauliflower and grilled beats

I emailed my little grocery store where I buy most of my food and asked them for the ingredients for the sausage, I was so happy to find out it is pork, water, salt and spices!

Whole 30: Day 1

So as part of this Whole 30 journey I have decided that I will keep a food log.  Nothing fancy, but just to give people an idea of what food I am eating while following this plan.  Also include some recipes and things that work for me while I do my Whole 30 journey.

This diet takes some reprogramming of the brain.  Not for eating a different way, but more to make sure you don't mindlessly eat something.  Little man was eating yogurt and I got some on my hand.  Had to repeatedly tell myself over and over not to lick the yogurt off my hand.  Sure if I had of licked it off my hand it wouldn't have been a big deal.  But given that it was 7 am on day 1, I really didn't want to eat a "forbidden" food.

A few roadblocks were put in my way today and I breezed passed them no problem.  The first was that I was at the office an extra hour longer then normal or was expected.  Thankfully I have stashed a few Larabars for just such an occasion.  If you are in Toronto and looking for these I found them at Tutti Frutti in Kensington Market for $1.25 each.

Then as I had known about for over a month, I chose to start my Whole 30 on the same day as book club.  Temptation was staring me in the face the entire evening with multiple bottles of wine and a ton of forbidden food on the table in front of me all evening.  This was where having the strict rule of No Cheats really helped me.  A first glance at the table made me long for everything on it.  Then I didn't even notice the table for the longest time.  I did notice that there was some fruit on the table that I could have eaten, but I also recognized that I had just eaten a large yummy dinner and wasn't at all hungry.  Oh and I also sipped on carbonated water the whole evening.


Day 1:
Breakfast: egg muffins
Lunch: salad with oil & vinegar dressing
Snack: 1/2 Larabar
Dinner: basil pork tenderloin, fennel apple & mushroom stir fry with tomato & kalamata olives salad

Sausage, Spinach & Tomato Egg Muffins

Sausage, Spinach & Tomato Egg muffins - there are a ton of recipes on the internet for these.  I made them up on Sunday and have them packaged in the fridge so I can grab and go in the morning.  I put them in the toaster oven this morning to reheat them and they tasted great.

1/2 lb cooked ground sausage - I had ground pork so I pan fried that with some herb de Provence and other spices
1 handfull chopped spinach - I used fresh spinach
1 small tomato diced
1 small handful of basil chopped
9 eggs
coconut oil

Set oven to 350 degrees, grease a muffin tin with the coconut oil.
Mix together the spinach, tomato and basil in one bowl.  In a separate bowl whip eggs until frothy.  Combine eggs with veggie mixture.
Distribute the cooked sausage evenly into the bottom of the muffin tins.  Pour egg mixture over top.
Place in oven and cooked for 30 minutes.

Whole 30: It all begins

Today I am embarking on a life changing event.  While life changing for 30 days at least.  I have decided to clean up my eating and undertake the Whole 30 Challenge.

In a nut shell, the Whole 30 Challenge is essentially just being super strict paleo for 30 days.  This means no grains, legumes, sugar, dairy or alcohol at ALL.  But it also means as much meat, eggs, seafood, nuts, good oils, veggies and fruit as you want. (although they do recommend you limit fruit).

But the biggest and most important part about this diet is that cheats are not allowed.  None, nada, zero.  You must avoid the bad foods at all cost.  If you are eating out, you need to find something on the menu that is complaint with the diet.  You are not allowed that one cookie just cause everyone else is eating one.  You are not allowed that salad dressing that has sugar in it even though there is only a tiny bit.

I am actually looking forward to the strict guidelines of no cheating.  Because this challenge lasts for 30 days there is a definite timeline for how long it will last but it also gives me the excuse of why I can't cheat.  Eating paleo for months makes it easy to rationalize why you can have just one cookie.  This program takes that ability away.

The same with peer pressure.  People will bug you about eating the cookie but if you are able to say that you are on a strict diet then there is a better chance they will leave you alone.  Well this is at least what I keep telling myself.

Its funny, I decided about a month ago that today would be my start date for the Whole 30.  I bought the book It Starts with Food, and read it while on vacation and then started stocking my pantry with the right foods.  But I also found that all last week (after returning home from vacation), I started eating on plan.  I actually lost 2 lbs last week because I was sticking with the paleo diet 98% of the time.  I must confess however, that Friday we went out for chicken wings and fries and a "last supper" kinda meal.

Oh I also learned that Frank's Hot Sauce is compliant on the Whole 30.  Woohoo I don't need to give up my chicken wings while on this diet.  I purchased 5 lbs worth of wings from the grocery store to celebrate!

Now from everything I read in the book and online about this program, the best way to succeed is by meal planning.  Figure out what you are going to eat at every meal and then buy all the groceries you need for the week to make those meals.

While I had every intention of meal planning, it just never happened.  I even started a meal plan about 3 different times, but never finished one.  Saturday at noon my boys were napping and I took the opportunity to run out and grocery shop.  So with no plan in hand, I shopped till I dropped.  My cart was full of veggies.  I also picked up a few items from the butcher counter just to be safe, even though the freezer is full of frozen meat.

Wish me luck as I enter day 1 of this 30 day journey.  Here is to feeling and looking great at the end of the 30 days (and hopefully many days before that).

It All Starts With Breakfast

It is September and time for life to get back to normal and to start preparing to hibernate for the winter.  Well at least I wish I could hibernate, cause I hate the cold.  Hopefully we have an Indian Summer this fall and the nice weather sticks around for as long as possible.

The farmers markets are beautifully stocked with the most delicious fruits and veggies.  I love a great big vine ripen in season tomato and have been waiting all year to sink my teeth into one.  Thankfully this year I was not disappointed with how wonder they taste.

On a sad note, St. Jocab's farmers market had a great big fire in their main building this weekend.  We were hoping to go there this weekend and stock up on veggie to can for the winter.  Looks like the outside area will still be open, but I just don't know if it will be the same.  Hopefully for all the inside vendors there will be a speedy rebuild and things will get up and running for them.

Now onto the point of this post ...

After years of being told that it is important to eat breakfast this was always something engraved in my brain and still something that I believe to be true.  The sad part is that we were taught that we shouldn't eat too much and that a whole wheat bagel is better then bacon and eggs, and never eat the egg yolk cause that will kill you.

This lead to me eating a bagel or english muffin (white of course, those whole wheat ones are gross) with some margarine for years.  All the while thinking that this was the right thing to be eating (sortof) and never questioning why I was starving at 10 am, when I just ate breakfast at 8 am.  I knew that if I purchased the weight watchers bagels they would be 2 points and that was more filling then the english muffins for the same amount of points.

Once I broke free from the grains, I switched my weekday breakfast to either 2 hard boiled or some cottage cheese.  I found both much more satisfying to eat then a bagel; however, I was still struggling with being hungry before lunch time.  Usually around 11 am my tummy was starting to grumble.

Then out of necessity to eat all the eggs up before going on vacation I had 6 eggs and 2 days.  I decided to throw caution to the wind (or whatever that expression is) and eat 3 hardboiled eggs for breakfast each morning.  Not only did I eat the three eggs, I also drizzled them in olive oil (Yummy). 

The first thing I would like to report is that even though I ate three whole eggs, yolk and all, two days in a row, I survived and am still living.  But other wonderful things happened too.

Not only was I able to stay full until lunch time, it was more between 1-2 pm that I found myself getting hungry enough to eat my lunch.  Then because I ate my lunch later, I found that I wasn't starving when I got home at 5:30.  Then cause I wasn't starving, this meant I wasn't shovelling as much food as possible in as little time as possible while standing with the fridge door open.  Which also means that I didn't out of desperate starvation eat 2 dinners - 1 in front of the fridge  and 1 at the dinner table.

So I have learned that 1 extra egg in the morning, a mere 90-120 calories, saves me HUNDREDS of calories in the evening and keeps me happy and sane.  That is right, no 5pm monster crashing and banging around in the kitchen trying to find everything and anything that I can fit in my mouth.  This also results in a much happier husband and kid I might add!

Confessions

Last week was not a good week for me.  Somehow we forgot to take something out for dinner every night except for Friday.  This lead to one night of bacon and eggs (yummy!) and three nights of take out.  There was no real excuse for it.  The freezer is stocked full off really great food.  The fridge was full of veggies that we had purchased at the farmers market.

Lunches weren't much better for me.  I did eat my salad a couple of days, but I also had a couple of lunch dates where I was eating out.

The weekend was a total right off.  On Saturday I had an awesome girls day/night out.  This was two meals out and a lot of yummylicious cocktails.  But I think that Sunday takes the cake (at one point literally).  OK cover your eyes if you have a weak stomach ... 2 meals from McDonald's (hangs head low in shame) and a birthday party dinner that included ice cream cake.

OK that is it, I am finished with listing out my horrible horrible week.  Except that I forgot to mention the guy in the office with the box of Halloween chocolate bars that keeps on bringing them into meetings (and who I seem to go and visit more frequently now that I know they are there).

A few observations about how I felt last week ...

• I was popping aspirin like crazy.  Waking up with a head ache, going to bed with a head ache and everything in between.
• I couldn't sleep.  I was back to my old insomniac ways, where I would lie in bed for a couple hours and then move over to the spare room and watch tv to help me fall asleep.  All the while being exhausted since I hadn't had much sleep the night before.
• I was bloated most of the week and my stomach hurt a fair amount.

The worst was Saturday night.  I laid in bed all night in a drunken, sugar laden, too much bad food trance with my stomach in a lot of pain and a few trips to the bathroom.  Not a good feeling at all and thank god for probiotics to help me get through it.   I think I got maybe a couple hours sleep.

I am happy to report that first thing Monday morning I was back on track.  I even purchased my breakfast and lunch that day but stayed 95% on plan.

So what did I learn from all this ...

Well I definitely need to take items out of the freezer so that we have something for dinner and no excuse to eat out.  There is really no excuse for this, especially with all the grass fed beef that is sitting in my freezer.
Also if I am going to be eating out a lot, I need to make sure that I am making smart choices and staying on plan as best possible.

But the margaritas for the girls night out were definitely worth it!

Crazy Simple Recipe: Paleo Banana Pancakes

It is Friday!!!!!  It has been a long week with lots going on here.  Our little man was sick, which always turns life upside down and inside out.  Especially the sleepless nights that always accompany a sick baby.  But he is on the mend and getting lots of rest, and so now so am I.

I have another crazy simple recipe that I want to share with everyone.  Again this isn't something that I was smart enough to invite.  Just tried, tested and loved by my family.

These pancakes are actually one of little man's favourite foods.  He gobbles up an entire batch of these things, always to our amazement of how much food he is eating.  I must confess that even though I make these every weekend, I have never actually tried them.  I despise bananas - so of course my son loves them.

I have gotten this recipe down to taking maybe at most 10 minutes for the entire batch to be made.  That is from peeling the banana's to being put on the plate for consuming.

I think my favourite part of this recipe is that I am feeding my son a really healthy and nutritious breakfast.  Lots of protein in here from the eggs that he won't eat scrambled any more.  He never gets hungry again until lunch time, so no morning snack required.

They are also very portable.  We put them in a ziplock bag and bring them out with us.  He doesn't care if they are cold.

Paleo Banana Pancakes Recipe

2 eggs
1 banana
cinnamon to taste
oil of choice to cook with (coconut, butter or bacon fat are what I use)

Mix together eggs, banana and cinnamon.  I use my magic bullet, but a hand blender works just as well.

  Heat oil in pan on medium high.  Pour batter into fry pan in small pancake portions.

 When pancake bubbles, flip over and cook for another minute.  Then you are done!

Crazy Simple Recipe: Kale Chips

Life has been crazy this summer and I am loving it.  We are spending a ton of time as a family just hanging out and having fun.  During the week all three of us commute downtown and by the weekend we just want to stay home and relax.  Before we had the little man we used to be on the road every weekend, going every where and anywhere.  Now though, I would rather stay home and enjoy our backyard, or go for a bike ride to the local pool or splash pad.

I have a few tried and true crazy simple recipes that I will be posting over the next few weeks.  These are not recipes that I was smart enough to invent but are ones that are eaten regularly by my family.

I had never tried kale before I changed my eating style.  I just assumed that I wouldn't like it, didn't know what to do with it and just ignored it at the grocery store.  Then I came across a kale chip recipe and decided I might as well try it.  Now I LOVE kale, my favourite being Russian kale which I make into salads.

I haven't been able to get one of these chips into little man's mouth yet to know if he will eat them or not but that is OK, because I prefer not to have to share them!

Kale Chips

1 bunch of curly kale

Olive Oil 

sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Wash and dry the kale.  The dryer you can get the kale the better the results.  Break the kale into pieces and spread out on a baking tray.  I like to line the tray with tin foil although I don't think that is really necessary.

Using an oil mister filled with olive oil, give the kale a liberal spray.  This is what my oil mister looks like, I think I paid a whole $5 for it and I love it.    Sprinkle on sea salt to taste.  Be careful not to be too liberal with the salt as the kale shrinks a little in the cooking process.  Better to add more after these are baked if you didn't add enough to start. 

Place in the oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes depending on your oven (mine takes 12).   You know they are done when you see some turning a little bit brown.

That is it, you are done!  3 ingredients, 15 minutes from start to finish and you have some awesome kale chips to eat.  I don't know how long they stay good for cause they never last more then 10 minutes.

Random Rants

I just went for a lunch time walk to the library.  About 1 km each way and it is a lovely day outside.  I even stopped at Starbucks for some tea and a break on the patio.  As I was walking I saw some things that I decided made a nice little rant post ...

1. Why are all cyclist not wearing helmets?  I just don't understand how people can not be smart enough to be wearing a bike helmet.  Especially in the middle of downtown with so much traffic and so many drivers who don't pay attention.  Are people more worried about a bad hair day over keeping their head safe?
2. Why do cyclist feel as though they don't need to follow the traffic rules?  Running red lights all the time.  Or even worse is that they seem to think they don't need to stop for street cars.  I have watched way to many close calls where a cyclist not even slowing down for the street car with its doors open almost hitting people who are getting of the street car.
3. Why do people write or highlight in library books?  These aren't you books people.  You can't look back at the book at a later date and reread what you highlighted.  The book needs to be returned so that other people can read the book.  Looking at your pencil marks or even worse highlighted sections is very distracting to the other people who are trying to read this book.

I will end this post with a little bit of happiness ...

Always fun bringing a smile to someone face as you point them in the direction of the nearest Starbucks!

It's Not Low Carb

I, like many others, quickly learned not to talk to others about my eating style.  It is hard for people to believe that the food guide that has been drilled into us since we were little is not the be all and end all of healthy eating and dare I say it is actually WRONG (gasp).

I find when I do talk about my diet I have the bad habit of saying that it is low carb.  Everyone always jumps all over this and starts attacking low carb and going on and on about how low carb is bad for you and you need carbs to live.  How horrible the Atkins diet is and eating all that fat is going to kill you.

Many times it just isn't worth the fight to try and convince people otherwise.

I found this on Pinterest and this is my new motto...

Afraid of the Sun

Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow recently made a comment in British Cosmopolitan about how going out and getting some sun is good for people.

"We're human beings and the sun is the sun - how can it be bad for you?  I think we should all get sun and fresh air.  I don't think anything that is natural can be bad for you - it's really good to have at least 15 minutes of sun a day"

This comment promoted the National Post to go out and ask doctors what their opinion of her comment is .  The article can be found here.

Let's just get out of the way that when Gwyneth says that anything that is natural can't be bad for you is of course wrong.  We all know that there are plenty of natural things that are bad for you and can kill you.  OK point made, lets get to the real point ...

All of the doctors in the article have declared the sun the evil and exposure to the sun will give you cancer.  You should avoid the sun at all costs.  One doctor even points out that vitamin D is better to be gotten from a pill then from going outside for a few minutes.

"In humans, the sun is required to convert cholesterol to vitamin D, which is necessary for good bone health.  If one does not get enough sun exposure they should take a vitamin D supplement."  Dr. Richard Bendor-Samuel, Cosmetic Surgeon at The Landings Surgical Centre, Halifax


So the doctor even states that our bodies require the vitamin D we receive from the sun to work properly but it is better to get it from a pill then to go stand outside for 15 minutes?

For millions of years people survived without sunscreen and shelter from that evil thing we call the sun and yet no one died of skin cancer until within the last 100 years or so.  Most people worked in the hot blazing sun all day and never got skin cancer.

Here is an interesting chart I found on wikipedia.  The occurrence of skin cancer appears to be less in many (not all) of the less developed countries in the world.  These are probably countries where people spend most of their time working outside in the hot sun all day and are areas that are close to the equator.

Age-standardized death from melanomaand other skin cancers per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004.[30]

no data   <0 .7="" div="">   0.7-1.4   1.4-2.1   2.1-2.8   2.8-3.5   3.5-4.2

4.2-4.9   4.9-5.6   5.6-6.3   6.3-7   7-7.7   >7.7

Now I know that an argument can be made that the ozone is thinning and so the sun is more dangerous now.  Sure I will give you that.  But how about instead of avoiding the sun all together we take a smart approach to going out in the sun.  

Don't go out on the first hot sunny day of summer, white as a ghost from hiding inside all winter, and stand in the mid day sun for 5 hours without any protection.  Build up your time in the sun with a nice base tan.  Go outside for a few minutes each day, enough to get a little colour but not enough to burn.  As your skin gets used to the sun you will be able to take more and more time in the sun.

Even fair people can do this.  J is very fair skinned and yet little by little he has built up a tan and can now handle going out in the sun for longer then 15 minutes without burning.

People just need to be smart and think about what they are doing.  This really is a case where something natural is good for you and required for your body to work properly. 


* This is a rant and all opinions are my own.  I am in no way providing medical advice and just wanted to give you something to think about.

Paleo Baking

I am a big fan of Pinterest and get a lot of my paleo/primal recipes from searching on Pinterest.  The one thing that always shocks me are the number of paleo baking recipes there are.  People have figured out a way to make pretty much everything into a paleo version.

What's that you want to have a chocolate doughnut with chocolate sauce on top, while there is a recipe for that.  No need to live without muffins cause there are a ton of recipes for those to.  Today I even came across paleo bread that looks to be sold commercially.  How crazy is that?

A lot of people rationalize the paleo baking by saying that everything they are baking with is allowed under the paleo/primal diet and so they can eat as much as they want.   The key ingredients usually in paleo baking is coconut flour, almond flour, arrow root, honey and/or maple syrup, coconut milk, cocoa and dark chocolate, and eggs.

Now maybe it is because I have never been much of a baker and sure I enjoy baked goods but I have never been obsessed with them, but I just don't get it.

You have taken foods that even conventional wisdom tells you are not healthy and will make you gain weight and just made a paleo version.  Chances are many of these foods still aren't actually healthy and will make you gain weight.  Sure honey and maple syrup are allowed on the plan but lets remember that they are still sugars.  Your body is going to release insulin to deal with these sugars just the same as if you ate "normal" sugar.

I have done a little bit of paleo baking, but this is usually done for when we have company.  I use it almost as a way to say to company "see I don't need to give up anything on my diet".

Paleo baking can be very expensive, especially compared to traditional baking.  I made a paleo cake for little man's birthday.  Pretty sure that thing cost me somewhere between $10-$15 to make with all the almond flour, honey and maple syrup in it.

I think the key here is moderation.  Paleo baking, like traditional baking should be used as a treat.  Something special that you make when you are celebrating or having company over.  If you follow the 80/20 rule, it should be something that goes into your 20% category not the 80%.

Also if you are just starting out on the paleo diet I would recommend staying away from paleo baking.  It is my belief that one of the keys to living paleo as a lifestyle and not just a diet is to learn to adapt your thinking about the way you eat and not just find paleo substitutes for the foods that you used to eat.

Brickworks Farmers Market

Saturday was a beautiful day and perfect for our first outing to the Brickworks Farmers Market.  The little man has been sick and not cooperating fully, so the plan to head out at 9 am turned into us going there at noon.  Grand scheme of things not a big deal.

Our first stop was to have our knives sharpened by Sharp My Knife who is at the market every other Saturday.  I have had my knives for years and never had them sharpened, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have them sharpened while I was shopping.  They did a great job with the knives and cutting things isn't such a chore now.

After we dropped off our knives we did a quick tour around the market.  It was much smaller then I expected.  When you look at the list of vendors on the market website you expect that the place is huge.  But you can do a quick stroll around looking at the vendors in about 5 minutes.

The best part about this market is that you are dealing with the actual farmers/producers and that everything is organic, all the beef is grass fed.  Overall everything is just really good quality.

I don't remember the names of all the vendors that we purchased from but here is a quick list of what we purchased:

• Fresh and smoked trout from Fisherfolk - absolutely delicious
• Fresh ramembert cheese from Best Baa Diary - om nom nom I couldn't stop eating this stuff
• Spring salad mix from Vicki's Veggies - I eat organic spring mix from the supermarket all the time, that stuff has nothing on the spring mix I bought from Vicki's.  Oh so GOOD!
• Russian kale, grass fed ground beef and soup bones from Earth Haven   - We ate the russian kale last night as a salad and it was amazing.  Russian kale is not bitter like the curly kale we normally buy and makes for an amazing salad.
• Chorizo sausage and summer sausage.  Unfortunately I don't know who the vendor was.  But the summer sausage was great.
• Green beans - again don't know who the vendor was.  AMAZING!  It was $4 for a small basket of them and then he offered to give me 2 baskets for $6.  So glad I went with the 2 baskets, these are better then anything found in the supermarket.

We did a stroll through the food court, but from what I could tell, everything there was off diet.  

I also really wanted to buy Salami from Dolce Lucano but the guys were rude and arrogant so I spent my money elsewhere.

When we were in the car driving home we chatted about the market and what we thought.  My original reaction was that it was just OK and not really worth the 20 minute drive.  Items weren't cheap, but I was ok with that given the quality of the items.  I would say that the prices for most items were what I was expecting to pay for organic veggies and grass fed meat.

After eating all the wonderful food and realizing that we were eating much like we did in Provence again, I need to change my vote.  

Our dinner on Saturday night started with a platter with the sheep cheese, smoked trout and summer sausage.  Then we grilled the fresh trout on a pizza stone on the bbq, accompanied by the green beans pan fried with mushrooms and almonds.  (damn my mouth is watering just thinking of it)

I really want to go back again this week to the market and get more of the wonderful food.

There's Nothing to Eat

Do you ever feel this way when you open your fridge?  Every week the media is publicizing a different report that says that X is bad for you and you should be eating Y instead.  But then two weeks later Y is bad for you and X is the better choice.  You start to wonder if there is anything that you can eat.

I have been gobbling up a ton of information about paleo/primal eating lately.  In everything that I read there are a ton of scientific information to show that the paleo/primal way of eating makes sense.  But then again for every study that says you should eat one way there is another study saying that is a sure fire way to an early grave.

A few years ago my doctor told me that my cholesterol was borderline high.  Her response was to cut back on the red meat and my fat intake.   Everything that I read in the paleo information says that is the wrong approach and that I should be cutting out the carbs.  Surely all these people have the same scientific research available to them to be able to figure out and agree on which approach is correct?

How is the average person supposed to be able to process all this information and decide which study is the more accurate and reliable and which one is just crap? 

I have decided that while scientific research is great it just doesn't matter to me anymore.  What matters to me now is the way I feel when I eat things.  Grains make me feel bad, bloated and keep me up at night.  When I don't eat grains I feel good, have more energy, get lots of sleep.  It really is that simple for me now.

Food Log Week 2

I had only planned on tracking my food for one week, but it was such a great way to keep me accountable that I decided to continue on tracking.  Summer is in full swing with bbq season and that definitely has an effect on my eating.

Day 1

Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: paleo burger with sweet potato bun, ceaser salad and oysters
Snack:  tortilla and guacamole with a ceaser cocktail
Dinner: bbq'd pork tenderloin, baked potato salad, green salad and baked beans
Dessert: apple pie with whipped cream

We were at a bbq all day and I could have made better choices but didn't.

Day 2

Breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and grapes
Dinner: pork sausage, pork souvlaki with grilled asparagus and prosciutto
Dessert: strawberries

I really need to make sure I have an afternoon snack.  Otherwise I get home starving and start eating whatever is in front of me in the fridge.

Day 3

Breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: roasted chicken and poutine

Day 4

Breakfast: yogurt and hard boiled egg
Lunch: sushi with wakkame salad and miso soup
Dinner: grilled mustard chicken with spinach and mushrooms
Late night eats: wine, a lot of stuff I shouldn't have eaten
Sleep: HORRIBLE why did I do that to myself

Day 5

Breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and yogurt
Snack: mixed nuts
Dinner: chicken wings and fries

Day 6

Breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: salad with grilled sausage
Snack: pepperoni stick
Dinner: grilled pork chops with roasted potato

Day 7

Breakfast: bacon eggs and home fries
Lunch: sausage
Dinner: chicken gyros with home made flat bread , grilled zucchini and mushrooms